students
Bake Me Home Enriches Lives…With Cookies
Meet 10 year old twins Emma and Amy Bushman. Born just moments apart, Amy is the artsy one who loves dabbling in the creation – drawing, building, and writing. Emma on the other hand is the more methodical, more critical thinker. You wouldn’t know it by looking at them that the girls are twins but it is pretty obvious they are best friends in the whole wide world.
And, as best friends go, they share an interest in music (Emma plays the flute while Amy plays the trumpet and piano), tennis, singing, and making a real difference in the world. They also happen to be entrepreneurs, volunteers, business women, and board members. That’s right. Emma and Amy (and their mother, Alison) began one of Cincinnati’s most unique nonprofits in their kitchen three years ago.
Today Bake Me Home serves hundreds of parents and their children each year (a statistic that continues to grow) through shelters and other agencies in four counties; and has more than 100 volunteers who assist. It is all about promoting volunteerism, enriching lives and strengthening family relationships, especially those who are facing significant personal challenges – and it’s centered around cookies!
The very beginning
Behind the scenes of Bake Me Home are two parents – Alison and Lee – who believe in teaching their children about the 
importance of giving back. The girls were not even in kindergarten yet when they began learning what it means to help other people. Alison said it really didn’t take a whole lot of convincing to get the twins to understand there are other kids who needed gifts much more than they did.
And so, at their fourth birthday party, Amy and Emma started asking their friends to bring books and toys for homeless children instead. Then they’d gather their gifts and deliver them with their mom to the Bethany House shelter for families; and while they were there, they made a pancake breakfast for everyone.
Fast forward three years
Being the astute person that she is, Emma was watching Teen Kids News one morning as she has many times. Only this time there was a story that spoke to her. It was the coverage of a Young Entrepreneurs Convention and Emma was blown away when she learned about other kids starting their own businesses. “Kids can really do that?,” she yelled to her mom – an expert at selective listening.
“Sure you can do anything you want to do,” was the response. Then Alison went back to cooking dinner.
(Somehow, I don’t think this Anderson mom who loved the idea of finding opportunities to teach her girls life lessons had any idea of what she was committing to.)
Cookie Bakers
Coincidentally, Amy and Emma had just come home from a ‘food as gifts’ themed camp with a jar of dry ingredients – everything needed to make soft and chewy cookies, their favorite thing to do when they wanted to spend quality mom-daughter time together.
It was that simple. They would have a nonprofit organization that would provide moms who are down on their luck with all of the ingredients necessary to bake homemade cookies with their children, starting with the residents at Bethany House. Sure, cookies may not be the most nutritious food on the chain but that wasn’t really what this was about. It was about giving parents and children a feel good activity, one where they’d talk and laugh and bond with each other just as Amy, Emma and Alison do.
First things first. Alison, who had no idea what it even meant to be called 501C3 had to do a quick study – on vacation – and, within eight months they were approved.
They needed to come up with a recipe that didn’t include vanilla extract (because it is expensive) and so there was a lot of experimenting – and taste testing. (lots of taste testing) They contacted their church to use its health department approved space. They held fundraisers, applied for grants and got donations. And they recruited volunteers and board members.
The girls wrote this on their website…”This pile of goodies made us realize that they were going to need something to carry all this stuff out of the shelter and into their new home, hence the introduction of the tote bag and the new name for our program! We knew our families would face one last obstacle when baking their cookies, the cost of the stick of butter and two eggs needed to complete their mix. We knew from our years of volunteer work at The Bethany House that many families moved into their new homes with little or no grocery money. We didn’t want money to keep them from baking our cookies while celebrating this happy time together, so we decided our Tote Bag needed one more thing, a Kroger grocery store gift card. Our $20 gift card allows them to get their butter eggs, and a few other essential items. We always suggest milk to go with their cookies!”
Other programs
Today Bake Me Home also includes –
Bake Me Home Pantry Totes that distributes totes as funds are available to area pantries.
Bake Me Home Family Portrait Program that provides a free 5×7 portrait to families at food pantries and shelters through the area.
Bake Me BACK Home Program where, for a $30 donation, two dozen cookies are sent to a military member overseas and proceeds benefit the rest of the organization’s work.
Bake Me Home Awards recognizing other kids’ for doing community service.
Lessons learned
The girls are the idea generators and help with every facet of the organization, including overseeing the financial statements. Alison laughed when she told me about how Emma had grilled her for spending an additional $30 on 1000 tote bags.
I asked Amy and Emma what they like most about Bake Me Home. “It’s all the things we learn. When we first started, mom used words we didn’t know like ‘fiscal’. I always thought it should be ‘physical,’” said Amy.
“It makes me feel good and helpful because I’m pretty sure not many kids have started a charity. Being a board member is really cool because I always thought you had to be an adult. We’re crossing our fingers that we can be Co-President of Bake Me Home one day,” said Emma.
I actually know the girls get a whole lot more out of it than just learning about economics, although that is a very important lesson.
“I feel that everybody needs to help out just a little,” Emma told me.
Yes, Emma, you’re absolutely right. We all can learn from your lesson.
Summit Elementary Students Are Caring Philanthropists
What a pleasure it was to accompany Patrick Nugent, vice president of development for Beech Acres Parenting Center, when Anderson Township students at Summit Elementary School presented him with a check. Such eager fundraisers! I couldn’t help but capture them on video too. Below is the write-up I did for Beech Acres and below that is a video that you’ve got to watch.
Pictured: Tori Madden, Jessie Headley, Payton Egan, Patrick Nugent and Lauren Arnold
Five young enterprising philanthropists at Summit Elementary School decided one day they wanted to pool their talents to help a worthy cause. Together, fourth graders Payton Egan, Ali Madden, Lauren Arnold, Tori Madden and Jessie Headley approached their school counselor and crafted a written proposal. Their counselor connected them with school librarian Tonya Swisshelm, who had already decided to participate in the One for Books program in order to raise money for a chosen cause. This program allows schools to accept donations and use them to their choosing while Scholastic matches the amount collected and purchases books for needy children. It was a great fit to have the girls promote this program among students.
In that moment, Payton, Ali, Lauren, Tori and Jessie became organizers and promoters. Their cause was Beech Acres Parenting Center, an Anderson-based nonprofit that helps to strengthen families for children. The girls made signs that they posted around school and gave daily morning announcements to all of their peers. During the book fair, they were responsible for counting the money and posting the names of all of their donors on a hallway bulletin board.
It was a big job with a big lesson in giving back. On December 1, the Summit Elementary philanthropists handed a check to Beech Acres Vice President of Development, Patrick Nugent, for $115.50. The girls kept thanking Patrick for accepting the gift, proving the key lesson that it feels great to give!
Over 1600 Gifts Wrapped At Beech Acres For Families In Need
In my job, I am so lucky to have the opportunity to work side-by-side truly caring people who are working to make this world a better place. The Beech Acres Parenting Center’s Adopt-a-Family Program this holiday season was high up on the list.
Several weeks ago I came home from the Anderson Target store so touched by the huge turnout of shoppers – over 350 kids and parents– who were there with a purpose…to shop for those in our community who can’t afford right now to buy holiday presents themselves. Beech Acres volunteers and staff had a wish list that was given to each group.
The nearly $8000 used to purchase the wish lists came from students at Wilson 
Elementary, Ayer Elementary and Nagel Middle School who gave up their allowances and collected their change so that they could brighten the season for others. Additionally, individuals and families also adopted families through Beech Acres.
Then, last week, the Beech Acres Anderson Township campus was transformed into a Santa’s workshop as over 250 volunteers came to wrap all 1600 gifts to be delivered by Beech Acres just in time for the holidays. What was so special was seeing so many of the same faces at the gift wrapping event as were shopping the week before, and most of them were also donors. Children told me how they saved their coins or did extra chores to give to the collection. They liked knowing they were helping someone else.
In addition to all of the volunteers, the staff of Beech Acres are such warm and nurturing people. I am so fortunate to have been given the opportunity to work with them.
The Adopt-a-Family committee included: Jennifer Claudy, BAPC development services officer; Alison Bushman, BAPC board member; Missy Meurer, chair of BAPC Adopt-a-Family Committee; Patrick Nugent, BAPC vice president for development; Kim Koelle, BAPC Adopt-a-Family volunteer; Jen Schlosser, BAPC Adopt-a-Family volunteer and school coordinator
Cincinnati Area Students Are Spreading Holiday Kindness
How special it was this past week to be at the Anderson Township Target store. A wonderful act of kindness. Over 350 children & adults were shopping with nearly $8000 donated by students of Wilson Elementary, Ayer Elementary and Nagel Middle School. They were purchasing items on ‘wish lists’ of over 130 families in need who are working to strengthen their relationships and their lives with the help of Beech Acres Parenting Center (BAPC). Next week over 250 volunteers will help wrap all of those gifts. Beech Acres Parenting Center is a Cincinnati nonprofit that supports parents and caregivers in the most challenging and important job of their lives: raising children today who are able to thrive as capable, contributing, caring adults tomorrow.
I’ll post photos of the gift wrapping next week.
The committee that organized this huge task:
(l to r)
Jennifer Claudy, BAPC development services officer; Alison Bushman, BAPC board member; Missy Meurer, chair of BAPC Adopt-a-Family Committee; Patrick Nugent, BAPC vice president for development; Kim Koelle, BAPC Adopt-a-Family volunteer; Jen Schlosser, BAPC Adopt-a-Family volunteer and school coordinator
Cincinnati Area Students Learned About Homelessness
Homelessness. It’s hard to imagine. Sitting in my comfortable living room thinking about time treasured with loved ones, I realize how easy it is for us to take what we have for granted. But, in one stroke of bad luck, one moment in time, I know life can change. People can change.
No one empathized with those down on their luck more than an Over-the-Rhine icon, Buddy Gray, whose guiding spirit was 
again memorialized several weeks ago at the 15 year anniversary of his death.
Buddy opened the Drop Inn Center – now Cincinnati’s largest homeless shelter filled to its 222 bed capacity most nights. It was in 1973 when his idea came to fruition as an evening-only shelter for the homeless located in a series of storefronts in Over-the-Rhine. On January 13, 1978, the volunteer forces of the Drop Inn Center made the famous “People’s Move” to the former Teamsters Hall at 217 W. 12th Street where the shelter remains today. Buddy also founded the Homeless Coalition in 1984.
“On the street, he knew everyone’s name, and they knew him,” Tom Dutton, a Miami University architecture professor and director of the university’s Center for Community Engagement in Over-the-Rhine, told the Cincinnati Enquirer. “He was deeply loved. He was in people’s homes. One of the stories is how he used to fix people’s space heaters. He saw people as they were and didn’t judge them. It seems simplistic but is very powerful.”
A Simple And Powerful Lesson Lives On
Schools across the Greater Cincinnati are teaching their students to see the world as Buddy saw it, to understand the hardships faced by thousands, and to help with giving hands.
October was Homeless Awareness Month. Faces Without Places, the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, and the Manuel D. & Rhoda Mayerson Foundation collaborated to identify about 30 schools, create an idea sharing kickoff, and provide support for a citywide Shantytown.
Shantytowns are simulations providing creative way to sensitize students to the issues of homelessness, difficulty in accessing affordable housing, jobs, and food. This year, students’ minds and hearts were opened when they heard the story of struggle and resilience from a Homeless Coalition Speaker’s bureau member – someone who has experienced homelessness. Inevitably, stereotypes of people experiencing homelessness were challenged and changed.
At Aiken High School, for example, where their theme for the year is ‘Here, There and Everywhere,’ Karen Barrett told me, “we wanted to make sure the students understood that to be involved in service, you don’t have to go overseas or out of state or even the school building.”
Beginning their Shantytown evening, participating students fed the school football team and cheerleaders and then cheered them off to the game. They made posters to advertise a canned food drive for Thanksgiving baskets and put them up throughout the school.
Then the students met peers from Shroder High School at a local grocery store where they were each given $1.00 to spend on snacks for the night and breakfast the next morning. “We explained that the $1.00 is just about the amount that a person on food stamps is given for each meal,” said Karen.
That night, eyes were open when an Aiken graduate shared her story of homelessness while attending classes the
re. Students saw the movie ‘The Soloist’ and talked about attitudes toward people on the streets before heading outside to sleep in the boxes they set up as makeshift housing. The temperatures that evening got down in the 30’s and many of the students came back in the building in the wee hours of the morning – an option they came to realize that was not available to those without homes.
For our Canned Food Drive, I went over to the Villa Madonna campus and picked up the mural that was made as a memorial for Buddy Gray. After studying it, one of my more artistic students commented, “I feel like I can see into the souls of those figures through their eyes”.
Shantytown served its purpose.
(Buddy Gray photo credit: Street Vibes)
