LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Long before the tragic mass shooting on April 10, 2023, Old National Bank had  been donating thousands of dollars to the Louisville community through its foundation.

One of the benefactors was the Jewish Family and Career Services, which received $10,000 from Old National Bank in 2023. 

"We are focused on marginalized communities, which means we are looking for folks really trying to help reduce the barriers," said Valecia Quinn, director of JFCS Navigate.

Gacal Farah Elmi, who owns G Coffee Shop tucked away in the Iroquois Manor Shopping Center on South 3rd Street, was one of those folks. JFCS helped Elmi purchase equipment for his business. Elmi is from Somalia and owns a place for people to hang out, play cards, drink coffee and get something to eat like it's made in his home country.

"Somalian food, all African food," Elmi said, adding that his customers love the coffee, tea, sambusa, bread and more.

And even after the horrific year at Old National Bank, its foundation continues to help nonprofit organizations across Louisville. Tommy Wallace, president of commercial bank at Old National Bank, said the foundation has donated more than $1.3 million over the years.

On top of that, they started a new project after the mass shooting.

"We started the Love for Louisville initiative," Wallace said. "It was focused on coming up with the right response to support the survivors and those that supported us in our greatest time of need."

The foundation donated $1 million to those impacted by the mass shooting, with $600,000 going to the "Love for Louisville ONB Survivors Fund."

"It focused on setting up a survivors fund for the families of the victims, supporting the American Red Cross, University Hospital and their trauma unit and the Louisville Metro Police Foundation," Wallace said.

The foundation also donated $10,000 to the Muhammad Ali Center and $3,000 to the Louisville Metro Police Foundation both to honor Officer Nick Wilt, who has a long road to recovery after being shot in the head that day on steps of the bank office in downtown Louisville.

The foundation also donated $10,000 to the Community Foundation for the Chickasaw Park shooting victims. 

Twelve months later at Old National Bank, time is helping heal but never forgetting.

"I think one of the things is the importance of LMPD," Wallace said. "They were heroes. They showed up. They saved lives that day."

ONB employees and others continue to wear yellow and blue heart pins remembering and honoring the victims.

"On a daily basis, I get the question 'How can we help you? How can we help survivors? What can we do to inch back to normalcy?'" Wallace said. "Really, the community is doing it. We feel it on a daily basis. My colleagues feel that. I'm so grateful on their behalf, that the support is there."

And they are seeing so much progress in people's lives through the foundation. Elmi is forever thankful for the help he's gotten as his business continues to grow. 

"We're a 190-year-old bank, so part of what we do is that we are committed to serving the communities that we reside in," Wallace said.

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