A partnership that the University of Louisville began with Goodwill Industries of Kentucky in 2016 has diverted thousands of pounds of items such as clothing, shoes, linens, decor, school supplies and non-perishable food from landfills. As part of the partnership, students in nine UofL dormitories are encouraged to put their unwanted end-of-year items in year-end donation bins rather than the trash. Food items are also donated to the .

From 2016 to 2018, UofL students have donated more than 18,000 pounds of items during the end-of-year “Lighten Your Load! Move-Out Waste Reduction” campaign. This year’s campaign ends May 1.

“The successful partnership provides a surge in spring donations for Goodwill Industries of Kentucky and, in turn, helps the university toward its goal of becoming a ,” said Justin Mog, assistant to the provost for sustainability initiatives.

Goodwill Industries of Kentucky is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that helps with job training for those with disabilities and other disadvantages. According to its website, Goodwill diverts about 50 million pounds of items from Kentucky landfills every year.

“We are thrilled to partner with UofL during spring move outs. This initiative diverts thousands of pounds of items from landfills and provides donations to Goodwill that stay in local communities,” said Lennea Wooten, director of Retail for Goodwill industries of Kentucky. “These donations not only reduce waste but are also vital in Goodwill’s effort to provide critical employment services for people with disabilities or other challenges to finding and keeping a job.”

These gifts are thanks to the work of two Cardinals: Patrick Reeder, a political science student and Jonas Bastien, a recent political science alum.

“I think the story here is that students can make a huge difference,” Reeder said.

Last year, Bastien and Reeder volunteered for La Casita, which serves more than 160 families through advocacy, education and empowerment and basic wellness needs.

They were asked to help make care packages for families, many of which contained items like diapers, paper towels and toilet paper. La Casita Director ​Karina Barillas explained that many families can’t afford to buy these products and the center passes along donated items. But sometimes, there aren’t enough donations to go around and Barillas must dip into her budget to purchase them, spending as much as $11,000 a year.

“For many of our families, these items are very expensive,” Barillas said. “They are a luxury for us.”

Barillas’ message stuck with the two students, and they carried it with them to a fortuitous encounter with Don Lewis, president of Essity.

Lewis was the keynote speaker at a United Nations conference, which Reeder and Bastien were attending as members of UofL’s United Nations Association, a student organization.

Lewis said that his company, and others like it, depend on the work of advocates like those in the room to connect corporate resources to global needs.�� 

Reeder and Bastien heard his call and acted fast. They approached him and asked if they could talk.

He invited the two to lunch the next day and posed this question to them: ‘What can companies like Essity do for communities like Louisville, Kentucky?’

“I was pretty blunt,” Reeder said. “You could donate supplies, and we could be your liaison.”

They told Lewis all about their experience with La Casita and showed him pictures. Lewis was impressed and set the wheels in motion to make the donation happen.

A semi-truck dropped off the delivery — six pallets worth of donations — July 30. Reeder and Bastien were on hand to help unload it all.

Barillas said the donations will enable the nonprofit to spend its precious resources on other important things, “like nutrition services in our food pantry, soup kitchen and other programming we provide for families.”  

Bastien said he’s happy with how it all came together.

“Working on this project, impacting families who need the resources that La Casita Center provides, and seeing this project come to fruition from a humble lunch conversation, gives me great hope for the future of La Casita Center. The intersection between the business sector and non-profit organizations around the community have vast potential for collaboration — I am honored to play a role in helping to close that gap,” he said.

Reeder and Bastien have worked with Essity to plan a celebratory event for La Casita supporters at 3:30 p.m. Aug. 13. Kentucky Representatives Reginald Meeks and Attica Scott and Metro Council President David James plan to attend, along with several UofL professors.

Barillas, who is also a UofL alum, said she couldn’t be more grateful.

“These two young men acted out of a sense of solidarity and kindness and love and compassion to support our needs,” she said. “No one requested this from them, they were driven by their own generosity. It’s beautiful.”

Elevate will feature noteworthy initiatives from across campus and provide the opportunity for the community to engage with and give to projects meaningful to them. It will also provide an outlet to students, faculty and staff to use this platform to share their story and help impact their respective areas.

“Project pages help share the story of innovative and critical causes across campus,” said Will Holley, director of Annual Giving. “Donors will get to see the direct impact of their support almost immediately.”   

Each donation goes directly to the project chosen. Gifts made through Elevate are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.

“Elevate will help take the passions of our campus and bring them to life through our community’s generosity and support,” said Holley. “Whether you are interested in utilizing Elevate to launch your project or find a project that inspires you to give, this platform and our office are here to help.”

Initial projects

Seven projects will run through the month of May, with causes ranging from ROTC equipment and service learning trips to holistic autism treatment and Parkinson’s Disease.

For example, donors can choose to support the “Bridging the Gap” project, which helps UofL’s steel bridge team compete nationally.��For more than 70 years, UofL’s chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has evolved into one of the nation’s largest and most active student chapters. This year, our chapter aims to participate in 10 events which include the Steel Bridge Competition, Concrete Canoe, Water Quality, Environmental, Technical Papers, Surveying, Concrete Bat, Concrete Horseshoe, Civil Site Design, Balsa Wood Bridge, and Geotechnical. Donations go directly to providing civil engineering students practical hands-on training to better compete.

Donations can also help School of Medicine students provide critical medical services in Tanzania, Ecuador and Nicaragua; or help purchase books for the Reach Out and Read providers at UofL Pediatric Clinic, which encourages families to read aloud and engage with their young children every day in an effort to improve school readiness.

More information about Elevate and its projects is .��