Louisville, KY – July 20th, 2024. The Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.'s Theta Omega chapter hosted their 4th annual Community Health Fair and Backpack Giveaway on Saturday, July 20th, 2024, once again solidifying their commitment to Louisville's community’s well-being. Held at the Theta Omega Center on West Chestnut Street, the event drew a record-breaking crowd and boasted several exciting new features.
The energy and anticipation was undeniable as community members lined up well before the 10:00 am start time, eager to participate in the day's offerings. This year, a key change saw the closure of Chestnut Street between 26th Street and Theta Omega Way. This expanded space offered a more accessible layout for the wide range of vendors and allowed for a dedicated play area with bouncy houses and activities to keep the young ones entertained.
The impact was undeniable. Over 325 families benefited from the event, receiving backpacks filled with grade-appropriate school supplies and a healthy selection of food, including a repeat of last year's successful fresh produce giveaway. The backpack distribution itself was particularly impactful, with over 1100 backpacks given away to parents and school-aged children from the community.
Driving engagement with the community was a major focus. A total of 24 vendors participated, representing a diverse range of organizations – from healthcare providers and Jefferson County Public Schools to representatives from Louisville City Government. To encourage interaction with the vendors, a new "Vendor Bingo" game was introduced. This proved to be a hit, with over 80 completed bingo cards submitted, representing a remarkable 25% of the fair's attendees. The completed bingo cards served as entries for a raffle featuring prizes like children's bicycles and gift certificates.
The event wouldn't have been possible without the dedication of the Theta Omega chapter members. Over 60 brothers volunteered their time, handling tasks ranging from event setup and food preparation to traffic and parking coordination, and backpack distribution. Special recognition was given to Brother Lonnie Golston and Brother Rajah Colyer, whose vision, guidance, and planning were instrumental in ensuring the event's success.
Kudos were also showered upon several other brothers who went above and beyond: Brother Welch for managing food prep, Brothers Jones and Morton for capturing the event through photography, Brothers Montgomery and Smith for capturing drone footage of the event, Brothers Mallory, Turpin, and Dorsey for keeping the coolers stocked with ice and going live on Facebook, Brother Oracious Thomas for setting up the livestream, and Brent Barnett, son of Brother Randy Barnett and brother of Brother Bryan Barnett, who provided DJ services.
Looking ahead, the Theta Omega chapter is already planning for next year's event, aiming to make it even bigger and better. Through the collective commitment of the Men of Quality program and the Brothers of Theta Omega, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc continues to uphold its mission of community service and empowerment in the city of Louisville.
