Two-week Initiative Designed to “TKO” the Needs in our Community
Online and At Home Projects Available for Health and Safety
LOUISVILLE, KY (January 8, 2021) — The Muhammad Ali Center and Metro United Way are partnering on the second annual The Greatest Give Back initiative, a service project that honors Muhammad Ali’s birthday and continues the Center’s annual tradition of providing acts of service on this day. The theme is TKO: Time, Kindness, and Offering. #TheGreatestGiveBack began online on Monday, January 4, and will conclude on Ali’s birthday on January 17.
Last year, more than 450 individuals showed up on-site at the Ali Center to create personal care kits, healthy snack packs, and blankets that went to 25 partner agencies within and around the Louisville area. The needs in our community are great and have only been exacerbated due to the pandemic. This year, for the health and safety of the community, #TheGreatestGiveBack will be comprised of: goodwill projects that can be completed from one’s own home or neighborhood; through online donations; and social media postings.
Theresa Reno Weber, President and CEO of Metro United Way said, “Ali’s lifelong devotion to service and equity align with Metro United Way’s mission to give everyone in our community the best chance to thrive. We are so excited to continue our partnership with the Muhammad Ali Center and celebrate Louisville’s own, the Champ, The Greatest, Muhammad Ali.”
Donald Lassere, President and CEO of the Muhammad Ali Center said, “There could be no better way to honor Muhammad’s legacy than to help others in need. Muhammad loved Louisville and would be so proud to be a part of The Greatest Giveback. We are grateful to have such a compassionate partner in Metro United Way to help TKO some of the vital needs in our community.”
How to get involved
The TKO menu of community options includes:
Time
- Creating cards that support and uplift the spirits of one’s neighbors of all ages; birthday cards for children, or inspiring cards for seniors
Kindness
- Celebrating acts of kindness in honor of “The Greatest” by sharing them on social media, using the hashtag #TheGreatestGiveBack.
Offering
- Supporting our neighbors across the community through various donations, including: Personal Care kits, Birthday kits, Go Away Germ kits and Winter Weather kits.
- Online donations can be made through metrounitedway.org/greatestgiveback.
Please continue to follow both the Metro United Way and the Muhammad Ali Center web sites for updated information.
Special thanks to our presenting sponsor, Yum Brands, Inc.
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About Metro United Way
Metro United Way works every day to lift our community by mobilizing people and maximizing our community’s resources to advance opportunity and equity for all. Metro United Way drives efficiency and impact throughout our local nonprofit sector through best practice sharing, data-informed decision making, advocacy, and accountability for quality & results. We bring together businesses, nonprofits, government agencies, and individuals to engage in the kinds of collaboration that changes lives.
About the Muhammad Ali Center
The Muhammad Ali Center, a 501(c)3 corporation, was cofounded by Muhammad Ali and his wife Lonnie in their hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. The international cultural center promotes the Six Core Principles of Muhammad Ali (Confidence, Conviction, Dedication, Giving, Respect, and Spirituality) in ways that inspire personal and global greatness, and provides programming and events around the focus areas of education, gender equity, and global citizenship. The Ali Center is formally associated with the United Nations Department of Global Communications, and in 2020, became one of the newest stops on the U.S. Civil Rights Trail. The Center’s headquarters also contains an award-winning museum experience. For more information, please visit www.alicenter.org.
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Contact: Taylor Mankle Jeanie Kahnke
Metro United Way Muhammad Ali Center
(502) 292-6719 (502) 640-6077
(502) 523-5489 (502) 992-5301