Louisville mayor receives national leadership award for compassion

Presented during Compassion Week in San Francisco

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Nov. 18, 2014) — Citing his progress in making Louisville a globally-regarded city for caring and compassion, a coalition of international organizations has honored Mayor Greg Fischer with a City Leadership award for compassion.

Fischer received the honor last week during “Compassion Week 2014,” an international conference in San Francisco where he delivered one of the keynote addresses. The award was presented by Empathy and Compassion in Society, the Charter for Compassion International and GoodMojo.

In presenting the honor, the groups recognized Fischer for leading Louisville to be the first major city to sign on to the International Charter for Compassion, committing the city to a multi-year Compassionate Louisville campaign. They also cited his work with the U.S. Conference of Mayors to promote compassion in other cities and for creating the annual volunteer initiative, the Give A Day week of service. During the 2014 week in April, more than 144,000 volunteers and acts of compassion were recorded.

“We set a goal from day one of harnessing the caring that already existed in Louisville and creating a bonfire of compassion,” Fischer said. “This has resonated nationally and internationally with other leaders and communities looking to us for advice and support which is a huge testament to the quality of our city and its people.”