Students
Cincinnati Teens Raised Money For Tanzanian Students
With support from the Mayerson Foundation High School Service-Learning Program, students from nine area Cincinnati high schools helped raise awareness about a child’s walk to school in Tanzania by walking through our downtown.
Teens from Aiken High School, Arlington Heights Academy, Finneytown High School, Gamble Montessori, Lockland High School, McAuley High School, Mt. Healthy High School, Ursuline Academy, and Wyoming High School/Wyoming Youth Services researched the needs in Tanzania through Village Life Outreach Project – a Cincinnati-based non-profit organization that partners with Tanzanian villages to design and implement sustainable projects to fight poverty, provide access to clean water and health care, and improve educational outcomes.
In rural Tanzania, East Africa, students walk nearly six miles to school, which can take up to three hours one way.
It was in 2010, when Wyoming and Finneytown High School students and staff supported the children in Tanzania by creating the “Walk in My Shoes” Challenge – a 5.5 mile walk in Cincinnati from Salway Park to Fountain Square. It was an effort that quickly spread.
Proceeds from the Walk help fund the Village Life Outreach Project Ugi Nutrition Program in Tanzanian schools. Ugi is a nutritious meal that feeds 1,200 Tanzanian students who walk to school per day and would otherwise go malnourished. The total cost to feed all 1,200 primary school children per year equals a daily cost of $0.04 per child.
Cincinnati Students Showing Their Character Values
Some 1000 Cincinnati school children are proudly telling the world they are being the best they can be. They’re wearing t-shirts that they earned for demonstrating positive character values.
The incentive project was a partnership between TSC Apparel and the Character Council of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky and Rees E. Price Academy, Ethel M. Taylor Academy, and Westwood School, all Cincinnati Public Schools who have adopted school wide character education programs to create a safe and positive culture for learning.
The t-shirts carry a character message and artwork designed by the students themselves. A Westwood student came up with the theme, “Being the best at getting better!” Similarly, Ethel M Taylor shirts include a student-designed message, “Others wish for it, we work for it!”
Students earn t-shirts through their demonstration of kindness, respect, and positive behavior. At Taylor Academy, chosen students are recognized monthly for their character in a ceremony that is broadcast internally to students and staff. At right are Taylor students of the month.
How Woodfill Elementary School Students Are Helping Others
Great for them!
How thoughtful for these third grade students at Woodfill Elementary School to realize the loneliness of long term hospitalized children who can not have their family at their side. With the help of their teachers, and a little research, they found Josh Cares, a non-profit organization that offers loving support to seriously ill kids when a parent or family member cannot be there. Josh Cares funds professionally trained Child Life Fellows who provide consistent comfort, care and companionship for a child whose family would be by their sides if they could. The Woodfill students created a skit in which they role-played the responsibilities of the Child Life Fellow in the life of a child patient and charged admission to see it. They also held a bake sale.
All in all, their project raised $579.05. And not only that, it taught these creative third graders an important life lesson…about caring and responsibility. I like those kinds of lessons.
I also want to mention this service learning project was made possible by Children, Inc.
Loveland Student Receives National Attention For Volunteer Work
How exciting for Loveland student Mack Pairan (who attends Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy)! He was honored in Washington D.C. at the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. Mack was named one of Ohio’s top two youth volunteers from the nationwide program honoring young volunteers.
In 2009, Mack began a mission that 
has collected over 7000 toiletry items for people in need. The enterprising then 9-year-old passed flyers out in his neighborhood, an effort that generated some 300 items. And, as is what happens a lot when you give with your heart, he wanted to do more. Mack began hosting three annual collection events.
“No matter what your age or what you have, there is always someone who is less fortunate than you, and we are all here to serve in our own way,” said Mack.
Northern Kentucky Anti-Bullying Campaign Needs Your Help
A few weeks ago I introduced you to Ryan Courtade, founder of a non-profit, all-volunteer organization called Northern Kentucky Youth Foundation. It is a resource and partner for educators and organizations committed to the success of young people; and the Foundation is a strong advocate for youth in Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties with programs that now include bullying prevention.
And Ryan needs your help. He is in the process of developing an anti-bullying campaign to launch in the fall with a focus on empowering the bystanders. It will use various media to relay information including a video, printed materials and 
the internet. Ryan wants to engage youth rather than using only school-wide assemblies and other traditional methods.
Do you have some time and resources to give to help? Any businesses, agencies or community members interested in assisting with the anti-bullying efforts should call him at 859-795-1506 or visit www.nkyyouth.org for more information.
