For Good

What could be better than a dance party? One in support of a worthy cause.
 
This past weekend, the Cincinnati Dance Marathon held its fourth event in so many years to benefit children and families treated at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. From disco moves to line dancing, participants danced across the gym floor of the University of Cincinnati Campus Recreation Center for 24 hours, from 1 pm Feb. 18 to 1 pm, Feb. 19, with a kick off ceremony at 1:45 pm.
 
Why dance for 24 hours straight? As Brittany Clawson, public relations director for the marathon, puts it, “As college students, it’s one day that we want to give up as a community for kids who are in the hospital, fighting for their lives every day.” The Cincinnati Dance Marathon was founded by students who had seen pediatric hospital fundraising marathons at other universities.
 
Before the students even started dancing, donations had been coming in from UC student volunteers who fundraised through their organizations, as well as via partnerships with local businesses and corporations and individual donations. Each year, the money raised by the marathon supports the pediatric oncology/hematology patients and families at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Before the dance began Saturday, more than 50 student organizations supported the event with volunteers, participants and donations.
 
More than 500 participants – most of them UC students – danced to fun tunes spun by award-winning DJ David Logan of Self Diploma and fellow DJ Eddie Traynor. In addition to a donation to the hospital, the $25 registration fee provided food, drinks, a T-shirt and lots of entertainment during the long dance. Fiends and family members of participants came to support the dancers, and student organizers hope that their efforts this weekend notably increase the $45,000 they have raised in just three years.
 
Do Good:
 
Donate: to the Cincinnati Dance Marathon any time of the year.
 
Participate: in the Cincinnati Dance Marathon next year or support those who will be participating.
 
Investigate: the amazing work at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center’s Hematology and Oncology Departments.
 
 By Becky Johnson
 

Serve Beyond Cincinnati broadens the definition of Spring Break “fun” for University of Cincinnati students who commit to one of their spring adventures.

Serve Beyond Cincinnati (SBC) is an entirely student-organized and operated group. Known for its “alternative spring break” trips, SBC works with organizations like Homes from the Heart and the Fuller Center for Housing to send UC students to project sites around the world. During Spring Break, for example, young people construct homes and schools, develop better sanitation systems, and introduce useful technology in locations including Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Peru, and Cameroon.

SBC also supports local projects with student volunteers. Trips to Louisville are offered on weekends, where SBC partners with the Fuller Center for Housing to renovate local homes. SBC works with partners like the Fuller Center for Housing and Homes from the Heart, both organizations with long-standing ties to the communities they serve, to provide the in-country logistics needed to feed, shelter and transport student participants safely in whatever country or area they are working.

Since other groups have focused on local work, SBC is now gearing up for larger projects and the fund-raising that makes them possible. Each trip costs a student about $1,500, usually half of that is airfare. SBC co-president Lane Hart says SBC wants to focus on making these larger trips happen for students. 

“Students do their own fundraising, and we plan to provide even more support [for that] than we have in the past,” he says. 

Do Good:

Find out: What SBC projects are being planned or are currently underway by joining the listserv.

Get involved: by signing up for a service trip or SBC project.

By Becky Johnson

Whoever said that one person can’t make a difference has clearly never met Bill Burwinkel. A self-made man, devoted community member and successful entrepreneur, Burwinkel began his career as a high school dropout and worked his way into a successful career in sales and marketing before starting his own business. Today, Burwinkel has transformed his passion for helping others into a well-orchestrated (and highly regarded) community movement.

Burwinkel began a career in sales in 1970 after serving with the U.S. Army in Vietnam. From 1970 until 1979, he worked his way from sales representative for General Mills, to zone sales manager for Kroger, to vice president of marketing for the Shur-Good Biscuit Company. With more than a decade of experience in the consumer products industry, Burwinkel founded National Marketshare Group, Inc. in 1983.

“I started the company in my basement,” says Burwinkel. “My wife and I ran the business on our credit cards, and it took us five years to become debt free.” That was 24 years ago. Today, Burwinkel has gone from a two-person basement operation to a successful company operating in Cincinnati and Portland, Oregon, and serving clients like Kroger, Fred Meyer, City Markets and many more.

After leading NMSG for 20 years, Burwinkel decided it was time to embark on a new venture – this time focused entirely on giving back to the community. In 2003 Burwinkel founded Adopt-A-Class, a mentoring program connecting professionals with kids in Title I schools, or those where at least 40 percent of the students come from low-income families.

Hailed as a “superhero of the Cincinnati Public School system,” Burwinkel has become a champion for mentoring, with nearly 200 business and community groups servicing around 6,000 kids in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. “These kids made a real impact on us from the beginning."

Since its inception, the program has earned the United Way 2011 Clement L. Buenger Award and the 2011 2nd Act Award. In 2008, AAC was selected as finalist for the Jefferson Award for Public Service.

Adopt-A-Class provides activities and topics that mentors can share with students, including classroom parties, career exploration, drug-free education, and much more. “This program facilitates important relationships between the mentors and kids. It gives both groups something to look forward to and feel good about,” says Burwinkel. “It only requires around 7 to 10 hours per school year from its adopters, but in reality, volunteers actually commit around 14 hours each year. People love this program.”

Some major organizations in the area agree. Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, the Cincinnati Police Department, US Bank, and more have teamed up with AAC to become mentors. Even companies that do not provide mentors can pitch in, including the Cincinnati Reds, who donated some 1,500 tickets last year to children in AAC classrooms.

While Burwinkel remains CEO of NMSG, these days his heart really belongs to Adopt-A-Class. “Getting the word out to the business and non-profit community about Adopt-A-Class is part of each day," he says. "It’s a program made by business people, for business people."

Do Good:

Become an adopter. Learn how.

Donate. As a 501(c) 3 non-profit, Adopt-A-Class needs assistance to cover costs.

Spread the word if you know a business or organization that would make a good adopter.

By Deidra Wiley Necco

Ligia Gomez, a native of Colombia who after 20 years of residence calls Cincinnati home, is one of more than 8,000 people of Hispanic or Latino heritage in Cincinnati, according to US census data. A former healthcare worker, Gomez says she became aware of the difficulties that many Latino families face when trying to locate and access culturally compatible services delivered in their native language. “Their needs are great,” she says. “I wanted to find a way to help those families.”
 
Gomez now teaches Spanish for social workers at the University of Cincinnati, helping to ensure that the next generation of providers can more easily address the needs of a growing Latino population. Her contributions to supporting Latino families don’t end with teaching, however. Gomez is also the Chair of the Greater Cincinnati Latino Coalition, which collects and shares resource information online.
 
The coalition’s website acts as a central location for community resource information, including social and legal services, religious congregations and bilingual services in a city where Latinos and Hispanics represent about 2.7 percent of the total population. “Latino communities can be found in various neighborhoods in the area,” says Gomez. “We depend on our website to reach those communities, especially low-income families who are struggling.”
 
Since the coalition began in 2005, the local Latino population has continued to grow and more services have become available. As a result, the group’s website could use a makeover. “The coalition is looking for a website developer to make some much-needed changes to both its functioning and content,” says Gomez. “An updated site would enhance our ability to reach families and individuals who need assistance, providing them with timely and centralized information.”

As a non-profit, the coalition is looking for a website developer to donate the time and skills needed to make an updated and fully functional site a reality.
 
While the organization’s website is central to its mission of helping Latino families, the coalition also hosts a series of monthly meetings featuring experts on topics ranging from immigration to economic development and more. These meetings are open to the public, and work to bring people together through education concerning issues that face Latinos. “The meetings provide a regular forum for highlighting services and community resources,” says Gomez.
 
Although the coalition is currently challenged by a lack of technical resources to improve their website, it is gaining recognition for its work. On May 18, the GCLC will be honored with an organizational award at Santa Maria Community Services’ annual Bienestar, an event that recognizes both individuals and organizations that have done outstanding work to enhance access to health and educational resources for Hispanics and Latinos. “We are very proud to receive this award,” says Gomez.
 
There are many ways to become active with the GCLC. When it comes to volunteers, the coalition is looking for anyone who is interested in helping the community’s growing Latino population. In addition, donations are welcome, as are community experts willing to serve as speakers for their monthly meetings. Gomez says, “We encourage people to become part of the cause by contributing time, funds or skills to help Latino families living in Cincinnati.”
 
Do Good:

If you or your company have website design skills, consider donating your time and services to the GCLC’s website redesign.

Donate. Your dollars help fund important work for Latino families and individuals

Get educated. Attend a meeting to learn more about issues facing Latino populations and find out how you can help.
 
By Deidra Wiley Necco
 

Have you ever wondered how thick, sticky, slow-moving tree sap becomes the sublime sweetness known as pure maple syrup? If so, the Cincinnati Nature Center features an upcoming program on tree sugaring that is sure to delight the intellect as much as it does the taste buds.
 
In February and March, the Cincinnati Nature Center presents real, honest-to-goodness maple syrup making. Presented in the center’s Sugar House, visitors can expect an education in producing “liquid gold” maple syrup from sap. The program promises an engaging sensory experience. The excursion features a one-hour maple trail hike where visitors can collect sap, and a trip to the Sugar House to feel the warmth and sense the smell of the maple scented steam that comes from the evaporator during processing.
 
“Collecting sap is a holistic activity and a great way for people to understand the role of humans in the food chain,” says Jason Neumann, experiential education specialist. During the maple trail hike, Neumann says, “We often encounter birds called sap suckers, and other plants and animals that are all part of the food chain, part of the process.”
 
The Cincinnati Nature Center is a non-profit nature education organization dedicated to designing and delivering family-friendly encounters with nature. Emphasizing hands on experiences, the center is open year-round and offers activities that both children and adults can share in a family friendly environment. Between its two locations in Milford and Goshen, visitors can take in over 1600 acres of natural beauty and more than 16 miles of hiking trails. This summer, the center offers popular camps for children that become open to non-members beginning March 1.
 
Throughout the remaining winter months and into the spring, the center offers opportunities to learn from naturalists during interactions with wildlife like The Dance of the Woodcock, the Salamander Celebration and of course maple syrup making.
 
“Focusing on the living creatures and natural surroundings along the way means that each time we do a hike we see and experience something unique,” says Neumann.
 
Do Good:

- Visit the center for Maple Syrup Making February 18 & 25, and March 3 & 10.
- Become a member of Cincinnati Nature Center.
- Volunteer as a land steward or facilitate school groups.
- Donate to help ensure continuity of nature programs.
 
By Deidra Wiley Necco

From the cresting mountain ridges of Appalachia to the rolling hills of Cincinnati, the story of one small community’s fight against big coal corporations resonates with a message of environmental justice.

That story will be told during a screening of the documentary, “The Last Mountain,” and a panel discussion afterward, moderated by the executive director of the Urban Appalachian Council, Greg Howard.

The free public events kick off the Passport to the World Series Appalachian Culturefest at the Cincinnati Museum Center. The panel includes University of Cincinnati biological sciences professor Eric Maurer; Shanon Rice, photographer and curator of “A Coal Story,” a photographic exhibit now at the Museum Center that delves into the lives of coal miners; coal miner Claude Stamper; Richard Durtsche, Northern Kentucky University biology professor; and associate journalism professor (and SoapboxMedia managing editor) Elissa Yancey.

The documentary “Last Mountain” takes an intense look at how the townspeople of Coal River Valley, W.Va., battled to protect a mountaintop from destruction at the hands of big coal corporations.

Many Cincinnatians have deep family roots in Appalachia, which led to the formation of the Urban Appalachian Council in the early 1970s. UAC is a service and advocacy organization working to improve the quality of life for urban Appalachians in the Greater Cincinnati area. Families who migrated to Cincinnati generations ago note interesting parallels between what’s taking place in Coal River Valley and the streets of the Queen City.

The close-knit Appalachian culture, where complaints are few and publicity shied away from, does not make advocacy a natural path for them. The results have not served the people, or the land upon which they depend, well. In many ways, Coal River Valley sets out a new vision for Appalachians willing to stand up for their own health and well-being, for their own futures.

Do Good:
• See the movie; hear the panel. The Insights Lecture series event will be held at 6 p.m. Feb. 17 at the Cincinnati Museum Center. Click here for more information.

• Like the Urban Appalachian Council on Facebook.

• Make a donation to support the work of this local nonprofit.

 In 2008, All Angels Episcopal Church in Avondale closed, but Thomas Breidenthal, bishop of the Diocese of Souther Ohio, committed to utilizing the space as spiritually nourishing
 
Shortly after the church closed, a portion of the land was used to create the Do Right Teen Garden to provide fresh produce and healthy eating tips and training for teens. The garden was also a start to a farmers market stand. In the fall of 2010, after months of planning, with funding and donations from several sources, the Diocese decided to renovate the church and repurpose it as Gabriel’s Place, a community garden, kitchen, marketplace and hoop house.
 
Gabriel’s Place opened in September of 2011 and is run by one director, two AmeriCorps members and a strong volunteer staff. With the goal of becoming a sustainable community space in Avondale.
 
“The idea is to build a food-related initiative that creates access to affordable produce and food with the idea to curb obesity in the neighborhood,” says Leslie Stevenson, volunteer coordinator at Gabriel’s Place.
 
The marketplace gives the community a centrally-located market that allows residents to walk and buy fresh produce throughout the year. The community kitchen gives people access to cooking equipment and see cooking demonstrations and try different foods. The meeting space serves as a community gathering place where organizations can hold meetings, as well as a place for the staff of Gabriel’s Place to hold health education classes. The community garden gives residents experiential learning opportunities while providing food for the marketplace and kitchen. The hoop house, which is similar to a green house, which allows Gabriel’s Place to grow produce year round as well as house a aquaponic system that allows for fish-breeding and raising to sell at the marketplace.
 
“We are also working to connect with local restaurants in an effort to be financially sustainable,” Stevenson says. “We also want to bring more locally-sourced food the the neighborhood.”
 
Do Good:
 
Donate and help grow Gabriel’s Place into a sustainable market for fresh produce. 
 
Volunteer  at Gabriel’s Palce to help in the kitchen or garden.
 
Attend the Marketplace on the first and third Thursdays of each month from 4-6 pm.
 
By Evan Wallis
 
 

There is something special about those moments in time where a chance encounter presents the perfect opportunity to transform an idea to action – at just the right time, and for all the right reasons.

That is exactly what happened one evening about a year ago when Libby Hunter, who was working on a condo development project in Northside, noticed a group of kids shouting and throwing rocks at the window of a disabled resident. Infuriated, she confronted them.

“A tense, heated argument turned into a conversation with them about what they do in their free time, how they feel about their neighborhood, crime, safety... when I showed an interest in them, they became engaged and enlivened,” says Hunter, who is known for her efforts to create new housing opportunities in the neighborhood where she lives.

Turns out, a chance encounter with some misbehaving children quickly evolved into the impetus for WordPlay, an exciting new regional effort based on the collective impact model.

WordPlay is a non-profit organization that will support students from K-12 with programs targeting early literacy. Hunter seeks to improve creative and expository writing skills while inspiring children to develop a passion for the literary arts. WordPlay is modeled after the 826 National program based in San Francisco. Co-founded by best-selling author Dave Eggers and Ninive Calegari, an award-winning educator, 826 National has eight chapters across the United States. Each provide free writing and literacy services to underserved children.

WordPlay is set to open in August 2012, with pilot programming targeted for Cincinnati Public Schools' Fifth Quarter program this summer. Services are free of charge to students and include after-school tutoring, field trips and in-school programs. Volunteers will staff the center, providing instruction and assistance on everything from homework to class projects and providing specialized workshops for student publications and those learning English as a second language. In addition, WordPlay will provide evening and weekend workshops with professionals ranging from poets to songwriters, to authors, journalists and screenwriters.

The WordPlay tutoring center will be located in a prominent storefront in Northside, and will include retail space for the Urban Legend Institute – a shop featuring locally sourced products designed around Cincinnati history and lore. "Think abandoned subways, gangsters, folklore – and other fun unusual items," Hunter says. All proceeds from the store will help fund and support WordPlay.

A connection to the local community is a big part of WordPlay’s strategy to become a model for cultivating literacy and the creative arts in youth. The organization has already established strategic partnerships with the University of Cincinnati’s Center for Service Learning and Civic Engagement, Xavier University's Writing Program and Learning Through Art, and is in talks with members of the local business and education community including Cincinnati Public Schools and UGive, a program that mobilizes high school students to become volunteers.

“We are in talks with other arts and literary organizations to come together in the space as a community collaborative, bringing even more energy to our efforts,” says Hunter, who will serve as the organization’s executive director.

Do Good:

• Volunteer. Help a child discover a passion for writing, and teach them the skills to succeed.

• Donate. As a 501c(3), donations are tax deductible.

• Become a community partner.

By Deidra Wiley Necco


Editor's Note: Soapbox Managing Editor Elissa Yancey serves as vice chair of the board for WordPlay.

Within Cincinnati’s diverse community of non-profit organizations, there is one that has been providing important services for more than 100 years to individuals who are blind or otherwise visually impaired. The Cincinnati Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired was founded in 1911 and today serves more than 4,300 individuals in 11 counties each year through counseling, rehabilitation, information and employment services.

Recognized as "2011 Non-Profit of the Year" by the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, CABVI marked its centennial year with events centered on awareness, program services and community involvement.

Executive Director John Mitchell provides a glimpse into what the community can expect in 2012, including greater collaboration with community partners, an emphasis on staff and board development and a focus on technology, which is vital to those with vision loss. The organization’s commitment to community awareness continues through a variety of forums in 2012. Functioning as informational training sessions, these on-site forums are open to the community and reach out to the thousands of individuals living with vision loss. “Our goal is to break 5,000 clients served in 2012,” says Mitchell.

CABVI plans to focus on serving children and families, and educating both clients and their communities about ways in which those coping with vision loss can have the same advantages of children with sight. In addition, CABVI will focus on providing services to seniors and an aging population, serving individuals who have entered their 100th year of life.

Do Good:

• Volunteer. CABVI has more than 550 active volunteers – become one of them and help an individual coping with vision loss.

• Donate. Log on to learn how.

• Run or Walk. Plan to take part in CABVI’s annual fundraiser in August, a 5K run/walk.

By Deidra Wiley Necco

Rick, Sam and Dennis all began their drug use in early adolescence, and their lives spiraled downward into addiction and lost dreams. After a stint at Gateway House, all three men have become supporters. Sam drives residents to the grocery store, peruses yard sales for items that will add some comfort to current residents’ lives and attends regular meetings to offer encouragement. “Gateway gave me a fresh start and I do what I can to give others the same.”

Founded in 1998, Gateway House offers transitional housing for adult men who are recovering from chemical dependency. The space is affordable and supportive and meant as a temporary home for those who are homeless or close to it. Through substance abuse treatment, job training and domestic violence assistance and other services, clients transition to more self-sufficiency -– and to eventual independence.  

Gateway House, located in three renovated buildings on Vine Street, bridges the University and Over-the-Rhine neighborhoods. Residents commit to attend at least five Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous meetings a week and follow general rules and regulations that apply to group living in multiple apartments. There are rent fees, but at an affordable level. Residents must find full-time employment after the first 30 days.

Former residents have formed their own alumni group to continue their friendships and fellowship. At meetings, they share their experiences in recovery and enjoy new ways to support sobriety.  

Do Good:

• Learn: About Gateway House and its mission to provide safe, secure, affordable housing for men in recovery.

• Listen: To residents share their inspiring stories on the website.

• Support: Gateway House with a monetary contribution for its many and ongoing expenses.

By Becky Johnson