Nonprofit fundraiser
United Way Of Greater Cincinnati Campaign Success Will Impact Thousands
Yesterday hundreds of executives, employees, organizers, fundraisers and volunteers all gathered on our downtown Foutain Square. This time last year I was among them. They are the voice of the United Way of Greater Cincinnati and together, over the next couple of months, they will all be working toward a common goal – raising $62,850,000 for our 
region’s future.
Talk about a lofty goal!
“Centering our lives on making a difference for others by creating healthy communities to live, work and raise families is a noble calling for all of us. In Greater Cincinnati, United Way is the catalyst that helped spark strategic thinking about how we develop and sustain our region as a healthy place for everyone to live and work,” said Campaign Co-Chair Michael Connelly, president and CEO, Catholic Health Partners, who is co-chairing the 2013 United Way of Greater Cincinnati annual fundraising campaign with his wife, Sally, a community volunteer leader.
“If the goal is reached, it will be the highest amount this United Way has ever raised,” says Michael Connelly. Last year the total was $61,050,000 – $50,000 over goal.
“This year’s goal strongly reinforces our message that Bold Goals need Bold Resources,” says Sally Connelly. “We need to raise as much as we can to achieve the Bold Goals and help children, individuals and families throughout the region.”
I know firsthand of this need for success. For twenty plus years I have worked in our regions, helping nonprofits doing very important work to tell their story, to forge relationships. I have seen the faces on parents who received financial and mental support to improve the lives of their families. I have seen people overcome obstacles they never thought they were capable of doing. I have seen the impact of a caring hand. On any given day, tens of thousands of lives are touched by work of a United Way funded agency or program.
This is a campaign that is about all of us. Beyond fundraising, United Way is asking the community to become advocates for change. People can join United Way of Greater Cincinnati’s advocacy network through its website. Community members can also find more volunteer opportunities through the United Way Volunteer Connection.
It all ends October 30, 2013. To learn more, please visit www.uwgc.org.
Five Year Old Raises Money For Oklahoma Tornado Victims
Five year old Aiden Thacker has been attending The Kinder Garden School in West Chester
since he was a toddler, and director Trudi Simpson told me he has always been an empathetic little boy. Still, what a special surprise when he walked into her office out of the blue one day recently and told her he wanted to raise money for the families who lost everything in the Oklahoma tornado.
“What could I say? Of course I wanted to support him,” Trudi said. “I suggested that he make a sign and write a letter to the KGS families and he responded immediately. He got his whole class involved.”
This is what his note read: “My name is Aiden. I want to help all the people of the tornado. They need food, clothes, toys and money for their homes. So, please help.”
Aiden’s goal is to raise $500 to donate to Matthew 25 Ministries which will go directly to aid the victims of the May 20 tornado. And he has already exceeded that goal with the help of family, neighbors and classmates.
Aiden’s sign he made to display at his school
The Kinder Garden School will hold a ceremony so Aiden can present the money to a representative of Matthew 25 Ministries on June 7.
“We are all so proud of Aiden and his philanthropic spirit,” Trudi said. “He is such a loving boy and for him to be so enthusiastic about helping others shows just what a future leader looks like.”
Students Donated Nearly $50,000 Through Magnified Giving
Last fall it was so wonderful to have been given the opportunity to learn about one of our region’s truly great philanthropists – Roger Grein when I helped raise awareness of his contributions. Roger has given to local nonprofits with his resources and his heart. However, his greatest legacy is in the hearts of thousands of young people in whom he and his Magnified Giving team of staff and volunteers have instilled long lasting generosity.
Magnified Giving is a nonprofit organization whose mission it is to educate, inspire, and engage students in philanthropy. Its vision of Magnified Giving is for every high school student in America, starting with the Greater 
Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area, to someday have the opportunity to learn first-hand how to be generous and wise philanthropists.
Each year, participating school groups are challenged to determine how they want to invest up to $2000 in a nonprofit. They research, evaluate nonprofit grant applications, fundraise to earn matching dollars – gaining leadership, communication, and teamwork skills as part of the process. This spring in a packed auditorium of over 600 students, teachers, nonprofits, donors, parents, and community leaders, nearly $50,000 was presented to causes doing great work.
“The most rewarding aspect of Magnified Giving is when what we do in the classroom reaches beyond the walls of the school in a tangible way. I see students ‘get it’ when they come back from a site visit,” said Julie Vehorn, director of curriculum and instruction at Roger Bacon High School overseeing her school’s Magnified Giving program.
Participating Schools
Aiken College & Career
Arlington Heights
Bethel-Tate
Bishop Brossart
Chaminade Julienne
Cincinnati Country Day
Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy
Covington Catholic
Dater
Elder
Holmes
Indian Hill
Kings
Loveland
McAuley
McNicholas
Miami Valley Christian Academy
Mother of Mercy
Mt. Notre Dame
Notre Dame Academy
Perry High School
Reading
Roger Bacon
St. Henry
St. Xavier
School for the Creative and Performing Arts
Seton
Shroder
Starfire University
Summit Country Day
Taylor
Ursuline Academy
Wyoming
Pilot Programs
Madeira Middle School
Northern KY Youth Advisory Board
Miss Junior Teen Ohio, Jessica Waters, Has Can DO Attitude
On May 18, 2008, just days before Jessica Waters was to become 12, got the news that would rock her world. Finally, the trouble she was having with focusing and remembering in school was given a name. Jessica became one of the estimated 2.5 million America
ns diagnosed with Epilepsy, a disease of the central nervous system.
Suddenly, this young girl who liked to think of herself as the ‘tough kid’ was fighting the battle of her life. In her teenage years she has experienced three kinds of seizures including seven grand mal seizures. And her medicine altered her personality. Jessica was told she could no longer ride her bike and coaches no longer wanted her on their sports teams. She was asked not to attend parties. She was told she would never be able to dance, tumble or cheer again – her great passions. She was harassed and bullied.
It was a summer camp, Camp Flamecatcher for children with epilepsy and other disabilities, where Jessica came to realize she CAN still swim, canoe, run, swing, and do arts and crafts. And, she saw other kids doing those things too.
“It really opened my eyes,” she said. “Kids don’t realize how much they can do. Camp taught me that epilepsy wasn’t a defining factor in my life.”
But that experience wouldn’t have been possible for her without a sponsor. It is a gift that she is paying forward. She founded Cupcake Charity (with support from her mom) to raise scholarship money to send other kids to Camp Flamecatcher whose families otherwise couldn’t afford the cost. Jessica raised enough for two partial and one full scholarship, and she is working hard to raise more this year.
The Camp experience also stirred her to action in another way. “People just don’t listen to young people well and I thought what better way to do something about that then to go for a title,” she said. “I researched the pageant organizations that care about what you do for others and that is what I am all about.”
Meet Miss Junior Teen Ohio 2012
At 15, Jessica – Miss Junior Teen Ohio 2012 – is a dedicated advocate for the Epilepsy Foundation, a member of her school’s Varsity Dance Team, a cheerleader for Beavercreek City Schools, received an All Team Academic Aw
ard and varsity letter for playing hockey, and is always looking for volunteer opportunities. Jessica is the youngest TWIG Auxiliary member for Dayton Children’s Hospital and is working with Julie Vann (previous mayor of Beavercreek) to establish a scholarship in honor of students her school has lost. For all that Jessica has accomplished, her list of accolades is simply too long to list.
I asked Jessica what her message is to other young people like herself. “I tell them to not let their disease or disability define them. You can do anything you put your mind to.”
I think that is a great lesson for all of us.
ArtsWave Cincinnati Holding Amazing Arts Race
ArtsWave announces the Amazing Arts Race, a creative scavenger hunt for young professionals in downtown Cincinnati, will be held Saturday, April 13. Registration is now open at www.amazingartsrace.com. The Amazing Arts Race is generously sponsored by the Taft Museum of Art with support of The Thomas J. Emery Memorial and The Greater Cincinnati Foundation. This event supports ArtsWave’s annual community campaign for the arts which runs through April 30.
In an event inspired by the hit reality TV series The Amazing Race, teams will race to complete a series of arts challenges in Downtown Cincinnati including finding works of art and architecture, answering arts trivia, and making art themselves. Teams and organizers will use Twitter to obtain clues and complete some tasks. From origami to charades to dance breaks, these fun challenges will stretch team members’ creativity. Prizes will be awarded to the first, second and third place teams in addition to random prize drawings.
“Last year, GE Aviation organized an arts scavenger hunt for young professionals at their company,” says Jared Queen, Campaign Manager at ArtsWave and Amazing Arts Race coordinator. “Our ArtsWave Young Professionals group loved the idea and decided this year to scale it up to an event for teams from all across the region.” Teams will move around downtown by foot and/or by car to different arts organizations and works of public art. Running gear is not required, as creativity will be as important as speed.
ArtsWave partner companies are encouraged to form teams of 2 to 4 people, but the event is open to all young professionals. Individuals interested in being paired with a team can contact Jared directly at jared.queen@theartswave.org.
Registration is $10 per person and can be completed online at www.amazingartsrace.com. Deadline to register is April 7. Teams will be notified by email and twitter of the race starting point the week of April 8.
