UofL to host planting event for Arbor Day; honors late LGBTQ+ supporter

A planting event on the University of Louisville Health Sciences Center campus will observe Arbor Day 2023 as well as honor a late Department of Pediatrics staff member who was a strong supporter of the LGBTQ+ community.

The event will be held from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., April 28, at the Kosair Charities Clinical and Translational Research Building, 505 S. Hancock St.

At 11:30 a.m., volunteers will help plant native plants in the building’s planter bed. At 12:30 p.m., a memorial tree planting will be held in honor of Sarah McKinney who died in 2022 and was employed as a senior technology specialist and facilities coordinator in the School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics.

The event is sponsored by the university’s Sustainability Council, S.M.A.R.T. Staff (School of Medicine Advancement, Retention and Training), Department of Pediatrics, LGBT Center, Physical Plant and HSC Green Team. For more information and to volunteer, contact Glenn Gittings at 502-852-0141.

About Sarah McKinney

McKinney was known for her strong support of the Health Sciences Center’s LGBT Center and the people it serves. A trans individual herself, McKinney also was known in the Louisville community as an advocate for LGBTQ+ individuals. “In high heels and tool belt,” as she liked to express it, McKinney helped keep organizations in Louisville communicating with each other and provide a safe and thriving community for LGBTQ+ people.

McKinney restarted UofL’s LGBTQ+ Faculty Staff Association after it was dormant for 12 years and grew it to more than 100 members. She chaired the Transgender Wellness Summit and was one of the co-founders of the Kentuckiana Transgender Support Group. Additionally, she mentored several transgender individuals to help them through their transition. For her efforts, she was awarded the UofL LGBT Center’s Advocate Award in 2021.