Children
Accessible Playground Dedicated At Redwood
Lots of community volunteers and organizations helped dedicate a beautiful new, wheelchair accessible playground in Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky. Now all children will be able to play together at Redwood – a Northern Kentucky nonprofit that provides educational, therapeutic and vocational services to kids and adults with disabilities.
I spoke with Bridgette Hightower, Redwood community outreach and training coordinator, about the project which was first initiated last summer. A group of GE employees were looking for a volunteer project and when they saw the playground that was originally built in the 1970s, their team leader asked if they could rebuild it. “In no time they organized the labor and donations,” Bridgette told me.
In addition to providing volunteers, GE also funded a portion of the playground equipment and landscaping costs. Additional funding for the playground was made possible from the Jack J. Smith Jr. Charitable Trust, PNC Bank and Karen Wachs, Co-Trustees, and Western Southern. Other contributors of time and talent include Ethicon-Endo Surgery, Northern Kentucky University, P&G, JPK Landscaping, Walnut Grove Playground, Art’s Rental Equipment & Supply and Cincinnati Community Toolbank creating a dynamic community-wide partnership. 
Metro Bus Operators To Be Honored For Rescuing Children
The quick thinking of two Cincinnati Metro bus operators might have saved the lives of two children in separate incidents less than a week apart in late February and early March.
Operators Ella Holloway and Dianne Wyly drive different Metro bus routes in different communities, but they both had similar experiences when they saw very young children walking alone near busy streets. They both jumped into action to keep the little ones from harm:
Cincinnati Metro bus operator Ella Holloway
Feb. 28, 2013: Operator Holloway was driving toward downtown on Rt. 33 on Glenway Avenue near Olivia Lane when she noticed a 2- or 3-year-old boy walking alone on the sidewalk. The child wasn’t wearing a coat, just shorts and shoes in 30-degree, windy weather. She stopped the bus, brought the child on board, and called for assistance. The Cincinnati Police Department responded and took the boy to the Cincinnati Fire Department on Glenway. Holloway has been a Metro bus operator for 22 years.
March 6, 2013: Operator Wyly was driving toward downtown on Rt. 43 when she saw a 3-year-old little boy walking alone on Reading Road near Asmann Avenue. It was a snowy, icy day and his shoes were on backwards and coat barely on. She brought the child onto her bus and called for assistance; Cincinnati Police took the child to a safe location. She has been a bus operator for 18 years.
Cincinnati Metro bus operator Dianne Wylyoperator for 18 years, lives in Roselawn.
“Metro bus operators are eyes on the community,” said Metro’s CEO Terry Garcia Crews. “Operators Holloway and Wyly demonstrated outstanding sensitivity and judgment; their actions helped prevent these children from being injured. They are heroes for keeping the children safe, and their actions deserve commendation.”
Holloway and Wyly will be presented with the CEO’s STAR Award at the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority Board meeting.The STAR Award for “Service That Attracts Recognition” is a selective award is presented by, and at the sole discretion of, Metro’s CEO. The award acknowledges and rewards employees who demonstrate exemplary service to Metro and the community.
Metro is a non-profit, tax-funded public service of the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority, providing about 17 million rides per year in Greater Cincinnati.
A Mentor Is A Special Gift
Written by Greg, a volunteer mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Butler County
I first met Cody in March of 2009. He was age 9 and I was 32. The Big Brothers Big Sisters of Butler County staff shared that the main reason Cody and his mom were looking for a “Big” was because they wanted a positive male role model in his life. From the beginning, our relationship was easy.
One early moment of importance came as we were driving back from a late-spring afternoon at the Cincinnati Zoo. I asked Cody what his favorite part of the day was. As a self-proclaimed penguin-fan, he told me it was, “…seeing the penguins.” He asked me back & I truthfully answered, “Spending the day with you.” The always talkative Cody was literally speechless. Better still, he had a huge smile on his face and he was genuinely proud. My words had struck a chord with Cody. He does not know it – but his smile struck right back.
As time passed, our relationship grew. I began looking for ways where I could help expand Cody’s horizons, while we were spending time together. I travel for work so I always make sure that Cody learns a little bit about each place that I go. We talk about different types of careers and the different things he may be able to do. We frequently talk about college and about the benefits a college education can bring.
In our match, I have tried to find the ‘balance’ between being “an adult” who tells him what to do and being “a friend” he can trust. So, this past summer, when Cody texted to tell me that he had tried to pierce his ear (without permission,)I was happy to know that he felt he could trust his ‘secret’ with me.
Cody is a great kid with a very generous heart and a mom that is a tremendously positive influence in his life. But, as he gets bigger, his decisions get bigger as well. And, like so many other adults out there looking out for teenagers, that reality makes me worry. So, Cody trusting me with his secret was a source of relief because it gives me hope that he may turn to me again down the road when he is in a time of need. And, all of that provides great insight into just how much my little brother has come to mean to me.
Cody lost his “Papaw” (maternal grandfather) about 2 years ago. Papaw was the main male role model in Cody’s life and I got to know him through our visits when I would get Cody at Papaw’s home. Towards the end, Papaw was in a hospice care facility where Cody and I visited him with the family. And during one visit, Papaw took the time to express his sincere thanks to me for being there for Cody. It warmed my heart that my match with Cody could make that much difference to his Papaw. And, his appreciation only strengthened my resolve and commitment to be there for Cody in any way that I could be.
I have volunteered for many different charity-based organizations over the years, but I never found a scenario where I felt I made a true connection with the person(s) that I was helping, so I was always looking for more. The Big Brothers Big Sisters program has provided me so much more than I knew to be possible. I came into the program because I wanted to give back, but I had no idea how much I would get in return.
How You Can Help
In addition to becoming a mentor yourself, you can help raise money for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Butler County by participating in Bowl for Kids Sake.
How can you get involved? It is easier than ever…just follow these quick steps:
1. Organize a team of 4-6 people
2. Register here:
- Saturday, March 9, 3:00 PM Eastern Lanes, Middletown
http://www.firstgiving.com/bcbbbs/bowl-for-kids-sake-2013-middletown-ohio
3. Raise money – It’s as simple as each team member asking for $10 from 5 people. They hope to see each team raise at least $50 per member (a total of $200-300 depending on how many people are on your team).
4. Come enjoy the FUN!! Come bowl, get a great looking T-shirt, eat pizza, win prizes and celebrate all your hard work!
Questions? Contact Molly Jones at molly.jones@bbbsbutler.org
or 867-1227 or 424-3397.
Art From Cincinnati Students And Artists On Display
photo credit: Pete Bender
The talents of Cincinnati artists and young students will be on display at an exhibit at University of Cincinnati Blue Ash College through the end of March.
The annual Festival in the Woods is open to the public. It runs through March 29 in Muntz Hall on the UC Blue Ash campus, 9555 Plainfield Road. (Monday – Friday, 10 a.m.to 8 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.)
Started in 1989, Festival in the Woods features more than 1,500 original works of art this year.Several local and private schools will be represented. They include Loveland, Deer Park, Indian Hill, Loveland, Madeira, Mariemont and Sycamore.
Featured artists
• Marcie May: author of “The Adventures of Penny and Tubs,” selling and signing books.
• Valerie Woebkenberg: author of “The Story the Little Christmas Tree Told,” selling and signing books and she has notecards.
• Trudy Roesch: Watercolor artist-paints a variety of winter scenes, flowers, herbs, and will have pictures and cards for sale.
• Gary Overmann: a collector of children’s’ books especially those by Beatrix Potter, Tasha Tudor. He will sell books.
• John Kraimer: director of disability services, artist, musician.
Visitors are encouraged to support a project incorporating the love of art and reading. Through the Festival in the Woods event, UC Blue Ash is partnering with the national First Book organization to provide handmade bookmarks to give to children in need. The bookmarks will be distributed with their new books.
For more information about the Festival in the Woods, visit the UC Blue Ash website at www.ucblueash.edu/performingarts/festival/festival or call (513) 936-1573.
Flashes of Hope Brings Smiles To Hospitalized Children
One afternoon every month, an exam room at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center is transformed into a photography studio for kids. That’s when an organization called Flashes of Hope photographs children battling life-threatening illnesses.
Flashes of Hope was founded in 2001 by a Cleveland woman whose son was hospitalized for cancer treatments. Now there are chapters across the country. In 2012, photographers Vickie Daniels, Mark Bealer and Helen Adams formed the Cincinnati chapter. Since then, more than 250 children have been photographed.
“We wanted to bring a gift to families to offer them something that most families don’t even think about at this time in their lives,” said Vickie Daniels, co-chair of Flashes of Hope.
A story about it from Local12
