LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Backside Learning Center at Churchill Downs has been part of the Louisville community for 20 years.
What You Need To Know
- For 20 years, the Backside Learning Center at Churchill Downs has been a staple of the Louisville community
- Part of the center is its art program, but the Fund for the Arts HeARTS grant has been severely cut
- The center is taking part in Give for Good Louisville to get community support
- The goal is to raise $45,000 to continue the free art program
Part of the center is its art program. Artist and art educator Sara Noori said art is a universal language, and everyone can benefit from the program.
“There's a language barrier for a lot of the families, so it's a place where they can learn to experience the classroom, get a better handle on the English language and also just make friends," Noori said. "I've seen a lot of them really blossom.”
However, Noori said Kentucky’s Fund for the Arts HeARTS grant has been severely cut.
“The program is crucial to the success of the workers at the backside," Noori said. "That goes all the way from the adults down to the children.”
Enidza Torres, director of development at the Backside Learning Center, said it's why the center is taking part in Give for Good Louisville, a fundraising initiative connecting charitable organizations with the community. Torres said the art programs affect the 1,000 workers and 600 families living there.
“The backside community here is sometimes not thought about in the major metro Louisville community, so we're definitely trying to bring awareness of the need back here and the incredible families that support the Kentucky Derby," Torres said.
The Backside Learning Center’s goal is to raise $45,000 to continue the free art program.