A Community Supports UofL's Muhammad Ali Scholars

In January 2020, UofL’s Muhammad Ali Institute launched a fundraising initiative to support the Muhammad Ali Scholar Program.  Each group of Scholars participates in an “International Learning Journey” to explore peace building and social justice in a different cultural, political, and economic reality.  In May 2020, the Scholars and Institute staff were scheduled to travel to Ghana although this has been cancelled due to the COVID19 pandemic. The “International Learning Journey,” a signature feature of the Program, is a transformative experience for the students who learn first-hand about social justice issues and how young people like themselves are agents of change in their countries. Muhammad Ali Scholars use the knowledge gained on the international trip to shape their second-year “Service for Social Change” project in Louisville. Fundraising to offset the Scholar’s fees for the international trip has been critical to the success of the Program.

The Institute’s fundraising initiative began with a generous donation from Kofi and Sharmette Frempong of Martin Construction Company in January 2020.  We greatly appreciate their continuous support of the University of Louisville, and for the Muhammad Ali Scholar Program’s International Learning Journey to Ghana.  All of the Scholars were looking forward to visiting Ghana, the Fempong’s home country, and sharing our experience with them when we returned to Louisville.  This generous donation was the result of efforts by Valerie Combs, Development Director, UofL Advancement and our Director, Professor Enid Trucios-Haynes (Law). 

The Institute celebrated Muhammad Ali’s birthday on January 17 with friends and supporters who donated during the University of Louisville’s Raise Some L Day of Giving campaign. We appreciate the support of UofL Athletics, particularly Vince Tyra, Athletics Director, and Marvin Mitchell, Sr. Associate Director, Student Services and Diversity.  UofL Athletics has partnered with UofL’s Institute in the past, and this year generously sponsored the buses we needed to travel back-and-forth for the airline flights in Chicago. 

The Institute held a Game Watch Party and Silent Auction on February 15, 2020 to watch the UofL v. Clemson men’s basketball game. UofL’s Alumni Council, and the Student Organization for Alumni Relations (SOAR), partnered with the Institute on this event. Ashleigh Hazley, Assistant Director, who serves on the Board of Directors of the Alumni Association led this successful collaboration. We appreciate the opportunity to work with the SOAR’s student leaders, and Nakia Strickland, Assistant Director of Alumni Relations. The silent auction included a range of donated items such as a: Movie Night, Date Night, Family Fun Night, to even a photography session.  Friends and family of the faculty, staff and Muhammad Ali Scholars joined us for the Game Watch Party.

LaJa Hurt, Program Assistant, Sr., organized several percentage days with local restaurants from January through March 2020 including Noodles & Company, Topp’t, and Boombazz Pizza. The restaurants agreed to share some of their profits from customers mentioning the Muhammad Ali Institute on those days. Boombazz Pizza generously offered to host several percentage nights in March during NCAA March Madness (the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments); every Tuesday would have generated support for the Institute. Unfortunately, due to the COVID19 pandemic, the NCAA cancelled the tournaments on March 17, 2020. 

Muhammad Ali Scholars and the Institute have been selling new T-shirts to help minimize the cost of the international trip. The T-shirts were designed by Ashleigh Hazley, Assistant Director, in collaboration the Muhammad Ali Scholars, and produced by MPC Promotions, a locally owned promotional product company.  You can support this fundraising initiative with a donation.  If you would like to purchase a T-shirt, please email us at Muhammad@louisville.edu.