Charitable All-Stars 2015

Charitable

All-Stars 2015

This year’s six Charitable All-Star nominees are a diverse group. They supported causes as varied as diabetes research, the Boy Scouts and leukemia support. While each one has a different cause close to his or her heart, every one decided to dedicate time and resources because they all felt it was the right thing to do. The Charitable All-Stars were nominated by their peers and have gone above and beyond to make life better for all people in the Tristate.

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Cincy’s Charitable All-Stars 2015

Steve Alexander Boy Scout s o f A m e r i ca

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t was a proud moment for Steve Alexander. The Boy Scout troop he led had successfully navigated through a cave system in Renfro Valley, Ky., and there they stood muddy and tired.

He wasn’t proud because they made it through the cave successfully. No, he was proud that the older boys in the troop had taken turns lifting and carrying three new troop members who were physically and developmentally handicapped over, under and around obstacles in the cave so they could also enjoy the experience.

“They took away from their enjoyment …

and made sure that somebody else would enjoy it also,” says Alexander. “You just kind of stand back and kinda go, ‘Man, this is what we’re trying to teach these guys.’ I

was just so proud of the boys.”

The Boy Scouts are also proud of Alexander, who started volunteering when his sons joined the Cub Scouts. Alexander is

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“The ages between 10 and 18 are such a critical time in a boy’s life and I felt like I was able to make a difference.”

—Steve Alexander

now in his 12th year as the scoutmaster of Troop 161 and he’s currently the program chairman for the Hopkins District of the Dan Beard Council. Hopkins is the innercity district of Cincinnati.

In addition to his scoutmaster duties, Alexander has also initiated and led an annual swimming event for youth, started and led district merit badge challenges aimed at inner-city youth and organized

numerous camping activities for boys who never had been camping before.

Alexander enjoys taking inner-city boys who have never been camping before into the woods. One particular campout stands out. “We had probably 10 boys from the inner-city and they just were just so eager to do anything involving camping,” he says.

The boys were taught to cook their own

food, set up their own tent and wash their own dishes. “It didn’t matter what chore it was this particular group just jumped in.

They wanted to do everything and they were just so excited to be able to do that and to learn how to camp,” says Alexander.

“It was pretty cool.”

Troop 161 is also pretty cool. When Alexander joined the troop had four boys.

It now has a roster of more than 30 boys and it graduates Eagle Scouts every year.

So why does Alexander continue to volunteer with the Boy Scouts, even after his sons Jason and Grant, who both earned the highest rank of Eagle Scout, finished the program? “The ages between 10 and 18 are such a critical time in a boy’s life and I felt like I was able to make a difference with the boys. And that’s why I stayed,” he says.

Alexander has received the Silver Beaver, the District Award of Merit, the Scoutmasters Award of Merit and the Order of St George from the Episcopal Church for scout activities.

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Cincy’s Charitable All-Stars 2015

Jay Shatz Big Brothe rs B i g S is t e r s o f G rea ter C i n c i n na t i

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s a beginning TV reporter nearly 25 years ago Jay Shatz finally got tired of asking questions about kids being involved with all sorts of bad things, such as crime, drugs and dropping out of school. “I wanted to be part of the answer,” Shatz says.

So he decided to become a mentor with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Cincinnati. Since then he’s been matched with three young men—even serving as the best man in his first Little Brother’s wedding.

But the most satisfying moments have been watching his Little Brothers graduate from elementary school, then graduate from high school and, finally, seeing them make their dreams become a reality, he says.

The graduations are important, Shatz says. “Because all these Little Brothers are at high risk of dropping out of school, of ending up in jail, of ending up on the news for the wrong reasons,” he says.

“I think it confirms the optimist in me,” says Shatz, who now owns a company that produces programming for cable television networks. “I don’t think any kid grows up wanting to drop out of school or wanting to get into trouble. I think they want to do well.

“I’ve never seen my role as a social worker. I’m a mentor and I can create opportunities and help them walk through the door of opportunity.”

Shatz says it’s important to understand that the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Cincinnati has a tremendous support system for the Big Brothers and Big Sisters volunteers.

“We have an incredible team of social workers and case workers,” says Shatz.

“The case worker is with you the very first moment of your first meeting and really never ever leaves your side.”

The program ends when the Little

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Watching his Little Brothers graduate is a special moment for Big Brother Jay Shatz, left. Many of the children the organization matches with Big Brother mentors are at a high risk of dropping out of school, he says.

Brothers turn 18 years old. But for Shatz, the relationship he’s built with his Little Brother doesn’t end when they reach their 18th birthday. “My relationships with these guys has gone well beyond the end of our matches,” he says.

Shatz started as a volunteer with the organization before becoming a member of the board, then board chairman several times, he says. He now serves on the organization’s Foundation Board.

In addition to his time, Shatz is also a major contributer financially to the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. His produc-

tion company has also produced videos for the organization to help spread the word about the importance and impact of mentoring in the Tristate region.

So why is he so passionate about the Big Brothers Big Sisters program? “Well, I think the program works,” says Shatz. “I believe very passionately that a positive role model in any young person’s life can have a tremendous impact. There’s no doubt in my mind that these kids wouldn’t be successful without the help of the Big Brothers agency.”

– Eric Spangler

Cincy’s Charitable All-Stars 2015

Vince Hopkins Southern O h i o C ha p t e r of the Leu k e m ia & Lymphom a S o c i e t y

V

ince Hopkins’ support for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has run full circle.

Hopkins, a major gift officer for Xavier University, started out running in a society “Team in Training” marathon 18 years ago in support of his brother-in-law, Dan Riestenberg, who was diagnosed with nonHodgkins lymphoma and passed away a month before the race.

A few years later, at the urging of Dan’s

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CINCY, ISSN number 1934-8746. Filing Date: September 23, 2015. Issue frequency:Feb/ Mar;Apr;May;Jun/Jul;Aug/Sep;Oct;Nov;Dec/Jan. Number of Issues Published Annual: 8. Annual Subscription Price: N/A. Complete Mailing Address of the Known Office of Publication is 30 Garfield Place, Suite 440 Cincinnati, Ohio, 45202. Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business Office of Publisher is. Full Names and addresses of the Publisher,are: Publisher: Eric Harmon, 30 Garfield Place, Suite 440 Cincinnati, Ohio, 45202; Editor: Eric Harmon, 30 Garfield Place, Suite 440 Cincinnati, Ohio, 45202;The Names and Addresses of Stockholders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of the Total Amount of Stock are: Lute H. Harmon Sr., 30 Garfield Pl, Suite 440, Cincinnati, OH 45202; Susan Harmon, 30 Garfield Pl, Suite 440, Cincinnati, OH 45202; Eric Harmon, 30 Garfield Pl, Suite 440, Cincinnati, OH 45202.

The Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Amount of Bonds, Mortgages and Other Securities are: None. Issue Date for Circulation Data: October, 2015. The Average Number of Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 months are: a)Total Number of Copies(Net press run): 15226(b) Legitimate Paid and/or Requested Distribution (By Mail and Outside the Mail)(1)Outside County Paid/Requested Mail Subscriptions states on PS Form 3541.:13631.(2)In-County Paid/Requested Mail Subscriptions stated on PS Form 3541.none 3)Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Paid or Requested Distribution Outside USPS:288(4)Requested Copies Distributed by Other Mail Classes through the USPS: none (c)Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation: 13919(d)Nonrequested Distribution (By Mail and Outside the Mail) (1)Outside County Nonrequested Copies Stated on PS Form 3541: None (2) In-County Nonrequested Copies Stated on PS Form 3541: none.(3)Nonrequested Copies Distributed Through the USPS by Other Classes of Mail: None (4)Non requested Copies Distributed Outside the Mail: none(e)Total Nonrequested Distribution: none(f )Total Distribution: 13919(g)Copies Not Distributed: 1307(h)Total:15226 (i)Percent Paid and/or requested circulation: 100%. No. copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date. (a)Total Number of Copies (Net press run):15826 (b)Legitimate Paid and/or Requested Distribution (By Mail and Outside the Mail)(1)Outside County Paid/Requested Mail Subscriptions states on PS Form 3541.:14187.(2)In-County Paid/Requested Mail Subscriptions stated on PS Form 3541. none 3)Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Paid or Requested Distribution Outside USPS:299(4)Requested Copies Distributed by Other Mail Classes through the USPS: none (c)Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation: 14486(d)Nonrequested Distribution (By Mail and Outside the Mail) (1)Outside County Nonrequested Copies Stated on PS Form 3541: None (2) In-County Nonrequested Copies Stated on PS Form 3541: none.(3)Nonrequested Copies Distributed Through the USPS by Other Classes of Mail: None (4)Non requested Copies Distributed Outside the Mail: none (e)Total Nonrequested Distribution: none(f )Total Distribution: 14486 g)Copies Not Distributed: 1340(h)Total:15826(i)Percent Paid and/or requested circulation: 100%. I certify that the statements made by me are correct and complete. Susan Harmon, Vice President.

“I’ve got to carry the torch as long as I can to honor them and hopefully help others in the future.”

—Vince Hopkins widow, Hopkins entered and won the society’s “Man & Woman of the Year” competition, raising more than $17,000.

(Last year his wife, Julie, won that event raising $115,000. “The stakes have gotten a lot higher,” he says.)

In 2005, Hopkins, who joined the society’s local board and served two years as local chapter president, was himself diagnosed with lymphoma, a fight he continues to this day.

“What I tell them at the [society] office is: ‘If this was Texas Hold ‘em, I’m all in,’” he says.

Michelle Steed, LLS executive director, says, “Vince has been a true hero to LLS,

raising awareness of our mission, as well as hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

“I can live a pretty normal life,” he says.

“Others don’t have that, and that’s what we’re working towards. When you hear the word ‘cancer,’ you don’t have to fear the worst. There is hope.”

Since that first marathon, Hopkins, his wife and their friends and family have raised more than $1.5 million for the local chapter.

And Hopkins has experienced firsthand how fundraising has aided treatment.

“When I was first treated 10 years ago, I went through some pretty difficult chemo,”

he says. “But today I take one pill a day, a lot of that is result of research funded by the society.”

He says, “It’s really about paying it forward. I know people who had what I have 20 or 30 years ago didn’t have available the treatments I have. But without them I wouldn’t have those treatments. I’ve got to carry the torch as long as I can to honor them and hopefully help others in the future.”

He doesn’t run marathons now but does participate in society fundraising bike rides.

“We were just at Lake Tahoe in June and rode in memory of friend who died in 2014.

Our 24-member team raised $180,000. It was an awesome and emotional weekend.”

Hopkins says his fundraising has done more than contribute to finding a cure.

“I’ve got skin in the game. but I’ve gotten far more out of it than I ever imagined,” he says. “There is no greater feeling than accomplishing what you set out to do, and having an impact on people that need help.”

– Mike Boyer

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Cincy’s Charitable All-Stars 2015

Mark Kacher

JDRF South w es t O h i o C ha pter

M

ark Kacher knows what children and adults battling Type 1 diabetes face.

The president of the Southwest Ohio board of JDRF (formerly Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) has battled the disease for 41 years.

“What motivates me is I meet a lot of parents with small children, some as young as 6 months old, who’ve been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. I see the fear and concern in the parents’ eyes. I’m living well, but I know how difficult is can be,

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“The tools we have today are much better than even 10 years ago.”

—Mark Kacher especially for the very young.”

Kacher, a retired research director from Procter & Gamble Co., was diagnosed with Type 1 when he was 23.

“I was fortunate. I didn’t have to go through my childhood with this disease, but I know how devastating it can be especially for parents. You can live with it, but it’s a constant challenge,” he says.

“One of the things I love to do when we have our [fundraising] walks is to go talk to the Type 1 kids. I’ll show them my insulin pump, and they’ll show me their insulin pump and we’ll do a fist bump. It’s the togetherness of the community and getting to know all these people that has been a driving force for me.”

Nationally, as many as 1.25 million people have Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease in which a person’s pancreas stops producing insulin, a hormone needed to get energy from food.

“You have to keep your blood sugar under control,” says Kacher. Serious health problems such as kidney and heart failure can occur if the blood sugar is too high or too low.

“The whole thing is about balancing it,” he says. “The tools we have today are much better than even 10 years ago.”

After retiring from P&G six years ago, Kacher decided to get involved with the fight to find a cure, first as research information officer for the local chapter, then

as a board member and as board president the last year and a half.

“His leadership in st rateg ic planning allowed our chapter to reach 112 percent of gross budgeted revenue and exceed [our] goals across all programs,” says Melissa Newman, JDRF executive director. Kacher also has been heavily involved as chairman of the annual Type 1 Nation Summit, a regional education symposium held Nov. 1 at the Sharonville Convention Center.

Kacher says he enjoys tracking diabetes research and sharing that with others.

“We are making headway,” he says. “We won’t have a cure in the short term, but the treatments have gotten progressively better.”

For example, continuous glucose monitors that attach to patients avoid the need to prick fingers for blood samples. Increasingly these monitors will make automatic adjustments in patients’ insulin levels like a real pancreas, he says.

And remote monitoring devices have been introduced that allow parents to track their child’s insulin levels via an iPhone.

– Mike Boyer

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Cincy’s Charitable All-Stars 2015

Becky Catino

St. Vincent d e Pau l

F

or six years it has been Becky Catino’s passion to help Cincinnati’s less fortunate citizens. As board chairwoman with St. Vincent de Paul, Catino led efforts to establish the Liz Carter Homelessness Prevention Fund, keeping thousands of local families in their homes.

The organization operates thrift stores, food pantries and provides home visits to help families in need. “I joined the organization mainly because I was very moved by the overall mission,” says Catino.

St. Vincent de Paul visits people in their homes, whether it is an apartment or a house, and the situation can be evaluated

in a private setting. Generally, people need help with anything from furniture to clothing and food to prescriptions, says Catino. The organization can also help if the electricity is about to be shut off. It is an experience Catino says and it is very heart warming to be welcomed into fairly destitute situations and be able to help. It was shortly after doing these home visits that Catino joined the board.

“I have been involved in many different aspects including various committees, but also some of the events that take place throughout the year like the contributions at Thanksgiving and Christmas times,” says Catino. “There are very moving scenarios where families come in with so very little, and they are thrilled to be given new coats, a turkey, or one gift for Christmas.”

The new executive director, Mike Dunn, explains how Catino’s work is instrumental for the organization’s progress.

“Her incredible commitment and vision for our organization have inspired us to develop strategic initiatives and innovative programs that define our role as the leader in homelessness prevention in Cincinnati,”

says Dunn. “Becky’s generosity and spirit are models for us all.”

Catino’s work with the organization drives groundbreaking programs to better serve those in need in Cincinnati, and she says the great leadership of the organization inspired her.

“I chose to work with St. Vincent de Paul because of the leadership as well as the organization itself, and there is a phenomenal group of people,” says Catino. “It is a great place to give your time and efforts.”

– Heather King

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Cincy’s Charitable All-Stars 2015

Dr. Michael A. Frederick SPCA Cincin na t i

A

n SPCA Cincinnati trustee since 1995, veterinarian Dr. Michael A. Frederick is a well-respected advocate for animals. Frederick, a partner at Miamitown Pet Hospital, “is a generous, dedicated trustee, never missing an opportunity for he and his wife to convert friends into donors,” says Larry Pauly, vice president of development at SPCA Cincinnati.

Frederick handles thousands of spay and neuter surgeries each year—about 2,000 in the past three year for free—out of love for animals, says Pauly. Frederick has been involved with the organization for about 40 years, and before he started

doing spay and neuter surgeries he helped SPCA Cincinnati with difficult, emergency surgeries. These surgeries can be expensive, and from time to time animals are brought to the shelters because the owners cannot afford it. Recently, Frederick performed surgery on an animal with a torn ACL, a difficult microsurgery that can cost upward of $3,000.

“We watch this animal limp around and examine it, send [Frederick] the X-ray and he will diagnose it,” says Pauly. “[He] doesn’t hesitate, he helps.”

He helped SPCA Cincinnati’s fundraising staff raise the $12 million required to complete the organization’s Sharonville shelter in 2008. “[Frederick] was instrumental in getting a number of key players together to design the proper state-of-theart shelters,” says Pauly.

Frederick also has been a key adviser and champion for the Simmonds Farm in Cleves, donated in 2009, as an educational resource on domesticated and farm animals. “I think it will help us in the long run to bring the farm to the forefront as our most important project,” says Pauly.

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Frederick’s leadership as vice chairman, along with his diligence—he has never missed a board meeting—has the respect of the board and the community as he steps into the role of chairman. “It is an honor [being nominated], but I think the organization is a good organization, they certainly operate on a tight budget and they do not waste money,” says Frederick.

“There are good people on the board, good people working there, and we are very blessed to have something like that.”

– Heather King