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.

CINspirational People: Avtar Gill

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I was reminded this week of Avtar Gill aka ‘The Hat Man’ in Cincinnati, and how he was remembered by a city that embraced him. I got an email out of the blue from a reader of The Cincinnati Herald who had read my editorial. I have written a number of opinion pieces over the years but this one really touched me in a deep way. I had originally written this for my enewsletter in 2014, and I thought I’d share it here too.

Rest in Peace Avtar. Thanks for giving me the gift of this life lesson.

 

The news is all over the internet. I’ve been reading about it on all of the social networks and traditional news media outlets. Our Greater Cincinnati region lost a beloved symbol of peace, friendship, and civic pride.

life lessons from Avtar Gill aka The Hat Man in Cincinnati

Avtar Gill died quietly in the motel room he has called home for many years. It isn’t known whether he had family or what his life was like in his earlier years (at least not that I could find when I searched) but what is known is that he had a huge following.

Dozens showed up this past weekend to memorialize the man known as Cincinnati Hat Man. Hundreds are fans of the Facebook tribute page. And there is talk about how we as a community can more broadly and permanently pay homage to his gifts.

In the final years of his Avtar’s life, he brought smiles to the faces of strangers – thousands of them. If you have attended any large public gatherings downtown, you have more than likely seen him. Dressed in casual slacks and mostly colorful t-shirts, he was always adorned with his signature ball cap attached to a piece of poster board decorated in bright colors with positive messages. Among them – “Mother’s Day: Be proud to be a mother.” “Rejoice. World Choir Games comes to town. Wow!”

He spread good news and welcomed everyone. And he died alone, before telling us his story.

I remember seeing him at events. I remember uplifting billboards. He was hard to miss. But I never said hello. I never asked him his name or why he made it his life mission to quietly spread messages of goodwill. I never told him his signs brightened my day. I never said thank you. Sadly, only now in the wake of his absence, am I learning about the man whose messages of hope and inspiration touched so many in deep, meaningful ways.

How many of you can relate?  Why is it that so often we wait until a person is gone to memorialize their gifts?  Please don’t get me wrong. I think the outpouring of emotions from people who were impacted by Avtar is beautiful.  I have no doubt that Avtar is smiling looking down upon this city right now.  I only wish that he could have seen this outpouring of admiration while he was still with us.

In our busy lives, we often go about our routines without taking the time to let others know of their value to us. Or we put off saying what we want to say because there is always later. It isn’t because we don’t care or that others don’t matter. For whatever reason, we just don’t say what is in our heart.

I always say life is one big classroom and every experience is a learning opportunity. Let this remind us that life can be short. None of us know what is in store for our tomorrow. Caring and being there for each other is what makes our time here so special. We need to practice voicing our appreciation.

Our lesson from this if we choose to learn it is to not take our time here for granted. In Avtar’s honor and memory, let’s rejoice in life and in each other. Today, tomorrow, next week and all year, make a point to let others know they are important. Let’s celebrate and cherish gifts in the here and now.

 

 

Lessons Learned From Miss Universe 2015

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By now probably most people reading this have either seen the ending of the 2015 Miss Universe Pageant or heard about it. As I was watching it live, my heart sank as I witnessed what was transpiring before me.

While I ached for Miss Colombia who, after a joyous and tear filled celebration came to realize her reign was cut way too short, and for Miss Philippines who, stood in moments of complete confusion without an interpreter as she tried to piece together the confusion; I especially felt pain for the very kind, talented and usually fun-loving Steve Harvey who I had grown to love from watching him time and again on his hit talk show.

quote by Steve Harvey on overcoming adversityIf we are honest with ourselves, we can admit his mistake of announcing the wrong Miss Universe is one that anyone of us could have made. The truth is, all of us have undoubtedly made mistakes – some bigger than others. They are part of this big classroom called life, and they give us opportunities to learn, improve and grow…if we are open to the lesson.

This past year when I was working on a large event, someone’s error caused some pretty big issues. To be honest, I don’t remember what that error was now but I remember it had a big impact on what we were working on. Instead of reprimanding we focused on moving forward and getting past it. I reminded that person that we all make mistakes and it is how we grow. We worked together as a team to find a solution, and in the end, that error was not in our way of achieving great success.  The error also was never repeated again.

I most certainly have made plenty of mistakes in my lifetime, some made in unforgiving environments and others in environments where errors were not admonished but accepted as a mere bump in the road that could be overcome. I have also been lucky enough to have had people in my life and career who chose to take that opportunity when I was down to remind me of my strengths and ability to succeed.

Can you guess under which circumstances I was quickest to move past the mistake and go on to achieve great things, and under which circumstances I found myself in a continual pattern of errors? If we had handled the mistake differently toward our team member, how do you think our negative reaction would have impacted that person’s self esteem, motivation to get past it and even go on to better and more creative decisions, and overall joy in being part of the team?

Now, let’s look at what happened at the Miss Universe Pageant and beyond

Steve’s incorrect announcement was followed immediately with a forthright acknowledgement and ownership of his mistake, and subsequent apologies. Yes, he did misspell the countries of both Pageant contestants in Tweets that he wrote when his emotional state may not have been the clearest but he corrected himself. Although I have never met Steve, I think I can speak with much certainty when I say he no doubt was hurting A LOT from the experience – and probably will carry that weight for awhile.

It saddened me to see how the world was quick to make Steve Harvey a target for wide spread criticism on the internet and in traditional media for an honest mistake that could have happened to any one of us if we had been in his shoes. There are definitely larger, more far reaching world events right now with the capacity to inflict much greater harm. One thing my study of applied behavior analysis has taught me is that in order for this type of blaming, derogatory behavior to continue it must be being reinforced by something. That reinforcement could be in the attention received from comments to comments or reposts of posts or news stories; or it could be in the relief felt by taking the focus away from internal personal challenges or other world events. Steve may have been a prime target for a scapegoat.

Then, my other public relations side also sees this situation from a crisis communication standpoint. There were a number of things that were handled right and some examples from which to learn both in terms of crisis prevention and crisis management. I applaud Steve for taking the bull by the horn, taking responsibility and making a quick apology. Absolutely this is a lesson that even in the heat of the moment, taking a deep breath to collect yourself and have your facts accurate is very important as he learned when he misspelled Colombia and Philippines. The Pageant could have also created a list of potential mishaps such as that and made a plan for handling each one. In this case, it was a tremendously awkward half a minute or so while contestants, Steve, and the production staff were figuring out what to do next.

Those are some take home lessons that I hope were learned from the experience.

What are some additional lessons to Steve AND the Pageant to minimize the risk of this type of crisis in the future…and some lessons for us all?

For one, having absolute clarity in messaging is critical. I have read that Steve first announced Miss Colombia’s name as the Pageant Winner after reading it on a teleprompter. If that is what happened, there are a number of factors on the chain that should be looked at to ensure complete accuracy in EVERYTHING. But the other question is, why they needed something that important and that secret on both a teleprompter and a hand held card. (I am not sure if that is the case, but it may have been.)Miss Universe 2015 winner card

And, let’s talk about that hand held card. In case you have not seen it, here is a photograph that is circulating online.  I can see how it may be confusing to read, for an announcer under a lot of pressure on stage. When I have written scripts for major events, I have always written them so that the flow is very easy to follow.

Perhaps, instead of giving Steve a card like the one they gave him this year, in 2016, the card can read:

3rd Place – USA
2nd Place – Columbia
WINNER – Philippines

Much simpler and to the point.

Circling back

So, let’s look at this now from a compassionate human perspective.

I greatly applaud the Pageant’s quick announcement that they signed Steve Harvey to be a future host. Organizers gave him the respect that I’d hope every employer or leader would give to their employee or team member. They stood by him and showed the world in a big way that they still believed in him. (I personally do not think Steve is the only one at fault here, which makes me respect Steve all the more for publically taking the brunt of the blame.)  AND, while it is private what conversations and decisions they have made behind closed doors, I bet that they have and are continuing to work together as a team to analyze what happened, learn from it and take steps that can not only prevent something like that from happening again but maybe even improve the whole process.

I also greatly admired Steve’s wife, Marjorie, for taking to Instagram the next day with this declaration to her husband..”You are a Stand Up Man and A True Class Act the way you went back on the stage on live TV and took full responsibility alone.”

As for the rest of the world, it is one of my wishes that those who felt the need and put forth the effort to quickly criticize Steve and knock him down further, that they take a look inside themselves to think about why they reacted as they did. And I hope that if they do, that they come to realize there is so much more to gain from practicing empathy, compassion and encouragement – not only to the recipient but to the giver as well.

I also hope that when Steve takes to the stage of the Miss Universe Pageant 2016, that the world applauds him for his integrity, his loyalty, and his resilience to move forward.

 

 

Happy Holidays!

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I don’t know how time has flown by so fast this past month. While I have wished happy holidays through my social media networks, I have missed adding a post to my blog…until now.

Desatnik family cruiseMy holiday season was kicked off with a very special family extended Thanksgiving vacation on a cruise to Mexico. While there, I was able to cross something off my Bucket List…swimming with dolphins. I’m not sure which I enjoyed more, my experience – or watching the pure joy on my mom’s face as a dolphin pulled her around the pool. I think it was watching my mom.

I love this time of year. It is a time when you see so many people open their hearts to others. If they can’t give with money, they give with their time or give with both. It is a time when hope is rekindled and love renewed. In December, it is also fun for me to have some time to get together with friends I don’t see often enough and get to know people who I hadn’t yet met.

As I have been involved in all of this, this season I have also seen loss.

And I am reminded of how short our time can be, and how important it is that we not wait until December to work on our Bucket List, to reach out to our neighbors and friends, to let love in and give it away.

So, as I wish you Happy Holidays, I also want to say Happy 2016!

holiday message from Lisa Desatnik

 

#GoodThingsCincy

 

Greater Cincinnati Foundation Has Far Reaching Impact

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How fortunEllen M Katz, president/CEO of the Greater Cincinnati Foundationate we are in our region to have an organization like the Greater Cincinnati Foundation. With assets of more than $540 million, its impact is so far reaching as to touch lives in probably just about every neighborhood within its eight county region of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. Just in this year alone, more than $88 million has been awarded from the Foundation. That is A LOT of good!

Its grants and leadership are provided in six key areas: arts and culture, community and economic development, education, the environment, health, and human services.

These are some highlights from the Foundation’s fourth quarter.

The Kennedy Heights Arts Center was awarded $35,000 in Cultural Vibrancy. This will support expenses at its new Annex space, including a full-time events and marketing manager.

To foster Economic Opportunity, the Ohio Justice and Policy Center received $80,000 for its Second Chance Legal Clinics, which provides employer education and expungements for victims of human tKennedy Heights Arts Center received a grant from the Greater Cincinnati Foundationrafficking.

To support Educational Success, the Literacy Network of Greater Cincinnati received $50,000. The grant will support adult and children’s literacy services programs that provide literacy assistance.

Environmental Stewardship was supported with a two year grant of $100,000 to the Land Conservancy of Hamilton County. It will support the merger of three land conservancies working to significantly expand permanent land preservation in Hamilton, Clermont and Warren counties.

The Center for Respite Care was awarded $50,000 in the area of Health & Wellness. Funds will be used for a 24-our medical recovery service for single, homeless adults in Hamilton County and Northern Kentucky. Clients will receive support when they are discharged from hospital settings.

MORTAR received $35,000 in the area of Job Creation. MORTAR offers entrepreneurial training to individuals who could not normally afford this support. The program was created to address the displacement of low-income families in Over-the-Rhine.

To encourage Strong Communities, the Cincinnati Community ToolBank was awarded $30,000 to support the tool lending services it offers nonprofits. Since 2012, it has saved nonprofits $1.3 million.

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CINspirational People: Tim Timmerman

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CINspirational People is a feature of Good Things Going Around profiling diverse people of Greater Cincinnati, what inspires them, and what is inspiring about them. You can read more profiles by clicking on the link at the top of the blog. Do you know someone to suggest? Please reach out. Thanks!

 

Tim Timmerman is co-host on Jeff & Jenn Morning Show on Q102 (WKRQ) in CincinnatiToday, let’s go behind-the-scenes with radio personality Tim Timmerman, currently a co-host with the very popular Jeff & Jenn Morning Show on Q102 (WKRQ) in Cincinnati. I have known Tim for many years and recently ran into him again at an event downtown. Tim came up to me and wanted to know how I was doing, and if there was anything he could do to help. That meant so much to me. It is who Tim is, an all around generous person who enjoys learning about and helping others. I’m glad to have this opportunity to share a little more about him.

Lisa: How did you get started in radio?
Tim: I grew up in Detroit and my dad worked for Pontiac. I remember him taking me with him on a Take Your Kids To Work Day, and thinking, ‘that looked really boring.’ I thought, ‘I’ve got to do something really fun with my life.’ I’ve been in radio now for about 18 years.  After high school, I got a job at a station and have been in the business ever since.

Lisa: What do you enjoy the most about your profession?
Tim: I like that there really are not two days the same and I get to meet so many different people. What I also get a lot of fulfillment from is how we get to help people tell their story whether it is a charity event or a caller wanting to share part of a day. I use my job to do some really cool things for people.

Lisa: Can you give us some examples?
Tim: Sure. One time a listener called in to share a story of his coach who needed a kidney. By our talking about it on air, other people started calling in and we found a kidney donor. That was really a neat moment. I never thought when I came in to work that day, that something like that was about to happen.

And one year, after the Flying Pig Marathon, a man called in to share his story. He was making good time until at the very last mile his ankle snapped. A young woman who was also in the race carried him to the finish line, and once they crossed the line, she made sure he got help before leaving without giving him her name. He wanted to find out who she was. One of her friends heard the story, reached out to her, and we did a conference call for the two of them to meet. We then coordinated with the Marathon organizers to re-

Cincinnati radio personality Tim Timmerman worked with the Flying Pig Marathon to help this runner finish the race

Cincinnati radio personality Tim Timmerman worked with the Flying Pig Marathon to help this runner finish the race

create his finish. We went to the exact spot, had the finish line up and when he crossed the line, gave him a medal. That woman was there too. That was really neat.

Lisa: Who is someone who has been an influence on you?
Tim: There have been a few folks who have taken me under their wing like Jim Scott and Patty Marshall, who is my current boss.

Lisa: What are some things that they taught you?
Tim: They really encouraged me to think outside of the box and push myself into areas I was afraid to go. Getting a real estate license is something that I have been wanting to do for a long time, and with their encouragement, I signed up at Honduras College, studied and did it. I’ve had my license since April and I have sold six homes since then.

Lisa: Do you have a motto that you try to follow?
Tim: Well, one thing is that it is better to beg for forgivessness than ask for permission. The more I am on air the more I believe that. If you ask for permission, you may knit pick why you shouldn’t do something and then you may not do it and you may regret it. If you just say, ‘I’m not worried about being stupid, making mistakes or falling down. I’m just going to do it,’ then you will do great things.

You need to make things happen yourself. I taught radio at the Ohio Center for Broadcasting and Ie always told the students, ‘no one will hold your hand and make things happen. You’ve just got to hustle and make stuff happen.’

Lisa: What are some of your simple pleasures in life?
Tim: I enjoy being with friends whether we are just hanging out or going to the University of Cincinnati football game or cooking. I love making a meal for people and watching them enjoy it; and talking about the day and life and people in their world. I have a group of friends with whom we have dinner together each week. I also like to take my dog, Steve, for walks.

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