Event
Ohio National Victorian Holiday Village Is Almost Here
There is something so magical about the holiday season and so many fun traditions. This is one.
For the eleventh year, Cincinnati’s Ohio National Financial Services is bringing back its Victorian Holiday Village. It features child-sized houses, decorated scenes, cookies and cocoa, free 5 x 7″ photos with Santa, and more. The ONtime Express, a miniature train, will take guests from the parking garage to the Village, and balloon artist elves. Returning this year is the Century House. A miniature scale replica of a Habitat for Humanity home celebrates Ohio Nationalâs 100th anniversary commitment to build 10 new Habitat for Humanity homes in the Cincinnati community over the next five years.
It all takes place at Ohio National Financial Services at the intersection of I-71 and Pfeiffer Rd.
The Village is open:
Friday, November 30 from 6-8:30 p.m.
Saturday, December 1 from 5-8:30 p.m.
Thursday, December 6 from 6-8:30 p.m.
Friday, December 7 from 6-8:30 p.m.
While admission to the event is free, all guests are asked to bring a nonperishable food item (no glass containers, please), which will be donated to the Freestore Foodbank.
The Village will remain lit throughout December, but the refreshments, photos and entertainment will only be provided during the four nights above.
A Puggy Pal Is Up For Grabs By ArtWorks Cincinnati
Is it a pig or is it a dog? It’s both!
A Puggy Pal was designed and created by Stephen Smith and Jennifer Acus-Smith and sponsored by an Anonymous donor in honor of Therapy Pets of Greater Cincinnati. Youâll notice that heâs wearing the green vest that Therapy Petsâ pups often don! This is one of eleven pigs that ArtWorks is auctioning off as a part of Secret ArtWorks: When Pigs Invade. A portion of the proceeds from this auction will go towards supporting ArtWorksâ programming while the rest will go towards supporting Therapy Pets of Greater Cincinnati.
What is Secret ArtWorks?
Well, on Friday, November 16, hundreds of 5â x 7â pieces of art will be up for grabs at Secret ArtWorks: When Pigs Invade!  Theyâre all made by locally, nationally or internationally acclaimedâŠbut the SECRET part of this is that you wonât know the identity of the artist unless and until you purchase the piece. Pretty sneaky!
All proceeds from the event will benefit ArtWorks Cincinnati, an award-winning nonprofit that empowers and inspires the creative community to transform everyday environments through employment, apprenticeships, education, community partnerships, and civic engagement. Since 1996, ArtWorks has employed more than 2,500 youth and 500 professional artists.
Secret ArtWorks Information:
Friday, November 16, 2012
5:00 pm â 9:00 pm
5:00 â 6:00 cocktails and music
6:00 curtains open
MCA Event Center
Mercantile Building
120 E 4th Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Admission: $125 (single), $175 (double). Â Includes admission to the event, voucher for one (1) Secret Work of Art, drink tickets, and hors dâoeuvres.
For more information, please click here.
Character Council Honors Greater Cincinnati Heroes Of Character
Samuel Wenger
When it comes to understanding everybodyâs basic need for being included, Loveland Middle School student Samuel Wenger has a pretty good grasp. Actually, as a 7th grader, Samuel understands the meaning of friendship, acceptance and belonging better than many adults.
Just ask his close friend. Coreyâs impulsiveness and language delays made getting to know others somewhat difficult. That is, until he met one of the most popular students in school. Samuel purposefully sought Corey out to include him at recess, in the lunch room, and in class; and, by mid-year, their classmates also came to realize Corey had gifts to share.
That story of genuine caring is not unique. In Runnerâs Club, if a student was struggling to finish or seemed lonely, it was always Samuel who would break apart to join him or her.
However, donât think for a second that I am writing about a boy who has everything easy. Samuelâs asthma has been the cause of many emergency trips to the nurseâs office, missed classes and missed recess. But he never misses finishing his homework and making the honor roll.
On November 7, 2012, he will be among five students and four adult leaders to be recognized by the Character Council of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky as Heroes of Character.
Adult honorees include Dr. Jane Knudson of Indian Hill Schools, Matthew Long of Green Recycling Works, Dan Hurley of Leadership Cincinnati, and George Vincent of Dinsmore & Shohl, LLP. Other Kids of Character honorees are Ty Battle of St. Vivian School in Cincinnati, Julia Feldmann of Union Elementary in West Chester, Brookln A Davis of Rees E Price Academy in Price Hill, Dillon Held of St. Veronica School in Anderson Township.
Several Thousand To Walk For Suicide Prevention
On Sunday, October 14, over 2000 people are expected to unite at the University of Cincinnatiâs McMicken Commons and walk together to raise awareness (and funds) about the need for the important work of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP).
 Emily Reitenbach-Molina will be among them. Below is her story:
 
We walk first and foremost to pay tribute to Shannon’s life. We don’t want how her life ended to define who she was, so we walk to remember how she lived.  Shannon battled for more than half her life with an eating disorder, which is a physical, emotional and mental illness. It was her illness that controlled her life. She wanted to battle this disease alone, but her illness was bigger than she was. Although Shannon was never alone, her disease prevented her from seeing that. We don’t want anyone else to have to suffer the way she did, no one should have to battle any illness feeling alone. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. For so many unfortunately, there are not treatments for their illness, but fortunately for those who suffer with depression and mental illness, there is help and you can and deserve to live a happy and healthy life. We walk to make sure people know that they are important and we need them here. We walk to provide a voice for those who suffer in silence.Â
We walk to give hope and support to others so they know they aren’t alone in this journey. We walk to raise funds for education and research, but most importantly, we walk  to raise awareness, for our own healing and prove that, “broken hearts, still beat.”Â
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is at the forefront of a wide range of suicide prevention initiatives — each designed to reduce loss of life from suicide. Among them:
- Fund scientific research
- Offer educational programs for professionals
- Educate the public about mood disorders and suicide prevention
- Promote policies and legislation that impact suicide and prevention
- Provide programs and resources for survivors of suicide loss and people at risk, and involve them in the work of the Foundation
The local Cincinnati Chapter has a number of important programs including providing education for teachers, support for survivors, and developing a web-based program for reaching at risk students.
With a suicide attempt estimated to occur every minute of every day in the United States and over 38,000 lives lost each year, the importance of AFSP’s mission has never been greater, nor our work more urgent.
This weekend will be the AFSPâs 9th Annual Out of the Darkness Walk. Last year over 1,500 people participated and they are expecting many more this year. It is a FREE event (however donations are welcome), and is very family and stroller friendly, with a 3 mile walk around the perimeter of the University of Cincinnati’s McMicken Commons. Day-of registration begins at 10 am. with the walk beginning at 11 a.m.
TEDxCincinnati Brings Inspiration To Cincinnati
I am on the leadership team of TEDxCincinnati – independently licensed by TED to bring thought-provoking ideas to life with engaging speakers and performers. (If you haven’t heard about TED, I encourage you to visit www.ted.com.) TED Talks can be riveting, courageous, inspirational and world changing. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience.
Our October 4 TEDxCincinnati âEvery Citizen a Diplomatâ event is all about stirring the conversation, sparking the spark, moving people to action. Itâs all about The POWER of ONE when it comes to being a global influencer. Before the start of the regional Sister Cities conference, we are inviting people in Cincinnati to join us and hear from those who are working to celebrate cultural diversity.
Below is a guest editorial about my involvement with TEDxCincinnati.  I first wrote it  for my enewsletter and then submitted to the Community Press. (By the way, if you’d like to read more of my thoughts, I encourage you to subscribe to my enewsletter.)
Guest Column
The greatest benefit for me to working with groups like TEDxCincinnati is the inspiration that is passed along by people who are truly passionate about affecting change.
For the past several weeks Iâve been part of the TEDxCincinnati leadership team, working to bring people together for an Oct. 4 âEvery Citizen a Diplomat.â
Sponsored by Cincinnati USA Sister Cities and Sister Cities International, TEDxCincinnati will bring thought provoking ideas to life at the National Undergound Railroad Freedom Center with speakers and performers. Theyâll share personal stories and talk about the power within each of us to bridge cultural understanding and cooperation, and to build and strengthen relationships in our own communities, our country and around the world.
Our ultimate goal? We want to spark energy, conversation and action. We want to build on Greater Cincinnatiâs momentum that weâve already demonstrated this summer of embracing diverse cultures with openness and appreciation.
When Bob Herring, principal of Nativity School in Pleasant Ridge, told me he believes that in order to move forward, we must begin with the kids in elementary school I could hear his conviction in his voice. He has facilitated 42 student exchanges with 24 school in 18 countries since joining the School in 1984; and the School has been involved with the international âFriendship Projectâ much longer. Right now actually his school is hosting students from Hungary.
âIf we could bring the young people of the world together, they could form those friendships and relationships that would lead to a future we all want. They would learn that stereotypes that they held about other nations and cultures, other traditions and languages were really not true,â he had told the St. Anthony Messenger.
I learned this firsthand when, as an 11-year-old, I was involved with Childrenâs International Summer Village. It really didnât seem to matter when I didnât use the same words to communicate with others from countries I had only seen on a map. The language of smiles and laughter, tears and hugs, hopes and dreamsâŠthose are universal.
When people of different cultures, races, religions, ages, and socio-economic backgrounds come together with openness and cooperation it is a beautiful thing. When all of us not just accept but appreciate how diversity strengthens us and strengthens our community, then we all benefit.
I invite you to join us. It is going to be a powerful night. To register, please visit www.TEDxCincinnati.com.
Lisa Desatnik’s guest column for Community Press
TEDxCincinnati Presenters
Bob Herring, principal of Nativity School, who since 1984 has facilitated 42 student exchanges with 24 schools in 18 countries
Carlos Reyes, board member of Sister Cities International and president/CEO of Young Americans for Diplomatic Leadership
Jenny M. Buccos, who through ProjectExplorer.org has directed/produced 375 short films viewed by millions of students in 40 countries, is a 2012 White House Champion of Change, and is a 2010 recipient of a National Award for Citizen Diplomacy
David Le, owner of Findlay Marketâs popular Pho Lang Thang Vietnamese restaurant, whose Vietnamese parents inspired him to become a successful businessman and advocate for Asian Americans
Michael Cioffi, partner at the international law firm of Blank Rome LLP, who is included in the 2012 edition of âThe Best Lawyers in Americaâ and is also the founder of Monteverdi, a collection of 12 buildings in a Tuscany medieval village that hosts guests from around the world.
And also performing at the event will be Bi-Okoto Dance & Drum Theatre and the Young Professionals’ Choral Collective of Cincinnati.
