Lisa Desatnik
Downtown Cincinnati Dog Park, Because Of One Man And His Dog
It is not unusual for Craig Beachler, a medical device representative and territory manager, to drive hundreds of miles in between hospitals every week. After all, an important part of his job is being there during surgeries to ensure doctors don’t run into any snags when it comes to using his company’s products.
And good thing for Craig – or I should say Captain – that hospitals happen to have covered parking because where ever Craig travels for work, Captain travels too. A large dog bed in the utility vehicle’s back makes the long drives comfortable. By the way, Captain is Craig’s large 60 pound plus mixed breed who knows how to open door knobs that aren’t securely locked.
The roommates live in a downtown Cincinnati apartment surrounded by large buildings, busy streets and lots of concrete…but no grass. Lucky for them, there is a dog play area in the neighborhood called Fido Field.
Okay, so really, it’s not because of luck that they have a place to run and play fetch.
One man’s determination.
The year was 2005 when Craig and his dog (then a different dog) moved to downtown Cincinnati for a job at P&G, but there weren’t a whole lot of options close by for people and their pooches.
If you’ve ever met Craig, you know he’s not one to sit back and not take action on things that are important to him. He met with city leaders. Together they found a site on Eggleston Avenue and began drawing up plans for a dog park, but when the economy took a hit the park was no longer a city priority.
So Craig was given the plans and moved forward independently, recruiting volunteers and raising money on his own. A lofty endeavor seeing as the 
budget he came up with for it was over $300,000. Procter & Gamble was the largest donor – giving Craig $50,000 toward the park.
Fido Field has been open now for several years and the responsibility continues for Craig, who continues to fundraise and spends time on weekends maintaining it with help from friends. Among them are Erin Kidwell who is helping with communications and Tiphanie Hodges who helps with special events.
Fido Field is located at 630 Eggleston Ave; 45202. Donations and volunteers are always welcome. Please visit their Facebook page for updates.
Cincinnati Civil Rights Champions Honored
In Marian Spencer 92 year life, she has fought for civil rights and social change. She is the first black woman elected to Cincinnati City Council, the first woman to serve as president of the local NAACP, and won the lawsuit that desegregated Coney Island in the 1950s. She & her soul mate, the late Donald Spencer who fought alongside her, were honored last weekend by the Urban League of Greater Cincinnati. WLWT-TV Courtis Fuller interviewed Marian. Here is a link to her story: http://vsb.li/Ez6AJj
(photo credit: The Enquirer/Michael E. Keating)
Violinist Joshua Bell Visited The School For The Creative And Performing Arts
What a wonderful opportunity for Cincinnati Public School’s School for Creative and Performing Arts students! Yesterday, kicking off the Mayerson Artistic Excellence Program, internationally acclaimed violinist Joshua Bell gave a career talk. Who better to inspire Cincinnati’s young, upcoming artists than professionals who are among the finest in the world!
Joshua Bell visited School for the Creative and Performing Arts
Walk To End Alzheimer’s Participant Walking With Purpose
Thank you to Krista Powers with the Alzheimer’s Association, Greater Cincinnati Chapter, for this guest post.
As with many who participate in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s™, Alzheimer’s disease is a very personal matter to Mindy Ross.
Her grandmother, Betty Giehls, died from Alzheimer’s disease in December 2010, just two months after her husband of 52 years, Ralph, passed away. He was her primary caregiver for nearly 8 years when the couple lived in Arizona. When she eventually required nursing home care, he visited her on a daily basis, often several times a day.
“My grandmother always joked about losing her marbles. We told her that we were her marbles and that she would never lose us,” said Mindy. “When we started this team, we thought the play on words made a lot of sense.”
Last year, Mindy was one of the top individual fundraisers at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Walk, raising more than $3,300. Along with her husband, Dave, she will lead her 20-member family team again this year.
“It is sometimes difficult to feel that you can make a difference with an issue as large as Alzheimer’s but with the Walks you feel like every dollar can help,” she said. “It is nice to share the experience as a family.”
After moving from Newport, Ky. to Landon, Ohio, last fall, the Ross family will focus their efforts on the Butler, Warren & Clinton Counties Walk to End Alzheimer’s in West Chester on Sept. 15. This will be the family’s third Walk venue.
“My paps used to take grams to the Alzheimer’s Walks in Tucson and he used the Association’s services there,” said Mindy. “For us here, it is rewarding to do something positive to remember my grandparents and the love they had for one another.”
As the primary national fundraiser for the Alzheimer’s Association, Walk to End Alzheimer’s is an annual event that brings the community together in a show of remembrance and support for those affected by Alzheimer’s disease. Proceeds from the event will directly fund programs and services of the Greater Cincinnati Chapter as well as national research efforts.
“We were overwhelmed by the generosity of teams like Betty’s Marbles,” said Development Director Krista Powers. “It is our hope that people will again actively support the walk in their community because the need continues to grow every year.”
To register for a Walk to End Alzheimer’s event close, visit: www.alz.org/cincinnati. For more information on how to participate or organize a team, contact Diana Bosse at (513) 721-4284 or dbosse@alz.org or Amy Horn at ahorn@alz.org.
Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Walk
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Sawyer Point
705 E. Pete Rose Way
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Registration 8:30 a.m., Walk 10 a.m.
Distance of Walk Route: 5K
For other regional Walks, please visit this link.
Sample the Great Outdoors in Greater Cincinnati – For Free!
What a great idea! A nonprofit organization called the Green Umbrella is organizing two days – September 22 and 23 – packed with 
over 120 FREE samplings of the best outdoor recreation and nature education activities in our region.
Take a kayak lesson. Hike a new trail. Learn how to cook while backpacking. Explore the tree canopy 60 feet in the air. Shoot a bow and arrow. Tag a Monarch butterfly. Tie a fly. Play a CSI “nature detective”. Look for fossils in a creek. Catch a fish. Paddle the Mill Creek. Learn to row. Band a bird. Eat like an animal at the Cincinnati Zoo.
To plan your great outdoor weekend or view more information on specific events held by participating organizations, go to: www.GreatOutdoorWeekend.org. Printed brochures are also available at Subaru dealerships, area libraries, and at 
all participating organizations.
Great Outdoor Weekend is presented by Green Umbrella and sponsored by Subaru, the Cincinnati Wildflower Preservation Society, Hamilton County Parks, REI, The Licking River Greenway & Trails, Roads Rivers and Trails, Greenacres Foundation and BioGreenChoice. Channel 5 WLWT is media sponsor.
Additional sponsors include Kenton County Parks, Queen City Bikes, Oxbow, Inc., Rumpke, the City of Cincinnati, Little Miami Inc., AIGA Cincinnati, Bayer Becker, Wild Ones and Human Nature.
About Green Umbrella
Green Umbrella is a non-profit organization working to improve the economic vitality and quality of life in the region around Cincinnati by maximizing the collective impact of individuals and organizations dedicated to environmental sustainability.
Green Umbrella is the ‘backbone organization’ helping member organizations work better together to promote a more environmentally sustainable region. In partnership with our area’s leading planning initiatives — Vision 2015 in Northern Kentucky and Agenda 360 in Southwestern Ohio — Green Umbrella facilitates collaboration among over 100 area non-profits, businesses, educational institutions and governmental entities focused on the environmental aspects of sustainability.
