2017 Community Impact Report SACRED HEART MODEL SCHOOL SENDS SOME L VE TO VETERANS (& OTHER ACTS OF SERVICE) WEDAY KY / 2017 IMPACT REPORT 07 Contents / COMMUNITY IMPACT / 2017 EDITOR THE WE DAY Wendy Sirchio KY STORY WRITERS James Moses P. 02 Kris Sirchio Wendy Sirchio ON THE COVER Students from Sacred Heart Academy show their PHOTOGRAPHERS VALENTINES for VETERANS James Moses PHOTOGRAPHY Chip Dumstorf James Moses Mary Beth Brown P. 06 COPY EDITOR Lakin Pack STORIES OF IMPACT A few shining examples of amazing young people DESIGN “ in the Joe Weber, Reba Bangasser, Alex Dumstorf, Living WE” Bisig Impact Group Commonwealth PUBLISHER P. 14 WE Day Kentucky WE DAY KY IMPACT 20 Making a real difference, seeing real results WE Day Community Kentucky is an event that inspires and celebrates the work of P. 20–21 thousands of young people across the state of Kentucky. This event strives to OUR 2020 VISION be a community role model showcasing Our path forward the accomplishments of today’s change-makers and leaders. P. 22–23 For more information, visit WeDayKY.org SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS & TEAM Because WE Day Community Kentucky is truly a group effort 02 WEDAY KY / 2017 IMPACT REPORT WEDAY KY / 2017 IMPACT REPORT 07 WE Day was created in 2006 by WE, a Canadian non-profit organization dedicated to empowering a generation to shift the world from “ME” to “WE;” from a focus on the individual to the power of community. Co-founded by Craig and Marc Kielburger with a focus on education and empowerment in our local and global communities, WE is revolutionizing how we help young people fulfill their potential as active citizens and leaders to help make the world a better place. Today WE Day takes place in 18 major cities across three countries (Canada, U.S., UK). First introduced to the U.S. in 2013, WE Day is now a growing platform in Washington State, California, Minnesota, Illinois, New York and Kentucky. THE WE DAY KENTUCKY MOVEMENT EVERY YOUNG PERSON HAS THE Wendy and Kris Sirchio first met Craig Kielburger and Spencer POTENTIAL AND THE POWER TO West at a speaking event in Jackson Hole, Wyoming in 2012. Their message was inspiring; a perfect fit to Louisville’s title of POSITIVELY CHANGE THE WORLD “most compassionate city in America.” Later that year, under an acacia tree in Kenya, Craig, Wendy and Kris created a new a We believe in supporting this potential by connecting today’s dream, the dream to bring WE Day to Kentucky. students to the greatest local and global issues of our time. We believe in bringing a generation together by proving With the support of community leaders and founding partners that no one is alone in their desire for change. We believe in from the Muhammad Ali Center, The Kentucky YMCA Youth celebrating the actions of young people and inspiring them to Association, and The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts, redefine what is possible. together with a dedicated, passionate Steering Committee, this dream has become a reality. What started in the first year with 20 schools and 175 students has now five years later become WHAT IS WE DAY? WE Day Community: Kentucky. It was officially recognized as the first WE Day platform built in the U.S. from the ground up, one Youth coming together to make the world a better place is school at a time. This new “Community” designation connects THE the global movement of our time. Young people today need a our local movement to the overall Global WE organization, starting point and WE Day is that starting point. opening access to the full menu of free educational resources, along with WE Day talent and production support. In short, it WE Day brings together world-renowned speakers, leaders, enables us to build a long-term sustainable WE Day platform WE DAY and performers with thousands of youth in stadium-sized events without the burden of fund raising for stadium-size events. It to kick-start a year of service and action. You can’t buy a ticket enables us to be local while being connected to the world’s to WE Day; you earn it through service by leading one local and largest youth empowerment organization. one global service action. Today, WE Day Kentucky now connects over 300 schools, KY STORY More than a one-day event, WE Day helps young people turn representing two-thirds of all counties in the state of Kentucky the day’s inspiration into sustained action. WE Day inspires and over 30,000 students. These students contribute over young people to find their spark in order to create the positive 300,000 service hours annually, creating approximately $5 change they want to see. Together, WE Day and student- million in incremental social value for their communities and led service projects provide a blueprint to support the next global projects. And WE Day Kentucky is now the official Youth generation to become active and engaged citizens. Kick-off to the Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer’s annual “Give-A- Day” Week of Service. Learn more at WeDayKY.org 2 WE DAY KY / 2017 IMPACT REPORT WE DAY KY / 2017 IMPACT REPORT 3 WHY IS WE DAY SO IMPORTANT FOR KENTUCKY? We all understand education is vital to successful, engaged citizenship. Data in Canada and the U.S. show that students who have participated in the WE Day movement graduate at higher rates, consistently volunteer their time, donate funds to non-profits, and vote at twice the national average. In short, they are more likely to become active citizens, committed to making a positive change. We believe that Kentucky and Kentucky’s youth will flourish with WE Day! WE DAY KENTUCKY – 2017 On April 18th, the fifth annual WE Day Kentucky event took place in Whitney Hall at the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts. A capacity crowd of 2,400 students and educators, representing the 300 participating schools and 30,000 students from across Kentucky were inspired by the theme of this year’s event: “Living WE, WHAT ARE YOU FIGHTING FOR? A tribute A RAGTAG to Muhammad Ali.” Immediately following the event, over 4,000 students, educators and leaders gathered together to march through the streets of downtown Louisville in our WE Walk for BUNCH OF 12 Compassion event - celebrating the causes and issues that “ students care most deeply about. 7TH GRADERS, IT’S TIME TO FUEL THE WE DAY LED BY CRAIG KENTUCKY MOVEMENT Let’s be honest. Who would have ever thought that a group of school kids could change the world? KIELBURGER, Twenty years after they first formed their action group, a ragtag THE bunch of 12 seventh graders, led by Craig Kielburger, has grown HAS GROWN INTO into a tidal wave for good. They have inspired millions of empowered and passionate young people, parents, teachers, and community leaders to work together to shift A TIDAL WAVE the world from “Me to WE”. MOVEMENT The same energy and enthusiasm is growing in Kentucky. Thanks to MobileServe and Bisig Impact Group, this report FOR GOOD TO will highlight our “Impact 20”, a collection of 20 stories that showcase some of the amazing service projects that students “ affiliated with WE Day Kentucky have completed. To see more OF OUR SHIFT THE service impact stories, please visit our website wedayky.org With your help, we will encourage and support all of Kentucky’s WORLD FROM students in becoming active citizens and make our community and world a better place through service learning projects. TIME Please help us to fuel this movement. Thank you for your support! ME TO WE. Wendy and Kris Sirchio, Learn more at WeDayKY.org Co-founders, WE Day Community: Kentucky 4 WE DAY KY / 2017 IMPACT REPORT WE DAY KY / 2017 IMPACT REPORT 5 The fifth grade class of Kenwood The drive started with the students Elementary was struggling to contain utilizing their creativity and Kenwood’s 2017 Impact Story: Kenwood Elementary its jubilance, as 2017 was their first time electronic resources to design and print attending WE Day. When researching a informational posters to hang throughout cause to devote time and talent, Quan the school. This helped to raise awareness Founder from the YMCA Safe Place was of the local community need, get the invited to speak to the group. Safe Place message out and communicate the call to is an organization that exists as a haven action that would help solve the problem. for children and young adults who need help getting out of difficult situations. Hannah Ambort-Snyder, another fifth Safe Place accomplishes this through grade student adds, “[we requested] programs aimed at dismantling cycles of brushes, combs, body wash, deodorant, violence, offering family communication lotion, toothbrushes, toothpaste, In addition to the hygiene products they collected, Kenwood students also received donations to help services and preventing homelessness. mouthwash, shampoo and conditioner. at risk children and families. Everything you could use to think of for After Quan’s visit, the members of Ms. good hygiene.” The donations for the Handley and Ms. Donnelly’s We Act week filled 20 large packing boxes with Club were drawn to this plight and products that were then delivered to the decided on an action plan. Safe Place was local YMCA Safe Place. BY NEED AUTHOR NAME unfortunately running short on hygiene products, as more and more boys and The students realized that working girls were needing assistance. Kenwood together as a group was very gratifying, fifth grader Tariq Jabbar was particularly and also appreciated the hands-on moved, wanting to help the at-risk youth approach of their teachers.