Cincinnati nonprofit organization
Deneen Wolber Is Passionate About Helping
Today, I’d like to introduce you to Deneen Wolber. I met Deneen when I was promoting the 2015 Cincinnati ReelAbilities Film Festival. She worked in development at one of the Festival’s beneficiary agencies, the Spina Bifida Coalition of Greater Cincinnati.
If you have been fortunate enough to know Deneen, you know she is someone absolutely passionate with life, making the most of it, and giving back to making the 
world a better place. She has an endless supply of energy that she generously gives to better the lives of animals, those in her circles and causes she holds dear.
Deneen told me she has been a fund and event organizer for more than 30 years, having gotten started as a volunteer in her community and for her son’s school. She worked for the Spina Bifada Coalition for four years before joining the Muscular Dystrophy Association to serve as a fundraising coordinator.
Please take a few minutes to learn more about Deneen below.
Lisa: When people first meet you, what do you think they notice first?
Deneen: Definitely they can feel my passion right away. I get so excited when it comes to helping people and animals. I often put others before myself. I just enjoy life and meeting people. I always seem to make friends for life.
Lisa: You talk about how your job at the Spina Bifada Society was life changing. Can you elaborate?
Deneen: It is so very important to me that everyone be included and be given the opportunity to experience life to their fullest. Those affected by a disability or medical condition are no different. What was so very special about my time with the Spina Bifada Coalition is how my son, who is almost 18, chose to volunteer with the organization and how he learned about people who are different from himself. He got his friends involved also. I raised him to have a huge heart for helping people and it has been great to see his continued growth.
Lisa: What are some accomplishments for which you are most proud?
Deneen: There has been a lot. Of course my son is top on that list. When I was vice president of the PTO for his elementary school, I started its Spirit Shop and helped create a lot of very successful events and those Festivals are still going strong. When Ben was a baby, I helped start the Mom’s Club of Ft Thomas as a group for support each other and sharing ideas; and I served as its vice presidents. It is wonderful to see that still flourishing and to know so many new mothers are benefitting.
Lisa: Tell us about someone who impacted your life.
Deneen: My mom and my grandmother were my best friends growing up. My grandmother passed away in September when she was 95. I will always cherish time spent with her. I see so much of my grandma in me. She too was very strong willed, social, and goal oriented. She worked until three months before she died.
Grandma used to tell me to always read, and to interact with people and keep moving and thinking, because those are all things that will keep you alive. She also used to tell me that I have a gift of never looking at anyone differently. Even growing up as a child, I was friends with everyone.
Lisa: Tell us about an act of kindness from your life.
Deneen: A close friend of mine since the fourth grade, when Nancy was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer she was given one year to live. I refused to accept that. I did everything I could to keep Nancy alive from doing fun things with her to raising money. I put my life on hold during that time because I was not going to let Nancy give up. I look back on that time now and it really makes me feel good. It made me so happy to do that for her.
Lisa: What advice do you have for others on living life?
Deneen: You need to go out there and do what you love doing. What Nancy taught me is that life is short. Just be happy and do what you love.
#GoodThingsCincy
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Mason High School Students Need Your Donation
hese Mason High School students get an A+ in my book for their creativity, effort, leadership and caring. They just released this video to raise awareness for their annual Pasta for Pennies Campaign benefiting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma and to improve the quality of life of patients and their families.
Their goal is to reach $40,000, and so far, in less than one week (the video debuted at 1:00 pm on January 29, 2016), they have reached more than 91,000 views and collected over $14,000 in online donations.
Let’s help them reach that goal!
#GoodThingsCincy
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CINspirational People: Vickie Mertz
I have known Vickie Mertz virtually for years. Her day job is with a nonprofit organization called Cincinnati Works, a nonprofit organization that helps people in our community who are unemployed or underemployed to raise above poverty and gain economic self-sufficiency. It has always been so obvious that Vickie’s career means so much more to her than simply a paycheck. Her passion for wanting to empower and energize people comes through loud and clear.
I learned recently of yet one more reason to admire the woman behind those inspirational posts. Quietly, without any need or want of recognition, Vickie has been using her own money to buy ingredients for brown bag meals of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with pretzels or chips, and distributing them to people on the streets who haven’t the means to purchase meals for themselves. Tucked into each bag is a little note from Vickie that reads, “God loves you and so do I. Sign my name.” John 316 In the cold months of January and February, she also collects winter outerwear.
Vickie is known to always have a stock with her in her car, as she never knows when she may see someone from her window in need of generosity. She also spends some of her lunch hours downtown, walking the sidewalks in search of hungry and/or cold people.
“I have been blessed over and over by them wanting to hug me or thank me because I got there at just the right time,” she told me as her voice broke in emotion. “One man said, ‘thank God I (Vickie) was there’ because he was about to get something off the street.”
I was so touched that I needed to feature her. Vickie is absolutely a CINspirational Person.
Lisa: Where does your inspiration come from for doing this?
Vickie: Personally in my own life, I went three years without a furnace and just used space heaters when my husband wasn’t working. Doing this for others is just something my heart tells me to do. I know that I need to share now because I can.
Lisa: How do you find the people to help?
Vickie: I work on Walnut Street. They are not difficult to find. When I head out, I pray about whether to turn right or left; and either direction, I always find people in need.
Lisa: Are there any people whose stories stand out to you?
Vickie: I don’t ask people why they are on the street so I don’t know many of their stories, but I remember how the impact of my helping them.
I remember seeing one woman right across the street from me. She slept there day and night. One morning I walked over to her with coffee. She had a blanket over head. I asked her if would like the coffee, and the woman said ‘no’. The next day I took her coffee and a protein bar. On the third day, I said my name and asked for her name. ‘Jeanelle’, she said. She said she had a laptop in her backpack and she went to school. When she pulled her hands out to accept the gloves I had brought, I noticed the gold ring on her grimy hands. It occurred to me that she was able to keep the ring and backpack somehow. I knew there was more to her story. I reached out to organizations asking they come and talk to her about going to a shelter. Then, one day she was gone. My prayer is that she is in a better place.
#GoodThingsCincy #randomactsofkindness
Kathy Davis Believes In Empowering Women
When I think about Kathy Davis, I am reminded of her smile that so often shines from her face. I think about her giving heart and all that she does for others.
Kathy is the private dining manager for Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse. She also volunteers a huge amount of time to help others, mainly through Women Helping Women, a Cincinnati nonprofit organization that empowers survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and stalking; and educates the community about these issues. Kathy is a former crisis team coordinator and Board member of Women Helping Women, who continues to stay involved through fundraising, leadership and other volunteer work.
Whether formerly serving some type of volunteer capacity or just reaching out a helping hand to someone in need, Kathy finds ways to make a difference.
I asked her some questions to get to know more about her. Please read more below.
Lisa: You are so passionate about Women Helping Women. Where does that drive come from?
Kathy: I really discovered them when I was on the receiving end, looking for information on domestic violence because I didn’t know how to help my own daughter when she was in abusive situations. The organization was terrific, not only with information but with other things like helping my daughter to get protective orders and referring her to a shelter.
They provide a very much needed service in our community. It is about empowering women who have had so much taken away from them. Many still are not aware of their services, and are scared and not knowing where to go.
Lisa: How have you grown personally as a result of being involved with the organization?
Kathy: I grew up always thinking that, as a woman, when something would happen that I could always fix it or it was my fault. After going through Women Helping Women’s volunteer program, I realize I need to always trust my gut. I do not take responsibility for someone else’s behavior.
Lisa: How are you currently involved with the organization?
Kathy: My largest role is as serving as the Chair for its Light Up The Night Gala fundraiser. It is an event that I began overseeing in 2007. They had been doing a dinner on a smaller scale and I wanted to make it something really big. I asked a couple of friends to join me for coffee and brainstorm ideas about a new spring fundraiser, and it was at that meeting, Light Up the Night was born.We netted $52,000 that first year and it has grown ever since. It is my baby. Last year we hosted 500 people.
This year will be the event’s 10th anniversary themed ‘A Decade of Peace, Love and Understanding’. It will be April 28 from 5:30 to 9 pm. at the Horseshoe Casino. The Gala includes dinner by the bite with tastings from some of Cincinnati’s best restaurants providing tastes, a silent auction, raffle and more.
Lisa: Outside of that, what are some of your simple pleasures in life?
Kathy: I enjoy working in my yard and garden, and having quiet time at night. I also love beaches. Anytime I go on vacation it is always someplace warm and sunny.
Lisa: Tell us about someone who has influenced your life.
Kathy: I grew up in the 60s, the oldest girl in my family. I questioned alot why my older brother was allowed to do things that I wasn’t. The answer was always, ‘because he is a boy’. Gloria Steinem opened my eyes to equal rights. My mother was a stay at home mom, and I wanted to do more. Gloria helped me realize I could do it all – stay at home, work and volunteer.
Lisa: Tell us about an act of kindness that has touched you.
Kathy: In 2006, our house caught on fire with more than $100,000 in damage. That night, I called a friend who used to work at Crossroads Community Church, where I attend. She dropped everything and said, ‘What do you need?’ She called others she knew who worked in the construction business and they left their Friday activities to come over. They measured my windows, went to purchase what they needed and boarded up my house. Others from my church, many people who I didn’t even know, were donating things to help us with our immediate needs. I went to church one day and someone told me to go to the Information Center where there were huge bins of donations. And people who went with me on an earlier mission trip to South Africa also showered me with donations. We needed to move temporarily, and Upspring, formerly Faces without Faces, provided us with tokens for the bus and gas cards so that my granddaughter) who was staying with Kathy) could continue to go to school. It was a very humbling experience. It is difficult for me to reach out to others and ask for help when I need it but this taught me it is okay to ask.
Lisa: What would you tell other people about giving back?
Kathy: I always get more when I give. It comes back to you ten times over.
CINspirational People: Lisa Cousineau
Lisa Cousineau is a clinical service provider for Talbert House, a Cincinnati nonprofit that provides social services focusing on mental health, community corrections, substance use and welfare-to-work programs. Lisa is integrally involved in the organization’s LEAP, which cares for adults who have serious mental health issues.
“It is reassuring to know that I have an outlet for teaching and helping to shape others lives. To watch previously socially isolated clients blossom because they are now interacting with others is a blessing I get to experience every day,” she told me.
Please read more about what inspires Lisa.
Lisa Desatnik: What is your greatest fulfillment from this job?
Lisa Cousineau: There is never a day I go home where I think that “nothing I do makes a difference”. Every minute here someone is changing for the better. Most of our clients are completely socially isolated – LEAP is their only chance to interact with others, or feel a part of a family. Staff facilitate the client’s bonding with each other, which leads to increased self esteem and a purpose for each of them.
Lisa Desatnik: What message would you like to share to others about mental illness?
Lisa Cousineau: Mental illness is so diverse with such a varied range of diagnoses. I have learned that medication and therapy are important, but many issues can dissipate by being able to be a friend and have a friend in other group members. We use the term “mental health” in our program much more than illness and address the basic need for companionship, which does wonders for their mental health. We are fortunate to live in Hamilton County, where the Board and voters realize the importance of programs like ours.
Lisa Desatnik: Please tell us about someone who taught you life lessons.
Lisa Cousineau: Growing up, I had a fascination with Anne Frank. I must have read that diary at least ten times throughout grade school. I kept journals and diaries, and rewrote stories myself constantly. I loved writing, and thought that would be my career, so I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from The Ohio State University. After finally getting to Amsterdam this fall, and being in her secret home, I now realize my fascination with Anne Frank had less to do with writing and more about her incredible mental strength. How was she able to endure those two years in secret? It is something we see every day at LEAP- the simple routine things most take for granted mean the world to a client who is feeling no purpose. One of my favorite quotes from her is “Whoever is happy will make others happy too”. I guess that is why LEAP works – it definitely is a happy place.
