Lisa Desatnik

I have been fortunate to have made a career out of doing what I love, which is using my communication skills to forge relationships and support of causes that are evoking positive change. I also enjoy working with civic-minded companies and organizations. I’ve earned numerous awards along the way, but my greatest satisfaction comes from knowing my work has helped touch lives in very meaningful ways. For that, I have to thank the dedicated staff and volunteers of so many charitable organizations, events, and civic minded businesses who work day in and day out to fulfill needs. These are the generous people with whom I’ve had the pleasure of working beside. I’ve created and implemented many successful cause-related campaigns and programs such as the award winning Lighthouse Vision Awards and the Collecting for Kids school supply drive. Included among my other past experience is: creating a PR campaign to change the image of newly developed Betts Longworth Historic District, for 8 years coordinating publicity and creative elements of the Inclusion Leadership Awards Event, and creating a PR campaign to help launch the Hidden Treasures CD (tribute to King Records) that resulted in a packed release party. I’ve also worked on numerous other events. Among them - the Appalachian Festival, the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati’s Buddy Walk, the YMCA Salute to Black Achievers, YMCA Character Awards, Greater Cincinnati Alzeimer’s Association Memory Walk, Greater Cincinnati Planned Giving Association’s Voices of Giving Awards and more. Currently I help raise awareness about the positive contributions of the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati, and also continue working with other organizations. My experience includes media relations, planning, volunteer management, copywriting, social networking, events, and coordination of marketing materials. Among the other organizations with whom I have or am currently working are: Inclusion Network, iSPACE,FreeStore/FoodBank, Cincinnati Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Cincinnati Arts & Technology Center, Manuel D. and Rhoda Mayerson Foundation, Lighthouse Youth Services, Accountability and Credibility Together, CRI mental health agency, and more. I’m a past Board member of Children’s International Summer Villages and past member of the leadership team for the local chapter of Public Relations Society of America; and get involved with other volunteer opportunities. An animal lover sharing my home with three birds, I have been studying positive behavior management for many years and enjoy sharing what I’ve learned with others. My pet interest has led me to become a pet columnist for Hyde Park Living.

A Lesson In Friendship

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I’m going to break the number one rule of blogging, that is to keep posts short. But, hey, this is my blog and sometimes it takes more than a few paragraphs to make a point. Below is a story I had written for my Hyde Park Living pet column a year ago (with permission). It has special meaning to me and I wanted to share it. (I’ve changed my friend’s name.) Maybe it will inspire you to make friends at a nursing home too.

It was close to dinner time last Sunday, and, as has been the pattern for many a Sundays over the past several years, I was sitting beside a man who I’ve grown to care about very much. We weren’t really talking about anything of great substance. Mostly actually, I was filling him in on my weekend, describing Barnaby’s newest phrase and reminding him of all the people who care about him. Love was surrounding him on that day and for the past several weeks. The birthday cards placarded on walls and shelves in every space, and a flower bouquet from his son and grandsons resting by his bed, each represented someone special in his life. Someone who, in his 77 years, has given him purpose.

Chester, my Alexandrine Ringneck Parakeet, came with me to visit residents in a local nursing home.When I arrived, Bill was sitting in a wheelchair in his room at the nursing home, his back was to the television and his head was propped on one hand, looking down toward the floor. His other hand lay still on his lap, motionless since a stroke many years ago took its mobility away. A smile came to Bill’s face when he saw me at his door, and in that moment, it was vividly clear why giving up an hour of my time was so important.

I was asked to write about animals and seniors this month, and it got me thinking to when Bill and I first met. How could I forget?

Years had past since I first walked down that hallway. Actually, Chester (my oldest bird) and I came together. We had come to visit with people who were living there. Room by room we went, asking residents about their lives. Seeing Chester prompted many memories of beloved pets, described to me in lovingly terms as one would only use to describe a best friend. There were a lot of smiles, I remember. And, there was this voice. It was loud enough to hear several rooms away. ‘The bird lady is here, the bird lady is here,” a woman yelled, not so much for the attention of others but more just her being excited about having a visitor.

To live in that area, you aren’t well enough to live without assistance. Most are in wheelchairs, many need help to do the most basic of skills. Few will ever experience eating in a restaurant or shopping for a sale again.

It’s hard to put into words how it makes you feel when you know, even for a few brief moments, you brightened someone’s day. I knew we’d return again. And we did, but the next time the woman with the voice was no longer there. She had been replaced with someone else. All of the rooms actually were home to new faces.

Our second visit was much different. This time around, staff had wheeled all of the residents – at least those who could leave their beds – into the main room where Chester and I could talk amongst them. I’m not sure how many seniors there were but I remember the area looking pretty full. If they’d been twenty years younger, they probably would have been catching up on the latest gossip or their grand children, but instead, they sat in silence, each in his or her own thought. If they weren’t asleep, their eyes were transfixed on something. There was no laughter, there were no smiles.

An activity staff person pulled the wheelchairs together in a sort of semi circle while I took Chester out of his carrier. And, as quick as they had fallen asleep, they were now alert. They wanted to talk, not just to me, but to Chester. They told me about their pets. They wanted Chester to know he was awfully pretty and sweet. He had a really long tail, one woman commented. I knelt on the floor with Chester in my hand leading the conversation, sometimes having him step up onto a walker, a wheelchair or a knee. It was a beautiful thing to watch their interaction with him. The fear they may have had toward a bird when they were younger was replaced with a gentle compassion. Chester sensed that. (I was extremely watchful and careful of his body language and anyone who may potentially scare him.)

Bill was behind me on that afternoon. His wheelchair had feet rests to hold legs that could no longer take him where he wanted to go, and a piece rising above the back to support his head. One arm was resting on his chair, the other lay across his legs, its hand curved slightly at the wrist. He was quiet but he was very focused, his eyes locked on a green bird perched just beyond reach, the sign of someone acutely interested. When I turned and spoke directly to him, I saw in his smile a genuine tenderness.

Chester too must have felt something because he stepped onto Bill’s hand without hesitation. I watched as this man of few words suddenly had a lot to say. I half held my breath as Bill raised his hand to his face, rubbing Chester’s soft body against his age worn skin. When Bill’s unsteadiness caused Chester to flutter to the ground, I picked Chester up, returning him to the human perch that was a place of comfort. “I’m sorry Chester, I didn’t mean to do that,” Bill told him.

As I asked Chester to go into his carrier, Bill turned his attention to me. “Thank you for giving me a friend,” he said. I smiled back and walked out the door, fighting off the tears until I got to my car. This time around, we were back in a week, and just about every week since (although I had to stop bringing Chester with me about a year ago).

It was wonderful to see Bill’s response. Research gives scientific record of the benefits of animals on seniors, but I didn’t need the studies to know how much good Chester’s visits were for Bill. Without even realizing it, he began using his hand more to hold out seeds. He was talking and interacting more. His expression when he saw Chester spoke volumes for what any words could say.

Just this month when I wanted to wheel Bill outside, I asked about his feet rests that were missing. Staff had removed them from his chair because he was using his feet. Now that was reason to smile.

Life gives us so many lessons from which we shape who we want to be. They teach us about what is most important and leave us a little bit wiser in the end. Bill isn’t the only person to have grown from our visits.

The past several years have taught me about the value in simple pleasures like the satisfaction of knowing you made the world a better place for one person. They’ve shown me the beauty in unconditional love, and gave me an even deeper appreciation for the companionship of pets. If you have a pet, then I’m sure you too have an understanding of what I’m talking about. Why not share that love? It very well may be the best gift you can give.

NOTE: Surrounded by children and grandchildren, Bill celebrated another birthday a couple months back. He is doing incredibly well these days. It’s great to see.

International Peace Day Being Celebrated In Cincinnati

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The Youth Gun Violence Reduction Project, a program of the Community Police Partnering Center (CPPC), is inviting youth of Cincinnati to celebrate International Day of Peace on September 21, 2009. It will begin with a march from Cincinnati’s Fountain Square to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and conclude with a short program to promote peace and non-violence throughout our city. The United Nations International Day of Peace is a global holiday that encourages individuals, communities, nations and governments to highlight efforts to end conflict and promote peace. Established by U.N. Resolution in 1982, “Peace Day” has grown to include millions of people around the world.

The Youth Gun Violence Reduction Project is a program of the Community Police Partnering Center and is a complementary initiative to, and works in partnership with, the city-wide Cincinnati Initiative to Reduce Violence (CIRV). The Youth Gun Violence Reduction Project is focused on reducing incidents of gun violence involving youth and young adults ages 14-24. Efforts include the development of public education materials designed to change attitudes and behaviors about gun violence; the distribution of materials to those at high-risk for gun violence and/or in high-incident locations; coordinating special youth-focused events to unite community members in peaceful activities; hosting anti-gun violence assemblies at local schools and youth organizations highlighting the consequences of gun violence; and organizing youth groups with a curriculum discussing various topics relating to gun violence .

For more information on the International Day of Peace Youth March or the Youth Gun Violence Reduction Project, please contact Doreen Cudnik, CPPC executive director at (513)559.5587.
For more information on the International Day of Peace, please visit the official website at www.internationaldayofpeace.org.

Give Back Cincinnati Keeps Giving

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A photograph on my dresser serves as a lasting memory of the afternoon I was part of a group who volunteered at a local nursing home. I think there were about 40 of us from Give Back Cincinnati there that day. Some of us were matched with residents, others helped coordinate the games.

I was with the same woman all afternoon. We played a lot of black jack, and I remember thinking lucky for us it’s play money. Actually what I remember most was the smiles and laughter we shared on that day. For a short time these people, many of whom used wheelchairs to get around and needed you to speak loudly so they could understand, were engulfed in happiness. It struck me too as I looked around the room how neat it was to be among so many peers whose common interest was the desire to brighten other people’s lives.

 

Afterward the volunteers gathered for a drink at a nearby pub. We talked about our experiences, but we also talked about each other. We probably all walked away with at least one new friend. I know I was uplifted. What a wonderful reason for bringing people together.
Give Back Cincinnati is such a great concept. The nonprofit, all volunteer, organization was started by three people who wanted to create an opportunity for young people to socialize through activities that are making a positive difference in communities. Today the group has more than 5000 members and has diversified to include international projects, national trips in collaboration with Habitat for Humanity, and local civic engagement and volunteer efforts.

Paint the Town is the largest and flagship event, involving some 1300 volunteers. This year teams painted 42 homes for those who wouldn’t have been able to afford to hire someone. However, with more than 30 local projects there is almost certain to be a volunteer event for every interest.

To learn more about Give Back Cincinnati, please visit their web site at http://www.givebackcincinnati.org/.

Local Philanthropists Honored For Leaving Their Legacy

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They are role models of selfless giving for younger generations whose gifts are helping to ensure diverse causes will be viable for the future. Collectively they have committed to giving millions, but more importantly, they’ve committed to leaving their legacy. This is the common thread of the 21 honorees from this year’s Greater Cincinnati Planned Giving Council’s Voices of Giving Awards. They were all nominated by area non-profit organizations impacted by their selflessness, generosity and foresight.

“Greater Cincinnati is a generous, caring community and non-profit organizations are an especially important aspect of our lives,” Andrea Herzig, president of GCPGC told the audience at the Awards event. “Our Voices of Giving honorees have all taken the time for purposeful giving; planning their gift for generations they will never meet. This is the true meaning of altruistic philanthropy.”

Presenting sponsor for the GCPGC Voices of Giving Awards was the Josephine Schell Russell Chairtable Trust, PNC Bank, Trustee. The event was hosted by CET.

It was a real honor for me to be a part of the event for the second year, helping GCPGC share information about the honorees with the community.

(FOX19’s Dan Carroll, emcee, and Steve Hegge, event chair)

2009 Voices of Giving Award recipients:
(Note: one honoree chose to not be recognized publically)

William (posthumously) and LaVerne Stautberg, nominated by Santa Maria
Community Services
Mary Beth and Jim Foxworthy, nominated by the Deupree House
Dr. Corning and Mrs. Carol Benton, nominated by the Marjorie P. Lee Retirement
Community
Nancy A. Creaghead Ph.D., nominated by the University of Cincinnati Foundation
George H. Musekamp, nominated by the American Cancer Society
Wilma K. McGrath (posthumously), nominated by the Catholic Inner-City Schools Education Fund
Ruth Upson, nominated by the Children’s Home of Cincinnati
Dr. and Mrs. Ira Abrahamson, nominated by the Cincinnati Art Museum
Dorothy Whitley Lang, nominated by the Wyoming School Foundation
Eva Jane Romaine Coombe (posthumously), nominated by Seven Hills School
Alice Sparks, nominated by Greater Cincinnati Television Educational Foundation CET
Marge Gallagher, nominated by Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Cincinnati
Paul Keidel, nominated by Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Henry ‘Bud’ Pogue IV (posthumously) and Betty Maupin Pogue, nominated by Northern Kentucky University
Robert Kanter, nominated by Jewish Federation of Cincinnati
Susanne Ernst Geier and Philip O. Geier Jr. (posthumously), nominated by United Way of Greater Cincinnati
Judy and Roger Short, nominated by The Wellness Community of Greater
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky
Margaret Berning Wais, nominated by St. Rita School for the Deaf
Rev. Thomas Bokenkotter, nominated by The Athenaum of Ohio/Mount St. Mary’s Seminary

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