Nerd Louisville, partners help Home of Innocents transform children’s lives
Nonprofit and community business partners answer the call for children under the care of regional“ Home”
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (March 30th, 2020) — Helping Home of Innocents continue its mission to enrich the lives of children and families with hope, health, and happiness, Kentucky nonprofit Nerd Louisville and community partners donated multiple games, gaming systems, Disney+ video streaming accounts, tablets, and comics for children under its care during these trying times.
An integral part of Nerd Louisville’s mission is to get books, board games, and technology into the hands of those who need it most. During these trying times for our Commonwealth, we were honored to help.
Home of the Innocents contacted Nerd Louisville for help as many of its nonessential staff must now work remotely from home as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and children under their care have limited outlets for entertainment and creativity.
Nerd Louisville along with community partners answered their call by donating four Xbox One and two Playstation 4 gaming systems; three iPads, 10 Amazon Fire tablets; 24 video games; game controllers, three, one-year Disney+ streaming accounts, Dungeon and Dragons starter kits to name a few.
“The staff members who are sacrificing so much are the ones who coordinate the activities for the children,” said Hailey Kuhn, Nerd Louisville Board member. “Our hearts broke when we got that news, so we did what we could.”
Home of the Innocents plays a crucial role in the lives of the children and their families in our region, Helping it continue its mission aligns properly with Nerd Louisville’s mission.
“Currently our kids are on restrictions and cannot leave their cottages, houses, or dorms,” Home of Innocents Outreach Coordinator Reese Rose-Vann said. “This means they’re bored to tears — literally. The majority of our non-essential employees, administrative staff, and those that do directly care for the kids have been mandated to work from home until further notice. This is to ensure that our residents and staff stay safe and our kids continue to receive the proper care that they need.”
Nerd Louisville remains committed to the Louisville community to use its time and resources to do as much good as possible, Nerd Louisville President Jonathan Meadows said, and this is one example of the organization and its partners supporting others in time of need.
“Nerd Louisville’s mission is to make Kentucky the most awesome nerd city in the universe by fostering a sense of community, providing a hub to connect local nerds, and by promoting Louisville as a nerd destination,” Meadows said. “We also seek to educate, inspire, and empower local youth.”
Nerd Louisville would like to thank Heroes Comics & Gaming for donating comic books and starter kits and Card N All Gaming for giving us an incredible deal, Meadows said, allowing Nerd Louisville to stretch needed dollars farther.
Nerd Louisville also completed another recent donation of games and consoles to the University of Louisville Peace Hospital.
Nerd Louisville started the Next-Gen Nerds Initiative as a way for educating, inspiring and empowering local youth and giving back to the community.
Nerd Louisville’s charitable work has included: partnering with the Louisville Free Public Library, facilitating games for Louisville children with an autism spectrum disorder, partnering with local businesses and funneling laptops into Fern Creek High School, and donating Chromebooks and wi-fi hotspots to expand the city of Louisville’s “Job Seeker” program to name a few.