The lights will be on for select days at Lynn Family Stadium over the next seven weeks with the goal of bringing awareness to three important causes and their action days and months.
Soccer Holdings LLC is proud to partner with Dare to Care Food Bank, The Center for Women and Families and Rotary International to light up Lynn Family Stadium in orange in September in recognition of Hunger Action Month and in purple in October for Domestic Violence Awareness Month and World Polio Day.
Stadium passersby will notice the lights on six of the next eight Thursdays as well as one Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
“There are so many wonderful organizations in our community doing incredible work, and we’re always looking for creative ways to support and raise awareness for different causes,” said Stephanie Burdorf, the community engagement coordinator for Soccer Holdings, LLC, who is also spearheading staff and team efforts to contribute to and volunteer with these community partners over the next two months. “Lighting up the stadium at night is an easy way to show these organizations we stand with them as they continue to make real impact in the communities they serve.”
The orange lights first came on Thursday, Sept. 8, for Hunger Action Month and will be on Sept. 15 and 29 as well as World Hunger Action Day on Friday, Sept. 23.
Dare to Care, a 501(c)(3) organization, started in 1969 to ensure no one in the Kentuckiana community lacks enough food to live an active, healthy life and partners with local service agencies to distribute food. The organization and its partners provided 21.7 million meals to the greater Louisville community over the past year. Visit Dare to Care Food Bank’s Virtual Food Drive (qgiv.com) for more information on how you can support the food bank.
“We are incredibly excited to be working with LouCity and Racing Louisville – they’ve been great partners to work with in the fight against hunger,” said Alexus Richardson, the Dare to Care director of communications. “As we’ve seen an uptick in our neighbors visiting food pantries, we’re especially appreciative to community partners like LouCity and Racing, who show their generosity and support in this time of need. Hunger Action Month is a time of the year we encourage everyone in our community to take action and help us conquer the cycle of need. LouCity and Racing are partnering with us to spread awareness through volunteerism and education of the next generation to ensure no one in our community goes hungry. We’re incredibly grateful for their support!”
In October, purple stadium lights on Oct. 6, 13, 20 and 26 will be for Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The lights will also be purple on Monday, Oct. 24, for World Polio Day.
The Center for Women and Families, a 501(c)(3) organization, provides trauma-informed advocacy and support for individuals, families and communities affected by intimate partner violence and sexual assault. The Center works to mitigate the impact of trauma by building resiliency and reducing risk factors with the goal of co-creating violence-free lives, families and communities. Visit TheCenterOnline.org for more information about The Center and its work, and you can support the organization through its donations page or by volunteering.
“We are so grateful to have the support of Louisville City FC and Racing Louisville FC as we raise awareness about how prevalent domestic violence is in our community,” said Elizabeth Wessels-Martin, the president and CEO of The Center for Women and Families. “With local domestic violence-related deaths on pace to double this year over last, we need everyone’s help to shine a light on this type of violence that often flies under the radar but cannot be tolerated, just like any other violent crime.”
Rotary International and the Rotary Club of Louisville work each year to raise awareness around World Polio Day and the polio vaccine for children. Each donation will be doubled by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. For more information about the Rotary’s efforts, visit LouisvilleRotary.org.
“Through our alignment with Louisville City and Racing Louisville, Lynn Family Stadium will be bathed in purple to mark World Polio Day on Oct. 24,” said Nancy Stearman, the Rotary district governor in central and western Kentucky. “Why purple? It comes from the purple dot painted on the fingers of children who have received the potentially life-saving polio vaccination. It’s a growing trend for iconic buildings to be illuminated in purple to recognize the work of Rotary International and partners in the fight for a polio-free world. As long as polio exists anywhere, it is a risk to children everywhere. It is only a plane ride away.”
