April 2025

April 2025

FOCUS ON Recycling & Reuse

A visit to the Hub Preserving the living land

‘All else pales’ Paul Kroner

invites artists to face environment fears and hopes in latest show

PUBLISHERS’ LETTER

If this letter had a title, it could be “Confessions of a Reluctant Recycler.” While I do now recycle and am proud to do so, my progress toward this goal has been longcoming and, at times, marked by hesitancy. It was just not simple or convenient, or so I told myself. All of us would be more likely to recycle if it were easier, right?

But then I visited Cincinnati Recycling and Reuse Hub and experienced how they cut through the complexity and how helpful they are. Now, my only hurdle is getting myself out the door once a month.

Wanting to shine a light on how easy recycling can be, we asked writer Kathy Doane, a CRR neophyte, to document her experience and learn more about the process. See her account on Page 20. And thanks to the Hub’s Katrina Weiss for her assistance with photos.

hometown a few years ago and continues to showcase significant art, much of it about relevant topics, from his StudioKroner on Court Street. David Lyman shares Paul’s and the exhibit’s story on Page 6. We are so happy to have the work of photographer Tina Gutierrez once again represented on our cover.

Rounding out our coverage of recycling, reuse and repurposing are profiles of Notables serving this sector. See Page 22 to learn who is making a difference, as nominated by their regional organizations.

Speaking of recycling, artist/ gallerist Paul Kroner is this month conveniently hosting an exhibit and series of related events woven around this very topic. Paul is a native son who returned to his © Copyright 2025 Movers & Makers Publishing We make every effort to verify information submitted for publication (print and online), but are not responsible for incorrect information or misidentified photos provided to us.

Elizabeth & Thom Mariner, co-publishers

Digital edition & daily posts MoversMakers.org

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@moversmakerscincinnati Movers & Makers Magazine @moversmakers

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Thom Mariner, 513-543-0890 or tmariner@moversmakers.org

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And columnist Polly Campbell stays in the sustainability vein with

Publishing schedule

AUGUST JUNE 27 JULY 23

SEPTEMBER AUG 1 AUG 27

OCTOBER AUG 29 SEPT 24

NOVEMBER SEPT 26 OCT 22

DEC 25/JAN 26 OCT 31 NOV 26

 moversmakers.org/publishing-schedule

Readers are advised to confirm event dates and other important details and check for last-minute changes with the organizations or advertisers involved.

Publication of this magazine and its website (MoversMakers.org) does not necessarily constitute an endorsement of any information contained within, including advertisements and links.

Movers & Makers Publishing is a nonprofit with fiscal sponsorship provided by Cincinnati Cares.

Co-publishers Elizabeth and Thom Mariner at CCM’s Moveable Feast earlier this year.

memories of growing up roaming the woods and how we all have a stake in preserving the living land. See Polly’s Last Word on Page 50.

As we enter this month of nature’s rebirth, we ask you to think about how you can support efforts to care for our Earth, including the organizations highlighted inside.

Thanks for reading M&M. If you like what we do, we invite you to support the work of our nonprofit with a donation. Simply scan the QR code to the right.

Our small, but mighty, staff would be most grateful for your investment.

Thom Mariner, Co-publisher

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Fiscal sponsor:

For their work on this issue, our gratitude to:

• Casey Weldon, digital editor

• Phil Fisher and Ray Cooklis, copy editors

• Shasta Taber, volunteer proofreader

• All the nonprofits that contributed news and photos.

Arts coverage supported by:

Mingle

Wednesday, April 9, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Casual opportunity to make new friends or business contacts. Mingle with nonprofit staff, supporters and fellow M&M readers. Light bites & drinks.

Arts & Culture

ArtWorks sets opening-day celebration for new campus, gallery

ArtWorks launches its first permanent art gallery, Your Name Here, with a grand opening on April 26 at its newly renovated Creative Campus in Walnut Hills. The event will coincide with the Creative Campus’ opening.

Located on the first floor of ArtWorks’ building at 2429 Gilbert Ave., the gallery showcases works by ArtWorks’ artists-inresidence and participants in its emerging fellowship program. Four themed exhibitions in 2025 will feature a variety of mediums, including sewing, drawing, painting and illustration.

The new Creative Campus also consolidates ArtWorks’ offices, studio space and other exhibition areas under one roof. Free public openings will occur on the first day of each exhibition, with additional gallery hours to be announced.

The gallery’s grand opening is April 26, 1-5 p.m., with its first exhibition, “Color Me,” an interactive coloring book mural by artists-in-residence Andrew Neyer and Andy J. Pizza. Visitors can contribute to the mural using oversized markers. ArtWorks Gallery Fellows are designing limited-edition screen-printed “Color Me” posters, which will be framed and sold at the opening.

“This permanent gallery is a dream come true for ArtWorks,” said Colleen Houston, CEO and artistic director. “We are excited to give young artists the opportunity to exhibit and sell their work.”

Founded in 1996, ArtWorks is a nonprofit that creates community-based public art, providing career opportunities for artists of all ages.

 artworkscincinnati.org

CAM puts its mettle to the pedal in new exhibit of historic bikes

The Cincinnati Art Museum is gearing up for a swift ride through history with the exhibition “Cycle Thru! The Art of the Bike,” opening April 4 in the museum’s Thomas R. Schiff Gallery.

Surveying the history of the vehicle from the 1860s to today, the exhibit includes more than 20 historic machines from The Bicycle Museum of America in New Bremen, Ohio, illustrating the bicycle’s development and its evolving role as a means of transportation, a cultural symbol and even an art object.

Among the highlights are Pee-wee Herman’s customized 1953 Schwinn DX Cruiser from the 1985 film “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” a cast-iron “Boneshaker” velocipede from the 1860s, a 1901 Wolff-American Ice Bicycle designed for winter travel and a 1950s Huffy Radiobike that let riders pedal to tunes of their choice. The exhibition, which runs through Aug. 24, originated at the gallery The Church in Sag Harbor, New York, and is organized in partnership with the bicycle museum. Montgomery Cyclery is providing local support for the exhibition.  cincinnatiartmuseum.org



Museum Center all dolled up for ‘Barbie: A Cultural Icon’ exhibit

“Barbie: A Cultural Icon,” an exhibit opening April 4 at the Cincinnati Museum Center, aims to survey Barbie’s six-decade transformation into a global fashion phenomenon to demonstrate that it is indeed a major cultural icon.

And here we thought it was just a doll.

“Barbie has defined childhoods for generations, but she’s larger than a childhood,” said Elizabeth Pierce, president and CEO of Cincinnati Museum Center. “She

represented you and everything you could be. That’s why we’re excited to bring ‘Barbie: A Cultural Icon’ to Cincinnati, so we can remind everyone, including Kens, of just how much Barbie has shown us is possible.”

The exhibition includes more than 300 artifacts representing the 65-year evolution of Barbie, offering photo ops and other “shareable moments,” plus an original Barbie Dreamhouse, doll prototypes, video interviews with Barbie designers and more.

The display also aims to make viewers rethink their assumptions about Barbie and its influence on society. Barbie dolls from the collections of Mattel, the toy company that developed Barbie, and David Porcello, a private collector, will be on display.

“Barbie: A Cultural Icon” continues at CMC in Union Terminal through Sept. 1.

 cincymuseum.org/barbie

Otto Dicycle, circa 1880, Edward Otto (English), designer, Birmingham Small Arms Company Limited (English), manufacturer, steel with leather saddle, Bicycle Museum of America, New Bremen, Ohio

ArtWorks’ new headquarters at 2429 Gilbert Ave. in Walnut Hills as viewed from the soon-to-open Hannan ArtPark across the street

Astronaut Barbie

By David Lyman

Paul Kroner invites artists to face environment fears and hopes

Artist and gallery owner Paul Kroner and I were more than 15 minutes into our conversation before we touched on anything remotely dealing with the aesthetics of art.

Rather, we chatted about things like climate change. And environmental sustainability. And building community. And the current political climate.

But art? Not so much. Not directly, at least.

For Kroner, all of those subjects are part of a single spectrum of life that encompasses art, as well.

“It’s all connected,” he said.

It was this philosophy that led him to mount an exhibition called “All Else Pales” in 2022. He gathered together a group of artists – not just visual artists – who shared his concern for the environment. The show was so successful that Kroner has decided to create an expanded version of that original.

“All Else Pales: 2” opens April 17 at StudioKroner, 130 W. Court St. in downtown Cincinnati.

In 2021, when Kroner moved into the 1,800-square-foot space that used to house the late Dick Waller’s ArtSpace, he wasn’t certain precisely what he would do there.

“The one thing I was sure of is that I didn’t want it to become a museum of Paul Kroner’s work,” he said. “I was uncomfortable with that.”

All he knew for sure is that he needed more space than he had in his previous studio in Lower Price Hill. As luck would have it, Kroner’s landlord also owned the building where Waller operated his gallery. So when Waller retired in 2020, the landlord suggested the move.

“I was running out of room over there, so it made sense,” he said. “I was tripping over

sculptures and canvases and molds. Something had to change.”

The idea of presenting other artists’ work came naturally to him. After studying graphic design at the University of Cincinnati’s DAAP, he headed for the Boston area in 1982. In time, he became an art director for a major design firm, developing marketing materials and strategies for the high tech, health care and educational markets. Later, he would leave and launch his own firm.

But the pull of family and friends back in Cincinnati was always tugging at him.

“I would talk to people back here and they were always doing cool things; going to concerts and plays. If you’re in Boston, the ticket is going to cost $100, parking is $50. But every time I came back to Cincinnati to visit family I’d see all this great art and great theater and great music and great restaurants. There was definitely something happening in Cincinnati.”

He decided he wanted to be a part of it. So in 2017, he moved back.

“I never really wanted to be a gallerist,” Kroner

said. “In fact, I still don’t think of it as that. The gallery feels like an organic performance art piece. It’s always changing. It is an art form in and of itself. Owning this space doesn’t manifest itself into a painting on the wall. But it has definitely become part of my creative outlet.”

Why a show about the environment?

“Simple – it’s a topic that matters to people,” Kroner said. “And it matters now more than ever. We have so much data that backs up the idea that something is happening, that climate change is happening. Now we have this denier-in-chief who is going to roll back all our progress. It’s crazymaking when you think about it.”

It’s true that there is plenty to be concerned about. And naturally, some of that will be reflected in this show. But ultimately, Kroner is an optimist, a man fond of looking at the big picture and then trying to find solutions to the problems he sees. So he looks at “All Else Pales: 2” as more of a celebration than a collection of grievances.

I’m tempted to use the word “sprawling” to describe the show. But if you’ve ever been in that Court Street space, you know it is not really that big. Kroner’s ambitions, on the other hand, are enormous.

The show’s calendar looks more like the lineup of a monthlong colloquium than of a one-off art exhibition.

There are artist talks, of course. But then comes a full schedule of highly specialized panel discussions and presentations. On April 26, representatives of the Ohio Valley Forestry Fellowship will speak to the group’s efforts to “increase the size and diversity of our forest canopy through planting trees and distributing seedlings.”

On April 30, UC’s Center for Public

“We Are What We Breathe” by co-curator Devan Horton

Artist and gallerist Paul Kroner (photos by Tina Gutierrez for Movers & Makers)

Engagement with Science will host a gathering to discuss best practices for sharing essential environmental information with the public. The session will be moderated by eco-rockstar Peter Crawley, senior sustainability strategist at Boston’s Sustainability Roundtable.

There are theater performances, too, and poetry readings and a creative writing workshop, led by “climate-concerned poet” Elaine Olund.

Each of the eight artists in the exhibit brings what Kroner sees as a singular approach to art and the environment.

“One of the participants is a guy named John Sabraw,” Kroner said. Sabraw is a professor at Ohio University, teaching painting, drawing, digital art and technology. Kroner became aware of his work when he saw a short film at a film festival presented by the Ohio River Foundation.

Kroner was bowled over by Sabraw’s work. His paintings were bristling with chromatic energy. But it was the process behind them that was most fascinating to Kroner. Sabraw turns toxic sludge into usable pigments.

“I was so moved by that 12-minute film that I pretended I needed to be in Athens the next weekend and arranged a meeting with him,” Kroner said. “I was blown away by his work and by him. I knew I had to have him in this show.”

Sabraw didn’t set out to be an environmental activist. Nor did he intend to spend his career teaching in a small city in Appalachian Ohio.

“Ohio University was a gig,” Sabraw said. “It was a teaching job. And I needed that to provide for my family.”

As a lover of the outdoors, he soon encountered the hundreds of slurries and abandoned mines in the area surrounding Athens. Not long after he arrived, a friend introduced him to a scientist who had been studying the extensive pollution from those caves.

Rather than be frustrated by what he found, Sabraw found an odd sort of inspiration in that pollution. When he was in graduate school at Northwestern, Sabraw had become fascinated by the processes artists had to go through to create the pigments that came to define their color palette.

“Painters like Rembrandt and Goya and Vermeer were not just inspired painters,” he said. “It was almost like they were alchemists, developing new processes to create pigments for their work.”

Many of those pigments were built around heavy metals – precisely the sort of thing that filled the effluent found in many Appalachian mines and rivers. They could be extraordinarily dangerous to work with. But they could also be turned into vibrant colors. “I think that primed me to see the possibilities of this pollution.”

Not only have these colors and processes come to define his painting, but they have begun to

develop into a commercial enterprise, as well. He convinced paint manufacturer Gamblin Artists Colors to produce a batch of 500 tubes of oil paint using his pollution-based pigment. They will be distributed to artists around the world and, with some luck, the resulting pieces of art will become the basis for a touring exhibition.

Northern Kentucky painter Devan Horton, who co-curated the exhibition with Kroner, has also spent recent years exploring unorthodox avenues to creating pigments. But unlike Sabraw, she has turned to nature itself for her colors.

“When I started out to find sustainable sources for dyes, I began with walnuts,” said Horton, a 2015 graduate of Northern Kentucky University’s fine arts program.

Walnuts were abundant near her husband’s family home in Grant’s Lick, Kentucky, roughly 20 miles southeast of Cincinnati.

“Black walnuts are literally everywhere in October – there is an endless supply of them,” she said. “I did some research and learned how to take that dye and turn it into an ink.”

Aside from how plentiful they were – and how affordable, as well – why opt for walnuts?

“So many botanical dyes are sensitive to light and air,” she said. “They don’t have any staying power. But walnut ink is really hard to mess up.

And it lasts forever. It is a nice sepia brown and looks like a really expensive ink.”

Horton found so much success with the walnuts, she decided to broaden her color palette.

“The first thing I learned is that just because a plant is colorful, it doesn’t mean the dye will last very long,” she said. Fortunately, though, artists have been working with various botanical dyes for hundreds of years. There was no shortage of information out there.

“I learned that the presence of tannins made for excellent dyes,” Horton said. Black tea, for instance, is rich in tannins. That’s why its stains are so hard to remove. “Madder root makes a really pretty red color. And it’s hard to beat the blue from indigo. I’m trying to grow my own little patch this year. Ironically, greens are the most elusive colors. Just about every plant is green. But it is an incredibly unstable color. Basically, the only way to get a true green is to dye something yellow and then dye over the top of it with indigo.”

Apparently, onion skins make for great dyes, as well, as do goldenrod and marigolds.

“A lot of the stuff I use now is food waste,” Horton said. “I’ve become kind of a scavenger. I collect a lot of food scraps. It’s a slow process. But it’s so fun. And I do feel like a kid exploring and picking things up in the woods. I used to do that when I was a kid. I didn’t know I’d be doing it 20 years later.”

She is discussing a possible project with La Soupe, the Walnut Hills enterprise that rescues perishables from farms, grocers and wholesalers and turns them into soup.

This is precisely the sort of innovation that Kroner hopes will grow out of “All Else Pales: 2.”

“I can almost see this exhibition turning the gallery into a community center for five weeks for people who need to express not just their fears but also their ideas of how to tackle these problems,” Kroner said.

You can hear the enthusiasm mount as he recalls the sense of purpose generated by that first “All Else Pales” show.

“It became a celebration of the environment. We can all identify the problems in our environment. But these artists took those problems and found ways of making art out of it. Take Albertus Gorman,” he said, oohing and aahing about the works of the Dutch-born Louisville artist who will be in the new exhibit. “He collects junk from the Ohio River and makes sculptures out of it.

“These artists have so much vision. And so much optimism. I don’t want it to end here,” Kroner said. “I can see this becoming a biannual event. So yes – I’m already thinking about an “All Else Pales: 3” and an “All Else Pales: 4.” 

 studiokroner.com

 Albertus Gorman, “Crying-Indian”

John Sabraw, “Hydro-Chroma-S1-3”

Know Theatre premieres coming-of-age adventure ‘BLERDS’

Cincinnati’s Know Theatre presents the world premiere of J. Corey Buckner’s comedy-adventure “BLERDS” April 4-19. The Minneapolisbased playwright’s work was a semifinalist at the 2022 Bay Area Playwrights Festival, but it hasn’t yet been performed.

The word “BLERDS” is a blending of “Black” and “nerds,” which refers to the main characters in this coming-of-age play – three Black middle schoolers who skip school and travel to a Star Wars convention in Washington, D.C., to meet actor Samuel L. Jackson. DJ and his best friends are straight-A students who grab a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity to meet their hero, getting to the city and traveling through the Metro system

In Know Theatre’s “Blerds” are Dominique Owen Lewis, Malik Smith and Kenny Rayborn.

during the manhunt for the D.C. sniper.

“The need for the Black superhero is super important because those ideas are under attack right now,” said director Derek J. Snow. “I was definitely a Blerd myself – I’ve always wanted to direct a show like this. I think it’s really important to create spaces and mythologies of our own.”

The production is at Know Theatre’s black box theater at 1120 Jackson St., Over-the-Rhine.

 knowtheatre.com

Public Radio celebrates new HQ with Welcome Weekend

Cincinnati Public Radio celebrates the completion of its new, state-of-the-art headquarters in Evanston with a public Welcome Weekend celebration and open house April 26-27. The grandopening event will feature entertainment, food trucks and tours of the building.

The $32 million structure at 2117 Dana Ave., the new broadcasting home for public media outlets 90.9 WGUC, 91.7 WVXU and 88.5 WMUB, is the result of a long funding and planning campaign by CPR. The organization purchased a surface parking lot off Dana Avenue and broke ground on the two-story building in August 2023.

CPR needed the new headquarters because its familiar, long-time

rented space in the WCET-TV building on Central Parkway, across from Music Hall and near FC Cincinnati’s TQL Stadium complex, is likely to be redeveloped in the near future.

“The effort to be masters of our own destiny has been a long time coming,” said Rick Eiswerth, CPR president, CEO and general manager, at the groundbreaking.

The new building will host community concerts, broadcasts with live audiences, political debates and more. Among its 11 studios is a community podcast studio for the public to use, and the building is next to a park for family events.

For further information on Welcome Weekend, check the CPR website.

 cinradio.org



Cincinnati Public Radio will open its new headquarters on Dana Avenue with a celebration and open house April 26-27.

The A/C List

Cultural Exhibits/Tours

American Legacy Tours | Over-the-Rhine. 859-951-8560. americanlegacytours.com

ƒ Historic tours in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky

American Sign Museum | Camp Washington. 513-541-6366. americansignmuseum.org

ƒ Saturdays, noon & 2 p.m., & Sundays, 2 p.m. Guided museum tours

Archaeological Research Institute | Lawrenceburg. 812-290-2966. exploreari.org

ƒ Hands-on educational experiences

Behringer-Crawford Museum | Devou Park, Covington. 859-491-4003. bcmuseum.org

ƒ Thru 2025. “The Legacy of BehringerCrawford Museum: 75 Years of Art, Culture and Community.”

Betts House | West End. 513-651-0734. facebook.com/thebettshouse

ƒ By appointment only. Oldest home in Cincinnati

Brewing Heritage Trail Tour Center | Over-the-Rhine. 513-604-9812. brewingheritagetrail.org

ƒ Exploring history of beer making/selling in Queen City

Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame | The Banks, downtown. cincyblackmusicwalkoffame.org

ƒ Open daily, 6 a.m.-11 p.m. Queen City contributions to Black music

Cincinnati Fire Museum | Downtown. 513-621-5553. cincyfiremuseum.com

ƒ Permanent collection. Historic artifacts and equipment

Cincinnati Food Tours | Findlay Market. 513-602-5602. cincinnatifoodtours.com

ƒ Exploring Queen City food culture

Cincinnati Museum Center | Queensgate. 513-287-7000. cincymuseum.org

ƒ Thru May 18. “Julia Child: A Recipe for Life”

ƒ April 4-Sept. 1. “Barbie: A Cultural Icon”

Cincinnati Nature Center | Milford. cincynature.org

ƒ Nature trails and ponds among old-growth forest

Cincinnati Observatory | Hyde Park. cincinnatiobservatory.org

ƒ Oldest professional observatory in the United States

Cincinnati Parks | cincinnati-oh.gov/cincyparks

◆ Spring Wildflower Walks:

‚ April 12, 10 a.m.-noon. Wildflower Walk (Caldwell Nature Preserve)

‚ April 12, 1-2 p.m. Wildflower Walk (Trailside Nature Center, Burnet Woods)

‚ April 19, 10-11:30 a.m. Wildflower Art Walk (LaBoiteaux Woods Nature Preserve)

‚ April 26, 1:30-3 p.m. Wildflower Walk (Bioblitz California Woods Nature Preserve)

Cincinnati Type & Print Museum | Lower Price Hill. 513-914-5722. cincinnatitypeprintmuseum.org

ƒ Permanent collection of equipment, tools and artifacts

Friends of Music Hall | Music Hall, Over-the-Rhine. 513-621-2787. friendsofmusichall.org

ƒ Indoor and outdoor tours of Queen City landmark

Glendale Heritage Preservation | Village Square, Glendale. 513-771-8722. glendaleheritage.org

ƒ Permanent exhibit. Displays of Glendale’s history

Greater Cincinnati Police Museum | Pendleton. 513-300-3664. police-museum.org

ƒ Permanent collection

Harriet Beecher Stowe House | Walnut Hills. 513-751-0651. stowehousecincy.org

ƒ Historic family home of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” author and later a Green Book location

ƒ April 12, 10 a.m. Walking Tour: African American History along the Cincinnati Riverfront

ƒ April 26, 10 a.m. Walking Tour: Abolitionists and African Americans in Walnut Hills

Heritage Village Museum | Sharonville. 513-563-9484. heritagevillagecincinnati.org

ƒ Life in 19th-century Southwest Ohio

Holocaust & Humanity Center | Cincinnati Museum Center, Queensgate. 513-487-3055. holocaustandhumanity.org

ƒ Media, artifacts, art and interactive exhibitions regarding the Holocaust

Krohn Conservatory | Eden Park. cincinnati-oh.gov/cincyparks

‚ Thru April 20. “Emerge” floral show

Lloyd Library and Museum | Downtown. 513-721-3707. lloydlibrary.org

ƒ Permanent exhibit. George Rieveschl Jr.: History of Pharmaceutical Chemistry

Loveland Castle & Museum | Loveland. lovelandcastle.com

ƒ Full-scale replica of medieval castle

Milford Historical Society | Promont, Milford. 513-248-0324. milfordhistory.net

ƒ Permanent exhibit. Historical displays of art, artifacts and more

National Museum of the United States Air Force | Wright-Patterson AFB, Fairborn. nationalmuseum.af.mil

ƒ World’s largest military aviation museum

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center | The Banks, downtown. 513-333-7500. freedomcenter.org

ƒ Permanent collection exploring themes of individual freedom

ƒ Thru April 6. “Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley: Let the World See”

“Emerge” runs through April 20 at Eden Park’s Krohn Conservatory

National VOA Museum of Broadcasting | West Chester. 513-777-0027. voamuseum.org

ƒ Radio’s golden age and Cincinnati’s role in America’s global voice

Newport Aquarium | Newport. newportaquarium.com

ƒ Showcase of the world’s most exotic aquatic creatures

RAPTOR Inc. | Milford. raptorinc.org

ƒ Birds of prey sanctuary

ƒ April 27, 1-4 p.m. Open house

Skirball Museum | Hebrew Union College, Clifton. 513-221-1875. csm.huc.edu

ƒ Permanent exhibit: “An Eternal People: The Jewish Experience”

Taft Museum of Art | Lytle Park, downtown. 513-241-0343. taftmuseum.org

ƒ April 9, 1 p.m. Tour of Spring Grove Cemetery

Titanic: An Immersive Voyage | Exhibition Hub Art Center, downtown. expo-titanic.com/cincinnati

ƒ Thru May 3

Tri-State Warbird Museum | Batavia. tri-statewarbirdmuseum.org

ƒ Permanent exhibitions of military and historic aviation

Valley View Nature Preserve | Milford. valleyviewcampus.org

ƒ Preserved 190-acre farm and open land

Vent Haven Museum | Ft. Mitchell. 859-341-0461. venthaven.org

ƒ By appointment only. World’s only museum dedicated to ventriloquism

White Water Shaker Village | Harrison. whitewatervillage.org

ƒ Preserved historic village Dance

Brady Music Center | The Banks, downtown. bradymusiccenter.com

ƒ April 18, 7:30 p.m. Dancing with the Stars: Live!

Cincinnati Ballet | Procter & Gamble Hall, Aronoff Center, downtown. 513-621-5219. cballet.org

ƒ April 24-27. “Snow White”

College-Conservatory of Music | Corbett Auditorium, University of Cincinnati. 513-556-4183. ccm.uc.edu

ƒ April 3-6. “Coppélia”

Dayton Contemporary Dance Company | Dayton, Ohio. dcdc.org

ƒ April 26-27. “Fantastic Forwards”

DE LA Dance Company | Kennedy Heights. 513-871-0914. deladancecompany.org

ƒ April 25-May 11. “Giselle”

Exhale Dance Tribe | Jarson Kaplan Theater, Aronoff Center, downtown. 513-621-2787. exhaledancetribe.org

ƒ April 12, 8 p.m. “Vicennial”

Flying Cloud Academy of Vintage Dance |Glendale Lyceum vintagedance.net

ƒ April 26, 8-11 p.m. General Lafayette 200th Anniversary Grand Reunion Ball commemorating Lafayette’s visit to Cincinnati. Vintage dance lessons available: Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. (Wyoming Fine Arts Center)

Miami Valley Ballet Theatre | Fairfield Community Arts Center, Fairfield. mvbtdance.org

ƒ April 4-13. Spring Ballet 2025

School for Creative & Performing Arts | Over-the-Rhine. 513-363-8100. scpa.cps-k12.org

ƒ April 11-12. “Pinocchio”

Fairs/Festivals/Markets

Asian Food Fest | Court Street Plaza, Downtown. asianfoodfest.org

ƒ April 26-27. Food, beverages and cultural expressions

Blooms & Berries Farm Market |

St. Rt. 48, Loveland.

ƒ Mid-April-October

GeoFair | Butler County Fairgrounds, Hamilton. geofair.com

ƒ April 26, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Gem, mineral, fossil and jewelry show

ƒ April 27, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Gem, mineral, fossil and jewelry show

Market Bleu | Contemporary Arts Center, downtown. marketbleu.com

ƒ April 26. Spring Event

Market on Main | Woodward Theater, Over-the-Rhine. marketonmainotr.com

ƒ April 27, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. The Garage Sale

Film

Cincinnati Museum Center | Queensgate. 513-287-7000. cincymuseum.org/omnimax

ƒ Now playing/OMNIMAX. “T. Rex” • “The Blue Angels” • “Space: The New Frontier”

Cincinnati Symphony & Pops | Wilks Studio, Music Hall, Over-the-Rhine. 513-381-3300. cincinnatisymphony.org

◆ Multicultural Awareness Council Film Series:

‚ April 4, 6 p.m. “Voice of Freedom”

Northern Kentucky University | Farris Auditorium. inside.nku.edu/artsci/departments/english/french-film-festival.html

ƒ April 3, 10, 17 & 24. Albertine Cinémathèque Festival of French Films

Woodward Theater | Over-the-Rhine. 513-345-7981. woodwardtheater.com

ƒ April 8, 7:30 p.m. “Stop Making Sense”

ƒ April 21, 7:30 p.m. “Green Room”

Literary/Lectures

American Sign Museum | Camp Washington. 513-541-6366. americansignmuseum.org

ƒ April 3, 7 p.m. The Golden Age of Sign Design: The Lost Sketches of Beverly Sign Co.

Barnes & Noble | Virtual. 513-972-5146. stores.barnesandnoble.com

ƒ April 7, 3 p.m. Discussion: Kristen Perrin “How to Solve Your Own”

Cincinnati Zoo | Avondale. 513-281-4700. cincinnatizoo.org

◆ Barrows Conservation Lectures:

‚ April 2, 7 p.m. Luis Paulo Ferraz

‚ April 30, 7 p.m. Rick McIntyre

Harriet Beecher Stowe House | Walnut Hills. 513-751-0651. stowehousecincy.org

ƒ April 4, 6 p.m. Discussion: Tiffany L. Warren “The Unexpected Diva”

ƒ April 9, 7 p.m. Voices for Truth

Discussion Series: “No Laughing Matter: Humor & Activism”

ƒ April 30, 7 p.m. Discussion: Christopher Cross “Beat the Drum for Justice”

Joseph-Beth Booksellers | Rookwood Commons, Norwood. 513-396-8960. josephbeth.com

ƒ April 4, 4 p.m. Discussion: Alyson Gerber “The Liars Society: A Risky Game”

ƒ April 9, 7 p.m. Discussion: Jasmine Mas “Blood of Hercules”

ƒ April 16, 7 p.m. Discussion: Lyla Sage “Wild and Wrangled: A Rebel Blue Ranch Novel”

Mercantile Library | Downtown. 513-621-0717. mercantilelibrary.com

ƒ April 8, 6 p.m. Discussion: Jane Friedman “The Business of Being a Writer”

ƒ April 15, 6 p.m. Discussion: Felicia Zamora “Interstitial Archaeology”

Northern Kentucky University | Highland Heights. civicengagement.nku.edu

ƒ April 16, 6 p.m. Mark Wasicsko: “From Surviving to Thriving: Mindful Self-Care Practices for Leaders”

Music

Bach Ensemble of St. Thomas | St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Terrace Park. 513-831-2052. bachensemble.org

ƒ April 13, 5 p.m. “Vespers” Chorale

Exhale Dance Tribe celebrates 20 years of cutting-edge choreography with “Vicennial” on April 12 at the Aronoff Center

Bogart’s | Short Vine, Corryville. bogarts.com

ƒ April 4, 6:30 p.m. Judah & the Lion

ƒ April 5, 7 p.m. BossMan Dlow

ƒ April 10, 7 p.m. Pouya

ƒ April 12, 6:30 p.m. Leprous

ƒ April 19, 7 p.m. Twiztid

ƒ April 23, 7 p.m. Elderbrook

ƒ April 30, 7 p.m. iann dior

Brady Music Center | The Banks, downtown. bradymusiccenter.com

ƒ April 8, 7:30 p.m. ZZ Top

ƒ April 10, 8 p.m. Dylan Scott

ƒ April 11, 7:30 p.m. LSZEE

ƒ April 12, 7 p.m. LSZEE

ƒ April 29, 7:30 p.m. Beth Hart

ƒ April 30, 6 p.m. Machine Head & In Flames

Bromwell’s Harth Room | Downtown. bromwellshearthroom.com/music

ƒ Wednesday-Saturday evenings Live jazz

Butler Philharmonic | Sorg Opera House, Middletown. 513-844-5151. butlerphil.org

ƒ April 19, 5 p.m. Philharmonic Chorus: Voices of Spring

Caffe Vivace | Walnut Hills. 513-601-9897. caffevivace.com

ƒ Most evenings, live jazz

Chamber Music Yellow Springs | First Presbyterian Church, Yellow Springs. 937-374-8800. cmys.org

ƒ April 27, 4 p.m. Emerging Professional Ensembles Competition

Christ Church Cathedral | Downtown. 513-621-1817. cincinnaticathedral.com

ƒ April 6, 5 p.m. Choral Evensong, with guests St. Barnabas Episcopal Choir

ƒ April 13, 3 p.m. Charles Wood: Passion

According to St. Mark

◆ 12:10 p.m. Music Live@Lunch (Christ Church Chapel):

‚ April 1. Vincent Phelan, violin; Steve Phillips, piano

‚ April 8. Boutique

‚ April 15. Heri et Hodie, women’s vocal ensemble

‚ April 22. Southbank Quartet

‚ April 29. Tango Duo

Christ Church Glendale | Glendale. 513-771-1544. christchurchglendale.org

ƒ April 3, 12:05 p.m. Miami University Men’s Glee Club

Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library | Downtown.

513-369-6900. chpl.org

ƒ April 4, noon. Ashley-May Burkhardt, piano

ƒ April 27, 2 p.m. Freedom Nicole Moore

Cincinnati Arts Association | Aronoff Center, downtown. 513-621-2787. cincinnatiarts.org

ƒ April 3, 7:30 p.m. ABBAFAB (JarsonKaplan Theater)

ƒ April 4, 7 p.m. Million Dollar Time Machine (Procter & Gamble Hall)

ƒ April 30, 7 p.m. Glenn Miller Orchestra (Jarson-Kaplan Theater)

Cincinnati Boychoir | Memorial Hall, Over-the-Rhine. 513-396-7664. cincinnatiboychoir.org

ƒ April 26, 3 p.m. 60th Anniversary Celebration and Spring Showcase

Cincinnati Contemporary Jazz Orchestra | 513-280-8181. cincinnatijazz.org

ƒ April 2, 7 p.m. Big Band Series: Buddy, Maynard and Beyond: The Music of Matt Harris (The Redmoor, Mt. Lookout Square)

ƒ April 6, 2 p.m. Jazz@First Series: Maiden Voyage: Herbie Hancock’s Early Years (First Unitarian Church, Avondale)

Cincinnati Museum Center | Queensgate. 513-287-7000. cincymuseum.org

ƒ April 30, 7:30 p.m. Bryan Anderson, organ; Randolph Bowman, flute

Cincinnati Song Initiative | ARCO, Price Hill. cincinnatisonginitiative.org

ƒ April 5, 7:30 p.m. “Harmonies of Heritage”

ƒ April 6, 3 p.m. “Dayenu”

Cincinnati Symphony & Pops | Music Hall, Over-the-Rhine. 513-381-3300. cincinnatisymphony.org

ƒ April 1, 7:30 p.m. (Winstead Chamber Series) “Romantic Strings” (Music Hall Ballroom)

ƒ April 5-6. (CSO) “Strauss Alpine Symphony” Sir Donald Runnicles, conductor; Maria Ioudenitch, violin

ƒ April 15, 7:30 p.m. (Pops) Ben Folds

Live with the Pops

ƒ April 18-19. (CSO) “Beethoven Symphony No. 3” Case Scaglione, conductor; Simone Lamsma, violin

ƒ April 25-26. (CSO) “Mahler Symphony No. 6” Jaap van Zweden, conductor

Cincinnati Zoo | Avondale. 513-281-4700. cincinnatizoo.org

◆ Tunes & Blooms, 6-8:30 p.m.

‚ April 3. Moonshine Drive (Vine Street Village) and Pickin’ Pear (The Grove)

‚ April 10. Gina and Johnny (Vine Street Village) and Linus Tate Unplugged (The Grove)

‚ April 17. Cecil Jackson & Dry Ridge (Vine Street Village) and The Laurelys (The Grove)

‚ April 24. My Brother’s Keeper (Vine Street Village) and ZOO (The Grove)

Classical Revolution | The Loon, Northside. classicalrevolutioncincinnati.com

ƒ April 13, 7:30 p.m. Violinist Greta Propp, guitarist Richard Goering & vocalist Blythe Walker, and violinists Kori Hill & Leif Fairfield

Clifton Cultural Arts Center | U-Square, Calhoun St., Clifton. 513-497-2860. cliftonculturalarts.org

ƒ Thursdays thru May 4, 11:30 a.m. Live@U-Square

College-Conservatory of Music | University of Cincinnati. 513-556-4183. ccm.uc.edu

ƒ April 7, 7:30 p.m. “Mosaic” Brass Choir (Corbett Theater)

ƒ April 8, 7:30 p.m. “A View From The Edge” Composition Series (Cohen Theater)

ƒ April 9, 7:30 p.m. Chamber Music Bash (Cohen Theater)

ƒ April 10, 7:30 p.m. Chamber Competition Winners Concert (Werner Hall)

ƒ April 12, 7:30 p.m. “World Music” Steel Drum Band (Corbett Auditorium)

ƒ April 13, 2 p.m. Chamber Music Bash (Emery Hall, Room 3250)

ƒ April 13, 7 p.m. “The Big Band Genius of Ray Charles” Jazz Orchestra (Corbett Auditorium)

ƒ April 13, 7 p.m. Chamber Music Bash (Emery Hall, Room 3250)

ƒ April 14, 7:30 p.m. Musica Nova (Cohen Theater)

ƒ April 16, 7:30 p.m. “Eternal Light” Wind Ensemble (Corbett Auditorium)

ƒ April 17, 7:30 p.m. “Tour De France” Philharmonia (Corbett Auditorium)

ƒ April 19, 2 p.m. Chamber Music Bash (Cohen Theater)

ƒ April 22, 7:30 p.m. Chamber Music Bash (Emery Hall, Room 3250)

ƒ April 22, 7:30 p.m. “Contemporary Composers” Chorale (Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, Hyde Park)

ƒ April 23, 7:30 p.m. Chamber Music Bash (Emery Hall, Room 3250)

ƒ April 24, 7:30 p.m. “Remembering Quincy Jones” Jazz Lab Band (Corbett Auditorium)

ƒ April 25, 7:30 p.m. “Hope Springs Eternal” Wind Symphony (Corbett Auditorium)

ƒ April 26, 7:30 p.m. “A Celebration of Eriks Ešenvalds” Chamber Choir (Knox Presbyterian Church)

ƒ April 26, 7:30 p.m. “The Sound of CCM” Concert Orchestra (Corbett Auditorium)

ƒ April 29, 7:30 p.m. UC Symphony Orchestra (Corbett Auditorium)

ƒ April 30, 7:30 p.m. UC Bearcat Bands (Corbett Auditorium)

ƒ Concertnova | Somerhaus, Over-theRhine. concertnova.com

ƒ April 14, 7:30 p.m. “Meet in the Middle: Black Midwest Music and Photography”

Dayton Art Institute | Dayton, Ohio. 937-223-4278. daytonartinstitute.org

ƒ Sundays, 2 p.m. Skinner Pipe Organ Concert

ƒ Thursdays, 5:30 p.m. Bob Ross Auto Group Jazz & Beyond

Dayton Philharmonic | Schuster Center, Dayton, Ohio. daytonperformingarts.org

ƒ April 25-26. 7:30 p.m. “Dvořák’s Cello Concerto”

Fairfield Community Arts Center | Fairfield. 513-867-5348. fairfield-city.org

ƒ April 25, 8 p.m. Gina Chavez

CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL

Sublime music in worship and concert

Sunday, April 6 | 5:00 pm Choral Evensong (Pre-service Organ Recital 4:30 pm)

Sunday, April 13 | 3:00 pm Charles Wood’s St Mark Passion

Saturday, April 20 | 8:00 am, 10:00 am, and 12:00 pm Easter Day Services

ARTS & CULTURE | The List

Fitton Center for Creative Arts | Hamilton. 513-863-8873. fittoncenter.org

ƒ April 26, 7:30 p.m. Son Del Caribe

Fluidity | Madison Avenue Christian Church, Covington. fluiditycccc.org

ƒ April 27, 4 p.m. Mozart: Coronation Mass and Ave Verum Corpus. Liyao Yu, conductor. Fundraiser for Samaritan Car Care Clinic, which addresses transportation barriers.

Fountain Square | Downtown. 513-621-4400. myfountainsquare.com

ƒ Tuesdays, 5 p.m. Jazz at the Square:

ƒ April 1. Ed “Sax” Thomas

ƒ April 8. Mystic Mile

ƒ April 15. Evan Gidley Trio

ƒ April 22. Grace Lincoln & Andy Smith

ƒ April 29. Chaya Jones

Friends of Music Hall | Music Hall Ballroom, Over-the-Rhine. 513-621-2787. friendsofmusichall.org

ƒ April 24, 7 p.m. Silent Movies Made Musical with the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ

Ghost Baby | Over-the-Rhine. ghost-baby.com

ƒ Most evenings, performances in subterranean space

Innerspace Collective | Public Library, downtown

ƒ April 1, 6 p.m. Ambient Jam

Irish Heritage Center | Columbia Tusculum. 513-533-0100. cincyirish.org

ƒ Thursdays, 6:30 p.m. Pub Music Night

The Jazz Spoon | Forest Park. thejazzspoon.com

ƒ Friday and Saturday evenings. Live jazz

Lakeside Music Concert Series | Lakeside Presbyterian Church, Lakeside Park. lakesidechurch.org

ƒ April 27, 7 p.m. NKU Choirs Spring Concert

Linton Chamber Music | 513-381-6868. lintonmusic.org

ƒ April 13, 4 p.m. “New York’s Finest” New York Philharmonic String Quartet (First Unitarian Church, Avondale)

ƒ April 14, 7:30 p.m. Encore (Congregation Beth Adam, Loveland)

Linton Peanut Butter & Jam Sessions | 513-381-6868. peanutbutterandjam.org

◆ Music with Madcap - “Jack and the Beanstalk”

‚ April 3, 6:30 p.m. (Harriet Beecher Stowe House, Walnut Hills)

‚ April 5, 10:30 a.m. (Heritage Presbyterian Church, Mason)

‚ April 9, 3:30 p.m. (College Hill Branch Library)

‚ April 10, 6 p.m. (Child Focus – The Carter Center, Eastgate)

‚ April 19, 10:30 a.m. (Union Presbyterian Church)

‚ April 24, 6 p.m. (Boone County Public Library, Florence Branch)

‚ April 26, 10:30 a.m. (Kennedy Heights Arts Center)

Ludlow Garage | Clifton. ludlowgaragecincinnati.com

ƒ April 3, 7:30 p.m. The Seven Wonders

ƒ April 4, 7:30 p.m. Eaglemania

ƒ April 5, 7:30 p.m. Young Dubliners

ƒ April 6, 7:30 p.m. The Phil Collins Experience

ƒ April 11, 7:30 p.m. Cimarron 615

ƒ April 12, noon. The Rock and Roll Playhouse

ƒ April 12, 7:30 p.m. Jay Aston’s Gene Loves Jezebel

ƒ April 17, 7:30 p.m. The Yardbirds

ƒ April 18, 7:30 p.m. An Evening of the Music of David Sanborn

ƒ April 19, 7:30 p.m. Avery Sunshine

ƒ April 24, 7:30 p.m. EXTC

ƒ April 25, 7:30 p.m. Carbon Leaf

ƒ April 26, 8 p.m. The Aristocrats

Madison Theater | Covington. 859-491-2444. madisontheater.com

ƒ April 1, 8 p.m. The Surfrajettes

ƒ April 2, 8 p.m. Bear Ghost

ƒ April 3, 8 p.m. Drake White

ƒ April 4, 8 p.m. That Arena Rock Show

ƒ April 11, 8 p.m. Kashmir

ƒ April 12, 8 p.m. Signs of Life

ƒ April 12, 9 p.m. 45Thieves

ƒ April 13, 7:30 p.m. The Queers

ƒ April 14, 7 p.m. 156/Silence

ƒ April 18, 8 p.m. R.A.P. Ferreira

ƒ April 19, 7 p.m. The Werks

ƒ April 27, 8 p.m. Vision Video

Mason Symphony Orchestra | Mason Middle School.

masonsymphonyorchestra.org

ƒ April 26, 7:30 p.m. Masterworks

Matinée Musicale | Memorial Hall, Overthe-Rhine. matineemusicalecincinnati.org

ƒ April 6, 5 p.m. Martin James Bartlett, piano

Mayerson JCC | Amberley Village. 513-761-7500. mayersonjcc.org

ƒ April 1, 6:30 p.m. “Freylekh: A ‘Joyful’ rediscovery of De Cormier’s Yiddish

The New York Philharmonic String Quartet guests at Linton Chamber Music on April 13-14, playing music by Haydn, Florence Price and Dvořák.

Folksongs.” Kimberly Lazzeri, soprano; William Herzog, violin; Christina Seal, piano

MegaCorp Pavilion at Ovation | Newport. promowestlive.com

ƒ April 9, 7 p.m. flipturn

ƒ April 10, 7 p.m. Connor Price

ƒ April 12, 7 p.m. Zoso – The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience

ƒ April 18, 7 p.m. Remi Wolf

ƒ April 23, 6:30 p.m. Bright Eyes

ƒ April 26, 7 p.m. BoyWithUke

Memorial Hall | Over-the-Rhine. 513-977-8838. memorialhallotr.com

ƒ April 1, 8 p.m. Al Stewart & Livingston Taylor

ƒ April 7, 7 p.m. Wayne Shorter Origins: “The Early Years”

ƒ April 13, 8 p.m. Asleep at the Wheel

ƒ April 14, 7 p.m. April Aloisio and Joanie Palliato: “April & Joanie Sing!”

ƒ April 16, 8 p.m. Victor Wooten and the Wooten Brothers

ƒ April 17, 8 p.m. Joanne Shaw Taylor

ƒ April 18, 8 p.m. Live Dead & Brothers

ƒ April 21, 7 p.m. Mike Wade Quintet

ƒ April 25, 8 p.m. Martin Barre

ƒ April 28, 7 p.m. Lili Shires & Steve Schmidt

ƒ April 29, 8 p.m. Our House: The Music of CSNY

Miami University | Hall Auditorium, Oxford. 513-529-3200. miamioh.edu/music

ƒ April 2, 7:30 p.m. Graduate Showcase (Center for Performing Arts)

ƒ April 3-4, 7:30 p.m. Yarn/Wire (Center for Performing Arts)

ƒ April 5, 7:30 p.m. Steel Band (Millett Hall)

ƒ April 7, 7:30 p.m. Saxophone Studio Recital (Center for Performing Arts)

ƒ April 8, 7:30 p.m. Faculty Recital: Andrea Ridilla (Center for Performing Arts)

ƒ April 15, 7:30 p.m. Percussion Ensemble

ƒ April 16, 7:30 p.m. Oboe Studio Recital (Center for Performing Arts)

ƒ April 22, 6 p.m. Collegiate Choral Women’s Festival

ƒ April 22, 7:30 p.m. Jazz Ensemble

ƒ April 25, 7:30 p.m. American Wild Ensemble (Center for Performing Arts)

ƒ April 26, 7:30 p.m. Symphony Orchestra

ƒ April 27, 1 p.m. Trumpet Ensemble (Center for Performing Arts)

ƒ April 28, 7:30 p.m. Chamber Recital (Center for Performing Arts)

ƒ April 30, 7:30 p.m. Wind Ensemble

Miami University Performing Arts Series | Millett Hall, Oxford. 513-529-3200. miamioh.edu

ƒ April 5, 7:30 p.m. Pan Rocks 2025

MUSE, Cincinnati’s Women’s Choir | The Carnegie, Covington. 513-221-1118. musechoir.org

ƒ April 26, 4 p.m. “How We Start Again” w/ Ayo Awosika

Muse Café | Westwood. musecafecincy.com/events

ƒ Tuesdays, 7-9:30 p.m. Phil DeGreg Trio

Musica Sacra | Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, Hyde Park. 513-385-5583. musica-sacra.org

ƒ April 6, 3 p.m. Spring concert

Northern Kentucky University | Greaves Concert Hall. 859-572-5464. music.nku.edu

ƒ April 1, 7 p.m. Composition Recital

ƒ April 2, 7 p.m. Grace Roepke, harp

ƒ April 7, 7 p.m. Super Sax Ensemble

ƒ April 9, 7 p.m. String Area Recital

ƒ April 15, 7 p.m. Keyboard Area Recital

ƒ April 21, 7 p.m. Joy Burdette Voice

Studio Recital

ƒ April 22, 7 p.m. Commercial Music

ƒ April 25, 7 p.m. Woodwind Area Recital

ƒ April 28, 7 p.m. Steel Band

Movers & Makers

The Redmoor | Mt. Lookout Square. theredmoor.com

ƒ Most Fridays & Saturdays, 6 p.m. Rock and jazz

St. Peter in Chains Cathedral Basilica | Downtown. 513-421-5354. cathedralaoc.org

ƒ April 16, 7:30 p.m. Ancient Service of Tenebrae

Schwartz’s Point | Five Points, Overthe-Rhine. thepointclub.weebly.com

ƒ Thursdays-Saturdays. Live jazz

ƒ Sundays. Blues, boogie-woogie, jazz

Soli Music Society | Meshewa House, Turner Farm, Indian Hill. solimusicsociety.com

ƒ April 28, 7:30 p.m. Showcase Soirée

Sorg Opera House | Middletown. sorgoperahouse.org

ƒ April 25, 8 p.m. Rhonda Vincent

Southgate House | Newport. 859-431-2201. southgatehouse.com

ƒ Nightly rock, alternative blues, more...

Taft Museum of Art | Lytle Park, downtown. 513-241-0343. taftmuseum.org

ƒ April 27, 2:30 p.m. Chamber Music Series

Taft Theatre | Downtown. tafttheatre.org

ƒ April 1, 8 p.m. Righteous Brothers

ƒ April 5, 8 p.m. John Waite

ƒ April 10, 8 p.m. The Tallest Man On Earth

ƒ April 12, 8 p.m. Geoff Tate

ƒ April 13, 7:30 p.m. The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain

TempleLive at River Front Live | East End. riverfrontlivecincy.com

ƒ April 5, 7 p.m. Chapel Hart

Trinity Episcopal Church | Covington. 859-431-1786. trinitycovington.org

ƒ April 16, 12:15 p.m. Midday Musical Menu: Richard Goering, guitar

Turfway Park Events Center | Florence. turfway.com

ƒ Fridays, 9 p.m.. Bourbon and Brew Bands

Urban Artifact | Northside. artifactbeer.com

ƒ April 5, 8 p.m. Jim Trace & The Makers

Viva Voices | First Baptist Church, Alexandria. vivavoices.net

ƒ April 26, 4 p.m. Chorale & Chamber Ensemble: “Appalachian Spring”

Warren County Historical Museum | Lebanon. wchsmuseum.org

ƒ April 10, 7 p.m. Rabbit Hash String Band

Westwood First Presbyterian | Westwood. 513-661-6846. wfpc.org

ƒ April 17, 2:30 p.m. Culnan Violin and Piano Duo

Xavier Music Series | Gallagher Center Theater, Xavier University. 513-745-3161. xavier.edu/musicseries

ƒ April 4, 8 p.m. Zlata Chonchieva, classical piano (American Sign Museum, Camp Washington)

ƒ April 10, 7 p.m. Nicole Zuraitis, piano (Härth Lounge, downtown)

ƒ April 11, 7 p.m. Jeremy Harrison (Radio Artifact, Northside)

Young Professionals Choral Collective | 513-601-8699. ypccsing.org

ƒ April 6, 4 p.m. Young Professionals Pride Mixer (ARCO, Price Hill)

ƒ April 22. “Tessellation” (ARCO, Price Hill)

Opera

Cincinnati Opera | Mayerson JCC, Amberley Village. 513-241-2742. cincinnatiopera.org

ƒ April 10, 7:30 p.m. Opera Rap: “Fiddler on the Roof”: Wonder of Wonders –How Fiddler Came to Be

College-Conservatory of Music

| Cohen Studio Theater, University of Cincinnati. 513-556-4183. ccm.uc.edu

ƒ April 3-5. Nico Muhly: “Dark Sisters”

Dayton Opera | Schuster Center, Dayton, Ohio. daytonperformingarts.org

ƒ A pril 4-6. Verdi: “Aida”

Theater/Comedy

ArtsConnect | Finneytown Performing Arts Center. theartsconnect.us

ƒ April 11-12. All Kids Theater: “101 Dalmatians”

Brady Music Center | The Banks, downtown. bradymusiccenter.com

ƒ April 23, 8 p.m. Whose Live Anyway?

Broadway Across America | Procter & Gamble Hall, Aronoff Center, downtown. 513-721-3344. cincinnati.broadway.com

ƒ April 8-20. “& Juliet”

ARTS & CULTURE | The List

The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati | Taft Theatre, downtown. 513-569-8080. thechildrenstheatre.com

ƒ April 25-May 4. “Disney’s Frozen Jr.”

Cincinnati Arts Association | Procter & Gamble Hall, Aronoff Center, downtown. 513-621-2787. cincinnatiarts.org

ƒ April 5, 1 p.m. Wild Kratts Live 2.0 –Activate Creature Power

Cincinnati LAB Theatre | Bell Tower Arts Pavilion, Evendale. cincylabtheatre.wixsite.com/cincylab

ƒ Thru April 5. “Four Horses” by Mary Beringer

Cincinnati Landmark Productions | Price Hill. 513-241-6550. cincinnatilandmarkproductions.com

ƒ Thru April 6. “Singin’ In The Rain” (Covedale Center)

ƒ April 16-May 11. “The Wedding Singer” (Incline Theater)

Cincinnati Playwrights Initiative | Fifth Third Bank Theater, Aronoff Center, downtown. 513-621-ARTS. cincyplaywrights.org

ƒ April 15, 7:30 p.m. “The Natchez Trace” by Jeremy Simmons • “Burnt Toast of

Broadway” by Greg Hatfield • “Guardian Angel Blues” by Dave Doster • “This Ain’t Like You, Adrienne” by Roger Brookfield • “An Old Person at the Bank” by Roger Brookfield

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company | Over-the-Rhine. 513-381-2273. cincyshakes.com

ƒ April 11-May 4. “The Tempest”

Clifton Cultural Arts Center | Clifton. 513-497-2860. cliftonculturalarts.org

ƒ April 13, 2 p.m. Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park: “Alice in the Hundred Acre Wood”

College-Conservatory of Music | University of Cincinnati. 513-556-4183. ccm.uc.edu

ƒ April 16-18. “Transmigration” (across CCM Village)

ƒ April 24-27. “Hair” (Corbett Theater)

Commonwealth Sanctuary | Dayton, Ky. commonwealthsanctuary.com

ƒ Weekly comedy shows

The Dinner Detective | Embassy Suites Rivercenter, Covington. thedinnerdetective.com/cincinnati

ƒ Saturdays, 6 p.m. Murder Mystery Dinner Show

Ensemble Theatre | Over-the-Rhine. 513-421-3555. ensemblecincinnati.org

ƒ April 5-27. “The Sound Inside”

Fitton Center | Hamilton. 513-863-8873. fittoncenter.org

ƒ April 4, 7:30 p.m. Playhouse in the Park: “Alice in the Hundred Acre Wood”

ƒ April 5, 7:30 p.m. “Rat Pack and Poison”

The Funny Bone | Liberty Township. liberty.funnybone.com

ƒ Weekly comedy shows

The Ghostlight Stage Company | Playhouse in the Park, Mt. Adams. theghostlightstageco.com

ƒ April 14, 7 p.m. Shining a Light Series: Torie Wiggins: “Dramaturgy, Intimacy Direction, and Cultural Sensitivity”

Go Bananas Comedy Club | Montgomery. gobananascomedy.com

ƒ Weekly comedy shows

Hard Rock Casino | Downtown. hardrockcasinocincinnati.com

ƒ April 4, 8 p.m. “Hollywood Medium” Tyler Henry

ƒ April 18, 8 p.m. Johnathan Van Ness

ƒ April 25, 8 p.m. George Lopez

Heritage Bank Center | Downtown. heritagebankcenter.com

ƒ April 19, 8 p.m. Katt Williams

Human Race Theatre | Loft Theatre, Dayton, Ohio. humanracetheatre.org

ƒ Thru April 6. “Camelot”

Improv Cincinnati | Clifton Performance Theatre, Clifton. improvcincinnati.com

ƒ Thursday-Saturday evenings. Weekly comedy shows

Barbara Chisholm stars in “Birthday Candles” opening April 19 in the Rosenthal Shelterhouse at Playhouse in the Park

Kincaid Regional Theatre | Falmouth. 859-654-2636. krtshows.com

ƒ Thru April 6. “Beetlejuice Jr.”

Know Theatre | Over-the-Rhine. 513-300-5669. knowtheatre.com

ƒ April 4-19. “Blerds” by J. Corey Buckner, world premiere

La Comedia Dinner Theatre | Springboro. 800-677-9505. lacomedia.com

ƒ Thru May 4. “Into the Woods”

Lumos Players I Maineville. lumosplayers.com

ƒ April 9, 7:30 p.m. “High School Antigone” by Judy Klass

Mason Community Players | Mason Community Playhouse, Mason. 513-398-7804. masonplayers.org

ƒ April 25-May 3. “Blithe Spirit”

Miami University | Center for Performing Arts, Oxford. miamioh.edu/theatre

ƒ April 30-May 4. “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

Mount St. Joseph University | Delhi. 513-244-4387. msj.edu

ƒ April 3-12. “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”

Northern Kentucky University | NKU Corbett Theatre. 859-572-5464. theatre.nku.edu

ƒ April 25-May 4. “Jesus Christ Superstar” (Corbett Theatre)

Oxford Area Community Theatre | Oxford Community Arts Center, Oxford. oxfordact.org

ƒ April 25-May 4. “Every Brilliant Thing”

Playhouse in the Park | Mt. Adams. 513-421-3888. cincyplay.com

ƒ Thru April 20. “The Book Club Play” (Rouse Theatre)

ƒ April 19-May 18. “Birthday Candles” (Rosenthal Shelterhouse Theatre)

Queen City Productions | Arts Center at Dunham, Price HIll. queencityproductions.weebly.com

ƒ April 17-27. “The Rocky Horror Show”

Sharonville Cultural Arts Center | Sharonville. 513-554-1014. sharonvilleculturalarts.org

ƒ April 26-27. “The Karaoke Killers”

Taft Theatre | Downtown. tafttheatre.org

ƒ April 4, 7:30 p.m. Trisha Paytas

ƒ April 17, 7:30 p.m. Alton Brown

Thomas More University | Crestview Hills. 859-341-5800. thomasmore.edu

ƒ April 25-27. “She Kills Monsters: Young Adventurers Edition”

Tri-County Players | Bell Tower Arts Pavilion, Evendale. 513-471-2030. facebook.com

ƒ April 25-May 3. “Puffs”

True Theatre | Memorial Hall, Over-the-Rhine. memorialhallotr.com

ƒ April 24, 7:30 p.m. “trueMAGIC”

Village Players | Ft. Thomas. 859-392-0500. villageplayers.org

ƒ April 25-May 3. “These Shining Lives”

Woodward Theater | Over-the-Rhine. 513-345-7981. woodwardtheater.com

ƒ April 28, 8 p.m. “An Evening with Patrick Hinds: Laughs, Drinks, & Drama”

Xavier University | Gallagher Theater. 513-745-3939. xavier.edu/theatre-program

ƒ Thru April 6. “Summer Slay-cation!”

Visual Art

The Annex Gallery | Pendleton. annexgallery.org

ƒ April 19-July 19. Michael Coppage: “Joy/ Us,” collages exploring racial identity. Reception: April 19, 5-8 p.m.

Art Academy of Cincinnati | Over-theRhine. 513-562-6262. artacademy.edu

ƒ Thru May 2. Group student thesis exhibitions

Art Enclave | Mason. artenclave.com

ƒ Thru May 3. “No Boundaries”

Art on Vine | Rhinegeist Brewery. artonvinecincy.com

ƒ April 13, noon-6 p.m. Spring Market

ARTclectic Gallery | Silverton. 513-822-5200. artclecticgallery.com

ƒ Thru April 30. “Fabulous Florals”

ArtWorks | Walnut Hills. 513-333-0388. artworkscincinnati.org

ƒ April 26-June 5. Andrew Neyer & Andy J. Pizza: “Color Me” Reception: April 26, 1-4 p.m.

BasketShop Gallery | Westwood. basketshopgallery.com

ƒ Thru April 30. BasketCat Launch Party!

The Carnegie | Covington. 859-491-2030. thecarnegie.com

ƒ Thru Aug. 16. “Notations on Ritual”

Cincinnati Art Club | Mt. Adams. 513-241-4591. cincinnatiartclub.org

ƒ April 5-7. Sculpture Exhibition – John Leon’s Student Showcase. Reception: April 5, 6-8:30 p.m.

ƒ April 11-13. Pastels: Soft, Hard, Ethereal, and Bold. Reception: April 11, 6-8:30 p.m.

Cincinnati Art Museum | Eden Park. 513-721-2787. cincinnatiartmuseum.org

ƒ Thru May 4. Shahzia Sikander: “Collective Behavior”

ƒ Thru Jan. 11. “Influence(d): Female Innovators in Contemporary Japanese Design”

ƒ Thru Feb. 22. Modern and Contemporary Craft

ƒ April 4-Aug. 24. “Cycle Thru! The Art of the Bike”

ƒ April 18-Aug. 31. “Tintoretto’s Genesis”

ƒ April 25, 5-9 p.m. Art After Dark, free party and exhibit admittance

Clifton Cultural Arts Center | Clifton. 513-497-2860. cliftonculturalarts.org

ƒ Thru April 4. “Lift Every Voice” Group Exhibit

ƒ April 11-May 9. ChengLun Na: “The Poetry of Transformations” • Ximena Flores: “Resilient Roots” Reception: April 11, 6-8 p.m.

Contemporary Arts Center | Downtown. 513-345-8400. contemporaryartscenter.org

ƒ Thru May 25. Vivian Browne: “My Kind of Protest”

ƒ Thru Dec. 30. Kahlil Robert Irving: “Ground Water from screen Falls

[(Collaged media) + Midwest] Street”

ƒ Thru Oct. 31. “Gravity’s Rainbow”

ƒ April 17-June 1. Anti-Robot Inundation Army

The Contemporary Dayton | Dayton, Ohio. 937-224-3822. codayton.org

ƒ Thru April 12. Susan Byrnes: “Lightness and Weight” • George Armstrong: “A Zachary Armstrong Curatorial Project”

DAAP Galleries | University of Cincinnati. 513-556-2839. daap.uc.edu

ƒ Thru April 6. “2.0 Kinds of Funny” (Reed Gallery)

ƒ Thru April 13. “New to Us: A Selection of Recent Acquisitions to the UC Art Collection” (Meyers Gallery) Closing reception: April 10, 5-7 p.m.

Dayton Art Institute | Dayton, Ohio. 937-223-4278. daytonartinstitute.org

ƒ Thru June 8. Jamie Wyeth: “Unsettled”

Dayton Society of Artists | Dayton, Ohio. 937-228-4532. daytondsa.org

ƒ April 3-26. “Part of a Whole: 2/2”

April 4 to September 1, 2025

Evendale Cultural Arts Center | Evendale. 513-563-1350. evendaleohio.org

ƒ April 4-30. Carole Staples Fiber Art Exhibit

Fitton Center | Hamilton. 513-863-8873. fittoncenter.org

ƒ April 26-June 27. 52nd Hamilton Current

Kennedy Heights Arts Center | Kennedy Heights. 513-631-4278. kennedyarts.org

ƒ Thru April 5. “Mother Earth: Let the Spirit Move” new works by local artists ƒ Thru June 7. “Change” juried exhibition

Lloyd Library and Museum | Downtown. 513-721-3707. lloydlibrary.org

ƒ Thru April 11. “Welcome to My Jungle: In-door Plants”

Manifest Gallery | East Walnut Hills. 513-861-3638. manifestgallery.org

ƒ Thru April 4. “Totally Open” • “Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana” • “Shooting Day For Night” Robert McCann (painting)

ƒ April 18-May 16. “Drawn 2025” • “Sleep” • “Weather” • Katherine Cox (drawing) Reception: April 18, 6-9 p.m.

Middletown Arts Center | Middletown. 513-424-2417. middletownartscenter.com

ƒ Thru May 15. Darren Goodman: “Glass: Through the Lens of an Artist”

Northern Kentucky University | Highland Heights. 859-572-5148. nku.edu/gallery

ƒ April 10-May 2. BFA Senior Exhibitions.

Reception: April 10, 5-7 p.m.

Off Ludlow Gallery | Clifton. 513-201-7153. facebook.com

ƒ Thru April 16. “The Paper Show”

PAR-Projects | Northside. parprojects.com

ƒ April 13-14. “Meet in the Middle”

Pendleton Art Center | Pendleton. 513-421-4339. pendletonartcenter.com

ƒ April 25, 5-9 p.m. Open studios

Pendleton Art Center - Middletown | Middletown. 513-465-5038. pendletonartcenter.com

ƒ April 4, 5-9 p.m. Open studios

Queen City Clay | Norwood. queencityclay.com

ƒ Thru April 10. “Feathers, Fins, & Fur”

ƒ April 18-May 29. “Heatwork”

Rosewood Arts Centre | Rosewood Gallery, Kettering. 937-296-0294. playkettering.org/rosewood-gallery-home

ƒ Thru April 12. Morgan Craig (Paintings)

• Kathy A. Moore: “Snow Light/Day and Night”

ƒ April 21-May 24. Yiyun Chen: “Whispers in the Breeze 微風細語” • Ghislaine and Lando Fremaux-Valdez

Skirball Museum | Hebrew Union College, Clifton. csm.huc.edu

ƒ Thru July 31. “The Seventeen: Iron Flock” by Archie Rand

Studio Kroner | Downtown. studiokroner.com

ƒ April 17-May 24. “All Else Pales: 2”

Reception: April 17, 6-9 p.m.

ƒ April 19, 1 p.m. Artist talk #1: Stephen Hall, John Sabrow, and Albertus Gorman

Studio San Giuseppe Art Gallery | Mount St. Joseph University, Delhi. msj.edu

ƒ April 9-27. 2025 Senior Thesis Degree Exhibition. Reception: April 11, 6-8 p.m.

Taft Museum of Art | Lytle Park, downtown. 513-241-0343. taftmuseum.org

“On The Shoulders Of Ancestors: The Art Of Willis ‘Bing’ Davis” is one of three exhibits opening April 25 at the Aronoff Center’s Weston Gallery

Warren County Historical Museum | Lebanon. wchsmuseum.org . “220 Years of Shakers

Aronoff Center, downtown. 513-977-4165. cincinnatiarts.org/weston-art-gallery . “2025 Canstruction®” • 3rd Annual Weston Works Art Challenge . “On The Shoulders Of Ancestors: The Art Of Willis ‘Bing’ Davis” • James Pate: “Redacted” • “Homing Instinct: Letting Go of the Shore”– author Dani McClain and filmmaker Lydia Reception: April 25,

17 Nonprofit News

Contest to select new Covington public art installation

A national design competition is underway to create a public art installation in the Covington Central Riverfront neighborhood, a 23-acre district aimed at reconnecting the city to its waterfront and surrounding communities.

City officials see the project as a key step in shaping the neighborhood’s identity and creating a sense of civic pride while providing a new public space. Partnering on the project are The Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center, The Center for Great Neighborhoods, ArtsWave and the Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile Jr. Foundation.

The Carnegie and The Center for Great Neighborhoods have issued a request for proposals, inviting artists nationwide to submit designs. A grant from the Haile Foundation will fund artists’ fees, fabrication costs and other expenses.

Applications are open until June 1.

 thecarnegie.com/publicartccr

Urban League gives credit with new financial education program

The Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio celebrated the 41 members of the first graduating class of its 700 Credit Club during a graduation event at the Holloman Center for Social Justice.

The monthslong program, launched in September, aimed to help individuals build credit, manage debt and achieve long-term financial success.

Many of the participants saw their credit scores improve by as much as 90 points, according to the Urban League. Others made substantial progress in paying down high-interest debt. One notable success story involved a young woman who entered the program with $75,000 in student loan debt and reduced it to just $4,000.

 ulgso.org/700credit

Book shows how county improved infant mortality rates

A new book by local nonprofit leaders explores how Greater Cincinnati united to address the public health crisis of infant mortality.

Co-authored by bi3 Fund CEO Jill Miller and Dr. Meredith Smith, executive director of Cradle Cincinnati, “Infant Mortality and Other Wicked Problems” details the actions that healthcare systems, nonprofits, community organizations and residents have taken to improve outcomes for this vulnerable population.

Over the last decade, Hamilton County has achieved its lowest infant mortality rate on record. The book builds on this progress, offering a framework to help other communities tackle similar issues.

The book outlines strategies for addressing complex issues, ranging from using data and creating a narrative to advocating for change and securing funding.

 tacklingwickedproblems.com

Goodwill launches ‘Mission’ to invest $230M in Greater Cincy

Ohio Valley Goodwill Industries has launched a $230 million investment in Greater Cincinnati through a five-year action plan titled “Mission Possible.”

The plan responds to a community needs assessment, conducted last year, that identified gaps in affordable housing, job placement and youth employment services.

As part of the plan, OVGI launched several new programs through its revamped Mission Services division, now known as GoodCommunities: Impact and Investment. The name reflects the addition of three programs to address the service gaps identified in the assessment.

GoodSupport Housing: Individuals facing homelessness can contact OVGI for one-on-one housing navigation, case management services and tenant education.

GoodWork Pathways: The program provides support to help people navigate challenges, build confidence and advance careers.

Youth Employment Services: The program will offer summer work experience to high school students with physical or intellectual disabilities.

OVGI predicts the investment will contribute more than $265 million to the local economy over the next five years.

 cincinnatigoodwill.org

Clovernook Center hosts regional Braille competitions

For the first time, Clovernook Center for the Blind & Visually Impaired hosted two Ohio Regional Braille Challenge competitions.

The Southern Division competition took place on Feb. 26 at iSPACE in Cincinnati, with 40 school-age children who are blind or visually impaired participating. The Cincinnati-based nonprofit also hosted the newly added Northern Division on March 5, in North Canton, Ohio.

The daylong events test participants’ braille literacy skills in categories such as reading comprehension, spelling, speed and accuracy, proofreading, and charts and graphs.

The theme for both of this year’s competitions, “Braille Lights up the Mind,” came from Nadiya Albrecht – a ninth-grader at the Ohio State School for the Blind in Columbus – after being selected last fall during an annual contest open to students.

Braille Institute judges will review the results of both competitions and announce the winners in each category this spring. Top performers may qualify to advance to the Braille Institute’s Braille Challenge Finals, which are held each summer.

 clovernook.org

Nadiya Albrecht (front) participates in one of the braille competitions hosted this year by the Clovernook Center.

“Infant Mortality and Other Wicked Problems” by Jill Miller and Dr. Meredith Smith

Rendering of the proposed site of a future public art installation

Nonprofit lab incubator rebrands ahead of Covington opening

Covington Life Sciences Partners – a nonprofit lab incubator dedicated to accelerating science, entrepreneurship, education and economic development in Northern Kentucky – has rebranded as LifeSciKY ahead of the opening of its state-of-the-art research lab.

LifeSciKY aims to position Northern Kentucky as a nationally recognized hub for life sciences by providing entrepreneurs with a place to innovate, grow and succeed, and by working with regional and national partners to elevate the life sciences ecosystem.

Lab Residency at LifeSciKY will grant earlystage life sciences companies access to more than $1 million in shared equipment, fully equipped shared and private lab facilities, and access to specialized equipment, technical support and a network of industry partners and mentors.

Along with its new name, LifeSciKY has launched a new website, LifeSciKY.com, to connect with the community and prospective Lab Residency applicants. LifeSciKY’s 15,000-square-foot facility is set to open in late summer in the OneNKY Center in Covington.

 lifesciky.com

WHW renames Survivor Equity Fund after longtime advocate

Women Helping Women has named its Survivor Equity Fund in honor of Francie Garber Pepper, a longtime advocate and philanthropist dedicated to supporting survivors of gender-based violence.

The Francie Garber Pepper Survivor Equity Fund provides emergency financial assistance to those affected by domestic violence, sexual assault and other gender-based violence, covering expenses such as rental assistance, relocation costs, emergency shelter and transportation.

In 2024, this fund allocated over $900,000 to survivors in danger. Of that, more than $500,000 went directly for eviction prevention so that women and children remained safe in their homes.

WHW timed the announcement for Women’s History Month to highlight Pepper’s decades of work for survivors.

 womenhelpingwomen.org

Green Umbrella helps develop free wellness toolkit for schools

Green Umbrella has helped develop a policy toolkit that gives school districts a framework for creating tailored wellness initiatives to address community needs.

The Local School Wellness Policy Toolkit is a free resource for schools participating in the USDA National School Lunch and Breakfast programs. It encourages schools, local governments and community organizations to collaborate on equitable wellness programs for students and staff.

Green Umbrella’s Green Schoolyards Action Network partnered with Slow Food USA and Whole Kids to develop the project.

Although the project is designed for nationwide use, Cincinnati shaped much of the toolkit’s content, demonstrating how city and school district policies can work together to increase greenspace and improve access to nutritious food. The first edition comes in English, with a Spanish version in progress.

 greenumbrella.org

UpSpring expands programs to Butler, Clermont counties

UpSpring, a local nonprofit that supports the education of children experiencing homelessness, is expanding its programs to serve Butler and Clermont counties.

The expansion builds on UpSpring’s previous growth into Northern Kentucky in 2016 and increases the organization’s capacity to provide educational support and enrichment programs. The initiative comes in response to the rising number of youths experiencing homelessness in the region. It also aligns with UpSpring’s threeyear strategic plan.

The UpSpring Summer 360º program will add a third camp site at Fairfield City School District, offering summer education to 65 additional students. The UpSpring After School program has expanded to 17 weekly programs, including one in the West Clermont School District. The UpSpring Resource Collaborative will also broaden its efforts, with more than 7,000 essential items projected to be distributed to children and families this fiscal year.

The organization expects to reach an additional 440 children through its expansion, which is made possible by funding support from the Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile Jr.

A rendering of OneNKY Center in Covington, headquarters for the recently rebranded LifeSciKY

Foundation, the Imagine Learning Foundation and Impact 100 Inc.

 upspring.org

Matthew 25: Ministries opens new event center

Matthew 25: Ministries has opened The Rev. Wendell and Michelle Mettey Chapel & Event Center in Blue Ash.

The new complex on Kenwood Road offers space for religious services along with an adjoining event center designed to host weddings, conventions, corporate events and community functions.

Revenue generated from rentals will help support Matthew 25: Ministries’ programs, which provide national and international disaster relief, as well as local outreach efforts such as food, essential supplies and medical equipment distribution.

 m25m.org

Great Parks seeks volunteers for July 12 Ohio River Sweep

Great Parks will host two Ohio River Sweep events this year, as team members and volunteers work to protect the waterway and its wildlife by collecting garbage and recyclables along its banks.

Each year, Great Parks partners with the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO) on local Ohio River Sweep efforts. Great Parks joins organizations from six states in this initiative. Last year, ORSANCO reported 125 river sweep events, with volunteers removing approximately 180,000 pounds of litter, including 996 tires.

Great Parks still needs volunteers for the summer Ohio River Sweep, set for 9 a.m.-noon on Saturday, July 12, at Fernbank Park. Volunteers of all ages are welcome, though those under 18 must bring an adult.

Great Parks kicked off sweep season on March 15 at the Woodland Mound Boat Ramp.

 greatparks.org

Susan E. Casey joined Cincinnati Preservation as development director to expand support for the nonprofit’s mission to protect Greater Cincinnati historic places. Casey had spent the past five years leading Ignite Philanthropy’s nonprofit services.

Clovernook Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired welcomed Katie Brass as its new senior advancement officer. Brass has more than 25 years of nonprofit and consulting experience, including roles at the American Sign Museum and Shelterhouse.

The Greater Cincinnati Foundation named Michelle Hopkins its director of community engagement. Hopkins, who plans to remain the co-host of Cincy Lifestyle on WCPO-TV, was director of communications for The Women’s Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation from December 2022 until February 2024.

The Human Services Chamber of Hamilton County added two members to its board of directors: Emily Fay, vice president at 4C for Children, and Julie McGregor, chief program officer at Santa Maria Community Services Inc.

Greater Cincinnati Foundation appointed Sara Bolton as its new chief operating officer. Previously, Bolton served as chief of staff, helping the organization launch of its next vision and business plan. Bolton will build upon her previous work, oversee internal operations and implement the foundation’s new plan. Before GCF, Bolton was vice president of business services at AMEND Consulting and spent 11 years at The Health Collaborative.

BE NKY Growth Partnership announced that two company leaders have reached new professional milestones. Christine Russell, vice president of strategy, was chosen to serve on Urban Land Institute Americas’ national Public/

Private Partnership Council. Kim Spreder, workforce development manager, completed the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives Foundation-International Economic Development Council Certificate in Workforce Development Fundamentals program.

The Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio announced that Treva Reid has become the executive director of the Holloman Center for Social Justice. Reid will lead efforts in policy reform, advocacy and mobilization on social justice issues, including police reform, voter suppression and economic equity. Reid most recently served as a city council member in Oakland, California.



The YMCA of Greater Cincinnati welcomed Rebecca Kelley as chief development officer. Kelley’s career in philanthropy, nonprofit leadership and development includes securing multimillion-dollar gifts, fostering partnerships and leading fundraising for the Urban League, some of America’s landgrant universities and the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati.

OneSource Center added two new members to its board of directors. Ashley Cunningham is chief development officer for General Electric Credit Union. Jessica Haag is director of nonprofit advisory services at Forvis Mazars, an independent member of professional services network Forvis Mazars Global.

EquaSion hired Joey Taylor as program director to oversee programs and intergroup dialogues. Taylor has experience in interfaith engagement and community development in the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Cincinnati. For the past seven years he has been the director of Bespoken Live, a storytelling and story-listening program.

Music Teachers National Association appointed Tom Crawford as chief operating

officer. Crawford will oversee day-to-day operations and work closely with CEO Brian Shepard and other leaders to ensure operational efficiency, strategic alignment and implementation of MTNA’s goals. Crawford served as vice president of social enterprise and director of federal sales at the Cincinnati Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired.

Pro Bono Partnership of Ohio elected Michael Moeddel, partner at Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, to its board of directors.

Your Store of the Queen City has appointed board chair Desirae Hosley as interim executive director through May 31, following the departure of founding director Reba Hennessey. Hosley has previous experience in nonprofit governance, program design and community-building. Stepping in as interim board chair is Michael Gibboney, a member of YSQC’s finance committee. A timeline for finding a new CEO wasn’t announced.

The Library Foundation of Cincinnati and Hamilton County added five members to its board: Robert D. Festenstein, executive director of Independence Alliance; Gina A. Hemenway, Mercy Health’s executive director of community health; Patrick N. Longo, president and CEO of Alloy Development Co.; Todd S. Neumann, senior reimbursement specialist at UC Health; and Jacob G. Samad , partner at Robbins, Kelly, Patterson & Tucker Law Firm.

Paul Haffner, CEO of Lighthouse Youth & Family Services (not pictured), will retire at the end of 2025 after nearly a decade leading the Cincinnati nonprofit. Since 2016, he has expanded programs to combat youth homelessness, increased shelter capacity and opened the Lighthouse Clinic to advance health equity. Under his leadership, every Lighthouse facility has been renovated or upgraded. The organization has begun its search for a new CEO. 

Patrick N. Longo, Jacob G. Samad, Gina A. Hemenway, Todd S. Neumann and Robert D. Festenstein

Mike Moeddel Desirae Hosley Michael Gibboney

Tom Crawford Joey Taylor Jessica Haag

Ashley Cunningham Christine Russell Michelle Hopkins Rebecca Kelley Treva Reid Kim Spreder

Julie McGregor Sara Bolton Emily Fay

Katie Brass

Susan E. Casey

Cincinnati Recycling & Reuse Hub brings it on Talkin’ Trash

It’sa little before 10:30 on a Tuesday morning and the Hub is humming. Although The Cincinnati Recycling & Reuse Hub in Queensgate has been open for less than half an hour, the parking lot is full as I pull into the last vacant spot.

Around me, trunk lids are up and car doors open as environmentally conscious citizens unload recyclable trash no one else will take. Since the Hub opened in April 2021, it has kept more than a million pounds out of landfills, things that normally would be pitched with the rest of the trash. The list of items not eligible for curbside recycling programs is extensive, from a huge variety of plastics to metal to denim and much more. It’s a lot to learn. Luckily the dedicated volunteers and staff manning the drop-off center are happy to help you sort it out.

Feeling like a pack mule with bulging bags of styrofoam, plastic food containers and other items that I’ve collected from home and a couple of friends, I join the line of people passing through the plastic flaps into the drop-off area.

I’m immediately met by a friendly volunteer, Katie Burnside. When I announce I’m a

first-timer, she scans my overflowing, unsorted bags and leads me over to Richard King, standing by a large cardboard bin of styrofoam. King quickly starts pulling pieces out of my bag, ripping off tape and separating the styrofoam chunks from the foam packing wrap.

Burnside sticks with me as we move onto bins for rigid plastic food containers. (Think prepackaged salads, deli meats, single meals and berry containers.)

We both rummage through my bags to find candidates and put them in the appropriate receptacles, then head over to an area that comes under the general heading “Soft Plastics,” and Burnside turns me over to Carrie Harms.

Soft plastics cover everything from plastic grocery, vegetable and snack bags to mail pouches to candy wrappers and much more. It’s a complex category and Harms is a whiz at deciphering what piece of plastic trash goes where. It’s not surprising when, after a few minutes of conversation, she reveals she’s one of the founders of Cincinnati Recycling & Reuse Hub.

It’s clear that Harms, who is the Hub warehouse director, is one of the people I want to

We are very transparent about what happens to the items that people bring in. We have to build trust.

—Stephanie Cornett

Stephanie Cornett, Cincinnati Recycling & Reuse executive director, talks with customers.

Story by Kathy Doane

Photos by Katrina Weiss

have an in-depth conversation with. I contacted Hub offices the next day and said I’m doing a story on the organization. I revealed that I had already visited the operation to see firsthand how they are combating the mountains of waste we accumulate in the 21st century. Plastic is the No. 1 offender. How did this happen?

Although the development of plastic goes back to 1869, it wasn’t until after World War II that its use exploded. All kinds of manufacturers, recognizing the growing scarcity of natural resources, looked for alternative and cheaper ways to make and package their products.

Consumers were onboard with the price advantages it offered as well as its convenient disposability. Throwing away empty plastic containers became an everyday practice with no thought to the environmental fallout that would eventually come – and to the waste crusaders who would eventually rise to combat it.

Harms, an interior designer by training, was one of them. Her passion: passing on design and architecture leftovers and samples for reuse or repurpose. For a decade, she and a group of volunteers set up shop as ZeroLandfill Cincinnati in a variety of locations throughout the city and welcomed anyone to come and take.

“In early 2020 I had a conversation with Colleen McSwiggin, who had the idea for starting the Hub,” Harms said. “She knew I was looking for a permanent home for ZeroLandfill and asked if I would like to help her get the Hub going.” They and others used the shuttered time during COVID to bring their plans to reality.

Today, those design and architecture leftovers are offered with a wide range of other items in the Hub shop on the fourth floor. As the website states: “While you never know what you might find, we always have fabric, tile, egg cartons, clothing hangers, gardening pots, binders and office/school supplies.” Even better, the friendly

pricing: You pay what you can.

Smaller household appliances and furniture are given new life thanks to the Tinker Team who refurbish items that are repairable. At the heart of it all is the Hub’s mission to recycle, reuse or repurpose as much a possible. Sometimes, that can be a hard sell.

Stephanie Cornett, who came onboard last August as executive director, is quick to acknowledge that recycling programs have received a lot of negative press in the past when investigations revealed that items, instead of getting a second life, ended up in landfills.

“We are very transparent about what happens to the items that people bring in,” Cornett said. “We have to build trust.”

Recycling partners are listed on the Hub’s website. Examples: Blue Jeans Go Green takes denim and recycles it into insulation; D6 takes plastic grocery containers that hold berries, individual salads, single meals, etc. and turns them into new versions of the same thing.

In the end it comes down to convincing people that many household items they previously thought of as trash are worth collecting and transporting to the Hub. And that starts with educating people about the impact of so much waste going to a landfill.

“We do a lot with school group tours and groups who come here and get their supplies,” Cornett said. “It’s about getting kids excited about the difference they can make.”

Another key initiative has been green events, previously held twice a year in neighborhoods with low curbside recycling participation.

“We send out postcards to people in the neighborhood and invite them to bring old TVs, computers and other e-waste,” Cornett said. Participants drive up and volunteers unload and take it away for free.

With 600 dedicated volunteers and a staff of

14, it’s time to take the Hub to the next level, Cornett says. “We have so much energy and passion gathered here and are in the process of visioning what our future might look like. Our new Commercialization Committee is working to create corporate partnerships for more off-site collections sites.”

Luckily, sponsorships and donors provide most of the operating costs, though new ways of earning revenue through more corporate partners go hand-in-hand with realizing future plans.

My own Hub experience was completed in less than 15 minutes, despite the number of people who showed up. I tell the volunteer crew I’ll definitely be back, because I’m sold on the idea Cornett shared a few days later:

“We are revolutionizing the way people think about trash.” 

Consider this

When considering pitching something in the trash, ask yourself:

1Can someone else use the item in the way it’s intended?

2Can someone else use it in a different way?

3If it can’t be recycled by regular curbside pickup, can it be recycled at the Cincinnati Recycling & Reuse Hub?

The Cincinnati Recycle & Reuse Hub, 911 Evans St. (park in back), is open for drop-off Tuesday and Saturday, 10-2 and Thursday from noon-6.

 cincinnatirecyclingandreusehub.org

Warehouse director Carrie Harms and volunteer coordinator Lily Greiser Volunteer Katie Barnes Carrie Harms helps a customer sort her recyclables.

The Notables

Movers & Makers reached out this month to organizations working within the recycling and reuse space, asking them to help us showcase their notables, part of M&M’s continuing effort to recognize individuals making a difference within Greater Cincinnati’s nonprofit ecosystem.

Peg

Fischer

helps find new uses for old computers

Former teacher and principal Peg Fischer helped found Cincinnati Computer Reuse (CCR, originally Cincinnati Computer Cooperative) when Crayons to Computers spun off its computer refurbishing program. CCR’s mission is to provide discounted, refurbished computers to low- and moderate-income individuals and nonprofits and to recycle anything that can’t be refurbished. Since it opened in 2002, CCR has sold 15,000-plus computers, some for as little as $25, to bridge the digital equity divide. The organization has also sent more than 2,500 tons of electronics for recycling. Fischer is CCR’s board secretary, and you can often find her friendly face in CCR’s office, processing sales or helping with administrative tasks. When she’s not at CCR, she enjoys cooking and sewing, especially quilting. She is also an active Citizens’ Climate Lobby volunteer. She also cherishes time with her grandchildren, and their “adventures with Gigi” include visits to museums, culinary projects and audiobooks. 

Stephanie Bacher keeps electronics, holiday lights out of landfills

Stephanie Bacher oversees all recycling and landfill diversion efforts for Great Parks, advancing its role as a conservation leader. She keeps e-waste, including electronics and holiday lights, out of landfills to prevent toxic materials from entering soil and groundwater, while also diverting food scraps and plastic film. Three electronic-waste recycling events hosted in 2024 at Miami Whitewater Forest, Winton Woods and Woodland Mound collected more than 1,000 carloads of electronics recyclables, while the annual holiday lights recycling events have diverted over 40 tons of lights from the landfill. In her free time, Bacher enjoys the benefits of being a cat mom and experiencing live music with her husband. She enjoys word searches while traveling and has completed many word-search books since she was young. 

Lynn Meiners leads recycling program for New Life Furniture Bank

James Magee leads Goodwill’s commitment to

sustainability

James Magee, sustainability senior manager at Ohio Valley Goodwill Industries, leads its commitment by diverting textiles and more from landfills. Under his leadership, the organization achieved 73.4% of its zerowaste goal in 2024 through recycling textiles, metal, e-waste, paper, cardboard and other materials. Magee works with OVGI partners across the country and the globe. He’s forged partnerships that promote recycling and up-cycling, with an ambitious goal of helping OVGI reach 85% zero waste in 2025. A lifelong Queen City resident, Magee is passionate about the Reds, the Bengals and the Bearcats. His greatest joy is fatherhood, serving as a role model to his sons, James Jr. and Kolten, with whom he enjoys visiting the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Cincinnati Art Museum, Kings Island (their favorite spot) and Factory 52. He began with Goodwill at age 19 and is married to his high school sweetheart, who also works at Goodwill. 

At Dress for Success, Cali Herzog connects women with clothing

Cali Herzog, inventory coordinator at Dress for Success Cincinnati, plays a vital role in ensuring that every donated piece of clothing finds a meaningful purpose. With a passion for sustainability and the mission to empower women, Herzog carefully sorts, organizes and redistributes clothing to best serve clients and programs. She ensures that highquality professional attire is available for women preparing for job interviews and new careers while helping manage resale efforts through Portaluca Boutique. By maximizing the life cycle of each garment, Herzog helps keep clothing out of landfills. Herzog’s dedication helps Dress for Success Cincinnati lift up women while promoting ecoconscious practices, making a lasting impact on both the community and the environment. She enjoys spending time with her husband and four grown children, traveling and hiking. 

Lynn Meiners has been volunteering at New Life Furniture Bank’s Thrift Store since 2022 and has amassed over 3,350 hours of service. She is a passionate environmental advocate who started and now oversees a robust recycling program at the Thrift Store to help keep unsellable donations out of the landfill. Cardboard, metal, plastic and paper are among the things kept out of the trash. In 2023, Meiners collected over $5,000 by selling scrap metal and other items. She has brought other volunteers onboard to increase awareness and participation in recycling efforts. Her efforts last year were instrumental in obtaining an EPA grant to purchase an electric van. Meiners enjoys traveling, gardening and spending time with her husband and grandchildren. She and her husband have a garden railroad in their backyard that was used in a Visa commercial in the early ’90s. 

Stephanie Bach er

PegFischer

CaliHerzog

JamesMagee

LynnMeiners

LaurenRoberts

Lauren Roberts gives prisoners skills by diverting scraps into school supplies

Crayons to Computers’ Crafts with Conviction Program spotlights incarcerated individuals’ abilities while letting them contribute to society and develop practical skills by creating educational tools for distribution in the Teacher Resource Center. Lauren Roberts has led this program since 2019, engaging 14 Ohio correctional facilities. She has grown the number of items produced to more than 80, and has championed innovative partnerships and community collaborations, transforming items destined for the landfill into valuable tools for classrooms. The program distributes more than $750,000 of free materials annually. Fabric and felt remnants become puppets that support emerging literacy and aprons for our littlest learners. Vinyl banners become seatback pockets. Bottle caps turn into moon phases or sorting/counting activities. Even tennis ball tubes find new life. A proud cat mama and budding poet, Roberts is a lover of sunflowers for their adaptability in finding the sun. 

Our May issue will FOCUS ON: Wellness

We will look at non-medical therapies that complement traditional approaches, such as the arts, meditation, nature, animals and movement. To find out how to submit a NOTABLE (nonprofits only) email: tmariner@moversmakers.org

Pharmacist Treston Warren salvages unused medications

Sheryl Woodhouse leads Building Value in training workers, reclaiming materials

Treston Warren is helping reshape the way prescription medications are reused, connecting surplus medications with patients who need them most. As a clinical pharmacist at St. Vincent de Paul’s Charitable Pharmacy, Warren played a pivotal role in launching the pharmacy’s end-user drug donation program, which allows unused medications from individuals to be safely reclaimed and redispensed. That not only extends the life of medicines but also protects the environment. By salvaging meds that would otherwise be discarded, the program helps keep potentially dangerous drugs out of landfills and water supplies while giving neighbors in need access to free prescriptions. Warren’s residency research on this innovative initiative earned the Toby Clark Research Award at the Ohio Pharmacy Resident Conference and is slated for publication in a national medical journal. Outside of work, Warren is a musician and a lifelong language learner, fluent in Spanish and currently studying Japanese, Portuguese and Arabic. 

Sheryl Woodhouse celebrated her one-year anniversary as director of Building Value in February. With degrees in sociology and music plus an MBA, she has been dedicated to starting and growing creative, mission-driven businesses. After her first career with the National Park Service, she founded a recycled paper company, an urban forest nonprofit and a rental property business, and has been instrumental in growing others. With Building Value, Woodhouse’s role is to lead the organization’s business strategy, operations and team while fulfilling its mission of training people for careers in construction. Building Value is preparing for growth in 2025 with the addition of new team members, a new service line, an enhanced, cohort-model construction-training program and their ever-changing retail store of reclaimed building materials in Northside. A builder at heart, Woodhouse loves the art of creating businesses and meaningful jobs for people. 

TrestonWarren

SherylWoodhouse

Karen Zengel leads innovation in

repurposing at St. Vincent de Paul NKY

KarenZengel

Karen Zengel is entering her eighth year as executive director of St. Vincent de Paul Northern Kentucky, serving as steward of the donations delivered to four thrift store locations. Her passion is seeing the value – and the potential – within every carload of gently used items, repurposing these hand-me-downs into a hand-up for neighbors in need. Zengel leads the ongoing expansion and innovation of SVdP NKY’s outreach, including rent and utility assistance, food pantries, homeless assistance, beds, medical equipment and seasonal programs, as demand continues to rise. She also coordinates a growing team of employees, volunteers and Vincentians, building personal relationships with those called to serve through compassion and kindness. Her enthusiasm in transforming unwanted goods into hope and help personifies St. Vincent de Paul’s enduring message of “building a more just world through personal relationships with and service to people in need.” 

Volunteer Steve Gadd helps all around at Scrap2Home

Scrap2Home relies on volunteers. Among the regulars, Steve Gadd is at the top with more than 450 hours of service. Gadd has been with Scrap2Home since its very beginnings and he’s in the woodshop at least once every week. He helps with all aspects of the operation – collecting wood that would have gone to a landfill, processing scrap, building tables and staining. Gadd does it all and helps others learn the process; his patient and warm demeanor make him an invaluable mentor of new volunteers. Gadd also assists his community by tutoring at a local school and serving in Kids Club at Crossroads Church. He also enjoys spending time with his grandchildren on a regular basis. Gadd will tell you he is not retired; rather, he has a new boss whom he serves by helping others. Amazingly, he finds time to play golf regularly. 

Emmy Schroder of La Soupe focuses on reducing food waste, insecurity

Emmy Schroder serves as executive director of La Soupe, overseeing the organization’s strategic direction and daily operations to maximize its impact on reducing food waste and combating food insecurity. Before her work with La Soupe, Schroder used her degree in food and agricultural engineering through her work in engineering project management and supply chain for Keurig, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream and Snowville Creamery. Schroder has focused her career on sustainability and food production, fueled by her passion for great food and building a world where all people have access to the nutrition they need to thrive. Schroder likes to play ultimate frisbee, volleyball and table tennis in her free time. 

Jim Wenstrup gives new use to donations at St.

Vincent de Paul

As vice president of thrift stores at St. Vincent de Paul, Jim Wenstrup helps give new life to items others no longer need – ensuring they stay in use rather than end up in landfills. In his 14 years with the organization, Wenstrup has led efforts to maximize the reuse of every donation, from clothing to furniture to household goods. What can’t be sold in St. Vincent de Paul’s thrift stores or redistributed to neighbors in need is recycled, including more than 2.2 million pounds of clothing last year alone. Wenstrup takes pride in mentoring others, helping his team grow while advancing the mission of providing food, medicine and housing support to the community. His passion for restoration extends beyond work, whether he’s bringing forgotten items back to life or restoring a 1966 Ford Mustang in his garage. For Wenstrup, every item – like every person – deserves a second chance. 

SteveGadd

JimWenstrup

The Datebook

APRIL 3, THURSDAY

Dayton Art Institute, Curated | 6-9 p.m. Cocktails and bites. Reservations required.

 daytonartinstitute.org

APRIL 4, FRIDAY

PreventionFIRST, Community Awards Luncheon | Noon-1:30 p.m. Graduate Hotel, Avondale. Luncheon, program and awards presentation. Tickets: $85.

 prevention-first.org

Summermusik, Season Announcement | 6-8 p.m. Kenwood Theatre. Drinks, live music and season announcement. Free; advance reservations requested.

 summermusik.org

APRIL 5, SATURDAY

The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati, Community Art Event | 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Brazee Studios, Oakley. Participants receive glass tile and hands-on instruction to create new art for the Emery Theater.

 thechildrenstheatre.com

The Cure Starts Now Foundation, Once in a Lifetime Gala | 5:30-10:30 p.m. Sharonville Convention Center. Dinner, open bar and silent auction. Tickets: $90-$150.

 thecurestartsnow.org

Lighthouse Youth & Family Services, Beacon of Light | 6-10 p.m. Renaissance Cincinnati. Chairs: Doug & Susan Bierer. Honorees: Kim Tandy, Lauren Hannan Shafer and Mark Mecum. Appetizers, drinks, dinner and awards ceremony. Tickets: $175.

 lys.org/beacon

Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly, Giving Games | 6 p.m. Backstage Event Center, downtown. Games, raffles, auctions, open bar and dinner. Tickets: $120.

 littlebrotherscincinnati.org

Women’s Alliance, Annual Hats Galore Fundraiser | 11 a.m. Manor House, Mason. Silent auction, raffle baskets and brunch. Tickets: $90.

 womensallianceinc.org

APRIL 6, SUNDAY

Caracole, AIDS Walk + 5K/10K Run | 9-11 a.m. Spring Grove Cemetery & Arboretum. 5K walk/run, 10K run, kids run and brunch.

 secure.qgiv.com/ event/2025aidswalkrun

APRIL 8, TUESDAY

Character Council, Heroes of Character | 6-8:30 p.m. Delta Marriott, Sharonville. Emcee: Tyler Bradshaw; keynote: Anthony Muñoz.

Reception, dinner, program and silent auction. Tickets: $125.

 charactercincinnati.org

APRIL 9, WEDNESDAY

Clermont Chamber of Commerce, Salute to Leaders | 5:30-8:30 p.m. Oasis Conference Center, Loveland. Dinner and awards ceremony. Tickets: $40.

 clermontchamber.com

Urban League, 31st Annual Glorifying the Lions Luncheon Ceremony | 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Cintas Center. Honorees: Patricia A. Bready, Alva Jean Crawford, Dr. Alvin Crawford, Howard D. Elliott, Edna G. Keown, Jack Rouse and Steve Shifman. Broadcast on WLWT, April 11 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $150.

 ulgso.org/lions

APRIL 10, THURSDAY

Cincinnati Youth Collaborative, Dream Makers Celebration | 5:30-9 p.m. American Sign Museum, Camp Washington. Food, drinks, entertainment and awards. Tickets: $175.

 cycyouth.org/dreammakers

CityLink Center, Moving Pictures | 6-9 p.m. The George, Clifton Heights. Food, drinks and live performance by Emmaline. Tickets: $200.

 citylinkcenter.org/movingpictures

Lighthouse Youth & Family Services honors three supporters for their works and contributions at Beacon of Light, April 5 at the Renaissance.

Lauren Hannan Shafer

Kim Tandy

Mark Mecum

APRIL 10, THURSDAY (CONT.)

Findlay Kitchen, Small Bites - Big Impact | 5:30-8:30 p.m. Rhinegeist, Over-the-Rhine. Small bites, full bar, paddle raise and raffles. Tickets: $95. app.betterunite.com/smallbitesbigimpact

Reset Ministries, Annual Banquet | Receptions, Erlanger. Dinner. Tickets: $125.

 resetministries.org

APRIL 11, FRIDAY

Cincinnati Animal CARE,“Songs of Love and Blight” | Doors 7 p.m., show 8 p.m. Radio Artifact, Northside. Singer-songwriter Jeremy Harrison. Album release party, with proceeds benefiting Cincinnati Animal CARE. Special guest Ben Monder of The Bad Plus. Donation: $10-$30.

 cincyticket.com

Woman’s City Club, National Speaker Forum | 7 p.m. Memorial Hall, Over-the-Rhine. Lecture by Cathy O’Neil, mathematician, data scientist and author. VIP reception. Tickets: $50; VIP: $150.

 womanscityclub.org

World Affairs Council, One World Gala and Global Trivia Game | 6-10 p.m. Venue details shared upon registration. Top trivia contestants win valuables from area restaurants and businesses.

 globalcincinnati.org

APRIL 12, SATURDAY

Best Buddies, Friendship Walk: Cincinnati | 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Marcum Park, Hamilton. Walk to support inclusion for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Live entertainment, games, snacks and beverages. Free.

 bestbuddiesfriendshipwalk.org

Mathematician, data scientist and author Cathy O’Neil speaks at the National Speaker Forum, presented by Woman’s City Club, April 11, at Memorial Hall.

Chatfield Edge, Celebrating Our Scholars Brunch | 10 a.m.-noon. Ursuline Academy, Blue Ash. Annual fundraiser for student scholarships and operational support. Tickets: $75; VIP: $250.

 chatfieldedge.org

Karen Wellington Foundation, Annual Karen’s Gift Gala | 7-11 p.m. Hard Rock Casino. Food, drinks, entertainment, raffle and auction. Tickets: $75-$200.

 karenwellingtonfoundation.org

Oxford Community Arts Center, Annual Gala | 6-10 p.m. Roaring Twenties theme with live jazz, food, games and silent auction. Tickets: $125 early bird; $150 at door.

 oxarts.org/waystogive/gala

St. Rita School for the Deaf, Dream Makers Scholarship Benefit | 6 p.m.

St Rita’s School for the Deaf, Evendale. Drinks, networking, dinner, silent auction and raffles. Tickets: $100.  srsdeaf.org

APRIL 13, SUNDAY

American Lung Association, Fight For Air Climb | 8 a.m.-1 p.m. TQL Stadium. Stair-climbing event and firefighter challenge.  lung.org

APRIL 16, WEDNESDAY

Pro Bono Partnership of Ohio, Annual Volunteer & Donor Celebration | 5-7 p.m. Procter & Gamble, downtown. Awards presentation.  pbpohio.org/upcoming-events

APRIL 23, WEDNESDAY

Ohio River Foundation, The Watershed Moment | 5:30-9 p.m. MadTree Parks & Rec, Blue Ash. 25th

anniversary celebration with food, drink, awards and live auction. Tickets: $50.  ohioriverfdn.org/events

APRIL 24, THURSDAY

American Heart Association, Go Red for Women | 6 p.m. NEW Center at Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown. Tickets: $125.  heart.org/neohgored

Housing Opportunities Made Equal, Fair Housing Luncheon | 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Cintas Center, Xavier University. Keynote: Demetria McCain. Food, drinks and networking. Tickets: $50.  homecincy.org

New Perceptions, Ladies Night Out | 5:30-9 p.m. Receptions Event Center, Erlanger. Buffet dinner, desserts, silent auctions, raffles, pampering services and open bar. Dance lessons, charcuterie-making workshop and winetasting class available. Tickets: $75.  newperceptions.org

APRIL 25, FRIDAY

Council on Child Abuse, Reach for the Stars | 6:30-10 p.m. Kenwood Country Club. Annual fundraiser for COCA’s efforts to help prevent abuse and bullying. Plated dinner, drinks, raffle and online auction before the event. Tickets: $125.

 cocachild.org/events

APRIL 26-27, SATURDAY-SUNDAY

Cincinnati Public Radio, Grand Opening Celebration | Performances, activities and tours of new CPR facility.

 cinradio.org

Housing Opportunities Made Equal hosts its Fair Housing Luncheon, featuring a keynote address by Demetria McCain, April 24 at Cintas Center.

APRIL 26, SATURDAY

1N5, Spring 4 Life Gala: Lasso Hope | 7-10 p.m. Bacon Barn, Blue Ash. VIP reception with live music, classic cars, barbecue dinner, drinks, live and silent auctions. Special guest Mrs. Indiana, Erica Graham. Tickets: $125.

 1n5.org/events

ArtWorks, Creative Campus Dedication & Grand Opening | 1-5 p.m. 2429 Gilbert Ave., Walnut Hills. Art, performances and tours of Hannan ArtPark. Free.

 artworkscincinnati.org

Clifton Cultural Arts Center, Gala | 6-10 p.m. Clifton Cultural Arts Center. Games, arts experiences, silent auction, dinner by-the-bite, recognition of CCAC board members and after-party. Tickets: $100.  cliftonculturalarts.org

DCCH Center for Children and Families, Swing into Spring | Turfway Park. Food, games, dancing and silent auction. Tickets: $125.

 dcchcenter.org

DePaul Cristo Rey High School, Rey of Light Scholarship Benefit | 5:30 p.m. DePaul Cristo Rey High School, Clifton. Cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, dinner, silent auction and live auction. Tickets: $150.

 depaulcristorey.org

Dragonfly Foundation, Grand Gala | 6-11 p.m. Music Hall Ballroom. Dinner, music, fashion event with Asha Ama Bias-Daniels, open bar, silent auction and grand raffle. Emcee: Sheree Paolello, WLWT. Black tie optional. Tickets: $250.

 e.givesmart.com/events/GZK/

Artist/educator

Pam Kravetz hosts Double Vision, fundraiser and art auction by Visionaries + Voices, May 2 at Memorial Hall.

Giving Voice Foundation, Mimosas for Memories | 11 a.m.-2 p.m. The Cincinnati Club. VIP seated brunch 10:30 a.m. Gourmet brunch, bottomless mimosas, silent auction, live DJ, live entertainment and local pop-up vendors. Tickets start at $125.

 givingvoicefdn.org/m4m

Montgomery Woman’s Club, Annual Luncheon & Fashion Show | 10:15 a.m. Manor House, Mason. Fashion show, luncheon, derby hat contest, prizes, raffle and silent auction. Tickets: $55.

 montgomerywomansclub.com

Parental Hope, Annual Spring For Hope | 6-10 p.m. Little Miami Brewing Company. Dinner, games, music, raffles and silent auction. Tickets: $85.

 parentalhope.org/decadeofhope

Purcell Marian, Grand Event | Purcell Marian High School, Walnut Hills. Silent and live auction, Praestans Award ceremony, open bar, bourbon tasting, live DJ and dancing. Tickets start at $160.

 one.bidpal.net/pmge25/welcome

St. Joseph Home, Incline to the Finish Line 5K | 9 a.m. St. Joseph Home, Sharonville. Food, family-friendly activities and entertainment. Tickets: $40/$50.

 inclinetothefinishline.com

UpSpring, Benefit Bash | 6 p.m.

Bally Sports Club, Great American Ball Park. Cocktails, silent auction, dinner and program. Tickets: $100.

 upspring.org/benefitbash

APRIL 27, SUNDAY

La Soupe, Ladles Not Landfills | MadTree Brewing. Food and interactive exhibits showcasing local environmental initiatives. Free.

 lasoupe.org

Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly, Savoring Food Stories with Mary | 1 p.m. Virtual. Showcasing stories shared through food to support programming.

 littlebrotherscincinnati.org

APRIL 29, TUESDAY

Cancer Family Care, 2025 Unsung Heroes | 6-9 p.m. Cintas Center, Xavier University. Cocktail reception, program, dinner and awards ceremony. Tickets: $50.

 cancerfamilycare.org

YWCA Greater Cincinnati, Career Women of Achievement Luncheon | Hard Rock Casino. Lunch and awards ceremony. Co-chairs: Kristen Schlotman, president & CEO, Film Cincinnati; Alicia Townsend, vice president of community outreach, U.S. Bank. Keynote: Margaret Mitchell, CEO, YWCA USA. Tickets: $125.  ywcacincinnati.org/careerwomen

MAY 1, THURSDAY

NKY Chamber, Business Impact Awards | 4-6 p.m. Devou Properties, Covington. Networking, cocktails, appetizers, photo booth and awards ceremony. Tickets: $60.  nkychamber.com/impact

MAY 2, FRIDAY

UC DAAP, Fashion Show | 7:30 p.m. MegaCorp Pavillion, Newport. VIP cocktail reception, fashion show paired with live DJ, sound and lighting.  daap.uc.edu

Visionaries + Voices, Double Vision | 6:30-10:30 p.m. Memorial Hall, Over-the-Rhine. Host: Pam Kravetz. Live

art auction, music by Ricky Nye, light bites, puppet show, live auction and silent auction. Tickets: $75.  eventbrite.com, Double Vision Pig Works, Flying Pig Marathon | Downtown. 5K, 10K and half-marathon options. One-mile “PigAbilities” event designed for participants to run, walk or roll on May 3 at 1 p.m.  flyingpigmarathon.com

MAY 3, SATURDAY

SPCA Cincinnati, Fur Ball | 5:30 p.m. Sharonville Convention Center. Derby Day attire. Signature cocktail, appetizers, plated dinner, entertainment, games, live and silent auctions, raffles, testimonials, rescue stories and adoptable pets. Tickets: $500.

 spcacincinnati.org

MAY 6, TUESDAY

Assistance League of Greater Cincinnati, Books & Brunch 2025 | 10:30 a.m. Kenwood Country Club. Local authors, luncheon, silent auction and raffles. Tickets: $95.

 assistanceleaguecincinnati.org

MAY 7, WEDNESDAY

Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, Partners in Action Luncheon | Noon-1 p.m. Cintas Center, Xavier University. Proceeds support ministries serving women and children worldwide.

 sndohio.org

MAY 8, THURSDAY

Alzheimer’s Association, Spring Gala | 5:30-9:30 p.m. Music Hall Ballroom. Chair: Elizabeth Bangel-Stehlin. Dinner, live entertainment, drinks, bourbon pull, games, raffles and silent auction. Tickets: $300.

 alz.org

NewPath, Topgolf Outing | 1-4 p.m. Topgolf, West Chester. Golf, food, drinks and raffles. Tickets: $175.

 newpath.org/events/topgolf-outing

St. Vincent de Paul-Cincinnati, Celebration of Service | 6 p.m. Cintas Center. Honoring Sheldon & Norma Braun,

MAY 9, FRIDAY

Fernside Center for Grieving Children, Fernside Classic Dinner | 6 p.m. Cooper Creek Event Center, Blue Ash. Dinner, program, live auction and silent auction. Tickets: $100.

 bethesdafoundation.com/events

Cancer Support Community, Par-Tee for Hope | 10 a.m. Topgolf, West Chester. Golf, food, bar, contests, prizes and swag.

 mycancersupportcommunity.org

Easterseals Redwood, Annual Express | 6-10:30 p.m. Turfway

Park Racing & Gaming. Silent disco, entertainment, food stations, open bar, live auction, silent auction and raffles. Tickets: $150.

 secure.qgiv.com/event/express2025

MAY 10, SATURDAY

A Kid Again, Capes and Crowns | 8 a.m.-noon. Kings Island, Mason.

Registration: $25.  my.akidagain.org

Magnified Giving, Magnify Your Run/Walk | Ladybug Landing Shelter, Winton Woods. 1-mile, 5k, 10k and virtual events available. Family-friendly and dog-friendly.  raceroster.com, magnify your

63rd Annual Golf Classic

St. Vincent de Paul – Cincinnati honors three couples for their longstanding support at Celebration of Service, May 8 at Cintas Center.

Sam Hubbard Foundation, Annual Fowling Tournament | 5 p.m. Fowling Warehouse Cincinnati. Match up with current and former Bengals in a game mixing football and bowling. Tickets: $200/fowling team; $100/social ticket.  samhubbardfoundation.betterworld. org/events/2025-fowling-tournament

MAY 17, SATURDAY

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Great | 9 a.m. Sawyer Point Park, The Banks. Three-mile walk. fundraise.cff.org

Melanoma Know More, Susan Roebuck Memorial Golf Outing | 8 a.m. shotgun start. Aston Oaks Golf Club, North Bend. Golf, lunch, contests, raffles and split the pot. Registration: melanomaknowmore.com

MAY 19-20, MONDAY-TUESDAY

Lafayette Bicentennial Celebration | Cincinnati Masonic Center, downtown. Monday happy hour, dinner, concert. Keynote: Julien Icher, president and founder, Lafayette Trail Inc. Tuesday tribute and reception at Spring Grove

annualcommunication.com, Lafayette

MAY 19, MONDAY

Aubrey Rose Foundation, Annual Golf Outing | 10 a.m. Aston Oaks Golf Club. Light breakfast, lunch, dinner, beverages, Mulligan, competition prizes, split-the-pot and silent auction. Golfers receive ARF-branded item. Registration: $125; $500/foursome. aubreyrose.org/events/golf-outing

Honorees Nancy Habegger, Fred Habegger, Carol Gramann, Bob Gramann, Norma Braun and Sheldon Braun

Dan Beard Council, Golf Classic | 11:30 a.m.4:30 p.m. Clovernook Country Club. Golf, lunch, dinner, cocktails, silent auction and raffle prizes. Tickets: $125.

 danbeard.org/golf

Scheben Center, Annual Charity Golf Classic | 11 a.m. Triple Crown Country Club, Union, KY. Lunch, golf, dinner, prizes and raffles.

 givebutter.com

MAY 20, TUESDAY

Cincinnatus Association, Annual Spencer Awards Dinner | 5:30 p.m. Hyatt Regency. Reception, dinner and program. Chair: Susan Noonan. Tickets: $100.

 cincinnatusassoc.org

MAY 21, WEDNESDAY

Cincinnati Opera Young Professionals, Divas & Diamonds | 6:30-8:30 p.m. John Hauck House, West End. Drinks, light bites, accessories and opera arias. Tickets: $30; VIP: $60.

 cincinnatiopera.org/divas-diamonds

MAY 24, SATURDAY

Envision, Abilities at Bat | 4-7 p.m. Great American Ball Park. Parade, pregame ceremony, first pitch, PSA, Jumbotron shoutouts, resource center and branded tumbler.

 envisionohio.org

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, International Freedom Conductor Awards | Aronoff Center for the Arts. Save the date. Honoring modern day freedom conductors.

 freedomcenter.org

MAY 31, SATURDAY

American Sign Museum, Signs & Spouses | 6-10 p.m.American Sign Museum, Camp Washington. Emcee: Evan Millward. Vow renewals officiated by Jim Obergefell, drag performances, music by DJ Boywife, food, cash bar, champagne toast and dancing. Tickets: $100.

 americansignmuseum.org

JUNE 2, MONDAY

Stepping Stones, Annual Golf Classic | O’Bannon Creek Golf Club, Loveland. Golf, food and raffles.

 steppingstonesohio.org/golf-classic

The Midwest Sustainability Summit features speaker Lyla June Johnston, plus a full day of programming, June 5 at Sharonville Convention Center.

JUNE 4, WEDNESDAY

ACG Cincinnati, Deal Maker Awards | 4:30-6:30 p.m. Music Hall Ballroom. Reception and awards ceremony.

 acgcincinnatidealmaker.org/event

Adopt A Class, Celebration Breakfast Cintas Center, Xavier University. Breakfast and program. Tickets: $50.

 aacmentors.org/celebration-breakfast

JUNE 5, THURSDAY

Midwest Regional Sustainability Summit 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Sharonville Convention Center. Keynote: Lyla June Johnston. Speakers, exhibitor expo, poster session, art show, live performances and networking reception. Tickets: $175; $200 after April 1.  midwestsustainabilitysummit.org

Dream Makers

THURS, APRIL 10

AMERICAN SIGN MUSEUM

DOORS OPEN AT 5:30 PM

Warren County Foundation, Community Service Awards | 6 p.m. Manor House, Mason. Happy hour, dinner, program and awards. Tickets: $60.  warrencountyfoundation.org

JUNE 6, FRIDAY

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, Revel & Rollick | Drinks, dinner by-the-bite and exclusive performance of “Mrs. Dalloway: A New Musical.”  cincyshakes.com/on-stage/revel

Cincinnati ToolBank, Par-Tee for the ToolBank | The Mill Course, Winton Woods. Golf, drinks and buffet.  cincinnatitoolbank.org

Dan Beard Council, Sporting Clays Tournament | 12:30 p.m. Sycamore Pheasant Club. Clay shooting, lunch, silent auction and raffle. Tickets: $100.  danbeard.org/sporting-clays

Ken Anderson Alliance, Ken & Friends | 6-9 p.m. Hard Rock Casino. Food, stories and auction.  kenandersonalliance.org

JUNE 7, SATURDAY

Contemporary Arts Center, Art Adventure | 10:30 a.m. Contemporary Arts Center, downtown. Special art activations and programs. Free.  contemporaryartscenter.org

Join us for a night that shines a light on extraordinary individuals who are shaping the future.

This is more than an event—it’s a movement of hope & opportunity. Your presence and support will help illuminate the path forward for Cincinnati’s young people.

Celebrating 2025 Outstanding Student Scholarship Winners

Honoring Hall of Fame Inductees: Mr. Harry Blanton and Mrs. Carrie Caldwell

Recognizing Dream Makers Honoree: PNC Bank

cycyouth.org/dreammakers for tickets and info

DATEBOOK

Parental Hope, Swing for Hope Golf Outing | 7:30 a.m. Kenton County Golf Course, Independence. Breakfast and golf. Tickets: $100.

 parentalhope.org/swingforhope

JUNE 13, FRIDAY

Adopt A Class, Golf Outing | 9 a.m. Mill Course, Winton Woods. Scramble format, lunch and awards ceremony. Registration: $250.

 aacmentors.org/golf-outing

Holly Hill, Annual Golf Classic | 7:30 a.m. Kenton County - Pioneer Course, Independence. Golf, lunch, light fare and awards. Registration: $175.

 birdease.com/hollyhillgolfclassic

JUNE 14, SATURDAY

People Working Cooperatively, Repair Affair | Use home-repair skills to provide important home maintenance services to seniors and people with disabilities living on low or fixed incomes.

 pwchomerepairs.org/repair-affair

Young Professionals Choral Collective, True Colors Gala | 7:30 p.m. Performances by drag artist and reunion choir.

 ypccsing.org/upcoming-events

JUNE 20, FRIDAY

Cincinnati Zoo, Zoo La La | 7:30-11 p.m. Food samples, animal encounters, live entertainment, carousel ride, train rides and games. Tickets: $125; VIP: $195.  cincinnatizoo.org/events/zoo-la-la

JUNE 29, SUNDAY

Holocaust & Humanity Center, Upstander 5K | 8:30 a.m. Union Terminal. Race marshal: Kathrine Switzer, first woman to officially run Boston Marathon. 5K walk and run options, live music, family activities, breakfast and pickleball tournament. Registration: $35.  holocaustandhumanity.org

JULY 11-12, FRIDAY-SATURDAY

St. Vincent de Paul-Cincinnati, Strike Out Hunger | Reds vs. Colorado Rockies, Great American Ball Park. Help ease summer hunger for families. Bring at least three non-perishable items to receive a free ticket voucher for a future game.

 svdpcincinnati.org

JULY 19, SATURDAY

AfriFest Cincy: Taste of Africa | Noon-9 p.m. Sawyer Point Park, downtown. Showcasing African arts, culture, music and cuisine. Free.  eventbrite.com, afrifest

JULY 29, TUESDAY

Katherine Switzer will serve as the race marshal for the Holocaust & Humanity Center’s Upstander 5K , June 29. Switzer was the first woman to officially complete the Boston Marathon in 1967, despite the attempts shown here to stop her.

Cindependent Film Festival: Film Night at GABP | 7:10 p.m. Great American Ball Park. Meet and greet with Crunchy and Bubs. Cincinnati Reds vs. Los Angeles Dodgers. Tickets: $23.50-$46.50.  cindependentfilmfest.org

AUG. 2, SATURDAY

Adventure Crew, Ohio River Paddlefest | Schmidt Recreation Complex. Racers 7 a.m. Recreational paddlers 7:10-8:30 a.m. Award presentation and Mill Creek Peek tours. Registration starts at $50; prices increase May 1 and July 27.  ohioriverpaddlefest.org

AUG. 10, SUNDAY

Welcome House, Summer Sunday | Silent auction and raffle.  welcomehouseky.org 

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Gifts/Grants

ArtsWave awards $317K to 56 local arts orgs

ArtsWave has awarded $316,916 in Catalyzing Impact grants for arts and cultural projects across Greater Cincinnati. These 56 grants will support performances, community art installations and other creative initiatives.

The ArtsWave Board of Directors approved the grants after a competitive review. The program invites all nonprofits to propose arts projects that align with ArtsWave’s Blueprint for Collective Action.

Five Warren County organizations received funding through donations from their community as part of ArtsWave’s effort to let donors support projects in their own areas.

The rest of the local grants ranged from $2,000 to $10,000. A list of all the winners is available on the Movers & Makers website.

 artswave.org

Pair of grants helps EquaSion push mission forward

EquaSion received a pair of gifts totaling $60,000 to support the organization’s work in developing programs based on interfaith dialogue.

The Greater Cincinnati Foundation awarded the nonprofit $25,000 to support its efforts to ensure Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky remain places where everyone feels welcome and valued. It’ll also provide non-financial support.

Christ Church Cathedral gave EquaSion $35,000 to support the organization’s year of transition, which included the hiring of Joey Taylor as program director.

 equasion.org

Anonymous $2M gift boosts Emery Theater project

The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati received a $2 million anonymous donation toward its capital campaign to renovate the historic Emery Theater. The gift reduces the funding gap for the $51.5 million project to $2 million, bringing the restoration of the Over-the-Rhine venue closer to completion.

The 113-year-old building will feature modern stage technology, a 40-by-60-foot LED video wall, an automated fly system, projection mapping and a stage lift with a built-in turntable, while preserving the theater’s historic architecture. The project also involves structural upgrades to help TCT develop new productions and improve accessibility.

TCT’s inaugural season at the renovated Emery Theater begins in October 2025 with “The Wizard of Oz: Youth Edition.”

 thechildrenstheatre.com/the-emery

‘Placemaking’ grants open to arts nonprofits focused on NKY

ArtsWave and meetNKY have launched the Northern Kentucky Creative Placemaking Grants program to drive economic growth, strengthen communities and highlight that region’s cultural identity.

Now open for applications, the grants will provide up to $10,000 per project to eligible organizations. Funded projects will take place between June 1, 2025, and May 31, 2026, with a focus on strengthening Northern Kentucky’s cultural and economic vitality.

The program is open to nonprofits focused on local arts or cultural heritage programming.

 artswave.org/apply-for-funding

Jersey Mike’s $100K surprise check to CancerFree KIDS

CancerFree KIDS received a surprise $100,000 donation from Jersey Mike’s Subs CEO Peter Cancro to mark the start of the fast-food chain’s annual Month of Giving fundraiser.

Throughout March, Cincinnati-area Jersey Mike’s customers could support CancerFree KIDS by rounding up their purchases to the nearest dollar or donating $1, $3 or $5 when placing their orders.

The campaign was set to culminate with the nationwide Day of Giving on March 26, when all 31 Jersey Mike’s locations in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky donate every dollar spent in their stores on that day to CancerFree KIDS.

Since 2015, the initiative has resulted in nearly $1.4 million for CancerFree KIDS, supporting eight pediatric cancer research grants.

 cancerfreekids.org

Ohio River Foundation receives $25K for education program

The Ohio River Foundation has received a $25,000 seed grant from the Greater Cincinnati Foundation to establish the Rivers to Classrooms Education Access Fund. This fund aims to expand access to the foundation’s rapidly growing River Explorer and Mussels in the Classroom programs.

These STEM enrichment programs serve over 9,300 students across area 60 schools, delivering more than 41,000 hours of hands-on programming.

The Rivers to Classrooms fund has a 2025 goal of raising $100,000. With continued growth, the foundation plans to offer financial assistance to qualifying schools starting in 2025-26.

 ohioriverfdn.org

The Ghostlight Stage Company is one of 56 local arts organizations to receive a Catalyzing Impact grant from ArtsWave.

A surprise $2 million donation will help The Children’s Theater of Cincinnati move into its new OTR home this October.

CancerFree KIDS executive Director Jill Brinck poses with leaders from Jersey Mike’s after the fastfood chain donated a surprise $100,000 check.

Chamber honors Great Living Cincinnatians

The Cincinnati Regional Chamber honored four new Great Living Cincinnatians at its annual dinner, Legacy & Promise: A Celebration of Leadership. Charles Scheper, Geraldine “Ginger” Warner, Dolores Lindsay and James Anderson joined 172 previous winners since 1967.

Those honored are chosen for service to the community, business and civic attainment, leadership, awareness of the needs of others and distinctive accomplishments.

Also honored were the Chamber’s We Are Making Black History awardees: Devona Stripling, Robie Suggs, Rickell Howard Smith, Siobhan Taylor, Roddell McCullough, Kai Lewars, Damian Hoskins, Barbara Turner, David Minor and Sheryl Long.

 cincinnatichamber.com

Elizabeth Warner, Marge Anderson, James Anderson, Dick Rosenthal, Ginger Warner and Kitty Rosenthal

Brendon Cull, Charles Scheper, Geraldine “Ginger” Warner, Dolores Lindsay, James Anderson, Jim Watkins

We Are Making Black History honorees Devona Stripling, Robie Suggs, Rickell Howard Smith, Siobhan Taylor, Roddell McCullough, Kai Lewars, Damian Hoskins, Barbara Turner. Not pictured: David Minor and Sheryl Long

Barbara Turner and Devona Stripling

Kris Knochelmann and Denise Driehaus

Jim Watkins, Candace McGraw and Brendon Cull

Brendon Cull and Tanya O’Rourke

Kay Geiger and Ginger Warner

Photos by ross van Pelt

‘Unlikely Thru-Hiker’ speech raises funds for Adventure Crew

Adventure Crew hosted an evening with Derick Lugo, author of “The Unlikely Thru-Hiker.” Lugo entertained and inspired a packed house of more than 250 attendees at The Mercantile Library with stories from his Appalachian Trail hike: He set out with no hiking experience and an extremely overweight backpack. Through his journey, he learned lessons on preparation, humility, race relations and nature’s wild unpredictability.

The event raised $3,500 to support Adventure Crew’s mission, connecting city teens with nature and each other through outdoor adventures. Morgan, a School for Creative & Performing Arts freshman, said that her experiences with Adventure Crew are shaping her career path.

Roads Rivers and Trails, Summit Trek & Travel, North Side Bank and The Mercantile Library sponsored the event.

 adventurecrew.org

Derick Lugo speaks to the crowd.

Rick Steves’ Europe: A Symphonic Journey

Take a spectacular musical journey through Europe in this locally-produced special with Rick Steves and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. For each stop, Rick paints the cultural context in words and the orchestra performs stirring 19th-century anthems by Romantic-era composers.

Thursday, April 3, at 8pm on CET Thursday, April 3, at 9pm on CET Arts

SATURDAY 6:30PM CET SUNDAY 8:30PM CET ARTS

Join Barbara Kellar as she showcases artists and cultural leaders from the Greater Cincinnati community.

Award Winner Regional - Interview/Discussion Program www.CETconnect.org

Libby Hunter, Adventure Crew executive director, and Asia Bradford, program manager, with Keisha Easley

SPCA freshman and Crew teen Morgan addresses the crowd.

Pam Kravetz and Susan Fraley

Heart Ball draws

1,000 supporters

Over 1,000 guests raised more than $1.3 million for the American Heart Association’s lifesaving work at the Greater Cincinnati Heart Ball.

The family of Bob and Maureen Habel was honored with the Heart of the City Award, a special tribute to non-medical professionals who have made outstanding contributions to the community. Dr. Brett Kissela of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine was honored with the Dr. Creighton B. Wright Healthcare Leadership Award.

The evening included silent and live auctions, a gourmet dinner and dancing at an after-party. All proceeds support the work of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. St. Elizabeth Healthcare presented the event at the Sharonville Convention Center. The chair was Jill Meyer of The O.H.I.O. Fund.

 heart.org

DP Suresh, JoAnne Noyes, Steve Berke, Alyson Poling, Dr. Kristin Coppage, Terri Hanlon-Bremer, Mike Uhl, Dr. Stacie Demel, Mark Carter, Deborah Hayes, Dr. Creighton B. Wright, Vera Hall, Beverly A. Grant, Jennifer

and

The Bob and Maureen Habel family Chris Habel accepting the award for the Habel family

Steve Mullinger, Dr. Brett Kissela and Tim Steigerwald

More than 1,000 guests attended the Heart Ball for fundraising, dinner and dancing.

Kevin Robinson and Ashley Kirklen of WLWT

Dr.

Cloyd-Caldwell

Tim Steigerwald

Vera Hall, Susan Bohl, Alyson Poling and Jill Meyer

Jack Geiger, Dr. Evie Alessandrini, Kay Geiger and Tom Alloy

Annual gala inspires giving to Insuring the Children

Insuring the Children hosted its annual Have a Heart Gala at Cooper Creek Event Center in Blue Ash, raising funds to help eliminate child abuse and neglect in our community.

The evening was hosted by Danielle Prewitt with keynote remarks from Judge Stacey DeGraffenreid, Hamilton County Common Pleas, Juvenile Division. Tom Cuni received the 2025 Jerry Clark Humanitarian Award for his commitment and dedication to helping children be safe and grow.

Insuring the Children is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing hope and help to children experiencing abuse. The organization has contributed more than $3 million to medical and social agencies since 1998.

 insuringthechildren.org

Boys & Girls Clubs award scholarship to Youth of the Year

Four outstanding teens competed for a $20,000 college scholarship and the title 2025 Youth of the Year from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Cincinnati at an event at Great American Ball Park.

The competition featured club kids who have met personal challenges and have given back to their club and community. Winners are chosen based on service to club, community and family; academic success; strong moral character; life goals; and public speaking.

Adriana Jackson, a junior at the School for Creative & Performing Arts, was chosen as Youth of the Year. Other finalists were Ivan Smith, a sophomore at Holmes High School; Braylon Griffin, a junior at Newport High School; and Anela Cooley, a junior at Scarlet Oaks Career Campus.

 bgcgc.org

Jennifer Cundiff (behind table) helps a guest play Wine Pull.

Danielle Prewitt and Tom Cuni

Tom Cuni, Christy Miller and Jeff Beiting



The four finalists: Braylon Griffin, Ivan Smith, Adriana Jackson and Anela Cooley

Eric Knapp, Ty Wesselkamper, Shannel Heath, winner Adriana Jackson, finalist Braylon Griffin, Kat Taylor-Zitt and Toni Burns

Youth of the Year Adriana Jackson with CEO Bill Bresser

Dr. Robert Shapiro and Amanda Woeste

Gala For Literacy raises $380K for book bank

The Queen City Book Bank hosted its annual Gala for Literacy: One for the Books fundraiser at Hard Rock Casino. More than 330 guests helped raise $380,000. For the second year in a row, an anonymous donor matched gifts up to $150,000.

Proceeds support literacy programs including tutoring, little free libraries, literacy outreach and book access. QCBB’s curated book program provides 10 new books annually to 3,258 under-resourced elementary students.

The event celebrated the students, teachers, volunteers and supporters who make QCBB programs a success.

Former WCPO-TV news anchor Carol Williams, a QCBB volunteer and board member, was emcee.

Awards went to: John Busam; C-Change Class 59; ArtWorks and Loren Long; Bearcat Buddies; Dick Rosenthal; Katie Kinzeler and Joshua Halliwell; and volunteers Jan Howard, Connie Perme, Laura Babcock and Karen Reiber. Premiere sponsors were Rob Gould and Carrie Gould, and Busam Automotive Group.

 queencitybookbank.org

Photos by a g hra Photogra Phy

Shannon Marx, Michelle Otten Guenther, Joshua Halliwell and Kalubi Harper

QCBB CEO Michelle Otten Guenther and Carol Williams

Kitty Rosenthal, Dick Rosenthal and Liz Priestle

Jenny Rhein, Carrie Gould, Kim Hoekstra and Samantha Hoekstra

Jack Carruthers, Stephanie Busam and John Busam

Guest speaker John Otten

Brooke Owens, Loren Long and Josh McGrew

Annie Schneider, Shymain Walker, Priscilla Nash, Kim McDermott, Michelle Otten Guenther, Ed Jung, Katie Droder, Liz Asman, Liz Priestle and Laura Martin

More than 330 guests joined the Gala for Literacy at the Hard Rock Casino.

NKY Chamber event explores fresh approach to women’s success

More than 850 women (and men) came together for Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce’s Women’s Initiative annual breakfast. The event at Turfway Park Racing and Gaming supported the initiative’s mission of helping women in business connect, grow and achieve.

The event’s theme was “The Craft of Empowerment: Fresh Perspectives for Success,” and it featured keynote speaker Tia Edwards sharing how her business, Fresh Bourbon Distillery, has enabled her to craft her success in her own way.

Shannon Schumacher of HUB International was presented with the Spirit of Achievement Award for her dedication to the Women’s Initiative. Dress for Success Cincinnati was this year’s Nonprofit Recipient for its devotion to helping women in the region.

 nkychamber.com/womensinitiative

Caroline Weltzer, Women’s Initiative steering committee chair

Tracy Stokes, member of the Annual Breakfast committee

Meggan Thompson, president and CEO of Dress for Success Cincinnati

Keynote speaker Tia Edwards

Kathrine Nero, event emcee

Crowd listens to keynote speaker Tia Edwards.

Shannon Schumacher, Spirit of Achievement Award winner

Megan Elfers, Women’s Initiative breakfast chair

Red & Black Blast aids

IDD Education Center

The eighth annual Red & Black Blast supported the University of Cincinnati’s Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Education Center programs.

Ted Karras, Cincinnati Bengals center and founder of The Cincy Hat Foundation, was honored as Champion for Inclusion for his dedication to providing education and housing opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The event included dinner, cocktails and a silent auction, with music provided by DJ ETrayn. Attendees heard of the impact of the center’s programs: Collaboration for Employment and Education Synergy, Transition and Access Pathways, IMPACT Innovation and the Regional Autism Advisory Council.

Money raised will expand resources and opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Sponsorships, donations and silent auction bids help foster independence and success in educational and workplace settings.

 linktr.ee/iddeducationcenter

Haley Popolin and Becky Popolin

Tom Forbes, Bonnie Forbes, Johanna Berninger and Julie Trace

Sophie Bright and Sam Bright, TAP graduates

Sarah Lewton and Dean Lisa Huffman

TAP students Andy Ferdelman, Josiah Scheller and Carmen Whitfield volunteered at the event.

Ted Karras, center for Cincinnati Bengals and founder of The Cincy Hat Foundation, with TAP students Mariah Evaes and Jessica Neal

Todd Laster, Della Laster and Dana Laster

Sadie Everett and Scott Everett

TAP students Josiah Scheller and Deshaunte Battles

Signed Ted Karras Scholarship Series shoes were a prize in the silent auction.

Aviatra fashion show helps women entrepreneurs

Aviatra Accelerators, a nonprofit supporting women entrepreneurs in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, raised $25,000 at its second annual Galentine’s Gala Fashion Show & Fundraiser.

The event at OTR Stillhouse in Over-the-Rhine focused on connecting and inspiring women. A fashion show, emceed by Cincinnati Style Report’s Taneica Oliviera, showcased local women-owned businesses, including Sohza Sister Boutique, Chozen 4 U Boutique, Stylish LeNese Boutique and Coda Co.

The featured speaker was Aviatra alum Michele Hobbs, owner of OTR Stillhouse and founder of Pet Wants, a multimilliondollar pet nutrition business. Other speakers: Ramona Rechtin of Mueller Financial; Aviatra alum Jennifer Myka, owner of Free Radical Fiber; and Laurkita Sheffield, owner of Sheffield Accounting and Financial Services. Money raised will go for scholarships for women entrepreneurs.

 aviatraaccelerators.org

Bourbon Event at Seasons supports Alzheimer’s Association

Seasons Retirement Community hosted its second annual Bourbon Event to support the coming Spring Gala for the Alzheimer’s Association of Greater Cincinnati. The event raised $3,550, which includes $899 in cash and 53 bottles for a bourbon pull to raise more money at the Music Hall gala, set for May 8.

Elizabeth Bangel-Stehlin, senior marketing director at Seasons, is the gala chair. Fort Washington Investment Advisors and Western & Southern Financial Group are sponsors.

The 2025 Spring Gala’s theme of “And We’re Off” is meant to underscore the urgency and hope in the battle against Alzheimer’s and other dementia, fueled by recent advancements in treatment and diagnostics.

 alz.org/cincinnati

Fashion from Chozen 4 U Boutique: Corless Berry, Sonya Jackson, Andrea Tipon, Angela Crump and Tomeka Groomes

Aviatra team: Patrice Adams, community and program manager; Jill Morenz, president and CEO; Jasmine Hughes, director of marketing and development

Galentine’s Gala Scholarship paddle raise

Sara Celenza, DJ Hodge and Elizabeth Bangel-Stehlin

Josh Oester, Theresa Heile and Karen Olberding

Nicole Zimmer, Linda Shaw and Kristi Guilfoyle

Photos by Jennifer lynn Pictures

Saint Ursula’s Palooza fundraiser supports students

The 2025 Saint Ursula Academy Palooza raised over $250,000 in support of the school and its programs for girls in grades 9-12.

More than 350 guests enjoyed dinner by-the-bite, raffles, a premier silent auction and live music and dancing featuring the 2nd Wind Band. Emcees Dan Cahill and John Gartner kept the crowd entertained while raising money for Fund-a-Need, which supports tuition assistance.

The major fundraiser, with the theme “Where Dreams Become Reality,” will help every student by supporting costs not covered by tuition.

 saintursula.org

Sisters Shelly Williams and Shannon Barrow return to their alma mater.

Pat Earley, Tim Schroeder, Allison Connaughton, Pat Connaughton, Lisa Schroeder and Judy Earley

Katie More and Kara Rybolt have fun with the Saint Ursula bulldog.

Jim and Amy Kattman try to choose a dessert.

Heidi Felton and Mike Felton

Emcees Dan Cahill and John Gartner

Dominique Walker and Anthony Mitchell

Claudia Sandman and Bill Sandman

Carol Winstel, Jill Cahill and Camille Gartner

The 2nd Wind Band made sure guests filled the dance floor all evening.

Long-time friends Andrew Bryans, Lelia Keefe Kramer and Barb Bryans

Human Rights Campaign dinner works for LGBTQ+ equality

The Greater Cincinnati Human Rights Campaign Chapter held its 2025 dinner, raising $120,000 to fight for LGBTQ+ equality.

At the Hard Rock Casino downtown, 620 attendees heard from speakers including: Kelly Robinson, HRC national president; comedian Dana Goldberg; U.S. Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Texas, the first openly gay member of Congress from the South; U.S. Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio; and Percy Brown, chair of the HRC’s National Board of Governors.

Ohio Lesbian Archives received the David Crowley Leadership Award. Ron Clemons received the Visibility Award.

Money raised will fund HRC’s lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s trans military ban, educating the community through workplace equality events, mobilizing equality voters, and building connections and unity through community events.

 cincinnati.hrc.org

Breakfast highlights need to act against homelessness

More than 150 community members gathered at the Community Action Agency for Found House Interfaith Housing Network’s annual Faith in Action Breakfast, uniting leaders, advocates and supporters in the fight against family homelessness.

Daisy Kershaw of WLWT-TV moderated a discussion with panelists Sarah Beach of Westwood United Methodist Church, Sarwar Shareef of Cozy Home Construction and James Williams III of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. They emphasized the importance of local engagement, urging attendees to work with policymakers, strengthen community ties and take action through advocacy and volunteering.

Valarie Walker, lifelong volunteer and United Church of Christ pastor, received the Donna Corrington Lifetime Achievement Award for her dedication to serving families in need.

Proceeds benefit Found House IHN’s programs supporting families experiencing housing instability.

 foundhouse.org

Moderator Daisy Kershaw of WLWT and panel speakers Sarwar Shareef of Cozy Home Construction, Sarah Beach of Westwood United Methodist Church and James Williams III of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church

HRC Cincinnati’s Political Action & Community Engagement committee: Elijah Hyman, Sol Kersey and Erin Arlinghaus

Karen Harmon, dinner co-chair, speaks to the crowd.



At

Greater Cincinnati HRC’s 2025 dinner, national President Kelly Robinson spoke to 620 attendees.

Drag performer Nala Jones at the after party

Valarie Walker, lifelong volunteer and United Church of Christ pastor, receiving the Donna Corrington Lifetime Achievement Award from Stacey Burge, CEO of Found House

CAA board president Chara Fisher Jackson speaking

Jewish & Israeli Film Festival opens with ‘Bad Shabbos’

The Mayerson JCC Jewish & Israeli Film Festival showed its opening night film, “Bad Shabbos,” at the 20th Century Theater in Oakley. More than 350 people attended, enjoying drinks, desserts, and the quintessential movie snack: popcorn.

Jen Stein, Mayerson JCC board president, welcomed moviegoers before the lights dimmed for the thrilling dark comedy. The Film Festival was chaired by Aaron Weiner and supported by the members of the Film Festival Committee. It included 12 films at locations including the Mayerson JCC, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Union Terminal and The Seven Hills School.

Support for the festival topped $84,000, led by the Rockwern Charitable Foundation. Proceeds benefit arts, ideas & Jewish life programming at the JCC.

 mayersonjcc.org

Anne Goldstein and Lauren Goldberg welcome guests at the check-in table.

Tara Vigran, Mayerson JCC programming director Frances Kahan, chief programming officer Holly Wolfson and Stacey Schimberg

David Harris, Barry Gibberman, Jim Heldman and Richard Behrman

Jen Stein, Mayerson JCC board president

Lisa Hacker, Sunny Krantz, Julien Teitelbaum and Adam Teitelbaum

The festival committee gets ready to welcome guests.

Aaron Weiner, festival committee chair

Orly Rendler Segal and Zahava Rendler

David Cohen and Orly Biton Cohen

Nathan Bachrach, Fran Coleman and Walter Solomon

Adam Symson and Sherri Symson

Rhinegeist beer Ginger Mack honors early Black brewer

Rhinegeist Brewery and United Way of Greater Cincinnati celebrated Black History Month with an event honoring Black creativity, history and entrepreneurship. One highlight was the release of Ginger Mack, a tropical beer with ginger, named after Theodore Mack Sr., who established one of America’s first Black-owned breweries, Peoples Brewing Company.

Rhinegeist selected United Way’s Black Empowerment Works program, an initiative that promotes Black selfdetermination, social mobility and economic prosperity, to receive $1 for every pint of Ginger Mack sold. The event brought in $2,000 in donations.

 rhinegeist.com, uwgc.org

Talbert House honors outstanding employees

Talbert House honored Cheryl Wilson as Employee of the Year at the agency’s annual Winterfest employee appreciation event. An administrative specialist with 11 years at Talbert House, Wilson plays a critical role in managing client census records, meal orders and allowance checks, while also overseeing program compliance and training initiatives.

Joining her as Outstanding Employees from each service line were Shawn Holloway in central services, Angelika Faulkner-Nunn in community care, Sheila Lyons in housing, Beth AlexanderSimpson in addictions and Rob Evans in mental health.

Talbert House continues to fulfill its mission of empowering children, adults and families with dedicated employees playing a vital role in driving the organization’s success.

 talberthouse.org

RaJean Beauty offered its wares at the event.

United Way’s Mia Mitchell and Tamara Thomas (rear) with t-shirt-displaying community members

Shawn Holloway, Beth Alexander-Simpson, Angelika Faulkner-Nunn, Cheryl Wilson, Sheila Lyons and Rob Evans were named Outstanding Employees by Talbert House.

Employee of the Year Cheryl Wilson with Josh Arnold, Talbert House president and CEO

Cheryl Wilson and Harold Howard, Talbert House vice president of court and corrections

Zuri Ali sells her art at the event.

Sweet Jazz Treats Bakery of Wyoming shared desserts.

HomeBase honors progress in Cincinnati neighborhoods

The HomeBase Cincinnati Annual Awards honored individuals, community development corporations and neighborhood projects that drive revitalization, economic growth and community engagement.

This year’s event at The Columns at Findlay Market raised $20,000 to further these efforts. The event recognized honorees across 10 categories, from community volunteers to major projects. Initiatives honored included business-district improvements and housing developments, emphasizing collaboration in sustainable neighborhood transformation. The event underscored the essential role of strong neighborhoods in shaping a thriving Cincinnati.

Since 1979, HomeBase has supported Cincinnati’s neighborhoods through strategic investments and capacity-building.

 homebasecincy.org

Kate Greene; chief strategy officer, HomeBase; Matt Bourgeois, executive director, Clifton Heights CURC; Michael Cappel; and Kristen Baker, executive director, LISC Greater Cincinnati. All are current or former HomeBase board members.



HomeBase staff and interns: Paige Simpson, Alexus Wimbish, Rosa Christophel, Kayra Koprulu, Maggie Jenkins, Emma Shirey-McNamara and Yamha Sami

Kai

CEO of Kaiker Construction, Collaborative Local Partner award recipient; and Rosa Christophel, HomeBase Cincinnati executive director

Rosa Christophel of HomeBase; Leslie Rich and Stephanie Collins of Westwood Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation accepting the Collaborative Neighborhood award; and Hammad Siddiqi of Fifth Third Bank



Wendy O’Neal, executive director of Mount Washington Community Development Corporation, accepts the Emerging CDC Award.

The Port staff: Muhammad ‘Saram’ Waraich, Jamie Barron, Sydney Geckler, Kira Palmer, Luke Herrmann and Nick Stone

Jesse Urbanscik, City of Cincinnati Department of Planning and Engagement, accepts Government Staffer of the Year award from Rosa Christophel.

Hammad Siddiqi of Fifth Third Bank;

Lewars,

We Mentor Cincy gathers mentoring groups

More than 100 people attended the inaugural We Mentor Cincy Summit, which brought together 11 local mentoring organizations to highlight the power of mentoring in Greater Cincinnati. The event took place at Digital Futures in Corryville. The event honored Tony Aloise, founder of the Life Solutions Network, with the first We Mentor Cincy Award, named for him.

 wementorcincy.org

Adopt A Class showcases its mentoring system

Adopt A Class highlighted its groundbreaking group mentoring model at the 15th annual National Mentoring Summit in Washington, D.C. CEO Sonya Fultz made a presentation on how the organization fosters growth and learning through mentor teams. Angela Easton, leader of six mentor teams from Duke Energy, demonstrated how their teams create meaningful classroom experiences. Todd Foley from the University of Cincinnati presented research that revealed the professional development benefits the program provides to mentors. The presentation reinforced the value of an evidence-based approach to empowering students.

 aacmentors.org

Adopt A Class CEO Sonya Fultz

Todd Foley from the University of Cincinnati presents his research.

Kay Geiger with Kent Wellington

Tommy Lewis, keynote speaker at the inaugural We Mentor Cincy Summit

A Saturday Hoops volunteer

Jack Geiger with Tony Aloise, winner of the inaugural We Mentor Cincy Award, which will be named for him

Tony Aloise leads a session.

Nichole Sims, a senior consultant and executive coach with Leadership Excelleration, leads a session on Conscious Mentorship.

Ohio Valley Voices marks 25 years of helping deaf children

Ohio Valley Voices celebrated its 25th anniversary and raised more than $360,000 to help teach children who are deaf or hard of hearing how to listen and speak. The event saw record attendance. Local 12 anchor Bob Herzog and meteorologist John Gumm were hosts. Guests went on a heartwarming journey down memory lane, reflecting on the impact OVV has had over the years. The celebration continued with dancing to the Sly Band. The event highlighted the importance of community support in shaping the future of Ohio Valley Voices.

 ohiovalleyvoices.org

Junior League celebrates ‘All That is Gold’ with Mitts

The Junior League of Cincinnati hosted its new fundraiser, All That is Gold in Cincinnati, featuring a conversation with soccer star Heather Mitts, a Cincinnati native, former member of the U.S. Women’s National Team and three-time Olympic gold medalist.

Held at the Cincinnati Ballet’s Margaret and Michael Valentine Center for Dance, the fundraiser included lunch catered by The Bonbonerie, a signature cocktail and a variety of raffle prizes. Mitts talked about having a winning mindset, being a part of winning teams and pursuing personal fulfillment.

With nearly 150 attendees, the event raised money to support the Junior League’s mission of creating community impact through volunteerism and training.

 cincinnati.jl.org

Anjali Narayanan, Alpa Sawnani, Anjali Mathur, Neepa Gurbani

OVV graduate Cora and student Savannah

OVV graduate Cora and student Savannah with Local12 anchor Bob Herzog and meteorologist John Gumm

Sophie Blessing, Distinguished Alumni Award recipient, and Maria Sentelik, executive director

OVV graduate Hope Trenkamp with grandfather and Raise your Voice Award recipient Bob Trenkamp

Meredith Comin, Junior League of Cincinnati board member; keynote speaker Heather Mitts; and Kelly Barber, JLC president

Emcee Sara Elyse speaks with soccer star and keynote speaker Heather Mitts.

Victorian at Riverside hosts ’60s Groovy Gala

The Victorian at Riverside, a 139-year-old senior living community, hosted its annual Swingin’ ’60s Groovy Gala at a private club in Clifton, where guests embraced the era with mod-inspired fashion. The evening, emceed by Evan Millward, featured live music from the Kim Kelly Quartet and celebrated philanthropy with special honors.

This year’s honorees included No Limits Spinal Cord Injury Recovery Foundation, founded by Craig and Stefanie Feltner in honor of their son Elliot, who sustained a life-altering spinal cord injury. Former Covington Mayor Joseph U. Meyer was recognized for his lifelong service to Covington and Kentucky.

The night wrapped up with gaming tables, where guests played for a chance to win donated prizes. A silent auction took place with support from sponsors including Ashley Builders Group, PB&J, Assured Partners, Resource Graphics, St. Charles Community and St. Elizabeth Hospital.

 victorianatriverside.org



FotoFocus zooms in on photographer An-My Lê

FotoFocus held its annual Lecture and Visiting Artist Series with Vietnamese-American photographer, filmmaker and author An-My Lê at the Cincinnati Art Museum.

Lê, in conversation with Kevin Moore, FotoFocus artistic director and curator, discussed the evolution of her work throughout a 30-year career, touching on how she uses landscape photography to analyze conflict, culture and the world today.

Prior to the talk, about 25 students, educators, curators and other photography enthusiasts attended a preview where Lê talked about her process, focusing on one of her prints at the Art Museum while presenting additional contact prints.

 fotofocus.org

Kevin Moore, FotoFocus artistic director and curator, and An-My Lê in conversation

VAR board President Ron Padgett, Matthew Johansen and Casey Johansen

Lisa LaBonte, Katie Mitakides and Christopher Corey

No Limits board member Greg Johnson

From No Limits: Craig Feltner, Stefanie Feltner, Diane Nemeroff, Howard Nemeroff

VAR’s Lisa LaBonte, No Limits board member Howard Nemeroff and No Limits founder Stefanie Feltner

Brooke Feltner, Glen Feltner, Wynn Feltner; (seated) Elliot Feltner



Former Covington Mayor Joseph U. Meyer and his wife, Dale

Riverboat skippers plan for River Roots Festival

Riverboat captains from Louisville, Memphis, Moline, New Orleans and Pittsburgh joined captains from Cincinnati to prepare for America’s River Roots Festival. The event marked the first meeting of the captains who will operate more than 175 cruises during the festival, coming to the Cincinnati riverfront Oct. 8-12.

During the two-day planning event in Cincinnati, the captains met with community leaders and organizers of America’s River Roots, discussing the event’s riverboat parades, riverboat races and meal cruises on the Ohio River, along with safety protocols and communication plans.

America’s River Roots is a signature event to kick off America’s 250th celebration. The event celebrates America's river culture, cuisine and music and the region’s unique river roots story.

 americasriverroots.com

Capt. Alan Bernstein, Belle of Cincinnati, Newport, Kentucky; Capt. Scott Schadler and Carter Schadler, Celebration Belle, Moline, Illinois; Capt. Nicholas Lucaszewski, Mary M. Miller, Louisville, Kentucky; Capt. Mark Doty, Belle of Louisville; Capt. Eric Sirbaugh, Three Rivers Queen, Pittsburgh; Capt. William Lozier, Belle of Memphis; Capt. Steven Nicaulin, Steamboat NATCHEZ, New Orleans

Great Parks’ Passport receives statewide honors

Great Parks’ Park Passport won first place in Marketing Innovation in the Ohio Parks & Recreation Association's 2024 Awards of Excellence at its annual conference in Sandusky. The award recognizes new or unique ways to communicate programs, stories or benefits of parks and recreation that keep communities up-to-date and informed.

Great Parks introduced the Park Passport in 2024, highlighting its destinations across Hamilton County through skills challenges, trail maps, journaling pages and more.

 greatparks.org

Point/Arc holds Sadie Hawkins dance for Valentine’s Day

The Point/Arc made this year’s Valentine’s Day even bigger for the students and residents who attend The Point/Arc – with a dance. A Sadie Hawkins dance. The Gardens of Park Hills was filled with music, laughter and individuals sharing a fun time.

A Sadie Hawkins dance, or turnabout, is an informal dance in which the ladies invite the gentlemen to be their dates. “I’m not sure how many ladies invited the men as dates,” Watts said, “but I do know they loved the party.”

The Point/Arc offers a wide range of around-the-clock programs for more than 1,400 individuals with a variety of disabilities.

 thepointarc.org

Residents and students from The Point/Arc participate in a Sadie Hawkins dance.

Ohio Parks & Recreation Association Executive Director Woody Woodward, Janine De Iorio and Suzi Poat of Great Parks, and OPRA President Paul Williams

February Mix & Mingle at BrewRiver

March Mix & Mingle at Juniper’s

At the Bockfest Parade

(Wearing persimmon to support the YWCA for International Women’s Day)

Robin Klaene, Peter Landesman, Karen Harmon and Furaha Norton

Paul Kroner, Seana Higgins and Melissa McDonald Christie Brown, Wade Dent and Debbie Dent

Jane Dyar and Steve Wuesthoff

Kent Wellington and Eizabeth Mariner

Holly Brians Ragusa and Damon Ragusa

Donna Harris and Elizabeth Mariner

Joe Hoffecker and Yevette Simpson

Melissa Gray, Mindy Hammer and Eric Hammer

Jamie Kircher and Eric Smith

Elizabeth Mariner and Erica Monttinen

Carol Rountree and Jackie Baumgartner

Bruce Kitner and Thom Mariner

Peg Moertl, Steve Saunders and Jill Morenz

COMMON GROUND

We all have a stake in

My parents had a lot of kids and not a lot of money, at least at first. But an admirable thing about my mother and father is that they spent the money they did have according to clear values. No luxuries for them, no Disneyland for us. We wore second-hand clothes, timed our showers, had one car and no TV. But they did spend money on things that really benefited us as a family: travel, culture, time in the woods and mountains.

I don’t know how much they paid for 27 acres outside of town in the hills of southern Indiana. Not much, probably. It wasn’t “useful” land, just an overgrown farm field and a patch of ravined woods with a creek running through it. They ”improved” it with two picnic tables. We’d go out and picnic, follow the creek, find geodes and wildflowers. We’d swing out over the creek on a grapevine and sled down a hill that took a 90-degree

preserving the living land

turn just before a steep dropoff. If we left late, Dad might stop the car on the gravel road so we could hear the whippoorwills.

When I was junior-high age, I’d sometimes find a spot halfway up the hill, gather fallen leaves into a little fort and hide there, breathing in the smell of those leaves slowly turning into dirt, thinking my thoughts and wondering if anyone missed me.

It left me with a love for the hills and woods, drawn to any place where the trees are tall and the wildflowers pop up overnight. I learned how to find a place for peaceful solitude.

Later, after we’d left home, my parents did another good thing: They donated the land to The Sycamore Trust, a nonprofit that acquires and preserves special spots of nature in southern Indiana. It’s now the Campbell

Preserve, and the salamanders and geodes are still there. I hope the creek still runs clear.

I don’t have land to give, but I do like to contribute modestly to a land trust myself, in accordance with my values. The environment has always been my No. 1 issue (though I’m exhausted these days by the competition for that top spot). I donate to organizations fighting for the environment through legislation or the justice system. Which is important to do, but it’s a bit of a gamble, isn’t it? They might win, they might not. So, there’s a satisfying, resonant note I can hear, knowing my money is going to preserve a piece of living land that provides habitat and oxygen and protects the climate, to set it aside from the always-greedy world.

There are many such trusts or conservancies around the world, the country and locally. The one I have connected with most is the very impressive Arc of Appalachia. This nonprofit has preserved 13,000 acres of ecologically important land in the Appalachian edge of southern Ohio, and recently in West Virginia and Kentucky. They started in 1995 by buying land along the Rocky Fork in Highland County, now the 3,000-acre Highland Nature Sanctuary.

They have since preserved 13,000 acres of what Executive Director Nancy Stranahan likes to call The Great Eastern Forest, which once covered the entire eastern third of the continent.

“We preserve communities,” she said. “Communities of living creatures have covered the earth for millennia, until just recently.”

Their goal is to add the most intact communities. “We go for the best of the best, but every acre counts,” she said.

Some of the land is donated, some is funded by grants. Some funding comes from nature-loving donors. “It’s a pretty simple proposition,” said Stranahan. “It’s the only thing where money actually solves the problem. Or at least the current

Polly Campbell

endeavor. The area a wood thrush needs for breeding is 1½ to 2 acres.”

Your money could buy that.

I have hiked many of their lovely preserves. I’ve seen a delta-shaped hillside by the Rocky Fork covered in white trillium, glowing in the early spring evening light. I’ve become giddy on the hillside preserves thickly covered with bluebells and miniature larkspur. Each preserve hike is different: Some go along streams and by waterfalls, others through prairies and edge or along karst formations sprouting little gardens of ferns. A few, like Fort Hill or Tremper Mound, keep Mound Builder sites safe.

Recently, The Arc bought 1,200 acres in West Virginia, and are still raising money for it. Land is cheaper in West Virginia, so they can save a lot more. They’re eyeing a purchase in Kentucky. Three states, but all patches of the same forest to knit back together.

When you feel you want to help the world, but are overwhelmed, I recommend helping make a purchase of land. It’s a good feeling. And when you need even more of a good feeling, or a counter to bad ones, visit the land, walk the trails, rest on a moss-covered rock or in a pile of leaves all by yourself. You can’t feel like you own it – you don’t. But you can feel, for a bit, part of its community. 

Polly Campbell covered restaurants and food for the Cincinnati Enquirer from 1996 until 2020. She lives in Pleasant Ridge with her husband, and since retiring does a lot of reading, cooking and gardening, if that’s what you call pulling weeds.

She writes monthly on a variety of topics, and she welcomes your feedback and column suggestions at editor@moversmakers.org.