quote by Lisa Desatnik: What is a memory that makes you smile? Celebrate that gift.

Celebrate A Memory

What is a memory that makes you smile? Today, celebrate that gift. Read More

Happy Holidays!

During the holiday season, I like to remind my friends, family, clients, supporters and followers how very much all of you mean to me. Thank you...to all of you for being among my gratitude list. Each of you, in your own way, adds so much value to my life.I ... Read More

In Memory Of My Mom

It has been such a long while since I have posted on my Good Things Going Around. Life has gotten in the way. One of those reasons was my dear, sweet mom’s ailing health. It began with a bad fall that among other things cracked the back of her head open causing swelling and bleeding on her brain. About nine months later she was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia. Mom always enjoyed reading my Good Things newsletters so I wanted to do a special post in her memory and honor. Read More
Cincinnati Certified Dog Trainer Lisa Desatnik with Garrett Parsons with Interfaith Hospitality Network of Greater Cincinnati

Enriching The Lives of Homeless Pets And Families

I’ve been so grateful to my friends who have been there for me during this past year with lots of personal issues including my mom's ailing health. The kindness of others has given me so much strength and I’ve been looking for a larger scale way of giving back. I’d ... Read More

Music Unites Students At Princeton

If you found a place where everyone welcomed and included you for who you are, would you want to go there? These are the first words my dear friend Sue Schindler had written for a group of Princeton High School students on the day that I visited – this past ... Read More
Emily Gear, founder of Louie's Legacy dog rescue in Cincinnati, shares her story of why she started the organization.

Louie's Legacy Is Saving Lives

It was 2009. Emily Gear was living in New York. Eight years had passed since two planes flew into the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center, causing the two tallest buildings on the globe to implode, killing nearly 3,000 people, and sending a ripple of fear, anxiety, hatred across ... Read More
Maggie's Mini Therapy Horses is a Cincinnati area nonprofit that brings miniature horses to local hospitals, retirement communities and other places.

Mini Horses That Brighten Days

It is the greatest gift when you find a path to pursue where your heart leads. Lora Melin has found that gift. Having grown up with the companionship of horses, it is perfectly perfect that for the past 12 years she has passed that love down to her daughter, Maggie. ... Read More
James Wilson of Cincinnati is known as Nati Ninja. He has competed in six American Ninja Warrior competitions.

From Track Star To Ninja Warrior

James Wilson, 33, has always been a gifted athlete. Now he is the Nati Ninja. At LaSalle High School and in college, he was a star running back in football – among the top 100 in the country. In track, his times running the 100-meter dash, 400-meter relay and 200-meter ... Read More
Blues musician Kelly Richey is a life coach and writing facilitator at Women Writing for (a) Change in Cincinnati

Kelly Richey - Healing Through Creation

For more than 30 years Kelly Richey was a touring blues artist. She shared the stage with music legends and was compared to icons Stevie Ray Vaughn and Jimi Hendrix. Practicing, promoting, recording, creating and performing required more time and more pressure than many corporate careers. Still, it wasn’t her ... Read More
Maple Knoll Village resident John Anderson enjoys volunteering. He as honored in Cincinnati with a Voices of Giving Award.

At 88, John Is Still Giving Back

At 88, John Anderson’s great joy in life comes from bringing sunshine into the life of others. His lessons of service learned through the Scouts as a child have never been forgotten. “I learned then that whenever you give to someone, you are becoming a part of that person’s life ... Read More
Joe Motz of the Motz Corporation

People Matter At The Motz Corporation

I have played my share of sports growing up. Still, I honestly never would have imagined myself getting so excited about a company that builds turf for athletic fields. But I get very excited when I think about The Motz Group (and its sister company– USGreentech, which focuses on turf ... Read More
Susan Wyder and Phyllis McKinley of The Princeton Closet

Susan Wyder: Putting Community First

written by Sue Schindler   It’s 1980. Susan Wyder is a brand new 6th grade teacher. One of her students continually vomits each morning. Susan realizes that this child is pregnant. Thirty-nine years ago, society was not as supportive to pregnant girls-especially the very young ones. The girl’s parents want ... Read More
The Rotary Club of Cincinnati recently honored Cincinnati Public School teachers for excellence.

Rotary Club Honored CPS Teachers

Teachers who know how to bring out the best in their students are incredible gifts. As they lift minds up, they foster a love for learning, often character values, and sense of worth. It was great to recently see The Rotary Club of Cincinnati honor Cincinnati Public Schools teachers who ... Read More
The Compassionate Friends provides highly personal comfort, hope, and support to every family experiencing the death of a son or a daughter, a brother or a sister, or a grandchild, and helps others better assist the grieving family.

Bringing Hope to Parents When Their Lives Collapse

Written by Sue Schindler It’s the nightmare of every parent to have the police knocking on your door-or-making that call, in the middle of the night. It’s watching your child succumb to a life-threatening illness, when you were confident that they would defeat it. It’s surreal walking in your child’s ... Read More
Melodic Connections Executive Director Betsey Zenk Nuseibh with her son Ollie

Finding Similarities Through Melodic Connections

Written by Sue Schindler   It was the third Tuesday of the month as I walked into the Melodic Connections studio at 6940 Plainfield Road in Silverton for their 5:30-7:00 PM Common Time community event. Common Time is the brainchild of Executive Director Betsey Zenk Nuseibh, to bring communities together ... Read More
Ruth Wacker of Cincinnati wrote a children's book that teaches kids about acceptance and friendship.

Life Lessons From A Triangle

Children have such huge potential for learning, and when they are taught from the earliest of ages to accept and appreciate each other’s differences – even to look beyond those differences to see what they have in common – it is one of life’s greatest lessons. I get so touched ... Read More
Charlie Hines wrote the national campaign song for Luxxotica's One Sight. He shares how his life experiences taught him tenacity.

Life Taught Charlie About Tenacity

Written by Sue Schindler If you live in the Greater Cincinnati area, you’ve probably heard or seen the UC Health commercials with that booming, yet reassuring voice, “They call us the tenacious. The authors of breakthroughs. The ambassadors of hope.” That voice belongs to Lebanon, Ohio’s Charlie Hines. A talented ... Read More
Jessica Mitsch and Grace Brecht at Mount Notre Dame High School in Cincinnati co-chair a community service project working with students who have autism at The Children's Home of Cincinnati.

These Students Are BEYOUtiful

When you were beginning high school, was a reason for your being super excited for it to begin because it meant you could be involved with and surrounded by peers who value community service? Jessica Mitsch and Grace Brecht, juniors at Mount Notre Dame High School in Cincinnati, were. Helping ... Read More
Doris Schnetzer is a Cincinnati artist who wants people to feel joy when they see it.

Doris Wants Her Art To Help Souls Sing

Through her acrylic painting, Doris Schnetzer says, she helps soul sing. Doris calls her art, medicine paintings, because she thinks of them as a wellness tool. Her intention when she sits down with brush in her hand is to help people reach a goal, ease the burden of a health ... Read More
Vicki Brown Hoppe, Sharonville Council’s first woman president, is the smile behind Sharonville, Ohio.

The Smile Behind Sharonville

At age 14, Sharonville Council's First Woman President was running into burning buildings as part of her Explorer Firefighter training. Sue Schindler has known and respected Vicki Brown Hoppe for a long time, and wanted to share some of Vicki’s story. Below is Sue’s words…. The Smile Behind Sharonville It’s ... Read More
Sue Schindler and Lisa Desatnik

Welcome Sue Schindler, To GTGA!

I am thrilled to announce that my dear friend Sue Schindler is going to be contributing to Good Things Going Around!  Sue has such a special, giving heart. We first met many years ago when we both worked for an organization called the Inclusion Network, that promoted the inclusion of ... Read More
Alex and Hannah Lehman were 8 when they started the Cincinnati nonprofit, Adopt A Book. They share how this philanthropy has impacted their lives.

Adopt A Book Has Given These Teens Passion

How time has flown!  It was in December of 2011 when Hannah and Alexander (Alex) Laman – with help from their mom, Angela – were eight-year-olds inspired to share their love of reading with children who were less fortunate. They began collecting books from neighbors, community groups, classmates, and family ... Read More
Katie Goodpaster, a volunteer coordinator for the HART in Cincinnati Animal Rescue, shares her passion for dogs

Finding FURever Homes For Dejected Dogs Is Katie's Heart

Katie Goodpaster is one of those people whose heart is beyond measure when it comes to dogs. In fact, we had to reschedule our first get together because she had gotten an emergency call from Kentucky about a dog in dire need of immediate medical attention and she had to ... Read More
quote by Lisa Desatnik on doing what makes you passionate and makes you smile in life

Do What Makes Your Heart Sing

Ask yourself: What is it that makes you passionate, that brings out your smile, that makes your heart sing. Then find a way to make that part of your life. ~ Lisa Desatnik       Read More
Speaking coach Michael Davis of Speaking CPR in Cincinnati shares his inspiration and passion.

Michael Inspires Storytelling

If you have ever gone to a TEDxCincinnati event, you may be familiar with the art and work of Michael Davis without even realizing it. Michael is one of the coaches working with some of the speakers to deliver powerful messages. And audiences typically leave those shows impacted in meaningful ... Read More
Megan Fischer talks about why she created her Greater Cincinnati nonprofit organization, Sweet Cheeks Diaper Bank, for families in poverty.

Sweet Cheeks Is Megan's Calling

Pregnant with her second child, feeling blessed with the path her life had taken her to that point, Megan Fischer was sitting at her work cubicle when she took a quick break to check her Facebook feed. It was that split moment that changed her passion and career forever. A ... Read More
When you shift from expectations of others to finding their strengths, you bring out their best AND your best. A quote from Lisa Desatnik on life.

Shift Your Perspective

  When, instead of expecting others to be who you want them to be, You look for, appreciate And focus on bringing out their strengths. Your shift in perspective will help to bring out the best in others... And yourself. ~ Lisa Desatnik     Read More
Rhonda Moore is retiring as executive director of Pro Seniors. Read about how Pro Seniors in Cincinnati has grown into a nationally recognized advocate for older adults.

During Rhonda Moore's Tenure, Pro Seniors Is Nationally Recognized

After dedicating the past 17 years at the helm of a team of educators and fighters for the rights and quality of life for seniors, Rhonda Moore is preparing for her next chapter – a well deserved retirement. During her tenure, Pro Seniors has grown to become a nationally recognized ... Read More
Caitlin Steininger is co-owner of Cooking with Caitlin, CWC Restaurant and Station Family +BBQ in Cincinnati. Learn more about her in this interview.

Caitlin Is a Mercenary For Food Experience

If you are ever in need of being uplifted, I recommend you stop by the CWC Restaurant or Station Family + BBQ, both in Wyoming, Ohio (a suburb of Cincinnati) and ask if Caitlin Steininger is around. (Caitlin is always at CWC on Sundays and at one of the restaurants ... Read More
Michael DeMaria is a Cincinnati artist who creates large, interactive exhibits. He is a People's Liberty Globe Grant recipient.

Mike Makes Art Come Alive

As a child, I can remember sitting on the floor building layer after layer of walls and floors with playing cards, delicately placing each one until suddenly they all came tumbling down. I too remember lining up dominos, in straight lines and curves, only to watch them one-by-one fall to ... Read More
Melinda Kirk Stenger talks about why she began PetCakes, he first and ONLY organic, microwavable dogtreats that you make at in home in just minutes

Melinda's PetCakes Bring Out Joy In Pets...And People

If you have ever met Melinda Kirk Stenger, you know, she is someone you don’t soon forget.  Her costume of a polka dot apron alone makes you smile head to toe but it is her heart, her zest for life, and her passion that touch you, brighten your day, and ... Read More
Kelli Kurtz of Cincinnati talks about an act of kindness

Kindness Was Their Life Preserver

What does kindness mean to you, and how has it impacted your life? I asked that question of Kelli Kurtz, executive director of institutional advancement at Stephen T. Badin High School (a high school of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati). Her answer reminds us that those random acts of kindness – ... Read More
Shay Baysore, social media coordinator for My Furry Valentine in Cincinnati, talks about why she is passionate about dog and cat adoption.

Shay Has A Heart For Animal Underdogs

Shay Baysore, volunteer social media coordinator for My Furry Valentine, will tell you, she has always been drawn to the underdog, those human and non-human animals who are often overlooked, stigmatized, and expected to fail. She has always believed in their capacity to give, receive, contribute and achieve. “A soul ... Read More
#Kindflash is a group of volunteers in Cincinnati spreading kindness

#Kindflash in Cincinnati Collecting Clothes

Since 2015, local volunteers have developed a January tradition - that of collecting and distributing warm clothing items (hats, gloves, scarves and socks) across dozens of Greater Cincinnati neighborhoods. This year, the group #Kindflash enters its fifth year of distributing thousands of items across 60+ Greater Cincinnati neighborhoods. Collection will ... Read More
Michele Hobbs, owner of Pet Wants in Cincinnati, shares why she and Amanda Broughton teach their children about being kind and helping the homeless.

Why Teaching Kindness To Their Kids Matters

“It's hard to explain to kids that it's a blessing in life to be able to give to others.”  These were the first words shared by Pet Wants co-owner/founder Michele Hobbs (with her wife Amanda Broughton) when she posted about her beautiful family participating in a group that gives to ... Read More
Nick Rose-Stamey shares a message to his students from Elementz in Cincinnati

This Teacher Awakens Souls

Passionate teachers have such power to nurture and empower lives. Like soil, light and water is to seedlings, they are the nourishment from which beautiful blossoms grow. Their greatest satisfaction often comes through watching as hurdles are broken down and dreams take flight. Nick Rose-Stamey is among these life changers. ... Read More
Tammy Wynn is CEO of Angel's Paws pet hospice in Cincinnati

An Angel For Pets

  If you have ever been the giver and recipient of unconditional love from a non-human companion, you may also have come to know the tumultuous pain when that joy is replaced by grief in the face of loss…possibly even anguish as you have had to make what could ... Read More

Joe Wenning Brings History To Life

On September 8, 2018, you’re invited…step back in time to 1788 on a walking tour of Pioneer Cemetery, the oldest cemetery in Hamilton County and the final resting place of many Revolutionary and Civil War veterans and pioneers, where you will hear from historical interpreters in period dress, interact with ... Read More
Carolyn Evans, founder of My Furry Valentine Cincinnati dog and cat adoption event, shares an adoption story from Clermont County Animal Shelter.

Joel: A Dog Adoption Story Of Love

On DOGust Day, a day when we celebrate the birth of adopted dogs whose real birthdays may be unknown, I’d like to share with you his very special story. His life, his spirit and his journey while here on earth so moved the people in whose care he found experienced ... Read More
Jason Wesche began the Hannah Strong Foundation in Cincinnati to help children who have been abused or neglected, after the loss of his daughter Hannah Wesche

Remembering Hannah: #HannahStrong

One day. One moment. Their life, their purpose changed forever. They were a close-knit family of four – single father Jason Wesche and his three darling girls -Hannah, Rachael, and Kaitlyn - who treasured life’s simple pleasures. Many moments were shared laughing and playing together. Helping and bringing smiles to ... Read More

Enjoy The Small Steps

It was nearly three years ago when a beautiful young woman, who, at 21, was just reaching her adulthood, was taken from this world too soon. Katy Schindler got so much joy out of riding horses, strumming a guitar and playing baseball. Her face wore a huge smile every time ... Read More

Steve Inspires People Passion

He has been called an iconic leader, a positive disruptor, and a passionate people person who has inspired probably tens, if not, hundreds of thousands directly and indirectly across the globe to put more heart, more connectivity, and more appreciation into their work, their relationships, and their lives. Steve Browne, ... Read More

Through Running, Scot Finds Joy

Guest post This past weekend in Cincinnati, Scot Howell was one of thousands who lined the streets, participating in the 20th annual Flying Pig Marathon. Everyone has their own purpose for their long hours of training and mental preparation that culminates in a 26+ mile run. Scot shares why he ... Read More

TEDxCincinnati Sparks Conversation

BaddBob is part of a Florida group of bikers whose passion is empowering and standing up for children who have been victims of abuse. Through her poetry, Tiffany Bowden brings her listeners back in time to the innocence of childhood, a time when humanity was uncomplicated and when embracing difference ... Read More

Human Values Festival This Weekend

Looking for an opportunity to inspire your children to do good or to meet others who are focused on the good in this world? This Sunday, April 29, the Institute of Sathya Sai Education will be hosting a free community and family-centric Festival dedicated to the practice of five core ... Read More

Cincinnati Film Director Has Simple Request

I have a very simple request, one that will no doubt make you smile while you are at it. Adorable three-year-old Gia Lopez was not supposed to live due to a genetic disorder known as spinal muscular atrophy. But, today, she is flying with a dragon and starring in her ... Read More

Kevin Hall Broke The Mold In Golf

Each of us has a fire deep inside - a flame that, with kindling can burn bright, its heat fueling our pursuit for something that makes us feel alive. Kevin Hall’s fire was lit more than 25 years ago, after school one day on the Avon Fields Golf Course. He ... Read More

Sue Reminds Us To See Possible Greatness

Sue Schindler remembers the moment as if it was yesterday. She was eight years old and she was terrified. Sitting beside her was her dad who was about to call her third-grade teacher. For a young daughter of a father who was known to raise his voice now and then, ... Read More

Curiosity Inspires This Art Museum Exec

“So many people inspire me every day. I get inspired by the smallest thing. I am a really curious person so anyone who is embracing who they are and following where their curiosity leads them inspires me.”    ~Emily Holtrop How cool is that, to be inspired by curiosity every ... Read More

Bobby Harrison, You've Got This!

Today, as I am writing this, my dear friend Bobby Harrison is preparing himself to go to the hospital where he will have to swallow 15 pills so toxic that he can’t touch them to human skin and will need to flush the toilet three times after using it to ... Read More

Louie’s Legacy Is Saving Lives

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It was 2009. Emily Gear was living in New York. Eight years had passed since two planes flew into the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center, causing the two tallest buildings on the globe to implode, killing nearly 3,000 people, and sending a ripple of fear, anxiety, hatred across borders.

When something like that happens in your home town, you are in an instant changed. For Emily, PTSD had seeped into her soul. Her world was a heavy Emily Gear, founder of Louie's Legacy dog rescue in Cincinnati, shares her story of why she started the organization.place. Her heart was missing a piece.

Emily wasn’t much into dogs back then but she was asked to babysit a basset hound and she said yes. That one little word was what pulled her out of a dark abyss. It became the start of a journey that has ultimately saved more than 22,000 animals by finding them forever homes that are filled with love.

It all started with Louie

There he was. On the 13th page she looked at on Pet Finder. He was a basset/husky mix with red fur and multi-colored eyes. Something about him just spoke to Emily, called for her to drive to Connecticut to meet him in person. He was heartworm positive which was fatal if not treated with very expensive medical treatment. She really was not expecting to bring him home, but she did.

Louie was just what Emily needed at the time.

I was shut down. He made friends with people easily. He was funny. He looked so weird with his short legs on a huge body and a head that didn’t quite fit. He looked like he was pieced together from different toys, she told me.

But also, he knew what she needed every moment. They were in each other’s heads all the time. I don’t think a human being could have done that, she said.

Louie, it turned out, came from a shelter that euthanized more than 99% of its dogs. It blew Emily away that her soul mate, her companion, could have easily been one of that statistic.

Saving dogs. Giving love. This became her life mission.

Moving back to Cincinnati, Emily began volunteering for rescue organizations while making medical and transport arrangements for animals. Soon she realized she needed to start her own rescue.

Sadly, it was one of her foster dogs that opened the gate to her back yard, through which Louie ran out and into the street. His life ended when he was hit by a passing SUV.

He had a specific job to do and when he did it, he left, she told me.

He didn’t get to see the day Louie’s Legacy was incorporated but truly, it is his legacy, that thousands of animals have been saved to do their job with their humans, to bring and receive joy through every day moments.

Louie’s Legacy, now operating out of New York and Cincinnati, is one of the largest shelters in the U.S. Almost all of the dogs they bring in have come from kill shelters.

Today Emily shares her home with four dogs, ages 11 to 15. Joe is a basset/Carolina mix who was a friend to Louie. Sirus Jones is a jack russell mix. Sandusky is a basset/husky mix who she found on Pet Finder just 13 days after losing Louie. And Louie Jr. is a fox hound mix, part of the first litter of puppies she fostered.

They keep me honest about the flow of life. That things begin and end and we need to be okay with that. You can’t waist the now moment worrying about that, she said.

By the way, Emily has also become an animal communicator and healer. You can learn more at www.IamEmilyGear.com.

My Furry Valentine

You can see animals from Louie’s Legacy and many other rescue organizations at My Furry Valentine, the region’s largest adoption event.  Thousands of animals will be looking for their forever homes. This year it is February 15 and 16 at the Sharonville Convention Center (11355 Chester Road; Cincinnati, OH 45246). General admission is $5 and early bird admission is $25.

Mini Horses That Brighten Days

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It is the greatest gift when you find a path to pursue where your heart leads. Lora Melin has found that gift.

Having grown up with the companionship of horses, it is perfectly perfect that for the past 12 years she has passed that love down to her daughter, Maggie's Mini Therapy Horses is a Cincinnati area nonprofit that brings miniature horses to local hospitals, retirement communities and other places.Maggie. The family lives on a horse farm in Lebanon, Ohio…with, of course, their animals – five mini and two full sized horses.

However, the horses have come to have an even more special meaning in their lives. At 2, Maggie was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and if you know anything about that disease, you know it is very high maintenance to maintain good quality of life. The experience has taught her a lot about responsibility and compassion. It has given her empathy for others who have their own personal challenges or differences. It has made her into the young woman who is drawn to those feeling excluded. And become the driving force behind Maggie’s goal of becoming a special education teacher one day.

Through it all, the family’s large pets were invaluable helping Maggie to deal with her chronic stress – with her mental, physical and emotional wellbeing.

And now, Lora is passing this gift on to as many people as she can reach with their nonprofit called Maggie’s Mini Therapy Horses.  They partner with organizations that support people with disabilities or chronic illnesses and have programs for schools; hospitals; hospice; local police & fire departments and other organizations that may benefit from animal assisted therapy.

Running the organization is no small feat. It begins with having the right horses. Then, since their natural instinct is to run when something scares them, there is a lot of desensitization training that needs to be done. The mini therapy horses need to be able to walk on different surfaces, hear all kinds of noises without being spooked, interact with wheelchairs and other mobility devices, etc. There is also the daily care that goes into raising healthy and enriched animals.

And, on outing days, it isn’t as simple as putting a horse in a car. Volunteers spend several hours grooming the horses before moving them into a trailer Maggie's Mini Therapy Horsesheaded for their destination. On average each of the therapy horses go on two visits per week. They regularly visit the Dayton’s Children’s Hospital, Lindner Center of Hope, Bethany Village, the Ronald McDonald House and Otterbein Retirement Community. They also attend events for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, the local police department and others.

Interested in getting involved? Maggie’s Mini Therapy Horses is need of donations and volunteers. You can find more information on their website.

 

From Track Star To Ninja Warrior

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James Wilson, 33, has always been a gifted athlete. Now he is the Nati Ninja.

At LaSalle High School and in college, he was a star running back in football – among the top 100 in the country. In track, his times running the 100-James Wilson of Cincinnati is known as Nati Ninja. He has competed in six American Ninja Warrior competitions.meter dash, 400-meter relay and 200-meter dash were among the nation’s fastest (10.62 seconds in the 100- meter).After college, he’s run spartan races and mud runs.

Sitting in front of his television with a buddy, eating Papa John’s, watching season five of American Ninja Warrior (ANW), how could he not be thinking, ‘hey, I can do that.’?

But, he has said, “I ate like crap. I was just an athlete thinking, I can do what those people are doing.”

The Road To ANW

To be a Ninja, it takes a lot more than track speed. Those treacherous courses require almost non-human strength, timing, reflexes, coordination. Still, he was determined. He had a body built for elite competitions. He knew how to train.

James built makeshift obstacles in his parents’ backyard. He began taking to athletes who were Ninjas. He sent in a video submission. AND he got selected for ANW season six (2014) in St. Louis.

That first year he cruised through the course – until his long hair touched the water upon landing low on the cargo net from a jump.

Still, he was determined. He has been in six ANWs since then – the most recent was filmed here in Cincinnati. He was selected from a pool of thousands to be among the 101 competitors. Last season he finished among the top 17 of that region. In Cincinnati, he placed 32nd.

Training Future Ninjas

More commonly these days you can find James, who has a master’s degree in exercise science, as fitness specialist/personal trainer at the TriHealth Fitness Pavilion or training at or training others at his very own gym – the only official ANW gym in this area.

The Nati Ninja Gym in Blue Ash is open to everyone of all levels of fitness and all ages. It is a place to play and train and live out your Ninja dreams. It is a place where you can hold birthday parties or celebrate other occasions. There are the same kinds of obstacles you would face in the real competition.

And by the way, eight people from James’ gym have been selected for ANW.

As for James’ future on ANW…

“I am in my prime now and this may be my best year on the course,” James said.

Question to James:  What brings out your smile every day?
James: When I go to the gym and the kids want to take their picture with me, I think that is so cool. I take it in and enjoy every moment. At the end of the day though, I am changing lives. I see kids who come to my gym burying their faces in their closes and then transform into these intense athletes. It’s great.

Question: Who is someone who has inspired you?
James: My wife Caitlin, definitely. She, herself, was training for ANW when she had to drop out of contention in 2015 with an Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis. She has the progressive kind of MS but she is young and is fighting it every day. She is my biggest support. She helps me run my gym and has been to every Ninja event. There is no quitting in her.

As to James advice on achieving, he had this to say, “Everybody fails. Without failure, there is no growth. You learn from every experience. Keep pushing.”

 

Kelly Richey – Healing Through Creation

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For more than 30 years Kelly Richey was a touring blues artist. She shared the stage with music legends and was compared to icons Stevie Ray Vaughn and Jimi Hendrix.

Practicing, promoting, recording, creating and performing required more time and more pressure than many corporate careers.

Blues musician Kelly Richey is a life coach and writing facilitator at  Women Writing for (a) Change in CincinnatiStill, it wasn’t her only pursuit.

Kelly’s days were also spent teaching guitar, writing and leading writing groups, and coaching others to find their own passions.

Even for someone who has ADHD, that is a heck of a work load!

Actually, she says, it was her struggles, challenges and triumphs over having severe dyslexia that gave her both an insatiable appetite for learning and a passion for inspiring others.

A transformation.

The past eight years have seen Kelly commit to sobriety, earn certification as a true purpose and a dream coach; and certification as a facilitator for Women Writing for (a) Change. She is also a spiritual director trained by Wellstreams Spirituality Network and continues to teach guitar.

But these days Kelly awakes in her downsized home and begins her morning with a cup of coffee on her back porch that is followed by a yoga routine, and reflection. She is committed to walking her 10,000 steps every day.

She gets great satisfaction from leading her newest writing series at Women Writing for (a) Change, Celebrating Our Struggles.

Oh yes, and she still does play her Blues. You can’t take that out of her! The Spearkshakers, her newest music project, includes Sherri McGee who Kelly describes as, “an amazing performer, the most musical drummer I’ve ever had the privilege of playing with. And she is one of the best friends I have ever had.”  Learn more about The Spearkshakers here.

Please read my Q and A with Kelly to learn more.

On your writing series, Celebrating Our Struggles, I bet there is a story behind how you chose that theme. Can you explain why, how personal this is to you?

After a decade of healing and personal development, I’ve learned that the gifts I have, come through the struggles I have endured. I believe that you don’t have to be a “writer” to write. For me, writing has been a form of healing, and I learned as a teen, that a piece of paper always listened.

The theme of this program has ended up centered on self-care, “radical self-care,” to be more exact! At the end of my first year of spiritual director training, I received my valuation from Sister Carol Ann. My evaluation read, “Kelly shows great promise and the art of spiritual direction, but if she’s going to succeed, she must practice RADICAL SELF-CARE!” My journey to discover what radical self-care looked like, began to unfold as “Celebrating Our Struggles” was created.

In the class, we learn the art of loving ourselves on a deeper level, and we develop daily self-care practices that work. We reflect on the narrative of our own story, and how the stories that we tell define who we are. We look at the sacred and explore what it takes to view ourselves as sacred– someone worth loving. We dare to look at our dreams, as a journey, rather than a destination. And finally, we look at the gifts we have discovered, those gifts that make us who we are, and how we might carry our gifts, as lights, into the world.

When people ask me about this program, many say, “but I’m not a writer,” and I say, “you don’t have to be a writer, to write.” They also say, “but I don’t have any real struggles currently in my life,” and I asked them, “what is your current level of self-care?” I’ve yet to find anyone who does not struggle with self-care, loving themselves, or pursuing their dreams as a journey, not a destination. For now, I’ve expanded the title to “Celebrating Our Struggles: The Power of Self-Care.” This synthesis project accurately reflected my journey. It takes all that I’ve learned and allows me to work with people and including myself, on the journey of wholeness.

How has writing helped you in your own life?

I had learning disabilities and I struggled in school. I was dyslexic, and when I graduated from high school, I read on a fourth or fifth-grade reading level. Growing up with learning disabilities had an impact on my self-esteem and self-worth. At the time in which I grew up, there was very little support for people with learning disabilities; as a result, I felt like a failure, and I felt misunderstood.

In my early teens, I learned that a piece of paper always listened, and that’s where I turned. Everything I wrote a stuffed in a milk crate and pushed under my bed. Today I have eight boxes filled with things that I’ve written, from my early teens through my mid 30s: spiral notebooks, loose-leaf paper, bar napkins, and brown paper bags. By my mid-30s, I was carrying a journal. Today I have at least 50 journals filled and stacked on my shelves. I also carried a cassette recorder with me wherever I went, capturing song ideas from lyrics to guitar riffs. I have three milk crates filled with old cassette tapes that when I transferred to digital format, they were 72 hours’ worth of material.

Whatever modality we use to capture our thoughts is of little importance. What’s important is that we capture what we feel inspired to express. I’ve read very few physical books in my life. However, thanks to books on tape from the Blind and Dyslexic program, offered by the library, CD’s, Audible, and my Kindle reader, I’ve read hundreds of books. For me, writing is a form of self-expression, and over the years, I’ve developed my skills. Currently, I use a program called Grammarly.com, and this program has changed my life. As someone who struggles with reading, spelling, and grammar, this program has empowered me to be able to write without the assistance of an editor.

When I became a writing facilitator at WWf(a)C, it was my single most significant accomplishment in life. It’s difficult to express in words what it feels like to achieve the dream that you never thought was possible and a dream that took over 40 years to complete. I’m excited by technology; it’s changed my life in many ways. Technology has given me the ability to access books that I would’ve never otherwise been able to read.

My struggle to read did not make me a writer; it made me write. I got my first computer in 1996, and thanks to email, I was forced to write. It’s taken me 20 years of writing to begin feeling confident in my skills as a writer. My struggle to learn made me a teacher— I experienced early in my life, the importance of a teacher that cared, and a teacher that would not give up on a student. I have no greater passion than teaching–it rivals any passion that I’ve ever had for playing guitar, and that’s a big statement.

What would you like to say to people about making change happen in their own lives?

Do not underestimate the power of self-care! Daily self-care practices bring about significant change. There is no magic bullet that changes our lives– it’s what we put into practice each day that makes the difference. When I got a guitar, I had to learn to play. There is no program on YouTube, that would have made me a guitar player– it was my daily practice routine that produced results. Ten years ago, I got sober, and I lost 50 pounds. My journey to help others heal has been part of my healing process, and today, I work with clients by using the 360 Wellness approach. This approach looks at every area of clients’ lives; a determines what is out of balance and what steps it takes to bring balance through daily the application of daily self-care practices.

And self-care is powerful, it’s simple, and it works!

Please visit Kelly’s website to learn more about her and her healing arts.

At 88, John Is Still Giving Back

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At 88, John Anderson’s great joy in life comes from bringing sunshine into the life of others.

His lessons of service learned through the Scouts as a child have never been forgotten. “I learned then that whenever you give to someone, you are becoming a part of that person’s life for the time being, making it better or more interesting. You learn from that person different ways of looking at things.”

When John was getting ready for retirement from Procter & Gamble, he was recruited by the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center to visit kids in bed rest. He did that for 20 years.

Since marrying his second wife, Helen, 52 years ago, he has spread his time among a variety of volunteer activities from his church choir to his condo Maple Knoll Village resident John Anderson enjoys volunteering. He as honored in Cincinnati with a Voices of Giving Award.board to work with a hospice in Florida.

It was in 2010 John and Helen moved into Maple Knoll Village, and he is not about to slow down making his difference in the world. These days, when he isn’t visiting with his wife who has Alzheimer’s (and often singing to her), he can be found participating in the Sharps and Flats singing group, helping residents with computer issues, being a ‘friendly visitor’ in Maple Knoll’s Bodmann Skilled Nursing and Hospice units and volunteering in the Montessori center where he mostly reads to the 3 to 5 year olds.

“My time in the Montessori center is like therapy for me,” he said. “The kids are so open and trusting and accepting in the way they deal with adults. Life is so much simpler for them. They just love.”

John is also a member of Maple Knoll Communities’ Living Legacy Society and has graciously committed a planned gift through a trust.

For all of these reasons, he is one of 20 honorees who were recognized recently by the Greater Cincinnati Planned Giving Council with Voices of Giving Awards. The Awards recognize philanthropists who contribute with planned gifts – and so much more – to nonprofit organizations that have a special place in their heart. In fact, a benefiting organization nominates each honoree. It has been such a wonderful experience for me to help them each of the past eight years with post event publicity.

All of the2019 Voices of Giving Honorees include:  Joseph and Frank Keenan (nominated by CET); Lori and David Zombek (nominated by Children, Inc.); Terry Lemmerman (nominated by Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park); Carol and Carl Huether (nominated by Cincinnati Public Radio); Joe and Mary Brinkmeyer (nominated by Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens); Terrence Lilly (nominated posthumously by the Freestore Foodbank); Donald C. and Laura M. Harrison (nominated by the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, Laura is honored posthumously); Barbara H. ‘Bobbie’ Ford (nominated by Hospice of Cincinnati); Carol and Larry Neuman (nominated by the Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati); Beth and Louis Guttman (nominated by the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati); Pat and Lew French (nominated by Life Enriching Communities – Twin Lakes); Martha Gelwicks Huheey (nominated posthumously by Life Enriching Communities – Twin Towers); Ray and Donna Bowman (nominated by LifeSpan, Inc.); Dianne and Tom Robinson (nominated by Magnified Giving); John Anderson (nominated by Maple Knoll Communities, Inc.); Christa Bauke (nominated by Mt. St. Joseph University); Nancy Perry (nominated by Northern Kentucky University); Jennifer Leonard (nominated by Redwood School and Rehabilitation Center, Inc.); Elaine Rairden (nominated by St. Vincent de Paul – Cincinnati); and Elizabeth and Bradley Younger (nominated by YMCA Camp Ernst).

The 2019 Voices of Giving Committee includes Carol Serrone, chair; Lillian Derkson, Butch Elfers, Melissa Gayer, Misty Griesinger, David Harris, Michelle Mancini, Lisa Roberts-Rosser, Sue Ellen Stuebing, Becky Timberlake, Dan Virzi, and Michelle Zeis.

To see all of the event photos, please see the photo album below.  NOTE:  When you move your mouse over the image, you will see an arrow. Left click your mouse on the arrow to move to the next photo.  Paula Norton took the second half of the photos. If you click on a photo, you will see in the description if it was taken by her. Please credit Paula if you use that image.

2019 Voices of Giving Awards

The Greater Cincinnati Planned Giving Council is a professional association for people whose work includes developing, marketing, and administering charitable planned gifts for non-profit institutions and a variety of other legal and financial settings.

 

 

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