Health + Wellness : For Good

Emanuel Community Center has entered into an agreement to sell its historic Over-the-Rhine building and operate an urban squash program to teach children the racquet sport more commonly associated with Ivy League universities than inner city neighborhoods. 

Emanuel, which has struggled financially for the past several years, will sell the 141-year-old building at 1308 Race Street to Grandin Properties, a Hyde-Park based real estate management company, says Emanuel Board Chairman Russ Naber. 
Grandin plans to convert the building into office space targeted at budding entrepreneurs to grow the area’s burgeoning startup community, says President and CEO Peg Wyant.

The agreement comes just weeks after Emanuel abruptly shut its doors, let its staff go, dismantled its daycare and early learning center and notified its handful of tenants they had to relocate. The move shocked many as the board said it was reviewing several options, which included evaluating if Emanuel would continue to exist.

The purchase price was not disclosed; however Wyant estimated the total cost—including renovations—will be near $4 million. Neither Naber nor Wyant would disclose how much will be paid to Emanuel.

Naber says the deal will allow Emanuel to resolve its debt and become financially stable. The nonprofit listed liabilities totaling nearly $600,000 in 2010—including a $150,000 personal loan made by Naber, according to Emanuel’s tax return. Naber said the nonprofit had not yet paid back that loan. More recent tax returns were not available.

But the agreement does call for Emanuel to lease back—at $1 a year—8,000-square-feet for the next 25 years, a value estimated at about $2.5 million. The 37,672-square-foot building and equipment were valued at nearly $2.6 million in 2010, according to the tax return.

Plans call for Emanuel to convert the building’s existing gym into squash courts and to fund the racquet program, Wyant says, adding that she is hopeful that “Emanuel’s attractive donor list will be positively influenced by this’’ and those donors will help to fund the gym’s conversion to squash courts.

Wyant approached Emanuel in August when she said she heard they were looking at possibly selling the building. Naber calls that meeting serendipity.

“What they brought to us was unique. It was truly distinct,’’ he says. “It is what is best for Emanuel and the community.”
Naber says details of the agreement need to be worked out, but adds that the Grandin plan meets the nonprofit’s three criteria.

“It allows us to continue as a nonprofit, it lets us stay in our current location, which is very emotional for us, and it puts us in a stronger financial place,’’ he says. “Financial stability was key to us.”

In addition to the office spaces, which Wyant says she foresees serving as a “hub of entrepreneurial activity,” she hopes to add a restaurant and rooftop gardens, including some that could be used as teaching gardens. The renovation timetable has yet to be finalized, but she says she hopes the work can be completed in six to 12 months, with the squash program up and running in 12 to 18 months.

Wyant says several companies have expressed interest in potential office space and at least two have visited the building.
“The Brandery and Cintrifuse are interested,’’ she says. The business and innovation incubators on nearby Vine Street will likely need more space to house startup companies they launch in the future. Many want to remain in Over-the-Rhine, she says.   

Wyant founded Grandin Properties nearly 25 years ago with a keen eye toward historic preservation and says she has been interested in Over-The-Rhine for nearly 20 years. She says she has been looking for the right building to develop as well as the right opportunity to combine her family’s love of squash with their commitment to giving back to the community.

The squash program Emanuel will operate will be modeled after urban programs endorsed by the National Urban Squash and Education Association, co-founded by Wyant’s son, Tim, in 2005. The organization operates 12 programs in 11 cities, including CitySquash in the Bronx and METROsquash in Chicago. 

Wyant’s other three adult children are heavily involved in the sport as is her husband, Jack Wyant, who is founder and managing director of Blue Chip Venture Co.

Missy Wyant Smit is on the board of directors of SquashDrive. Jack Wyant is head coach of the University of Pennsylvania’s men’s and women’s squash teams. He has also coached the United States Junior Women’s World Championship teams and competed on the professional Squash Association.  The youngest sibling, Chris Wyant, is an avide squash player but is not as invovlved in the game, said brother Tim Wyant. 

“We have watched these youth squash programs for years and we know they work,’’ Peg Wyant says. “Not all of these programs work for kids, but these do. We’ve witnessed it. We wanted to bring this to Cincinnati.

“Jack and I are committed to Cincinnati and squash—and this program—is something we know about,’’ she adds. “Squash is the hook, but education is really the goal.”

Tim Wyant says he has worked with his mother for at least 12 years looking for the right builidng in the right neighborhood to house a nonprofit squash program, which combines academic, athletic and community service for students starting in the third grade. Wyant, who operates the Bronx program and lives in New York, visited Emanuel first in August and again when he was back for the Thanksgiving holiday. 

"It's an amazing building,'' he says. "This is really an ideal situation.''

Wyant who speaks passionately about the program readily admits that some may see the game as elitist. That is not a bad thing, he adds.

"What this does is introduce students to a community very different than their own,'' he says. "Squash is a culture that values education. And the ultimate goal is to have these students go onto college and end the cycle of poverty for themselves and their families."

He estimates the programs have collectively sent between 300 and 400 students not only to college, but to very good universities including Harvard, Cornell, Wesleyan and Amherst. Most students were awarded scholarships.

"This is really an inch wide and a mile deep program. We really want to transform the lives of the kids,'' says Wyant, who adds many students are involved a minimum of three times a week and many participate five to six days a week in both the sport and educational programs. 

Wyant said he was unsure the cost of coverting the gym into squash courts, but estimated first year operating costs to be between $150 to $200,000. In later years, operating costs could reach between $500,000 to $750,000.  

"We and the Emanual board have a lot of work to get done on how this will all get done,'' he says.

Peg Wyant and Naber both say that another residual outcome of putting the squash program inside an office building with young, talented, smart, engaged and educated entrepreneurs is that they will serve as mentors and role models to the kids in the program.

Naber says he hopes the program will serve 70 to 100 children a year and they hope to work with area schools and other programs.

Jean St. John, founder and operator of My Nose Turns Red, the youth circus nonprofit that was housed at the Emanuel Community Center, says she is continuing to search for a new space to call home.

“We are very sad about the change," St. John says. "There are many successful youth circus programs around the country with a similar focus and I wish they had approached us to explore expansion."

They moved to Emanuel as a startup company and she said she expected their rent to grow as it had in the past from $150 per month to $250 per month. “I think they had the right idea under their noses all along and sorry that they never worked with the companies that were already there,’’ she says.

Kelly Leon, who used the gym for her OTR Jazzercise classes for the past four years, is also looking for a new space that will let people of all income levels work out together.

“There were so many bonds created there,’’ says Leon. “It was a very special group.”

Naber says the options facing Emanuel were dire.

“These are never easy choices. But at some point we had to put our business hats on. We were draining money and we had to do something to fix it.”

The building is not Emanuel, he says. It is what the nonprofit has done and will continue to do in the future that is its reason for being.

“To me, this is a good thing for the city," he says. "You have to step away and assess it. In the end it will help the children and youth reach their potential and be a success in life. That is what we are all really passionate about. This sustains that.”

Do Good
·        Contact my Nose Turns Red nonprofit teaching circus if you know of a suitable space where they might relocate.
·        OTR Jazzercise is also looking for a gym or workout area in or around Over-the-Rhine.  Drop them a message on their Facebook account.
·        Track ongoing developments on Emanuel Community Center’s web site.
·        Contribute to the National Urban Squash Education Association.

By Chris Graves
Chris Graves is the assistant vice president of digital and social media at the Powers Agency.

People Working Cooperatively’s largest volunteer event, the Prepare Affair, brings together 3,000 volunteers from across the Tri-State to get PWC clients’ homes ready for winter.

The Prepare Affair began in 1987 to serve the disabled and elderly clients of PWC. It started out small, with about 30 homes and 70 volunteers. It has grown to about 1,000 houses and 3,000 volunteers per year. PWC hopes to set a record this year and help 1,200 homeowners, says Jock Pitts, president of PWC.

During the Prepare Affair, volunteers do everything from cleaning gutters and raking leaves to installing storm windows and putting new batteries in smoke detectors.

The tasks might seem small, but they make a big difference to the homeowners. After the Prepare Affair, they have renewed pride in their homes and neighborhood morale increases, says Pitts.

“The volunteers are great,” he says. “Many church and neighborhood groups volunteer, and they’re usually sent to the same houses year after year. Eventually, those groups ‘adopt’ homeowners and take care of them throughout the year.”

The 25th Annual Prepare Affair is Saturday, Nov. 10, and there’s still plenty of time to sign up to volunteer. Anyone can volunteer; there is a $10 donation per individual and a $20 donation per family to cover Prepare Affair expenses.

PWC’s Prepare Affair is sponsored by the City of Cincinnati, Duke Energy, Hubert, Toyota, Citi, Time Warner Cable, Viox Services, Church of the Redeemer, Deltec, Earlham College, ESTAnalytical, First Bank Richmond, Scripps Howard Foundation and UBS.

Do Good:
• Sign up to volunteer for the Prepare Affair.
• Call 513-351-7921 to find out what else you can do to help.
• Get friendly with PWC on Facebook.

By Caitlin Koenig
Follow Caitlin on Twitter

Barbara Rinto has made supporting women’s health issues her lifetime mission. The 61-year-old advocate’s inspiring story is a highlight of the latest issue of The Women’s Book, an annual collection of women-focused news and information.

As a child of the 50s and 60s, Rinto traces her activist roots to her college days, when supporting women’s reproductive rights opened her eyes to a wide range of related issues.

“I think I was always a feminist,” says Rinto, who has been director of the Women’s Center at the University of Cincinnati since 2002.

As an undergraduate at Kent State, she volunteered at a local health clinic to talk with women and girls about their contraceptive options. After getting her master’s degree in public administration, she began a long career of working with Planned Parenthood before moving into a leadership role in academia.

She spent 28 years at Planned Parenthood, including an eight-year stint as the Cincinnati office director. Today, she remains at the forefront of women’s issues in the Cincinnati region. She chairs the Women’s Fund, an offshoot of the philanthropic Greater Cincinnati Foundation that is focused on helping women achieve economic self-sufficiency.

At UC, her mission is to ensure that all women have a safe and equitable environment, particularly by preventing sexual violence and supporting the victims of violence. Working first-hand with survivors, developing programs to support understanding and share knowledge and supporting those around her have become hallmarks of Rinto’s leadership style.

For Rinto, though, it’s all about empowering women to use their voices to spark change and growth.

“It really has informed my life and my work,” she says.

Do Good:
• Like the UC Women’s Center on Facebook.

• Learn more about the Women’s Book.

• Find out how you can get involved with The Women’s Fund.

By Stephanie Kitchens
 
 

The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati recently awarded 21 Cincinnati organizations with more than $800,000 to pursue programs designed to improve people’s health. The Foundation also granted an additional $290,000 for 22 other projects that fit better with some of the Foundation’s other funding programs. In all, 44 proposals were funded for a total of more than $1.1 million.
 
The grants are round one of the Foundation’s “Launching Solutions: Seizing New Opportunities in Health” initiative that focuses on providing the public with access to health and prevention services.
 
The Health Foundation opened its doors in January 1998, not as a health care provider, but as a provider of services to nonprofits that have needs for education, consultation and technical assistance in addition to grant money.
 
The “Launching Solutions” grant process began in February when the Foundation received 126 letters of intent from organizations in Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. Twenty-six of those organizations were asked to submit grant proposals; last week, 21 of those projects were approved for funding. The approved projects range from integrated care and prevention to healthy eating and health care reform.
 
“There are a lot of wonderful health care providers out there that would like to do things differently,” says Dr. Pat O’Connor, VP and chief operating officer of the Foundation. “The Health Foundation is here to serve as a catalyst for change and improvement for the providers.”
 
The Foundation awards grants to nonprofits through different initiatives, so a few of the new grantees have received assistance from the Foundation in the past. 

But many of them are new recipients, and there are more new recipients this year than before. Churches Active in Northside, Gabriel’s Place and Family Promise of Northern Kentucky are new grantees. 

In the next six months or so, the organizations will begin their projects and implement them in the community, says O’Connor. 
 
The Foundation has worked with organizations on prevention projects, but it is now emphasizing three National Prevention Plan areas : preventing tobacco use, drug abuse and excessive alcohol use; healthy eating; and mental and emotional wellbeing. Health care providers don’t traditionally do prevention, in part because others organizations and programs play a much bigger role, says O’Connor.
 
The second round of “Launching Solutions” began in September. It emphasizes prevention and creating new Cincinnati area primary care treatment capacity by 2014. 

There will be a lot of people who didn’t have coverage before the Affordable Care Act who will want health care services, and getting appointments will be an issue, says O’Connor. In the second round, the Foundation will be able to work with nonprofit health care providers and help them expand their capacity for primary care treatment.
 
“Launching Solutions” grantees:

• Advocates for Ohio’s Future (Public Children Services Association of Ohio), $25,000
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Cincinnati, $60,000
• Center for School-based Mental Health Programs Miami University, $50,000
• Children’s Home of Cincinnati, $50,000
• Churches Active in Northside, $35,700
• Cincinnati Health Network, Inc., $50,000
• Community Mental Health Center, $39,250
• Family Promise of Northern Kentucky, $10,000
• First Step Home, $75,000
• Gabriel’s Place (Diocese Southern Ohio), $12,000
• Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Services, $49,070
• Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board, $100,000
• Henry Hosea House, $35,000
• Legal Action Center, $47,500
• LifePoint Solutions, $25,000
• Ohio Citizen Advocates for Chemical Dependency Prevention & Treatment & Ohio Alliance of Recovery Providers, $17,200
• PARACHUTE: Butler County CASA, $25,500
• Santa Maria Community Services, $25,000
• Sidestreams (Green Umbrella), $17,000
• St. Joseph Orphanage, $35,000
• Urban Appalachian Council, $30,000

By Caitlin Koenig
Follow Caitlin on Twitter

If you’ve heard of the Clovernook Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, then you may already be familiar with the many ways they assist disabled Cincinnatians. But it might surprise you to learn what else is happening at the center’s North College Hill campus.

Did you know, for example, that Clovernook is home to the nation’s second largest Braille print house? Its annual output currently includes 26 magazines—Braille versions of household names like Rolling Stone, Martha Stewart Living and National Geographic—as well as 168 book titles. 

Clovernook also contracts with various government and private entities to produce everything from IRS file folders to packaging for items available at stores like Target.

Founded in 1903 on land procured by William Procter, Clovernook served as Cincinnati’s first home for blind women, and continues to maintain strong business ties with P&G. Visitors can schedule a guided tour of the grounds, which feature the historic Cary Cottage.

In keeping with its mission, Clovernook’s staff—42 percent of whom experience some level of visual impairment—work to inspire self-sufficiency by offering art and recreational activities, youth services, independent-living and vocational training as well as counseling and job placement.

A longstanding practice of employing from within has resulted in jobs for some patrons, but the overriding goal is placement within the larger community, says Jessica Salyers, Clovernook’s manager of development and media relations. 

“Kroger is one company that makes [hiring disabled individuals] a priority,” Salyers says. “But some companies don’t realize or forget that you can make jobs accessible for people with disabilities or impairments. Our employment specialists have had success working with local companies to get them to think about providing those opportunities.”

Taking advantage of Clovernook’s services starts with a brief evaluation to gauge the level of visual impairment as well as personal goals and skillsets. Trained social workers then help to identify potential solutions for clients’ needs. 

“Sometimes we’re able to provide a short-term solution, but then if the individual’s eyesight becomes worse later, we reopen their case,” Salyers says. “Some individuals work with our specialists for quite a long time.”

Salyers notes key differences between Clovernook and area organizations like the Cincinnati Association for the Blind. For example, many of Clovernook’s youth services are available to children 8 years and older. 

“If we know a family that has an infant that’s been diagnosed with visual impairment, we’ll do everything possible to refer them to another organization,” Salyers says. “And they’ll refer older kids to us for our youth services, which are very focused on summer camps. It’s not at all competitive; it’s about serving as many people in the community as possible.”

Clovernook’s calendar routinely features art exhibits, fundraisers and special events. 

“We love to have people on-site here,” Salyers says. “We have events coming up, as well as a lot of volunteer opportunities. We love to be more connected to people in our community.”

Do Good:

• See paintings and pottery this month by Lynn Jansen, a Clovernook artist and board of trustees member who is visually and hearing impaired. “Candelite Terrace” explores Jansen’s memories of light and color in the neighborhood where she grew up. The exhibit will remain open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. until Oct. 26.

• Donate or volunteer by contacting 513-728-6261 or csevindik@clovernook.org.

• Celebrate “White Cane Safety Day,” Oct. 15, which kicks off with a City Hall rally at 10:45 am, followed by a walk to Fountain Square.

By Hannah Purnell
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When veterans return from war and can’t find jobs, they may live in poverty and get their meals from soup kitchens. In 2009, the American Community Survey estimated that about 1.4 million veterans lived in poverty. But there is help out there for veterans who are struggling to make ends meet.
 
In 2009, the federal government called for an end to veteran homelessness by 2015. To help achieve this goal, the Department of Veteran Affairs awarded agencies across the country with the Supportive Services for Veterans and Families grant. The grant enables organizations that help the homeless to expand their reach to veterans and their families who are at-risk for becoming homeless.
 
Ohio Valley Goodwill Industries is one of nearly 185 agencies to receive the grant this year. It was awarded $600,000 to provide housing stabilization services for veterans and their families.

Starting Oct. 1, Goodwill will partner with Strategies to End Homelessness and The Healing Center to assist homeless veterans in Cincinnati. The three organizations will work to refer their customers to the other organizations if they are in need of different services.
 
Strategies to End Homelessness started in 2007 to oversee the allocation of federal funding for the homeless in Cincinnati and Hamilton County. It is involved with many organizations in the area and helps with shelter diversion, oversees street outreach and helps find emergency housing for those in need. Although the federal stimulus money designated to aid homeless veterans ran out in July, the organization hasn’t stopped helping them.
 
The agency’s Central Access Hotline will play a role in helping vets find shelter. The grant allows Strategies to End Homelessness to identify callers who are veterans and connect them to Goodwill.
 
The Healing Center will provide food, personal care items, household goods, clothing and a wide range of job support services to veterans, including one-on-one job coaching, support groups for job seekers and computer training.
 
“The Supportive Services grant allows us to continue to provide a high level of service to veterans and their families,” says Kevin Finn, executive director of Strategies to End Homelessness. 
 
The Healing Center helps about 1,500 households a month.
 
“The grant provides The Healing Center the opportunity to take our relationship with Goodwill to the next level and provide holistic support to veterans and their families,” says Monica Roberts, associate director of program development for The Healing Center.
 
The Ohio Valley Goodwill has been helping veterans for about 20 years; last year, Goodwill provided services to more than 650 veterans in the area.

Previously, the Ohio Valley Goodwill received two Department of Labor grants that were designated for helping homeless veterans find employment, a VA grant and HUD housing grants, says Bill Darnell, the grants manager for Ohio Valley Goodwill.
 
“Our job is to make sure the resources in our community are used to help homeless people or those at risk of becoming homeless as strategically as possible,” says Finn. “This grant is a great new service.”
 
By Caitlin Koenig
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A partnership between Loveland-based CancerFree KIDS and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center will let sick kids visit their pets at the first ever hospital based animal visitation center in the United States.

CancerFree KIDS, a non-profit group that has raised $1.3 million in the past decade to help fund pediatric cancer research, will use a $107,500 grant awarded to them by Impact 100 to build the visitation center at Children’s Hospital sometime next spring, says Ellen Flannery, founder and executive director of the group.

“The Pet Center will be a model for similar facilities in other children’s hospitals, increasing the impact of the grant,’’ says Flannery, whose now 15-year-old daughter is a cancer survivor. “We are thrilled to win the grant.”

Flannery and her husband Sam founded CancerFree KIDS after their daughter, Shayna, was diagnosed with cancer in both of her eyes at just five months old. Shayna lost one of her eyes to the cancer and – thanks to advances in pediatric cancer research – was successfully treated.

“She’s a healthy, bratty 15-year-old, I am happy to say,” Flannery says.  

Celebrating its 10th year, the non-profit’s goal is to continue to raise money through fundraisers, sponsorship or through grants to continue to help fund pediatric cancer research at Cincinnati’s Children’s Hospital.

Applying for the Impact 100 grant aligned with that mission.

Research has shown that a pet can improve not only a sick person’s emotional well-being, but also has positive and measurable physical outcomes as well, she says. There is a similar pet visitation area at the Alberta Children’s Hospital in Alberta, Canada.

Flannery received multiple letters and emails from social workers, hospital staff as well as children and adults suffering with long-term illnesses who supported such a center.

A 12-year-old blind boy, battling brain cancer since he was four months old, wrote: “I hate spending time in the hospital … My favorite time of any day has been to go home and ‘chillax’  in my bed and my dog crawls under the covers and gets as close as possible. I feel like she has always been there for me, and I can tell her anything. She will make noises so I know she is listening, and I do not feel as alone.”

A 14-year-old girl who lives out of state and travels to Children’s for months at a time to receive treatment for re-lapsed leukemia told Flannery she most misses her puppy, Abe.

“Abe is my comfort blanket in a way and someone who listens to me without any comments only support,’’ the teen wrote. “I really miss him all the time.”

The center, which will be wheelchair and hospital-bed accessible, will have multiple visitation bays where children undergoing long-term stays can visit with their pets. The center will have electricity, but will not be heated or cooled, she says.

As part of the agreement, Children’s will continue the ongoing upkeep and maintenance of the building. Flannery says she is hopeful the visitation area can also be a place where, one day, children who don’t have pets can also schedules visit with animals.  

Do Good:

•    Join CancerFree KIDS mailing list.

•    Support one of their upcoming fundraisers.

•    Like them on Facebook.

•    Follow their news on Twitter.

By Chris Graves
Chris Graves is Assistant Vice President of Digital and Social Media at the Powers Agency.

Cyclists in the Queen City don't want any more "ghost rides," to commemorate fallen peers like Ronald Richardson, who died after being hit by a Metro bus. So as they ride tonight to honor him, supporters will also launch a new version of a proactive program they hope will raise awareness of the importance of sharing our roadways.

Queen City Blinkies, an initiative to provide free front and rear bicycle lights to riders, revives an effort started in 2008 by 7 Hills Racing. In its new incarnation, QC Blinkies, supported by Queen City Bike and the local cycling community, serves as a way to express the importance of safe riding, and safe driving, especially in the wake of recent deaths.

"This has been a really trying time for bicyclists in Cincinnati," says Nern Ostendorf, executive director of Queen City Bike. "The urgency for safer roads has never been more apparent. Bicyclists across the city are grieving, organizing and supporting one another."

Adding lights, often more than one or two, is one way cyclists can make their presence known on city streets. But no matter how conspicuous the rider, a sense of conflict remains. (Just read the comments section of any story about cyclists and drivers and you will see it.)

She notes that while Queen City Blinkies and other educational efforts, such as billboards, are important, the bigger issue involves how we, as a community, want to live. "Right now, most of our streets are designed to move cars across the city as fast as possible, with the greatest volume possible," Ostendorf says. "Of course that will create problems between cars and cyclists."

That speed-focused design, she contends, does little to increase quality of life for any citizen. "I want my city, my neighborhood, and my street to be a place to visit and enjoy rather than somewhere to move through, and I believe that most people, cyclists or not, want those things for their communities, too," she says.

One simple, though challenging, answer is to lower speed limits—as with pedestrian accidents, high-speed collisions with cyclists tend to be more serious and more often fatal.

And it turns out that slowing down may help more than cyclists. A pilot project study in Philadelphia showed that lowering speed limits not only made streets safer for motorists and cyclists to co-exist, it lowered the rate of car accidents overall.

"We need to be creative and experimental even in how we understand and move traffic," Ostendorf says. She advises neighborhood groups to take action on their own, to request lower speed limits and speed bumps when necessary to make streets and sidewalks safer for all residents, whether they are 8 or 80.

Do Good:
• Support Queen City Blinkies by donating to buy lights.

• Obey the law. Driving a car? Remember, it is illegal for cyclists to be on the sidewalk, so give them time and space as they share the road. Cycling? Remember, if you coast through a red light, you're reinforcing the kind of stereotypes that can hurt your riding peers.

• Enjoy good food and conversation at the Hyde Park Farmers Market Bikegarten.

By Elissa Yancey
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