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June 7 Year of Arts, HeALIng, & Action! to Focus on Mind/Body Health

Speakers includes Linkin’ Bridge’s Montre Davis and former UofL football star Herb Henry

June 5, 2018 – Louisville, Ky. – In support of the second annual I Am Ali Festival, the June 7 Year of Arts, HeALIng, & Action! (AHA!) event will focus on mind/body health – what inspires individuals to make a change to improve their mind-body health. The target audience is both business and community leaders who influence the health of their constituents and neighborhood residents who are interested in exercise as a pathway to better health.

The event is organized by the Louisville Sports Commission in partnership with the Year of Arts, HeALIng, & Action! (AHA!) organizers IDEAS xLab, the Muhammad Ali Center, and the Louisville Health Advisory Board. A morning session will be held at Louisville Top Knotch Boxing Gym, and an evening session will be held at the Louisville Urban League.

The June 7 event will include lightning talks from speakers who will share their AHA! moment – the spark that inspired them to make a change to improve their mind-body health. The community members speaking are:

  • Montre Davis (Linkin’ Bridge)
  • Herb Henry (former University of Louisville football player)
  • Carlos Rivas (ProFormance Health and Wellness)
  • Val Slayton (Louisville Health Advisory Board Behavioral Health Committee)
  • Meghann Mattingly (Compassionate Schools Project – evening session only)

AHA! Moments also will feature an interactive demonstration by David Thurmond of Dance with Your Team in Mind.

“Each of us has had a moment of sudden insight or discovery,” said London Roth, local integration leader, Louisville Bold Goal. “Whether it was about our health, our career, or a looming decision…something happens, and – AHA –we’re ready to move forward with a clear path ahead.”

The community is invited to attend one of two FREE sessions; each will offer similar programming.

  • Morning Session: Louisville Top Knotch Boxing Gym, 104 E. Breckinridge St. Doors open at 8 a.m.; program starts at 8:30 a.m.
  • Evening Session: Louisville Urban League, 1535 W. Broadway. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.; program starts at 6 p.m.

“When our team at the Louisville Sports Commission heard about the Year of AHA!, we immediately stepped up to participate,” said Karl Schmitt, president and CEO of the Louisville Sports Commission. “We challenged ourselves to think expansively about how – as an organization that understands the connections between physical and mental health, a member of the Louisville Health Advisory Board and a leader of Louisville Active – we could step outside of our comfort zones to co-create something really inspiring.”In the words of Muhammad Ali, “He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”