Today, I was asked to join a non-profit board.

A few months ago, Pat Culley, whom I used to know as Mrs. Culley, at St. Xavier High School, crossed paths with my wife, Jessie, and was thrilled to discover that I was at Cincinnati State. Pat told Jess that she was interested in asking me to serve with her on the board of VISIONS Community Services. The organization is located in the West End and serves young parents and their children from economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. She shared that VISIONS has some great ties to Cincinnati State, through the College's Early Childhood Care and Education Program, and many of the mothers served by VISIONS enroll in Cincinnati State.

For starters, it was a real honor simply to be thought of by Mrs. Culley. While I never took her English classes in high school, I have gotten to know her since returning to Cincinnati through political causes and King Records efforts (Pat worked for King Records while attending XU and has told me stories of taking dictation from Syd Nathan. She also confirmed my suspicion that Mr. Nathan and former Congressman Tom Luken, whom I have had the privilege to know, share a lot of the same personality traits…maybe a blog for another day?)

Anyway, after a few phone conversations with Pat about VISIONS, she arranged for me to have a tour of the organization and facilities, led by their Executive Director. It was great! The children were smiling. They were well-behaved. Whether they were having lunch, reading a book, or getting ready to nap, they were clearly happy. And it was very apparent that the staff was dedicated and cared.

After the tour, we had lunch and were joined by another board member and talked more about the organization and some of the ways in which I might be able to help. Like many organizations and agencies in the helping industry, they have been met with significant cuts in funding sources, and need some more assistance in reaching new supporters. They could also use some help in getting their story told.

This is an organization who successfully works with mothers and their children to receive education in the face of real poverty. The board is dedicated to making this happen. I want to help. So, consider this blog my first effort for VISIONS Community Services.

One day, a few years ago, when I was working at City Hall for my best friend, John Cranley, I took a call from a sweetheart named Hazel Davis. She was trying to find a picture of Hank Williams at the Herzog Studio, and wondered if I knew where she could get one. Hazel had heard my name associated with Cincinnati music history, through an awareness campaign on King Records waged out of Cranley's office and she thought I might know how to find a picture of Hank at Herzog. I told her that I didn't know about Herzog and she said it was at 8th and Race in downtown Cincinnati and that Hank Williams recorded there in 1949. In fact, she said she was listening to WCKY one night and DJ Nelson King said that Hank would be coming to Herzog the next day. Hazel said she decided to ditch school and meet him. And she did. She was thirteen.

I told Hazel I had no idea that Hank Williams recorded in Cincinnati but as a huge Hank Williams fan, I sure wanted to help. I contacted the historic society, the public library, local music historians like Randy McNutt, Jim Tarbell, Darren Blasé at Shake It Records in Northside, and scoured that world wide web for a picture, but couldn't come up with one.

Eventually, this experience led to the formation of the Cincinnati USA Music Heritage Foundation. This non-profit is dedicated to celebrating and preserving our region's music history while connecting to our present and future music makers. Under the spiritual guidance of Bootsy Collins, we see Cincinnati through its music, which is rich, diverse, and has profoundly shaped popular culture. Cincinnati has the right to claim the music of James Brown and Hank Williams and with the help of many, many, great friends, the Cincinnati USA Music Heritage Foundation is working to do just that.

Last year, with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, City Councilman John Cranley, the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards (CEA's), and others, we erected a historic marker to King Records on its 65th year anniversary. This year, on the 60th anniversary of Hank Williams' sessions in Cincinnati, many of these same folks will team-up to unveil a historic marker to Herzog Studio. You should consider joining us.

I hope we get Hazel that picture of Hank at Herzog after all.

Here are some details:
8th/Race (Citybeat Building)
Sunday, November 22, 2009
1 p.m. Marker unveiling
2 p.m. Reception in former Herzog Studio
6 p.m. Doors open to CEA's

Two and half years ago I took the job as Director of Development at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College. With record enrollment numbers and growing recognition for its programs, it is an exciting time to work at Cincinnati State. That said, the current economy has resulted in cutbacks in student aid from the State and corporate giving in general, resulting in more and more students with need.

This dichotomy, if you will, of growth potential and new challenges, is exactly why I like going to work at Cincinnati State everyday. More importantly, however, is that Cincinnati State truly serves all segments of our region. Whether it's working with high school drop-out to get a GED, increasing our cooperative education program with Fortune 500 companies, or being the place for re-training to switch careers, Cincinnati State does it all.

This week my office will be finalizing several new student scholarships, while preparing for our annual Scholarship Recognition Dinner on November 19. At this event, student recipients of diverse backgrounds, ages and academic disciplines, share their personal stories as to why scholarships truly make a difference.

Also, this week I will be working to help establish the region's first Occupational Therapy House, thanks to the generous support of a family who was helped by our OTA program. Planning for the Midwest Culinary Institute's "1 Night, 12 Kitchens" is also on the agenda, where scholarships for our culinary students are raised with the support of top area restaurants and Cincinnati Magazine. There are also several projects on my calendar involving the College's new Energy and Environment Center.

Finally, I look forward to working with my faculty and staff colleagues on the Cincinnati State Annual Fund campaign this week. Their talents and achievements are amazing and deserve far greater recognition then they receive. Their generosity deserves attention too. Despite the challenges of the economy, not only did they increase their contributions to the United Way campaign this year, but in the few months since the launch of the employee portion of the Annual Fund campaign, they are already ahead of last year's totals. This is great news and hopefully a sign that our community partners will step-up with more support to help our growing campus too.

As I have come to realize, I hope the community will too: that the state of Cincinnati, truly depends on Cincinnati State.