Philanthropy – volunteers and nonprofits
Ladybug Hikes With A Purpose
I got a letter in the mail a few weeks back (I’ve gotten a little behind on my blog posts – sometimes work gets in the way) from a friend. Denise ‘Ladybug’ Hill was off on another trek, an 800+ journey.
“Second only to the love of my family, I am most content when I am alone in the wilderness,” the note began. “In 2004, at 48 years of age, I took my first hiking steps on the famed 2,174 Appalachian Trail to fulfill two promises I made to my sister, Cheryl Rose Walden. I promised Cheryl, during her final stage of a ten year battle with breast cancer that her memory would last forever. I fulfilled that promise by planting hundreds of packets of forget-me-not seeds in 25 states and 3 countries during my treks. I also promised my sister that I would renew my faith and become closer to understanding God.”
A Little History
I think I first met Denise when she was training for her first trek, walking the Appalachian Trail in 2004. She wore a heavy backpack as she walked distances in training. I knew back then she called her journey ‘Walking for Walden’ and she was raising money for Hospice of Cincinnati in memory of her sister, but that was the extent of my knowledge.
Since then I’ve heard her stories…like when she was working to complete the Pacific Crest Trail in 2009 and found herself surrounded by a swarm of rattlesnakes. Her cell phone didn’t work in many places…but it did there.
“I had spoken to Bruce (her husband) earlier that morning and a ladybug crawled into my lap. When I mentioned my ladybug friend, he said, ‘That means you’re going to have good luck today.’ Little did he know, I would be SO lucky,” she told me. (which by the way is, you guessed it, why her nickname is now ‘Ladybug.’)
There are not that many people I know who get rescued from a den of deadly snakes in an emergency helicopter. But I know one.
Denise and I and another friend spent a weekend last fall hiking through Ohio’s scenic Hocking Hills State Park. That Saturday, Denise and I spent the day 
together walking more than 8 miles. When you spend so many hours alone with someone you get to know her pretty well. At one point she stopped and wanted me to continue. She wanted me to experience the peaceful solitude of walking amidst natural wonders, of being in my own thoughts and just appreciating what I don’t always take the time to see. This, she told me, is what it is like for her every time she is on one of her treks – and she has done a lot of them.
This Time Was Different
So this time, when Denise took to the trails with hopes of raising money and awareness for Hospice, I had a deeper understanding of why she left. This time I felt the desire to read her story that she has posted online.
Cheryl Rose Counts Walden whose spirit is Denise’s rock was a loving mother, daughter and sister to four younger siblings. Her ferocious fight against a disease the ultimately won the battle was testament to the strength of her inner core. Denise described her sister as ‘living a simple, yet full life, graced with peaceful and loving energy.’
As Denise raced to the hospital one last time memories of their childhood together kept her going. ‘Mental images of me with my sister, Cheryl, playing, laughing , scheming, cooking, crying, singing, dancing, and praying were reeling at fast forward speed in my head and as vividly as those actual moments in time. Tepid tears flowed freely down my face as I tightly gripped the steering wheel with both hands replaying the images of my youth,” Denise wrote.
Five years after her sister’s death Denise kept her sister close by sharing memories, raising money for breast cancer awareness, burning a candle in prayer every Christmas, and visiting Cheryl’s gravesite in a beautiful Tennessee setting overlooking the Great Smoky Mountains. Hiking became Denise’s choice for honoring her sister.
After trekking close to 4,400 miles on the 2,650 mile Pacific Crest Trail on a hike dedicated to Hospice of Cincinnati in her sister’s memory, this is Ladybug’s emotional finish.
I just heard from my friend. Her 800 mile hike that was originally taking her from Mexico to the ends of Utah had to be diverted, and she is completing her remaining 675 miles in our region. I’ll more than likely be joining her along some of that journey.
If you’d like to read more about Ladybug’s former hiking adventures: please visit www.walkingforwalden.com
If you would like to support Ladybug and her Hikes for Hospice
please send your donation to:
Hospice of Cincinnati, Inc.
C/O Bethesda Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 633597
Cincinnati, OH 45263-3597
Meet Greater Cincinnati’s Role Models Who Are All Under 18
I’d like to introduce you to some of Greater Cincinnati’s most outstanding humanitarians. They’re mentors, volunteers, fundraisers, athletes, and scholars. And they are YMCA of Greater Cincinnati’s Character Award honorees. I’ve got to say…one of my pleasures in doing public relations for the Y and working on the bios for this program is getting to know such outstanding role models. Each with their own unique story and gift to this world, they give so much and they truly understand what it means to be a good person.
Take for example…
Raquel Brown (pictured on the left), a student at Cincinnati’s School for Creative and Performing Arts, who has been described as a young woman with a smile that lights up a room and a maturity far beyond her years. Such a deep appreciation for living comes from her own inner strength as her determination overpowered juvenile diabetes that, at the age of 9, almost took her life and required multiple surgeries.
or
Wyoming High School’s Brandon Weiss (pictured on the right), an incredible teen who sees the need of those around him and strives for meaningful ways to make an impact. He has a passion for interfaith relations and spent last summer in Israel and Poland learning about the effects of the Holocaust.
or
Natalie Bryans (pictured below), a student at St. Ursula Academy, who has said some of her greatest inspirations, her heroes, are her friends because ‘they are all so kind and welcoming.’
With youth development being one of the YMCA’s core focus areas, the YMCA Character Awards are an opportunity to celebrate young people who exemplify the Y’s core values of caring, respect, honesty and responsibility. The YMCA Character Awards Event will begin at 6 p.m. on April 11 at the School for Creative & Performing Arts. Tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for youth.
To register, please call the Community Services YMCA at 513-961-3200.
All 40 YMCA of Greater Cincinnati Character Award honoree bios are on the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati website. You may just know one of them.
Remembering Freedom Riders Helps Us Not Repeat The Past
If you’re familiar with my blog, you know I have devoted it to sharing information and news that is uplifting. My goal is to give you reasons to smile and pass along more good things. But sometimes, in order to pass along good things, we have to be cognizant of the past. We have to have a willingness to stand up for our friends and our neighbors. We have to realize that our world is better, stronger only by opening our minds and hearts to the unique gifts each one of us has to share.
That’s why when Stephanie Creech at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center shared information with me about local students participating in a national Freedom Riders webcast, I knew that the topic was one we need to talk about.
Yes, the topic of racial injustice is very painful – just as is the topic of cultural and religious injustice such as the Holocaust – but only by educating ourselves and raising awareness can we be steadfast in not allowing history to repeat itself.
If you’re unfamiliar, Freedom Riders were a diverse group of more than 400 Americans who from May until November of 1961 rode south together on buses and trains, putting their lives and their freedom on the line. These brave men and women – blacks and whites, Jews and Christians – endured savage attacks and arrests to challenge segregation policies…often while officials did nothing. The Freedom Rides changed the civil rights movement and demonstrated the power of individual action to change the nation.
Remembering
Some 200 students from Middletown and Holmes High Schools were in the Freedom Center’s Harriet Tubman Theater to view the webcast. Afterward panelists, including several of the high school students and veteran Freedom Rider Thomas Armstrong, led an open dialogue. At the end of the program, all of the students, NURFC Director of Advancement Kim Robinson and Thomas joined hands and collectively sang “We Shall Over Come.”
When he was thanked for the role he played for changing American culture, Thomas looked into the eyes of the students and told them humbly, “I wouldn’t want to brag, of course, but I do believe we made a difference.”
For more information about the upcoming PBS documentary on the Freedom Riders, and a cross country Freedom Rider with students retracing the original 1961 rides, please click here.
Cincinnati Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired Celebrates Centennial
The greatest part about my professional work is knowing I’m supporting efforts that are making a real difference in the lives of others. The Cincinnati Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired is one example. It’s hard to believe that I think I’ve worked with them for more than seven years.
Literally hundreds of volunteers and staff with an average tenure of 12+ years – all dedicated to helping people who are blind or visually impaired to ‘know they can’. Day in and day out, life skills once taken for granted are re-taught with adaptive tools and new strategies. News and information is made accessible 24 hours a day with Radio Reading Services. Children are strengthening motor skills in music therapy. Valuable support and resources are offered to families and individuals. And people with varying degrees of vision are employed to enhance the lives of others.
This year marks a special year for CABVI. It is the Centennial Anniversary for the Walnut Hills based agency and you’ll be hearing a lot more about them in days to come. Since its beginning, some 130,000 people have discovered and rediscovered personal abilities with their assistance.
“As population trends over the next three decades are expected to double the number of people who experience blindness or vision impairment, we will continue to seek enhanced ways of helping people with visual impairments maintain independence,” said John Mitchell, CABVI executive director.
For a full list of historical dates, please visit the Cincinnati Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired website at www.cincyblind.org.
Kroger Co. is supporting the Cincinnati Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired’s 100th anniversary by becoming the agency’s Centennial presenting sponsor. Pictured is Reuben Shaffer, vp operations for Kroger and CABVI board member, presenting a check for $10,000 to CABVI representatives – Kathy Gottschlich, CABVI director of development and community relations; Michael Lichstein, CABVI board president; John Mitchell, CABVI executive director.
A Cincinnati Valentine’s Day Card That Gives Back
This Valentine’s Day, give a card that gives back. What a special project for these children in Kennedy Heights, teaching them about social responsibility while encouraging their creative minds.
Bess Lindeman, a student at Kennedy Heights Arts Center, suggested a project where kids could create handmade art cards for Valentine’s Day, sell them to the public and donate the proceeds to a local charity. She put the word out and the response was, well overwhelming. What a wonderful idea from such a caring and inventive girl.
Kennedy Heights Arts Center teamed up with artist April Cooper and 15 high school volunteers from Ursuline Academy for a day of service on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. On that day, 35 youth, ages 5 to 12, created three types of cards: watercolors with original poetry, pop-up cards and prints made from etchings on a press. The cards – more than 100 unique varieties – are on sale for $3 each at the Kennedy Heights Arts Center now through Valentine’s Day.
The students selected The Caring Place – a food pantry serving families in Kennedy Heights and Pleasant Ridge – as the beneficiary of their proceeds.
So, this Valentine’s Day, instead of purchasing a mass-produced card, consider giving one of these unique, handmade cards to your loved ones. Your purchase will support families in need in our community.
Cards may be purchased in the art shop at Kennedy Heights Arts Center, 6546 Montgomery Rd. Hours are Tuesdays through Thursdays 10am – 6pm; Fridays 10am – 5pm; and Saturdays 11am to 4pm. For more information, call 513-631-4278 or visit www.kennedyarts.org.
