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Lower Price Hill Getting A Makeover
July 28 is going to be a big day for Lower Price Hill as hundreds of volunteers transcend on the ballfields at Evans Playground for a major renovation, the creation of a community garden, greenspace, AND a transformation of the Espy Boys & Girls Club into a youth center.
From the ribbon cutting at the 2015 Community Makeover recipient: West End: Seven Hills Neighborhood Houses, Sands School playground and Dyer ballfields
It is all happening because Procter & Gamble, the Cincinnati Reds and the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden have chosen the Cincinnati neighborhood of Lower Price Hill as the winner of the 2016 Community Makeover.
Elements of the Community Makeover will include:
- Evans Field and Playground: Upgrade existing baseball fields and park amenities
- Community Gardens: Develop largest greenspace in Lower Price Hill with natural playscape and learning gardens for children
- Espy Center: Upgrade the former Boys & Girls Club in partnership with Community Matters and Santa Maria Youth Services
Other project partners include Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and Interact For Health and partners from the community include Community Matters, Santa Maria Community Services, Community Learning Center Institute, Bloc Ministries, Cincinnati Recreation Commission and the City of Cincinnati’s Neighborhood Enhancement Program (NEP).
P&G, the Reds and the Zoo’s investments in Lower Price Hill will provide significant and sustainable impact, including reducing operating costs and energy usage and investing in the long-term development of the community and its residents.
To learn about needed donations and how you can help, please contact the Reds Community Fund at 513-765-7231 or CommunityMakeover@reds.com.
P&G and the Reds Community Fund have partnered for the Community Makeover since 2010 and the Cincinnati Zoo joined the partnership in 2013 and brings a wealth of experience in horticulture, sustainable design and maintenance to the projects.
The goal of the annual program is to choose a neighborhood renovation project that improves local youth baseball and softball programs while making a significant impact on the community and its residents.
Past Community Makeover projects:
- 2010: Winton Place: Brandon Phillips Field and P&G Field
- 2011: North College Hill: High school field and community center plus youth field in Winton Place
- 2012: Cheviot: Memorial Fields, historic grandstand and Cheviot Memorial Fieldhouse
- 2013: Avondale: Gabriel’s Place, Hirsch Recreation Center and Hirsh ballfields
- 2014: South Cumminsville: Wayne ballfields and Millvale Recreation Center
- 2015: West End: Seven Hills Neighborhood Houses, Sands School playground and Dyer ballfields
Susan Brownknight Is A Changemaker
In my shared quotes, I have talked a lot of how, to bring out the best in others, to give them wings that will raise them to their greatest potential, you need to focus on their strengths. You need to believe in them enough to be able to step back and allow them to grow through experience. You need to lead with integrity and resolve. You need to have passion for your cause.
Susan Brownknight, executive director of Living Arrangements for the Developmentally Disabled (LADD), is one of those leaders and I am one of the fortunate ones who has been given wings while working with her.
Susan first hired me as the contracted role of director of communications and media for the 2015 Cincinnati ReelAbilities Film Festival. (Then, she was director of development and public relations for LADD, the managing organization of ReelAbilities.) I was charged with the developing and implementing a vast communication plan that would raise the relatively unknown event into a massive success that would catapult it into one of the region’s gem attractions. That campaign (with help from lots of volunteers, partners and staff) was a massive success and will always be one I look back on with huge pride.
In a recommendation afterwards, Susan said of me, “Lisa was a key reason why we were so successful, selling out the majority of our events and creating an organic “buzz” that proved invaluable.”
BUT, I have to say, I was able to achieve what I did because of the leadership for which I was working. Susan has all those leadership skills I described above and more. She believes in people and their abilities. She gives them wings. She is also a real pioneer, an organizer, an energizer and a doer.
LADD is a Cincinnati nonprofit organization that is recognized as a leader in helping adults who experience a developmental disability to live independently and reach their aspirations. They do that through housing, education and other support services to more than 500 individuals and their families.
I believe wholeheartedly in their mission. Wanting to help people see and reach for their greatest potential is our shared passion.
And, while circumstances caused me to not be able to serve in my role with the next upcoming Film Festival, I am thrilled to be back working with Susan and the team of LADD to tell the organization’s story.
Please take a few minutes and learn more about Susan, and where her inspiration for leadership comes from.
Lisa: Prior to joining LADD, your resume includes having worked at the Cincinnati Nature Center (in development and marketing) and for the Sierra Club. Why did you shift your focus into the disability field?
Susan: Really, in all of my jobs, my focus has always been on people and communities. While at the Nature Center, I really wanted to return to more direct connections. I have always felt I was called to do that. At LADD, what I do is on that same theme of giving voices to individuals and communities. There is so much work needed to be done around affordable housing, giving people a voice, and equal opportunities. LADD touches on all of the issues I have grappled with.
When you have an opportunity to work with incredible people, you have so much gratitude on a daily basis. The employees at LADD are truly exceptional people and as I have matured, I value them more. They challenge me and I hope they say I challenge them to be their best.
Lisa: You volunteered for the Homeless Coalition years back. What lessons did you learn from that experience?
Susan: There are so many people who have unbelievable tragedy in their lives who are inspired by love. I moved to Over-the-Rhine in 1997 and volunteered at Drop Inn Center. A month into volunteer time, Buddy Grey (a tireless advocate for those who are homeless) was murdered. I was thrown into the deep end. Buddy was such a force. Andy Hutzel was my boss and I took a lot of guidance from him. At such a young age himself, despite his devastating loss, all Andy cared about was supporting those around him.
I was still in college at the time. I had so much anger, fear and frustration; and I had a boss who could have gone a lot of ways but chose to focus on those who worked with him. I joined their staff in 1999 for a few years, lived in OTR for many years, and was a board member longer than that. I learned so much from that whole experience.
Lisa: You are one of the most encouraging, energizing people I have ever met. Where did that come from?
Susan: For a good portion of career, I struggled with people who are mean. They have been a source of immense confusion because I truly love people inside and out.
One of reasons is that I grew up with a group of friends from first grade who, to this day, are my great supporters. We have all remained so tight. They are incredible and they buffered me from negativity early on. We are all strong women who love and are there for each other unconditionally. It has been a process in life to realize that not everyone is that supportive and kind. I give them all credit, and blame, for me failing to understand how anyone can go to a place of fear and anger. I have developed a skill set to facilitate effectively when I do interact with people who have gone to that place.
Lisa: What are some of your goals as the new leader for LADD?
Susan: It is a cultural shift for communities to respect difference. People need to recognize that society has played a role in defining disability. Stairs disable someone in a wheelchair. A person in a wheelchair should not be defined by disability because their built environment is not for them. People on the autism spectrum process things differently. Why can’t we take advantage of the unique perspective a person brings? There is so much opportunity to focus on ability vs. disability. We are not there yet, but moving in the right direction.
On Susan’s email signature, she reminds us of one of her favorite Nelson Mandela quotes. “Vision without action is only a dream. Action without vision is merely passing time. But vision with action can change the world.”
And that is how Susan is going to get things done.
Lessons Learned From Ohio HB 158
It is so important for us to recognize the profound impact our language has on others. Our choice of words can encourage, energize and inspire; or they can discourage, exclude and deflate.
We experience the impact in our work, our homes, our schools and our personal relationships. Consciously or unconsciously, what we say and how we are spoken 
to influence our ability to succeed or fail as individuals, as a community.
I have seen children raised in the most difficult of circumstances grow to be resilient leaders due in part to the positive role models in their lives who focused on strengths. I have seen flourishing workplaces where employees excel because they are working in a nurturing environment where management and colleagues understand the value of positive reinforcement. And I have seen people who do, think and say things differently with confidence and fortitude because the opinions, actions and yes, words, of those in their lives have fostered a sense of belonging, understanding, and ability.
For as long as I have been an adult, through all the many years that I have worked with disability related organizations, that I have simply lived and experienced relationships, I have disliked the words ‘mental retardation’. The words have a visceral effect on me. It just sounds derogatory and belittling to me, perhaps because of the horrible feeling I got in the pit of my stomach when I heard the abbreviation, ‘retard’. That same ugly feeling I get when I hear words referred to other groups of people aimed at knocking them down.
I recognize that to many, those words ‘mental retardation’ may conjure no negative or positive meaning. They are simply six syllables taught to describe a population.
Diana Mairose, an advocate support advisor for Hamilton County Developmental Disabilities Services, has been tirelessly working to change the vocabulary used to refer to people with disabilities. She is the major reason why the word ‘handicapped’ was removed from the blue accessibility signs locally and statewide. In 2009, she helped remove the words ‘mental retardation’ from the State of Ohio; however, not in the Ohio Revised Code…until last week. (You can read more about her in this post.)
In front of about 100 people – i
ncluding Diana – Governor John Kasich signed into law Ohio House Bill 158, which formally removes the MR phrase in the Ohio Revised Code, replacing it with the more respectful ‘intellectual disability’.
“It was a very honored occasion,” Diana told me. “I am really happy that the people in government can see how it will show respect to so many people we serve. Mental retardation are words we need to stop using all together.”
Now it is our turn, to make a conscious decision to stop using words that discourage, exclude and deflate people. And, instead, use our language to rise people up, energize, include and inspire them.
When we do that, we all will benefit.
Cincinnati Area Donors Honored
It has been such a privilege to be working with the Greater Cincinnati Planned Giving Council for the 7th year in promoting some of our region’s incredibly generous philanthropists through the Voices of Giving Awards. This year the organization honored donors on behalf of 25 nonprofit organizations whose important work is supported 
by their decision to give a planned gift (and much more in heart and time). Those Greater Cincinnati philanthropists are strengthening local neighborhoods, families and individual lives through their actions.
“Our Voices of Giving honorees have such diverse interests, often with deep rooted passion from personal experiences. They represent the true spirit of philanthropy and their gifts will touch thousands of lives directly and indirectly in our region, for generations to come. Their donations will help these important causes that are close to their hearts to be sustainable for future generations,” said Voices of Giving Co-Chair Molly Talbot, VP of Advancement at St. Ursula Academy.
Several hundred guests attended the Awards Event that was held at CET and emceed by Local 12’s John Lomax.
2016 Honorees included: (please note that honorees from two organizations asked to be left out of publicity and are not listed) Carson Smith (honored posthumously) on behalf of the American Cancer Society; Fran Cohen on behalf of CET – Greater Cincinnati Television Educational Foundation; Joe and Sandy Dominiak on behalf of The Children’s Home of Cincinnati; Thomas Ernst Huenefeld on behalf of Cincinnati Museum Center; Digi France Schueler on behalf of Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park; Mary Rose J. Zink on behalf of Cincinnati Public Radio; Mace Justice on behalf of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra; Dr. Steve and Diane Dumbauld on behalf of the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden; Patricia Armstrong on behalf of the CISE Foundation; Doug Spitler on behalf of Episcopal Retirement Services; Richard Hildbold (honored posthumously) on behalf of the Freestore Foodbank; Jerome and Suzanne Teller on behalf of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute and Isaac M. Wise Temple; Val Schube on behalf of Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation; Rick and Julie Kantor on behalf of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati; Rev. Dr. Joseph and Blanch Graham on behalf of Life Enriching Communities Foundation – Twin Towers; Donald L. Neyer on behalf of Life Enriching Communities Foundation – Twin Lakes; Lawrence Klosterkemper on behalf of Mount St. Joseph University and Roger Bacon High School; Jerry W. Warner, Ph.D. on behalf of Northern Kentucky University; Bill and Helene Sedwick on behalf of People Working Cooperatively; Margaret ‘Tuck’ Fraser (honored posthumously) on behalf of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Cincinnati; Ursulines of Cincinnati on behalf of Saint Ursula Academy; Lisa O’Brien on behalf of United Way of Greater Cincinnati; and Dan and Julie Murphy on behalf of Xavier University.
Please click the link to read the honorees’ brief bios: 2016 Voices of Giving honoree bios
The Greater Cincinnati Planned Giving Council is a professional association for people whose work includes developing, marketing, and administering charitable planned gifts for non-profit institutions and a variety of other legal and financial settings.
Karen And Her Dog Spread Joy
I met Karen Spradlin when I helped with some classes at a local dog training club. Karen was a volunteer also, and occasionally brought her labradoodle, Baxter. I looked forward to those Mondays early in my dog training career. I enjoyed the challenge of working with handlers who were having difficulty teaching their pets and I also 
benefitted from the positive, nurturing environment of Karen and head trainer Gloria White, CPDT-KA. Both became great friends, Gloria also becoming a mentor, whose encouragement also led to my studying for and passing he CPDT-KA certification.
A retired teacher, Karen is an instructor for Therapy Pets of Greater Cincinnati. Baxter is her second therapy dog, her first was a Rottweiler that died in 2012. He keeps her very busy as they spend many a days together brightening the spirits of those in need. I wanted to share some of her story.
Lisa: Please share how you came to have Baxter in your life.
Karen: I was deeply grieving after my other dog died, and had gone to so many shelters looking for another Rottweiler that would be a good therapy dog. I just could not find one. Two weeks after I got down on my knees and asked God to help, a friend called me to say they were taking me to get a labradoodle. He was five months old at the time and his owner was getting rid of him because his legs were too long and so she just kept him outside. He was brown because he was covered in dirt.
Lisa: Adopting him meant adopting his issues too.
Karen: It was very difficult in the beginning. Baxter was chewing everything and when I took him to a training class, he was barking and jumping and unmanageable. I was so discouraged. I told Gloria I couldn’t come back and I remember Gloria asking me if Baxter was going to be my forever dog. She asked if those behaviors are ones you want to live with, and if not, that I did not have a choice. We went to classes for a year and socialization was constant.
Lisa: Now Baxter does therapy work with you. That is quite a journey. What do you and Baxter do together?
Karen: Weekly we go to Clermont and Anderson Mercy Hospitals once a week, Batavia Elementary School on Thursdays for reading, and on Fridays to Forest Hills Care Center – a nursing home and rehabilitation center. We also visit Beckett Springs once a month in West Chester and once a month go to the Veterans Hospital downtown as well as do private presentations. It keeps us busy.
Lisa: Has there been any people who have been particularly impactful to you in your therapy work?
Karen: Yes, absolutely. As handlers, you don’t often know what the patient is thinking when you are visiting but sometimes you are fortunate to learn of how you have touched people and that makes this so special.
I remember one time when I was asked to give a presentation to the HOPE Community Center for Mental Wellness in Amelia, Ohio. One of ladies there weighed about 400 pounds. She raised her hand, and said, ‘you don’t remember me, do you?’ She told me she was in Clermont Mercy Hospital and that day, before we got there, she had told the nurse she just wanted to die. She hadn’t eaten or drank anything for three days, but Baxter and my visit made her feel good about herself. ‘You finished up by telling me this will get better and tomorrow will get better for you. After you left, you told me I had worth. I ate that day and started my pills that day,’ she shared. She told me I saved her life. I will never forget that.
Afterwards, Baxter was meeting people and there was another woman who was staring ahead into space. I brought Baxter to her and as he nudged her arm, she started petting him and said, ‘he is my sweet baby.’ Everyone stood up. When the day was over, a supervisor told me this was a really good day. They had never heard that woman’s voice before and she was at HOPE Center for three weeks.
It is those kinds of stories that make this time so special, and inspire me to continue doing this.
Lisa: You also just started a reading program at the Amelia Library.
Karen: Through Therapy Pets of Greater Cincinnati, I was asked to start a Reading Education Assistance Dogs (READ) program at the Amelia Library and we are just kicking it off. Yesterday we had four dogs there. Hundreds of children have read to therapy dogs through READ. It is a great way to encourage a love of learning in kids.
Lisa: Outside of your therapy dog work, what advice do you give others on life?
Karen: Advice I give to my grandkids and every student is to make a plan and work the plan. Life is going to happen no matter what; and it can be really good or be bad. When you get in a car for a road trip, what is the first thing you do? What if you don’t have directions? If you want your life to be successful, then you have to make the plan for what you want to be. It isn’t easy but you need to do it.
