The Mayor Who Made Compassion His Mission
With Compassion: Episode 1 — A new podcast from Charter for Compassion featuring former Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer on building compassionate cities.
Why This Matters for Houston
- For Community Leaders: A proven model for institutionalizing compassion as a city value
- For Policy Makers: Evidence that compassionate governance can outlast individual administrations
- For Nonprofits: Strategies for mobilizing community-wide service and volunteerism
- For Faith Leaders: Examples of responding to hate with unity and solidarity
- For Houston's Future: Inspiration from a fellow Compassionate City on the global network
Greg Fischer is not your typical politician. Under his 12-year tenure as mayor, he made compassion one of Louisville's three core city values, alongside health and lifelong learning. His approach offers a roadmap for cities seeking to weave care and connection into the fabric of governance.
Key Themes Explored in Episode 1
- Compassionate City Movement: Louisville became one of the world's model Compassionate Cities under Fischer's leadership
- Give A Day Week: An annual week of service that broke world records for compassionate acts
- Institutionalizing Change: How to build organizations that outlast any single administration
- Leading in Crisis: Turning acts of hate into outpourings of community solidarity
- Global Leadership: Connecting mayors worldwide around the Charter for Compassion
From Slogan to System
The central question Fischer and host Jennifer Nadel explore: How do you make "compassion" more than a slogan—building it into the fabric of a community?
Fischer's answer involved multiple strategies. Louisville committed to the International Charter for Compassion, creating accountability and connection to a global movement. The city launched Give A Day Week, an annual initiative inspiring citizens across Louisville to volunteer and perform acts of kindness—ultimately breaking its own world record.
In 2019, Fischer helped launch Compassionate Louisville as a 501(c)(3) organization—ensuring that the city's compassion work would outlast any single mayoral administration. This model shows how values-driven initiatives can become permanent community infrastructure.
Leading Through Crisis
Even in moments of tension and tragedy, Fischer demonstrated what compassionate leadership looks like in practice. When a mosque was vandalized, rather than issuing a statement and moving on, he called on the community to respond with unity and generosity.
Within days, hundreds rallied to repaint and restore the building, turning an act of hate into an outpouring of solidarity. This is the power of civic culture—when compassion is embedded as a value, communities know how to respond.
Global Connections
Louisville under Fischer wasn't just locally minded. He led delegations of mayors to meet His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and nurtured a network of other cities exploring the Charter for Compassion. This global perspective—connecting local action to worldwide movements—offers lessons for Houston's own civic engagement work.
Explore Compassionate Houston
Houston is part of the global Compassionate Cities network. Learn how you can get involved locally.
Compassionate Houston Charter for Compassion