LOVELAND HERALD
Your Community Press newspaper serving Loveland, Miami Township, Symmes Township
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2015
75¢
BECAUSE COMMUNITY MATTERS
‘Christmas Miracle’ brings relief for Loveland family By Chuck Gibson loveland@communitypress.com
First there were tears, a hug from Destinee, and then Ashleigh Massey and her daughters Destinee and Sarinitee simply held each other and smiled. On Monday, Dec. 22, just three days before Christmas, the women of the Massey family received the gift of relief in the form of a check for $25,000. The check came from an anonymous donor with a note simply stating: “No publicity please. This gift is just between you, Ashleigh, and us. Merry Christmas!” Unsigned. Tears streamed down Ashleigh’s cheeks the instant she saw the check. Emotions choked back her ability to speak. Destinee cried out, “What’s the matter mommy,” as she ran over and hugged her. Susie Bradford, Ashleigh’s mom, called out from across the room, “What’s going on, what is it Ashleigh?” Destinee handed the note and the check over to grandma. She asked Destinee to read it. “Twenty-five THOUSAND DOLLARS,” exclaimed the 9year-old child aloud for all to hear and to understand what just happened. Then more hugs and lots of smiles. After their story first appeared online at Cincinnati.com and then in printed editions of The Cincinnati Enquirer and Loveland Herald, the community opened its hearts and an-
CHUCK GIBSON FOR THE COMMUNITY PRESS
Ashleigh Massey was overcome with emotion upon receiving the anonymous $25,000 donation to pay her nursing school tuition.
CHUCK GIBSON FOR THE COMMUNITY PRESS
Destinee, Ashleigh and Sarinitee Massey are all smiles after receiving their "Christmas Miracle" anonymous donation to pay for Ashleigh's nursing school.
swered the call. Donations on their “GoFundMe” page quickly grew from $565 to $8,340. They closed the page at $9,090
when the large donation brought the sum to nearly $35,000 – more than double their original goal. Many dona-
tions were anonymous. Each one breathed a little more life into Ashleigh and her family. It brought instant relief. “You could see in her face, the stress just went away,” Bradford said of her daughter’s reaction – not to mention her own, and especially Destinee and Sarinitee. The money immediately went to pay off past-due tuition bills and her final term of nursing school to meet RN requirements so she can support her family. The nursing school director wanted a plan showing how she would pay it off by Jan. 2. “I sent an email to the director and said I have the money to pay off my balance and then
some,” Massey said. “To have the money a week before to pay off my balance to zero, it’s just. . .” “It’s a Christmas miracle,” 9year-old Destinee said as she watched her mother spill tears, stand speechless, and then simply smile and breathe as they all hugged. A gift of relief from many and from one anonymous donor. A financial burden lifted. Stress removed. Donations came in $10 $1,000 amounts. Several gave $500 or $100, and every amount in between. Most were anonymous, some listed their name along with well-wishes and their donation amount, but most all were virtual strangers. “This is amazing that people would do this,” Bradford said. “I mean, they didn’t even know us. It reminds us of how good people really are and how nice they can be.” Destinee had friends chase her down in the hallway at school to give her money to help. Her teacher and her teacher’s mom donated. It brought tears in her emotional response. “It made me feel happy,” she said, “because a whole bunch of people that me and my granny, and my mom don’t even know gave to help us.” This outpouring of goodness from the community and one very special anonymous donor has changed their lives again. See MIRACLE, Page A2
Director: ICRC remains ‘relevant’ in changing world By Sheila Vilvens svilvens@communitypress.com
As the revenue stream for many communities in Greater Cincinnati continue to shrink, ways to cut costs remain under the microscope. Services such as community access television are being scrutinized like never before with some communities eliminating or reducing the service. One of the oldest and largest providers of community access television in the Cincinnati area is the Intercommunity Cable Regulatory Commission (ICRC). With these looming financial challenges and signifi-
cant changes in the way people communicate via social media, we asked ICRC Executive Director Brad Stapleton a few questions about the history and future of community access television, specifically ICRC. He provided these responses via email. Background on ICRC – when and how did you begin? “The ICRC was started in the early 1980s by a forward thinking Sharonville council member named Aaron Mackey. This was when cable television was first coming to the area and the idea was that by negotiating as a large group, rather than small individual suburban communi-
MOCK TURTLE SOUP A5
VISIT US ONLINE
Rita shares soup recipes
Find local news at Cincinnati.com
ties, they could attract a larger, more state-of-the-art cable system. The result of that was the state-of-the-art, 60-channel, two wire, interactive Qube cable system from Warner Amex. After the system was built, some of the communities decided to pool their resources to fund and program the community access channels. The ICRC first began producing programs in 1986. “The ICRC is a prime example of shared resources. Not every one of the communities we serve needs a television studio, production truck or playback system but now they all have See ICRC, Page A2
SHEILA VILVENS/THE COMMUNITY PRESS
Brad Stapleton, executive director of ICRC, in the group’s studios in Sharonville.
Contact us
News ..........................248-8600 Retail advertising ..............768-8404 Classified advertising .........242-4000 Delivery ........................576-8240 See page A2 for additional information
Is your child truly ready for kindergarten? AT WARDS CORNER CE-0000610596
513-583-8900
520 Wards Corner Rd Loveland, OH 45140
www.allaboutkidslc.com/wardscorner
We offer pre-school & pre-kindergarten classes geared for kindergarten success!! Call Now! Tour Now!!!
Vol. 96 No. 34 © 2015 The Community Press ALL RIGHTS RESERVED