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Lexington Leadership Foundation

Stories, News & Events

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An invitation from leaders dedicated to strengthening relationships among Black and White communities in Lexington

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I never planned to get involved in foster care. I didn’t know much about the system, and in all honestly, I wasn’t looking for a way in. But here’s what I couldn’t ignore: in Lexington right now, there are more than 630 children in foster care and just over 200 open foster homes. That’s not a gap, that’s a cliff. And every one of those numbers is actually a name with a face and a story.

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A number of years ago, LLF helped establish New Life Day Center (NLDC) in downtown Lexington. We convened several service providers for the homeless and transient community to ask the question, “what can we do together better than we can separately?”

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We set out on July 12th for a long trip to Southern Missouri with 14 young people ranging from 9 to 16 years old as well as 4 of our staff members. We stopped for dinner at Lambert’s Cafe and stayed in a hotel that evening and had a late evening outdoor swim. The next morning we had one more pre-camp meal at Whataburger and drove from Springfield, Missouri to Golden Missouri to check in for camp.

The Best Investment You'll

Never Find On Wall Street

Nonprofits get a bad rap. You've probably heard the knocks: "They don't track impact well". "They're not data driven". "They have a strong vision, but measurement is an afterthought". To a businessperson, these things can feel like non-starters. The corporate world lives and breathes by the dashboard.

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Fatherhood Initiative Creates

Lasting Impact with

Kentucky Football Players

Check out this video produced by UK Athletics outlining LLF's Fatherhood Initiative partnership!

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Emali's journey of growing in confidence and identity, inspired by the trust and care her mentor Rachel showed her, is paving the way for her to pour into her younger friend, Precious.

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Growing up in a father-absent home and battling addiction, Marco found the tools he needed through the Fatherhood Initiative to embrace his role as a father. Reflecting on his journey, he's grateful for persevering through the challenges

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Too many young people grow up with no clear picture of what a different future might look like. Sadly, that story is not unusual. It is one Lexington Leadership Foundation’s Youth Empowerment team steps into every week.

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When children are sleeping in offices because their aren’t enough foster homes, the question isn’t whether the Church should work with government, it’s whether we can afford not to. Not everyone believes that the church should be in partnership with a government entity...

When local ministries are equipped with the right tools and support, transformation happens—not just within organizations, but in lives and communities across our city. That’s exactly what we’ve seen in our first year serving the Lexington region through Mission Increase.

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Fatherhood Initiative began 2026 with strong momentum, launching seven groups in the first full week of January across reentry, recovery, and community-based settings.

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Easter. 6:14 p.m. A text message lights up my phone: “LeeLee and I got baptized today at Southland Christian Church.” A video followed. I watched through tears of joy, awe, and gratitude, as Chris and his daughter stepped into the water, a father and child made new.

When local ministries are equipped with the right tools and support, transformation happens—not just within organizations, but in lives and communities across our city.

For more than 12 years, Mary and Arayah shared one of the most enduring and impactful mentoring relationships in the history of our Amachi program. Their journey began when Arayah was just six years old, a quiet and curious first grader navigating the early years of school and life. Mary stepped in as her mentor during that formative time—not just to offer support, but to build a relationship grounded in trust, consistency, and care.

2024 Good Giving Challenge

Thank you for helping us meet our match goal! We raised $33,270 from 49 donations with a total of 45 different donors. We appreciate our donors!

Get In On It: A Message from Our Fatherhood Initiative Director

Have you ever desired to experience more of God? Henry Blackaby's Experiencing God bible study shares a powerful idea: if you want to encounter God, look for where He's already at work, then join Him there.

Prayer Yields Transformation: Jackson's Story

Jackson came to The Prayer Room for the first time in early March to receive healing prayer. His neighbor foudn our ministry on the internet and called to see if I'd be willing to meet with him. For many years, she's carried a deep burden for Jackson to experience deliverance from occult and witchcraft practices, and freedom from drug abuse.

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Seeking First the Kingdom:

Lessons from the Mustard Seed

A mustard seed is tiny (750 weigh just one gram), but it holds immense potential. It’s not just about starting small and growing large; it’s about thriving in overlooked places, where even the smallest seed can create something that disrupts expectations.

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Curt and Vivian's Story

For years, Vivian Lee James and Curt Vernon have prayed together in The Prayer Room. Following a powerful worship session, they collaborated on a worship song that quickly went viral.

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How Mission Increase Is Serving Local Nonprofits

Kim and Elise, leaders at Lexington Rescue Mission and Sayre Christian Village respectively, have both benefited from Mission Increase's capacity-building services. They share a desire to see Kingdom impact increase through the free training Mission Increase provides.

Farm to Fork Fundraiser

Woodhill International Market hosted the the 2024 Farm to Fork Event at the Woodhill Community Center.

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When Tevin first connected with the Urban Impact team as a child, he quickly discovered that he could be himself—a new experience for someone whose identity had been shaped by trying to fit in with his peers.

Community Partner Shoutout: Craftsmen Contractors Invests in the Georgetown Street Neighborhood

At LLF, we unite leaders from various sectors—marketplace, government, schools, congregations, and nonprofits—to transform our city. This summer, one connection led to a powerful community partnership.

Kids Across America Camp with Urban Impact and Leadership Academy

Kids Across America Camp will go down in the books as one of our favorite summer memories! We really had no idea what to expect, but we were willing to give it a go with a special group of kiddos that can jump into just about anything.

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Worship on Wednesday

For nearly 10 years, Worship on Wednesday has been occurring at The Prayer Room. The shared time of intercession and adoration has been particularly beautiful in that the group who gathers is very diverse – racially, denominationally, and generationally.

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Faithful Connection:

Nurturing Mentorship With Spiritual Growth

How does Amachi contribute to seeing the Kingdom come in Lexington as it is in heaven? At Amachi, the vision of transforming Lexington into a city for God is embodied through . . .

(Video) A Testament of Faith and a Bright Future: Tyra's Urban Impact Journey, from Woodhill to College.

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"What is a Leadership Foundation and what is your sales pitch?"

A friend and I were recently talking over coffee after I’d invited him to pray about supporting the Kingdom work of Lexington Leadership Foundation . . .

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(Video) Restoration and Hope: How a Once-Absent Father Became a Present Dad — The Uplifting Story of a Fatherhood Initiative Alumnus

Investing in People and Place

Building on the fruit we’ve seen from working with fathers in the Fayette County Detention Center, our team joined with Jubilee Jobs of Lexington to launch Fatherhood Essentials at the Jessamine County Detention Center.

New Partnership Creates Exposure Opportunity for Young Assets in Our Community

Camp Hero, a nonprofit mission based in McKee, Kentucky, provides retreats, hunting trips, camping trips, and outdoor experiences for wounded veterans and first responders. They graciously invited our Urban Impact team to join their staff and volunteers for a fun-filled fishing trip to Jacobson Park.

Connection and Growth:

Fostering a Loving Community

Eating ice cream, time on the water, summer baseball games, swimming, barbecue, and kickball—these moments often evoke memories of hot summer days spent with loved ones. For the Amachi team, they symbolize Amachipalooza, our July series for mentors, mentees, and families.

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Lexington Leadership Foundation Celebrates Proud Partnership with Caddie127 and the ISCO Championship

Lexington Leadership Foundation (LLF) is honored to express our gratitude for Caddie 127, Keene Trace, and all those whose hard work made the 2024 PGA Tour’s ISCO Championship a success.

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Building a City for God: Announcing Our New Initiative

I’m honored to get to share with you that Lexington Leadership Foundation is launching its 5th initiative in 2024, and even more excited to share that the work we’ll be focused on has the potential to substantially influence many of the nonprofits and congregations in our city that you care about and invest in.

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The Prayer Room Welcomes

UK Student-Athletes

The Prayer Room, a space dedicated to peace and hospitality, has hosted a variety of events including pastor retreats, youth worship, LLF staff prayers, and missionary gatherings. It's also open 24/7 for worship and prayer.

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Youth Lead & Learn in Worship

Over the course of 2023, middle and high school students led worship at The Prayer Room every other Friday. One of the young ladies who has been nurtured in her vocal gifting even led worship . . .

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Contagious Mentorship Leads to 15 New Matches

Jesus changed the world through the power of relationships. Today, Amachi stands as a testament to the power of that continued transformation . . .

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Experiencing Matthew 25:36

I hope this message finds you well. I want to fill you in on some uplifting news from the Fatherhood Initiative. We’re back in the Fayette County Detention Center (FCDC) . . .

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Leadership Academy Connects Leaders to Fulfill a Vision of Safer Streets

In Woodhill, as it is In Heaven… We often come back to this phrase because it can be centering. No tears of sadness and no pain exists there; we want the same thing here. We want to have streets . . .

Increasing the Investment for the Peace of the City

Seeking the peace and prosperity of our city (Jeremiah 29:7) means investing heavily in the youth who will one day lead it. While Urban Impact has had the opportunity . . .

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Pastoral Care Through the Ministry of Prayer

The pastoral care efforts through the ministry of The Prayer Room continue to remain a source of great encouragement to many. We've been very thankful recently . . .

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