Eastern hills journal 120915 by Enquirer Media

EASTERN HILLS

JOURNAL

Your Community Press newspaper serving Columbia Township, Columbia-Tusculum, Fairfax, Hyde Park, Madisonville, Mariemont, Mt. Lookout, Oakley, Terrace Park

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2015

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BECAUSE COMMUNITY MATTERS

Annual luminaria event returns to Mount Lookout Sheila A. Vilvens svilvens@communitypress.com

The warm glow of luminaria burning, the sweet smell of toasting marshmallows and s’mores and an appearance by Santa Claus are all part of the 40th annual Mount Lookout holiday season Luminaria event.

From 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13, all are invited to the Geo. H. Rohde & Son Funeral Home, 3183 Linwood Ave., near Mount Lookout Square where a fire pit will help keep visitors toasty. There will be free hot chocolate donated by Lookout Joe’s, s’mores, cookies, Christmas music and a visit from Santa, owner of Keepsake

Photography and member of the Mount Lookout Community Council/Business Association Kim Rice said. Light up the Square is in coordination with the Mount Lookout Luminaria. The community council and community volunteers work to sell and set See EVENT, Page 2A

THANKS TO THE MOUNT LOOKOUT BUSINESS ASSOCIATION

A fire pit warms guests at last year’s Mount Lookout Square Luminaria event.

IPM Christmas program serving ‘unprecedented’ number of families Sheila A. Vilvens svilvens@communitypress.com

An unprecedented number of families this year are part the Inter Parish Ministry’s anAdopt-a-Family for nual Christmas program. All 375 families from eastern Hamilton County and Clermont County have been adopted, representing more than 1,500 individuals, IPM service coordinator Sarah Cadle said. The families are adopted by members of the community and organizations who anonymously provide Christmas for them, development director Gail Koford said. Our Lord Christ the King Catholic Church in Mount Lookout adopted 300 individuals, Cadle said. They are the biggest donor. The family adoption process starts in October with groups/organizations and residents adopting one or more families. The IPM adopt-a-family program is just a small part of what Christ the King Church does over the holiday season. There are two aspects, parishioner Dennie Patton, Mount Lookout, said. There is the giving tree where the ornaments for the IPM adopt-a-family gift requests are placed along with gift requests for children at Children’s Hospital. The other aspect is the church’s own adopt-a-family program which serves about 50 families from the east end, she said. The parishioners at Christ the King, as a general rule, are very blessed, Patton said. The congregation is small to medium in size. About 500 people take ornaments off of the tree and/or adopt families or do-

THANKS TO GAIL KOFORD

Sarah Cadle begins prepping some of the toys and decorated trees for the Toy Store with the help of volunteers Claudine Elzey and Jan Sparks (both of Anderson Township). The Toy Store is one of several special programs, including Adopt-A-Family, Inter Parish Ministry in Newtown provides.

nate money. “We’ve been given a lot and our parishioners know that and the holiday, it’s such a wonderful time to help others and give back,” she said. “And there are a lot of people in our area who are in need.” Because IPM serves families on this side of Cincinnati, it’s a good match for the church, Patton said. And there is a lot of need in the community around the church found especially in the east end.

“They are our neighbors,” Patton said. Last year, Cadle said 340 families were adopted for Christmas through the IPM program. The increase in numbers isn’t a surprise to her. “I’ve been doing this for 15 years and the program was going on when I started,” Cadle said. “Obviously it’s grown by leaps and bounds, especially when the economy tanked. The numbers then doubled

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and never really went down.” Some of those being served might now have jobs but are no longer making a living wage, she said. “We see a lot of people who this is the only service they use that we offer,” Cadle said. “They come in because they know it’s going to be tight and this is that little bit extra that helps.” While the program helps to supplement an otherwise meager Christmas for some fam-

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ilies, it represents the only source of Christmas gifts for others, she said. Each family lists items they need or want for Christmas for their children and themselves, Koford said. Many times the gifts that they ask for are everyday items most people take for granted like towels, laundry soap, a laundry basket or a warm blanket, she said. IPM is seeing an increase in the number of senior citizens in the adopt-a-family program, Cadle said. Many now find themselves having custody of their grandchildren and are struggling to provide food and clothes for them. The gift lists for senior citizens tend to be for items such as toaster ovens, sheets, blankets, warm socks, warm boots and warm sweaters, she said. The wish lists of single moms are very similar, Cadle said. They tend to ask for practical things and items for their children. IPM staffers encourage them to also include on their lists at least one item they would like for Christmas that they would not buy for themselves. “Everyone wants a little magic for the holidays,” she said. In addition to the bag of Christmas gifts, each family also receives a frozen turkey and grocery gift cards. While all the families have been adopted, Cadle said IPM is still in need of gift cards. Each family receives at least one gift card to help buy a Christmas meal. If a gift list item for an adopted family is forgotten or misplaced, gift See FAMILIES, Page 2A