For Good

Architecture by Children embeds learning in discovery of the built environment

Tuesday, February 05, 2013

Kyle Campbell remembers designing his first house when he was home sick from school in the fourth grade.

“Ever since then, going through high school, while most people would go out and do things, I would actually build models of houses I designed just for fun,” he says. “Coming into architecture was sort of a long time coming.”

Campbell, who currently serves as the Architectural Foundation of Cincinnati’s board member for the Architecture by Children program, did not initially make the decision to major in architecture, but he says the built environment has always had a huge impact on him.

“I was a huge LEGO nerd,” says Campbell. “So the thought of building space and constructing things and designing things has always been a big part of who I am.”

Now Campbell is sharing his childhood love with others in the ABC program. Jointly sponsored by the AFC and a local chapter of the American Institute of Architects, the program aims to teach architectural principles to students through hands-on projects, as explained by volunteer architects.

Campbell is one of those volunteers, but he’s also working to evaluate the program by matching it with the Ohio Department of Education's academic content standards to ensure that it has a lasting educational impact.

“The AFC, as of this year, has decided that we want to take a more invested role in how the program unfolds because essentially, what we’ve been in the past is a donor of money,” Campbell says. “We’d like to be able to provide more manpower and more resources to help it be more successful.”

The program currently reaches about 60 schools and 1,100 students, with ideally one architect assigned to each school. Participating students are tasked with a new project each year. This year, they are designing a museum of their choice for a space at 12th and Vine streets downtown.

One seventh grade student has envisioned a nature museum with a river running throughout and a grand staircase with water flowing from the roof to simulate a waterfall that flows into an outdoor pond the public can enjoy. Her museum also contains a fountain enclosed in glass so people who are not inside the museum can interact with it.

“It’s just amazing coming from a seventh grader because those are the things I’d dream to do in a real-world project,” Campbell says. “The most important thing is to keep the kids understanding that it’s okay to be creative and to think outside the box.”

Campbell says he’s proud of the architecture this city has to offer, and he’s made it a personal goal to help the AFC achieve its mission of “educating the greater community of Cincinnati on the built environment.”

“Most people don’t realize that Cincinnati has a fantastic history in architecture; it’s actually one of the most historical cities in the development of modern architecture,” Campbell says. “I want to be able to use the AFC as a way of educating the general public on those kinds of things.”

Do Good:

• View ABC student projects at the downtown branch of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County during the week of April 13-20.

• Contact the AFC if you live in a home or know of a historically significant building that you'd like to share or learn more about.

• Attend the AFC's exhibit, ENVISION CINCINNATI.

By Brittany York

Brittany York is a professor of English composition at the University of Cincinnati and a teacher at the Regional Institute of Torah and Secular Studies. She also edits the For Good section of SoapboxMedia.

Pets in Need offers help for pets, owners

Tuesday, February 05, 2013

Pets need homes, and according to Cathy Madewell, program director of Pets in Need, it’s not feasible to say that people who can’t afford them shouldn’t take on the responsibility of owning them.

“There are just way too many cats and dogs that don’t have homes, and you have too many people with a compassionate heart for them that take them in,” Madewell says.

Pets in Need of Greater Cincinnati is set to open in early to mid-March with a facility of its own in Lockland, though the nonprofit is currently running a weekly clinic on Tuesday mornings at Valley Interfaith Food and Clothing Center.

PIN provides basic care, including checkups, vaccines and antibiotics, to pets whose owners can’t afford preventive care.

Madewell says that when those involved with PIN first started their work, they witnessed too many pets who had contracted severe diseases and had to be euthanized, either because they had never received a dewormer, or because they had flea infestations that had gotten so bad, they were no longer treatable.

“Simple things that could have been avoided,” Madewell says. “We’re now able to provide that and help people keep their pets healthy so that they avoid any major situations, and [so we] don’t end up finding them on a vet’s doorstep.”

When PIN opens its new clinic, it will serve members of the community who income-qualify for just $10 a visit—a fee that will cover the visit itself, in addition to any needed vaccines or medicines—so long as the condition is treatable and is within the realm of possibility for what the organization can feasibly take on.

PIN currently has two vets—both have other jobs as well. “So they definitely have to have a passion for what they’re doing,” Madewell says.

One of the two vets is Jennifer Wells, director of the veterinary technology program at the University of Cincinnati's Blue Ash College. Wells uses PIN to not only assist pets and their owners, but to also provide real-world experience to her students, who use their involvement at PIN as a clinical experience. Madewell says their experience with clients is invaluable, as their other clinical experiences involve animals from the SPCA, for example, so there are no pet owners involved.

Prior to being treated at PIN, pets must be spayed or neutered. “We will pay for that for our clients,” Madewell says. “It’s a $10 copay for a cat or a $20 copay for a dog, and we then give them a voucher to use that for spay or neuter.”

Clinic hours are currently 9 a.m. to noon every Tuesday, though pet owners can begin submitting applications now if a cat or dog needs to be seen prior to PIN’s official opening.

Do Good:

• Donate to support the work of Pets in Need.

• Volunteer to help keep the PIN program running.

• Register your Kroger Plus Card so that each time you use it, the PIN program benefits as well.

By Brittany York

Brittany York is a professor of English composition at the University of Cincinnati and a teacher at the Regional Institute of Torah and Secular Studies. She also edits the For Good section of SoapboxMedia.

Alliance for Immigrant Women builds confidence, changes lives

Tuesday, February 05, 2013

One out of every four women in America are victims of domestic abuse, says Julie Marzec, program coordinator for the Alliance for Immigrant Women.

Marzec, who in previous years spent time working in Latin America, says their statistics were much higher, with four out of five women predicted to be affected by domestic abuse.

“That doesn’t just go away when they come to the United States,” Marzec says.

Cincinnati became home to an influx of immigrants in the early 2000s; and in 2001, a group of organizations came together in an effort to assist women facing a number of troubling issues within the community.

Shelters were unable to provide women with the support they needed for a number of reasons, including language barriers and lack of legal support, Marzec says.

So the Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati formed the Alliance for Battered and Abused Immigrant Women. The nonprofit’s efforts have now shifted and are led chiefly by the YWCA, which has formed a coalition with more than 30 organizations—the AIW. The main goal is to provide support for women who have either been victims of domestic abuse themselves, or know someone who has.

The AIW assists women in a variety of ways, whether it is through teaching them about healthy relationships, creating multilingual safety plans, training other social workers and law enforcement officers about successful tactics for helping those in need, or referring women to other organizations within the alliance that can best help them.

As part of the community education goal, the AIW hosts a Lunch & Learn series, a monthly luncheon where service providers eat, listen and learn about an issue central to domestic violence survivors within the immigrant population. This month’s session, “Domestic Violence and Immigrant Women with HIV/AIDS,” takes place Feb. 20 at the YWCA of Greater Cincinnati.

“It’s really a chance for community members to reach out and meet each other, learn a little bit about different opportunities and different references they utilize in the future,” Marzec says.

The Lunch & Learn series is just one effort the organization has made to raise the profile of immigrant women and domestic abuse, and it hopes to continue to do so through its various advocacy and outreach programs.

“To help these women, we really need to learn about it,” says Marzec. “More immigrant women are learning about our services and know there’s an organization out there specifically for them, and that makes a big difference.”

Do Good:

• Contact Julie Marzec if you're interested in or in need of the organization's services.

• Request literature and handouts for immigrant women who may benefit from knowing safety plans and information about domestic abuse. Contact Julie Marzec for more information.

• Become culturally competent about immigrant women and the struggles they face when they are survivors of domestic violence.

By Brittany York

Brittany York is a professor of English composition at the University of Cincinnati and a teacher at the Regional Institute of Torah and Secular Studies. She also edits the For Good section of SoapboxMedia.

Parks offer tour of Underground Railroad route

Tuesday, February 05, 2013

Cincinnati Parks’ Explore Nature! program will host its award-winning Ravine to Freedom event Feb. 10, allowing participants to walk along the same trail that served as an escape route for those using the Underground Railroad more than 100 years ago.

“The Ravine to Freedom was recognized by the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center as the only documented, undeveloped, local escape route,” says Kathy Dahl, naturalist at Laboiteaux Woods.

It’s a 1.5-mile unpaved path that runs along Hamilton Avenue, up and downhill, through the College Hill and Northside neighborhoods.

“College Hill was named because of the colleges here, so people were progressive in their thinking and more toward abolitionist views; however, the Farmer’s College—where Aiken [High School] and the College Hill Recreation Center are today—also had Southern students, so they had to be especially careful,” Dahl says.

Dahl leads the tour and is well-versed in the history of the land, but it’s the stories, she says, that are so important. To help make those stories come to life, she conducts the tour in the winter—first because the leaves from trees are gone, so historical houses can be seen along the route—and second because the winter months were the primary times that slaves would make their escapes.

“If you were field hands, you weren’t doing as much, so your absence may not be noticed as quickly,” Dahl says. “There were also the holidays in there where the owners would travel or go to parties; and at the same time, the Ohio River would freeze, so it was a land bridge—or an ice bridge.”

To help others understand the history of the ravine, Dahl joined forces with local historian Betty Ann Smiddy to create a detailed map of the route and markers of interest along its way.

“Cincinnati’s role—it was a battleground,” Dahl says. “We’re taught [about] the Civil War in history books, but it’s only a part of what actually happened.”

Dahl says it’s important that people not only recognize the history of the town where they live, but that they experience it.

“It was trying times, but when I discuss this, when I talk about these things on the hike, I try to show that there was hope,” Dahl says. “There were people who came together, and they were up against big odds.”

Do Good:

• Call (513) 542-2909 to register for the Ravine to Freedom Feb. 10 from 1 to 3 pm.

• Volunteer to help maintain Cincinnati Parks. If you want to help maintain the grounds so that tours like Ravine to Freedom can continue successfully, you can request to volunteer at Laboiteaux Woods.

• Connect with Cincinnati Parks by liking their Facebook page.

By Brittany York

Brittany York is a professor of English composition at the University of Cincinnati and a teacher at the Regional Institute of Torah and Secular Studies. She also edits the For Good section of SoapboxMedia.

Rosenthal champions 'New Voices' of art in community at Prairie

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

David Rosenthal began his art career in a traditional setting, but he says it wasn’t the right niche. As an M.F.A. graduate and full-time professor in the University of Cincinnati’s fine arts department, he spent most of his time in the studio. While he enjoyed his work, he says he felt there was a divide and that too many people in the community simply didn’t connect with art created in that environment.

“That whole practice was kind of centered on the idea that the artist was the creator, and that art happened in the mind and at the hands of the artist,” says Rosenthal. “And I wanted to get away from that idea.”

So he set out to find a way to put art into the hands of a completely different demographic, and in 2009, Rosenthal founded Prairie, a nonprofit that works to gather artists together to create and explore ideas in non-traditional ways.

Educational programming is one of Prairie’s primary functions, and through the New Voices program, Rosenthal aims to bring two groups together for the purpose of building an understanding of the human condition through art.

The most recent collaboration: residents of City Gospel Mission’s Exodus Program—a long-term rehabilitation effort that seeks to help men who struggle with alcohol and drug addiction—and students from Milford High School. The program lasted 12 weeks and consisted of weekly excursions where the two groups came together to photograph the Over-the-Rhine community, discuss their work, talk about why it’s meaningful, and then reflect on the whole process.

“I think that when art is put in the hands of people who don’t usually have that tool, it’s just incredibly powerful because I think that somebody who has never had the opportunity to be expressive usually has a ton to say,” says Rosenthal. “When you combine that with another group of people who maybe does that on a consistent basis, like high school students who are involved in the arts, you can see these bridges forming, and barriers coming down—significant barriers. That’s all through the language of expression.”

While Rosenthal is a facilitator in the process, he says he’s also an art-maker because of the “creative energy and problem solving” that he brings to the program. Part of his drive stems from his 15 years of art experience, but he says it also goes back to his undergraduate days when he studied history.

“I think I really just became interested in social science—why people create the kind of institutions they create, how people relate to each other through those institutions, how they bring us together, divide us, create progress, get in the way of progress—that kind of thing,” he says. “I think really my curiosity is what happens when you introduce these expressive, creative tools into social situations.”

Reactions from those involved in the program are positive. Rosenthal says the Milford students’ video reflections revealed changes within the students that were both eye-opening and for some, even “life-changing.”

“There’s always some kind of sheltering or inward looking that happens at every high school because students are so busy, and that’s just the nature of the whole program—you do your work at school,” says Rosenthal. “So I’ve found that there’s lots of opportunities for students to get out and see the world and really kind of answer some of those questions that come up in their daily work about the world all around them, and I’m really happy to be doing that work.”

Do Good:

• Attend Prairie's upcoming exhibition "After the Fall," which is a collection of artists' work, built on the theme of female identity. The exhibition opens Feb. 9 and continues through April 6. Contact Prairie for more information.

• Support art programs within your local school district.

• Join Prairie in its misison to reach out to community organizations by getting involved with a local nonprofit.

By Brittany York

Brittany York is a professor of English composition at the University of Cincinnati and a teacher at the Regional Institute of Torah and Secular Studies. She also edits the For Good section of SoapboxMedia.

Ohio Justice & Policy Center champions policy, prison reform

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

During his college years, David Singleton returned to New York City to visit his birthplace. Singleton grew up in South Carolina but was born in the South Bronx, and when he returned, he says he had a “transformative experience.”

He witnessed a devastated community where young black males—like himself—were dealing drugs and living the lifestyle of poverty and crime that Singleton says he was fortunate to have never been a part of.

“It made me realize and appreciate like I never had before, just how much it matters who your parents are and how hard they fight for you and where it is you grow up,” Singleton says. “I don’t think it’s right that an act of birth can make all the difference in terms of what kind of life you have.”

It was at that moment that Singleton knew he wanted to go to law school to serve and try to make a difference for those whom he says “didn’t have the same breaks” as he had.

Singleton worked as a public defender for years in both NYC and Washington, DC. During the summer of 2001, he moved to Cincinnati and worked a 10-month stint at a large law firm before he began his work with the Ohio Justice & Policy Center as the nonprofit’s executive director.

The OJPC strives to transform the criminal justice system at both the micro and macro levels. By providing free legal help to prisoners treated inhumanely, in addition to offering assistance to reformed individuals who have been released from prison and are struggling to get back on their feet, the OJPC works to make sure the justice system operates as fairly as possible.

To best use its limited resources, Singleton says the OJPC builds on its work through individual client victories to engage in policy efforts that will impact many.

For example, this past summer, the OJPC worked with Gov. John Kasich and state legislators to pass a bill that would enable released prisoners to apply for certificates of qualified employment, which will make it easier for people to get jobs in the industry in which they want to apply, Singleton says.

“Under state law, you can’t own your own construction company if you’ve got a felony," says Singleton. "That’s silly. It makes no sense. That’s one thing you might learn while in prison—how to do construction. So now, if you get one of those certificates, you’ll no longer automatically be barred from working in that industry.”

There are some laws that are well-intentioned, Singleton says, but when they prevent people from getting jobs, they need to be reformed. So Singleton and the attorneys at OJPC invest their time and dedication to break down barriers that imprison individuals for years after they’ve been released.

“What I do is a calling for me,” Singleton says. “It’s never been about the money. It’s what I feel I’m here on this earth to do, and I love it, I love every minute of it.”

Do Good:

• Make a donation to help the OJPC continue its efforts to reform the criminal justice system.

• Contact the OJPC to join its mailing list and help put pressure on elected officials to initiate policy changes.

• Reach out to the organization by liking and sharing its Facebook page.

By Brittany York

Brittany York is a professor of English composition at the University of Cincinnati and a teacher at the Regional Institute of Torah and Secular Studies. She also edits the For Good section of SoapboxMedia.

OTR Community Housing works to build inclusive neighborhood

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

While Over-the-Rhine makes weekly headlines with its redevelopment renaissance, the neighborhood remains the home base for thousands of residents, many of whom can’t afford to be patrons of new restaurants and businesses. Over-the-Rhine Community Housing seeks to sustain an inclusive and diverse neighborhood, where longtime residents feel comfortable and confident that they will always have a home in OTR, even if their community continues to draw more and more people to the area.

Since 1960, the population of OTR has steadily decreased, falling from 30,000 to just shy of 5,000 residents. However, between the years of 2007 and 2010, the population increased by about 40 percent. That shift does more than fill apartments and condos. With a rising population comes higher property values and higher real estate taxes, all of which makes it more difficult to provide affordable housing to those who can’t afford market prices, says Mary Burke, executive director of OTRCH.

“Do we charge higher rent, or how do we close that even larger gap?” Burke asks. “So we want others—decision makers, power brokers—to work with us to figure that out. How do we maintain affordability in this neighborhood so that it can remain diverse going forward? It really will take some creative thinking and creative strategies.”

OTRCH currently provides safe, affordable housing to residents—half of whom earn less than $10,000 per year.

“Shelter is a basic human thing that people need, and being able to help an organization create more affordable places to live and be a part of is why it’s important,” says Brittany Skelton, OTRCH volunteer coordinator. “In Cincinnati, we have 300,000 people in our city limits, and about 100,000 live in poverty, and there isn’t enough affordable housing to go around.”

If there isn’t enough affordable housing to go around, the question remains: where will residents go if they can’t afford a place to live?

“People have low wages," Burke says. "Where are they going to rent that’s safe and decent and where they can build a community? If we close the door of OTR to affordable housing, where are people going to go? There’s an opportunity here to demonstrate that low-income, middle-income, high-income [individuals] can live together—not that they all have to be best friends and that there won’t be some disagreement now and then—but that it can work. Property values increase, people get along. There’s an opportunity.”

Moving forward, OTRCH will need community support, but Burke is confident that OTR can be a welcoming and inclusive community for all individuals. She’s already seen that happen as a result of the Washington Park renovations.

“The programming has made it feel like everyone’s welcome, and it’s not for some kind of separate culture or community,” she says.

Burke’s hope is that the urban redevelopments of OTR do not have to lead to the displacement of the community’s long-time residents. They shouldn’t feel pushed out, she says.

“It would be like any of us who have roots somewhere," says Burke. "You just love it and want to stay there. I’d like the new folks moving in to appreciate that. There’s just a value in living with difference and extending your world to include diversity.”

Do Good:

• Get involved with OTRCH by volunteering to renovate houses or research grant information.

• Donate money or items to help OTRCH continue to promote and fulfill its mission.

• Like the organization on Facebook, and share its page with your friends.

By Brittany York

Brittany York is a professor of English composition at the University of Cincinnati and a teacher at the Regional Institute of Torah and Secular Studies. She also edits the For Good section of SoapboxMedia.

Building strong communities through Charitable Words

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

It only took Tom Callinan a few months to realize how much he missed the community and connections he had built in Cincinnati.

Callinan—who served as editor of the Cincinnati Enquirer for eight years and then as the McMicken Professor of Journalism at the University of Cincinnati’s journalism program—tried to retire, but the lifestyle just didn’t work out. He traveled to his home in Arizona with the intention of finally taking a break from his long-time career as a communicator. He took up golfing to occupy his time, but he says it simply wasn’t rewarding.

“I just woke up one morning and thought, ‘I love Cincinnati,’” says Callinan. “One of the gifts of being the editor of the paper is you get to know a lot of people. So connections are currency, and I know people, so what can I do to put that to good use?”

So Callinan returned to Cincinnati and founded Charitable Words, an organization that functions as an intern-placement program, which helps students gain real-world job experience as they put their skills to use at small nonprofits in the community. Then they, too, can better fulfill their missions and strengthen their messages.

“What I see in the nonprofit world is there’s such a need, but the audience is so fragmented—you can’t just get a story in the paper, and Twitter and Facebook have become noise, so communication’s really essential,” Callinan says.

One of Charitable Words’ most recent matchups, and the one that Callinan is most proud of, is the pairing of Charitable Words Scholar Tia Garcia, a UC student who works as the multimedia editor at The News Record, with Melodic Connections, a local nonprofit that provides music therapy to students with special needs.

“They have this wonderful program—not a lot of people know about it—and what a wonderful story to tell," Callinan says. “It’s just an amazing matchup to me because it’s small enough that she will make a huge difference, and I just love it. I’m not sure there is another internship program that thinks that way.”

Callinan’s aim is to turn Charitable Words Scholars into a community—a family—that will function as a microcosm of what he, and others from outside the Cincinnati area, view as the makeup of this city.

“I moved here from Phoenix, and the term I use is, ‘That was a crowd, not a community,’” says Callinan. “A lot of people doesn’t make a community, and here, it’s amazing. Every place I go, I tend to know someone. It’s like a small town, but it’s not. It’s a metropolitan area.”

At workshops and presentations across the country, Callinan says Cincinnati is recognized as a “really special place,” with a model that other cities look to replicate, for the purpose of achieving social change through collective action.

“It really strikes me as I travel around," Callinan says. "There’s the old cliché that people in Cincinnati don’t appreciate how good they have it; they’ve got inferiority complexes and whatnot, but people who move here are astonished at how wonderful the city is and that anyone would think it’s not a world-class city."

There are currently six Charitable Words Scholars, but the vision is that there will be hundreds. In the coming months, Callinan will form an advisory board with professionals from a variety of industries who can serve as mentors to interns so they can better achieve nonprofits’ missions; and Charitable Words will become much more than an internship-placement program that serves community organizations.

“What I’d like to do is become a family,” Callinan says. “We’d have an annual service day; maybe we’d have a party. These Charitable Words Scholars would stay together over the course of time, network as friends and continue to make a difference. That’s my wish for it.”

Do Good:

• Connect with Charitable Words by liking and sharing its Facebook page.

• Contact Charitable Words if you're seeking an internship and have a passion for humanitarian efforts.

• Reach out to the organization if you would like to support an intern in his or her placement.

By Brittany York

Brittany York is a professor of English composition at the University of Cincinnati and a teacher at the Regional Institute of Torah and Secular Studies. She also edits the For Good section of SoapboxMedia.

Untethered adds intimacy to local theater scene

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

It's not often that you find students so engrossed in their studies that they decide to do more than what's asked of them and expand a project beyond the realm of the classroom. For Untethered Theater, however, a single-scene performance in a theme study course taught by Miami-Hamilton professor Bekka Reardon led to a full-fledged self-produced play in 2011. And now, two years later, the group's continued passion for intimate theater continues as the ensemble takes on Adam Rapp's "Red Light Winter"—the second of four plays in the company's 2012-13 season.

"Red Light Winter" portrays the hard truth of "how impossible it is for people to let things go," says Mary Kate Moran, one of Untethered's three founding members. It takes place throughout the course of a year: one night in Amsterdam and then a year later in New York City, and it's performed in a 50-seat basement-level space at the Clifton Performance Theatre, where Moran says the audience is oftentimes in the middle of the action.

"We want to provide accessible, sort of in-your-face storefront theater," says Moran. "It's intimate. It's participatory. We want to be so different that you're going to go to a night of theater and feel like maybe you walked into something and were a fly on the wall."

Moran says the ensemble, which has nine official members—most of whom have full-time day jobs as well—decided to put on the play because of some of the members' intense passion for its themes, in addition to the group's mission to perform pieces that people don't see very often.

"This is a labor of love," says Moran. "We go and do this full-time after we get away from our desk or retail jobs or whatever because there's no other place we want to be. We just want to create art that is a lot of fun for people who know and love theater."

Untethered contributes to the community by bringing its skills and dedication to the stage, but the company also hopes to reach out to the neighborhood by providing support to increase involvement in the arts. "We want to have nights where we have shows where almost all of the profits go toward people in the community," says Moran. "We want to surprise people with that kind of stuff. We love Clifton, we love being in Clifton, and we want to make Clifton a better place."

Untethered Theater's "Red Light Winter" will continue through Feb. 2.

Do Good:

• Purchase tickets to a performance of "Red Light Winter."

• Support Untethered Theater and its sister-company Clifton Players by attending an upcoming show or purchasing a season subscription.

• Like Untethered Theater on Facebook.

By Brittany York

Brittany York is a professor of English composition at the University of Cincinnati and a teacher at the Regional Institute of Torah and Secular Studies. She also edits the For Good section of SoapboxMedia.

Tiers of Joy ensures no child is forgotten

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Pauline Williams remembers her 10th birthday coming and going. There was no celebration, no cake, no birthday party—it was just a normal day. Williams lived with her mother in a local women’s shelter at the time and says there was no one to help them aside from those within the facility, who were already working to do the best they could to help others.

Williams received a card from her mother and an acknowledgement on her special day, which she says was enough for her because she understood that her mother wasn’t able to give a lot at the time, other than herself.

Though appreciative, Williams felt that she and the other children in the shelter deserved to celebrate their lives. “It just kind of felt bad,” says Williams. “And I felt like, if I ever grew up and was able to give back or do something about this, that’s what I’d do.”

So Williams went to culinary school, received her degree and created the Tiers of Joy Foundation to ensure that other children’s birthdays do not go unnoticed. “Children need to feel empowered in order to grow up and become successful adults,” she says. “That’s really why I started this.”

In April 2012, Tiers of Joy became an official nonprofit, and Williams began working with other organizations to see how she could benefit the children they serviced.

From SpongeBob SquarePants to jewelry box-themed cakes, Williams now does it all. Her cake designs are solely dependent on children’s interests, and she works to make sure that young people feel honored and appreciated when embarking on new years of their lives.

Williams currently serves children within the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky communities, but she says the sky is the limit. “I’d like for it to be a nationwide organization, where we can reach out to children all over to empower them through the celebration of their lives, so I hope for this to become something much larger than what it is.”

Do Good:

• Sign up to be a volunteer baker.

• Donate money or baking supplies; or consider holding a Supplies Drive at your next office party or community event.

• Spread the word about Tiers of Joy by following them on Twitter or liking them on Facebook.

By Brittany York

Brittany York is a professor of English composition at the University of Cincinnati and a teacher at the Regional Institute of Torah and Secular Studies. She also edits the For Good section of SoapboxMedia.

GLBT Center preps for 20 years of service

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

In an effort to show pride for the services it provides to those in need, the Gay & Lesbian Community Center of Greater Cincinnati rounded out 2012 by finishing renovations to its facility. Now, the Center is prepped for September when it will celebrate 20 years as an informational resource to the GLBTQ community and its allies.

The Center was found in 1983, and according to board member and long-time volunteer Michael Chanak, “the world was pretty different then.” Prior to the “advent of 1,001 gay-friendly groups,” Chanak says, there was more of a need for a meeting space, which the organization still provides; but its current and primary function is to serve as a site that points people in the right direction, depending on one’s needs.

Though the organization receives a lot of calls about various forms of counseling and legal advice, the Center’s volunteers are not licensed to provide this type of support. Rather, they refer people to those who can.

“We don’t necessarily do a lot of hands-on, direct work,” Chanak says. “It’s a place where it’s kind of a stepping-in and a stepping-off point for a lot of folks. I would say the vast majority of stuff is, ‘I’m new to the community;’ ‘I’m new to the area;’ or ‘I’m coming out, and I don’t know how to. Who can I work with or what can I do?’ or that sort of thing.”

For newcomers to the Cincinnati area or for those who have lived here for years but who may be new to the GLBTQ community, the Center is a vital resource.

In addition to serving as a liaison for community members and resources, the Center makes it part of its mission to bring in certified individuals for educational seminars on issues that are critical to the GLBTQ community. In conjunction with the Central Community Health Board, the organization provides access to a quarterly HIV seminar. It also puts on a semi-annual workshop which addresses gender, identities and sexually, and is presented in cooperation with the Midwest Trans* & Queer Wellness Initiative.

Though the Center is proud of the work it has done during the past 19 years and is looking forward to continuing to provide awareness and education to the GLBTQ community as it embarks on its 20th anniversary, Chanak says he’s not sure he wants the Center to be around 50 years from now.

“Is there going to be a need for a center 50 years from now?" says Chanak. "I hope not, in a way. What’s made these sort of organizations come about was there wasn’t the basis for support and information. But we’ve got a way to go there too, and we need a place for gay people to go and get information.”

Do Good:

• Volunteer your time to help the Center operate at its full capacity.

• Contact the Center to make a donation.

• Spread the word about the Center by liking and sharing its page on Facebook.

By Brittany York

Brittany York is a professor of English composition at the University of Cincinnati and a teacher at the Regional Institute of Torah and Secular Studies. She also edits the For Good section of SoapboxMedia.

Calling all clowns, classes start Feb. 5

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

If you’ve ever wanted to become a clown, there’s no better time than now. Funny Companie Clowns, who volunteer their services at private parties and community events—all for the purpose of benefiting Cincinnati Children’s Hospital—need your help; and in an effort to recruit volunteers, they’ll begin free clown classes Feb. 5.

Throughout a six-week series, soon-to-be entertainers learn the art of clowning. Topics include costumes and makeup, ballooning, face painting, skits and character development.

“The character is supposed to be an extension of yourself,” says Don Bachman, who founded Funny Companie in 1983 and has volunteered and led the troupe for the past 29 years. Bachman, whose clown name is Dr. Fun, says character development was initially hard for him because he wanted to be “the smart clown,” and at one point even aspired to be “the mayor of clown town,” but those characters just weren’t the right fit.

“You’ve got to be yourself," he says. "You’ve got to be who you are—so Dr. Fun was born—and he’s just dumb, and always wrong and always getting into trouble, and that’s kind of who I was.”

Since the group’s inception, Funny Companie has raised approximately $200,000 in unrestricted funds for Children’s Hospital. The money can be used where the hospital best sees fit, and Bachman says for a long time the money went toward pediatric liver care.

“It’s huge that you can take an adult liver and cut it down and transplant it into a kid because there’s not a lot of kids’ organs available for transplants,” says Bachman. “So that was a huge discovery, and it was done in Cincinnati.”

While Funny Companie’s funding goes toward the children in the hospital, the clowns perform primarily for healthy children in the community; but it’s not just children whom clowns entertain, Bachman says.

“Everybody laughs at a clown," he says. "Everybody smiles—even driving the car, we have magnetic bumper stickers that say, ‘Caution, sometimes I drive like a clown,’ and then they go by and see a clown driving the car, and they can be 80 years old and they’re laughing and smiling and waving at the clown—it’s not just kids."

“Same thing with balloons—who likes balloons? Everyone likes a balloon. It doesn’t matter how old you are. A balloon is just a magical little piece, and so you’re making everybody’s life a little bit better.”

Bachman and the other volunteers in the Companie love what they do. So much so that they purchase their own makeup, costumes and balloons. They oftentimes spend about four hours of their weekends preparing for and performing at an event.

“It’s a pretty good-size commitment, but it’s not something that you’re giving and not getting anything in return,” says Bachman. “If you give a kid a balloon or you paint their face and hold the mirror up and their eyes and face light up—that’s your paycheck.”

Right now, however, the number of volunteers is at an all-time low. “I’d always hoped that there’d be some younger people who come in and run with it and it’d go on forever, but right now I’m one of the youngest people in the group—our oldest clown is 78,” says Bachman.

“There’s only about six of us right now. Anybody can do it, but there’s nobody really that’s 30 that can take it over, and that’s the sad thing. I’d really like to see somebody younger get in it and maybe run with it.”

Because the clown company doesn’t do much advertising, most of the people who call for bookings have seen the clowns perform in the past. “It’s nice to be able to tell people 'yes' when they call for an event, and it’s the hardest thing to tell them no,” says Bachman. “But it just happens where some weekends, we just don’t have anybody.”

Clown classes begin Tuesday, Feb. 5 and will take place from 7:30 to 9 p.m. in room D242 at Children’s Hospital’s Albert B. Sabin Education Center. All ages are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Do Good:

• Volunteer as a clown. Attend free classes which will take place Tuesday evenings from 7:30 to 9 p.m. beginning Feb. 5.

• Spread the word about classes, and encourage a friend to become a clown.

• Book the Funny Companie Clowns for a future event. Contact Children's Hospital's Department of Development at 513-636-6080 for more information.

By Brittany York

Brittany York is a professor of English composition at the University of Cincinnati and a teacher at the Regional Institute of Torah and Secular Studies. She also edits the For Good section of SoapboxMedia.

ESCC helps nonprofits maximize output

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

In 1995, a small group of retired business executives came together with the intent of giving back to their community by investing their time and talents in work that would assist nonprofits. Now, nearly 18 years later, Executive Service Corps of Cincinnati is the recipient of an $85,000 award that will help more than 130 volunteers provide low-cost, high-quality strategic thinking, planning, training and coaching to other nonprofits in need.

The recent funding will help the ESCC implement its Community Benefit Business Model, which, according to Andy McCreanor, executive director and CEO of the organization, is a model that has essentially always existed within the nonprofit, but has now been refined and strengthened. The model helps nonprofits maximize results so that they may receive additional funding to better fulfill their missions, which ultimately works to improve the communities they serve.

“It enables investors to get more out of the nonprofits that they’re investing in, and secondly, it helps the nonprofits because we’re affordable," says McCreanor. "We’re merely a vehicle so that the community gets the benefit that they’re trying to get."

The ESCC has worked on long-term projects with more than 500 nonprofits in Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky and Southeast Indiana since 1995, including most recently the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati. ESCC also offers a 10-month program at its Nonprofit Leadership Institute each year; and at its culmination in June, more than 100 nonprofit leaders from Cincinnati will have graduated.

McCreanor says that because of the recent economic downturn, nonprofits have suffered and organizations are reevaluating and assessing their goals and missions.

“We’re here to help,” he says. “If you’re struggling out there, it really doesn’t cost anything to talk about what you’re dealing with, and if in fact there is a way for us to help, it’s going to be done at a very low cost, so it’s kind of the best of all worlds.”

Do Good:
• Sign up to attend classes at the Nonprofit Leadership Institute.

• Volunteer your business skills and experience to serve other nonprofits.

• Reach out to the ESCC if you are a nonprofit that could benefit from its services.

By Brittany York

Brittany York is a professor of English composition at the University of Cincinnati and a teacher at the Regional Institute of Torah and Secular Studies. She also edits the For Good section of SoapboxMedia.

Katie's House turns tragedy into opportunity

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

While Katie Haumesser was on her way home from taking her daughter to Children’s Hospital in February 2006, a drunk driver who was traveling at about 100 miles per hour hit her vehicle head-on. Haumesser, a single mom who had devoted her life’s work to serving children with special needs as a speech-language pathologist, died instantly at the scene. Her compassion, however, lived on and is the inspiration for Katie’s House, which is set to open later this year.

The Katie Haumesser Foundation was founded in 2007 to honor Haumesser’s life by giving back to the children she lived to help. Led by her family, the nonprofit started raising funds for the special needs department at Haumesser’s former place of employment, Willowville Elementary.

Part of the foundation’s mission is to fund scholarships for University of Cincinnati students who follow Haumesser’s path by majoring in speech-language pathology. Initially, the organization decided to raise money for one charity per year to help students like the ones Haumesser helped; but in 2010, a broader vision emerged.

With the help of the Hearing Speech & Deaf Center of Greater Cincinnati, the leaders of the Katie Haumesser Foundation came up with the idea for Katie’s House, a comfortable, home-like facility where children with special needs could receive speech, language, audiology and occupational therapy. The facility will be housed on the renovated third floor of the Hearing Speech & Deaf Center and will provide services to those in need, regardless of whether or not they have the ability to pay.

“The home-like setting is going to be more inviting for the kids instead of walking into a sterile doctor’s office,” says Amy Zeisler, Haumesser’s sister and co-founder of the nonprofit. “When you get off the elevator, it’s going to look like the front of a house, and the carpet is going to be AstroTurf to look like grass.”

Within the facility, there will be a living room, which will serve as a group area, a kitchen, a gym—designed as a backyard—for occupational therapy, and bedrooms, which will serve as individual therapy areas. In addition to serving children, the Center will provide education for parents who may be struggling with how to understand and cope with their children’s disabilities.

Katie’s House will also provide support for children with other conditions, such as autism. “Katie worked with a boy who had autism and wasn’t speaking for a while, and then he became verbal,” says Zeisler. “It was very moving for her to see how what she was doing impacts kids' futures and how important communication is to succeed.”

According to Zeisler, her sister knew that early intervention is key to helping children with disabilities maintain a “steady life.” With Katie’s House, those ideals will take shape in a way that Zeisler is confident her sister would be proud of; and she says she can’t wait for the grand opening later this year.

“We’re taking tragedy and turning it into something positive,” Zeisler says. “And I’m hoping that people can see what we’re doing. It’s going to be amazing.”

Do Good:
• Make a financial contribution or contact the nonprofit to donate items for silent auction.

• Volunteer at the annual fundraiser April 12.

• Nominate a community member who serves children for an Outstanding Service Award.

By Brittany York

Brittany York is a professor of English composition at the University of Cincinnati and a teacher at the Regional Institute of Torah and Secular Studies. She also edits the For Good section of SoapboxMedia.

Clovernook Center for blind and visually impaired empowers artists

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Wanda Owens, who lost her vision to multiple sclerosis when she turned 20, says working as an artist is something she’s wanted to do since she was a little girl; and at the age of 64, she’s fulfilling her childhood dream. Beginning Feb. 9, her work will be featured in an exhibit titled “Illuminated Soul” at Clovernook Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired’s Willoughby Art Gallery.

Owens will have 20 ceramic pieces on display and available for purchase. She’s completed all of her work in the studio, and since she is a Clovernook artist who participates in classes on site, she will receive 100 percent of the proceeds—something Alison DeFisher, manager of communications at Clovernook, says empowers the artists.

“A lot of people have described it as an outlet for them, to be able to participate in art and be able to express themselves and increase independence because it’s not traditionally something a person who is blind is thought to be able to do,” says DeFisher.

Art classes are by appointment and take place weekly at Clovernook’s studio, and they are open to anyone who is blind or visually impaired. Scott Wallace, recreation specialist at Clovernook, leads individual painting and ceramics classes, in addition to group classes, depending on participants’ goals and interests.

“I’m blessed to have a wonderful teacher who is very encouraging,” says Owens. “Everything he says, I can do, and he helps me to see color.” She says Wallace will help her pick out paint colors by reminding her of shades. He will, for example, tell her that the shade she is currently looking at is slightly darker than baby blue; and this will remind her of what baby blue looks like, which enables her to choose the appropriate shade so she can proceed in portraying her vision.

“It’s really a spiritual experience,” says Owens. “I asked God to bless the labor of my hands, and He has.”

Owens is a former singer, and this is something she says inspires her artwork, though there is nothing specifically in her pieces that reflect her pastime. Two things that Owens says she tries to feature in all of her works, however, are “clowns and the Lord.” Owens says she loves to laugh, so she always tries to incorporate that element of joy into her pieces.

“Illuminated Soul” will begin with an opening reception from noon to 5 p.m. Feb. 9, and it will remain open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and by appointment through March 8. The opening reception for “Illuminated Soul” will be featured on the first day of this year’s Macy’s Arts Sampler.

Do Good:

• Support Wanda Owens by viewing or purchasing her pottery at "Illuminated Soul."

• Make a donation to support the Clovernook Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

• Volunteer your services to help fulfill the Clovernook Center's mission.

By Brittany York

Brittany York is a professor of English composition at the University of Cincinnati and a teacher at the Regional Institute of Torah and Secular Studies. She also edits the For Good section of SoapboxMedia.