LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Since 1923, Kosair Charities has helped Kentucky and southern Indiana children in need.
As it celebrates a milestone 100 years, the charity is announcing a name change. Starting Wednesday, it will be known as Kosair for Kids.
Kosair for Kids announced a name change from Kosair Charities on Wednesday, March 1, 2023, as it celebrates 100 years of helping children in need in Kentucky and southern Indiana. (Updated logo provided by Kosair for Kids)
"The Kosair for Kids name better communicates our mission, which in turn will help us reach more children who need our support," Kosair for Kids President Barry Dunn said in a news release. "In our centennial year, we are more committed than ever to our mission."
Dunn said the change comes after "months of research and planning to celebrate the beloved charities' second century of service" to kids.
Kosair "enhances the health and well-being of children by delivering financial support for healthcare, research, education, social services, and child advocacy" through "organizational grants, direct financial assistance, the Face It Movement, and one-of-a-kind experiences," according to its website.
Leaders said, thanks to donations, Kosair for Kids was able to help 200,000 kids in the region last year.
Kosair works to support programs by providing funding for "medical care and equipment for children in need," but this year plans to "spend at least $1 million to pay medical bills and equipment costs for needy children."
The charity also provides grant programs to fund programs that provide services for kids and their families. That includes programs providing therapy services, programs that work to end child abuse and neglect, and programs that provide support for families in crisis.
Kosair called Wednesday's announcement "the latest chapter in a storied history of helping children."
The charity's website states that its mission started in 1923 when a group of Kosair Shrine Temple members and community leaders saw "an urgent need" for an orthopedic hospital for kids in Kentucky and "believed a free-standing, specialized care hospital was necessary."
They saw Louisville as the "ideal location" because of its local Kosair Temple, transportation access and because it was the largest metropolitan area in Kentucky with the only medical college in the state at the time.
The group purchased six acres land on Eastern Parkway, and "built an institution that would change generations of lives" that opened in May 1926 to its first 10 patients.
It is now the "largest charity for children in the history of Kentucky and southern Indiana."
"While 'Kosair for Kids' is a slight adjustment to its name, it is no detour from its mission to help all children live life to the fullest," the charity said.
Kosair has three campuses in the area — its main campus on Eastern Parkway in Louisville, the East Campus on Bluegrass Parkway and the Shelbyville Campus on Main Street.
For more information and to support Kosair for Kids, click here.
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