Nonprofit Organization
Cincinnati Students Learn Messages Of ReelAbilities
A little over a month ago I wrote about the Cincinnati ReelAbilities Film Festival organized by LADD, a nonprofit organization for whom I am now doing public relations, bringing world renowned photographer Rick Guidotti here to share his – and ReelAbilities’ – message that it is our differences that give individual’s their own unique beauty.
Through the ReelAbilities Education Outreach Team, Rick spoke with hundreds of area high schools. And already, something truly outstanding has occurred to spread impact. Milford High School Photography Teacher Janelle Schunk came up with an idea for a project pairing students with and without disabilities to create an 
exhibition called Different Lives Same Beauty.
Milford’s Photography I class worked with students in the school’s multiple disabilities unit to learn about each other’s differences AND similarities. In addition to create beautiful portraits, building relationships and friendships were also goals.
“I was nervous when I first met John, who is nonverbal. I wondered how I was going to make him smile. We learned he likes beads and were able to use beads to get him to smile and look at the camera,” student Leah Breuer shared in a blog post on the Milford Schools site. “Before I had never really talked to the kids in the MD unit, but after this project I know all of their names and I say hi in the hallways.”
What is really awesome about this is the lasting impact this project will have as a foundation for future good friends, neighbors, citizens, employers and employees.
Please click to see WLWT coverage.
Speaking about success in the classroom
What is inclusion and why is it important in the positive growth for all children? Sara Bitter, ReelAbilities Education Outreach Team
chair, was interviewed recently by Jason’s Connection about the impact of ReelAbilities’ work in area schools. Please click here to read her interview.
She shared how inspiration for working with ReelAbilities came from her son who has a disability. When he entered kindergarten, she gave a presentation to his class. I think the first thing the presentation did was, it helped the kids understand some of the challenges of his disability. More importantly though, it helped them to see (through real pictures) all of his many capabilities, she told Jason’s Connection.
“…we shouldn’t assume that because someone has a disability, he or she can’t have big achievements. Can’t have great life experiences. Or can’t get a job, have a family or have a successful life. Modifications and accommodations throughout a person’s education will help them be able to participate in almost every academic and extracurricular activity so they can grow into productive self-determined adults. It just takes an ability to think outside of the box and make this happen.
Please click here to learn more about the Cincinnati ReelAbilities Film Festival Outreach Program.
Price Hill’s MyCincinnati Orchestra Builds Kid’s Confidence
Written by: Good Things Going Around Intern, Andrea Francisco, a student at Indian Hill High School in Cincinnati
MyCincinnati Orchestra builds confidence in Cincinnati kids
Price Hill’s MyCincinnati Orchestra program helps students in grades K-12 express themselves while boosting their confidence in a supportive group. Founded in 2011 by Laura Jekel, it serves as a totally engaging (and completely free!) program for kids. However, students must commit to coming every day of the program, which runs from Monday through Friday from 4-6 P.M. This is because the more time put into practicing an instrument, the better they will get at playing and the more their confidence will grow. Furthermore, this instills a strong sense of dedication and effort into the developing minds of children, something that will help them throughout the rest of their lives. Through a transformative and immersive program of learning and teamwork, students enrolled in the MyCincinnati Orchestra program will learn a set of life-changing skills — something that is truly priceless.
Laura Jekel, who is also the director and teaches some days, has an amazing background in music, along with the rest of the teachers involved in MyCincinnati Orchestra. Laura has a bachelor degree of music from Indiana University at Bloomington and completed her master of music degree at Carnegie Mellon University and the Peabody Institute. Along with this, she lived in Ecuador, where she was a member of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Guayaquil and cello professor at the music school Fronteras Musicales Abiertas in Cuenca. There is a much longer list of all the things she has accomplished — so much that it is hard to fit in this paragraph! In addition, Eddy Kwon, the assistant program director, is a Cincinnatus Presidential Full Scholar with a BM in Jazz Studies from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Also, He has been involved in many El-Sistema inspired programs in the US. To clarify, El-Sistema, Venezuela’s revolutionary youth orchestra program for social change, is the inspiration for MyCincinnati Orchestra. These are just two examples of the staff at MyCincinnati Orchestra, all of whom share an extensive background in music and dedicate their lives to bringing about social change through music.
Laura says that she has witnessed the benefit young minds garner through playing instrumental music. “I have noticed an increase in the children’s ability to focus. They are also gaining self-confidence. I believe music is empowering them to believe in themselves, and giving them a sense of identity. Learning an instrument also builds many life skills such as discipline, responsibility, and working towards long-term goals.” Learning how to play instruments requires a lot of discipline, dedication, and passion which translates to every aspect of a child’s life. This instrument learning program is especially vital to children who are not engaged in school and want to find something they love to do. Also, learning an instrument provides an outlet for children to express themselves, develop lifelong skills, and learn how to love learning. In fact, many studies show that music can help children better understand patterns when learning math. Not only this, but learning how to play an instrument can help kids with their physical coordination and emotional self-esteem. On top of this, group instrumental classes will help children find a welcoming group of friends to belong to, like a home away from home.
If you want to learn more about the positive effects of music lessons, particularly group music lessons, please click here to read an article that explains this more in-depth.
To learn more, please contact Laura at laura@pricehillwill.org or 513-251-3800 x 106
Ground Breaking For Cultural Campus Planned In Kennedy Heights
The racially and economically diverse Kennedy Heights neighborhood characterized by vacant buildings and payday lenders is about to undergo one of the region’s most dramatic revitalizations. After nearly five years of planning, the Kennedy Heights Arts Center, along with partners Kennedy Heights Montessori Center and Kennedy Heights Development Corporation, will break ground on construction November 14 to transform the vacant and derelict building (on the corner of Kennedy Ave and Montgomery Rd) which once housed a Kroger into a vibrant cultural arts campus expected to attract thousands annually. I am working with them on media relations for the event.
Please click here to read a story in Soapbox Cincinnati.
The ground breaking will begin at 3:00 pm with the program portion beginning at 3:30 pm. City officials, Robert D. Lindner, funders, neighbors and school children will be in attendance. There will also be a performance by the Silverton Paideia show choir.
A decade since local residents joined to save a crumbling historic mansion and transform it into the Kennedy Heights Arts Center, that Center is now at the helm of this neighborhood transformation. The Arts Center’s new second location in the Kennedy Heights Cultural Campus, located two doors down from their historic mansion facility, will quadruple the size of that Center and double the number of people served (to nearly 10,000).
When completed in 2015, the 10,500 sq ft Kennedy Heights Arts Center Carl, Robert, Richard and Dorothy Lindner Annex will include a 3,000 sq ft multi-purpose event center for theatre, dance and music classes, workshops and performances; a state-of-the-art Scripps Howard Media Center that will offer arts education programs for all ages in video, photography, animation, website design and graphic design; and ten individual artist studios. A gallery in the lobby will be a venue for resident artist exhibits.
A $250,000 leadership gift from Robert and Betty Lindner paved the way for the $700,000 project. Other major contributors include: Greater Cincinnati Foundation, Scripps Howard Foundation, George and Margaret McLane Foundation, The Kroger Co., John A. Schroth Charitable Trust/PNC Bank Trustee, Louise Taft Semple Foundation, Thomas Emery Memorial, Ruth and Robert Conway Foundation and gift from many individual donors.
For the Lindner family, this revitalization carries special meaning. The siblings (Carl, Robert, Richard and Dorothy) attended Kennedy-Silverton School as children, which was torn down to build Kroger and ultimately is becoming transformed into the new Kennedy Heights Cultural Campus. They also played in the yard of the former funeral home on the grounds where the Kennedy Heights Arts Center sits today. The late Carl H. Lindner and Robert D. Lindner have been generous supporters of the Kennedy Heights Arts Center since its founding, contributing a combined total more than $900,000 over ten years to support renovations and programming.
In addition to the Kennedy Heights Arts Center Lindner Annex, the Kennedy Heights Cultural Campus will include the Kennedy Heights Montessori Center and space for a third organization. A $675,000 grant from the City of Cincinnati helped the nonprofit, volunteer-run Kennedy Heights Development Corporation to acquire the building; and KHDC spent additional funds to stabilize it before this ground breaking.
For more information on the Kennedy Heights Arts Center, please visit: www.kennedyarts.org.
Greater Cincinnati Foundation Honors Philanthropists
The Greater Cincinnati Foundation recently honored dynamic people whose commitment to philanthropy is helping to make our Greater Cincinnati community a better place for all of us.
Ed and Carole Rigaud are this year’s recipients of the Jacob E. Davis Volunteer Leadership Award, recognizing their leadership and 
generosity of time toward improving the quality of life in our region. The Award was named in honor of Jacob E. Davis, GCF’s first Governing Board Chair and Volunteer Director from 1978 to 1987.
The Rigauds’ names are synonymous with generosity and dedication. They have demonstrated these qualities in their professional, volunteer, and family lives. I have been fortunate to have seen Carole’s heart in action first hand during my eight year tenure working with Lighthouse Youth Services, one of her charitable causes.
During his 36 years at Procter & Gamble (P&G), Ed became the first African-American line vice president, eventually serving as vice president of government relations in North America. In 1998, he became the first president and CEO of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, on loan from P&G. Today, Ed is a co-director of Taft Business Consulting LLC. He is also the president and CEO of Enova Premier, LLC, automotive product supply and services.
Ed’s numerous volunteer roles include being a past member of the National Museum and Library Services Board, appointed by President Bush in 2002. His many volunteer activities include Honorary Chairman of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, and serving on the boards of the Williams College of Business at Xavier University, and UC Physicians at the University of Cincinnati Medical College.
Carole has a long list of volunteer commitments and awards. She serves on the Lighthouse Youth Services and 4C for Children gala committees. She volunteers for the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Lighthouse Youth Services, Advocates for Youth, The Women’s Alliance, The Healthcare Connection, and Cincinnati Youth Collaborative. Carole has served as the co-chair of the 2013 National Underground Railroad Freedom Center’s International Freedom Conductor Awards and on the boards of GCF, Mount St. Joseph University, Cincinnati May Festival, Dress for Success, The Mercantile Library, Interact for Health, Cincinnati Museum Center, Northern Kentucky University Foundation, and The Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education.
Carole has been honored as an Enquirer Woman of the Year, a Girl Scouts Great Rivers Council Inc. Women of Distinction, and with the Lighthouse Youth Services 2010 Beacon of Light Humanitarian Award.
The GCF honored Foster & Motley Wealth Management with GCF’s Bridge Builder Award. The Bridge Builder Award is given each year 
to a professional advisor(s) who has been a supporter of the Foundation in multiple ways over many years.
Foster & Motley, Inc. is an independent SEC Registered Investment Advisor established in 1997. Its focus is to help its clients reach their financial goals. Its team of 32 employees provides the highest quality, customized, fee-only financial planning and investment services. They assist clients in managing well over $950 million in assets and provide comprehensive solutions to their complex financial and investing needs.
YWCA Cincinnati Bark Out Against Battering Event Is October 25
I’m looking forward to participating again in the annual Bark Out Against Battering event next Saturday, October 25 at Washington Park (1230 Elm Street across from Music Hall).
The benefit for YWCA Cincinnati is to raise awareness about the partnership between SPCA Cincinnati and local YWCA domestic violence shelters. 
Local 12 anchor Paula Toti will be the emcee for this family event. The Pet Parade will begin at 12:00 followed by a pet costume contest (please only dress your pet if his body language tells you he is not stressed wearing it). Registration begins at 11am. There were also be a Pet Trick-or-Treat, where attendees can walk their pets from one booth to another for a small treat from a local pet shop or service non-profit. There will be Food trucks, a pet Photo Booth and animal adoptions as well as some really awesome Raffle Prizes.
The festivities begin at 11 am and conclude by 1:30 pm.
This event will help to connect the link between domestic violence and animal abuse. Not only is cruelty to animals frequently both an indicator and predictor of interpersonal, family, and community violence, but an alarming number of women report that threats to their companion and farm animals prevent them from leaving abusive relationships. This event will allow the YWCA Domestic Violence Shelter and Women Helping Women to further emphasize that connection. Funds raised will help to support the Domestic Violence Shelter’s efforts to work with the SPCA in removing the worry women have, by assisting in providing protective shelter for pets during the women’s stay in shelter.
For more information about the YWCA, other Domestic Violence Awareness Month events, and ways to help abused animals please visit: www.ywcacincinnati.org , www.womenhelpingwomen.org , www.spcacincinnati.org
There is also a Facebook page.
