Elderserve Announces New CEO and Board Additions, Plans to Revitalize the West End Senior Center Located at 28th and Magazine
ElderServe, a Louisville nonprofit organization serving West Louisville for more than 60 years, has named Louisville business and community leader Tim Findley Jr. as its new CEO. Findley was hired by the ElderServe Board of Directors to replace Patty Belden, who recently resigned to pursue other opportunities in the community.
“The board is pleased to welcome Tim Findley Jr to lead our organization. He brings a passion for serving the community and working with leaders to help meet the needs of West Louisville,” said ElderServe Board President John Moore. “We appreciate Patty’s leadership and dedication to the organization and look forward to her continued work as she pursues new opportunities in the community.”
Findley is the senior pastor of Kingdom Fellowship Christian Life Center and is also the founder of the Justice and Freedom Coalition, which works with communities of color and poor communities to defend and advance their political, social, and economic rights through legal advocacy, research, organizing and communications. He previously served as a faith-based liaison for the Metro Government’s Office of Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods and was a member of Governor Andy Beshear’s Justice and Public Safety Cabinet Transition Team.
“Serving as ElderServe CEO will offer me an opportunity to continue to make a difference for West End seniors and families. Our senior adults need activities, adult day care and other resources that can only be obtained when the community comes together. It’s also a new beginning for ElderServe and there’s an overall zeal we have for this underserved area to see new life again. Alongside other West End redevelopment efforts taking place, you can feel real progress coming,” said Findley.
ElderServe also welcomes former Louisville Urban League President and CEO Sadiqa Reynolds as Strategic Advisor to Findley and ElderServe. Additionally, Monica Moman-Saunders, Jackie Floyd and Mike Carr have been named to the ElderServe board of directors.
Monica Moman-Saunders is a retired registered professional mechanical engineer with a personal commitment to volunteerism such as serving as the project manager for the building of the Urban League’s Sports and Learning Complex. She also serves on the Board of Governors for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and mentors middle school girls in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).
Jackie Floyd has lived in Russell since the ’90s and raised her five children there. Floyd recently joined Russell: A Place of Promise as Lead Community Outreach Specialist, serving neighborhoods in Metro Council Districts 4, 5, 7, 16, and 17. Prior, she served with New Directions Housing Corporation as a Vision Russell Outreach Worker leading community outreach and input efforts with the Vision Russell Choice Neighborhoods Planning grant. She has been vital to the Russell neighborhood’s revitalization and will be an invaluable asset to the reorganized board.
Mike Carr has been with Brown-Forman for the last nine years and is currently serving as the VP, Associate General Counsel at Brown-Forman. Before joining Brown-Forman, Mike practiced corporate and securities law, first with Frost Brown Todd , and then with Bass Berry and Simms, PLC in Nashville, Tennessee from April 2011 to September 2013.
Since early this summer the ElderServe board, led by John Moore and advised by Sadiqa Reynolds, has been working with the City of Louisville, the Commonwealth of Kentucky and Re:Land Group, a Minority-Owned Business Enterprise (MBE) – owned urban planning, design, and development firm, to put in place a financial package to fully revitalize the center’s “Oak & Acorn” building at 28th and Magazine.
The comprehensive plan envisions increased services, including an Adult Day Care Center to provide “day care” for frail seniors (those primarily those living at home with family), a neighborhood nutrition center, exercise classes, wellness checks, skill-building workshops, social engagement, and space available for complimentary community uses. Strategic Advisor Sadiqa Reynolds’ role will be as consultant to the board for accomplishing these goals. Funding is close with hopes to begin redevelopment by the start of the new year with goal of resuming full programming by the end of the redevelopment phase which would be later in 2023.
ElderServe has also been fortunate to recently receive the support of the Brown Forman Foundation, Councilwoman Donna Purvis, and Louisville Forward – without which the return of this organization after its sudden pause earlier this year would not have been possible.
“I am so excited to witness the rebirth of ElderServe. This organization will enhance the livelihood of the most precious jewels in our community; our senior family,” said Councilwoman Purvis. “I want to thank the great team from Atria who approached the need to provide invaluable services to our seniors, never gave up on continuing to enrich and serve in this community.”
ElderServe is also working with The Louisville Healthcare CEO Council (CEOc) on a pilot study to evaluate how adult day care can play a role is aiding in the nationwide workforce shortages.
“The pause in ElderServe sent shock waves through those of us in Louisville who love its mission and the people it served for more than 60 years. We knew something imaginative and thoughtful had to be done – we could not just stand by and watch this key aspect of community care go away. I cannot say enough about how members of the community and key governmental contacts came through to make this day happen,” said Moore.
ElderServe will now be turning its efforts to grow relationships with additional partners for grants and support to put it in position to deliver on its newly refocused mission – serving West Louisville seniors and their families through a revitalized senior center. Findley’s plans for next steps following putting the financial package in place will be to complete the necessary redevelopment will include engaging the neighborhood and putting in place a plan to partially reopen with senior center activities during redevelopment.
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About ElderServe
Founded in 1962, ElderServe is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) providing critical services to the aging community in Louisville’s West End, focused on overcoming social isolation, promoting wellness, supporting independence, and protecting seniors. Located at 28th and Magazine, “Oak & Acorn” as it is still known by some residents, the Senior Center provides adult day care, supervised social and recreational activities, nutrition assistance and other aging care services. For more information, visit www.elderserveinc.org.
