Monthly Archives: July 2012
Elementz Uses Hip Hop To Spark Teens’ Talents
Living in Cincinnati, we’ve all experienced over the past few weeks how music can uplift and transform us. It can bring out talents and inspire dreams.
Those magical abilities of young people, many of whom never even knew they had it within themselves to create, are the mortar for an Over-the-Rhine nonprofit whose sole purpose is to nurture strengths through hip hop arts.
Elementz sparks the flame
The origins for Elementz trace back to 2005 when community leaders began an outreach effort to give Cincinnati’s urban teens a safe place to hang out after school. It didn’t take long for them to realize the huge untapped potential in young minds with imagination and passion.
Today, in its new building at 1100 Race Street, over 320 aspiring artists ages 14 to 24, are building their confidence, becoming leaders and collaborators, learning about pushing their comfort zone as they perform new hip hop dance moves before live audiences, honing communication skills through writing and performing rap; and using their creativity to paint graffiti, and shoot videos and photos.
One of the great things about nurturing a young person’s strengths is that that energy tends to ebb into so many other aspects of that person’s life. Since coming to the nonprofit Elementz studio, a number of youth have attained their GED’s and are either enrolled in or are preparing for college.
Executive Director Tom Kent told me, “The bottom line is – every youth has gifts. Sometimes they don’t realize that those gifts are and so we are on a mission to help them figure that out.”
Elementz Spring 2012 Video Newsletter
A Dog Brings Out Our Best
Aaron Collins Last Wish – Kindness
Aaron Collins is described as the type of person that took great joy in unexpected kindness. Once after receiving exceptionally bad service at dinner, from a rude waitress, he left her a $50 tip. Things like this, given or received, were what he thought left a mark on a person’s life,” on the website.
A man with so much good in his heart was taken from this earth too soon. Aaron died July 7, 2012…just three weeks after his 30th birthday. But before his life ended, he made a last wish…to brighten someone else’s day and pay kindness forward.
What was his wish? Giving a random waitress a $500 tip after ordering pizza. After raising money through a website they built, his family carried out that wish at Puccini’s restaurant in Lexington, Kentucky on July 10.
Aaron’s brother Seth wrote, “We think he just wanted to provide a random act of kindness and generosity for someone he thought was under appreciated; the kind of thing that would make a lasting impact they would never forget.”
Mission very accomplished.
I found this note on the website:
“I just wanted to take a moment to thank all of you for the overwhelming amount of support you have given my family. Since last night we have received over $10,000 in donations. When I started this site I only expected to receive donations from friends and family. I was hopeful that we would get enough to make my brother’s wish come true. Even in my wildest dreams, I imagined we would receive enough money to do this for 2 waiters or waitresses. What has happened is absolutely incredible.
Right now we have enough money to change the lives of 23 more people, $500 at a time. That is nothing short of amazing. Please know that absolutely every penny we receive will go toward nothing but this. We will pay to host the website. We will pay for the food. Absolutely 100% of the donations we receive will be given to random waiters or waitresses. Our goal is to do this once a week, for as long as you give us the opportunity.”
Pet First Aid Classes Offer Important Information
NOTE: I have a new pet behavior blog located at http://www.SoMuchPETential.com/blog. Thanks!
Our pets are like our children. And, like kids pets can have accidents, ingest things they shouldn’t or have wellness issues.
As a successful pet sitter, Darlene Ehlers has seen all kinds of situations and she has watched over sick animals or animals with disabilities. She knows how important first aid knowledge is to our furred friends, which is why she trained and became a certified Pet Tech First Aid instructor.
Through her business Tri State Pet First Aid, she educates others too. Darlene has a four-hour basic class and an eight-hour Pet Saver class for both pet owners, caretakers and trainers. Note that these classes are geared to health and wellness of cats and dogs.
In Pet Saver, participants learn about restraining and muzzling, rescue breathing, canine and feline CPR, chocking management, bleeding and shock management, snout-to-tail assessement, assessing a pet’s vitals, treating for insect bites and stings, heat and cold injuries, what to do if your pet has a seizure, caring for a senior pet, and dental care.
Her next Pet Saver class is this coming Saturday, July 14. Registration is $119 and you must register no later than Friday, July 13. For future classes, please visit her site…http://www.tristatepetfirstaid.com/
Cincinnati Nonprofits Vying For A Toyota
It is easy to take for granted our ability to hop in our car to travel where ever we want to go. For nonprofits who are working day in and day out to make meaningful impact, that transportation isn’t always easy. Having an organization vehicle can be costly.
Cincinnati is fortunate that we have so many outstanding nonprofits who have stood out above the crowd in vying to win a 
FREE Toyota in the national Toyota 100 Cars for Good project. Already our Cincinnati Zoo and Recycled Doggies have won.
Some others who are finalists still need your votes. Each day only 5 finalists are featured and the one that gets the most Facebook votes wins a vehicle of their choice. Peggy Kreimer of Stepping Stones had this to say about what their win would mean to them…
If we win a wheelchair accessible van, it will transform our adult services program for people who use wheelchairs. Our last accessible van was 17 years old and is no lon
ger road-worthy. When the adult participants go out to restaurants, to the Butterfly show, to sports events and picnics, the people who use wheelchairs just wave good-by. And when the group returns, they listen to the excited tales of adventures and fun that they, once again, missed. Your vote can get them into the community again.
Here is a list of Cincinnati area organizations who are finalists, and dates that you can vote for them.
Easter Seals WRC, July 12
Stepping Stones, July 14
Creek Road Baptist Church in Sharonville, Aug. 7
4C for Children, Aug. 9
Cincysmiles Foundation, Aug. 21
To vote, go to www.100carsforgood.com. You must have a Facebook account to vote and can only vote once per day.
Let’s support our local charities and spread the word!
