Millvale preschoolers stepped out of their classrooms and into scenes
from the books they had been learning to read - "The Cat and the Hat"
and "The Hungry Caterpillar."
As volunteers from Aramark painted posters of the classic children's
stories to decorate the walls of the Millvale Recreation Center earlier
this month, they discovered the happy coincidence of their choice of
storybook art.
"The volunteers loved interacting with the kids," says Brittany Ballard, development director for
Cincinnati Union Bethel, which operates the Early Learning Academy that serves more than 130 preschoolers in the Millvale Recreation Center.
As part of
Aramark's Building Community program,
more than 100 volunteers forged an ongoing partnership with CUB,
starting with basic beautification, indoors and out. They transformed an
all-concrete outdoor playground with colorful, garden-inspired murals
and built picnic tables and flower boxes, too.
"They did practical things to help us, too," says Ballard, who explains
that on the first work day, a thunderstorm forced volunteers indoors,
where they built a bookshelf for the teacher resource room, created
murals and oversized posters and interacted with eager young students.
Preschoolers at the CUB Early Learning Academy in Winton Terrace also
got expert help and a new place to play with ideas and labor provided by
a fresh batch of Public Allies. Public Allies researched, designed and
built a natural playground in an empty field, creating teepees, a flower
bed, grass mounds and more.
"They did research into how natural playgrounds are good for kids who are used to living around all concrete," Ballard says.
The new, improved playgrounds, while built for the preschoolers, are
also assets for the community when school is out, Ballard explains. They
offer safe and healthy spaces for neighborhood children and build
ongoing connections with volunteers who may never have visited Millvale
or Winton Terrace before these projects.
Do Good:
•
Make a friend. Friend Cincinnati Union Bethel on Facebook to find out the latest about the organization.
•
Host a potluck. You can spread the word about CUB's work with friends and family.
•
Write a letter.
Support women working to build new lives in CUB's Off the Streets
program for prostitutes in recovery by writing encouraging letters to
let them know that their lives are worth saving.
By Elissa Yancey
Photo of Millvale Early Learning Academy courtesy Cincinnati Union Bethel
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