Nonprofit Organization
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.
Cincinnati Teen Inspires Through Philanthropy & Writing
Meet a very talented author and humanitarian, Zai Johns.
Zai is a senior at Cincinnati Mt. Notre Dame High School and she is someone who inspires me. At a young age, she has a huge heart and understands the power of kindness. She said giving back just does great things for the heart.
“Philanthropy literally means “love of humanity”. In simplest terms it means giving back to your community. This big word has a big punch! Once you understand philanthropy your heart will grow bigger. I know mine did for sure,” she said.
Zai told me her passion for helping others began three years ago when she got involved with her school’s Youth Philanthropy Council (YPC).
“Being a part of helped me push to get my book published. My book is titled Animal Adventurers Book 1: Murder at Thompson Manor which is the first in the series. I wrote this book in order to give animals a second chance for a family and life,” she said.
Over three quarters of the profits goes to nonprofit organization Magnified Giving, towards the Animal Adventurer Grant.
Magnified Giving is a local non-profit that educates youth, mainly high school students about philanthropy through a yearlong program. They research, do presentations, have fundraisers, and at the end of the year give a money grant to a non-profit.
About Zai’s book, Animal Adventures Book 1: Murder at Thompson Manor
Chrissy only knows that she is alone, with no one to turn to. All she has to offer herself is a small amount of hope that her world will go back to normal, whatever normal is.
When Chrissy gets recused her world seems to make a little bit of sense again. She gains a new family composed of Pumpkin, a clumsy black kitten, Lianna, a stubborn know-it-all Dalmatian, and Frosty, an over-excited, talkative Siberian husky. But when a 
stranger, with an offer, comes to the door, her secure world comes crumbling down around her. Chrissy must leave behind her safehome, and go on a spiraling adventure to save her family.
Of course her adventure isn’t easy, especially when her new billionaire owner is murdered, and her family is left abandoned once again. Things get even more out of control when her rescuer Brad, is accused of being the killer, and is locked up in jail. Will Chrissy and her family be able to prove Brad innocent and catch the real killer?
The Animal Adventurers is a creative blend of non-stop suspense, drama, and mystery. It’s a heartwarming story filled with courageous, abandoned characters that will do anything for family.
For more information on Animal Adventurers please go to www.animaladventurers.com
ArtWorks Cincinnati Mural Decorates Downtown Cincinnati
Love this Charley Harper ArtWorks Cincinnati mural downtown Cincinnati (on Court St). You can help them paint 10 more murals around town by adopting a summer apprentice. Click here for more information.
ArtWorks Cincinnati is a nonprofit arts organization that empowers and inspires the creative community to transform our everyday environments through employment, apprenticeships, education, community partnerships, and civic engagement.
Metro Bus Operators To Be Honored For Rescuing Children
The quick thinking of two Cincinnati Metro bus operators might have saved the lives of two children in separate incidents less than a week apart in late February and early March.
Operators Ella Holloway and Dianne Wyly drive different Metro bus routes in different communities, but they both had similar experiences when they saw very young children walking alone near busy streets. They both jumped into action to keep the little ones from harm:
Cincinnati Metro bus operator Ella Holloway
Feb. 28, 2013: Operator Holloway was driving toward downtown on Rt. 33 on Glenway Avenue near Olivia Lane when she noticed a 2- or 3-year-old boy walking alone on the sidewalk. The child wasn’t wearing a coat, just shorts and shoes in 30-degree, windy weather. She stopped the bus, brought the child on board, and called for assistance. The Cincinnati Police Department responded and took the boy to the Cincinnati Fire Department on Glenway. Holloway has been a Metro bus operator for 22 years.
March 6, 2013: Operator Wyly was driving toward downtown on Rt. 43 when she saw a 3-year-old little boy walking alone on Reading Road near Asmann Avenue. It was a snowy, icy day and his shoes were on backwards and coat barely on. She brought the child onto her bus and called for assistance; Cincinnati Police took the child to a safe location. She has been a bus operator for 18 years.
Cincinnati Metro bus operator Dianne Wylyoperator for 18 years, lives in Roselawn.
“Metro bus operators are eyes on the community,” said Metro’s CEO Terry Garcia Crews. “Operators Holloway and Wyly demonstrated outstanding sensitivity and judgment; their actions helped prevent these children from being injured. They are heroes for keeping the children safe, and their actions deserve commendation.”
Holloway and Wyly will be presented with the CEO’s STAR Award at the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority Board meeting.The STAR Award for “Service That Attracts Recognition” is a selective award is presented by, and at the sole discretion of, Metro’s CEO. The award acknowledges and rewards employees who demonstrate exemplary service to Metro and the community.
Metro is a non-profit, tax-funded public service of the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority, providing about 17 million rides per year in Greater Cincinnati.
Curtis Enis Named Marvin Lewis Coach Of The Year
Bengals Head Coach Marvin Lewis, at left, with Marvin Lewis Coach of the Year Award recipient Curtis Enis of the Bradford High School.
Congrats to Curtis Enis, head football coach at Bradford High School, for being named the Marvin Lewis ‘Coach of the Year’. From a write-up in The Cincinnati Herald, “Coach Enis focuses on teaching young men life lessons that will go much further than football. He teaches his players the values of work ethic, support, determination, pride, heart, effort, attitude, family and, most importantly, they are students first and athletes second.”
He is one great coach and role model. Thanks to Coach Enis for all he does!
The Marvin Lewis Community Fund is a Cincinnati, Ohio-based nonprofit organization that empowers, educates, and inspires individuals in the Greater Cincinnati area through their ongoing outreach programs. The Marvin Lewis Community Fund invests in the Greater Cincinnati community through several outreach programs including: Coach of the Year Award.
