Generous Hearts Overflowed at Louisville Water this Holiday Season!

“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” Those words from boxing legend and Louisville native, Muhammad Ali, certainly resonates with the generosity that poured out across Louisville Water in this season of giving.

In October, Louisville Water’s Service Board partnered with the Salvation Army Angel Tree. Members helped enter the children’s wishes and clothing sizes into the computer system so elves across the city could hit the stores and fill up those gift bags!

Once the word spread about the Angel Tree initiative, employees answered the call in a BIG way. Starting out with a goal of 25 Angels, Louisville Water ended up adopting nearly three times that many!


Aisle of shelves filled with presents.“The incredible generosity shown by our employees and their families has been overwhelming. Together, we adopted 65 Angels and gave a combined 204 volunteer hours of service to support about 11,000 Angels this year. This is the spirt of why I humbly serve on the (Louisville Water) Service Board,” said Chrissy Roe, Manager of Learning and Development.


While employees started checking their list and checking ‘em twice for the Salvation Army Angels, different teams at Crescent Hill Filter Plant and B.E. Payne Water Treatment Plant were hard at work themselves. This year, employees shopped for three Field Elementary families, continuing a longtime holiday tradition.

“It could be the biggest delivery we’ve ever had! Lots of generous givers this season,” Supervisor of Water Quality and Compliance, Emily Fritz, said.

Plant Maintenance Mechanic, Lee Lorimor, agreed. “We’ve got a lot of generous people here at the plant who donate a lot of money. The families always send notes back with words of how appreciative they are.”

Back at the Salvation Army, the Angel Tree program relies on volunteers throughout the season to deliver a Merry Christmas to thousands of local children. Louisville Water employees spent hours in the warehouse on December 7. They checked, sorted, and stored bags, getting them ready for distribution day.

Communications and Marketing Manager, Erika Brown, turned the opportunity into a team building event. “I really enjoyed taking a few hours away from our normal operations to help spread the holiday cheer in our community. I definitely walked away feeling like I got as much out of the experience as I gave.”

On December 14, more employees returned to load up shopping carts with the gifts and deliver them to anxious parents picking up the bags bundled with love.

Metering Shop Leader, Angie Thacker, greeted families when they arrived. “I love to help people, especially children. I remember one parent crying when she saw that her son would get a giant Monster Truck for Christmas. She was so appreciative of the things she received and that made volunteering so easy to do and to do again.”

While things were hopping at Salvation Army, it was a wrap at Crescent Hill. We’re talking about a wrapping paper party! Autumn Gibson, Water Quality and Compliance Supervisor, said it took about three hours to wrap all the presents.

Plant Maintenance Mechanic, Clayton Reesor, enjoys being a part of the holiday cheer every year. “We’re good neighbors with Field Elementary. It’s always been a positive thing for me. It’s great for the kids.”

Principal Deb Rivera is amazed every year when Louisville Water arrives with boxes, bags, and even more boxes! “We LOVE the water company. For over 20 years, employees at the plant have been giving Field families a hand-up at Christmastime. They are great neighbors and many of these families would go without if it wasn’t for the generosity of these folks.  Happy Holidays to all of our friends at Louisville Water.”

Keeping old traditions and starting new ones, all with the same goal of giving back to others.

This was the first year for Digital Communications Specialist, Lauren Horton, to volunteer at Salvation Army, but it won’t be her last. “I look forward to doing it again next

 year!”

Us too, Lauren, us too!!