Philanthropy – volunteers and nonprofits
Remembering Hannah: #HannahStrong
One day. One moment. Their life, their purpose changed forever.
They were a close-knit family of four – single father Jason Wesche and his three darling girls -Hannah, Rachael, and Kaitlyn – who treasured life’s simple pleasures. Many moments were shared laughing and playing together. 
Helping and bringing smiles to others made them feel good. Jason worked hard, juggling his responsibilities between work and raising his girls to be happy, confident, strong, and caring.
Hannah, the youngest, celebrated her third birthday on January 11. Jason described her to me as, “one of the most joyful kids ever – definitely not shy. She always wanted to try and do things for other people. She just loved everybody, and especially kids.”
It was at 7:00 am on March 8, 2018, when he dropped her off at her next-door babysitter. Minutes later a call came in to 911, and they would later learn that the little girl with her whole life ahead of her was shaken and struck while in the care of her sitter. The trial will begin soon.
Shortly after, Jason shared on a GoFundMe page, “Hannah was born on January 11, 2015. I fell head over [heels] for her and she stole my heart. Raising Hannah and watching her blossom into a bubbly fun loving little girl has been more than I could ever ask for. I am beyond devastated that I am having to say goodbye to my Angel. This is every parent’s worst nightmare and I will fight for my baby and justice will be served.”
From tragedy comes inspiration
Sometimes, the strength of the human spirit amazes and inspires me,
Three months later, as the trial is preparing to begin, the Wesche family is channeling their strength into a newfound mission in honor of their dear little girl who was horrifically taken way too soon, in a way that no child should have to endure.
Just launched, the Hannah Strong Foundation is a new nonprofit organization that Jason told me will be reaching people across the globe. Its new website explains its purpose as, “helping make the world around us a better, happier place for children of abuse and or neglect. With the help of our tireless staff, we organize fundraisers, community events, and in-depth training sessions for our volunteers. We use the mass majority of our income that we raise to help fund various organizations and hospitals including but not limited to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Life center, and other child related services.”
Their very first fund raiser is coming up on Sunday, July 1 from 3 to 7 pm at French Park in Cincinnati. There will be kids’ games and a 31 ft slip and slide, plus hot dogs and a silent auction for adults. Bring your whole family!
Watch for their upcoming announcements on ways you can be involved, and fund-raising events to attend. Follow them on Facebook or visit their website at www.hannahstrong3.com.
#HannahStrong
Human Values Festival This Weekend
Looking for an opportunity to inspire your children to do good or to meet others who are focused on the good in this world? This Sunday, April 29, the Institute of Sathya Sai Education will be hosting a free community and family-centric Festival dedicated to the practice of five core human values inherent in everyone – Love, Truth, Right Action, Peace and Non-Violence -and to the expansion of love and service in the community.
Dr. Karthik Raghavan, a member of the Event Coordinator Committee, told me, “Our purpose for organizing the Festival is as an explicit celebration of human values that is inherent in all. We want to create a gathering of like minded folks who are sharing their efforts to improve the community towards the better.”
The Festival includes:
An art and creative writing competition. Local students in grades K through 12 have submitted work showcasing their interpretation of the human values.
An art workshop. At around 3:30 pm, Radha Lakshmi with the Kennedy Heights Celebrate heARTt will lead attendees in this thought provoking exercise using a combination of stencils and colored sand and rice flour.
Entertainment. Internationally acclaimed Nimo, known as Empty Hands Music, will perform a very special concert from 5 to 7 pm aimed at spreading the seeds of goodness in the world. According to his website, from an Ivy League education to Wall street to fame and fortune as a MTV Rap star, at some point along Nimo’s journey he realized that we was walking a path of suffering and that the only path to light was through selfless service to others and his own internal purification. For the past 7 and half years Nimo has been serving and working with the underprivileged communities in the Gandhi Ashram in India. Most recently Nimo has reconnected to his roots of music and is offering this gift of love, peace and oneness through his songs: an offering he calls “Empty Hands Music”. www.emptyhandsmusic.org
Community Awards. Nimo will introduce and help recognize Individuals for their service to the community.
About the Institute of Sathya Sai Eduation.
The Institute of Sathya Sai Education is a non-profit character-education institution. ISSE is an organization that is part of bigger org called Sathya Sai International Org or ISSE. The main goal of ISSE is to promote human values through education. They have developed curriculum that they share with teachers to help them incorporate HV into their lesson plans. A good example is taking about George Washington and American revolution. To weave in the story about him and chopping of cherry tree to illustrate the need for telling the truth. It is more of emphasis to things like these that allows children not only learn dates and events in history but look at the human side of the people involved.
Human Values Festival
When: Sunday, April 29 from 3 to 7 pm
Where: Kennedy Heights Arts Center
(6620 Montgomery Road)
Cost: Free
Cincinnati Film Director Has Simple Request
I have a very simple request, one that will no doubt make you smile while you are at it.
Adorable three-year-old Gia Lopez was not supposed to live due to a genetic disorder known as spinal muscular atrophy. But, today, she is flying with a dragon and starring in her very first film that my friend John Lawson has directed/produced.
By watching and sharing Gia and the Dragaon, you will be helping the film to win the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge. Judges will review the OFFICIAL YouTube and Facebook Videos for the number of overall views, shares, and likes. You have until April 29 to take action!
One of the goals of The Easterseals Disability Film Challenge is to change the way disability is viewed in media by giving filmmakers the opportunity to collaborate and tell unique stories that showcase disability in its many forms. The Best Awareness Campaign helps to further this goal through grassroots publicity campaigns that raise the visibility of the films entered in the challenge. This visibility of film entries can also lead to jobs for everyone that is involved in the creation of a film. Whether your goal is to be an actor, director, writer, producer, or any combination of the above, the film challenge can be the door opener to the next step in establishing your entertainment career. Remember, work leads to work!
As in any competition, there are rules. Among those in the Film Challenge – teams are given a theme and genre and four props on the morning of the commencement of film production; they are given a weekend to create the film from start to finish; and they must have both people with and without disabilities involved.
A track record for John
This is not the first entry for John, whose roots are in Cincinnati. He won Best Film in the very first year of the Challenge. Last year he entered again with Whitney’s Wedding starring well known actress Jamie Brewer, who won in the Best Actress category. That film went on to be accepted in 12 film festivals around the world, winning over six awards including three Best Film awards, three Best Actor awards for Jamie, and two Best Director awards for John.
John’s inspiration for Gia and Dragon came from reading a children’s book that featured kids with and without disabilities. “I thought it’d be a cool way to introduce my grandbaby to disabilities,” he told me.
John’s team began writing at 6 pm on a Friday night and started shooting the film Saturday morning. By Sunday they were busy in the editing bay. This marks the very first entry in the contest that include animation.
Curiosity Inspires This Art Museum Exec
“So many people inspire me every day. I get inspired by the smallest thing. I am a really curious person so anyone who is embracing who they are and following where their curiosity leads them inspires me.” ~Emily Holtrop
How cool is that, to be inspired by curiosity every day!
It is no wonder Emily, who is director of learning an interpretation at the Cincinnati Art Museum, loves her career so much – and does such an amazing job that she was just presented the 2018 National Museum Education Art Educator Award.
Emily works with a team to create public programs and experiences that bring to life the Art Museum’s collection and special exhibitions, and also works closely with curators to craft stories and messaging for visitors. Part of that includes writing the content for most of the gallery and family guides in a special exhibition and overseeing the creation of all hands-on interactives. In many ways she sees herself as the voice for the visitors, seeking their input for why something is or isn’t interesting, or is important to add.
I asked Emily some questions to get to know her better. Please continue reading.
Lisa: With such a passion for creative expression, was art a part of your childhood?
Emily: My grandparents owned a music store and my mom was an art and home economics teacher so I grew up in creative house. We were always encouraged to play an instrument, draw, sew, just create. I still create today, I am an avid knitter and know my way around sewing machine.
Lisa: They say that if you love what you do, you never work a day in your life. What gives you the most satisfaction in your work?
Emily: Well, I love being in the galleries talking about works of art with our visitors. I don’t get to do that very often but when I do, I feel energized. I also really love creating interpretive materials and interactive for people to use to enhance their visit. The recent launch of MyCAM at the museum was a huge project for me of which I am very proud.
Lisa: In your opinion, how important is art education for young children?
Emily: This is so huge. Getting kids involved in the arts at a young age is so important. Art can teach them creative thinking, empathy, persistence, patience, critical thinking, independence, you name it. I see kids every day at the Museum who are making that connection with art – putting the dots together.
My Furry Valentine Volunteer Has Heart For Pets
For hundreds of Greater Cincinnati families and individuals each year, Valentine’s Day has become a holiday to treasure…as it represents the day their lives joined with a life of a furry (and even feathered) looking for a forever home. It happens because of what has grown to be the largest mega adoption event in the region, My Furry Valentine, that attracts over 1400 visitors and has more than 700 animals (dogs, cats, birds and some other species) from dozens of rescues. If you are looking to add a non-human friend to your household, you just may find your new companion Valentine’s Day weekend!
(More information on My Furry Valentine is below.)
Each year I like to profile a volunteer who helps make the event possible. This year I spoke with Melanie Corwin, My Furry Valentine’s rescue shelter coordinator.
Hers is a very important role that includes writing the application and vaccine requirements, communicating with the rescues, helping them set up on Friday, and coordinating the team of veterinarians and vet techs who check in every animal before opening the doors to the public.
The role is a perfect fit for Melanie, who, as executive director of UCAN (nonprofit spay and neuter clinic), already has a relationship with many area shelter and rescues. AND the heart for this cause. She herself shares a home with her son and five rescues – two dogs (Peanut and Blackie) and three cats (Katniss, Grayson and Calypso).
Melanie came into this line of work because it is her passion. Prior to joining the staff team at UCAN, she was a private practice attorney for 25 years working with nonprofit organizations. She and her son began volunteering at a no-kill shelter as a way of her teaching him the importance of giving back. It was a fateful activity that would change the course of her career – and he life.
“It got to be so depressing,” she told me. “We’d see the animals all get adopted and then the next week, all of the cages would be full again.”
She saw spay/neuter as a solution and began supporting UCAN financially. Then she joined the Board, having served as director, then vice-chair, and then chair of the Board before ultimately joining UCAN’s staff as executive director in 2012.
“People love their pets. Some say you should not adopt one if you can not afford the care but I don’t believe it. There should be community resources to allow them to have that animal,” she said. “There are so many benefits. Everyone deserves the love of a pet.
“Almost every day someone comes in and I have never had to say no. I enjoy getting grants to enable us to do free spay/neuter to help people who can not afford it,” she said.
UCAN was founded in 2001, to stop the endless cycle of unwanted births and euthanasia. The two main reasons people do not sterilize their pets are cost and lack of access to spay/neuter services. UCAN solves both of these issues. It provides low-cost spay/neuter services and free transports to its Colerain Ave clinic from several locations in Southwest Ohio, Northern Kentucky and Southeast Indiana. The nonprofit clinic performs over 13,000 surgeries each year and this past year began offering low cost vaccinations also.
Melanie and the rest of the My Furry Valentine team will be very busy February 10 and 11, doing their part to help hundreds of animals find their forever homes.
Looking for a dog or cat (or other small animal)? Plan on being there!
My Furry Valentine Facts:
Where: Sharonville Convention Center (11355 Chester Road; 45246)
When (and cost):
Early Bird Entry Saturday, February 10th 10am – 12pm: $25
Saturday, February 10th 12pm – 5pm: $5 ages 5 & up
Sunday, February 11th 10am – 5pm: $5 ages 5 & up
For a list of participating rescues and to see pictures of many of the adoptable animals, please visit www.myfurryvalentine.org.
