December 2020 / January 2021 by Movers & Makers, Cincinnati

ARTS & CULTURE | COMMUNITY | PHILANTHROPY

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‘Journey BOREALIS’ at Pyramid Hill BLINK’s Brave Berlin elevates display to spectacle

Pianist Brianna Matzke brings new music to new ears

25 years of M&M Fundraising meets pandemic The year that changed the arts

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Publishers’ Letter 4 Arts & Culture 5 Art Museum to unveil major exhibit of Duveneck’s work ‘Journey BOREALIS’ | By Shauna Steigerwald Outdoor Holiday Fun Bringing new music to new ears | By Leyla Shokoohe Patty Beggs to join Opera Hall of Fame

In the News 10 St. E Cancer Center dedicates Music Therapy Studio Wilks Foundation honored for preserving earthworks Leadership Council names 43 to BOLD 4 class Names in the News

Fundraising 14 Fundraising in the time of coronavirus | By Julie Borths

25 years of covers 16 See how M&M has evolved since 1995

Gifts & Grants 20 $1.5M gift to UC for social justice work ArtsWave creates artist support programs with $400K 15 ways you can give and share this season

Snapshots 24 AFP honors philanthropists and volunteers First Step Home presents awards to top supporters Preservation Association spotlights Women of Music Hall Behringer-Crawford’s freshART auctions local works JDRF bashes record with virtual Bourbon & BowTie DePaul Cristo Rey Golf Classic raises $60K for students Pop Up Party raises $450K, tied up with a Pink Ribbon OneSource presents drive-through circus fun Social Venture Partners awards $90K in reimagined event Ales to Zinfandels for Bethany House ERS gala raises $300K to aid seniors

Opinion 34 2020: The year that changed the arts | By David Lyman

On the cover: Photo of Brianna Matzke by Ryan Back. Holiday lights photo provided by Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum.

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PUBLISHERS’ LETTER

Best laid plans Reimagine your happily ever after. 2020 has certainly not been a fairy tale. And, we don’t have magic wands. But, no matter what comes your way, we will try to provide the wealth management guidance to help make your dreams come true.

Helping today’s dreams become tomorrow’s reality.

At the beginning of 2020, our hope was to throw a substantial celebration at the end of this year, commemorating our 25th anniversary of publication. We are proud to continue to serve the Greater Cincinnati nonprofit community, in print and online, and plan to be around for years to come, with your continuing support. And speaking of support, a special expression of gratitude to you who have invested in us through advertising over the years. You have allowed us to continue to offer this publication and showcase the incomparable generosity and creativity of our region.

A look back Let’s talk about your future today.

Elizabeth & Thom Mariner, co-publishers, owners Digital edition:

Publishing schedule:

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yet to be determined. Check website for updates:

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Due to the pandemic, the 2021 print schedule is www.moversmakers.org/publishing-schedule

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THIS ISSUE SPONSORED BY

Advertising & distribution: Thom Mariner, 513-543-0890 or tmariner@moversmakers.org Creative & accounting: Elizabeth Mariner, 513-771-5088 or emariner@moversmakers.org

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

Or write: Mariner Publishing LLC P.O. Box 1177, Cincinnati, OH 45201

Send news/photos to: Ray Cooklis, 513-399-6885 or editor@moversmakers.org

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Publication of this magazine and its website (www.MoversMakers.org) does not necessarily constitute an endorsement of any information contained within, including advertisements and links. We reserve the right to refuse any information or advertising.

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For this silver anniversary issue, we are sharing a selection of covers over the decades beginning on page 16. Hopefully, these images will spark remembrances among longtime readers and provide context for those who have discovered us more recently. The very first cover in November 1995 featured Nancy Aichholz as chair of Cincinnati Ballet’s Nutcracker Ball. Coincidentally, Nancy is pictured on page 28 in this issue in her current role as president and CEO of Aviatra Accelerators. You may notice other “lifers” along the way. Enjoy your trip through time. A heartfelt thank you to our editors the past dozen-plus years – Rebecca Chambers, Sue Goldberg and Ray Cooklis – for their editorial care and expertise. You taught us the ropes and have kept us in line. We are so grateful for your guidance and your care.

In 2008: Founders of Express Cincinnati, Mike and Nancy O’Connor with Elizabeth and Thom Mariner

In this issue The folks at Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park have been particularly creative in their collaborations this year. Shauna Steigerwald shares details of their current project, “Journey BOREALIS,” with Brave Berlin, the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra and the Cincinnati Boychoir. See Page 6. And speaking of creativity, pianist Brianna Matzke is carrying on with her cutting-edge Response Project, finding neglected spaces in which to experiment, and capturing each experience on film. Leyla Shokoohe gives us a peek within the creative process. See Page 8. Few have been challenged this year to think out of the box as much as those involved in fundraising. Julie Borths reports (Page 14) on several initiatives to keep development efforts fresh and effective. Few people witness more arts performances throughout each year than David Lyman. We asked David to summarize his thoughts about this lost year, and gave him the final word on this 25th anniversary issue. See Page 34. Thank you for whatever you have, can and will do to promote the wellbeing of the Greater Cincinnati region. May your holiday season be meaningful and safe. And please, wear your masks! Gratefully, Thom & Elizabeth Mariner Co-publishers

The pandemic effect While we look forward to some exciting changes and a bright future for 2021, the uncertainty presented by COVID-19 is making our planning process for print highly problematic. Consequently, we must hold decisions regarding our print issues for February and beyond until a later date. To stay in touch with M&M and view our coverage of regional nonprofits, please sign up for our FREE email communications: www.moversmakers.org/subscribe. 

Arts & Culture Cincinnati Art Museum to unveil major exhibit of Duveneck’s work The Cincinnati Art Museum will present a major re-evaluation of the work of Frank Duveneck, the most influential painter in Cincinnati history, from Dec. 18 through March 28. Through his work as a painter, printmaker and teacher, Duveneck had a substantial and enduring influence on the international art world. More than 90 examples of the Kentucky native’s work from the museum’s holdings, plus 35 pieces on loan from collections across the United States, will provide a fresh, in-depth look at this important artist. Duveneck was born in Covington to Westphalian immigrants in 1848. He studied in Munich, where he became an influential teacher, and spent nearly two decades in Europe. His paintings’ lack of finish and assertive brushwork parallel Impressionism, and his work as a printmaker positioned him centrally in the period’s etching revival.

Returning to the United States in 1888, Duveneck taught at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, where he became director of the faculty in 1905. Duveneck’s impact on the Cincinnati art world remains unparalleled. The exhibition upends many common misconceptions and reveals Duveneck’s accomplishments including oil paintings, drawings, watercolors, pastels, etchings, monotypes and sculpture. The paintings of streetwise kids and informal portraits for which he is renowned are accompanied by society portraits, Bavarian landscapes, Venetian harbor views, renderings of the nude figure and more. Tickets are free for members and will be available for purchase by the general public at the Cincinnati Art Museum front desk and online.  www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org NOTE: CAM will be closed through Dec. 14.

Art Museum brings back sculpture that plays with light, shadow The Cincinnati Art Museum will once again present Anila Quayyum Agha’s “All the Flowers Are for Me (Red)” from Dec. 5 through Feb. 7. The popular sculpture, first displayed at the museum in 2017, is the museum’s first acquisition by Pakistani-American artist Agha, who creates immersive installations by manipulating light. Light emanates from the center of a five-foot laser-cut steel cube, enveloping the gallery in intricate geometric and floral patterns cast upon the walls, floor and ceiling to transform and unify the gallery space. The exhibition is free. Register online in advance for free tickets.  www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org Anila Quayyum Agha, “All the Flowers Are for Me (Red),” laser-cut lacquered steel and lightbulb 

“The Cobbler’s Apprentice,” Frank Duveneck, 1877, oil on canvas, courtesy of the Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati, Ohio; bequest of Charles Phelps and Anna Sinton Taft

Outdoor exhibit, ‘Retold,’ revisits holiday tales Kennedy Heights Arts Center is planning a fresh take on the holiday season with an outdoor exhibition dubbed “Retold.” Presented in partnership with the Art Academy of Cincinnati, the exhibition features 10 diverse artists, all Art Academy alumni or staff, who have been commissioned to create brand new 2-D works that include lighted elements. “Retold” will present each artist’s unique retelling or re-envisioning of a traditional winter holiday folktale, fable or story. Tales from different cultures, popular stories, and winter fairy tales are all examined and represented from a contemporary perspective. Some may include humor, others may focus on incorporating situations from the present, while others reflect a message or something of personal significance. Confirmed exhibiting artists: David Michael Butler, Sea Dax, Caleb Francis, Sydney Greene,

David Michael Butler

Kelly Stevens, Savannah Vagedes, Dai Williams and Jordan Haworth-Zermeno. The exhibition is on view Dec. 4-31 on the grounds of the KHAC, 6546 Montgomery Road, and can be viewed as a drive-through experience, or guests can park and explore it on foot. An online version of the exhibition will also be available through the Art Center’s website  www.kennedyarts.org

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ARTS & CULTURE

‘Journey BOREALIS’ Pyramid Hill’s multimedia attraction features Chamber Orchestra, Boychoir and BLINK’s Brave Berlin By Shauna Steigerwald

ow far is it from Hamilton to the North Pole? This holiday season, it’s only a 2.5-mile drive. At least, the organizations collaborating on “Journey BOREALIS” hope it will feel that way. “Journey BOREALIS” is the latest incarnation of Holiday Lights on the Hill at Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum. A blend of contemporary lighting effects and traditional string lights – more than a million LED bulbs – the 2020 edition will light up the park Nov. 20-Jan. 3. It’s the 21st year for the Holiday Lights event, which is traditionally holiday lights strung throughout the park. This year, Pyramid Hill is collaborating with multiple artists and organizations – notably Brave Berlin (of Lumenocity and BLINK fame), the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra and Cincinnati Boychoir – to bring a whole new experience to light at a time when a drivethrough event has the added appeal of social distancing during COVID-19. “As you turn into Pyramid Hill to experience ‘Journey BOREALIS,’ I like to say that you are leaving Ohio,” said Sean FitzGibbons, Pyramid Hill’s executive director. “At the end of it, you will be at the North Pole.” (Borealis, of course, refers to the aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights.) Visitors will be “surrounded by wonder” as they travel through five different “fantasy zones” of art installations by Brave Berlin and local artists, said Steve McGowan, co-owner of Brave Berlin. “Think of it as a gameboard or storyboard that magically comes to life through light, sculpture and projection,” he said. The soundtrack, an original arrangement by composer Daniel Nail, is also a big part of the experience. “It’s got a really fun, magical, mysterious holiday vibe to it,” McGowan said. And thanks to geolocation, it will sync with the story: Visitors will download a free

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app, and a GPS will trigger the music as they drive through the different zones. The soundtrack combines existing music from the Chamber Orchestra’s archives and vocals from the Boychoir. “While it’s all pulled from the archives, it’s going to feel unique to ‘Journey BOREALIS,’” FitzGibbons said of the music. “It’s a very high conceptual arrangement.”

“We are teaching the boys to not just be choral singers but also session musicians,” he said. “They’re learning to be their own teachers, because I’m not at their house when they’re recording this music.” The boys are also lending their faces to Brave Berlin, who will create video portraits that will be used throughout the park, McGowan said.

Expanding musical outreach

Coming together

LeAnne Anklan, executive director of the Chamber Orchestra, said they worked with composer Nail to comb their recordings for pieces that would work in “BOREALIS.” Their music will be used between zones, while the Boychoir will be heard at each installation, she said. “We’re kind of the glue holding each of the sections together – the musical glue,” she said. “This is beautiful music that people can really engage with,” she added. “It really opens up a big audience for us in what would have been a quiet winter.” Jason Alexander Holmes, Cincinnati Boychoir’s artistic director, expressed a similar sentiment. “It really expands our artistry and our reach into the community,” he said. He’d normally be preparing the boys for a holiday performance at the Aronoff Center. With COVID-19 taking that off the table, the opportunity to participate in “Journey BOREALIS” was welcome. Holmes has been using virtual rehearsals to teach the boys the music. Each of the 56 boys, who range in age from third through 12th grades, then records his voice individually. “That part has been really cool for me because I’ve been able to hear all of the singers individually and give individual feedback,” he said. It’s also helping the boys build new skills.

What brought all of these organizations together? Brave Berlin got involved with the Holiday Lights back in 2018, when they created a projection on the facade of the park’s open-air pavilion. It was a hit, and Brave Berlin returned in 2019, creating a projection-mapped sculpture inside the pavilion. Attendance to the event grew with their participation: 30,000 attendees went through last year, FitzGibbons said. 

From top: Sean FitzGibbons, Steve McGowan, LeAnne Anklan, Jason Alexander Holmes, (next page) Katie MacDonald

‘Journey BOREALIS’ Where: Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum, 1763 Hamilton Cleves Road, Hamilton, Ohio, 45013 When: Open daily Nov. 20-Jan. 3. 6-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 6-10 pm. Friday-Sunday Cost: Members: $15 per car at any time. Nonmembers: $20 per car for Monday-Thursday; $25 on Friday-Sunday. Pyramid Hill is partnering with the City of Hamilton’s 17 Strong to offer free admission to Hamilton residents every Tuesday. Proof of residency (such as driver’s licenses or utility bills from October or November 2020) is required to qualify.  www.journeyborealis.com

ARTS & CULTURE

‘Journey BOREALIS’ (continued) Thanks to funding from The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile Jr. Foundation, Pyramid Hill was able to expand the collaboration with Brave Berlin and to cultivate this year’s new partnerships with Chamber Orchestra and the Boychoir. Working with local artists and arts organizations is important to FitzGibbons. When COVID-19 closed venues, he worked with various arts groups to bring performances to Pyramid Hill. One was the Chamber Orchestra, which performed a socially distanced concert on the grounds. Meanwhile, the Boychoir was moving into office space with the CCO. And all of the groups were excited to work together on something new.

FitzGibbons thinks the result will make the annual light show a better fit with Pyramid Hill’s mission of bringing people to art in nature. He hopes to see the show continue to develop, adding more artists and more types of art. This year is a stepping stone to “creating something that grows every year in scope, size and innovation,” he said. But he isn’t losing sight of the fact that the show is also a beloved family tradition. “It’s a fine art exhibit, but it is first and foremost a holiday light spectacle,” he said. “The demographic we’re going for is the kids in the backseat wrapped up in a blanket with their faces pressed against the glass in awe.” 

Outdoor Holiday Fun While many events have been canceled during the pandemic, here are a few family-friendly outings you might consider this holiday season, held outside where you can safely space yourselves. Enjoy, stay safe and Happy Holidays!

PNC Festival of Lights, Cincinnati Zoo Through Jan. 3, 1-9 p.m. Bonus Nights: January 8, 9, 10, 15, 16 and 17. The focus is more on flora than fauna, with 4 million lights seemingly everywhere, but this experience beautifully highlights the zoo’s layout in a way not visible the rest of the year. For tickets and reservations:  www.cincinnatizoo.org

Holiday in Lights at Sharon Woods Through January 2 (including Christmas Eve & Christmas Day). One-mile drive through more than a million lights and hundreds of festive displays. Special-effect glasses available for purchase to enhance your experience. Vehicle tickets: $15. Buses: $45. Walking: $5.  www.holidayinlights.com

FOUND Cincinnati, Downtown Cincinnati Through Dec. 24. Self-guided showcase of holiday events and activations thanks to a new partnership between 3CDC and marketing agency Agar. Extends from The Banks through Downtown and OTR to Findlay Market.  www.foundcincinnati.com

Project 52 aims to make Boychoir more accessible While the boys are busy lending their voices and faces to “Journey BOREALIS,” Cincinnati Boychoir Artistic Director Jason Alexander Holmes and Katie MacDonald, executive director, are also hard at work launching Project 52, a new initiative to make the Boychoir more accessible throughout Greater Cincinnati. Thanks to matching grants, for every $1,000 a community raises, one boy will get a two-year enrollment into one of Boychoir’s entry-level ensembles. The organization

currently has funding for 10 such scholarships. “Part of the goal is to become a better representative of the city demographically, geographically and socioeconomically,” MacDonald said. “We’re looking at this as a way to diversify and lower barriers to entry so we can make our program accessible to everyone.” Holmes expects the initiative to spark programming changes, too. “It would be irresponsible to recruit and not make sure that our programming reflects the population we’re trying to recruit,” he said. “We want to build a choir that looks and sounds and feels like Cincinnati.”  513-396-7664 or www.cincinnatiboychoir.org

Price Hill Holiday Glow Up Dec. 5 & 6, 7-10 p.m. New drive-through light display within Dunham Recreation Area. Enter from Guerley Road. Free admission, but donations accepted. Also seeking donations of holiday lights.  www.facebook.com, search Price Hill Glow Up

Local theaters settle for virtual season The pandemic has waylaid live, in-person theater in Cincinnati for the foreseeable future. So, what’s next? Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati, Playhouse in the Park and Cincinnati Shakespeare Company recently confirmed fears of no in-theater theater for most, if not all, of the 2020-21 season. D. Lynn Meyers, producing artistic director of ETC, shared plans for onlineonly events through the end of the year. The Playhouse and Cincy Shakes issued a joint statement postponing in-person performances until the 2021-22 season. All three companies are planning virtual performances, socially distanced special events and educational programming.

“The safety and well-being of patrons, artists and staff is of the utmost importance,” according to the Playhouse/Cincy Shakes release. “Additionally, the plays and musicals produced for their mainstage seasons take substantial resources and represent much greater financial risk if forced to cancel due to a COVID-19 spike or positive case.” Meyers said, “The remainder of our season will come post-COVID, because this too shall pass.” Go online for more information or to support professional theater in Cincinnati:  www.ensembletheatrecincinnati.org  www.cincyplay.com  www.cincyshakes.com

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ARTS & CULTURE

Bringing new music to new ears

By Leyla Shokoohe

Brianna Matzke’s latest ‘Response Project’ resonates with Cincinnati history

rianna Matzke wants you to say “yes” to a new experience. The multi-hyphenate pianist, an assistant professor of music at Wilmington College, also serves as the founder and artistic director of The Response Project, a commissioning initiative that brings new music to new ears. “I like to think that hearing new music helps you discover a new part of yourself in a way,” she said. “I always feel a gratitude that the audience is willing to have a new experience there with me.” The Response Project, which kicked off in 2015, will debut its fourth iteration this January: The Pauline Oliveros Response Project. The event is variation-on-a-theme brought to life: Matzke commissions

intersectional level of creativity that I didn’t even realize was possible,” she said. “And everything that was happening was classical music adjacent, at least.” The timing couldn’t have been better. An undergraduate of the University of Kansas, Matzke was completing her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music and contending with uncertainty about her career plans. Matzke also caught a premiere by musician Shiau-uen Din in 2013, based on commissions from composers reacting to a piece of music. After that, her path became clear. “I’d always worked with composers at the schools I had attended, but it was just like a side thing,” she said. “I’d always felt a little bit frustrated and a little bit out of my element whenever I played the sort of standard body of work that pianists are expected to know. Everything just felt so alive at MusicNow. I just decided, ‘Well, okay, this is what I want my next project to be. I want to see what this is like for me.’ ”

Project grows in scope, attendance Photo by Andy G asper

Percussionist Chris Graham and pianist Brianna Matzke perform a new work for the Pauline Oliveros Response Project at the Emery Theater.

composers to respond through a new composition to an existing piece of work. The new compositions, usually for solo piano, are then performed live for an audience and later recorded. Matzke was inspired to start The Response Project after her own new experience: attending MusicNOW in 2013, the contemporary music festival curated by The National’s Bryce Dessner. “It was music-making on an 8

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The first Response Project saw five composers respond to “Mikrophonie 1,” a groundbreaking work utilizing the microphone as an instrument, debuted in 1964 by German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen. Matzke set up an IndieGoGo campaign to pay the artists and secure a venue, landing at Hoffner Lodge in Northside. In a nod to MusicNOW, the evening opened with experimental music before the commissioned works, and featured a custom cocktail. Some 60 people turned out for the event, and in a lovely bit of serendipity, Matzke’s Response Project inspired in turn the series known as the Chase Public Response Project, which ran until 2018.

Movers & Makers

Pianist Brianna Matzke, executive artistic director and founder of The Response Project series Photo by R yan Back

The following iterations of The Response Project grew larger in attendance, scope and funding. 2017’s “On Behalf” commissioned seven artists to respond to the phrase “on behalf,” inspired by a Stephen Colbert interview with musician Killer Mike. The following year, “Something Is Happening Here” brought together 13 composers, nine filmmakers and six multidisciplinary artists to respond to Bob Dylan’s 1965 album, “Highway 61 Revisited,” taking place over four nights at multiple venues. “[This one is] the biggest yet in scope,” Matzke said. The upcoming Response Project features artists responding to American composer Pauline Oliveros, a pioneer in electronic music who developed her own theories around music called “deep listening” and her collection of compositions, “Sonic Meditations.” “The idea of deep listening is when you listen to music, you listen with your entire being, so not just your head and ears, but your body, your soul, and you sense your place in space and your place in time as you’re listening,” Matzke said. “And alongside that, considering any sound to be musical. One thing I’ve heard in deep listening practice is to consider every sound that you hear to be a symphony that’s being composed in the moment, just for you. Which is a beautiful idea.”

Five composers were commissioned to write pieces for piano and percussion, and five local artists to respond in the visual medium. Matzke began working with The Hive, a mindfulness center in Northside, and its founder/director Troy Bronsink, to incorporate the holistic nature of deep listening into the experience through guided meditations, and in scouting locations in the area. “We were going to present a series of concerts that were hybridized with mindfulness classes to listen, and we were going to do these in a series of under-appreciated, under-utilized spaces with relevance for Cincinnati history, all across the city,” Matzke said. “Audiences could listen to the music, listen to the space and listen to themselves within all of that. Sounds can reverb from wall to wall, but they also can reverberate throughout history. That was the original idea. COVID changed all of that.”

Creating films in meaningful spaces Matzke pivoted the project to a series of short films in locations around Cincinnati. She pulled together a small film crew, helmed by local director Biz Young, and including Jason Nix and Andy Gasper. The latter pair are also co-founders of Creative

ARTS & CULTURE Ladies of Cincinnati, an inclusive professional support group for women in the creative industry in Cincinnati. “She’s such a visionary and she’s so thoughtful in the way that she curates not only the actual outcome of a project but every point in between,” Young said of Matzke. “I already knew that working with her would be a dream project in a way, because we work so well together and because she’s such a strong woman and a strong leader. I just love collaborating with her.” Locations for the project are atypical, most long in disrepair, but the spaces are meaningful to the city’s history. The Emery Theater in Over-the-Rhine, for example, was built to be the home of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, which it was for three decades – notably with famed conductor Leopold Stokowski as its music director for three years. “The Children’s Theatre has a bid for renovating it right now. I really hope they preserve the acoustical qualities, because, God, it’s gorgeous,” said Matzke. “It’s a huge theater, and you can stand on the stage and whisper and you can be heard perfectly in the back row of the balcony. It’s crazy.” The Imperial Theatre on Mohawk Street in Over-the-Rhine, has sat similarly unused for decades. Here, in particular, Matzke wanted to call to mind – and confront – Cincinnati’s racial history. “It started as a vaudeville theater that serviced the working-class community, and vaudeville is where blackface performance really took

hold. So there’s this history of deep racism embedded in the walls of that theater,” she said. “I was very adamant that I wanted a Black woman to perform in that space. Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra cellist Denielle Wilson played a movement from a Bach cello suite, so a German composer, because it was a German neighborhood originally, and a movement from a cello suite by an African-American composer. I just really wanted to make sure the music reverberated through history and showed the arc of justice moving forward.” The tunnels underneath the Christian Moerlein malthouse tap room (the stuff of Cincinnati brewing legend), and a yet-to-be-determined location, round out the four venues. The films take place in and feature a short history of each building, footage of the space and neighborhood, feature a deep listening meditation led by Bronsink, and a performance by musicians from concert:nova. An exhibition of commissioned visual art will be hosted by the Welcome Project in Camp Washington, and a potential 3-D scanned gallery is in the works. The four films will stream on the internet in January, one per week, and will be available for viewing later. “Cincinnati’s one of the only places I could imagine the Response Project actually working,” Matzke said. “It’s amazing to be a creative person in this city. This is a city where people say ‘yes.’ That’s all it takes to make cool stuff happen.” 

OPERA America, the opera industry’s national service organization, has announced that Patty Beggs, former general director of Cincinnati Opera, has been selected to join the Opera Hall of Fame as part of its inaugural class. The Opera Hall of Fame recognizes outstanding living American artists, administrators and advocates. It was established for OPERA America’s 50th anniversary this year as a celebration of the progress of the industry. Other notables in the inaugural class: soprano Grace Bumbry, bass-baritone Simon Estes, composer and philanthropist Gordon Getty, tenor George Shirley, and soprano Dawn Upshaw. An induction ceremony will be held in early 2022 in New York City.  www.operaamerica.org/HallofFame

Patty Beggs with Cincinnati Opera artistic director Evans Mirageas

Neal Mayerson and The cover of “Shrink Rap”

About the Response Project The Pauline Oliveros Response Project will be a series of four films, livestreamed free once a week on concert:nova’s website and on The Response Project’s Facebook page, each Thursday in January at 7:30 p.m. Each livestream will be followed by a discussion on Zoom (registration required) between audience members and the project creators, musicians, and artists. The fourth film, shot in the Emery Theater in Over-the-Rhine, will be an hour-long concert

Cincinnati Opera’s Beggs to join Opera Hall of Fame

featuring five newly composed works for piano and percussion, performed by pianist Brianna Matzke and percussionist Chris Graham. The Response Project art show will be held at The Welcome Project, 2936 Colerain Ave., Jan. 9-Feb. 27, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and also available online.  www.concertnova.com  www.theresponseproject.org  www.facebook.com/ responseproject

Life lessons through poetry Neal Mayerson draws from his many years as a psychotherapist to offer an insider’s view of common struggles through concise four-line poems and expanded reflections. The noted Cincinnati psychologist, businessman and philanthropist offers insights into a wide range of human experiences in his new book “Shrink Rap: Finding Rhyme and Reason in Our Lives and Relationships.” He serves as president of the Mayerson Company and Mayerson Foundation, as well as

chair of the Mayerson Academy. He and his wife Donna were honored as Philanthropists of the Year for National Philanthropy Day 2018. The book is available for purchase, but readers can read and download the poems for free from the publisher. In the near future the website will offer a platform for readers to have meaningful conversations about things in life that matter.  www.shrinkrapbook.org

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In the News St. Elizabeth Cancer Center dedicates Music Therapy Studio to memory of NKY musicians The St. Elizabeth Cancer Center in Edgewood dedicated its first Music Therapy Studio to Charles “Chuck” Gordon Reed III and Donald E. Clare Jr., musicians who were focused on supporting the arts. Reed and Clare, both of whom died in 2017, were longtime performers with Suits That Rock, a fundraiser for The Carnegie in Covington that supports in-school, afterschool, and summer camp art programming for students. Creative arts are linked to lower depression and anxiety for people with cancer, research shows. Reed was owner and president of River City Productions. For more than 40 years he played with regional bands including Strange Brew and DV8.

“Music was such an important part of Chuck’s life,” said his wife, Melissa SingerReed. “When Chuck was approached to be a part of Suits That Rock, he was so excited to volunteer.” Clare, a resident of Rabbit Hash, worked as an emergency room nurse at The Christ Hospital and then at St. Elizabeth. He sang and played drums with bands including Calico Rose and the Corryville Cowboys and The Buffalo Brothers. “Don would want nothing more than to see his legacy of music live on in a place where he spent a majority of his time – St. Elizabeth,” said his wife, Sue Clare.  www.stelizabeth.com/mycancer

Sue Clare, Melissa Singer-Reed

NCAA picks Harsha Lake for 2024 women’s rowing championships

A view of Fortified Hill Earthworks

Wilks Foundation honored for preserving Fortified Hill Earthworks The Ohio History Connection has honored the Harry T. Wilks Family Foundation for acquisition of the Fortified Hill Earthworks, near Hamilton in Butler County, ensuring its preservation. Preservation Officer Burt Logan, executive director and CEO of Ohio History Connection, formerly known as the Ohio Historical Society, presented the State Historic Preservation Office Award recently at the site. Fortified Hill Earthworks is a 2,000-yearold Middle Woodland period, Hopewell Culture, hilltop enclosure. It is listed on the 10

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Movers & Makers

National Register of Historic Places. As preservationists worked to raise about $500,000 to purchase one of four parcels known to contain the earthworks, foundation officials committed $1 million. The Wilks bid of over $1.5 million bought all four parcels. Each year, the state history organization highlights outstanding historic preservation achievements in Ohio through these awards. The Wilks Foundation is one of five winners in 2020.  www.ohiohistory.org

Cincinnati has been awarded the 2024 Division I, II and III Women’s Rowing Championships, the NCAA announced. The events will be at Harsha Lake at East Fork State Park in Bethel. The Cincinnati USA Sports Commission submitted the bid, with the Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau, Clermont County Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Marietta College. “Harsha Lake at East Fork State Park is just as scenic as it is competitive for the sport of rowing and we will roll out the red carpet for all athletes and spectators,” said Julie Calvert, president & CEO of the Cincinnati USA CVB. Julie Calvert

IN THE NEWS

Conner Demboski and Ervin Oliver work together on park cleanup.

Michael Young of Give Back Cincinnati at Woodland Mound

Great Parks, Give Back Cincinnati unite to clean up shorelines Great Parks of Hamilton County staff joined with volunteers from Give Back Cincinnati recently to help clean up litter and debris along park shorelines. During this “Quaranteering” event, small groups focused on four parks, practicing social distancing. Their aim was to help protect waterways and provide healthier habitats for wildlife.

The cleanup efforts took place at the Shawnee Lookout canoe/ kayak launch, Fernbank Park Lee Shelter, Winton Woods Harbor and Woodland Mound boat ramp. In previous years, Give Back Cincinnati has helped Great Parks with large-scale cleanup events at Winton Woods. This year’s dispersed event allowed volunteers to maintain distance.

PWC to combat lead-paint hazards People Working Cooperatively’s Whole Home Innovation Center (WHIC) will lead local efforts to fight lead-paint hazards. WHIC will administer the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Lead Abatement Program for Hamilton County. The effort will protect families with Medicaid-eligible children or pregnant women. WHIC will help enroll participants, inspect homes and use local contractors to do abatement. Lead paint was banned for homes in 1978, but it remains a threat. Houses built before 1980 may feature surfaces with lead-based paint and may have lead plumbing. Lead is especially dangerous for children. In 2015, nearly 500 children in Hamilton County were found with elevated lead levels, according to the CDC. “Our mission has always been to help people stay safe and healthy at home, which has become more important than ever in the era

MOVEABLE FEAST from coast to coast

CCMpower is proud to announce that our signature event will make its virtual debut on JANUARY 22, 2021. You’ll be wowed by CCM’s talented students and by some of our most prominent alumni — all from the comfort of your own home. Join us as we travel around the country to see firsthand how CCM sets the bar in the arts world. TO REGISTER call 513-556-2100 or visit ccm.uc.edu/moveablefeast

The Mountain Minor December 18 at 9pm on CET December 27 at 9pm on ThinkTV14

Old-time music binds a family together and connects them to their ancestral home.

Nina Creech

www.CETconnect.org

of COVID-19,” said Nina Creech, senior vice president of operations at People Working Cooperatively.  513-482-5100 or www.wholehome.org

www.CETconnect.org

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NAMES IN THE NEWS

Stephanie Gaither

Cinnamon Pelly

Steven Acosta

Gina Hemenway

Jack Brendamour

Jim Mason

Christopher Hart

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Stephanie Gaither has been elected as the 31st chair of Talbert House’s Board of Trustees. Gaither is executive vice president and CFO of Al. Neyer. She joined the Talbert House board in 2012. The agency also welcomed four new board members: Gina Hemenway, executive director in community health at Mercy Health; Robert Jones, senior executive in human resources at General Electric; Liz Keating, marketing director at The Jim Stengel Company; and Dennis Williams, senior director at Luxottica.

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4C for Children has added three new members to its Board of Trustees, to serve three-year terms: Adia Molloy, a parent, freelance writer and community volunteer; Erica Noble, senior director of global company communications at Procter & Gamble; Cinnamon Pelly, COO of the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio. The 4C board also elected new leadership (not pictured): Chair Brian Judkins, counsel at Chemed Corporation; Vice-Chair Jill Warman, vice president, Commercial Banking Leader, U.S. Bank; Secretary Jonathan Brodhag, attorney, Holland & Knight, LLP; Treasurer Ryan Crowley, vice president of finance, Anchor Fluid Power.

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Jim Mason, who led Beech Acres Parenting Center through a long period of changes and growth in programs to strengthen families, will retire as president and CEO in June after 42 years of service. Mason led the former General Protestant 12

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Robert Jones

Movers & Makers

Liz Keating

Thomas H. Quinn Jr.

Jorge Seda

Dennis Williams

Bruce Halpryn

James Zimmerman

Adia Molloy

Jennifer Knight-Zelkind

Mary Stagaman

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The Dragonfly Foundation, which supports pediatric cancer patients and their families, has appointed Jack Brendamour to its board. Brendamour is CEO of Junk King and a real estate agent with Comey & Shepherd Realtors. Brendamour is a graduate of Ohio University with a degree in management and strategic leadership.

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Cincinnati Ballet has named Thomas H. Quinn Jr. as its new board chair. Quinn has been involved with the ballet for more than a dozen years, after his daughters attended the Otto M. Budig Academy Children’s Division. He is an attorney and president of the Bardes Corporation. Other changes on the board: Bruce Halpryn, a long-time biomedical researcher and co-founder of Eikonoklastes Therapeutics, returns to the board. Jennifer Knight-Zelkind, managing partner of Evolo Design in Montgomery, returns to the board. Andrea Costa Laden, an attorney with Frost Brown Todd LLC, is a new member of the board. Dr. Smokey J. Clay, a pediatric anesthesiology specialist on the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center faculty, is a new member of the board.

Andrea Costa Laden

Janice Liebenberg

Orphan Home through its evolution from a 19thcentury orphanage to a 21st-century parenting center. Each of several transformations under his stewardship has deepened and expanded its mission. The Beech Acres Board of Directors will begin a search for the agency’s next leader.

Erica Noble

Dr. Smokey J. Clay

Jimmy Duncan

Santa Maria Community Services, Inc. has added two new board members: Steven Acosta with Fifth Third Bank, and Christopher Hart with First Financial Bank. Also, Jorge Seda, retired from GE Aviation, has returned to the board. At ArtsWave’s annual board meeting, James Zimmerman, managing director of Taft Law, was re-elected for a second year as board chair. Mary Stagaman was appointed impact executive-in-residence and Janice Liebenberg was named director of the corporate campaign and equitable arts advancement. UC Health has named Jimmy Duncan as senior vice president and chief human resources officer. Duncan most recently served as senior vice president/chief people officer for Arkansas Children’s Inc., the state’s largest pediatric health system. His prior healthcare experience includes leadership roles at WellStar Health System, Tenet Healthcare Corporation and Banner Health Corporation. Duncan also brings a diverse business background, having led human resources functions in industries such as energy, manufacturing and mining. 

IN THE NEWS

Leadership Council names 43 to BOLD 4 board training program Leadership Council for Nonprofits has selected 43 participants for its upcoming BOLD 4 program, which helps train professionals to serve on nonprofit boards. Earlier this year, 39 professionals completed the BOLD 3 program and are beginning to join nonprofit boards in the region. The BOLD 4 class will continue the council’s effort to build a pipeline of diverse, educated nonprofit board leaders. BOLD 4 features 43 professionals representing 31 organizations. Launched in 1991, the BOLD program has helped train more than 1,500 professionals to serve on nonprofit boards. The council is accepting applications for BOLD 5 in the spring.  www.leadershipcouncil.us

Premier Senior Living in Hyde Park

BOLD Class 4 Michael Archdeacon, professor & chairman, department of orthopedic surgery, UC Physicians Jordan Bankston, founder & CEO, Forever Kings Inc. Lindsay Bartsch, program director, Special Olympics Ohio – Hamilton County Rodsha Belser, HR safety coordinator, Kroger Maureen Buri, assistant professor, division of experience-based learning, University of Cincinnati Emma Chaney, senior associate of donor strategy, United Way of Greater Cincinnati Maribel Cortes Conde, project manager, GE Aviation Molly Fender, VP of human resources, Monti Inc. Christian Florea, VP, Fifth Third Bank Andy Freeze, senior director of development and grants, StriveTogether Jake Gray, credit risk manager, Cincinnati Development Fund Christopher Groeschen, attorney, Graydon Head & Ritchey Samantha Groh, assistant professoreducator of computer science, University of Cincinnati Buford Harvey, senior manager, Ernst & Young Ally Hazelbaker, supervisor of contracting and licensing, Ohio National Financial Services Abby Held, executive director of corporate work study program, DePaul Cristo Rey High School Grace Hertlein, design manager of Downy & Unstoppables, Procter & Gamble Michelle Johns, assistant professoreducator of management, University of Cincinnati Adam Keck, director of payables product management, Fifth Third Bank Nancy Keyser, HR professional in transition Jonathan Koopman, CFO, RoundTower Technologies

Marie Krulewitch-Browne, executive & artistic director, ish Festival John Lengyel, internal audit & financial reporting manager, RelaDyne Tanya Mack, director of global transportation capability, Procter & Gamble Deon Mack, police officer, City of Cincinnati Florence Malone, outreach & enrollment manager, Cincinnati Preschool Promise Joe Minham, digital product manager, First Financial Bank Natasha Mitchell, economic success coach, AmeriCorps, Serve Ohio, Santa Maria Community Services Samuel Morgan-Jablonski, compliance manager, Cincinnati Development Fund Mike Osenar, senior engineer, GE Aviation Brittnii Pina, quality improvement manager, Cincinnati Preschool Promise Jade Robinson, law clerk, Faruki PLL Jessica Rohrkemper, VP, director of business operations, Fifth Third Bank Scott Schuster, VP of philanthropy and president of Cincinnati Museums Foundation, Cincinnati Museum Center Ty Seidl, wealth management advisor, Fifth Third Bank Danyele Thompson, senior manager, Kao USA Steven Van Vechten, senior brand manager, Procter & Gamble Stacey Walden, director of public education & community engagement, Women’s Crisis Center Andrew Wallace, audit manager, BKD CPAs and Advisors Timothy Westrich, VP of affordable housing, Urban Sites Laura Willis, human resources director, ClarkDietrich Building Systems Joel Willis, editor-in-chief, The Dad (parent company: Some Spider Studios) Douglas Wolterman, engineering supervisor, Marathon Petroleum Corporation

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FUNDRAISING

Fundraising in the time of coronavirus Local nonprofits find creative solutions, strengthen relationships

lexibility, focus and personal connections: Those are the hallmarks of local nonprofits navigating 2020 and beyond. Whether facing the impossibility of staged productions, the complexities of online learning or the increasing risks of families in crisis, keeping these agencies and institutions moving forward has been a challenge – and may have some long-lasting rewards. At the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, Director of Development Sara Clark said the need for flexibility became obvious as soon as the pandemic reached Ohio. With no way to perform live theater onstage – and the loss of its traditional revenue stream – there was no choice. In some ways, after all, the show must go on. “We launched a COVID recovery fund almost immediately … focusing on how hard the company – and the industry – was hit,” Clark said. “We had to go into hyperdrive.” The suddenly empty halls of DePaul Cristo Rey High School also prompted immediate action, according to Sparkle Worley, the school’s vice president of advancement. There really wasn’t a choice. “We have 320 students and 65 staff members who are working hard to learn and to educate,” Worley said. “Our office helps fill the gap so learning can happen. It helps that we have a passion for what we do.” At both institutions, that energy was poured into transforming what was usually in person – the continuing theater season at CSC and the annual auction at DPCR – into virtual events. At ProKids, where community volunteers advocate for abused and neglected children, Executive Director Tracy Cook said a similar transformation was necessary. “Our donors are involved with us throughout the year,” she said. “We do ask them each year to partner with us for our traditional Friends of Children Breakfast fundraiser each May. As our team revised plans 14

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beginning in March, we rebranded that event and moved it to September so we could present the most powerful virtual presentation we could put together.” The ProKids Call for Community

became the key fundraiser for the year, presented online in small groups and in larger groups. But, Cook said, a focus on engaging donors individually was critical. “We shifted to more phone calls, emails and sometimes Zoom meetings to keep (donors) updated on how they are continuing to make a difference for abused and neglected children in our community,” Cook said. “As our volunteers worked on their cases, wearing masks and being socially distant during visits with our children … we were able to share these stories with our donors and make sure they knew the impact they were having in such uncertain times.”

A commitment to the institution That kind of focus – on both the individual donors and on the mission itself, was also important at DPCR. “Our model is not your typical

Movers & Makers

high school model,” said Worley, citing the school’s affordable Catholic, college prep curriculum partnered with an innovative work study program. “Our donors and friends have confidence that the school leadership makes decisions based upon what is best for our students and families. Our students are not going to work at this time.” And the partners, who usually would be hiring students to work, “have been very understanding and … almost all have indicated that even if our students are not at work, the money they have paid thus far can stay with the school.” That commitment to the

By Julie Borths

ProKids to triple the number of children served by the agency in recent years. “We know that the more our donors learn about how they can break the vicious cycle of abuse and neglect, the more they want to help ProKids create a new cycle of growing up safe and confident for the kids we serve,” she said. “When we let them know how much our children need them right now, with so much uncertainty in our world, many leaned forward – asking, ‘What do you need?’” Cook continued. “It’s been a great affirmation to know our donors continue to prioritize our kids.”

Creativity born from chaos From top: Sara Clark, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company Sparkle Worley, DePaul Christo Rey Tracy Cook, ProKids

institution has been part of Clark’s experience at Cincinnati Shakespeare as well. “When we formally postponed our season, we were worried: Would the big people pull out? But they didn’t,” Clark said. “They told us they valued our resilience and our ability to adapt.” Cook said donors have enabled

None of these successes comes without costs. Clark said donors not only miss the CSC performances, they miss one another. “We can never forget that development is called that because it’s a relationship business,” Clark said. “When people feel valued, heard, seen, they continue to support and to give.” The pandemic, Clark said, “is a reminder that a snazzy benefit package or a fancy event might be what initially gets people to give, but feeling connected to, and valued by, an organization which does work they believe in, that’s what keeps them giving.” Worley said traditional events are “not only for fundraising, but also for friend-raising,” referring to how donors will bring others along. “We have had to be very creative this year,” she continued, citing a complex golf outing which relied on appointed tee times, fewer foursomes and no surrounding events like a dinner. “We did very well,” she said. “Our golfers even played in the pouring rain.” Creativity was important at ProKids as well, Cook said. “Our team was able to pivot and

FUNDRAISING literally build the airplane while we were flying it. Our openness to change and our flexibility was contagious,” she said. “We kept our focus on the needs of our children in a world changing before us. Large and small victories we saw with our children – relatives taking custody of our children, adoption stories, high school graduations, and even the smiles we could tell were behind the masks – always kept us motivated,” Cook said. Clark compared the experience to what happens in a show when the understudy goes on for a lead role. At first there is concern for who had to step out, but then everything shifts to the understudy who is on stage. How can everyone help them perform their best? Can they step up to make their own performance better? How can everyone – from the ushers to the other players – make this an unforgettable performance? “We can do some of the best work of our careers at a time like this,” Clark said. “And theater folk are natural problem-solvers.”

Staying in contact with one another, even while working virtually, helped Worley and her team keep their energy, she said. By continuing many of their normal activities – sending greeting cards and reaching out by phone – they built a sense of normalcy even when so many other things needed to change. Cook said that at ProKids, sharing what was not going to be normal with their donors was also important. “If vulnerable families were already coming apart due to untreated mental health issues, substance abuse, violence and generational poverty, the pandemic (adds) a layer of stress that could be the final straw for many of them,” Cook said. But like Worley and Clark, Cook said sharing hope was also important. “The good news is that one of the best strategies to get through these times is to find ways to serve others,” Cook said. “Imagine the community we can build for present and future generations. It is up to us.” 

The Datebook is online Make sure your fundraiser, friend-raiser or community event is listed in our Datebook at www.moversmakers.org/datebook Datebook listings are free.* NPOs may send event details and photos to: editor@moversmakers.org Stand out Consider advertising. Contact Thom Mariner at tmariner@moversmakers.org for digital and print options. *See Page 4 for print deadlines. Events must meet our editorial standards. Events that are featured in print or our weekly newsletters are chosen at the discretion of editorial staff.

A ‘remarkable wave of generosity’ Nationally, CAF America – an organization that facilitates charitable giving – and the Nonprofit Alliance have both studied how charitable giving has worked during the pandemic. In its report, CAF America notes that nearly all nonprofits have suffered economically from the pandemic, but few worry they won’t be able to continue their operations. The reason? Respondents credit technology, their team’s commitment, adaptability and creativity, and access to continuing funding. To frame both the necessity of nonprofits and their stability, the Nonprofit Alliance reports that while many agencies are seeing significant increases in need, they are also seeing a “remarkable wave of generosity from donors.” The same report also includes this hopeful note: 80% of donors plan to give the same or more as 2020 ends.

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Express Cincinnati 1995-2008 In November 1995, Mike and Nancy O’Connor, veteran local journalists, began publishing Express Cincinnati in response to a decrease in coverage of the “social scene” by daily and weekly newspapers. Express was a tabloid-sized, free publication on newsprint, supported exclusively by advertising. The focus was on helping nonprofits promote their fundraising events and to thank their supporters by publishing photos afterwards. Many of those events continue to this day. Over time, the publication grew in size and circulation and established itself as the voice of Greater Cincinnati nonprofit community.

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On behalf of our clients, the Center’s board of directors and staff would like to express our appreciation to all of the sponsors of Transformation Awards 2020. Your support made the event a great success!

centerforrespitecare.org • 513.621.1868

EVENT SPONSORS ...........................................................................................

Arlene and Bob Niehaus

Anonymous

BENEFACTORS ................................................................................................

Anonymous

Diane and Bob Hauser

PATRONS ...................................................................................................... Amy and George Joseph Martha Schueler

Diana Klinedinst

PARTNERS ..................................................................................................... Catherine and Dr. Joseph Pflum Dr. Angela Rath and Brian Antenucci

FRIENDS .......................................................................................................

Dr. Beverly Bokovitz Andrea and Dr. Edward Herzig Laura Murrer and Gregory Jarvis Carol and Larry Neuman

Chris and Bob Ryan Mary Lynn Webb and Joe Sunderman Margaret Szempruch and Damian Billy

Lori and David Uphaus Annette Wick and Dr. Mark Manley Rachel McKinney and Chris McClenathen

The mission of the Center for Respite Care is to provide quality, holistic medical care to homeless people who need a safe place to heal, while assisting them in breaking the cycle of homelessness.

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Express Cincinnati 2008-2015 In August 2008, Thom and Elizabeth Mariner purchased Express. While they had no background in publishing, they did possess experience in the arts, and in marketing and design. They added coverage of arts performances and exhibits in 2009, and established a separate arts calendar to complement the Fundraisers Datebook. In addition to content provided by nonprofit partners, talented local writers were engaged to create feature articles. The Mariners also increased the number of print issues per year, and expanded circulation and distribution.

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Responding to research among readers, advertisers and nonprofit leaders, the Mariners rebranded the publication beginning in 2016, transforming into Movers & Makers, and upgrading to a glossy magazine format. A new website and weekly email newsletter allow for posting of news and events between monthly print editions. Feature stories focus increasingly on individuals and their contributions to the community. These covers, created mostly in partnership with photographer Tina Gutierrez, reflect that focus. Our ongoing goal is to showcase the diversity and depth of the nonprofit community, and to help others discover their own inspiration to contribute or serve.

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Gifts & Grants $1.5 million gift to UC establishes two funds for social justice work A $1.5 million gift has created two endowed funds supporting social justice at the University of Cincinnati: • The UC College of Arts & Sciences Endowment for Inclusive Excellence. • Theodore M. Berry ’31, Directorship of the Nathaniel R. Jones Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice Endowment Fund at the UC College of Law. The gift comes from Cincinnatians Jeff and Jennifer Davis. Jennifer Davis is president of Procter & Gamble’s Global Feminine Care Division “In this moment of urgency and increased advocacy – not only from those most directly affected by bias and discrimination but from everyone in our community – there is hope for

greater inclusiveness and understanding, as well as systemic policy changes,” the Davises said. The Davises said they were inspired by the expertise and visions of Littisha Bates, Ph.D., associate dean for Inclusive Excellence and Community Partnerships in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Verna Williams, dean of the College of Law. In the College of Arts & Sciences, the endowment will support structural change and social justice initiatives. The Nathaniel R. Jones Center provides interdisciplinary and intersectional work beyond the classroom. A new director will grow programs, coordinate outreach and collaborate across the university.  www.nextnow.uc.edu

 Jennifer and Jeff Davis

Littisha Bates

Verna Williams

H.A. Musser, president and CEO of Santa Maria; Ben Owliaie and Nancy Laird with Santa Maria; Chris Lahni, CFO of Nehemiah Manufacturing; Jessica Polzin with Santa Maria; and Dan Myer, CEO of Nehemiah Photo by Colleen Kelley, University of Cincinnati

Cancer reacher Vinita Takiar

UC cancer expert wins $25K grant Vinita Takiar, M.D., Ph.D., recently received a $25,000 grant for an innovative research proposal in treatment of head and neck cancers. The research proposal, “Theranostic gold nanoclusters: Next generation radiosensitizers for improved head and neck treatment,” was funded by the Brandon C. Gromada Head & Neck Cancer Foundation. The grant is administered by the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center. 20

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Brandon C. Gromada died of head and neck cancer at the age of 38 in 2012. His parents launched the foundation the day after his death. The foundation funds research projects aimed at finding cures and more effective, less-debilitating treatments while also raising awareness about the disease. The foundation has awarded more than $250,000 in small research grants since 2014.  www.gromadacancerfndn.org

Movers & Makers

Santa Maria receives aid for youth development programs Santa Maria Community Services recently received two grants earmarked for the agency’s youth development efforts: • A gift of $40,000 from Nehemiah Manufacturing, proceeds from the firm’s seventh annual golf outing at Western Hills Country Club. • $30,000 from the Daniel and Susan Pfau Foundation, the second installment of a five-year grant to support youth in Price Hill. Santa Maria’s Youth Development

Program gives Lower Price Hill youth ages 10-16 the chance to participate in a life/social-emotional skills group while learning peaceful conflict resolution and other skills. The program also focuses on youth mentoring and leadership. Participants engage in community-service projects, and each child’s family is linked to resources that promote family stability.

GIFTS & GRANTS

Greg Landsman

Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney

ArtsWave creates two artist support programs with $400K ArtsWave has created two programs providing $400,000 to local artists. The programs are in partnership with the City of Cincinnati and Duke Energy.

The Cincinnati Arts Access Fund CAAF is being established by the city with $200,000 in CARES Act funding. It will provide COVIDrelated relief grants of $1,000 each to 200 eligible artists who are city residents and who earn 25 percent or more of their income through their art. Two application deadlines – the second is Dec. 4 – are being administered by ArtsWave to distribute the money before the end of the year. “The coronavirus pandemic is causing extreme hardship for large numbers of out-of-work artists in Cincinnati,” said City Council member Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney, who proposed the CAAF. “These grants can be used to reimburse living

$1,049,776 to community nonproﬁts through the hands of students since 2008.

expenses or to find new ways to generate income.”

Truth and Reconciliation Grants A second $200,000 program, was announced by Cincinnati Council Member Greg Landsman. Black and Brown artists can apply for up to $10,000 to create a work that helps imagine a more just and equitable future. “Cincinnati’s Black and Brown artists have long been chronicling our uneven progress to overcome racism and division,” Landsman said. “These grants are another way for us to lift up their voices and bring our community together.” The city is contributing $75,000. Duke Energy is providing $25,000 to expand the program throughout the region. ArtsWave will match both investments. The application deadline is Dec. 1.  Guidelines and applications: www.artswave.org/apply

the Magniﬁed Giving program completed 15,618 hours of service during the 2019-2020 school year to meet needs in our community.

Our Community’s Future, Powered by Youth To Magnify your Giving to our community, please visit www.magniﬁedgiving.org

SATURDAY 6:30PM CET SUNDAY 8:30PM CET ARTS Join Barbara Kellar as she showcases artists and cultural leaders from the Greater Cincinnati community.

ArtsWave awards funds to 39 arts groups ArtsWave marked the 10th anniversary of its rebranded, broadened efforts by awarding $231,000 in grants to 39 groups. “It’s been 10 years since the nationally noted change from the Fine Arts Fund to ArtsWave,” said Alecia Kintner, ArtsWave president and CEO. “We’ve gone from providing operating or project support for dozens of arts groups each year to

now supporting over 100 organizations and projects a year.” Donations over the past 10 years are up 11 percent over the previous decade. ArtsWave’s Catalyzing Impact grants focus on arts education, digital media, live performance, social justice and public art.  www.artswave.org

www.CETconnect.org www.CETconnect.org

Emmy Award Winner Regional - Interview/Discussion Program

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GIFTS & GRANTS Gifts and Grants briefs 1- The Highfield Discovery Garden at Glenwood Gardens

The Highfield Discovery Garden at Glenwood Gardens

Gifts and Grants briefs 2 - John Schonauer, warehouse specialist for Be Concerned, moves a case of Clorox wipes at the agency’s warehouse

John Schonauer, warehouse specialist for Be Concerned, moves a case of Clorox wipes at the agency's warehouse

$130K in funding to help 4C support child care providers

DePaul Cristo Rey receives boost for graduate success program

Covington funds help agencies provide food, aid

4C for Children received a $130,000 grant from the PNC Foundation to support its COVID-19 relief efforts. The money will provide coaching, training and financial support to Southwest Ohio child care providers. The grant to 4C for its Child Care Restart Campaign will help child care programs get the resources they need to operate their businesses and provide care to children during the pandemic. Programs that received financial support from the grant serve nearly 5,000 children from low-income families. These families often need non-traditional hours for care during evenings, overnight and on weekends.

The Charles H. Dater Foundation has awarded DePaul Cristo Rey High School a $30,000 grant for its Graduate Success Program, which works with DPCR graduates to support them through college. The program provides micro-grants to alumni to help them overcome financial barriers to college completion. DePaul Cristo Rey is a Catholic, college-preparatory high school with a mission to educate young people who have the potential but limited financial means.

Three agencies with a long history of feeding the hungry and helping vulnerable populations will split $110,600 from the City of Covington for emergency food distribution and other assistance during the pandemic. Covington Mayor Joe Meyer signed an order allocating $60,600 to Be Concerned: The People’s Pantry; $40,000 to the Parish Kitchen, a program run by Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Covington; and $10,000 to Brighton Center. The money comes from federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) funds. All three agencies reported a huge increase in need since the pandemic hit in March.

GCF helps hearing center distribute ‘windowmasks’ Hearing Speech + Deaf Center has received a $2,000 grant from the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, in cooperation with United Way, to aid its distribution of “windowmasks” during the pandemic. The grant will help the center’s efforts to champion communication equity for people with speech and hearing disorders and deafness. Windowmasks adapt a standard face mask with a clear plastic covering to make the mouth area visible. Hearing Speech + Deaf Center has delivered more than 1,000 windowmasks to individuals and 15 nonprofit partners.

ToolBank program receives support from bank foundation The Bank of America Charitable Foundation recently awarded the Cincinnati ToolBank a $15,000 grant to support and strengthen the agency’s Tool Lending Program. In addition, the bank donated 20,000 surgical masks to the ToolBank that were distributed to more than 30 area charitable organizations.

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Movers & Makers

1N5 awarded $8,000 to help prevent suicide The Elsa Heisel Sule Foundation has awarded an $8,000 grant to 1N5 to achieve its mission of preventing suicide by erasing the stigma of mental illness and promoting optimal health. The grant will be used to provide mental health screening and education for schools in Greater Cincinnati, allowing the organization to add more schools and support a year of screening and programming in these schools. Students identified at risk will be linked to treatment.

Glenwood Gardens to Winton Woods trail gets federal funds A planned four-mile trail to connect Glenwood Gardens in Woodlawn to neighboring Winton Woods in Springfield Township received a $352,697 federal grant. The grant was awarded to Great Parks through the OKI Regional Council of Governments. The money, projected to be available from the Ohio Department of Transportation in fiscal year 2024, will help start the GG2WW project, which will improve the connectivity of the regional trail network. The GG2WW trail is currently in the design phase through 2021. Great Parks will seek additional funding.

18 area groups receive grants for environmental projects The Duke Energy Foundation recently awarded more than $200,000 in grants to 18 Ohio and Northern Kentucky recipients that will fund environmental projects, wildlife conservation efforts and environmental educational programs in the region. Ohio recipients: Deerfield Township; Girl Scouts of Western Ohio; Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District; MetroParks of Butler County; Mill Creek Alliance; Ohio River Foundation; Stepping Stones; Boy Scouts of America, Dan Beard Council; Cincinnati Park Foundation; City of Fairfield; City of Monroe; Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati; Clermont SWCD; Taking Root; Great Parks Forever. Kentucky recipients: Boone County Conservation District; Boone County Fiscal Court; Thomas More University. 

GIFTS & GRANTS

A season for giving and sharing Here’s a sampling of ways you can help area nonprofits make the holidays a little brighter, compiled with the help of Cincinnati Cares. For more opportunities to contribute, visit www.cincinnaticares.org.

Findlay Market – Christmas Tree Sales Volunteers Help Findlay Market spread holiday cheer by being a Christmas Tree Sale Volunteer. Most shifts are on weekends.  gregan@findlaymarket.org, www.findlaymarket.org

GO Pantry – Christmas GO Boxes Bethany House Services – Adopt a Family Adopt a family staying at Bethany House during the holidays. In 2019, more than 300 families were adopted, making their holidays brighter. Learn more at Bethany’s website.  www.bethanyhouseservices.org

Brighton Center – Donations, Volunteers Needed: food items for a holiday meal, new clothing, and gifts for children. Events: Used Toy Drive, Snuggling Seniors, Adopt a Family, Wish Tree Program and Food Drive. Volunteers: sorting food, clothing and gifts; packaging and distributing food baskets; more.  holidaydrive@brightoncenter.com or www.brightoncenter.com

Catholic Charities, Diocese of Covington – Adopt a Family Gifting Program brings Christmas to struggling families. In 2019, the program provided Christmas gifts to 202 individuals in 45 families.  www.covingtoncharities.org

Cincinnati Area Senior Services – Gift Cards Gift cards from Amazon, Visa, MasterCard, Kroger or Walmart needed to purchase items for seniors. Donors will be notified of what their cards purchased.  Mary Jo Gamm, 513-559-4484 or mgamm@cassdelivers.org

Disabled American Veterans – Spare Change New program by Cincinnati-based nonprofit, kicking off during the holidays, allows donors to round up purchases on a credit or debit card, donating “spare change” to give holiday hope to disabled veterans.  Text DAV to 26989 or www.davsparechange.org

NKY nonprofit to provide 800 food boxes for kids who need food during schools’ holiday break. Purchase food items (list online), fill a box, and bring it during business hours through Dec. 1 to Zimmer Jeep, 1086 Burlington Pike in Florence, or Schulz & Sons at the Kroger plaza in Fort Mitchell, or to GO Pantry, 7960 Kentucky Drive in Florence, 9-11 a.m. and 4-6 p.m. Dec. 2 or noon-5 p.m. Dec. 6. www.gopantry.org/christmas-go-box

Inter Parish Ministry – Coats IPM needs new and gently used coats, especially larger sizes. Drop off at Newtown or Amelia pantry 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Wednesdays. Bin available for drop-off. Accepting coats only.  www.interparish.org

St. Vincent de Paul – Annual Coat Drive

Sunday-Thursday and 11 a.m.-midnight Friday-Saturday.  513-739-2354, trogers7@fuse.net, or www.lovelandinitiative.org

Price Hill Glow Up – Decorations, Volunteers Borrowing lights, displays, inflatables and other decorations in advance for its drive-through Price Hill Holiday Glow Up, set for 7-10 p.m. Dec. 5 and 6 at Dunham Recreation Area. Each item will be marked and returned to the owner afterward. Need volunteers to help set up, tear down and direct traffic.  benklayer@gmail.com or www.facebook.com and search “Price Hill Glow Up”

St. Joseph Orphanage – Christmas Wish Program Ways to help: sponsor a child’s wish list for $175; shop its Amazon wish lists in three categories – General Christmas Package, Hygiene Package and Gift Card Package.  Katie at volunteer@sjokids.org or www.stjosephorphanage.org

Donate new or gently used winter coats for those who need them. Children’s coats, adult coats size XL and up especially needed. Goal: 4,500 coats. Drop off at any Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store or at Findlay Market. Coats will be distributed through Feb. 28.  Locations: www.sdvpcincinnati.org/coats or visit www.goldstarchili.com to donate funds to buy coats.

Welcome House of Northern Kentucky – Multiple Opportunities Adopt a family, host a giving tree, donate craft supplies or organize donations. To sign up or to find out how to volunteer from the safety of your home.  859-292-9352 or skahmann@welcomehouseky.org

Lincoln Heights Outreach Inc. – Holiday Hope Boxes Seeking donations through Dec. 14 to provide boxes with essentials for the homeless – thermal undergarments, winter caps, scarves, gloves, blankets, hand sanitizer, nutritious snacks and more. Donations welcome, from cash to items themselves. Volunteers needed to pack and distribute the boxes in late December.  Lisa Beckett, 513-744-6260, lbeckett@lhoicincy.org or www.lincolnheightsoutreach.org

Literacy Network of Greater Cincinnati – Children’s Books Working with community partners and using Little Free Libraries to get books into people’s hands during the holidays. Children’s books needed; emphasis is on distributing books that represent all backgrounds.  liz.asman@lngc.org or www.lngc.org

Loveland Initiative – Christmas Toy Store Donations of unwrapped children’s toys and gift cards accepted through Dec. 1. Drop off donations at Marco’s Pizza, 902 Loveland Madeira Road, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

DESTINATION DETOUR A FREE gift of theatre for our community & virtual benefit for Ensemble Theatre

Friday, December 4 at 7PM Learn more at ensemblecincinnati.org

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Snapshots

Who, what, where & why

AFP honors volunteers and philanthropists The Association of Fundraising Professionals honored volunteers, philanthropists and more during its annual National Philanthropy Day (NPD) event, which was held virtually this year with help from Prestige AV. Honorees included: • Bill and Jenny McCloy, Philanthropists of the Year • Gerald H. Greene, Volunteer of the Year • Camryn Morrow, Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy • The R.C.Durr Foundation, Outstanding Corporation or Foundation • Mary C. Fischer, Lifetime Achievement in Fundraising The Lifetime Achievement in Fundraising was a new award this year. Also new this year was a tribute video about COVID-19 and the Racial Justice Crisis response fund. The event ended with a call to action for everyone to give at least $5 to a nonprofit organization of their choice and take a selfie while doing it. The NPD team was able to make the virtual event special for the honorees, delivering Funky’s Catering food and a party basket to each of them the night before the event in lieu of a VIP reception. Fifth Third Bank Foundation was the presenting sponsor for the 10th year in a row, and the event had more than 30 other sponsors. Barbara Turner, president and COO of Ohio National Financial Services, was the honorary chair. The emcee was Kristyn Hartman of WCPO Channel 9. More than 100 nonprofit organizations were in attendance, and over 360 people attended the virtual event. NPD promotes philanthropy and recognizes individuals, organizations and businesses that inspire change through nonprofit organizations.

Attorney and civic leader Will Ziegler, executive director of the R.C. Durr Foundation Mary C. Fischer, winner of the Lifetime Achievement in Fundraising award AFP Cincinnati Chapter President Rachel Kirley with Volunteer of the Year winner Gerald H. Greene

Camryn Morrow, winner of Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy

NPD committee member Carol Serrone with Jenny McCloy, Philanthropist of the Year winner along with her husband Bill

Emcee Kristyn Hartman of WCPO Channel 9 in the studio The NPD Committee getting VIP food at Funky’s Catering

Nancy Grayson, president of Horizon Community Funds NPD Chair Elise Hyder with Gerald H. Greene, Volunteer of the Year

NPD Chair Elise Hyder watching the Prestige team AV team at work

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NPD committee member Jake Tancer answering the call to give $5 while taking a selfie

SNAPSHOTS

Back row: Abby Mivelaz, Stacey Lehrter, Kaylyn Wilson, Patty Kinsel, Jacquie Setele and Sara Tallarigo; middle row: Linda Rogers, Shannon Freimuth, Amy Stahley, Jenny Phillips and Mary Setele; front row: Eli Back, Addi Freimuth and Ashlynn Masteller

Hope Squad from Madeira High School

Butterfly effect: Fundraisers boost teen suicide prevention efforts

Mercy Health hospitals show support for Rachel’s Gift

Grant Us Hope will be expanding again after the annual Butterfly Bash broke records with its first-ever virtual event, raising more than $122,000. The Butterfly Bash helps raise awareness and funds for teen mental wellness and suicide prevention, and had a goal of raising $100,000 to add Hope Squads to 20 under-resourced schools in the region. Hope Squad is a peer-to-peer suicide prevention program in more than 150 schools across Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. Funds raised will enable Hope Squads to be placed in 20 more area schools. Prior to the virtual bash, Grant Us Hope also held a Butterfly Blitz, where all gifts made 48 hours prior to the start of the Butterfly Bash were matched up to $50,000. The combined amount raised from the Blitz and the Bash exceeded the event goal.

The 10th Annual Angel Dash Run/Walk was a satellite event to bring bereaved parents together to honor and remember their special angels. The event also serves as the largest yearly fundraiser for Rachel’s Gift, with the main walk/run in Georgia. Rachel’s Gift is a nonprofit organization based near Atlanta that supports caregivers and families enduring pregnancy and infant loss. The Mercy Health-West Hospital and Fairfield Hospital labor and delivery units have received support from Rachel’s Gift in the past. In 2019 the hospital was asked to host a satellite run/walk in Cincinnati. The 2020 Cincinnati walk/run walk/run had 89 registrants. West Hospital’s Labor and Delivery unit raised funds to become event sponsors.

VIRTUAL

Making a Difference

EVENT

THANK YOU TO OUR 2020 SPONSORS

PRESENTING SPONSOR

Changing Lives

Building Futures

HOSTED BY

THANK YOU!

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2020 COMMUNITY AWARD WINNERS Philanthropists of the Year | Bill and Jenny McCloy Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy | Camryn Morrow Volunteer of the Year | Gerald H. Greene Outstanding Foundation/Corporation | The R.C. Durr Foundation, Inc. Lifetime Achievement in Fundraising | Mary C. Fischer

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SNAPSHOTS

Preservation Association spotlights Women of Music Hall Fall Forum Chair Margaret Valentine, keynote speaker Thea Tjepkema and Cincinnati Ballet Artistic Director Victoria Morgan

Photo by Paul Muller

Cincinnati Preservation Association recently celebrated its 25th Annual Fall Forum with a socially distanced and virtual event at the Hilton Netherland Plaza’s Hall of Mirrors. Though the format was different, the event, chaired by long-time Fall Forum chair Margaret Valentine, still made a big impact. Preservationist and historian Thea Tjepkema presented a keynote address: “Muses: The Women of Music Hall.” Tjepkema shared stories about the women who have graced Music Hall since its inception, from opera divas to musicians, art collectors and wrestlers. Tjepkema highlighted women who participated in other ways, including helping build and preserve Music Hall.

Lykins golf outing raises $75,000 for CASA More than 100 golfers teed it up for Lykins Energy Solutions’ annual golf outing, raising $75,000 for the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program in Clermont County. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, there were about 100 fewer golfers than last year, but there was no lack of generous support for CASA. Since 1998, the annual outing has raised more than $900,000 for CASA. CASA’s works to improve the lives of abused and neglected children. It serves nearly 200 children annually. Their trained volunteers are appointed by the Clermont County Juvenile Court judge to represent the best interests of abused children.

Laura Calhoun, Sharon Nelson and Nathan Bell of CASA; Roni Williams of DigiMax Signs; Kai Leahy of Legendary Run Golf Course; Mary Eisnaugle, Ron Lykins and Jeff Lykins of Lykins Energy Solutions; Cathy Sahlfeld of CASA

Pittsburgh-based company wins FinTech pitch competition Honeycomb Credit won first place in the FinTech Frontier Pitch Competition, presented by Cintrifuse, Western & Southern Financial Group and Fifth Third Bancorp. FinTech Frontier is a future-focused partnership between Cincinnati-based, industry-leading financial services corporations and Fintech-focused entrepreneurs. The Pitch Contest received more than 50 submissions from 18 states and seven countries. Honeycomb Credit is a Pittsburgh-based business that connects and opens growth opportunities for small businesses by crowdsourcing loans. It is looking to establish itself in the Greater Cincinnati region.

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Honeycomb Credit took home the $25,000 grand prize, while InsureLife took home second prize of $20,000 and WiPROSPER came in third, winning $15,000. All finalists were also given one free year of membership to Cintrifuse, as well as a free coworking pass for a year. George Cook, CEO of Honeycomb Credit From left: John Cammarata, co-founder of InsureLife Will Carter, CEO and co-founder of WiPROSPER Pete Blackshaw, CEO of Cintrifuse

SNAPSHOTS

Behringer-Crawford’s freshART auctions original local works More than 50 original works by local artists were auctioned during the Behringer-Crawford Museum’s 28th annual freshART auction. The event, which was virtual this year, included paintings, drawings, ceramics, glass, jewelry and woodworks, many that were created “fresh” in Devou Park, a tradition that gave the event its name. FreshART benefits the museum’s educational programs. Since 1992, more than a half-million dollars has been raised. Auctioneer H. David Wallace, CEO and board chairman of Heritage Bank, and Rob Currens of Madison Park Productions moderated the event, which also featured BCM Executive Director Laurie Risch and others. Three pieces won this year’s Patricia & William Applegarth Artists Excellence Awards. First went to Ursula Brenner for her acrylic/mixed media, “Color Harmonies.” Billy Tackett’s acrylic painting, “Bee!,” took second. Thirdplace winner was an oil painting by Stephen Jenkins titled “Pam Spoor.” Iris Sullivan, a Holy Cross High School junior, won the Connie O’Donnell Student Art Invitational for the second year with her charcoal drawing, “Ashlyn on the Del Trocadero.”

JDRF bashes fundraising record with virtual Bourbon & BowTie JDRF Southern & Central Ohio recently hosted its seventh annual Bourbon & BowTie Bash event with a different approach. This event typically sells out about 2,000 tickets for a night at the Duke Energy Convention Center. The approach in this pandemic year was to pivot to an "at home" concept. The event sold out weeks in advance, with 450 tickets purchased. Ticket purchasers hosted small gatherings at their homes with immediate family and friends. In total, the event raised nearly $200,000 and set a new net fundraising record for the local JDRF chapter. JDRF funds medical research into type 1 diabetes and services for the T1D population. Jennifer Dressler with her bow-tied pup

The Glass family hosted their event with Halloween costumes.

Artist Alesia Yusko Artist Christine Kuhr

Artist Stephen Jenkins Curator of collections Jason French and emcee Rob Currens

Video production crew: Sara Braden, Mary Jane Calderon and Daniel Calderon

Artist Billy Tackett Artist Cedric Cox

A guest wears his Uncle Nearest face mask from his swag bag. The Hughes family gathered in celebration of Jack, age 93, who lives with T1D.

Lily, Sierra and Alice O’Bryan hosted a sister family get together in honor of Lily and Alice, both of whom have T1D. Sean Lee and friends changed into their Jim Beam tank tops, provided in the swag bag

Mixologist Kelly Johnson

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SNAPSHOTS

DePaul Cristo Rey Golf Classic raises $60,000 for tuition help

The winning foursome: Peter Kelly, Chris DiBattista, Alan Lenahan and Nick Reilly

Steve Robertson, Pat Robertson, Susie Lame and John Lame

Pat Dearing, Paul Ritter, Kevin Schwarz and Tim Schroeder

New female entrepreneurs take flight with Aviatra Accelerators Six female entrepreneurs from Greater Cincinnati recently participated in the Flight Night Pitch Competition. Celeste Maksim took first place pitching her software platform, Maksimus Productions. Maksim was awarded $5,000 and the title of 2020 Aviatra Flight Night Winner. The online competition was hosted by Aviatra Accelerators, which held a watch party and awards presentation at CoHatch in Mason. More than 500 viewers watched the competition remotely and voted for Bailey Bryant and her business, Healthmatch360, as the Fan Favorite. Also watching were the participants’ mentors from SCORE Greater Cincinnati, who counseled them throughout the 12-week program. Maksim was counseled by SCORE mentor Kelly Dehan and Bryant was counseled by SCORE mentor Bob Leslie. “Each year that we host Flight Night to celebrate and promote another cohort of female founders I am more and more impressed,” said Nancy Aichholz, CEO and president of Aviatra Accelerators. Other area participants were second runners-up Keri Kilroy, Donna’s Gourmet Cookies; Heather Couch, Couch Family BBQ, Catering and Desserts; Megan McClendon, One Sweet Box. Sarah Kleiner, Kelly Dehan and Wendy Klepcyk

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Barb Bennie, Linda Fath, Nancy Shepardson and Linda Spadaccini

2020 Aviatra Flight Night winner Celeste Maksim with CEO and president of Aviatra Accelerators Nancy Aichholz Celeste Maksim

Photos by Forever Faith Photography

More than 100 golfers hit the links at the Western Hills Country Club to play in the ninth annual DePaul Cristo Rey Golf Classic. The sold-out event raised more than $60,000 to support DPCR’s Tuition Assistance Fund. This event is an important source of support because every student attending DePaul Cristo Rey receives financial aid. Fast Park & Relax was the Presenting Sponsor; the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati and Terra Firma Associates were the Gold Sponsors. Dick Haglage was the event chair. DePaul Cristo Rey is a Catholic, college-preparatory high school with a mission to educate young people who have the potential but limited financial means to go to college.

Nancy Aichholz and Molly Berrens

Dr. Lakshmi Sammarco accepts award from Margo Spence, First Step Home president and CEO.

First Step Home presents annual awards to top supporters First Step Home presented its 2020 Annual Recognition Awards to David Mann, Dr. Lakshmi Sammarco and Liz Carter/Scripps Howard Foundation. The recipients were honored at socially distanced outdoor gatherings for their long-term support of First Step Home and dedication to the community. FSH is a women’sonly substance abuse disorder treatment center in Walnut Hills. Outstanding Individual award winner David Mann has been a

dedicated FSH supporter and is responsible for arranging the key funding from the city for the Fulton apartment building renovation. Outstanding Individual Dr. Lakshmi Sammarco lends her guidance and medical expertise to FSH on issues related to substance abuse. She is Hamilton County coroner. Outstanding Foundation, Liz Carter/Scripps Howard Foundation, has been a generous supporter of FSH over the years.

THANK YOU TO OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS FOR OUR 2020 DINING IN THE DARK VIRTUAL EVENT!

EXCLUSIVE PRESENTING SPONSOR

PLATINUM SPONSORS

David Mann accepts award from Margo Spence.

GOLD SPONSORS

Liz Carter accepts award from Margo Spence.

TECHNOLOGY SPONSOR

SNAPSHOTS

Pop Up Party raises $450K, tied up with a Pink Ribbon The Cris Collinsworth ProScan Fund’s annual Pink Ribbon Luncheon was turned into a virtual event this year due to the pandemic. The repackaged Pink Ribbon Pink Pop Up Party was a huge success, raising more than $450,000 for the fund’s Pink Ribbon Programs to fight breast cancer. Hosted by Cris Collinsworth, the event featured a performance by Martina McBride and a special message from recording star Jewel. Virtual guests gathered from the safety of their homes and the Pink Pop Up Party theme encouraged viewers to decorate and wear pink, with the best pink party winning a free table at next year’s 20th anniversary celebration, set for Oct. 14. Karen Cassidy and the Pink Flamingo

The Collinsworths, The Pomeranzs, The O’Briens, and Tom and Francie Hiltz (presenting sponsors with The Harold C. Schott Foundation) at the Prestige Studio Mark and Ellen Knue’s Pink Party celebration

Country singer-songwriter Martina McBride performed for the Pink Ribbon event.

The Pink Ladies Pink Pop Up Party

Private house parties centerpiece of Cancer Family Care fundraiser Cancer Family Care’s first fundraiser in 1979 was an intimate wine tasting event. Forty-one years later, in the middle of a pandemic, it went back to its roots to hold multiple private house parties for this year’s 41st Annual Wine Tasting & Auction. More than 35 homes opened their doors to small gatherings of friends and family. The event, with live and silent auctions, raffles and a balloon auction, raised more than $250,000. Households joined the Virtual Event and Live Auction. Paula Toti and Kyle Inskeep from Local 12 WKRC emceed. The event shared client stories about how CFC has helped them. Even though the bidders were not together, there were a number of bidding wars, including an exciting one over the night’s final auction item: 52 weeks of wine.

Jeff Kosuda, Christen Barbercheck, Katie Fogarty, Josh Rosenberger, Brittany Speed, Lauren Dammel, Justin Dammel, Tom Vuotto and Lisa Speer

Nicole Meyers, Suzanne Tanguay, Iris Libby, Marilyn Harris, Randy Meyers, Cathy Swartz and Tori McDonald

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Barbara Weinberg, Irwin Weinberg, Shannon Read, Pat Gaito, Clint Haynes, Jeanne Haynes, Jan Smith and Graig Smith

SNAPSHOTS

Celebrating the work of nonprofits serving our community The Syrian Shrine Clowns provided laughter, balloon animals and smiles.

OneSource thanks nonprofit workers with drive-through circus fun The Cincinnati region is made stronger through the front-line work of local nonprofits, and this service was celebrated at OneSource Center’s A Circus with a Purpose. The drive-through circus event, held outdoors at the Cincinnati Museum Center, was open to all regional nonprofits and their families. Hundreds of people celebrated their way through the socially distant festivities. The afternoon featured acts from The Cincinnati Circus, with the Syrian Shrine Clowns, the Polished Brass Quintet, Cincinnati Reds’ Rosie Red and the Cincinnati Fire Museum. Guests enjoyed ice cream from United Dairy Farmers, goodie bags and circus popcorn.

“Nonprofits are struggling as they face increased challenges due to the pandemic. As a nonprofit resource center, we see the impact of these challenges daily as we help nonprofits address their business, training and operational needs,” said OneSource Center CEO Christie Brown. OneSource Center’s board, sponsors and donors wanted to say thank you to nonprofit workers who are going above and beyond, she said. A virtual finale was held in the evening that celebrated OneSource Center Award Honorees. The Corporate Community Partner Award Honorees were Photonics Inc. and The HealthCare Connection. The OneSource Center Founder’s Award went to Dick Fencl.

The Cincinnati Circus provided a variety of performances at A Circus with a Purpose, including aerial acrobatics, juggling, fire twirling, the “Wheel of Destiny” and dance performances.

A Circus with a Purpose Community Partner Awards

Founder’s Award

Photonics Inc. The HealthCare Connection

Dick Fencl

Presenting Sponsor

Ringleader Sponsors

Juggling Acts Sponsors

McCloy Family Foundation

OneSource Center would like to thank all of its community partners and sponsors, volunteers and donors for making this year’s event a huge success.

OneSource Center, the only resource center for nonprofits in the region, strengthens and supports leaders and their organizations, enhancing their capacity for greater impact in the community. Together we build a thriving community for all.

Cincinnati Circus’ fire-juggler

www.OneSourceCenter.org New location: 936 Dalton Avenue, Cincinnati 45203

A Circus with a Purpose drew hundreds of nonprofit families.

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SNAPSHOTS Mary Welsh Schlueter, Partnership for Innovation in Education (1st Place)

Social Venture Partners awards $90K in reimagined Fast Pitch event Social Venture Partners Cincinnati recently presented Fast Pitch 2020 – The Virtual Edition. Twelve local nonprofits offered three-minute presentations about their work and why it matters. This year, however, pitches were delivered online. Over the course of three days, ticket holders viewed the videos and voted for their favorites. Proceeds from ticket sales provided more than $90,000 in unrestricted grant money and consulting scholarships for all finalists. The top winners in the juried categories: • Partnership for Innovation in Education, Grand Prize, $15,000, sponsored by Fifth Third Bank. • Girls Health Period, Second Prize, $10,000, sponsored by

Interact for Health. • Brewhaus Bakery, Third Prize, $5,000, sponsored by Interact for Health. Fast Pitch is an eight-week nonprofit training program in storytelling. Nonprofits are matched with individual Social Venture Partners to practice, refine and hone their messages. “While the training and award money are what first attracts nonprofits to Fast Pitch, participants tell us they really value the networking and connections they make through the process,” said Chris Shroat, SVP partner and Fast Pitch 2020 co-chairperson.

Brittani Gray, Girls Health Period (2nd Place) Eric Ball, Brewhaus Bakery (3rd Place)

Ales to Zinfandels shifts to virtual event for Bethany House Bethany House’s 17th annual Ales to Zinfandels fundraiser pivoted from a one-night wine tasting to a three-night virtual event. Each evening showcased Bethany families, staff and volunteers providing testimonials on the impact the agency has on Cincinnati’s most vulnerable. Night One started with a trivia challenge with prizes. On Night Two, guests learned the tricks of the trade from experts in craft beer, wine and spirits. The event wrapped on Night Three with a gourmet cooking demonstration by Chef Brandon Fortener of Kroger’s Zero Hunger, Zero Waste program. Bethany House Services is Cincinnati’s largest provider of emergency shelter and housing programs for families experiencing homelessness.

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Craft beer expert Brian Yavorsky joined Kyle Inskeep, WKRC news anchor, for cocktail hour.

Chef Brandon Fortener of Kroger’s Zero Hunger, Zero Waste program and WLWT news reporter Jatara McGee hosted the Ales to Zinfandels gourmet pizza cooking event.

The Ales to Zinfandels cocktail hour was hosted by Kyle Inskeep, WKRC news anchor, and mixologist Tyler McCowan.

Jennifer Ketchmark, WCPO meteorologist, hosted the Ales to Zinfandels Trivia Night.

Gage Wooley, special event and volunteer coordinator at Bethany House Services

SNAPSHOTS

Sporting Clays tourney hits $77K for Stepping Stones Stepping Stones raised more than $77,000 at its fourth annual Sporting Clays Tournament at the Sycamore Pheasant Club in Loveland. “2020 has been a hard year for many, especially those with disabilities,” said co-chairs Peter Borchers and Brian Folke. “We are thankful to the community for coming out and supporting Stepping Stones and the programs that are so needed right now.” Attendees hit the course for a clay shoot featuring 75 targets and a flurry game. Mark Cunningham, Mark Greene, Mark Hill, Lance Lohr and Tony Scalia won the team competition and Herb Schul was the individual winner. The event’s platinum sponsors were the Austin E. Knowlton Foundation and an anonymous donor. Gold sponsors were the Jeff Wyler Automotive Family and Brock & Scott PLLC. Stepping Stones is a United Way partner agency serving more than 1,100 children, teens and adults with year-round programs in Batavia, Indian Hill, Norwood and Western Hills.

Co-chairs Peter Borcher and Brian Folke Herb Schul shows off his bourbon prize as the first place individual shooter.

Mark Greene, Lance Lohr, Mark Hill, Tony Scalia and Mark Cunningham won the team competition.

Kerry Mongelluzzo and Ann Gibson

Jazz singer Mandy Gaines entertained during the virtual live program.

ERS gala raises $300,000 to aid seniors Episcopal Retirement Services (ERS) raised more than $300,000 through its recent Together We Rise Virtual Gala to benefit seniors served by ERS. A highlight of the 90-minute live broadcast from the Hilton Netherland Plaza included the debut of the historic Manse Apartments renovation project, creating 60 apartments for low-income seniors. The Manse Hotel appeared in The Green Book, a guide for African-American travelers during the era of segregation. It is located in Walnut Hills, not far from the famed King Records studio. Notable guests included legendary jazz musicians and famous athletes. Due to its dilapidated condition and its designation on the National Register of Historic Places, the project is unusually costly. A $500,000 capital campaign is underway for the renovation. ERS exists to enrich the lives of older adults, providing life-changing services. With the help of donors, the organization will invest more than $2 million to serve nearly 15,000 people in 2020.

Kathy Ison-Lind, vice president for affordable housing & in-home services for Episcopal Retirement Services, at the podium during the gala The program featured ERS’ renovation project for the historic Manse Hotel.

WLWT-TV news broadcaster Courtis Fuller served as emcee.

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OPINION | Guest editorial by David Lyman

In Memoriam 2020 The year that changed the arts

t sounded simple enough. My assignment for Movers & Makers’ silver-anniversary issue was to reflect on the arts in the year that wasn’t – 2020. But very quickly, my article started to read like an obituary. There were so many things that I had planned to see and hear that didn’t take place: “Hamilton” at the Aronoff. “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. Louis

be the year I saw more of Eckart Preu’s remarkably inventive programming during Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra’s Summermusik. I would learn more about David Choate’s Revolution Dance Theatre, too, and dig deeper into the expanding empire of the Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati. You probably have your own list – exhibitions, concerts, performances that stood out from the crowd, things

You probably have your own list – exhibitions, concerts, performances that stood out from the crowd, things that demanded to be experienced and would shepherd you through the darkest months of winter. And then, they were gone. David Lyman and his son, Oliver

Langrée’s “Mozart’s Paris” program with the CSO, followed a week later by the world premiere of Julia Adolphe’s “Paper Leaves on Fields of Clay.” I couldn’t wait to see the pared-down, one-person version of “A Christmas Carol” at the Playhouse in the Park. There was Cincinnati Opera’s 100th season, too, and a grand farewell to longtime General Director Patty Beggs. Over at Cincinnati Ballet, there would be special performances commemorating the career of Cervilio Miguel Amador, arguably the most riveting dancer to perform with the company this century. I was determined that 2020 would 34

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that demanded to be experienced and would shepherd you through the darkest months of winter. And then, they were gone. Not at once, though. COVID-19 has been a cruel and slow-moving nemesis, as each successive month brought with it new rounds of cancellations, crushing whatever optimism remained in us. At first, we thought things might get better by June. Then September. Or December. And now, we’re hoping for a return to normalcy – whatever that may mean – by the fall of 2021. Grim. I feel bad for our major arts institutions. They have closed their doors and laid off many hundreds of

Movers & Makers

people with exceptional skills. But I am confident those organizations will survive. And most of them will come out of it changed, perhaps, but relatively unscathed. But I fret for smaller organizations: the galleries and dance studios, storefront theaters and pick-up music groups that don’t have the deep pockets that the big guys do. Will they make it? Even more, I worry about the individuals – the people who really make up what we call our arts community. We’ve seen many of them, the actors and directors and musicians and other onstage performers. But there are even more people with arts-related careers who are largely invisible to us – designers, marketers, box office personnel, janitorial staff, scenic artists, stagehands, house managers ... Think about it. Even if an organization manages to livestream a concert, there is no need for a house manager to assist a non-existent audience. Now, the majority of these people who have done so much for us are unemployed. Worse yet, they have no guarantees that their jobs will be there when COVID-19 loosens its grip on us. In the meantime, bills have to be paid. How many careers will be permanently redirected? It’s disheartening to think about. Will people’s careers be so hopelessly thrown off course that they never recover? What if they have spent years aiming for a career path that will no longer exist? So despair all you need to. The situation warrants it. But here’s what I keep reminding myself. No matter how grim things feel right now, the arts will survive. That much I can guarantee you. Every single arts group, large or small, could cease operations and people would still want to sing. They’d want to dance or tell stories. There will always be someone to put on a show, draw a picture, hum a tune. Always. Those who make art for us will, no doubt, experience many sleepless

nights as they agonize about all of this. But in the end, they will endure. Somehow. They’ll livestream readings. They’ll stage socially distanced events. They will paint and build and create things that will leave our lives better than they might have been. And those organizations? They’ll continue to move forward. We can see some of it taking place in front of our eyes, such as the construction of Cincinnati Ballet’s new home on Gilbert Avenue and the preparations for the Playhouse in the Park’s new theater complex. We can read more about Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati’s plans for the Emery Theatre. Over at the Cincinnati Art Museum, we can already clamber up the glorious new sculpture-lined Art Walk. Perhaps this will be the year you finally make that long-overdue trek to the Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum. The arts have survived far worse than COVID-19. For more than 2,500 years, people have gathered together to see stories acted out in front of them. We’ve played music even longer. And dancing? From the moment children are able to walk, they show their joy by bobbing and skipping and moving their bodies. The arts, in their most elemental forms, are what we do. 

David Lyman is the dance and theater writer for The Cincinnati Enquirer, as well as a contributing writer to Movers & Makers and Cincy. Previously, he was a features writer for the Detroit Free Press and an arts generalist for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. For nearly a decade, he was a consultant for the National Endowment for the Arts. He is the author of “Cincinnati Ballet Celebrates 50” and spent a year traveling the world as the editor of the Chivas Life Guide. He also drove a taxi in New York City, stage-managed off-Broadway and created a Music Hall production that featured nearly 400 tubas.

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3443 EDWARDS ROAD, CINCINNATI

December 2020 / January 2021

Articles inside

A cover story: Movers & Makers celebrates a 25-year history

The year that changed the arts

Fundraising in the time of coronavirus

Bringing new music to new ears

'Journey BOREALIS'