The event, held at the Angel’s Envy Bourbon Club at UofL’s L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium celebrated the ongoing legacy of the three-time heavyweight boxing champion, activist and humanitarian.

UofL has a strong connection to Ali and the Muhammad Ali Center, founded by the Louisville native and his wife Lonnie Ali, a longtime friend and supporter of the university. UofL’s offers undergraduate students a unique two-year experience combining leadership development, community engagement and service. Inspired by Muhammad Ali’s courage, resilience and commitment to humility and service, students prepare to lead engagement projects that impact the community.

“The Greatest of All Time certainly deserves this national recognition, as we know his impact was felt here in Louisville and extends far beyond the ring and this city,” said President Gerry Bradley. “His legacy continues to inspire our students to champion meaningful change on campus and around the world.”

In 1998, Ali was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace. In 2005, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. UofL honored Ali in 2015 with the inaugural Grawemeyer Spirit Award, recognizing his humanitarian efforts and inspiring actions.

Ali also was a true Cardinal. His son, Assad Ali, played baseball at UofL and is a member of the athletics staff. Muhammad Ali was honorary captain of the 2007 Orange Bowl championship team.

The U.S. Postal Service plans to sell 22 million commemorative Ali stamps.

But it is most known as the street in which boxing legend Muhammad Ali, then known as Cassius Clay Jr., grew up. The entire Clay family resided at the house full-time from 1947 through 1961.

The Ali home, located specifically at 3302 Grand Ave., had fallen on poor conditions and was restored beginning in 2015 to recapture minute details from the wallpaper to the picture frames. It is now registered with the Kentucky Historical Society and opened as a museum dedicated to his life on May 1, 2016. 

Thanks to those restoration efforts, passersby no doubt immediately recognize the 1,000-square-foot house because of its signature pink exterior – just as the house looked when Ali was young.

As a non-profit organization, the Muhammad Ali home often requires extra help for upkeep. Recently, a group of UofL students, alumni and employees provided just that.

, the eldest of six daughters born to Dr. Betty Shabazz and Malcolm X Shabazz, works with the Muhammad Ali Childhood Home Museum and reached out to Ashleigh Hazley, director of UofL’s Muhammad Ali Institute for Peace and Justice and adviser for the Muhammad Ali Scholars program, to gauge volunteer interest from the campus community.

A handful jumped at the chance and, since April, have pitched in to help around Ali’s home – cleaning, pulling weeds, planting new flowers, painting and so forth.

“We tried to get it to look as nice as possible ahead of Ali Week (), which is hosted by the Ali Center and the Ali family. It looks nice,” Hazley said.

Ambassador Shabazz’s vision is to revitalize all of Grand Avenue, Hazley said. She anticipates UofL will be involved in future projects until that goal is met.

“We have a hodgepodge of folks from UofL who really care about the upkeep of this home. It’s important and powerful,” she said.

For Hazley, it’s also personal. She lived on Grand Avenue when she was younger and would recall her grandmother talking about Muhammad Ali “living down the street” and the pride that came with it.

“It was important for me to make this connection because of my work for the institute and with the scholars,” she said. “I thought it would be special for them, too and I think it has been.”

At the 2^nd Annual Knock Out Stroke event, medical experts from the University of Louisville Stroke Program, the state’s first Certified Comprehensive Stroke Center, will share tips on how to manage high blood pressure and other risk factors related to heart disease and stroke. Guests will learn how to monitor their blood pressure, the importance of physical activity and how to incorporate it into their daily routine, recognizing the symptoms of stroke and understanding the latest treatment options. Plus, WAVE 3’s Dawne Gee will share her personal experience in suffering a stroke.

Knock out Stroke is May 12, 2017 from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Muhammed Ali Center, 144 N. Sixth St. The event is free and open to the public and includes lunch, door prizes and the opportunity to tour the Muhammad Ali Center museum at your leisure. Attendees are asked to .  

Family Health Centers and the UofL Department of Neurology host the program in conjunction with Stroke Awareness Month. Additional partners include the Kentucky Department of Public Health Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program, Louisville Department of Health and Wellness, UofL School of Medicine, and UofL Signature Partnership Health & Quality of Life division.

The UofL Stroke Program is a collaboration of University of Louisville Hospital, a part of KentuckyOne Health, UofL Physicians and the UofL School of Medicine.

UofL’s College of Arts and Sciences is offering the public event, “The Future of Our Community: West Louisville Economic Development Forum, Part II,” at the Muhammad Ali Center, 144 N. Sixth St. The program runs from 8:30 a.m. check-in to 2:30 p.m.

“This whole intent of ‘The Future of Our Community’ really brings together the community leaders with the people who have resources and have the ability to make things happen,” event organizer Clest Lanier said.

“People need to say what they want. I think we’re going to learn a whole lot,” she said.

Forum breakout sessions will focus on identifying community needs, financing large projects, helping small businesses and updating the status of current and new projects. Panelists will include area residents, developers, financiers, entrepreneurs and government and community organization representatives.

The program concludes with a 1:15 p.m. luncheon talk by U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a development activist and city council member who became Kansas City, Missouri’s first African American mayor in 1981 and now is serving his sixth congressional term. The congressman will talk about championing redevelopment efforts for Kansas City’s 18^th and Vine jazz district that was once the heart of the city’s black business zone.

Advance registration is required by Aug. 15 for the forum, which includes breakfast and lunch. Participants should visit and pay by check; fees are $60 for corporate representatives, $50 for individuals and $40 for students.