CanO In Action

By ELIZABETH LONGABERGER

CandO has been working extra hard this year to keep the Junior League of Cincinnati’s volunteer service active. Given the Covid restrictions, they have had to be even more creative with their efforts. One of the co-chairs this year, Kirtley Krombholz, described how they have had both in-person and virtual events so that people with varying comfort-levels could still be involved with the program.

The virtual events turned out to be quite successful. In late summer and early fall, CandO held a school supplies drive for RefugeeConnect and made “kitchen kits” for virtual classes with La Soupe. In the fall, CandO held a gift card drive for Saturday Hoops and a “Push for Pencils” with Crayons to Computers. Kirtley says that “The virtual events have gone better than expected and we are hoping to continue them until everyone feels safe to volunteer inperson again.” These events did a great job of tapping in to the League’s desire to serve the community, despite the continuing restrictions.

Some of the in-person events have included volunteering at the Freestore Foodbank, St. Francis Seraph Dining Room, and St. Vincent de Paul. The League also hosted a sandwich-making event for Our Daily Bread at the Columbia Center, which continues to be a crowd favorite! The League members attended a package assembly event for The Snow Bunny Baby Project which is a drive for basic needs for families with babies in the NICU at hospitals in the area.

In November, CandO continued hosting Sweet Cheeks diaper wrappings, which will continue monthly for the rest of the League year. Through the end of January, CandO offered a coat drive for St. Vincent de Paul. CandO recruited members of the League and their families for family volunteer day, where volunteers wrote notes of encouragement to senior citizens with United Way.

In the spring, the CandO committee is looking forward to a winter accessory drive with the Boys and Girls club. They also hope to add events with Saturday Hoops and Girls on the Run as well.

From the Archives: Avon Tennis Tournament and the JLC

By CASEY BINDER

Today, the Western & Southern Open comes to mind when thinking about major tennis tournaments in Cincinnati— but in 1975, the Avon Tennis Tournament served as the major fundraiser for the Junior League of Cincinnati. The Avon Tennis Tournament was a part of the women’s tennis circuit happening in various places across the country. Winners of the Tournament would have the opportunity to play at Madison Square Garden in New York City for the championship.

JLC member Chris Stubbins managed the public relations and marketing efforts for the Tournament, and said it was a very successful fundraiser. At that time, the JLC relied heavily on newspaper coverage, radio ads and corporate sponsorships to secure funding. Stubbins said, following her career that managed many notable events in Cincinnati, she viewed every event like a ‘startup,’ thinking about what will appeal the most to each audience she’s targeting. Although mediums for marketing look different today, the intention is still the same.

At that time, Avon was headquartered in Cincinnati and the JLC leveraged the Avon Tennis Tournament as a fundraiser for several years into the early 1980’s. Eventually, the League transitioned to an ice skating tournament as our major fundraising event, with Stubbins continuing to manage public relations and marketing for this initiative. She also chaired it for a year.

If you’d like to learn more about these unique fundraisers from the past, keep an eye on the JLC website and social media pages. There will be an upcoming podcast from the Archives taking a deep dive into these events!