Nonprofit Organization
Greater Cincinnati Planned Giving Council Honors Philanthropists
I have so enjoyed working with the committee of the Greater Cincinnati Planned Giving Council for more than five years in sharing the news of their Voices of Giving Awards. It is a wonderful effort to say thanks to those who have made lasting contributions to causes close to their hearts.
In this year’s 16th annual Voices of Giving Awards presented by PNC Bank, 26 Greater Cincinnati philanthropists were recognized for their selfless generosity and foresight in contributing a bequest or planned gift to their favorite charitable organization. Also honored were two advisors whose pivotal role in cultivating those gifts is helping sustain valuable causes.
“It is our great honor to celebrate so many truly inspirational individuals in our community. Our Voices of Giving Awards honorees have such diverse passions; however, what they have in common is their selfless generosity and foresight. Their bequests and planned gifts are ensuring the sustainability of many very important causes in our community,” said Michelle Mancini, co-chair for the event.
Philanthropist honorees included: Terry Bruck on behalf of the Cancer Support Community Greater Cincinnati – Northern Kentucky; William and Susan Friedlander on behalf of the Cincinnati Ballet; Rosemary and Frank Bloom on behalf of the Cincinnati Museum Center; Marvin Kolodzik on behalf of the Cincinnati Symphony and Pops Orchestra & the University of Cincinnati Foundation; T. Brian Brockhoff on behalf of the Catholic Inner-City Schools Education Foundation; Dan Meyer on behalf of Episcopal Retirement Homes: Susan Mustian on behalf of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation; Robert Brant on behalf of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati; Herb Reller and Bessie Wessel (both honored posthumously) on behalf of Life Enriching Communities – Twin Towers; Jack Wild on behalf of Life Enriching Communities – Twin Lakes; Roger Grein on behalf of Magnified Giving; Gary and Joyce Sallquist on behalf of Miami Valley Christian Academy; Dr. James M. Garvey, Jr. on behalf of People Working Cooperatively; Gary and Joan Thompson (Joan was honored posthumously) on behalf of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Cincinnati; Robert and Rhea Glassmeyer (honored posthumously) on behalf of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur; James J. and Anne McGraw, Jr. on behalf of The Athenaeum of Ohio; Dorothy Meader Martin Kersten (honored posthumously) on behalf of The Greater Cincinnati Television Educational Foundation (CET); and Fred Grove and Nancy Neff on behalf of Xavier University.
Advisors who were honored were Scott Boster on behalf of the American Cancer Society; and Jan Frankel on behalf of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati.
To read short backgrounds on each of the honorees,
please click the link below:
2014 Voices of Giving Honorees
To see the entire photo album from the event,
please click here.
The 2014 event was co-chaired by Lori Asmus and Michelle Mancini. Committee members included Sally Alspaugh, Diana Collins, Carol Derkson, Bruce Favret, Jim Friedman, Misty Griesinger, Bill Hitch, Mary Alice Koch, Telly McGaha, Tracy Monroe, Carol Stevie, Sue Ellen Stuebing, Dan Virzi, and Molly Talbot.
The Greater Cincinnati Planned Giving Council is a professional association for people whose work includes developing, marketing, and administering charitable planned giftsfor non-profit institutions and a variety of other legal and financial settings.
Richard Renaldi’s Touching Strangers Comes to Cincinnati
I first heard about Richard Renaldi’s photography project several years ago when I saw it featured on CBS News, and thought it was such a brilliant, fun idea to capture the human connection. Since 2007, with his large format 8-by-10-inch view camera in tow, Richard has been going up to complete strangers and asking them to get closer than comfort. For a few short moments those people who had never seen eachother before interact as two strangers typically do not do. Their expressions are priceless.
And now through June 27, ArtWorks Cincinnati has brought Richard here to do a Cincinnati version of Touching Strangers. So, if you get approached by a man and a camera, you just may be about to get to know someone new on a whole new level.
I can’t wait to see what Richard finds here!
University of Cincinnati Student Raising Money Through Art
Lizzi Egbers is in her final year at the University of Cincinnati DAAP for Interior Design; and later this summer she is heading to Casablanca, Chile with Habitat for Humanity’s Global Village Program. She is looking forward to helping build homes for families of children with disabilities so that they can return from the hospital to fully accessible homes.
“I love going to design school and I think it’s an amazing profession to bring beauty to the world, but to me that’s two-fold between design and service. I chose to partake in a Habitat for Humanity Global trip because as an interior designer you learn how important the space you live is and how much it affects you. Being able to create a place that can be called home for a family that has already been through so many hardships is really uplifting to me,” she wrote me.
Here is how you can help. To raise money for her trip, Lizzi has asked 29 talented people to create a piece of art based on a word she gave them. All of the words collectively create a poem that has inspired Lizzi’s thoughts about service. The art is being sold in a silent auction at a show June 18 from 6 to 9 pm at Rhinegeist Brewery (1910 Elm St) in Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine.
Magnified Giving Teaches Youth About Philanthropy
I am so fortunate that my public relations work allows me to help such truly special causes. Magnified Giving is among them. The nonprofit works with schools to teach young people about being educated philanthropists. I have been helping them with their recent year end awards events.
Below is more about them…
They are from different neighborhoods diverse by ethnicity, cultures, religions and economic backgrounds. And for the past year, they were the more than 2500 students in groups from 50 regional schools who were given more than $1000 by Magnified Giving to extensively research, debate, discuss, and ultimately come to a decision on a worthy cause for whom to grant that money. Some also volunteered their time and even raised additional funds to give to organizations that speak to their hearts.
It was a process that taught students leadership and life skills, how to work together as a team toward a common goal, and how to be wise donors to causes important to them. Before filled auditoriums at four events, those students walked on stage to share their experiences and present checks that collectively totaled more than $75,000.
Ian Dollenmayer, a 2012 graduate of Covington Catholic High School and Magnified Giving alumni, shared his thoughts at one of the events.
“Looking at this program’s title, I believe it is that first word—“magnified”—that truly makes this experience unique. What are magnified are our perceptions, our knowledge, and ourselves. Discovering charities around this area requires us to exit our comfort zone, to journey beyond the conceptual academia of the classroom into the harsh pragmatics of the world around us. Outside the walls of our schools, we find a world that is plagued with problems, but we also are able to see working solutions. We see what it is that different organizations are trying to alleviate and how they are going about doing so.
Above all else, we meet people. Some are the ones afflicted by the ills of an imperfect world, while others are the ones trying to help. It is these meetings and relationships that have the capacity to fundamentally change us. We see in those around us a struggle to make ends meet and live healthy lives, and we in turn see those fighting to give those very things.
What I believe this ultimately gives us, at least what it has given me, is vision. We are among the fortunate, so it is our duty to use the advantages given to us to assist those who are in need. This vision allows us to see where our advantages can be used, where our fortune can be shared, where we can change someone’s world. This day, I challenge us all to use the lessons we have learned from the Magnified Giving program as we advance forward in our lives because no matter where we go, no matter what we become, these are the ideas that can carry our world to a better tomorrow. Be you a politician, a doctor, an accountant, a biologist, an engineer, an artist, or any one of a million different professions and vocations, the world will still need improvement. People will still need our help. It is here our mission begins, and it begins today.”
Roger Grein, founder and CEO of Magnified Giving, shared this note he received from one of the participating teachers – Heather Campbell, national board certified teacher at Butler Tech at Lakota East High School.
“I work with some kids who have been disengaged in school, have low self-esteem, have been sometimes marginalized by our education system, and are often times challenged by overwhelming circumstances. I am blessed to have the opportunity and support to teach these students in ‘my way’ through ‘my methods’.
Today as my students had a contentious, intense debate- on task for 1 ½ hours- I realized just what an important part Magnified Giving has played in their process of evolving, scholastically and on a personal level. I was outside of the room, but I could not help but hear them- they expressed their thoughts, their passions eloquently and respectfully. They called me in when they needed help in organizing their thoughts, but I merely listened and summarized what I heard. I did not put my two cents in. I have never seen this group- individually or together take something so seriously. EVERY one of them weighed in. EVERY one of them had definite thoughts and contributions to the discussion.
I assured them that they could not make a wrong decision. In the end, they felt the difficult bending that sometimes must come when a group cannot meet unanimity, but must come to consensus. I think they will volunteer for other organizations who did not receive their award. They know now that awareness is the first step, and that they can be messengers.
Most importantly, I feel that they truly were affected by this process and have become more evolved, more aware, kinder citizens of their community and their world. For this, I am truly grateful to you.”
If you believe in the cause of Magnified Giving, you can support their work with a monetary donation. Please visit http://www.MagnifiedGiving.org to learn more.
To view more photos from the Magnified Awards events, please click here.
Hoxworth Blood Center Honored Cincinnati Students
According to Hoxworth Blood Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati area high school students have an important role to play in saving lives. Roughly 13% of Hoxworth’s total yearly blood collections come from high school blood drives. In fact, during the 2013 2014 academic year, 107 individual high schools hosted 174 blood drives for a total of 8,726 donations.
Through Hoxworth’s High School Program students who organize blood drives learn valuable skills in leadership, community service, communication, project management, planning, setting and reaching goals and teamwork. “Without the student blood donors Hoxworth would not be able to adequately meet the needs of patients in the 30 Tri-State hospitals that we serve,” said Alecia Lipton, Hoxworth community relations manager.
Recently Hoxworth awarded eight scholarships to these young participants, selected based upon a submitted short thirty second video encouraging blood donations. Winners received $250 and an iPad Air.
Thirty-eight students applied. Below are the scholarship winners.
1. Holly Rack, McAuley High School
2. Allison Kenneally, Mason High School
3. Emma Nienaber, Taylor High School
4. Megan Hamberg, Bishop Brossart High School
5. Maggie Flanagan, Notre Dame Academy
6. Brianna Berry, Boone County High School
7. Kristopher Folden, Hughes STEM High School
8. Ryan Hodge, Deer Park High School
Moeller High School was also honored with the Tom Roebel Award of Excellence. The Tom Roebel Award of Excellence is named in honor of this former Roger Bacon High School teacher and blood drive coordinator, whose commitment to the success of his high school blood drives exemplified the spirit of community service. Mr. Roebel’s legacy lives on through this award that identifies one high school annually, which has demonstrated outstanding commitment to the success of its own blood drives. Moeller high school was selected for this award as they had 37 platelet donations during the academic year.
For more information about our high school program, please click here.
About Hoxworth:
Hoxworth Blood Center, University of Cincinnati was founded in 1938 and serves 30 hospitals in 17 counties in Southwestern Ohio, Northern Kentucky and Southeastern Indiana. Annually, Hoxworth collects more than 90,000 units of blood from local donors to help save the lives of patients in area hospitals. Hoxworth Blood Center. All Types Welcome.