Care Force Chronicle- Louisville, KY

New Planter Boxes in the Atrium
built by ARAMARK volunteers.

By Georgia Lawrence



Partner: ARAMARK

Volunteers: 150

Service Partner: Louisville Central Community Center

When: October 23-27, 2010

TCF: Steadman Graves, Dan Nemiroff, Aundrea Dean, Georgia Lawrence, Emily Kean, Florence Capinding; Project Manager Susan Bensen


 Our team traveled straight from Kansas City to Louisville on Saturday, October 23 to prepare for this ARAMARK event. This was my first time in Kentucky and I was very excited to explore a new city. After our short flight, we drove to our service site, the Louisville Central Community Center, and waited for the Home Depot delivery scheduled to arrive that afternoon. While waiting at the Center, we had the chance to meet Sam Watkins, valued community member and Executive Director of the LCCC. Sam was incredibly welcoming and immediately made us feel right at home. He explained the many programs the LCCC offers, including early childhood care, youth education, and job readiness training. One of the most unique aspects of the LCCC is their focus on the arts. Almost all of their youth programs centered on art projects, including theater productions, painting, and quilt making. It was great to see so much of their students' art work was proudly displayed around the building.



Dan Nemiroff leads his group of
ARAMARK Volunteers through 
an explanation of their project.

 We arrived on site bright and early Sunday morning to start our prep work. First, we tackled the large pile of lumber that had been delivered, and measured and cut it for the storage shelves, bookcases, and planter boxes that ARAMARK would be building. We also sketched two large wall murals on the maintenance building and ten smaller panel murals that were being painted for the programming space in the LCCC. In addition, Aundrea and Flo prepared for their landscaping project that involved planting flowers and shrubs around the outside of the buildings to beautify the LCCC. We had a great week of prep but, like every project, we always have to be prepared for any challenge. On Tuesday, there were torrential downpours all day, turning the parking lot construction zone into a total mud pit. We also heard tornado warning sirens throughout the day, a first for me and a few of my teammates. Unfazed by the ominous weather, we continued our work as planned and found extra wood palettes and plywood boards to create walkways in the muddy parking lot. 

New Graduation Mural
on Maintence Building.

 Fortunately on Wednesday, the event day, we were greeted with a beautiful, sunshine-filled day. We welcomed the 120 ARAMARK volunteers to the LCCC and got straight into service! I lead a project painting two large murals on the walls of the LCCC's maintenance building. Bill, the Maintenance Director, had been skeptical of the amount of work we would be able to finish by the end of the week. Towards the end of the event day he looked at the new murals on the walls and admitted he was astonished by how much work had been completed and was so happy that the complex had been transformed. He was optimistic that the new paint, murals, and landscaping around the building would prevent future vandalism and attract more visistors to the Center.