Mt. Auburn / Prospect Hill

Cincinnati's first "suburb" sprung up when downtown and Over-the-Rhine dwellers began to crawl out of the once sooty basin seeking the fresh country air of the surrounding hillsides. At Mt. Auburn's base, homes in the eclectic Prospect Hill Historic District cling to the swift rising slope (stop in at Milton's Prospect Hill Tavern if the climb up Sycamore Street proves too much) providing gorgeous, panoramic views of downtown, Mt. Adams and Northern Kentucky. At the top of the hill, the Flatiron Café anchors the southern edge of the business district, once a Mt. Auburn millionaire's row, now home to medical offices and organizations along modern day Auburn Avenue (including the birth home of bathtub-bursting U.S. President and Supreme Court Justice William Howard Taft). Home to Christ Hospital, one of the oldest medical facilities in Cincinnati and a perennial national contender for top heart hospital, and three city parks and tennis courts, you're sure to keep your ticker in tip top shape here. This diverse community offers multiple, affordable living options including single family historic homes, student apartment housing and gorgeous Italianate mansions.

RocketHub campaign spurs Zest Tea founders to launch

By Newsroom

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Entrepreneurship

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June 18, 2013

When James Fayal and Ricky Ishida moved to Cincinnati last summer to focus on start-ups, they had given little thought to launching their own. But, before a year has passed, the Milton Street housemates have embarked on one of eight national Venture for America initiatives (two from Cincinnati) that demonstrate just how much they have come to embody the entrepreneurial spirit. As members of the inaugural Venture for America class of fellows, the Zest Tea founders exemplify the essence of the national, startup-generating project designed to attract top collegiate talent to and retain them in “flyover” cities like Cincinnati. Both moved to Cincinnati to work for start-ups that intrigued them. Fayal, a University of Maryland grad, chose to work with CincyTech, while Ishida of Cornell landed at ZipScene. Given the intense work schedules of start-ups, it’s no surprise that their idea for their own start-up grew out of a blend of personal experiences and frustration. Both preferred tea to coffee—Ishida based on experience dating to his childhood in Japan and Fayal from his high school days. Still, neither could locate traditional teas with enough caffeinated punch to help them get through the extended days of the start-up world. Instead of complaining, they started on a search for a coffee-caffeine alternative. They found no tasty tea product on the market that provided coffee caffeine levels. That's when Fayal and Ishida knew they were on to something. They just didn’t know what. “We started developing our own [tea] blends,” Fayal says. There was Cinnamon Apple Black Tea and Pomegranate Mojito Green Tea; Blue Lady Black Tea and Moroccan Mint Green Tea. “We started playing around with some tea extracts, with additional antioxidants, and caffeine,” Fayal says. By blending tea extracts with high quality teas, they focused on good (read: not bitter) taste while boosting caffeine levels. What began as a beverage born of personal interest became a business plan very quickly over the last month thanks to another VFA innovation. The non-profit launched a national awareness campaign through RocketHub aimed at nurturing their young Fellows’ community involvement and start-up aspirations. Members of the first class of VFA fellows were encouraged to enter a start-up competition of their own, with cash prizes awarded to the top three already crowd-funded ideas. They created a RocketHub site for “Zest Tea - Bold Teas With An Energizing Kick,” and started raising money. To sweeten the pot, they turned the very funding process into a bit of a game—folks who donate get to help decide which teas will make it to market first. "We figured we’d let the funders make the final decision on the first four," says Fayal, who enjoys all eight of the blends on the ballot, but admits to a particular fondness for Pomegranate Mojito and Cinnamon Apple blends as well as the more traditional Earl Grey. By Elissa Yancey Follow Elissa on Twitter.

CincyMusic Spotlight hits airwaves

By Sean M. Peters

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Talent

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June 11, 2013

The show’s format provides a much-needed outlet for local musicians.

Anna Louise Inn sold after long period of litigation

By Newsroom

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Development News

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June 4, 2013

Western & Southern recently bought the Anna Louise Inn for a reported $4 million. It plans to turn the current site of the Anna Louise into a hotel. Western & Southern first approached Cincinnati Union Bethel, the nonprofit that runs the Anna Louise, with an offer of $1.8 million to buy the building. The offer was declined, and later CUB was awarded $12.6 million in tax credits to renovate the Anna Louise. Days before renovation, Western & Southern sued the non-profit over a zoning issue halting construction. (Read an indepth Soapbox feature about that part of the story here.) After two years of litigation, CUB agreed to sell the Anna Louise. As part of the agreement, CUB will be able to use the tax credits to build a new home for Cincinnati’s struggling women. Residents will live in the current Anna Louise until the new building is completed, which will take about two years. The intended site for the new Anna Louise is at the corner of Reading Road and Kinsey Avenue, on a plot of land that has yet to be purchased. The programming the Anna Louise offers will remain the same, but the residents' living quarters will be quite different. “What residents have now is a dorm room with a bed, desk and dresser and a bathroom down the hall,” says Brittany Ballard, development director for CUB. “The new Anna Louise will include a kitchenette and bathroom in all apartments.” Because the current Anna Louise is a historic building, Western & Southern won’t be able to make changes to the outside of the building. By Caitlin Koenig Follow Caitlin on Twitter

Metro blazes new trails with green efforts

By Caitlin Koenig

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General

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May 21, 2013

Metro has been "going green" for more than 25 years, but partnerships with progressive organizations have helped it broaden sustainability efforts.

GO Cincinnati engages community, serves nonprofits

By Newsroom

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Arts + Culture

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May 14, 2013

About seven years ago, Crossroads began a transformation that positioned it as more than just a church. Its vision was to focus on ways in which it could serve others—in not just the community, but across the world. Crossroads’ work with GO South Africa was making an impact in the lives of those battling poverty and HIV/AIDS, but at the same time, volunteers began to think about their roles in their own community. Modeled after GO South Africa, a team of volunteers initiated GO Cincinnati. It's an outreach activity that started out with about 1,200 volunteers who completed 65 projects throughout Greater Cincinnati in a single day for nonprofits. “People really connected with the idea of serving their city, and on the front line serving those in need,” says Kelley Kruyer, director of Cincinnati ReachOut projects and leader of GO Cincinnati. “They’re doing the hard work every single day, so we thought it would be cool to thank them for the work they do in our community.” This year, 7,000 volunteers will combine forces on May 18 to complete 400 projects that range from painting and landscaping to putting up drywall and serving meals. According to Kruyer, the best parts of GO Cincinnati are the long-term relationships Crossroads has formed over the years with the organizations it serves. “We know their buildings, their properties, their needs, and we know how to best help them, so sometimes we put together a multi-year plan, and it gives them the peace of mind and helps them to budget so they don’t have to spend money on things that we’re happy to help with,” Kruyer says. “It’s just a really special day.” Kruyer, who grew up in Northern Kentucky, left her hometown in the ‘80s. During that 10-year period of her life, she says she wondered what she was doing because everyone and everything she loved was here. She says that's the kind of passion for the city that drives Crossroads to engage and reach out. “We love our city—and by Cincinnati, we mean all of it—from Burlington to Middletown to Amelia to Cleves—the whole Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area,” Kruyer says. "We’re just totally committed to making it one of the best places in the country to live.” Do Good: • Find a nonprofit that interests you and lend a helping hand. • Assist Crossroads in its volunteer efforts throughout the year. • Like Crossroads 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.

Five Uptown organizations receive awards for community commitment

By Newsroom

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Development News

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May 14, 2013

On Friday, members of the Uptown community gathered for the Uptown Business Celebration, presented by Uptown Consortium and Uptown Rentals/North American Properties. Five Uptown organizations walked away with awards for business excellence and commitment to the community. In order to be eligible for an award, businesses demonstrated strong commitment to the Uptown community, success in meeting the organization’s mission and sustainable businesses practices. They also encouraged others to follow their lead. Awards were given in five categories: Small Nonprofit of the Year (25 of fewer employees), Large Nonprofit of the Year (more than 25 employees), Community Champion, Small Business of the Year (50 or fewer employees) and Large Business of the Year (50 or more employees). The Small Nonprofit award went to the Clifton Heights Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation and Large Nonprofit to Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center. Avondale resident and avid volunteer Patricia Milton won the Community Champion award; the Small Business award went to UC's DuBois Bookstore; and the Large Business award to Uptown Rental Properties. Keynote speaker Benjamin Carson, Sr., M.D., overcame poverty and a rough childhood, and is currently a full professor of neurosurgery, oncology, plastic surgery and pediatrics at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He has directed the pediatric neurosurgery program at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center for more than 25 years. Carson's many awards include 60 honorary doctorate degrees and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which is the highest civilian honor. Carson encouraged those at the awards ceremony to “elevate themselves” to make things better. He also shared his philosophy of success, which is “THINK BIG—talent, honesty, insight, nice, knowledge, book, in-depth learning and God.” Uptown neighborhoods are Avondale, Clifton, Corryville, Clifton Heights, Fairview, University Heights and Mt. Auburn. By Caitlin Koenig Follow Caitlin on Twitter

Library garners national attention, celebrates with Amnesty Day

By Newsroom

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Education + Learning

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May 7, 2013

The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County is one of 10 recipients out of 140,000 libraries and museums across the country to receive this year’s National Medal for Museum and Library Service. The award recognizes outstanding service to communities. So, in appreciation of library users and as a way to celebrate, the PLCHC will offer a Fine Amnesty Day May 15. “We really wanted something to express our appreciation to the community, and we started thinking about what is it that people hate most about the libraries—we all know that—the fines,” says Kim Fender, Eva Jane Romaine Coombe director. “I’ve been here 25 years, and we haven’t done this in my time here at all, but our hope is that people who have not used the library because of their fines come in and have those fines removed and come back to the library and get their cards started up again.” Fender says the library most likely wouldn’t have received the award without the support of the community, because the library’s heavy usage was one reason the Institute of Museum and Library Services was so impressed. With more than 17.6 million items borrowed in 2011, the PLCHC is considered the eighth-busiest library in the nation, and its commitment to providing academic assistance and encouragement to both children and adults is evident through the variety of programs it offers and successfully implements through its partnerships with other community-based organizations. Last summer, for example, the library partnered with Cincinnati Public Schools and the Freestore Foodbank to serve about 7,000 meals to children. “That’s something people don’t normally think of libraries doing,” Fender says. “But when they were in there eating, they could sign up for summer reading or programs.” Fender says the library staff also goes out of its way to make sure children are learning by actually attending school. “If we see kids in the building during school hours and we think they might be truant, we check up and say, ‘What school do you go to?’ and look at the school calendar, and we call someone from the school to let them know because they have to be in school to learn,” Fender says. Fender will travel to Washington, D.C. with Amina Tuki, a local resident who came to Cincinnati from a small village in Ethiopia who was not fluent in her native language, but who learned English by picking up a small book called Coming to America at the PLCHC. “She says it took her all day, but she made her way through it, and she took it home and read it to her husband and children, and her older son started crying,” Fender says. Fender and Tuki will accept the award May 8. Library users can celebrate Amnesty Day May 15 by taking their library card to any local branch. Do Good: • Go to your local branch and have fines removed May 15 so that you can begin to use the library's resources. • Sign up for a library card if you don't already have one. • Support the library. 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.

Reds Hall of Fame and Museum improves accessibility

By Newsroom

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Diversity

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April 16, 2013

The Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum is “by far, the largest and most active” facility dedicated to a Major League Baseball team in the United States, according to Executive Director Rick Walls. He says there are only about six museums like the Reds' even in existence. To build on that activity and allow more fans of the game to experience the history of professional baseball, which is rooted in Cincinnati, the museum sought a grant to improve accessibility to its exhibits for visitors with visual or hearing impairments. About 42,000 people in the Greater Cincinnati area alone are blind or visually impaired, and Walls says 31 million individuals in the U.S. have experienced hearing loss. “You hear these ideas and start to think about baseball, and how people sat at home and listened to the game on their radios and how a commentator had to paint the picture of the story behind it, and then you hear about the others who would go to the baseball field who remember the green grass and the lights on the field,” Walls says. “Baseball provides all these senses to different people in different ways. And to some, you provide only some. To others, you provide all of it, so I thought—how do we bring that color out? How do we let people experience the Hall of Fame in different ways?” After receiving nearly $21,000 from the Erma A. Bantz Foundation and partnering with the Cincinnati Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired for advice on how to best use the funds, the Reds' Hall of Fame went to work. Larger font sizes, more effective sound and lighting levels, and closed captioning are all improvements that Walls says were simple and cost effective, but the non-profit also invested in large-print maps and assisted listening devices. “Competing sound and how it affects people differently was something we became aware of, and with every audio element within the museum, there will be a transmitter to these devices,” Walls says. But the organization’s partnership with CABVI extends beyond the improvements. The two nonprofits will team up to bring various groups to the museum for tactile tours during which participants will be able to do more than see and hear about Reds history—they’ll have the chance to experience it by touching artifacts. “I think this ends up being a program for everybody, and not just those who have impairments because the tactile tour is going to become popular—who wouldn’t want to hold a piece of history?” Walls asks. Walls says he’s excited that more people will now have the chance to experience all the museum has to offer. “I think that’s one of the most important things we do—and that’s when a grandfather or grandmother comes in with their grandkids, with their son and daughter—they don’t have a lot in common these days because of technology,” Walls says. “But when they do come in here, they have something in common, and it’s the simple game of baseball. And when they look at the wall, a grandparent will point at a player on the wall and say, ‘Look at this guy,’ and then the grandkid will point at Brandon Phillips or Jay Bruce, and then all of a sudden, they’re together, and that’s really a neat phenomenon.” Do Good: • Plan your visit to the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum, and consider becoming a member. • Support the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum through the Legacy Brick Campaign or the Joe Morgan Statue Campaign. • Support CABVI by donating or volunteering your time. 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.

Cincinnati Montessori Society celebrates 50 years

By Newsroom

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Diversity

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April 16, 2013

Fifty years ago, a group of parents who were passionate about Maria Montessori’s philosophy of education developed the first Montessori preschool in the area. And following the preschool’s inauguration, the group formed the Cincinnati Montessori Society, a nonprofit whose focus is to promote Montessori education while serving as a resource to countless schools, teachers, parents and students in the community. “One of my favorite quotes is, ‘Follow the child,’” says Heather Gerker, vice president of CMS. “We meet the child where they are developmentally.” Montessori classrooms, which are both child-centered and composed of mixed age groups, are set up so that children can learn through a multisensory approach that allows them to figure things out at their own speed—and the philosophy works, Gerker says. At CMS’s Annual Spring Conference and celebration of 50 years of success, neuroscientist Dee Coulter delivered the keynote address. “This work that Maria Montessori did over 100 years ago is now being proven through neurological work happening now,” Gerker says. “[Coulter’s address] was really affirming and validating to the teachers there.” Not only were teachers excited to go back to work on Monday after hearing Coulter’s presentation, Gerker says, but they also had the opportunity to participate in breakout sessions that were aimed at providing strategies and insight that lead to better education. Topics ranged from promoting mindfulness through music to strategizing ways of better assisting children with ADD and autism. Gerker says she’s particularly passionate about the resources that CMS provides because they’re based on a philosophy that’s now scientifically proven, and she’s seen it work in the lives of her own children. “It gives them a solid sense of self, that they’re so independent and happy, which I think is the ultimate goal,” Gerker says. “I just want to make sure it’s available to all children.” Do Good: • Become a member of CMS. • Check out the resources offered by CMS. • Connect with CMS 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.

Cincinnati Public Staircases: A Walking History Abandoned But Not Forgotten

By Newsroom

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Cincy In The News

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April 16, 2013

The historic importance of urban staircases in Cincinnati was created in part because of geographic contrasts poised by steep inclines situated between neighborhoods. Read the full story here.