At nearly 90 years old, Dolly Adams has committed more than half of her life to honoring veterans, serving the homeless, visiting the homebound, and more. You will find her at the Veterans’ Affairs Hospital monthly, delivering goodies and visiting with the veterans. She serves with Good Shepherd Catholic Church and St. Mary’s of Navilleton as a committed lector and taking communion to the homebound in the community. In addition, she volunteers with Franciscan Kitchen, the Harrison County Public Library, and rings the bell during the holidays for the Salvation Army Red Kettle campaign. Dolly Adams is also a part of a volunteer singing group, “Merry Melodies”, visiting homeless and assisted living facilities throughout southern Indiana.
The WLKY Spirit of Louisville Foundation will commemorate the 49th Anniversary of the WLKY Bell Awards and present the 2026 WLKY Bell Awards on Oct. 8 at the legendary Churchill Downs Millionaires Row and aired on WLKY TV on October 17, 2026. The Bell Awards program recognizes adults and high school youth who have demonstrated the true “Spirit of Louisville” through selfless volunteer efforts and seeks to inspire all residents to engage in community service.
Each adult Bell Award recipient received a $500 charity grant from Presenting Sponsor Republic Bank, and the Youth Service Honor Recipients received a $2,500 cash scholarship award from the Brown-Forman Corporation, Lorch Family Foundation and William W. Campbell.
Celebrating its 49th year, the WLKY Spirit of Louisville Foundation was formed to oversee the annual Bell Awards program. The 2026 Executive Committee of the Spirit of Louisville Foundation are Trish Osborn/Central Bank, Lori Dougherty/Louisville Furniture, Jill Bell/Civic Volunteer, Vicky Weber/Civic Volunteer, and Andrea Stahlman/WLKY-TV.
