A Teen’s Perspective On ‘Caring’
April 7, 2012 by Lisa Desatnik
Filed under Awards, Children, Inspiration, Nonprofit Organization, Students
On April 17, 2012 Erin Daniels, a junior at North College Hill High School in Cincinnati, will be among 40 local students who will be honored by the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati as a YMCA Character Award recipient. Each of the honorees has her/her own very unique story of making a difference but what they all share is how they are role models for the character values of caring, respect, honesty and responsibility.
I was with Erin recently for a television interview and afterward asked her what it means to be ‘caring’. This is what she said.
YMCA Character Awards 2012 news release
2012 YMCA Character Award recipients 2012
The YMCA Character Awards Event will be April 17, 2012 at the School for Creative & Performing Arts. Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets for the event are $25 for an adult or $10 for a youth. To purchase a ticket, please call 513-246-3205.
I have a few tickets to give-a-way. I will be drawing on this coming Wednesday from among my Good Things Pledge champions. Not a champion yet? It’s simple. Just visit the page and add your contact information.
YMCA Celebrates 40 Examples Of Character Values
March 22, 2012 by Lisa Desatnik
Filed under Children, Inspiration, Kindness, Nonprofit Organization, People Who Inspire Me, Students, Volunteer
I’d like to introduce you to pretty awe-inspiring youth who I’m very lucky to be getting to know. They are some of our Greater Cincinnati area’s great role models for caring, respect, honest, responsibility and caring. I’m talking about the 40 teenagers who will be celebrated on April 17 as YMCA of Greater Cincinnati Character Award recipients.
Take for example…
Linnea Head, a 
student at Seven Hills School, whose influence has been described as ‘legendary’. A fearless model of ethics, it was during a school assembly when she stood before her student body and inspired every student to choose ‘trust’. Again she rallied her classmates to a cause when she heard about a Ugandan elementary school for displaced children.
Or
Dion’te Riley, a Withrow University High School student who traveled to the Domincan Republic to participate in a food drive. He personally collected enough food to fill 17 grocery carts for 
families in need.
Each one of the YMCA Character Award recipients has his/her own very personal story for impacting their world. I encourage you to please click the link and read more about them. If you know one of them…please congratulate them.
Or better yet…please join Tracey Johnson of FOX19 and the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati at the YMCA Character Awards Event on April 17. It begins at 6 p.m. at the School for Creative and Performing Arts. Cost is $25 per person for adults; $10 for youth. You can call 513-246-3205 to reserve a seat.
2012 YMCA Character Award recipients 2012
YMCA Character Award recipient list 2012
WIN TICKETS!
I will have two pairs of tickets to the event to give-a-way. I will be randomly
drawing two names of people who are Good Things Pledge champions. An additional
chance will be given for participating in the Good Things Going Around Facebook page.
Drawing will be on Wednesday night, April 11, 2012.
Not a Good Things Pledge champion yet? Just add your contact information on the Pledge page!
Honoree Shamari Hinkston Talks About ‘Caring’
YMCA Salute Gala Celebrated Achievers
November 20, 2011 by Lisa Desatnik
Filed under Nonprofit Organization, Students, Volunteer
I just wrapped up working on a wonderful project – the Salute to YMCA Black & Latino Achievers Gala.
David Garibaldi, known the world over for his amazingly unique stage entertainment, brought his show to our region for the very first time as he created four 6 ft tall masterpieces before a filled Bank of Kentucky Center arena with more about 550 seats sold – at the Salute to YMCA Black & Latino Achievers Gala. The evening was a celebration of the potential of young people when inspired by caring adult role models who are volunteers of the YMCA.
The YMCA Salute Gala honored local professionals who are giving back as volunteers of the YMCA’s college readiness program. Also honored were eight teens selected to receive YMCA scholarships, including Breana Marie Nicholson – who was honored as 2011 YMCA Teen Achiever of the Year. Lisa Martin-Patterson and Olivia Darks were honored as YMCA Black & Latino Achievers Program Community Volunteers of the Year. James T. Cowan, MBA, and Chrystal Davis, were honored as YMCA Adult Achievers of the Year.
One of the largest regional programs of its kind, the YMCA Black & Latino Achievers Program motivates students of color to further their education and goals with help from successful, professional role models. Since its beginning, the Program has served over 6,000 teens, awarded over $200,000 in scholarships, assisted youth with over $4 million dollars in awarded scholarships and engaged more than 4,500 adult volunteers through a network of corporate and community partners.
The Salute Gala also raised essential funding so that the Program can continue to offer this valuable experience to hundreds of area youth, paving their path toward college and a career.
(photos by Mark Bowen)
Cincinnati Has A New YMCA Youth City Council
October 7, 2011 by Lisa Desatnik
Filed under Nonprofit Organization, Students, Volunteer
Following campaign speeches to about 200 Cincinnati area high school students, the 2011-2012 YMCA Youth Cincinnati City Council has been officially sworn into office and was publically introduced before Cincinnati City Council on October 5, 2011.
The elections were the culmination of an annual two-day YMCA Youth in City Government conference aimed at engaging young people in having a voice within their communities, and strengthening leadership and communication skills.
The year-round YMCA Youth in City Government program gives Cincinnati students the opportunity to learn about local, state, national and international politics. It offers teen participants a venue to gain leadership skills, strengthen their ability to express ideas clearly and persuasively, and learn fellowship by working together with peers from diverse backgrounds.
The YMCA of Greater Cincinnati is one of the area’s largest nonprofits focused on engaging individuals and families in youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. This year more than 125,000 people will come to the YMCA to learn, grow and thrive. Adult role models nurture positive values and life lessons in children through sports, summer camps, structured child and afterschool care, and leadership building programs. Branches offer quality time for families to be together, resources for parents, and a variety of opportunities for seniors to be active. The YMCA ensures these opportunities are available to everyone no matter their ability to pay with generous support from community partners and donors.
Photo:
left to right: Virginia Hollatz (Mt. Notre Dame H.S.); Jane Eby (Mother of Mercy H.S.); Jordan Stevens (Mother of Mercy H.S.); Benita Munnerlyn (Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy); Joseph Trentman (School for Creative and Performing Arts); Kyle Denman (St. Xavier H.S.); Nick Staresinic (Moeller H.S.); Kyla Norton (School for Creative and Performing Arts); Sami Spanagel (Mt. Notre Dame H.S.); Stephanie Cline (Mother of Mercy H.S.); and David Frost (Altersgate Christian Academy)
YMCA Offers Two Ways To Recognize Young Volunteers
September 20, 2011 by Lisa Desatnik
Filed under Children, Inspiration, Kindness, Nonprofit Organization, Students, Volunteer
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program recognizes middle and high school youth solely on the basis of volunteer work in their communities. This program is all about applauding young volunteers, inspiring other young people to get involved in community service, and attracting widespread recognition for service.
Cincinnati area honorees will receive a Certificate of Achievement, advance to state-level judging, and may qualify for the President’s Volunteer Service Award. State-Level Honorees receive $1,000, a silver medallion, and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington D.C. Five high school and five middle school students will be named America’s top youth volunteers of the year, and will receive $5,000, a gold medallion, a crystal trophy for his/her organization, and a $5,000 grant for the nonprofit organization of their choice.
If you know a youth volunteer who would be an excellent candidate for The Prudential Spirit of Community Award, the steps to apply are listed below.
Visit http://spirit.prudential.com or www.nassp.org/spirit, click the “Apply Now” link, and follow the onscreen instructions.
- Once you have completed the online application, go to the “Certification” page and either email or print and hand deliver the instructions to your certifier, the Community Services YMCA, 2840 Melrose Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45206 or a Y in your neighborhood (see myY.org for all branches and centers). (The YMCA is an officially designated organization to complete the certification.) The certification must be completed by November 1, 2011.
- Print out the signature page, the youth and a parent/guardian sign it, and submit it to International Scholarship and Tuition Services by November 1, 2011 by either mail or uploading it to the online application.
Also, don’t forget to nominate teens who demonstrate social responsibility for a YMCA Character Award. Nominees must be between the ages of 12-18, enrolled in an elementary or secondary school during the fall 2011-12 semester, agree to participate in the event in April 2012, and reside in the Greater Cincinnati area. Nominations are due by October 15, 2011 and can be submitted at http://www.cincinnatiymca.org/our-ys/branches/community-services/form.
