The Adopt-A-Highway program is a statewide effort to reduce roadside litter and to keep Kentucky’s highways beautiful. Litter-free roads promote a clean environment, foster civic pride and save taxpayer dollars. Kentucky has participated in the International Adopt-A-Highway Program since 1988. We have 26,000 miles of State Primary, State Secondary, State Supplemental and Rural Secondary Roads. We do not cover any interstates or parkways. Currently, there are nearly 700 Adopt-A-Highway Groups in the state, focusing on 4,800 miles of road. With move involvement, we can maintain more roads.

Learn more: https://adoptahighway.net/

The Arboretum, State Botanical Garden of Kentucky is a 100-acre public garden located on the campus of the University of Kentucky in the heart of Lexington, Kentucky. We receive over 200,000 visitors annually who can enjoy and learn about our three main features, the Walk Across Kentucky, the Horticultural Gardens, and the Kentucky Children's Garden. The Walk Across Kentucky is a two-mile paved loop featuring wild-collected native plants from the seven physiographic regions of Kentucky. The Horticultural Gardens include the Home Demonstration Garden, the Perennial Teaching Garden, the Fragrance Garden and the Flight 5191 Memorial Rose Garden. The Kentucky Children’s Garden is a place for children and their families to connect with and learn about plants and the environment. We proudly offer educational programming and tours to help connect people to our gardens.

Learn more: https://arboretum.ca.uky.edu/

Arbor Youth seeks to provide a community where every child and youth has a stable home. We are working to end youth homelessness by providing a safe and supportive environment to youth who have suffered abuse, abandonment, or are at risk of victimization. This is done through various services, including the Emergency Shelter, Outreach Center, Supportive Housing programs, and working with Project Safe Place.

Learn more: https://arborky.org/

Ashland terrace is a community-based independent retirement center for older women. Careful stewardship, coupled with the oversight of a dedicated board of directors and an enthusiastic, caring staff, allows Ashland Terrace to provide a loving, gracious environment for these women. Working with Ashland Terrace allows volunteers to connect and support these women through interactive activities and conversations.

Learn more: https://www.ashlandterrace.org/

APO works with the BSA all throughout the year, but our biggest impact is through Merit Badge University, an opportunity for local scouts to spend a day at the University of Kentucky and earn a few merit badges. Dozens of scouting troops from around the Lexington area can register scouts for courses including art, law, chemistry, communication, music, vehicle maintenance, and more. This helps scouts reach their goal of achieving the distinguished rank of Eagle Scout!

Learn more: https://www.scouting.org/

The University of Kentucky’s Campus Kitchens is an organization that allows UK students to help other students in Lexington that are food insecure. Campus Kitchens accepts donations of and collects food from dining halls, grocery stores, and local farms that would otherwise be thrown away to repurpose and deliver to students. Volunteers can assist in food recovery or help prepare a meal for someone in need.

Learn more: https://dhn.ca.uky.edu/CKUK

Founded in 1950, Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital is a facility that offers comprehensive inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation services and home health care designed to return patients to leading active and independent lives. Cardinal Hill offers an array of volunteer opportunities for individuals 16 years of age or older.

Learn more: https://cardinalhill.org/

The Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning hosts a number of local outreach programs, including ESL classes, “Family Fun and Learning Nights” for at-risk youth, and conferences and events celebrating English language and culture. Volunteer opportunities include helping with large-scale events, or providing one-on-one tutoring sessions to a Lexington student.

Learn more: https://carnegiecenterlex.org/

Community Action Council prevents, reduces, and eliminates poverty among individuals, families, and communities through direct services and advocacy. Community Action Council for Lexington-Fayette, Bourbon, Harrison and Nicholas Counties, Inc. is a private, non-profit organization that studies the causes and effects of poverty in our communities and works toward solutions. The Council addresses poverty in Central Kentucky through service delivery, community involvement, and advocacy. The Council makes things happen in our communities. Each year we work with more than 30,000 people who are seeking economic security and a chance to achieve self-sufficiency.

Learn more: https://commaction.org/

DanceBlue is a yearlong fundraising effort that culminates in a 24 hour no sitting, no sleeping dance marathon. All proceeds benefit the Kentucky Children’s Hospital Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Clinic through the Golden Matrix Fund, a fund that assists children and their families across the Commonwealth and provides funding for research endeavors.

Each year, Alpha Phi Omega forms a DanceBlue team and hosts fundraising events, such as restaurant nights, bake sales, community canning days, t-shirt sales, letter and email drives, craft sales, and various other activities. Alpha Zeta also participates in the Adopt-A-Family Program, in which the chapter provides individualized support to a specific child and their family.

Learn more: https://www.danceblue.org/

Through a partnership with the City of Lexington, and the Office of Homelessness, Prevention and Intervention, the Lighthouse Dining with Dignity program offers a safe, clean, indoor environment for people in need to eat hot lunch and dinner meals.

Learn more: https://lighthouselex.org/dining-with-dignity/

We are an after-school community center located at the corner of Elm Tree Lane and Seventh Street. In 1999, we started solely as a Kid's Cafe venue where we fed children 18 and under with food donated by God's Pantry. Our center has evolved into a place where kids from the neighborhood can come use our computer lab, get homework help, have a free meal, take field trips and be in a safe place.

Learn more: http://e7kidscafe.weebly.com/

Finding Freedom through Friendship, Inc., (FFF), was established in 2009 by Jody Greenlee (Director) as a non-profit organization, to meet the needs of widows and their children in the villages of northwestern Guatemala. Finding Freedom through Friendship, Inc meets the critical humanitarian needs of single mothers, widows and their children living in developing countries. Making our world a better place for children starts with supporting their mothers. Millions of indigenous Mayan mothers struggle to feed their children when they are left without partners. Guatemala has the highest rate of pediatric malnutrition in Central America. Collaborating with a Finding Freedom through Friendship mother via sponsorship is an intimate and life-changing way to provide essential humanitarian goods to a Mayan family.

Learn more: http://finding-freedom-through-friendship.org/

Flex For a Cause is a program created by Alpha Phi Omega in partnership with UK Dining that aims to allow students to use their remaining flex dollars for a good cause. Collection bins are set up around campus to collect food items. Students may use their remaining Flex Dollars to buy nonperishable foods, toiletries, and hygiene products from the pantries and place them in the collection bins. At the end of the event, the items get sorted and donated to God's Pantry.

Founded in 1912, Girl Scouts helps girls grow courageous and strong through a wide variety of enriching experiences, such as field trips, community service projects, cultural exchanges, and more. Backed by trusted adult volunteers, mentors, and millions of alums, Girl Scouts lead the way as they find their voices and make changes that affect the issues most important to them.

Learn more: https://www.girlscouts.org/

Girls on the Run inspires girls to recognize their inner strength and celebrate what makes them one of a kind. Trained coaches lead small teams through research-based curricula that helps girls in 3rd-8th grade develop essential skills to help them navigate their worlds and establish a lifetime appreciation for health and fitness. The program culminates with a service project and a celebratory 5K event. At the heart of Girls on the Run are amazing volunteers whose commitment and passion change the lives of thousands of girls each year.

Learn more: https://www.girlsontherun.org/

By gleaning (aka, gathering) excess produce from farms, orchards, grocery stores, farmers markets and home gardens, Glean Kentucky reduces local food waste and provides fruits and vegetables for more than 80 partner recipients. Glean Kentucky produce is never sold and is intended only for members of our community facing food insecurity. Since our inception, we have served as a vital link between local sources of food and dozens of feeding programs. We glean nearly a thousand times a year and yet we’ve just scratched the surface of diverting wasted food. As Glean Kentucky’s network of food sources and partners continues to grow, we’re expanding our reach across Central Kentucky.

Learn more: https://gleanky.org/

God’s Pantry Food Bank, one of the largest food distribution centers in the area, is a partner with Feeding America. This local food bank works to relieve hunger and food insecurity across Central and Eastern Kentucky through a variety of programs, providing over 120,000 meals daily. Their partnerships include work with after school programs such as Kid’s Cafe and the After School Snack Program, backpack programs in which children take meals home, and Sharing Thanksgiving, an initiative that provides families with the items to make a Thanksgiving dinner. Because of the large-scale nature of their mission, they depend greatly on volunteer assistance. Alpha Phi Omega volunteers work regularly in their food warehouse, sorting and packaging non-perishable food items and personal hygiene products for distribution. These items are then allocated to food insecure households, shelters, and other neighborhood food pantries.

Learn more: https://godspantry.org/

GreenHouse17, formerly Bluegrass Domestic Violence Program, is an advocacy agency committed to ending intimate partner abuse in families and the community. Their specially trained crisis counselors are available to help people harmed by intimate partner abuse any time of the day, every day of the year. Their main facility is situated on a beautiful 40-acre property in rural Fayette County. From this location and three other offices in their service area, they provide an array of crisis intervention and stabilization services.

Learn more: https://greenhouse17.org/

Lexington Habitat for Humanity is dedicated to eliminating substandard housing locally and worldwide through constructing, rehabilitating and preserving homes; by advocating for fair and just housing policies; and by providing training and access to resources to help families improve their shelter conditions.

Learn more: https://www.habitat.org/

The Lexington Habitat for Humanity ReStore is a home improvement resale store. ReStore first opened its doors in Lexington in May of 2001 and was the first store of its kind in Kentucky. The ReStore, which is open to the public, sells donated new and gently used furniture, building supplies, appliances and architectural salvage.

Learn more: https://www.habitat.org/restores

The Hope Center is a homeless shelter for men based in the Lexington area. They provide a place to sleep for over 800 clients each night, and they serve meals to even more during the day. There are also a number of programs that the center offers to its clients to help them if they are struggling in nearly any aspect of life.

Learn more: https://www.hopectr.org/

Hope Lodge is the local branch of the American Cancer Society's set of lodges for Cancer patients who are in treatment but live far from the hospitals. All the residents are adults, and they can stay free of charge with a family member. Hope Lodge provides patients with a room that makes their stay comfortable and close to treatment centers. Volunteers serve the Hope Lodge by making and serving meals throughout the day, as well as organizing fun events for the residents, such as movie and popcorn nights. Many residents are extremely grateful for a home cooked meal and extra evenings with games and movies.

Learn more: https://www.cancer.org/support-programs-and-services/patient-lodging/hope-lodge/lexington/staying-with-us.html

The International Book Project is a Lexington-based non-profit that promotes literacy and education across the globe. Books donated to the organization are sent to places in need or sold in their bookstore to raise funds for projects that will progress their cause. IBP sends hundreds of thousands of books every year to communities that need literature or educational materials. In the bookstore, volunteers categorize and restock the bookshelves. In the warehouse, volunteers organize the books in storage and pack boxes that will be sent out to the location in need.

Learn more: https://intlbookproject.org/

The Kentucky Horse Park is one of the most popular tourist attractions and educational facilities in Lexington. An equine competition facility and working horse farm, this attraction plays a huge role in the central Kentucky community. Alpha Phi Omega has collaborated on a number of service projects with the Kentucky Horse Park, including the Southern Lights attraction, a Christmas-themed event for the community, as well as the Hippity Hoppity Easter Egg Hunt and a school reading program for children, Literacy Days.

Learn more: https://kyhorsepark.com/

Lexington Humane Society (LHS) is an organization that works to advocate for animal adoption and rights. In the past, Alpha Zeta has worked with LHS to facilitate several different events, such as Adoption Weekends and “Picture Your Pet with Santa” Events.

Learn more: https://www.lexingtonhumanesociety.org/

Maxwell Street Presbyterian, located just behind Champions Court, is a church whose mission goes beyond merely providing a place of worship. Maxwell Street is dedicated to providing a vast array of services to Lexington's local population, without discriminating in any fashion. Their weekly soup kitchen every Thursday night of the year organizes a set of volunteers to cook and serve a warm, nutritious meal to whomever enters their doors. Maxwell Street also hosts both Boy and Girl Scouting events, counseling services, recreational facilities, and other events supported by a warm and dedicated circle of volunteers.

Learn more: https://www.maxpres.org/

The Nest – Center for Women, Children, and Families was formed in 1977. Originally operating as two organizations, the Lexington Child Abuse Council and the Women’s Center of Central Kentucky, these organizations joined forces to become The Nest. The organization streamlined the work of both entities into one that could provide high quality, comprehensive services to women, children and families in crisis, while working to prevent child abuse and neglect. The center has continually offered resources for families to develop the skills and education needed for a healthier lifestyle and self-sufficiency. Programs include childcare, crisis care, domestic violence counseling and advocacy, and parent education and support.

Learn more: https://www.thenestlexington.org/

Peace Meal Gardens is a community and learning garden located on the Bluegrass Community and Technical College Leestown Road Campus. Peace Meal provides a space for students, families, and individuals to engage in organic gardening by renting garden plots for a nominal fee. Food not consumed by gardens is often donated to Faith Feeds, an organization that gleans fields and farms to provide fresh produce to people across the Bluegrass. In addition to growing healthy food for humans, the garden aims to care for the surrounding plants and animals, providing pesticide free habitat to bees and butterflies. Volunteers assist in a variety of tasks including tree planting, transplanting, weeding, soil building, painting, and much more! No prior gardening knowledge is necessary. Volunteer in the late summer or early fall, and you might get to try Peace Meal’s life-changing raspberries.

The Ronald McDonald House (RMDH) is a non-profit organization that provides support services to children with medical needs across the globe. Located near UK’s campus, Lexington’s RMDH serves as home for the families of children undergoing medical treatment at UK Children’s Hospital. During their stay, families receive meals, babysitting services, transportation to the hospital, dental care, and various recreational activities. Alpha Phi Omega volunteers cook dinner for families during their stay, as well as perform various household and cleaning tasks.

Learn more: https://rmhc.org/

Seedleaf consists of sixteen gardens that provide access to healthy food in the Lexington area. Seedleaf's goal is to nourish communities by growing, cooking, sharing, and recycling food. Seedleaf has multiple community gardening times each week directed by a "Garden Champion," who directs the volunteers and teaches them about gardening.

Learn more: https://www.seedleaf.org/

Special Olympics is an international program of year-round sports training and athletic competition for more than one million children and adults with intellectual disabilities.Our goal is for all persons with intellectual disabilities to have the chance to become useful and productive citizens who are accepted and respected in their communities. More than one million volunteers organize and run local Special Olympics programs, serving as coaches, Games officials, drivers, and in many other capacities. Anyone can learn how to participate through the many training programs Special Olympics offers for coaches, officials, and volunteers.

Learn more: https://www.specialolympics.org/

Step by Step offers a free support group for at-risk moms between the ages of 14 and 24. Step by Step feeds families while providing mothers with mini workshops, discussions, and guest speakers to help them adapt to their role as a new mom. Alpha Phi Omega volunteers help care for children while their mothers are in these meetings.

Learn more: https://sbslex.org/

4-H is a youth organization committed to building outstanding leaders with marketable skills to succeed in today’s global society. 4-H is found in every county in Kentucky. 4-H youth “learn by doing”, and find their true passion, gain confidence and are engaged in their community.

Learn more: https://4-h.org/