Why More Than A Smile Foundation Exists — In Amina’s Own Words

More Than A Smile Foundation did not start with a strategic plan. It started with a problem Amina Shale could not stop thinking about.

Amina came to Louisville as a refugee. She watched families arrive with nothing — and watched a city that wanted to help but did not always know how. She saw youth with enormous potential and no structured place to put it. She saw mothers navigating systems alone. She saw communities that were rich in culture and resilience, but underserved by the institutions around them.

So she built something.

More Than A Smile Foundation launched with a simple idea: that immigrant and refugee families in Louisville deserve programs that meet them where they are — culturally, linguistically, and practically. Programs that do not ask them to leave their identity at the door.

Today, More Than A Smile Foundation runs nine programs across three pillars: Empowering Youth, Strengthening Families, and Building Community. We serve hundreds of families every year. We have grown from a volunteer-run operation to a recognized nonprofit with funders including Metro United Way, the Community Foundation of Louisville, and Ford Philanthropy.

But the mission has never changed. It is still what Amina wrote on a piece of paper years ago: to empower immigrant and refugee communities through sports, education, and cultural programming — so that every family has more than a smile. They have a foundation.

If you want to support this work, we would love to hear from you.