CHARITABLE ALL-STARS 2019
CHARITABLE
ALL-STARS 2019 There are so many good causes in the world. From assisting families find access to food to helping teens get their first job, there are hundreds of good causes that are being supported by local nonprofits. And passionate, fantastic volunteers—who care deeply for their causes—are supporting those nonprofits. Each year, we reach out to local charities to ask for their Charitable All-Stars—the standout people who donate their time and energy in ways that exceed what was asked. These are people who work passionately for what they care about while asking for nothing in return. The following pages introduce people who have gone above and beyond for their causes—meet the 2019 Charitable All-Stars.
BY THE EDITORS
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JEANETTE ALTENAU Freestore Foodbank
As TriHealth’s director of community relations, Jeanette Altenau works with nearly every nonprofit in the Cincinnati area. Although the job comes with 12-hour days, working weekends and holidays, Altenau wouldn’t have it any other way. “I have a lot of passion for what I do in this job and if you didn’t it would be hard to do,” Altenau says. Driven by the belief that every project is equally important, Altenau does whatever it takes to make sure her clients fulfill their goals. When a Healthy Harvest Mobile Market truck (which brings fresh and healthy foods to Cincinnati communities) broke down, Altenau stepped in. She had volunteers head to a local grocery store and set up folding chairs to distribute the food, making sure everyone got what they needed. “You become very aware that there are people depending on you to keep your word,” she says. “You don’t know that
there’s not a mom some w here w ho got up that day and t he on l y r e a s on she knows her kids are going to eat the rest of the week is because that food is goi ng to be i n that location at that time.” Nom i nated b y Trish Rayner, vice president of external affairs for the Fre estore Foodbank, Altenau says that working with so many nonprofits allows her to see the effects of her help culminate throughout the community. For school children, she sees the combined impact of a Marvin Lewis Community Fund project that promotes retention; the Crayons to Computers program, which provides school supplies; and the Freestore Foodbank Power Pack program, which provides ready-to-eat snack packs.
“Part of the most rewarding part about my job is you can see how an organization like TriHealth, making the right strategic decisions in the community, can have such an amazing ripple effect,” she says. “Its an amazing gift in my life that you get to be a part of so many transformational changes and so many amazing projects.” - Scott Unger
CHARITABLE GIVING PROFILE
MATTHEW 25: MINISTRIES
11060 Kenwood Road • Cincinnati, OH 45242 513-793-6256 • m25m.org Year founded: 1991 Top Executive Officer: Tim Mettey, CEO Board Chair: Michael Brandy President, Brandicorp
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atthew 25: Ministries is an international humanitarian aid and disaster relief organization helping the poorest of the poor and disaster victims locally, nationally and internationally regardless of race, creed or political persuasion. By rescuing and reusing products from major corporations and manufacturers, Matthew 25: Ministries provides basic necessities, educational materials, medical supplies, building supplies and disaster relief across the US and worldwide. Matthew 25: Ministries has grown rapidly in recent years, thanks to the generosity of our volunteers and donors. Matthew 25: Ministries now ships more than 16 million pounds of aid a year—over 900 truckloads—helping more than 22 million people throughout the U.S. and around the world.
Matthew 25: Ministries strives to fulfill Matthew 25:34-40 by providing nutritional food to the hungry, clean water to the thirsty, clothing to the naked, affordable shelter to the homeless, medical care to the ill and humanitarian supplies to those in need. Matthew 25 uses these product donations as building blocks to encourage individuals to help themselves and to develop healthier, more self-sufficient, sustainable communities. Additionally, Matthew 25: Ministries is committed to fulfilling Matthew 25:40 by educating the public on the conditions and needs of the “least of these” and by providing resources for action. Matthew 25: Ministries programs fall into four major categories that include Humanitarian Aid Distribution, Disaster Relief Services, Manufacturing and Special Programs. Because of its rapid growth, Matthew 25: Ministries is launching a multi-faceted facility expansion that will enable it to continue growing and reaching more people in need.
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CHARITABLE ALL-STARS 2019
JIM SCOTT
The Salvation Army of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky For Jim Scott, former WLW radio host who many woke up to for nearly 50 years, volunteering is a no-brainer. “I have really always felt that I had a responsibility to volunteer and help nonprofit organizations,” he says. “I could make a difference and, in some cases, maybe more than the average person could because I could talk about it on the radio and just spend time doing it. I’ve always been a volunteer.” Scott has volunteered for 50 years with organizations like the United Way, March of Dimes, and Freestore Foodbank, and this year he is once again chairman of the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle and Love Your Neighbor campaigns. Scott has chaired the Red Kettle campaign several times, but last year his efforts went into overdrive, with the campaign raising close to $1 million. What changed from 2016 to 2017 is that Scott and the Sal-
CHARITABLE GIVING PROFILE
NATIONAL UNDERGROUND RAILROAD FREEDOM CENTER 50 East Freedom Way • Cincinnati, OH 45202 513-333-7739 • freedomcenter.org/donate
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he National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is a museum of conscience, an education center, a convener of dialogue and a beacon of light for inclusive freedom around the globe. We reveal stories about freedom’s heroes, from the era of the Underground Railroad to contemporary times, challenging and inspiring everyone to take courageous steps of freedom today. Our physical location in downtown Cincinnati is just a few steps from the banks of the Ohio River, the great natural barrier that separated the slave states of the South from the free states of the North. Since opening in 2004, we have filled a substantial void in our nation’s cultural heritage. Rooted in the stories of the Underground Railroad, we illuminate the true meaning of inclusive freedom by presenting permanent and special exhibits that inspire, public programming that provokes dialogue and action, and educational resources that equip modern abolitionists.
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vation Army turned much of their focus from raising funds to recruiting more volunteers. “In 2016 … we raised a lot of money but as I remember it we missed [the goal] by at least a couple hundred thousand dollars. I remember at the end of that campaign saying, ‘What do you think the problem is?’” he says. “Without missing a beat, they said, ‘Well, we need more volunteer bell ringers.’ … I was really sort of surprised … I would think that the community as a whole just doesn’t understand that you need volunteer bell ringers.” To fulfill this need, the Salvation Army developed the Love Your Neighbor campaign. Scott says they’ve found success reaching out to possible volunteers with specific days and times, and they’ve been able to keep more buckets out at locations throughout the Tristate during the holiday season. “The thing about Jim is he not only says to folks, ‘Come volunteer,’ he does it himself,” says Larry Ashcraft, divisional leader of the Salvation Army of Greater Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky. “I remember one
time going to the Key Bank in Hyde Park, Jim was just standing there. … I think Jim, when he does something, he jumps in with both feet. There’s not one toe in the water.” Julie Budden, divisional director of development for the Salvation Army of Greater Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky, says that the nonprofit saw a 322.5 percent increase in volunteers for the 2017 Christmas season.
As successful as 2017 was, Scott is looking to have an even better season in 2018. “I just think it’s a wonderful organization and their motto about do the most good, they really do and they help so many different people. They help kids, they help seniors, poor people. It’s very broad what they do all across this area,” he says. - Corinne Minard
Jim Scott encouraged others to volunteer during LoveYourNeighbor Saturdays.
Yearly Impact Giving access to underresourced friends
Preschoolers ready for kindergarten
$3,052,000 Free meals served
372,000 Campers discover independence
3,500
Safer swimmers
5,800
1,259 College scholarships awarded
$584,000 Teens gain work experience
905
Seniors connect meaningfully
Volunteers give back
4,922
14,000
Help us do more good!
MyY.org/give
YMCA of Greater Cincinnati 1105 Elm Street | Cincinnati OH 45202 w w w.
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CHARITABLE ALL-STARS 2019
JOHN KORN ArtWorks
With more than 100 murals completed in 36 Cincinnati neighborhoods and seven local cities it’s hard not to see the beauty created by the youth apprentices and professional artists at ArtWorks. But John Korn knows there’s something more important behind all those murals and other programs at ArtWorks. “I don’t
think enough people know what is behind it,” says Korn, the past board president and current board member at ArtWorks. What’s behind “it” is an inspirational story of touching the lives of countless numbers of teens in a positive way, says the co-owner of American Scaffolding. “We’re creating great, beautiful public art and then we’re also doing it in a way that helps give back to the community,” says Korn ArtWorks gives back to the community by hiring youth ages 14 to 20, half of whom are from low-income households, and teaching them not only how to make art and murals but how to be responsible. For many of the 150 youth ArtWorks employs each summer, it is their first job, he says. And he loves to watch the young artists grow. “We interview them in March and they go from very shy and timid to young people who will stand up in front of a hundred people and talk like
it’s nothing,” says Korn. It inspires him to keep serving on the board at ArtWorks. “There’s a lot of good things in this city that you can do and this is one of my favorite things,” he says. “The more they ask me to do the more I just want to keep doing as much as I can to stay involved and do what I can and be a part of it.” - Eric Spangler
“Charity is the cement that binds communities to God, and persons to one another.” - St. Vincent de Paul
Help a neighbor in need. SVDPcincinnati.org
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“We cannot thank CABVI enough for supporting Andrew’s passion for music and technology.” –Amy, mother of Andrew Gillespie
Ensuring full lives and community inclusion since 1911. Your tax-deductible gift will support CABVI’s vision rehabilitation services to help people of all ages in our community adapt to severe vision loss.
www.cincyblind.org 513-221-8558 CONNECT WITH US
$25
can provide a radio to listen to RRS broadcasts of printed information.
$50
can provide a white cane to use for safe travel.
$100
can provide a hand-held lighted magnifier for a person with low vision.
$500
can provide adaptive technology instruction.