YMCA
DeVont’e Roach Is Reaching For His Dream
Earlier this year before a packed auditorium at the School for Creative and Performing Arts, a young man with a destiny came onto the stage. DeVont’e Roach was one of 40 teens being honored that night by the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati for living his life upon the values of caring, respect, responsibility and honesty. He is a young person totally committed to making this world a better place, to living out dreams and giving your voice purpose.
A recent graduate of Purcell Marian High School, DeVont’e is already an accomplished philanthropist, singer, song writer and composer. And at the end of this summer he will also be a student at the acclaimed Berklee College of Music in Boston with help from a scholarship.
Tonight on Fountain Square, DeVont’e will become the 15th recipient of a Michael W. Bany Scholarship, established in honor of Cincinnati’s popular musician who was murdered after a performance in 1995. After the presentation DeVot’e will sing a song with the Sonny Moorman Group as part of the PNC Summer Music Series.
How exciting for him!
Below is the bio for DeVont’e from the YMCA Character Awards (written in April, 2011)
Life isn’t always easy, but often times through perseverance you gain strength and a renewed direction. In DeVont’e’s case, he grew wings. The academic honors student has found his spark in music and giving back. At 18, DeVont’e is already an accomplished songwriter and composer with two recently released singles. His yearning to make a difference has found him in Mississippi helping with Hurricane Katrina clean-up, in Kenya teaching children and spreading the message of peace, and in school sitting on his student council. DeVont’e also co-edits a newsletter for nonprofit Elementz, serves as youth commissioner for the Cincinnati Recreation Commission, and works part-time at the Melrose YMCA. He has been honored with the Public Speaking Artistry Award by the Fine Arts Fund, and with the Freshman Leadership and Morality Awards from his high school.
A Young Man’s Legacy Is Creating Lifelong Summer Memories For Kids
Working with the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati, I am so fortunate to be continually inspired by the actions of those with whom I work and get to know. Lois Fischer is the office manager of the Clippard Family YMCA. She is someone with a huge heart and a passion for kids.
You can imagine the devastation for her – and her family – about five years ago when they tragically lost Andrew far too soon. Still in high school, Andrew loved life. He loved to learn and to share, to explore and to experience. All of those things he did through camp…
And so, through camp, Lois and her family want to carry on Andrew’s legacy. They created Andrew’s Kids Scholarship Fund to give kids in their area whose families otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford it, those life changing moments at YMCA Camp Ernst. This year with the help of the YMCA, family and friends, they raised enough to provide 14 children with scholarships. I was there on the night that Lois handed on the certificates.
Below is a group photo (of those who could be there) and a video I created about it.
Caught Being Good
I love this. What a fun and creative way of encouraging positive values in children. When I visited the R.C. Durr YMCA preschool last week this caught my eye. Teachers there are on high alert every day…to catch good behavior. And from the looks of it, there is a lot of good behavior to recognize. It’s amazing how when you reinforce the behaviors you want to see more of, that’s exactly what you end up seeing.
Meet Greater Cincinnati’s Role Models Who Are All Under 18
I’d like to introduce you to some of Greater Cincinnati’s most outstanding humanitarians. They’re mentors, volunteers, fundraisers, athletes, and scholars. And they are YMCA of Greater Cincinnati’s Character Award honorees. I’ve got to say…one of my pleasures in doing public relations for the Y and working on the bios for this program is getting to know such outstanding role models. Each with their own unique story and gift to this world, they give so much and they truly understand what it means to be a good person.
Take for example…
Raquel Brown (pictured on the left), a student at Cincinnati’s School for Creative and Performing Arts, who has been described as a young woman with a smile that lights up a room and a maturity far beyond her years. Such a deep appreciation for living comes from her own inner strength as her determination overpowered juvenile diabetes that, at the age of 9, almost took her life and required multiple surgeries.
or
Wyoming High School’s Brandon Weiss (pictured on the right), an incredible teen who sees the need of those around him and strives for meaningful ways to make an impact. He has a passion for interfaith relations and spent last summer in Israel and Poland learning about the effects of the Holocaust.
or
Natalie Bryans (pictured below), a student at St. Ursula Academy, who has said some of her greatest inspirations, her heroes, are her friends because ‘they are all so kind and welcoming.’
With youth development being one of the YMCA’s core focus areas, the YMCA Character Awards are an opportunity to celebrate young people who exemplify the Y’s core values of caring, respect, honesty and responsibility. The YMCA Character Awards Event will begin at 6 p.m. on April 11 at the School for Creative & Performing Arts. Tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for youth.
To register, please call the Community Services YMCA at 513-961-3200.
All 40 YMCA of Greater Cincinnati Character Award honoree bios are on the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati website. You may just know one of them.
Monnasia Is A Teen Without A Home, But She Has A Spark Thanks To The YMCA
Working with the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati I am so fortunate to be around people who are completely dedicated to enhancing the lives of others. I’ve seen so many children who in their brief years already have to learn out of necessity how to find their inner strength from overcoming personal hardships. They do that because of the nurturing guidance of YMCA staff and volunteers.
Rebecca Kelley, executive director of the Community Services YMCA, had shared this story with me. It’s a story she shared at the 21st Century Community Learning Center Conference in Washington D.C. earlier this year. Rebecca was speaking about the influence of supportive partners like JCPenney on her branch’s ability to help young kids succeed but the story itself is what inspired me.
Monnasia’s story
could be any of a number of Cincinnati area children who benefit from YMCA led afterschool programs.
“Her smile captures your eyes first, then her dark brown eyes hold your attention,” Rebecca explained. “Monnasia attends the YMCA’s CincyAfterSchool program at her school, where she experiences nine research-based program components. With help from JCPenney tutor volunteers, she’s improving in math and reading scores. She enjoys expanding her knowledge and skills in global learning via the foreign language club, Skyping with students from Ireland, and salsa dancing that brings other cultures to life. She serves on her program’s Youth Advisory Council to develop her leadership skills and engage in service-learning. Right now, Monnasia is enjoying Cincinnati Public Schools’ Fifth Quarter, an extension of the school year for four weeks of instruction and enrichment delivered by school staff and community partners.”
Then Rebecca explained how the little girl so excited about learning told her YMCA CincyAfterSchool coordinator that drawing her self-portrait made her sad and proud at the same time. Monnasia was at the global family portrait project at the Cincinnati Museum Center; and, while she liked opening her mind to other cultures, it reminded her of incredible pain. The kind of pain no child should have to endure.
“You see, Monnasia’s family portrait looks different. She’s homeless.” Rebecca went on.
“Although Monasia receives support from caring adults and staff, as well as JCPenney’s generous gift cards for school supplies and clothing in the past, Monnasia has to think about which house she’ll be sleeping at this week. When her school principal and YMCA site coordinator announced she would be honored as one of 28 CincyAfterSchool All-Stars, she had to figure out more logistics than most 12-year-olds on how she would get to the event and make it safely to her lodging that night.
“In nominating her for our All-Star Award, the principal noted how Monnasia has discovered her spark through the YMCA ArtWheels program. She’s exploring college and career options already, and learning which classes she needs to take to fulfill those dreams in her eyes. She demonstrates care for others by reading to Kindergarteners and listening to 1st graders read. We know she’s going to succeed!,” Rebecca concluded.
