Elissa Yancey, Author at Soapbox

Fill the Truck makes for tech-friendly giving

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December 13, 2011

Dan Regenold is a bit of a hero to local nonprofits this holiday season. He approached a broad group, from schools to health centers, with an engaging gift offer: Let us fill a truck with supplies your clients need. All you have to do is help spread the word and take the donations. Fill The Truck started last winter as a one-truck effort to support The Healing Center at Vineyard Community Church in Springdale. The concept is as simple as it is brilliant. Rent a semi, fill it with donations of everything clients in trouble need. Allow donors to select what they’d like to donate online, then do the truck-filling work for them. The first efforts led to an overflowing truck, and Regenold, CEO of FrameUSA and long-time supporter of local nonprofits, to thing bigger. This year, Regenold and his team have 11 trucks around the region, two in the city of Cincinnati. The NAACP has a truck to support the community at Frederick Douglass School. The George Hust Co. has a truck in its Northside lot to collect donations for Churches Active in Northside (CAIN). For Mimi Chamberlain, executive director of CAIN, Fill the Truck is an unexpected chance to support the growing list of families in need of everyday items, from toothbrushes to blankets. “People can choose the nonprofit they want to support and even select items they’d like to donate,” Chamberlain says. “The technology makes it simple and fun.” Other nonprofits supported by trucks include: The Healing Center, Valley Interfaith Food & Clothing Center, Inter Parish Ministry, Brighton Center, SON Ministries, Matthew:25 Ministries, One Way Farm, Hannah’s Treasure Chest and Reach Out Lakota. Making the donations online allows donors to shop for specific items – donate $20 and buy a winter scarves and gloves OR a toddler’s winter coat OR 60 rolls of toilet paper. Boots, socks, blankets and hygiene items are all on the list, which nonprofits hope local gift-givers to check more than twice. Do Good: • Visit the site and make your selections now. • Buy and bring your own items to the truck of your choice. NOTE: All donations much be new items. • Send a thank-you to the Fill the Truck team. By Elissa Yancey

Baby, it’s cold outside

By Elissa Yancey

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General

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December 6, 2011

Sure, it's wet. And cold. And there is more than enough bad news to go around. But this month, Soapbox heads out of 2011 in style, with a look at the prospects for our city's future and the faces who will keep us inspired, and growing, into 2012.

My Soapbox: Andrew Yang, Founder, Venture For America

By Elissa Yancey

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General

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December 6, 2011

When Venture For America's founder Andrew Yang landed in town to chat with local entrepreneurs about his nonprofit's ambitious plans to help create 100,000 jobs by 2025, Soapbox was there to meet him at the airport.

Our Soapbox: Happy Thanksgiving!

By Elissa Yancey

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General

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November 15, 2011

From all of us at Soapbox, Happy Thanksgiving! We will be taking next week off to spend with our family and loved ones and lots and lots of food. We look forward to seeing you back again with a new issue Nov. 29.

Our Soapbox: NO on Issue 48

By Elissa Yancey

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General

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November 8, 2011

Today is election day, so when you go to the polls, vote for progress in our region, vote for public transportation in our region, vote for growth and jobs. Vote NO on Issue 48.

City builders

By Elissa Yancey

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General

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October 25, 2011

Deanna Heil and Chantelle Noble, co-founders of City Studios Architecture, bring an appreciation for happy and healthy communities to their work. The success of their projects, whether historic preservation or new developments, results from the pair's sympatico sensibilities.

Time to tweducate

By Elissa Yancey

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General

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October 18, 2011

Urban school teachers have a daily impact on our most important community assets -- our children. When they succeed, we all succeed. Today marks the launch of Together We Educate, tweducate.org, a website dedicated to attracting, supporting and retaining the best and brightest teachers to work, live and grow in Greater Cincinnati.

Eyes on the future

By Elissa Yancey

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General

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October 11, 2011

In a town the size of Cincinnati, it’s easy to fall into the trap of looking for, and finding, only familiar faces. That’s where this issue of Soapbox comes in.

Far-I-Rome sets sights on Over-the-Rhine shop

By Elissa Yancey

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Arts + Culture

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September 27, 2011

Last week, OTR welcomed a new arts and culture-minded neighbor -- Far-I-Rome Productions. New office space on Main Street replaces meet-ups at coffee shops and in dining rooms for the creative group. From fundraising roller discos at the OTR recreation center to street festivals in Milford to the bi-annual Clifton Heights Music Festival, the team at Far-I-Rome works to bring the best local music to the region year-round. More than 10,000 people have taken part in the four CHMFs, enjoying bands of every genre. The company has also created events from Milford to Northern Kentucky, though most of the events happen in the urban core of Cincinnati. “OTR is a burgeoning community of individuals willing to invest in new ideas and offer something fresh to the city,” says Rome Ntukogu, founder and director of Far-I-Rome Productions. “We work hard to do just that, so this feels like a natural progression for the company.” With the new office at 1317 Main Street, Far-I-Rome has a tangible presence in the community as well as a space to participate in local events like Final Friday. Now, the company has its eye on furthering the appreciation of the local music and art scene in the city. Since the first CHMF in 2009, Far-I-Rome has taken on more and more events. By the end of this year, the five-member crew will have created, or been a part of, nearly 20 events, all of which feature local artists and musicians. “There are such talented people in this city, but a lot of them leave for cities with bigger music scenes,” Ntukogu says. “We are trying to change that.” By Elissa Yancey

Harvest time

By Elissa Yancey

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General

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September 13, 2011

From a freshly painted storefront at Findlay Market to neighborhood coffee shops, fall is the season of harvest. This month, Soapbox features stories and images about harvests of ideas and personal passions that follow our neighbors from the field to the dinner table, from the iPad to the office, and far beyond.

Elissa Yancey

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