--Award given to local company with strong efforts towards diversity-- 

The Louisville Urban League is bestowing its highest honor, the Arthur M. Walters “Champion of Diversity Award,” at its annual Diversity Soirée & Awards Gala on Friday, May 18.  Receiving the award jointly are The Kroger Company and its Mid-South Division President, John Hackett.  The event, presented for the eighth year in a row by Fifth Third Bank, Kentucky begins at 5:30 PM and will be held in the Louisville Marriott Downtown’s Kentucky Ballroom.  Horseshoe Southern Indiana is a supporting sponsor of the evening.

“The Louisville Urban League chose to recognize the ongoing efforts of The Kroger Company because of their support of various diversity-minded initiatives in the Louisville community.  We are thrilled to have them as a partner and to honor them with this award”, stated Ben Richmond, LUL President & CEO.

“On behalf of The Kroger Company and its employees, I am thrilled and honored to accept the prestigious Arthur M. Walters Champion of Diversity Award.  As an organization, diversity is one of our core values which we call upon not only in the way we hire associates but also in the way we promote our associates.  Hiring and promoting a diverse workforce is not only good for our associates but also good for our customers,” stated Hackett.

“Academy” Seeks to Improve Student Achievement    

The Louisville Urban League is recruiting parents for its 2012 Parent Leadership Academy. The Parent Leadership Academy is a six week training program that will develop skills and knowledge of parents and prepare them to become engaged advocates of their children's education and be encouraged to increase their involvement in schools' PTAs and Site Based Decision Making Councils. The curriculum includes 12 workshop modules-activities delivered over six consecutive Saturdays. Scheduled to begin February 4th, the League is accepting applications from parents that want to participate in the Parent Leadership Academy.

The Louisville Urban League in Partnership with Bank on Louisville helps people return to banking with the Start Fresh program.  This is a program for persons who have been denied new accounts due to negative (non-fraud) banking histories, and who are willing to participate in a certified financial education program.  After completing the program, participants will understand the basics of bank reconciliation and understanding how their account works so that they have the opportunity to re-enter the traditional banking system the smart way. 

Classes are offered once each month at the Louisville Urban League and interested persons can contact the League's Center for Housing and Financial Empowerment at 502.566.3362 to enroll in the free program. Classes are from 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM. for upcoming class dates, please call.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - October 6, 2010

 New inclusion standard set for construction projects

LOUISVILLE – It started with the KFC Yum! Center, but an innovative program to put minorities and women to work on local construction projects has a future well beyond the new arena, according to a report released today.

The Louisville Urban League and a multitude of partners released the report showing that the KentuckianaWorks Construction Pipeline project has accomplished the following:

• Trained 293 candidates for work in construction
• Placed 111 of them into employment, including 95 minorities and 12 women
• Placed 35 graduates directly into construction jobs on the arena
• Helped the new arena construction project achieve or surpass its goals of 20 percent employment going to minorities, 5 percent to women and 60 percent to local workers