Reverend Joseph E. Kurtz, D.D. Bishop | Archdiocese of Louisville

For three decades, Day Spring has offered men and women with intellectual and developmental disabilities more than a place to stay. It has provided them with a home.

The campus comprises four buildings on 13 acres donated by the Archdiocese of Louisville. Located behind Audubon Hospital off Poplar Level Road, the campus is close enough to Newburg Road to hear the bells of St. Agnes Church.

Day Spring’s goal is to provide residents with a “really good homelife because that radiates out into the community,” said Amy Barnes, the nonprofit’s chief program officer. “We want them going to church and being in the community doing the things you and I do, but that starts at home.”

Day Spring, located at 3430 Day Spring Court, isn’t a Catholic entity, but Barnes said its work wouldn’t be possible without the Catholic community.

In spring 1994, ground was broken for the facility founded by Jack and Gladys Ford, who wanted a place for their disabled children to thrive.

“We could not have started without the support of the archdiocese and Catholic families,” Barnes said in a recent interview.

The Sisters of Mercy were also critical to its success, according to Barnes. For its first 19 years, they had a constant presence at Day Spring, living in homes with residents. Sister of Mercy Deborah Kern was its first executive director and served there until 2012.

“She’s still involved and still has friendships here. We’re so grateful,” said Barnes.

Day Spring is marking its 30th anniversary this year and serves 63 adults and young adults. Three decades ago, it started with two cottage-style housing units — one for men and one for women who require support 24 hours a day.

In 2017, a college dorm-style building was erected on campus to house young adults in its “College of Living” program. The program teaches life skills to help residents live independently after a few years.

Day Spring also has an apartment building on Baxter Avenue and offers care programs where men and women receive assistance in private homes.

The care residents receive is “very person-centered,” Barnes said. “We strive for a mentality that’s ‘doing with’ instead of ‘doing for.’ They are actively participating in their lives. It’s a household.”

Most residents have gained part-time jobs off-campus and maintain active social lives, noted Barnes.

On a sunny mid-July morning, Kim Ernst — a Day Spring resident for 30 years — was ready for work neatly dressed in navy and white polka dot blouse and black slacks. She busses tables and greets customers at a diner in Middletown.

“I enjoy my friends and being with them,” she said about her life at Day Spring. On campus, she helps her peers care for their shared home. In her spare time, she enjoys playing guitar.

Jacob Cantrell — a 24-year-old participant in the “College of Living” program — has lived on campus for three years learning culinary and technical skills.

“I’ve gotten more knowledgeable in computers and technology. That’s my core strength,” he said. Cantrell works as a dietary aide at Little Sisters of the Poor's St Joseph Home for the Aged next door to Day Spring's campus.

“It’s taught me a lot,” he added about his experience at Day Spring.

Cantrell envisions himself living independently: "In an apartment possibly shared depending on my income."