Maya Angelou And Her Messages Will Forever Inspire
“One isn’t necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.”
– Maya Angelou
We lost a true inspiration when we lost Maya Angelou
but her messages and inspiration will live on
through all of us who were touched by her.
Hoxworth Blood Center Honored Cincinnati Students
According to Hoxworth Blood Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati area high school students have an important role to play in saving lives. Roughly 13% of Hoxworth’s total yearly blood collections come from high school blood drives. In fact, during the 2013 2014 academic year, 107 individual high schools hosted 174 blood drives for a total of 8,726 donations.
Kristopher Folden Hughes STEM High School was honored by Hoxworth Blood Centeror a total of 8,726 donations.
Allison Kenneally Mason High School was honored by Hoxworth Blood Center
Through Hoxworth’s High School Program students who organize blood drives learn valuable skills in leadership, community service, communication, project management, planning, setting and reaching goals and teamwork. “Without the student blood donors Hoxworth would not be able to adequately meet the needs of patients in the 30 Tri-State hospitals that we serve,” said Alecia Lipton, Hoxworth community relations manager.
Recently Hoxworth awarded eight scholarships to these young participants, selected based upon a submitted short thirty second video encouraging blood donations. Winners received $250 and an iPad Air.
Thirty-eight students applied. Below are the scholarship winners.
1. Holly Rack, McAuley High School
2. Allison Kenneally, Mason High School
3. Emma Nienaber, Taylor High School
4. Megan Hamberg, Bishop Brossart High School
5. Maggie Flanagan, Notre Dame Academy
6. Brianna Berry, Boone County High School
7. Kristopher Folden, Hughes STEM High School
8. Ryan Hodge, Deer Park High School
Moeller High School was also honored with the Tom Roebel Award of Excellence. The Tom Roebel Award of Excellence is named in honor of this former Roger Bacon High School teacher and blood drive coordinator, whose commitment to the success of his high school blood drives exemplified the spirit of community service. Mr. Roebel’s legacy lives on through this award that identifies one high school annually, which has demonstrated outstanding commitment to the success of its own blood drives. Moeller high school was selected for this award as they had 37 platelet donations during the academic year.
For more information about our high school program, please click here.
About Hoxworth:
Hoxworth Blood Center, University of Cincinnati was founded in 1938 and serves 30 hospitals in 17 counties in Southwestern Ohio, Northern Kentucky and Southeastern Indiana. Annually, Hoxworth collects more than 90,000 units of blood from local donors to help save the lives of patients in area hospitals. Hoxworth Blood Center. All Types Welcome.
Nonprofit Fuel Cincinnati Wants Your Help Selecting Grantees
Fuel Cincinnati, founded in 2009 as one of the main programs of nonprofit Give Back Cincinnati, has awarded over $30,000 in grants across more than 30 projects. It is all done through annual events where attendees vote for their favorite projects.
And, coming up on May 28, Greater Cincinnati residents can once again let their voices be heard at the third annual Fuel the Fire event. It begins at 6:30 p.m. at Rhinegeist Brewery (1910 Elm Street; Cincinnati, OH 45202).
How does it work?
Each guest will give a donation ($20 pre-sale, $30 at the door) for which they will receive appetizers by the bite, one drink ticket and a vote. Guests spend the evening learning about each applicant and their project idea. They then will cast a vote for their favorite project, and, at the end of the evening, the project or projects that gather the most votes are awarded a grant comprised of the evening’s ticket sale proceeds. Over a hundred and sixty people attended Fuel the Fire in 2013, awarding a winning grant of $2000 and a second place grant of $500.
More about Fuel Cincinnati
Fuel Cincinnati is an all-volunteer committee of young professionals who provide microgrants of $250 to $2,000 to support non-profit projects. Fuel Cincinnati was founded in 2009, and is one of the main programs of Give Back Cincinnati , the region’s largest young professional volunteer organization. Fuel Cincinnati is also supported by generous grants from The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile US Bank Foundation (http://www.haileusb.org) and from The Mayerson Family Foundations (http://mayersonfoundation.org).
If you would to purchase tickets for Fuel the Fire or would like more information about Fuel Cincinnati, please visit our link at: htttp://fuelcincinnati.org/fuelthefire
Cincinnati Students Pay-It-Forward To Sick Children
Children helping children. I think that is such a beautiful message, and a beautiful cause. And it is the driving force of a nonprofit that has engaged youth in 30 states to pay-it-forward, inspired more than 250,000 hospitalized children and their families.
That nonprofit is Soaringwords, Inc., and recently it collaborated with 60 students from Cincinnati Roger Bacon High School and St. Francis Seraph Elementary School to decorate 100 SoaringQuilts® and SoaringPillows®. Each one with inspirational messages and artwork based on superhero themes about “Never giving up!”
Representatives from Soaringwords delivered 25 SoaringQuilts® and 25 SoaringPillows® for the patients of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and did a short program at the medical center’s Seacrest Studios. Then the Soaringwords delegation headed to Shriners Hospitals for Children, Cincinnati where they led a Soaringwords + Zumba® dance experience to celebrate wellness and fitness for patients and families. This experience was made possible through a grant from The Manuel D. and Rhoda Mayerson Foundation.
Soaringwords’ mission is to lessen the negative impact of serious illness by embracing hospitalized children, families and staff, encouraging positive health and healing. Soaringwords provides fun, creative and educational activities both in person and online based on positive psychology concepts that enhance well-being. Lisa Honig Buksbaum, Soaringwords CEO & Founder started the non-profit organization thirteen years ago after three experiences with death and illness in her family occurred in a 10-month period.
For the students of Roger Bacon, that day was the culmination of a school year where they internalized the values of service by mentoring their Bacon Buddies from St. Francis Seraph Elementary School to do something positive for children who are sick. “Today changed the lives of our students as they used their character strengths of kindness, love and creativity,” said Alicia Ausere, director, community outreach, Roger Bacon High School
Cincinnati Repair Affair Is This Weekend
It’s that time of year again. Hundreds of eager volunteers transform into handy-men and women across our Greater Cincinnati region to help homeowners who don’t have the income to pay contractors for necessary and wanted repairs.
The event is called Repair Affair. It is Cincinnati nonprofit People Working Cooperatively’s annual spring volunteer event, providing home repairs and modifications that enable seniors and those with disabilities to remain safely in their homes. Individuals, businesses and community groups can volunteer for a day (in some cases, more than one day) to help a client with various home repair needs, ranging from the simple – fixing handrails and installing grab bars; to the more extensive – home modifications for the disabled, ramps, drywall, etc.
Repair Affair was developed by People Working Cooperatively in 1983 as a free outreach program to help very low-income elderly and disabled homeowners with the home repairs they need to keep their homes safe and habitable. Low-income, elderly and disabled homeowners are often the most vulnerable residents in a community. When they physically or financially lose the ability to care for their homes, their quality of life can diminish.
What kinds of repairs are performed during Repair Affair?
Repairs range in complexity from one home to the next, but may include the following:
- Plumbing: vanities, faucets, laundry tubs, drain traps, fluid masters, toilets
- Carpentry: ramps, handrails, grab bars
- Safety Repairs: smoke detectors, locks
- Structural Work: gutter replacement, drywall, concrete
- Electrical Work
- Miscellaneous Household Chores: cleaning gutters, washing windows, yard work
You can still register to volunteer. Go to www.pwchomerepairs.org or call Aaron Grant at 513-351-7921 to learn more.
