Students
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…
Magnified Giving Awards Event
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 with Roger Grein of Magnified Giving
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.
Kristopher Folden Hughes STEM High School was honored by Hoxworth Blood Centeror a total of 8,726 donations.
Allison Kenneally Mason High School was honored by Hoxworth Blood Center
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.
Cincinnati Students Pay-It-Forward To Sick Children
Children helping children. I think that is such a beautiful message, and a beautiful cause. And it is the driving force of a nonprofit that has engaged youth in 30 states to pay-it-forward, inspired more than 250,000 hospitalized children and their families.
That nonprofit is Soaringwords, Inc., and recently it collaborated with 60 students from Cincinnati Roger Bacon High School and St. Francis Seraph Elementary School to decorate 100 SoaringQuilts® and SoaringPillows®. Each one with inspirational messages and artwork based on superhero themes about “Never giving up!”
Representatives from Soaringwords delivered 25 SoaringQuilts® and 25 SoaringPillows® for the patients of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and did a short program at the medical center’s Seacrest Studios. Then the Soaringwords delegation headed to Shriners Hospitals for Children, Cincinnati where they led a Soaringwords + Zumba® dance experience to celebrate wellness and fitness for patients and families. This experience was made possible through a grant from The Manuel D. and Rhoda Mayerson Foundation.
Soaringwords’ mission is to lessen the negative impact of serious illness by embracing hospitalized children, families and staff, encouraging positive health and healing. Soaringwords provides fun, creative and educational activities both in person and online based on positive psychology concepts that enhance well-being. Lisa Honig Buksbaum, Soaringwords CEO & Founder started the non-profit organization thirteen years ago after three experiences with death and illness in her family occurred in a 10-month period.
For the students of Roger Bacon, that day was the culmination of a school year where they internalized the values of service by mentoring their Bacon Buddies from St. Francis Seraph Elementary School to do something positive for children who are sick. “Today changed the lives of our students as they used their character strengths of kindness, love and creativity,” said Alicia Ausere, director, community outreach, Roger Bacon High School
Sycamore Township Students’ Art Auctioned At Cincinnati Zoo
Marissa Thorp is a student at Edwin H. Greene Intermediate School in Sycamore Township
Congratulations to these Edwin H. Greene Intermediate fifth graders, two of many other students of Paula Webb whose barrels were on display and then auctioned off at the Cincinnati Zoo last Thursday! Paula had challenged her students to paint rain barrels that promoted water conservation efforts. Then they were judged along with 200 other design submissions from across the region – and every barrel by Edwiin H. Greene Intermediate students was chosen.
Once the designs were complete, the student barrels were judged by members of the Save Local Waters organization and the Hamilton County Soil and Conservation District, along with more than 200 other design submissions from across the Tri-state, to see which barrels would be displayed at the Cincinnati Zoo throughout April.
Niyati Kanchan with her painted barrel
Every barrel by an Edwin H. Greene Intermediate student was chosen for the display.
