June 2025

June 2025

FOCUS ON

Housing

Kevin Finn of Strategies to End Homelessness

WHAT’S NEW POLLY CAMPBELL

MUSEUMS & THEATERS

The farmers market as antidote

Moira Weir: United Way’s housing solutions

$1,997,000–$2,037,000

Movers &Makers

June 2025

Publishers’ Letter 4

Arts & Culture 5

MoversMakers.org

Type & Print Museum fetes Gutenberg’s 625th | By Sue MacDonald 5

New at the museums 6

New theatrical works – big and small | By David Lyman 8

The A&C List 10

Manifest cuts ribbon on renovation of headquarters 11

Focus on: Housing & Homelessness 18

Kevin Finn, CEO of Strategies to End Homelessness | By Kathy Doane 18

Notables working in housing and homelessness 20

United Way CEO Moira Weir discusses innovating housing solutions 21

Gifts & Grants 25

The Datebook 26

Social calendar with a spotlight on the movers and makers behind Greater Cincinnati’s fundraisers, friend-raisers and community events

Nonprofit News 31

Names in the News 33

Snapshots 34

CAA crowns champs at Dancing for the Stars 34

Marcy Fitzgerald honored at Hats Galore by Women’s Alliance 35

Cure Starts Now takes in $750K at gala 36

Generosity shines on DePaul Cristo Rey 37

Character Council honors 25 Heroes of Character 38

Village Life Outreach Project celebrates ‘Night on Serengeti’ 39

Giving Voice Foundation raises ‘Mimosas’ for memory care 40

Cincinnati Youth Collaborative celebrates Dream Makers 41

GCF Women’s Fund highlights women’s voices in leadership 42

CancerFree KIDS honors research grantees 43

Anderson Chamber marks half-century of community awards 44

Pro Bono Partnership spotlights volunteer partners 45

GCB highlights Champions of Hope 46

1N5 Spring4Life brings in $260K to boost mental health awareness 47

HOME Fair Housing Luncheon advocates housing justice 47

Karen’s Gift Gala raises $250K for Wellington Foundation 48

Ohio River Foundation’s ‘Watershed Moment’ marks 25 years 48

Jewish Federation luncheon inducts 16 new Lions of Judah 49

The Last Word 50

Polly Campbell: Farmers markets – an antidote to processed life

www.helenadamsphotography.com

helen@helenadamsphotography.com

Having a safe, consistently predictable place to rest and refresh each day – why is that such an elusive goal for so many, even here in the wealthiest country on the planet? The reasons are varied and complex, but they stand at the center of so many challenges we face as a society. That’s why housing and homelessness are our focus for this June issue.

Exemplifying the importance of exposing our young people to volunteer opportunities, it was a school volunteering trip for Kevin Finn that turned his head toward a life of service. The CEO of Strategies to End Homelessness shares more of his personal journey, as related by Kathy Doane on Page 18.

Illustrating the breadth of the housing sector, we have a record number of Notables this month, nominated by their own organizations for their contributions or leadership. See Page 20.

But two dynamic shows have just opened – one a world premiere –plus the sprawling and delightfully edgy Fringe Festival, back for its 22nd year. David Lyman examines your overflowing theatrical cup on Page 8.

However, June is known as the beginning of fresh produce season, and Polly Campbell returns to her foodie roots and extols the virtues of regional farmers’ markets, the benefits of food grown simply and ethically, and close to home. See her Last Word on Page 50.

June is not typically known for theater offerings, as companies often end their seasons by May. © Copyright 2025 Movers & Makers Publishing We make every effort to verify information submitted for publication (print and online), but are not responsible for incorrect information or misidentified photos provided to us.

Elizabeth & Thom Mariner, co-publishers

Digital edition & daily posts MoversMakers.org

Social media

@moversmakerscincinnati

Movers & Makers Magazine @moversmakers

Advertising & distribution

Thom Mariner, 513-543-0890 or tmariner@moversmakers.org

Creative & accounting

Elizabeth Mariner, emariner@moversmakers.org

News/calendar submissions editor@moversmakers.org

Free direct mail subscriptions and email newsletter sign up: moversmakers.org/subscribe

Publishing schedule

AUGUST JUNE 27 JULY 23

SEPTEMBER

24

26 OCT 22 DEC 25/JAN 26 OCT 31 NOV 26

 moversmakers.org/publishing-schedule

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

Publication of this magazine and its website (MoversMakers.org) does not necessarily constitute an endorsement of any information contained within, including advertisements and links.

Movers & Makers Publishing is a nonprofit with fiscal sponsorship provided by Cincinnati Cares.

Co-publishers Elizabeth and Thom Mariner with Steve Inskeep of NPR’s Morning Edition (left), at the new headquarters of Cincinnati Public radio

You may have heard the news and received concerned communiques from area nonprofits regarding the recent loss of promised federal funding. If you support federal investment in programs that enhance our local quality of life, please reach out to your elected officials to express your concern, and also contribute financially as you are able to offset these significant losses.

Please join us at our June Mix & Mingle, June 11, at the beautiful and captivating Second Story in Covington. See our ad below. Come join the fun.

Thank you for reading M&M. Happy summer!

Thom & Elizabeth Mariner co-publishers

Help keep nonprofit news FREE to all in Cincinnati

Fiscal sponsor: Scan code to

For their work on this issue, our gratitude to:

• Casey Weldon, digital editor

• Phil Fisher and Ray Cooklis, copy editors

• Shasta Taber, volunteer proofreader

• All the nonprofits that contributed news and photos.

Arts coverage supported by:

Mix & Mingle

Second Story, 100 W. 6th, Covington

Wednesday, June 11, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Casual opportunity to make new friends or business contacts. Mingle with nonprofit staff, supporters and fellow M&M readers. Light bites & drinks.

Arts & Culture

Type & Print Museum celebrates Gutenberg’s 625th birthday with press replica

If you search Wikipedia for Johannes Gutenberg’s actual birth date, the result is a rather non-specific “around 1398-1400.”

The Cincinnati Type & Print Museum is sticking with “around 1400” to celebrate Gutenberg’s 625th birthday in June by inviting the public to use and observe a rarity among museums in the United States: a hand-built, wooden replica of the Gutenberg press that simplified and spread the printing and distribution of literature and books around the world.

Get a little inky June 24-25 and 28

The celebration of Gutenberg’s 625th birthday will take place Tuesday-Wednesday, June 24-25, and Saturday, June 28, at the Cincinnati Type & Print Museum in Lower Price Hill.

In a museum that’s always free, visitors can print a page of the Bible on the Gutenberg replica that now graces the museum’s lobby, among other printing-related activities. The Bible was the first book that Gutenberg printed and sold.

CTPM’s objectives reach beyond historic preservation, offering job and skills training to second-chance individuals seeking employment opportunities in the art, craft and technology of printing and other fields. Candidates include people emerging from welfare, prison, addiction and other social challenges; employable individuals with physical or developmental disabilities; and high school students exploring non-college career options. As the museum’s job training program expands in 2025, so does its collection.

And CPTM is the first non-commercial graphic arts organization to receive the William Maxwell Award from the Graphic Media Alliance of the Southern Ohio region. Given in honor of William Maxwell, Cincinnati’s first printer, the award recognizes a forward-thinking commercial printer or business whose work contributes to the community and the Queen City’s commercial printing industry.

Unique equipment, niche museum

Cincinnati’s Gutenberg press is unique among the 10 or so known replicas in U.S. museums: It is the only one available for visitors to use under museum staff supervision. Replica presses at other museums tend to be displayed behind glass or are not accessible to the public. Founder/

By Sue MacDonald

Director Gary Walton acquired the press in late October 2024 from a shuttered Houston museum.

“In the first few months that we’ve displayed the Gutenberg press, we’ve noticed that it profoundly brings to life the impact of printing and the beginning of the mass production of books and learning materials,” Walton said. “It’s exciting to see these ‘Aha!’ moments among teachers, artists, historians, museum curators, authors, media professionals and other visitors.

“Our antique equipment and printing processes also demonstrate the power of printing to students and other visitors,” he added. “School children often peck away on our manual typewriter by saying, ‘Look! It’s just like my computer keyboard!”… and we have to remind them that the typewriter and other printing equipment came first.”

Some people assume Gutenberg invented the printing press, but printing had been around for thousands of years, said Walton, who taught printing technology at Cincinnati State for 35 years, retired in 2011 and opened the museum in 2016.

“Gutenberg’s genius was the invention of moveable type, which enabled a much faster rate of printing because individual metal letters could be set, printed, disassembled and re-used for the next job.”

Historians note that before Gutenberg’s invention in 1450, only about 5,000 books were thought to exist throughout Europe. Twentyfive years later, that number grew to 5 million.

Cincinnati’s place in printing history

During the growth of the U.S. in the 1800s and early 1900s, Cincinnati ranked second worldwide behind New York City as a printing powerhouse, Walton said. Printing was powered by German immigrants who settled here, aided by local industries that manufactured printing equipment, ink and paper products.

Gutenberg’s 625th birthday

June 24, 25 & 28, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Cincinnati Type & Print Museum

2307 W. Eighth St., Cincinnati  cincinnatitypeprintmuseum.org

Gary Walton, founder/director of the Cincinnati Type & Print Museum, demonstrates a replica of the Gutenberg press.

Walton operates the Gutenberg press.

New at the MUSEUMS

The visual arts are in full flower this month with new exhibits from major regional museums: Cincinnati Art Museum, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and the Taft Museum of Art.

Cincinnati Art Museum: ‘Farm to Table: Food and Identity in the Age of Impressionism,’ June 13-Sept. 21

This new artful celebration explores the intersection of art, food and identity during the last decades of the 1800s in France through paintings and sculptures by Camille Pissarro, Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh and others. The exhibition is organized by the American Federation of Arts and the Chrysler Museum of Art.

The last quarter of the 19th century was a transformative time for agriculture, dining and the arts in France. The transformation of the culinary world was a natural theme for artists committed to depicting daily life. A universal subject, depictions of food were uniquely suited to considering the state of the nation.

According to Peter Bell, curator of European paintings, sculpture and drawings at the CAM, “Looking at food production and consumption and how it intersected with the national identity of France – both the prowess and insecurity felt by the nation –through the works of its artists has not been done before.”

The exhibition – previously presented at the Chrysler Museum in Norfolk, Virginia, and Nashville’s Frist Art Museum – offers an unmissable opportunity to witness the intricate tapestry of food culture that has shaped French identity.

A 224-page book published by Yale University Press and edited by scholars Andrew Eschelbacher, who conceived the exhibition, and Lloyd DeWitt accompanies the exhibition.

 cincinnatiartmuseum.org

Taft Museum of Art: ‘The Crafted World of Wharton Esherick,’ June 7-Sept. 7

“The Crafted World” presents the innovative work of Wharton Esherick (1887–1970), the famed American artist best known as the father of the Studio Furniture Movement, which saw artists bringing their unique voices to handmade, functional objects and craft traditions, often reinventing them with bold, experimental techniques and forms.

This exhibition details the artist’s career from his early woodcut illustrations for books by the avant-garde literati to his revolutionary reimagining of furniture forms as organic sculpture – from painting, sculpture and printmaking to woodworking, furniture making and illustration. Esherick’s hillside home and studio in southeastern Pennsylvania is now the Wharton Esherick Museum and houses a treasury of work from seven decades of artistic practice – more than 3,000 works. Detailing the artist’s career from his early woodcut illustrations to his revolutionary reimagining of furniture forms as organic sculpture, the exhibition explores Esherick’s fascination with the natural world and intimate connection to its materials, his sense of humor,

skillful design-thinking and problem-solving, interest in performance and the body, and enduring imaginative spirit.

 taftmuseum.org

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center: ‘In This Place,’ new exhibit

A new permanent exhibit within the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center serves as both an introduction to guests and a tribute to the thousands of freedom seekers who crossed the banks of the Ohio River, just yards south of its front door.

“In This Place,” opening on the first floor of the Freedom Center, is an immersive gallery featuring a sweeping media experience as well as artifacts and an interactive table where historic moments flow by as if in the river itself. Guests can “pull” those moments from the river “current” to learn more. Historic photos, footage and artifacts punctuate the region’s critical role as a borderland between slave and free states and the ongoing dynamics of justice and injustice that intersect here in Cincinnati and across the country.

“The story of the Freedom Center is rooted in this power of place and the legacy of the land we stand on,” said Woodrow Keown Jr., president & COO of the Freedom Center. “This new gallery will serve as an important introduction to the Freedom Center, our region’s history and the stories guests encounter as they journey through our museum.”

The new gallery is the first permanent exhibit to open at the Freedom Center in 15 years. 

 freedomcenter.org

Victoria Dubourg Fantin-Latour, “Still Life with Brioche,” c. 1890, courtesy Dixon Gallery and Gardens. At the Cincinnati Art Museum

Rendering of “In This Place,” the new, permanent exhibit at the Freedom Center

Wharton Esherick, walnut desk and chair (1929 and 1962), cast bronze figure (1929 Cocobolo original). All works from the Wharton Esherick Museum Collection.

‘Stories

that need to be told’

Local theaters take chances with new works – big and small

It’sbeen an invigorating season for Cincinnati’s professional theaters. Several world premieres. A handful of memorable classics. And lots and lots of plays and musicals never seen before on local stages. But it seems as if they’ve saved the most intriguing for last.

Consider this. Over an eight-day stretch in late May, we saw the opening of:

• “Mrs. Dalloway: A New Musical” at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company (May 23 - June 15), a world premiere adaptation of a Virginia Woolf novel with book, music and lyrics by Lindsey Augusta Mercer.

• “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding,” at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati (May 31 – June 22), the regional premiere of a Tony Award-nominated play by Jocelyn Bioh that takes us into the deliciously sassy world of a Harlem braiding salon run by West African immigrants.

• Cincinnati Fringe Festival (May 29-June 13), with 194 performances of 42 productions, virtually all of them premieres of one sort or another.

By David Lyman

Just about the only thing these three have in common is that they are largely unknown theatrical entities. And institutionally speaking, they are all rather risky.

“Jaja” has a cast of 10, far bigger than the usual ETC production. And “Mrs. Dalloway” is downright huge, with a 16-person cast and a nine-piece orchestra.

“It’s a challenge, that’s true,” said Sara Clark, a longtime Cincy Shakes actor who is directing “Mrs. Dalloway.” She is also the company’s director of development. “It’s a big show, so that makes it expensive to stage. But the bigger challenge with a world premiere is how to make an unknown thing known.”

As for the Fringe, the only thing predictable for audience members is that they won’t really know what they’re getting into. It’s always something of a crap shoot. But then, “edgy” is at the very heart of the Fringe’s mission.

“We do the Fringe because it is all about

giving a platform to new voices,” said Bridget Leak, Know Theatre producing artistic director. The Know produces the Fringe Festival. “And I think over the years – this is the 22nd Fringe –we have developed and grown an audience that is eager for experimentation and productions that are off the beaten path.”

There is also an enviable sense of immediacy about Fringe shows. Unlike “Mrs. Dalloway,” which has been in development for more than three years, most Fringe shows have come together in a fraction of that time.

“The Fringe has the benefit of featuring the most immediate work,” said Fringe producer Katie Hartman. “They are of this moment. Our audiences know that when they come to a Fringe show, they will experience a very raw, uncensored slice of what is in the zeitgeist right now.”

But will any of these three theaters experience a blockbuster? Will the shows be moneymakers? And if not, why go to all the effort of producing shows like these? Why not stick to the tried and true, the familiar productions that are almost certain to attract large audiences?

Clearly, each of these theaters know how to do that. They are not averse to productions that have broad popularity.

For umpteen years, CincyShakes has staged “Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!)” as its holiday show. Like the Playhouse’s “A Christmas Carol” and Cincinnati Ballet’s “Nutcracker,” it is a perennial crowd-pleaser. Audiences don’t seem to be able to get enough of it. ETC has its own holiday productions,

At Fringe (from left):

“A Cabaret of Legends” features Tymisha Harris

Bruce Costello in “MUTTNIK”

Cristiana Cole portrays Mrs. Dalloway in the new musical based on Virginia Woolf’s novel at Cincy Shakes.

Photo by roberto g onzalez

Photo by g reg thonen

lighthearted musical retellings of classic stories, often fairy tales. And for the better part of the shows’ month-long runs, the houses are packed. Even Know Theatre is trying its hand at a holiday show, albeit of a very different type. Last December, they premiered a production called “‘Die Hard’ is a Christmas Movie.” It proved to be a hit and will return this year.

But the presentations that just opened are driven by something completely different than popularity. Yes, the theaters hope they sell well …

“But we do plays like ‘Jaja’ because they are stories that need to be told,” said D. Lynn Meyers, ETC’s longtime producing artistic director. “They are essential stories. And they’re part of our world. If we really want to understand the people we live with every day, we need to hear their stories. I mean, when are most of us ever going to be able to go into a salon in Harlem and listen to these stories?”

Just as important to Meyers is the fact that nearly the entire cast is “homegrown.” All of them either live here, went to school here or have been a part of ETC’s Professional Acting Apprenticeship Program.

“From the time ETC was founded, we have been dedicated to hiring local professionals,” said Meyers. “It’s one of those things I consider when I put together a season of shows. Who can

I give a shot to on this stage?”

That was a part of the decision over at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, as well, when producing artistic director Brian Isaac Phillips reached out to commission Mercer to create a musical for the company.

Mercer currently lives in New York, but spent many years in Cincinnati before that. While here, Mercer co-founded The Queen City Queer Theatre Collective, described as “a group of makers who aim to uplift and represent the queer community and the underrepresented through the staged reading format.”

“At first, Brian and I discussed the idea of writing a musical version of a Shakespeare play,” said Mercer. “Timon of Athens” and “Cymbeline” were two that were considered. “But neither one sparked anything in me.”

ARTS & CULTURE

proved irresistible as source material. “The deeper I got into the novel, the more I realized that I was karmically connected to it. I know this is a musical I am supposed to write.”

Though these productions are wildly different from one another, the same words keep popping up in all of our discussions, especially “responsibility.”

So Mercer began pitching other possibilities. Virginia Woolf quickly entered the conversation.

“The media often loves to gloss over queer love,” said Mercer. And Woolf’s “Mrs. Dalloway”

“I can’t speak for the other theaters,” said Meyers. “But I think we all feel an enormous sense of responsibility to share these stories of ‘others.’ I mean, if we go away, who will tell these stories? It’s up to us to do it.”

Hartman takes Meyers’ point a step further.

“Right now, the truth is being stymied in so many ways,” Hartman said. “What we are all doing is democracy in action. What we’re doing is about freedom of expression. It is our right as Americans to be able to do this. And as artists, it is our responsibility.” 

 cincyfringe.com

 cincyshakes.com

 ensemblecincinnati.org

If it’s been a while since you’ve heard from your business banker, you may be missing out on the support you deserve. Discover a relationship focused on you with:

business banking, from commercial lending to treasury management, and more

Tailored solutions to help you access capital, improve cash flow, and streamline processes

Expert guidance and local support delivered with our GECU Genuine Care

Burgess C. Byrd in the title role in “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding” at ETC

Cultural Exhibits/Tours

American Legacy Tours | Over-the-Rhine. 859-951-8560. americanlegacytours.com

ƒ Historic tours in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky

American Sign Museum | Camp Washington. 513-541-6366. americansignmuseum.org

ƒ Saturdays & Sundays. Guided tours

Archaeological Research Institute | Lawrenceburg. 812-290-2966. exploreari.org

ƒ Hands-on educational experiences

ArtWorks Mural Tours | artworkscincinnati.org

ƒ By appointment only. Walking tours of Pendleton, Over-the-Rhine and downtown

Behringer-Crawford Museum | Devou Park, Covington. 859-491-4003. bcmuseum.org

ƒ Thru Aug. 3. “Driftwood: The Life of Harlan Hubbard”

ƒ Thru 2025. “The Legacy of BehringerCrawford Museum: 75 Years of Art, Culture and Community”

Betts House | West End. 513-651-0734. facebook.com/thebettshouse

ƒ By appointment only. Oldest home in Cincinnati

Brewing Heritage Trail Tour Center | Over-the-Rhine. 513-604-9812. brewingheritagetrail.org

ƒ Exploring Queen City beer history

Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library | Downtown. 513-369-6900. chpl.org

ƒ Busiest public library in Ohio and third busiest in U.S.

Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame | Brady Music Center, The Banks. cincyblackmusicwalkoffame.org

ƒ Open daily, 6 a.m.-11 p.m. Queen City contributions to Black music

Cincinnati Fire Museum | Downtown. 513-621-5553. cincyfiremuseum.com

ƒ Permanent collection. Historic artifacts and equipment

Cincinnati Food Tours | Findlay Market. 513-602-5602. cincinnatifoodtours.com

ƒ Exploring Queen City food culture

Cincinnati Museum Center | Queensgate. 513-287-7000. cincymuseum.org

ƒ Thru Sept. 1. “Barbie: A Cultural Icon”

Cincinnati Nature Center | Milford. cincynature.org

ƒ June 21, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Garden Tour: “Noteworthy Natives”

Cincinnati Observatory | Hyde Park. cincinnatiobservatory.org

ƒ Oldest professional observatory in the U.S.

Cincinnati Type & Print Museum | Lower Price Hill. cincinnatitypeprintmuseum.org

ƒ June 24-25 & 28, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. “Gutenberg’s 625th Birthday”

Cincinnati Zoo | Avondale. 513-281-4700. cincinnatizoo.org

ƒ World class fauna and flora

Findlay Market | Over-the-Rhine. findlaymarket.org

ƒ Ohio’s oldest municipal market house

Friends of Music Hall | Music Hall, Over-the-Rhine. 513-621-2787. friendsofmusichall.org

ƒ Indoor and outdoor tours of Queen City landmark

Glendale Heritage Preservation | Village Square, Glendale. 513-771-8722. glendaleheritage.org

ƒ Permanent exhibit. Glendale’s history

Greater Cincinnati Police Museum | Pendleton. 513-300-3664. police-museum.org

ƒ Permanent collection. Historic artifacts and equipment

Harriet Beecher Stowe House | Walnut Hills. 513-751-0651. stowehousecincy.org

ƒ Historic family home of Uncle Tom’s Cabin author and later a Green Book location

Heritage Village Museum | Sharonville. 513-563-9484. heritagevillagecincinnati.org

ƒ June 28 & 29. Jane Austen Festival

Holocaust & Humanity Center | Cincinnati Museum Center, Queensgate. 513-487-3055. holocaustandhumanity.org

ƒ Media, artifacts, art and interactive exhibitions commemorating the Holocaust

Krohn Conservatory | Eden Park. 513421-4086. cincinnati-oh.gov/cincyparks

ƒ Thru Aug. 10. Gothica Botanica Butterfly Show

Lloyd Library and Museum | Downtown. 513-721-3707. lloydlibrary.org

ƒ Permanent exhibit. “George Rieveschl Jr.: History of Pharmaceutical Chemistry”

Loveland Castle & Museum | Loveland. lovelandcastle.com

ƒ Full-scale replica of medieval castle

Mercantile Library | Downtown. 513-621-0717. mercantilelibrary.com

ƒ Oldest membership library west of the Alleghenies

Milford Historical Society | Promont, Milford. 513-248-0324. milfordhistory.net

ƒ Permanent exhibit. Historical displays of art, artifacts and more

Mt. Adams Civic Association | Mt. Adams. 513-235-3957. mtadamscincy.org

ƒ By appointment only. Historic walking tours

National Museum of the United States Air Force | Wright-Patterson AFB, Fairborn. nationalmuseum.af.mil

ƒ World’s largest military aviation museum

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center | The Banks, downtown. 513-333-7500. freedomcenter.org

ƒ Thru Dec. 7. “Faith & (in)Justice”

On June 21, Cincinnati Nature Center offers a day exploring very special back yards as part of its Garden Tour: “Noteworthy Natives.”

National VOA Museum of Broadcasting | West Chester. 513-777-0027. voamuseum.org

ƒ Radio’s golden age and Cincinnati’s role in America’s global voice

Newport Aquarium | Newport. newportaquarium.com

ƒ Showcase of exotic aquatic creatures

Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum | Hamilton. 513-868-1234. pyramidhill.org

ƒ Fridays & Saturdays. Guided tours of Fortified Hill

Railway Museum of Greater Cincinnati | Covington. cincirailmuseum.org

ƒ June 7, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Railroad yard collection

RAPTOR Inc. | Milford. raptorinc.org

ƒ June 29, 1-4 p.m. Open house for birds of prey sanctuary

Skirball Museum | Hebrew Union College, Clifton. 513-221-1875. csm.huc.edu

ƒ Permanent exhibit. “An Eternal People: The Jewish Experience”

Taft Museum of Art | Lytle Park, downtown. 513-241-0343. taftmuseum.org

ƒ Historic home, art collection and exhibits

Titanic: An Immersive Voyage | Exhibition Hub Art Center, downtown. expo-titanic.com/cincinnati

ƒ Thru Aug. 3. Immersive experience featuring artifacts, dramatic room re-creations, 3D views and video animations

Tri-State Warbird Museum | Batavia. tri-statewarbirdmuseum.org

ƒ Permanent exhibit. Military and historic aviation

Valley View Nature Preserve | Milford. valleyviewcampus.org

ƒ Preserved 190-acre farm and open land

Vent Haven Museum | Ft. Mitchell. 859-341-0461. venthaven.org

ƒ By appointment only. World’s only museum dedicated to ventriloquism

White Water Shaker Village | Harrison. whitewatervillage.org

ƒ Preserved historic village

Fairs/Festivals/Markets

The Arts Alliance | Kingswood Park, Deerfield Twp. 513-309-8585. the-arts-alliance.org

ƒ June 1, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Deerfield Handmade Summer Market

Charm at the Farm Market | Lebanon. charmatthefarm.com

ƒ June 13-15. Open-air vintage market

Cincinnati Pride | Downtown and Sawyer Point. cincinnatipride.org

ƒ June 28, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Parade and festival celebrating gender and sexual diversity

CincItalia Festival |

Harvest Home Park, Cheviot. cincitalia.org

ƒ May 30-June 1. Italian food, family fun and live music

Cincy AI Week | Union Hall, Over-the-Rhine. cincyaiweek.com

ƒ June 10-12. Exploring potential and challenges of artificial intelligence

Cincy VegFest | Burnet Woods Bandstand. ourcollectiveheart.org/cincy-vegfest

ƒ June 7, noon-5 p.m. Variety of talks, music and activities through plant-sourced vegan living

City Flea | Washington Park, Over-the-Rhine. thecityflea.com

ƒ June 21, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Summer Market

Concours d’Elegance | Ault Park, Mt. Lookout.

ƒ June 8, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Celebration of classic cars. Complementary events June 7. Benefits charity.

Covington Farmers Market | 600 block of Washington St., Covington. greatneighborhoods.org

ƒ Saturdays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Architect renderings of the future Manifest Center for the Visual Arts

Manifest to mark start of renovation in early June

Manifest Drawing Center will host a groundbreaking for its long-awaited campus expansion at its historic headquarters in Clifton.

The event on June 7 at 4 p.m. marks the start of Phase One of “Manifest Emerges,” a capital project aimed at transforming the organization’s 93-year-old Central Parkway facility into a fully realized Manifest Center for the Visual Arts. The plan, over two years in the making, represents the culmination of a vision developed over the nonprofit’s 21-year history. The price tag for Phase One construction is $3.2 million.

Speakers including board members, staff and Executive Director Jason Franz will share remarks before a photo opportunity that’ll invite the public to “bring your own shovel” to help memorialize the moment. The event will include refreshments, behind-the-scenes tours and a display of archival photographs tracing Manifest’s evolution from a scrappy gallery into a national leader in visual arts education and exhibition.

Franz, who also serves as Manifest’s chief curator, said the project reflects the nonprofit’s mission to champion visual literacy and skill development.

“We’re not just renovating a building,” he wrote in a statement to Movers & Makers. “We’re building a permanent home for artists, students, and the community – one that serves as a regional and even national sanctuary for the visual arts.”

An investment years in the making

Phase One focuses on infrastructure upgrades to stabilize and modernize the building. Plans include restoring the original slate roof and repairing two flat roofs, rebuilding the brick and limestone façade, improving stormwater drainage, expanding on-site parking, and installing ADA-compliant access throughout. The second-floor studio will gain an outdoor terrace to support events, classes and safe egress.

The phase also introduces a new 650-square-foot wing that will convert an existing garage into a multidisciplinary printmaking studio. The space will include presses for woodcuts, etchings and engravings, and will house the only publicly accessible stone lithography studio in the region that is not part of a university. The facility will feature two lithography presses and a collection of 22 stones.

Franz said the printmaking studio will increase the organization’s educational capacity by 50%.

“This is about growing our reach while deepening our commitment to traditional disciplines,” he added. “With this expansion, we can support more artists, offer new classes, and provide rare tools and techniques that would otherwise be inaccessible.”

Future programming will align with existing offerings like IMPRINT, the center’s biennial international printmaking exhibition, and the Manifest Artist Residency, which annually brings artists from around the country to Cincinnati for a year of studio work and public engagement.

The new wing will also create a semi-enclosed outdoor “Print Courtyard,” envisioned as an external classroom and gathering space for workshops and events.

Phase Two of the project, still in fundraising and design, will transform the rest of the facility into Manifest Gallery’s new home, including expanded exhibition space and a second rooftop terrace featuring a green roof. Visitors at the June 7 event can preview Phase Two through a walkthrough of a life-sized model of the gallery-to-be.

Franz encouraged early RSVPs via the organization’s website and said the groundbreaking represents more than a construction milestone.

“This is our community’s project,” he said. “Everyone who has supported Manifest over the years – through donations, exhibitions, or taking a class – has helped make this happen.”

 manifestgallery.org

Covington Taco and Margarita Festival | Mainstrasse Village, Covington. thingstodocincinnati.com

ƒ June 20-22. Live music, entertainment, tacos and margaritas

EquaSion |

Virtual and Cintas Center. equasion.org

ƒ June 22, noon-5 p.m. Festival of Faiths

Hyde Park Blast | Hyde Park Square. hpblast.org

ƒ June 28, 7 a.m.-11 p.m. Run/walk, kids fun run, pro cycling and block party

Hyde Park Farmers’ Market | Hyde Park Square. hydeparkfarmersmarket.com

ƒ Sundays, 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Regional food and beverage market

Italian Festival | Newport’s Festival Park. thingstodocincinnati.com

ƒ June 12-15. Live entertainment and Italian cuisine

Juneteenth Celebration | Eden Park. juneteenthcincinnati.org

ƒ June 14-15. Commemoration of end of slavery in U.S.

Madeira Farmers Market | Dawson Road at Miami Avenue, Madeira. madeirafarmersmarket.com

ƒ Thursdays. 4-7 p.m. Local growers and purveyors

Market on Main | Woodward Theater, Over-the-Rhine. marketonmainotr.com

ƒ June 8, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. The Garage Sale

Northside Farmers Market | Heart of Northside. northsidefm.org

ƒ Wednesdays, 4-7 p.m. Regional food and beverage market

Over-the-Rhine Chamber of Commerce | otrchamber.com

ƒ June 7, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Pride in OTR Street Faire

Second Sunday on Main | Main Street, Over-the-Rhine. facebook.com

ƒ June 8, noon-5 p.m. Eclectic street festival with monthly themes

Summerfair Cincinnati | Riverbend. 513-531-0050. summerfair.org

ƒ May 30-June 1. Region’s largest arts and crafts festival

Urban League |3458 Reading Road, Avondale. ulgso.org/juneteenth

ƒ June 19, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Juneteenth Celebration

Westside Market | Westwood Town Hall. westsidemarketcincy.com

ƒ June 7, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Pop-up market of handcrafted goods by small businesses

Film

Cincinnati Museum Center | Queensgate. 513-287-7000. cincymuseum.org/omnimax

ƒ Now playing/OMNIMAX . “The Blue Angels” • “Space: The New Frontier”

Cincinnati World Cinema | Garfield Theatre, downtown. 859-957-3456. cincyworldcinema.org

ƒ Films from around the globe

Cindependent Film Fest | Contemporary Arts Center, downtown. 214-843-6781. cindependentfilmfest.org

ƒ June 21, 6 p.m. Cindependent Spotlight: “The Virgin Suicides”

NightLight 513 | Covington Plaza. nightlight513.com

ƒ June 5, 7:30 p.m. “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”

ƒ June 27, 7:30 p.m. “Legally Blonde”

Ohio River Foundation | Memorial Hall, Over-the-Rhine. ohioriverfdn.org

ƒ June 14, 7:30 p.m. Wild & Scenic Film Festival

Washington Park | Over-the-Rhine. washingtonpark.org/events

◆ 9 p.m. Summer Cinema:

‚ June 3. “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days”

‚ June 10. “Cheaper by the Dozen”

‚ June 17. “Soul”

‚ June 24. “Wicked”

Woodward Theater | Over-the-Rhine. 513-345-7981. woodwardtheater.com

ƒ June 2, 7:30 p.m. “Paris is Burning”

ƒ June 3, 7:30 p.m. “It’s All Gonna Break”

ƒ June 7, 7 p.m. “Pavements”

ƒ June 9, 7:30 p.m. “Smithereens”

ƒ June 10, 7:30 p.m. “Desperately Seeking Susan”

ƒ June 16, 7:30 p.m. “Miss Juneteenth”

ƒ June 23, 7 p.m. “Portrait of a Lady on Fire”

ƒ June 30, 7:30 p.m. “The Teacher”

Ziegler Park | Over-the-Rhine. zieglerpark.org

ƒ June 27, 7:30 p.m. Dive-In Movies: “Barbie”

Literary/Lectures

Cincinnati Preservation |

The Porch, Washington Park. cincinnatipreservation.org

ƒ June 17, 5:30 p.m. Preservation in the Park: “Ezzard Charles and Boxing in the West End”

Joseph-Beth Booksellers | Rookwood Commons, Norwood. 513-396-8960. josephbeth.com

ƒ June 5, 7 p.m. Discussion: Craig Johnson “Return to Sender”

ƒ June 11, 7 p.m. Discussion: Laura Leffler “Tell Them You Lied”

ƒ June 25, 7 p.m. Discussion: Leesa Cross-Smith “As You Wish”

Women of Appalachia Project | Falcon Theatre, Newport. womenofappalachia.com

ƒ June 5, 7 p.m. Poet & Song Series

Word of Mouth Cincinnati | MOTR Pub, Over-the-Rhine. cincywordofmouth.com

ƒ June 29, 6 p.m. Open mic poetry

Music

The Arts Alliance | Cottell Park, Mason. 513-309-8585. the-arts-alliance.org

ƒ June 12, 7 p.m. Comet Bluegrass All-Stars

ƒ June 19, 7 p.m. The Menus

ƒ June 26, 7 p.m. Abes Lincoln

ArtsConnect | Springfield Twp. theartsconnect.us

ƒ June 27, 7 p.m. Push Play Band

Bach Ensemble of St. Thomas | Cathedral Basilica, Covington. 513-831-2052. bachensemble.org

In a first-of-its-kind concert experience (at least in Cincinnati), Brianna Matzke and concertnova offer “High Notes: A Nature Walk Celebration of Cannabis Music,” June 25 at Peterloon. (BYOC, of course.)

ƒ June 18, 4:45 p.m. Association of Anglican Musicians 2025 Annual Conference: “Immortal Bach.”

Bogart’s | Short Vine, Corryville. bogarts.com

ƒ June 13, 7 p.m. SiR

ƒ June 15, 7 p.m. The Wallflowers

ƒ June 18, 6 p.m. The Fall of Troy

ƒ June 20, 7 p.m. A Flock of Seagulls

ƒ June 21, 7 p.m. The Gaslight Anthem

ƒ June 24, 6 p.m. Less Than Jake

ƒ June 26, 7 p.m. Billy Corgan and The Machines of God

ƒ June 27, 7 p.m. Mannequin Pussy

Brady Music Center | The Banks, downtown. bradymusiccenter.com

ƒ June 13, 8 p.m. Key Glock

ƒ June 17, 6 p.m. Dispatch

ƒ June 19, 7:15 p.m. String Cheese Incident

ƒ June 20, 8 p.m. James Arthur

ƒ June 21-22, 8 p.m. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

ƒ June 24, 8 p.m. DEVO

Bromwell’s Härth Room | Downtown. bromwellshearthroom.com/music

ƒ Wednesday-Saturday evenings Live jazz

Caffè Vivace | Walnut Hills. 513-601-9897. caffevivace.com

ƒ Most evenings. Live jazz

Christ Church Cathedral | Downtown. 513-621-1817. cincinnaticathedral.com

ƒ June 15, 3 p.m. “Nuestro Canto: Folk, Fight, Faith”

Cincinnati Jazz Hall of Fame | Mayerson JCC, Amberley Village. cincyjazzhof.org

ƒ June 1, 3 p.m. 11th induction ceremony. Emcee: Courtis Fuller. Honoring Greg Chako, Dave Matthews, Patsy Meyer, Joe Rogers and Carmon DeLeone

Cincinnati Nature Center | Milford. cincynature.org

ƒ June 27, 7-10 p.m. Music Under the Moon Concert Series: Vudu Childe

Cincinnati Parks | cincinnati-oh.gov/cincyparks

ƒ June 22, 7:45 p.m. CSO Concert (Ezzard Charles Park)

◆ Saturdays, 7 p.m. Music at the Esplanade (Smale Riverfront Park):

‚ June 7. Temani

‚ June 14. Alex Schefft

‚ June 21. Tracy Walker

‚ June 28. The Sweet Peas

◆ Gettin’ to the Point Music Series (Schott Amphitheater at Sawyer Point):

‚ June 6, 7 p.m. Jake Speed and the Freddies

‚ June 20, 6 p.m. Tweens / The Tangees

Cincinnati Symphony & Pops | 513-381-3300. cincinnatisymphony.org

ƒ June 5, 6:30 p.m. (CSO) Pride Brady Block Party (Brady Music Center, The Banks)

ƒ June 22, 6:30 p.m. (CSO) West End Brady Block Party (Ezzard Charles Park)

Classical Revolution | The Loon, Northside. classicalrevolutioncincinnati.com

ƒ June 8, 7:30 p.m. Chamber music in casual bar setting

Clifton Cultural Arts Center | Burnet Woods Bandstand. 513-497-2860. cliftonculturalarts.org

◆ 7 p.m. Wednesdays in the Woods

‚ June 4. Push Play

‚ June 11. Michelle Robinson Band

‚ June 18. La Fórmula Big Band

‚ June 25. Faux Frenchmen

Collegium Cincinnati | Corbett Auditorium, CCM, University of Cincinnati. collegiumcincinnati.org

ƒ June 18, 9:30 a.m. Association of Anglican Musicians 2025 Annual Conference: Haydn: “Lord Nelson” Mass

Concertnova |

Peterloon, Indian Hill. concertnova.com

ƒ June 25, 7 p.m. “High Notes: A Nature Walk Celebration of Cannabis Music”

Concerts on the Commons | Corner of Winton Rd. and Farragut Ave., Greenhills. greenhillsohio.us

ƒ Wednesdays, 7 p.m. Live music

Dayton Art Institute | Dayton, Ohio. 937-223-4278. daytonartinstitute.org

ƒ Sundays, 2 p.m. Skinner Pipe Organ Concert

ƒ Thursdays, 5:30 p.m. Bob Ross Auto Group Jazz & Beyond

Dayton Philharmonic | Schuster Center, Dayton, Ohio. daytonperformingarts.org

ƒ June 7, 7:30 p.m. Michael Cavanaugh

ƒ June 13-14, 7:30 p.m. Saint-Saëns: Organ Symphony

Delhi Event Center |

Delhi Park Performance Pavilion, Delhi. oh-delhitownship.civicplus.com

ƒ June 4, 7 p.m. The Whammies

ƒ June 18, 7 p.m. Cincinnati Transit Authority

Factory 52 | Norwood. factory52.com

ƒ Thursdays, 6 p.m. Live music at Fretboard Brewing

Fountain Square | Downtown. 513-621-4400. myfountainsquare.com

◆ 5-8 p.m. Fountain Blues

‚ June 4. CFG & Family

‚ June 11. Leroy Ellington & The Doghouse Studio Band

‚ June 18. MisterMan & the MOJO Band

‚ June 25. Deuce n’ a Quarter

◆ 6 p.m. Salsa on the Square

‚ June 5. Al Son Del Iya + The Get Down Cincinnati

‚ June 12. Somos Música y Sabor + SalsanNati

‚ June 19. Son del Caribe + Diana Hoffman

‚ June 26. Dayton Salsa Project + Chévere LF

◆ 7 p.m. Fifth & Vine Live

‚ June 7. Soul Pocket

‚ June 14. TBD

‚ June 21. TBD

‚ June 28. Zack Attack

Ghost Baby | Over-the-Rhine. ghost-baby.com

ƒ Most evenings. Live music

Great Parks of Hamilton County | Lake Isabella Boathouse. 513-521-7275. greatparks.org

◆ 6 p.m. Burgers & Brews:

‚ June 13. Charlie John

‚ June 27. Katie Pritchard

Hard Rock Casino | Downtown. hardrockcasinocincinnati.com

ƒ June 6, 8 p.m. Trace Adkins

ƒ June 14, 8 p.m. Lorrie Morgan

ƒ June 27, 7 p.m. Young the Giant

Heritage Bank Center | Downtown. heritagebankcenter.com

ƒ June 27, 7:30 p.m. Tyler the Creator

Irish Heritage Center | Columbia Tusculum. 513-533-0100. cincyirish.org

ƒ Thursdays, 6:30 p.m. Pub Music Night

Jazz Alive | American Sign Museum, Camp Washington. 513-280-8181. facebook.com

◆ 6:30 p.m. Jazz in the Camp:

‚ June 4. Sergio Pamies Quartet

‚ June 11. Dan Karlsberg Band featuring Justin Faulkner

‚ June 18. We Create Jazz Ensemble

‚ June 25. Laura Camara Quartet

The Jazz Spoon | Forest Park. thejazzspoon.com

ƒ Friday & Saturday evenings. Live jazz

April 4 to September 1, 2025

ARTS & CULTURE | The List

Ludlow Garage | Clifton. ludlowgaragecincinnati.com

ƒ June 1, 7:30 p.m. Eric Johanson

ƒ June 5, 7:30 p.m. Los Lonely Boys

ƒ June 7, 7:30 p.m. Hot Red Chili Peppers

ƒ June 11, 7:30 p.m. Honey Island Swamp Band

ƒ June 12, 7:30 p.m. Close Enemies w/ Tom Hamilton of Aerosmith

ƒ June 13, 7:30 p.m. Augustana

ƒ June 14, 7:30 p.m. Boney James

ƒ June 15, 7:30 p.m. Yoke Lore

ƒ June 25, 7:30 p.m. Mohini Dey

ƒ June 28, 7:30 p.m. Peabo Bryson

Madison Theater | Covington. 859-491-2444. madisontheater.com

ƒ June 1, 8 p.m. Jakobs Castle • Cold

ƒ June 14, 8 p.m. Coastal Club

ƒ June 16, 7:30 p.m. Hoods

ƒ June 19, 8 p.m. Red NOT Chili Peppers

ƒ June 27, 8 p.m. Bear Hands

ƒ June 29, 7 p.m. Thus Spoke Zarathustra

MegaCorp Pavilion at Ovation | Newport. promowestlive.com

ƒ June 12, 7 p.m. Mt. Joy

ƒ June 14, 7 p.m. Houndmouth

ƒ June 15, 7 p.m. Smino

ƒ June 20, 7 p.m. Dexter and the Moonrocks

Memorial Hall | Over-the-Rhine. 513-977-8838. memorialhallotr.com

ƒ June 3, 8 p.m. The Carole King & James Taylor Story

ƒ June 5, 8 p.m. “Wolfgang & The Fab Four” Carmon DeLeone and David Matthews

ƒ June 6, 8 p.m. The Secret Sisters

ƒ June 26, 8 p.m. The Rush Tribute Project

Muse Café | Westwood. musecafecincy.com/events

ƒ Tuesdays, 7-9:30 p.m. Phil DeGreg Trio

Newport on the Levee | Newport. newportonthelevee.com

◆ 7 p.m. Live on the Levee:

‚ June 5: StrangeLove

‚ June 12: Kevin Cooper

‚ June 19: Cassette Junkies

‚ June 26: Billy Rock Band

The Redmoor | Mt. Lookout Square. theredmoor.com

ƒ Fridays & Saturdays, 6 p.m. Rock and jazz

ƒ June 19, 7:30 p.m. No Promises Vocal Band, “Sweet Harmony”

Riverbend Music Center | Riverbend. 513-232-6220. riverbend.org

ƒ June 3, 8 p.m. Alison Krauss & Union Station

ƒ June 8, 7 p.m. Avril Lavigne

ƒ June 10, 7 p.m. Barenaked Ladies

ƒ June 13, 8 p.m. Dave Matthews Band

ƒ June 14, 8 p.m. Hauser

ƒ June 22, 5 p.m. Outlaw Music Festival

ƒ June 23, 7:30 p.m. James Taylor

ƒ June 24, 7 p.m. Rick Springfield

ƒ June 26, 7 p.m. Keith Urban

Rockin’ the Roebling | Moerlein Lager House, The Banks. facebook.com

ƒ June 5, 6 p.m. Naked Karate Girls

ƒ June 12, 6 p.m. Noah Wotherspoon

ƒ June 19, 6 p.m. Ernie Johnson from Detroit

ƒ June 26, 6 p.m. Zack Attack

Schwartz’s Point | Five Points, Over-the-Rhine. thepointclub.weebly.com

ƒ Thursdays-Sundays. Live jazz

Seven Hills Baroque | St. Gertrude Church, Madeira. 7hillsbaroque.org

ƒ June 8, 3 p.m. “The Four Elements: Fire”

Sorg Opera House | Middletown. sorgoperahouse.org

ƒ June 7, 8 p.m. Scotty Bratcher

Southgate House | Newport. 859-431-2201. southgatehouse.com

ƒ Most evenings. Rock, alternative, blues

Southwest Ohio Philharmonic | Corinthian Baptist Church, Norwood. swophil.com

ƒ June 21, 7:30 p.m. Motown & More

Symphony Hotel & Vivaldi’s Restaurant | Over-the-Rhine. symphonyhotel.com

ƒ Thursdays, 6-9 p.m. Live jazz trio

ƒ Fridays & Saturdays, 7:30-10:30 p.m. Live jazz trio

Taft Theatre | Downtown. tafttheatre.org

ƒ June 10, 8 p.m. Buddy Guy

ƒ June 13, 8 p.m. Kumar Sanu and Sadhana Sargam

ƒ June 14, 8 p.m. Tab Benoit

TempleLive at River Front Live | East End. riverfrontlivecincy.com

ƒ June 12, 7 p.m. Travis Tritt

ƒ June 17, 7 p.m. Allman Betts Band

Turfway Park Events Center | Florence. turfway.com

ƒ Fridays, 9 p.m. Bourbon and Brew Bands

Michael Chioldi in the title role and Kathryn Lewek as his daughter, Gilda, headline Cincinnati Opera’s season opener, “Rigoletto,” June 12 & 14

Warren County Historical Museum | Lebanon. wchsmuseum.org

ƒ June 12, 7 p.m. Jay Mills, piano

Washington Park | Over-the-Rhine. washingtonpark.org/events

ƒ Mondays, 6 p.m. Jazz at the Park:

‚ June 2. Faux Frenchmen

‚ June 9. Ron Jones Trio

‚ June 16. Camille Saba Smith

‚ June 23. Brandon Coleman

‚ June 30. Ben Levin

ƒ Wednesdays, 6 p.m. Reggae:

‚ Thru Aug. 13

ƒ Thursdays, 7 p.m. Roots Revival (Bluegrass/Americana):

‚ Thru Aug. 28

ƒ Fridays, 7 p.m. Friday Flow (R&B):

‚ Thru Aug. 29

ƒ Sundays, 6 p.m. OTR Performs:

‚ Thru Aug. 31

Woodward Theater | Over-the-Rhine. 513-345-7981. woodwardtheater.com

ƒ June 13, 8 p.m. Motherfolk

Opera

Cincinnati Opera | Music Hall, Over-theRhine. 513-241-2742. cincinnatiopera.org

ƒ June 3 & 4, 7 p.m. Opera Goes to Church! (Lincoln Heights Missionary Baptist Church)

ƒ June 5, 7 p.m. Opera Goes to Church! (New Jerusalem Baptist Church, Carthage)

ƒ June 12 & 14, 7:30 p.m. Verdi: “Rigoletto”

ƒ June 17, 8 p.m. Studio Sessions: Soul and Sound: Dueling Pianos and Artistic Tributes to the Harlem Renaissance (Wilks Studio, Music Hall)

ƒ June 26 & 28, 7:30 p.m. Puccini: “Tosca”

Theater/Comedy

American Legacy Theatre | 513-443-5429. americanlegacytheatre.org

ƒ June 7-8, 2 p.m. “Bridge City,” staged reading of new musical (June 7, Artsville; June 8, Contemporary Arts Center)

The Carnegie | Covington. 859-491-2030. thecarnegie.com

ƒ June 27-July 6. “The Color Purple”

Cincinnati Arts Association | JarsonKaplan Theater, Aronoff Center, downtown. 513-621-2787. cincinnatiarts.org

ƒ June 14, 7:30 p.m. “Sex n’ the City: A (Super Unauthorized) Musical Parody” ƒ June 15, 3 p.m. “The Spouse Whisperer”

Cincinnati Landmark Productions | Price Hill. 513-241-6550. cincinnatilandmarkproductions.com

ƒ Thru June 22. “Million Dollar Quartet” (Incline Theater)

Cincinnati Music Theatre | Fifth Third Bank Theater, Aronoff Center. 513-621-2787. cincinnatimusictheatre.org

ƒ Thru June 7. “Jerry’s Girls”

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company | Over-the-Rhine. 513-381-2273. cincyshakes.com

ƒ Thru June 15. “Mrs. Dalloway: A New Musical”

Cincy Fringe Festival | Over-the-Rhine. cincyfringe.com

ƒ May 30-June 14. 22nd annual festival of experimental theater (various venues, dates and times)

Commonwealth Artists Student Theater | Stained Glass Theatre, Newport. 859-545-0770. caststages.org

ƒ June 27-July 6. “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest”

Commonwealth Sanctuary | Dayton, Ky. commonwealthsanctuary.com

ƒ Weekly comedy shows

Dayton Live Broadway Series | Schuster Center, Dayton, Ohio. daytonlive.org/series/broadway

ƒ June 24-29. “MJ”

The Dinner Detective | Embassy Suites Rivercenter, Covington. thedinnerdetective.com/cincinnati

ƒ Saturdays, 6 p.m. Murder Mystery Dinner Show

East Side Players | Blue Ash Amphitheater. esptheater.org

ƒ June 5-14. “The Addams Family Musical”

Ensemble Theatre | Over-the-Rhine. 513-421-3555. ensemblecincinnati.org

ƒ May 31-June 22. “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding”

The Funny Bone | Liberty Twp. liberty.funnybone.com

ƒ Weekly comedy shows

Go Bananas Comedy Club | Montgomery. gobananascomedy.com

ƒ Weekly comedy shows

Hard Rock Casino | Downtown. hardrockcasinocincinnati.com

ƒ June 21, 8 p.m. Terry Bradshaw

ƒ June 28, 8 p.m. Jeff Ross

Human Race Theatre | Loft Theatre, Dayton, Ohio. humanracetheatre.org

ƒ June 3-15. “The Comeuppance”

La Comedia Dinner Theatre | Springboro. 800-677-9505. lacomedia.com

ƒ Thru June 15. “Children of Eden”

ƒ June 26-Aug. 10. “Matilda: The Musical”

Lamplight Theater | Madeira. lamplighttheater.org

ƒ June 13-29. “The Curious Savage”

Madcap Puppets | Madcap Education Center, Westwood. 513-921-5965. madcappuppets.com

ƒ June 1-Aug. 31. “Fantastic Fairy Tales”

• “Monsters of Baseball”

Memorial Hall | Over-the-Rhine. 513-977-8838. memorialhallotr.com

ƒ June 20, 8 p.m. Wendell Schuman and Tom Buckman (comedy duo)

Taft Theatre | Downtown. tafttheatre.org

ƒ June 6, 8 p.m. Tom Papa, comedian

ƒ June 7, 6 p.m. Jessica Kirson, comedian

ƒ June 8, 8 p.m. David Spade

ƒ June 20, 7 p.m. “Killers of Kill Tony” standup show

ƒ June 21, 2 p.m. CoComelon Live!

Woodward Theater | Over-the-Rhine. 513-345-7981. woodwardtheater.com

ƒ June 15, 6 & 8:30 p.m. Tom Arnold

Visual Art

21c Museum Hotel | Downtown. 513-578-6600.

21cmuseumhotels.com/cincinnati

ƒ Thru Sept. 30. “Revival: Digging into Yesterday, Planting Tomorrow”

• (FotoFocus) Spotlight: Felipe Rivas San Martín

The Annex Gallery | Pendleton Art Center. annexgallery.org

ƒ Thru July 19. Michael Coppage: “Joy/Us,” collages exploring racial identity

Art Design Consultants - Ft. Thomas | Ft. Thomas. adcfineart.com

ƒ Thru June 6. Gilded Garden exhibition

Art Enclave | Mason. artenclave.com

ƒ Thru June 28. “Down on the Farm”

Art League of Loveland | Loveland. artleagueofloveland.org

ƒ June 28, 3:30-7:30 p.m. Annual Art Gallery Crawl

Art on Vine | Fountain Square. artonvinecincy.com

ƒ June 8, noon-6 p.m. Summer Market

ARTclectic Gallery | Silverton. 513-822-5200. artclecticgallery.com

ƒ Thru June 30. “Up Close”

ArtWorks | Walnut Hills. 513-333-0388. artworkscincinnati.org

ƒ Thru June 5. Andrew Neyer & Andy J. Pizza: “Color Me”

ƒ June 27-Aug. 7. Julia Lipovsky: “Splendor in the Grass” Reception: June 27, 5-7 p.m.

Baker Hunt Art & Cultural Center | Covington. 859-431-0020. bakerhunt.org

ƒ Thru Aug. 15. Community Art Show

Behringer-Crawford Museum | Devou Park, Covington. 859-491-4003. bcmuseum.org

ƒ Thru August . “Northern Kentucky Sports Legends of the 1950s”

Campbell County Public Library | Newport Branch Library, Newport. cc-pl.org

ƒ Thru Aug. 1. “Exploring Human Origins: What Does It Mean to Be Human?”

The Carnegie | Covington. 859-491-2030. thecarnegie.com

ƒ Thru Aug. 16. “Notations on Ritual”

Cincinnati Art Museum | Eden Park. 513-721-2787. cincinnatiartmuseum.org

ƒ Thru Aug. 24. “Cycle Thru! The Art of the Bike”

ƒ Thru Aug. 31. “Tintoretto’s Genesis”

Open through December 7, 2025

Photo credit: © Leonard Freed | Magnum Photos

Cincinnati Art Museum (cont.)

ƒ Thru Jan. 11. “Influence(d): Female Innovators in Contemporary Japanese Design”

ƒ Thru Feb. 22. Modern and Contemporary Craft

ƒ June 13-Sept. 21. “Farm to Table: Food and Identity in the Age of Impressionism”

ƒ June 27, 5-9 p.m. Art After Dark

Clifton Cultural Arts Center | Clifton. 513-497-2860. cliftonculturalarts.org

ƒ Thru June 13. “New Impressions” Tiger Lily Press members exhibit

ƒ June 20-July 11. “Uptown and Around: Community Art Show” Reception: June 20, 6-8 p.m.

Contemporary Arts Center | Downtown. 513-345-8400. contemporaryartscenter.org

ƒ Thru Aug. 17. “Ohio Now: State of Nature”

ƒ Thru Dec. 30. Kahlil Robert Irving: “Ground Water from screen Falls [(Collaged media) + Midwest] Street”

ƒ Thru Oct. 31, 2026. “Gravity’s Rainbow”

ƒ June 12-Aug. 3. “Regional 90: Connecting, Empowering and Supporting Local Artists”

The Contemporary Dayton | Dayton, Ohio. 937-224-3822. codayton.org

ƒ Thru Aug. 23. Laura Sanders: “Force of Nature” • Erin Holscher Almazan: “What These Arms Hold” • Christine Gaffney: “Well-Balanced”

Creative Asian Society | Elevar Gallery, Queensgate. casohio.org

ƒ Thru June 27. “Views of Cincinnati & Ohio Valley”

Dayton Art Institute | Dayton, Ohio. 937-223-4278. daytonartinstitute.org

ƒ Thru June 8. Jamie Wyeth: “Unsettled”

Eva G. Farris Gallery | Thomas More University, Crestview Hills. 859-344-3300. thomasmore.edu

ƒ Thru June 20. Ned Stern: Studies and Explorations

Fitton Center | Hamilton. 513-863-8873. fittoncenter.org

ƒ Thru June 27. 52nd Hamilton Current

Gallery 506 | Elsmere. 513-919-5415. gallery-506.com

ƒ Thru July 26. “A Common Language”

Glendale Heritage Preservation | Village Square, Glendale. 513-771-8722. glendaleheritage.org

ƒ Permanent exhibit . “Women of Glendale”

Iris BookCafe and Gallery | Over-theRhine. 513-260-8434. irisbookcafeotr.com

ƒ Thru June 16. “I Like to be in America: Tony Mendoza’s photo(his)stories”

Kennedy Heights Arts Center | Kennedy Heights. 513-631-4278. kennedyarts.org

ƒ Thru June 7. “Change” juried exhibition

Manifest Gallery | East Walnut Hills. 513-861-3638. manifestgallery.org

ƒ Thru June 27. “Annual Rites of Passage”

• “Annual Magnitude 7” • “Watching”

• Manifest Artist Residency Showcase: Chris Marin

ƒ June 7, 4 p.m. Groundbreaking for renovating Drawing Center on Central Pkwy., future home of Manifest

Middletown Arts Center | Middletown. 513-424-2417. middletownartscenter.com

ƒ June 13-14. “In the Garden” interactive art and botanical-inspired creativity

Off Ludlow Gallery | Clifton. 513-201-7153. facebook.com

ƒ June 13-July 2. “Artists In Action Show”

Reception: June 13, 6-8 p.m.

Pendleton Art Center | Pendleton. 513-421-4339. pendletonartcenter.com

ƒ June 27, 5-9 p.m., open studios

Pendleton Art Center - Middletown | Middletown. 513-465-5038. pendletonartcenter.com

ƒ June 6, 5-9 p.m.

Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum | Hamilton. 513-868-1234. pyramidhill.org

ƒ Thru July 27. “Botanical Fantastical,” by Kim Radochia, nature’s patterns and details

Queen City Clay | Norwood. queencityclay.com

ƒ June 6-July 17. Peter Jadoonath and Kyle Lascelle

Rosewood Arts Centre | Rosewood Gallery, Kettering. 937-296-0294. playkettering.org/rosewood-gallery-home

ƒ June 9-July 19. Annual “The View” juried landscape exhibition

Save Our Souls Art | sosartcincinnati.com

ƒ June 9-July 6. “For a Better World 2025”

Reception: June 14, 2-5 p.m. (St. John Unitarian Church, Clifton)

Cincinnatian Erika NJ Allen’s “This is Not a Banana Republic” is one of three exhibits opening June 20 at the Weston Art Gallery in the Aronoff Center. Opening reception is 6-8 p.m.

ƒ June 20-July 13. “SOS Art 2025” • “USA Miniprints 2025” (Art Academy of Cincinnati, Over-the-Rhine)

Skirball Museum | Hebrew Union College, Clifton. csm.huc.edu

ƒ Thru July 31. “The Seventeen: Iron Flock” by Archie Rand

Solway Gallery | West End. 513-621-0069. solwaygallery.com

ƒ Thru June 27. Tom Shelton: “The Children’s Woods”

Studio San Giuseppe Art Gallery | Mount St. Joseph University, Delhi. msj.edu

ƒ Thru Aug. 25. MSJ Student Art Exhibition

Summerfair Cincinnati | Riverbend. 513-531-0050. summerfair.org

ƒ May 30-June 1. Region’s largest arts and crafts festival

Summit Hotel | Madisonville. 513-527-9900. thesummithotel.com

ƒ Current exhibit . Frank Herrmann: “Turbulence is Life Force”

Taft Museum of Art | Lytle Park, downtown. 513-241-0343. taftmuseum.org

ƒ Thru June 15. J.M.W Turner: “Watercolor Horizons”

ƒ June 7-Sept. 7. “The Crafted World of Wharton Esherick”

Warren County Historical Museum | Lebanon. wchsmuseum.org

ƒ June 20-Aug. 29. Russel Wright: “A Legacy of Simple Living by Design”

Weston Art Gallery | Aronoff Center, downtown. 513-977-4165. cincinnatiarts.org/weston-art-gallery

ƒ Thru June 8. “On The Shoulders Of Ancestors: The Art Of Willis ‘Bing’ Davis”

• James Pate: “Redacted” • “Homing Instinct: Letting Go of the Shore” – Dani McClain, author, and Lydia Dean Pilcher, filmmaker

ƒ June 20-Aug. 24. Hannah Parrett:

“(Grass Crunching)” • Erika Nj Allen: “This Is Not A Banana Republic - A Manifesto of Empire Domination, The Immigration Experience, and Empathy”

• Clive Moloney: “Between Trees”

Reception: June 20, 6-8 p.m. 

Kevin Finn, president and CEO of Strategies to End Homelessness, doesn’t like to talk about himself. He’d much rather explain how the organization he founded in 2007 has dramatically changed the way Cincinnati deals with homelessness. Still, once you hear Finn’s story, it’s impossible to separate the man from the mission.

Exactly what is the mission of Strategies to End Homelessness? The name doesn’t suggest a lot of specifics. Is it a bunch of people from different agencies and organizations gathered around a boardroom table brainstorming ideas on how to get people off the streets? Into shelters? Hooked up to needed services? From becoming homeless at all? A place where out-ofthe-box thinking and new ideas are encouraged? Yes, to all. And much more.

“I’m the convenor,” Finn said, oversimplifying his job description. Before STEH, most of the local organizations and agencies dealing with homelessness operated independently. Having worked on the frontlines of the issue, Finn knew that working together to coordinate services would be much more efficient and cost effective. And identifying and intervening to help individuals and families before they found themselves without a home would be the best outcome of all.

To that end, STEH partners with 30 local, nonprofit agencies and organizations to coordinate emergency, short-term and long-term housing solutions for people who are homeless or in danger of finding themselves homeless. STEH also manages federal as well as some state and local funding these agencies receive. In its 18-year history, STEH has shown an impressive success rate of keeping those most at risk off the streets and out of shelters.

So, how did a guy who grew up in an uppermiddle-class home in Westwood, surrounded by a loving and supportive family, never wanting for anything, become so passionately dedicated to helping those living on the opposite end of the spectrum? That’s where the story gets interesting.

Mission trip changes a life

“Shallow as a puddle.” That’s how Finn, 54, describes his teenage self prior to his senior year at St. Xavier High School in 1988. His goals were clear: “I wanted to play football, get a degree in business and then make a lot of money. That was it.”

Back then, St. X sponsored a mission trip every summer. Few were chosen to go, and those who were selected already had a track record

The mission chose him

Kevin Finn is a leader in preventing homelessness

By Kathy Doane

of community service. “I had never done any volunteering back then, but – not sure why – I applied and was picked,” he said.

For seven weeks, Finn and his classmates lived in a remote part of Peru, helping build an addition to a school. Life was primitive. “We bathed in an irrigation ditch and went to the bathroom in a cornfield.”

In the middle of that trip, the group traveled to nearby Arequipa. “We were just a group of Americans walking down the sidewalk in the middle of the day when I saw this guy in a doorway. His clothes were torn, and he was out cold. He was the first person I recall looking at and thinking, ‘He’s homeless.’”

No words were exchanged; the homeless man never saw Finn. But it was a profound experience he’s never put aside, a transformational moment that determined the course of his life’s work.

Granted, the seeds of compassion, caring and social justice had not only been planted by his parents, but were foundational to his Jesuit education at St. X. “That summer completely rocked my world,” Finn said. “I came home, quit football and began to do community service.”

After graduation, he chose another Jesuit institution, St. Louis University, where he majored in psychology. During those four years in Missouri, he continued doing community service projects, so it was no surprise that Finn chose to spend the year after graduation in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC). “It works a lot like the Peace Corps, but in the U.S.” he explains.

“We couldn’t afford the electric bill so we had blackout nights where we never turned it on,” Finn said. He sold his blood plasma for gas money. “It was a lived experience of poverty that informs the work I do now.”

Finn wanted to go to a part of the country where he’d never been, so he chose Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where his assignment was doing emergency rent assistance. Like his time in Peru, it was a stark existence, living with two other workers in a house provided by JVC that didn’t have air conditioning with a monthly stipend of $205 to pay for everything else. “We couldn’t afford the electric bill so we had blackout nights where we never turned it on,” Finn said. He sold his blood plasma for gas money. “It was a lived experience of poverty that informs the work I do now.”

When his JVC year ended, Finn was still trying to figure out what he was supposed to be doing with his life. Over the next decade, a series of jobs would bring more clarity.

Kevin Finn

Photo by helen a da Ms for M overs & Makers

Lessons into leadership

Once he returned to Cincinnati in 1994, Finn went to work for 241 Kids as a child abuse investigator. “What I found out was that most people don’t intentionally abuse or neglect their kids. They are just poor and don’t have resources to take care of them.”

In 1996, Finn went to work at St. Xavier in the community service department, planning those mission trips and student volunteer activities. “I felt I was supposed to send other students out to have similar experiences to what I had.”

After leaving St. Xavier in 1998, he took his first job working with the homeless population in Cincinnati as an outreach worker for the Health Resource Center. The street outreach program for homeless teens he started was the first of its kind in the city of Cincinnati and became part of Lighthouse Youth Services when Finn moved on in 2004.

His next move, though more bureaucratic than hands-on, proved strategic to his work today. He went to work for a for-profit company that handled the application process for all the local homeless service agencies who received money from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. It provided the big-picture vantage for seeing what everyone was doing.

When Congress introduced legislation requiring that the HUD application process be done by nonprofit organizations, Finn saw an opportunity.

“I couldn’t have pulled it off on my own,” he said. A group of agencies dealing with homelessness had been meeting for several years

Funding uncertainty

to figure out how to improve their services. When they all agreed they needed a new nonprofit to handle the funding process going forward, one with no conflicts of interest, Strategies to End Homelessness was the answer, with Finn at the helm. With HUD as the largest funder of agencies and organizations dealing with homelessness in the country, there was a lot riding on getting it right.

“It immediately allowed us to do two things: we handled the application process, were responsible for monitoring, compliance and overseeing HUD money going to recipients.” What STEH doesn’t do is decide who gets money. Who goes into the application process each year is based on a successful track record. “We use the same formula for every pot of money we oversee: data-driven performance measures that the community of homeless service providers and other city, county and interested parties have decided determine success. The one negative caveat with HUD money is that it can’t be used for prevention programs.”

In the past two years, STEH has launched two initiatives aimed at filling that gap. The first, Shelter Diversion, targets individuals living couch to couch with family or friends. Once they connect with STEH or one of its partners seeking resources, individuals can be assigned a social worker who coordinates services for six months to help them find an apartment and establish stability. The goal: When the six months ends, they are able to pay the rent on their own.

The other program, Predictive Data Analytics, identifies people most likely to receive an eviction notice based on several years of

The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development is the biggest funder of homeless programs in the country. Locally, that translates to $32 million a year that STEH passes on to its 16 partner agencies that receive Federal funding. The current funding year ends this month and STEH has been assured that funding for the next fiscal year will continue. But they’ve also gotten a heads-up that significant cuts are coming in 2026.

 strategiestoendhomelessness.org

Finn dispels stereotypes

• Most homeless people are transients “89% of homeless in Hamilton County are from Hamilton Country. 5% are from an Ohio county that borders Hamilton County and another 5% are from a bordering Kentucky or Indiana county. Only 1% are from more than two counties away.”

• Homeless are primarily male, older, single and alcoholics

“Half of homeless here are under 35 with multiple issues. I’ve never met someone who is homeless for one reason.”

• Many people are homeless for a long time

“The average length of time someone is homeless in Hamilton County is about 60 to 65 days.”

information gathered from those who previously have engaged with the system. The person is then contacted to offer services and assistance before a crisis occurs.

So far, most individuals are receptive to help.

“The fact is, a lot of people don’t have the support system of family and friends to help them,” Finn

said, a reality he learned long ago on the streets of Peru and Baton Rouge. A lesson he keeps going back to.

“I feel like I’m supposed to be doing more, but I don’t know what that is yet,” he said. “Somebody had a plan for me back then and still does.” 

The Notables

Movers & Makers reached out this month to organizations working on housing and homelessness, asking them to help us showcase their notables, part of M&M’s continuing effort to recognize individuals making a difference in Greater Cincinnati’s nonprofit ecosystem.

Darlene Guess, Tender Mercies

Darlene Guess has worked with homeless and mentally ill individuals for more than 30 years and has held a license in social work for over 15 years. She managed a 24-hour emergency shelter for more than 15 years and five HUD housing programs for the homeless. For more than six years, Guess has led the client-facing Tender Mercies team as support services director, including service coordinators, Activities of Daily Living coaches, AfterCare, income and benefits, and resident support workers across six buildings. She leads by example to support harm reduction strategies. Guess loves to cook and caters events for others to enjoy. 

Erin Saul, GreenLight Fund Cincinnati

Erin Saul, executive director of GreenLight Fund Cincinnati, leads efforts addressing deep-rooted disparities affecting children and families. Through GreenLight’s multimillion-dollar investment model, Saul partners with community, corporate and philanthropic leaders to bring high-impact, data-driven solutions. Among GreenLight Cincinnati’s most notable initiatives is HomeStart’s Renew Collaborative – an eviction prevention program combining rental assistance, financial planning and post-crisis stabilization to drive long-term housing security. Renew Collaborative has prevented eviction of more than 200 people. Saul enjoys time at the park with her toddler son and throwing pottery on the wheel at Core Clay in Norwood. 

Adelyn Stroup, Community Learning Center Institute

Adelyn Stroup leads by linking housing stability with educational success and neighborhood vitality. She partners with housing organizations to deliver one-stop housing services for families through Cincinnati Public Schools’ Community Learning Centers. Her work as director of strategic initiatives has been recognized by the Brookings Institution, Marketplace and MassINC, among others. Stroup is excited to collaborate with People Working Cooperatively to address the connection between housing conditions and health outcomes with the aim to improve student success and home environments. Stroup enjoys hiking, salsa dancing, playing soccer and traveling, including exploring Cincinnati’s 52 neighborhoods. 

AdelynStroup

Deliliah Marshall, Episcopal Retirement Services

Deliliah Marshall is a leader in affordable housing, serving as director of operations and supporting 30-plus rent-subsidized senior living communities. She advocates for ensuring all seniors live with dignity and comfort. Her strategic mindset and passion for quality housing match her skill in guiding complex operations and nurturing inclusive, person-centered communities. A mentor and innovator, Marshall supports teams, strengthens performance and ensures seniors with limited incomes have safe and enriching environments. She enjoys making memories with her children and grandchildren. She also loves antiquing and finding joy in the stories behind the items.

Valerie Daley, LISC Greater Cincinnati

Valerie Daley is focused on strengthening community organizations and the housing ecosystem. As director of programs, she leads LISC’s Heirs Property initiative, which helps families resolve property title issues through estate planning, legal support and financial counseling. This helps keep homes in families for future generations. Daley is committed to practical, long-term solutions that support housing stability and build generational wealth. Daley is known for her ability to navigate complex systems with care and clarity. She enjoys traveling, spending time with her pets and partner Chris, and slow afternoons at the zoo with her mom. 

Nicholas J. DiNardo, Legal Aid Society

Nicholas J. DiNardo co-manages Legal Aid’s Housing and Consumer Practice Group, directing housing advocacy and representing clients. He also supervises staff attorneys and paralegals in preventing evictions and enforcing housing and health codes to preserve affordable housing. As managing attorney, he coordinates with United Way Greater Cincinnati and other partners to get emergency assistance for families facing eviction. DiNardo has spent his legal career advocating for decent, safe and affordable housing for the most vulnerable. He is an avid Ultimate Frisbee player and coaches the Ultimate Club at Walnut Hills High School, where both his children graduated. 

ValerieDaley

DeliliahMarshall

DarleneGuess

NicholasJ.

DiNa rdo

BUILDING A BETTER FRAMEWORK

United Way’s CEO discusses innovating housing solutions

If you’re fortunate, you probably have fond memories of growing up in your childhood home. Maybe your family moved a time or two, and your parents hoped it wouldn’t be too disruptive.

If you’re fortunate, you can only imagine the trauma of eviction. You don’t know what it’s like for families to discover their belongings stacked along a sidewalk outside their home. You’ve never been to eviction court, where a renter’s housing status is decided in mere minutes. You don’t have to worry about a child welfare worker poking around to ensure you’ve enrolled your child in yet another new school.

Moira Weir was one of those child welfare workers. She’s witnessed all of the above and then some. Her unique perspective is what’s driven her to explore alternative approaches to social services; solutions that empower families to build secure and lasting foundations for their futures.

Change of plans

Weir was fresh out of business school and working for a real estate developer when she met a foster child who made her rethink everything – her own promising career path and the opportunities she was afforded that weren’t within reach for her mentee.

“The challenges she faced in her life were beyond her control,” Weir said, “and beyond my control as her advocate.”

The child she mentored was placed with 16 foster families over nine years. She aged out of the foster care system without stable housing or a clear path forward.

“Through that experience, I realized that the systems and conditions she faced were bigger than both of us,” Weir said. So, she dug in and decided to become a child welfare worker. She describes it as one of the most rewarding – and heartbreaking – jobs.

“You often find yourself with families on their absolute worst days.”

All too often, Weir explained, it’s not a lack of care that brings people into the child welfare system or any other public system; it’s a lack of resources.

During her decades-long career with Hamilton County Job & Family Services (JFS),

many of those years as the director, she met countless families and heard their stories. She said it was a privilege to do the work. Over time, though, she grew to understand the public sector’s limitations.

“I learned that when families engaged with ‘the system,’ they were already deep in crisis, and the trauma was so entrenched it was hard to reverse.”

Weir became curious about what could be done to prevent crises, create preventative models in our community, and not only meet today's needs but also change future outcomes.

That brought her to United Way of Greater Cincinnati, where Weir has been on a mission to evolve the local business model. She wants people to know United Way is, first and foremost, an impact organization. In addition to funding local partners and operating the area’s 211 helpline, United Way pilots evidence-based approaches to solving deep-rooted community issues.

New solutions

“Solutions don’t come from incremental thinking – they come from bold, innovative ideas that challenge the status quo,” Weir said.

One such idea is the Renew Collaborative, an eviction-prevention project. It’s built on the premise that evictions are disruptive for communities and expensive for landlords.

“The Renew Collaborative asks the question: What if we could work with landlords to identify opportunities to stop evictions before they happen? Would those landlords reinvest some of the money saved to help support eviction prevention on an ongoing basis?”

Weir said the answer in Boston, where this model originated, was yes.

United Way launched its own Renew

Collaborative about two years ago with partners including the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority; Boston-based HomeStart, the originator of the eviction-prevention model; GreenLight Fund; and the Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Help Center.

Renew Collaborative advocates create custom plans for families to stay in their homes and negotiate with property owners to make payments toward back rent. The pilot shows promise and is offering participants the stability to build a more solid foundation for their families.

Weir said housing and utility assistance are among the top requests handled by United Way 211, the 24-hour helpline connecting callers to services – a resource Weir wished she’d known about during her time at JFS.

Data collected by 211 helps inform the organization’s strategic initiatives and partnerships, including the Revive and Thrive home repair loan program and Access to Counsel, another eviction-prevention program that provides rent assistance and legal counsel to families facing eviction.

Investing in brighter futures

Last year, United Way invested more than $37 million in Greater Cincinnati and served more than 330,000 people, 95,000 of whom benefited from United Way-specific programming. Weir is filled with urgency and optimism about the future.

“We’re in a position to grow these programs so even more families can stay in their homes and keep children in their schools,” Weir said.

She knows it’s impossible to do this work alone. The organization relies on a vast network of partners and tens of thousands of supporters. “I like to say, ‘You cannot opt out of your community.’

“Everyone I talk to cares deeply about this community and wants to live and work in a thriving region,” Weir said. “Together, let’s own the challenge of making Greater Cincinnati a place where everyone feels a sense of belonging and where everyone has a fair opportunity to reach their goals.”

 uwgc.org

This content provided and sponsored by

United Way CEO Moira Weir

NOTABLES: Housing & Homelessness

Adriana Howard, St. Vincent de Paul-Cincinnati

Adriana Howard is a tireless advocate on the front lines of homelessness prevention. As a call center manager at St. Vincent de Paul for seven years, she helped support thousands of families facing eviction or utility disconnection. She helped SVdP’s team distribute more than $5.4 million in rent and utility assistance in 2024. As Vincentian engagement manager, Howard supports more than 1,000 volunteers. She is said to lead with heart and experience, so help feels like hope, not judgment. Howard finds joy in her children, whose openness, love and ability to live in the moment inspire her daily. 

Jenna Hippensteel, Community Matters

Jenna Hippensteel employs a people-centered, hands-on approach to preventing homelessness and partnering with families on housing stability in Price Hill. As chief operations officer, Hippensteel oversees the innovative Opportunity Hub program, which partners with families experiencing crises to provide mediation, financial help and long-term interventions. She has helped dozens of families avoid eviction and stabilize their housing over the past year. Hippensteel responds to early risk factors, prioritizes community partnerships and treats neighbors as co-leaders in their journeys. She has a keen sense of humor and enjoys crafting and the outdoors. 

Watoiya Williams, Bethany House Services

Watoiya Williams guides homelessness prevention programs at Bethany House Services. In recent years, BHS has dramatically expanded prevention programs, which help families avoid emergency shelter, and now implements Shelter Diversion, Keeping Every Youth Safe, Progressive Engagement, Aftercare and the new Impact Award, an innovative prevention program using predictive analytics funded by the City of Cincinnati. Williams assumed her new role as lead case manager in January and works with each of these programs. Williams loves to travel and already has plans to visit Cape Town, South Africa, in 2026 for a milestone birthday. 

Rozalyn Malott, Found House IHN

Rozalyn Malott is a pet support advocate at Found House IHN. For 10 years, the organization has offered shelter and housing for families, pets included. Combining her education as a social worker and her background in animal behav ior and training, Malott is a source of comfort for human and pet alike, supporting them through crisis and helping to reestablish housing. Malott is a passionate dog and cat mom herself, and when not hanging out with the four-legged, can be found enjoying live music, soccer and pickleball. 

Melissa Adamchik, UpSpring

Melissa Adamchik is a visionary leader and strong advocate for the wellbeing and education of children experiencing homelessness. Adamchik collaborates with change-makers like herself to help homeless youth thrive. Her work as executive director at UpSpring has been instrumental in expanding mental health awareness and measuring impacts on children served. She equips staff to support and understand students experiencing housing instability. Her leadership is rooted in support, trust and growth, empowering others to lead boldly and compassionately. Adamchik is re-experiencing the world through her 1½-year-old grandson, Hendrix. She has attended more than 100 live music concerts. 

Tara Johnson-Noem, NKy Area Development District

Tara Johnson-Noem has leveraged her agency’s expertise to elevate the issue of income-aligned housing. Johnson-Noem led the NKY Housing Data Study in 2023 and the Home for All: Northern Kentucky Housing Strategies report released in January 2025. As executive director, she engages elected leaders, private employers, finance experts, developers and nonprofits to respond to housing costs and availability. JohnsonNoem enjoys traveling and exploring the outdoors with husband Shane and three kids, taming Luna, her corgi, and finishing her quest to read a biography of every U.S. president. 

Francesca Phillis, Santa Maria Community Services

Francesca Phillis is a compassionate powerhouse in housing and homelessness. She serves with tireless dedication, combining deep empathy with a strategic mind. As stable families coordinator, Phillis helps families remain housed and supported, preventing crises before they unfold. She has led initiatives that address root causes such as trauma, poverty and systemic barriers. Her trauma-informed, person-centered approach has transformed lives, leading to stability and dignity for individuals and families. Phillis enjoys trying new restaurants with her husband, cooking and baking, yoga, traveling, and watching her 1-year-old son experience life. 

Andy Meyer, OKI Regional Council of Governments

Andy Meyer spearheaded the Regional Housing Data Dashboard. Meyer’s work as senior planner for land use is crucial in promoting informed decision-making within the housing sector, offering a resource for planners and policymakers to understand and tackle housing challenges effectively. This tool aims to address housing shortages and rising costs in the region by using a data-driven approach to housing goals and policy. Meyer’s efforts contribute to a more strategic and responsive approach to housing development. He enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking, biking and sailing with his family. 

AdrianaHoward MelissaAdamchik

Francesca Phillis

AndyMeyer

WatoiyaWilliams

TaraJohnson-N oem

JennaHippenste el RozalynMalott

Dana Saxton, New Life Furniture Bank

Dana Saxton has spent more than 20 years in nonprofit leadership and, as president and CEO, has grown New Life into a regional leader in furnishing homes for families overcoming homelessness, domestic violence and poverty. In 2024, New Life furnished 2,399 homes for nearly 6,000 people, restoring dignity and comfort to their lives. Saxton is passionate about creating spaces where families can thrive. She’s a proud mom and dog lover, and enjoys the local and national music scenes. Her warmth, drive and dedication make her a standout leader in the fight against furniture poverty. 

DanaSaxton

Damian Billy, The Center for Respite Care

Damian Billy helps The Center for Respite Care thrive as it provides thousands of bed hours for people who are healing, released from the hospital, and have no place else to go. He previously served as president of The Center’s board and now chairs both the facilities and nominating committees. Billy has used his architectural skills to assist with building concerns, notably The Center’s relocation to the St. Anthony Center. He and his wife, Margaret Szempruch, are members of St. Francis de Sales parish, where Billy coordinates the parish’s community outreach program, Service to Others. 

Dennis Coyne, St. Vincent de Paul NKy

Dennis Coyne is a vice president on the board and is also a Vincentian – volunteers called by faith to serve those in need. Coyne and other Vincentians meet regularly with family members to assess immediate needs and advocate for them with their landlords. These volunteers helped provide more than $1 million in rent and utility assistance last year. Preventing evictions helps families avoid tough social and financial outcomes. Coyne works out and loves to bike. In 2004, he helped co-found a nonprofit that helps hundreds of children at an orphanage in Vietnam. 

Joe Hansbauer, Habitat for Humanity

In under three years as president and CEO at Habitat for Humanity of Greater Cincinnati, Joe Hansbauer has boldly laid the foundation for large-scale growth to address the urgent need for attainable homeownership and critical home repair. His leadership has driven larger land developments, higher-density home designs and more-efficient construction, bringing affordable homes to more families. In his early 20s, as a volunteer with the Habitat Global Village program, Hansbauer experienced the tangible mission to build homes, community and hope. He hosts weekly neighborhood bonfires and can often be found at the soccer fields cheering on his kids. 

Jessica Powell, Talbert House

Jessica Powell brings impactful leadership and commitment to housing stability for vulnerable populations. As vice president of housing and asset management, she oversees more than 70 properties and manages 324 units of permanent supportive housing for people with severe mental illness and substance use disorders. Her experiences as an attorney equip her to drive systemic change. Since leading the Housing Service Line in 2021, Powell has expanded services through developments like Carthage Flats and Klekamp Family Veteran Residences. An active mother of three, she enjoys gardening, exercising and restoring her old home. 

DennisCoyne

JessicaPowell

JoeHansbauer

Kim M. Webb, Emergency Shelter of NKy

With 10 years of compassionate leadership at Emergency Shelter, Kim M. Webb works to provide adults with shelter and services at ESNKY and other organizations. As CEO, she led the organization’s largest capital campaign, relocating ESNKY to its state-of-the-art facility. Webb believes homelessness is a human dignity issue, and she defines a community’s fabric by its willingness to help the homeless. She is driven by her leadership motto: “Managers do things right. Leaders do the right thing.” Webb enjoys exercising, spending time with family and friends, mentoring women, cooking and enjoying life. 

Marissa Reed is heavily involved in GeneroCity 513 with an unmatched passion for helping those in need. Aimed at helping people driven to panhandling – including those facing homelessness, addiction and mental illness – GeneroCity 513 connects unhoused individuals to social services to provide housing, employment and more. As director of operations, Reed also oversees a team that provides clean and safe services in downtown Cincinnati. She is involved in Built for Zero –social service agencies participating in a national initiative to end chronic homelessness. Reed volunteers at the emergency cold weather shelter at the OTR Recreation Center and enjoys running and gardening. 

Jan’el Gentry, Ohio Valley Goodwill

Jan’el Gentry enhances access to housing resources for individuals and families in need. As housing specialist, she has a deep understanding of funding and community collaboration that has been crucial in helping Goodwill maximize federal resources needed to support our most vulnerable neighbors. In 2024, OVGI housed 65 individuals in need, helping more people find stable housing faster, which empowers them to rebuild their lives. Gentry lights up when talking about her grandson and family. You might catch her treasure-hunting at local thrift stores on weekends or taking part in activities at her church. 

Ashley Ward, Ohio Justice and Policy Center

Ashley Ward was instrumental in developing the Certificate of Qualification for Housing, a critical tool for Ohioans with criminal records. Ward played a pivotal role in shaping House Bill 50, which created the CQH process. Her tenacity ensured the CQH became a reality, offering returning citizens a fair chance at housing and a fresh start. As staff attorney, Ward has helped more than 90 clients through record sealings, expungements, pardons, certificates of qualification for employment and housing legal issues. Ward enjoys spending time with her sisters, painting, puzzles and Marvel movies. 

Carolyn Yorio, Caracole

Carolyn Yorio’s work as director of housing embodies Caracole’s mission in the fight against HIV. A fierce advocate for clients and a champion of the housing-first model, she believes that housing is healthcare, and brings that belief to life every day with her team. With master’s degrees in social work and public health, Yorio offers a perspective grounded in both systems change and individual impact. She’s often invited to collaborate, train and lead efforts for affordable solutions. When she’s not working, you’ll likely find Yorio outdoors with family and friends, chasing new trails and making memories together. 

Cliff Fennell, LADD

Cliff Fennell manages LADD’s SOAR Housing Program (Services for the Ownership and Acquisition of Residences) and is dedicated to helping people with disabilities and their families secure affordable, safe and accessible housing. Fennell leads his team to work with individuals from the initial application to working with landlords and property companies, to helping maintain voucher recertification so people do not lose rental assistance. Economic instability has increased the need for programs like SOAR. Fennell, also housing chair for the Cincinnati NAACP, enjoys producing shows, taking photographs and is a licensed drone operator. 

Janet Brown, HOME of Greater Cincinnati

Janet Brown oversees HOME’s tenant-counseling work as director of tenant advocacy to provide information and resources about Ohio landlord-tenant law. She counsels clients facing housing issues, including evictions or repair issues, and oversees HOME’s direct rent and utility assistance. She’s expanded partnerships with Community Learning Center Institute, Mercy Health community health workers and more. She also works with landlords and housing providers to mediate issues, and is a board member of Housing Mediation Services. Brown has more than 14 years of experience at HOME. She loves to read, do crafts and hang out with her family. 

Our July issue will FOCUS ON: Teens As Our Future

To find out how to submit a NOTABLE for consideration (nonprofits only), email: tmariner@moversmakers.org

KimM.Webb

JanetBrown

CliffFennell

Jan’elGentry

Marissa Reed, 3CDC

MarissaReed

CarolynYorio

AshleyWard

Gifts & Grants

The University of Cincinnati received a $5 million donation from an anonymous donor to support students at UC Blue Ash and UC Clermont colleges. The donation includes $1.5 million for experiential learning, funding paid internships and coops at both schools. UC Clermont will use part of the gift to endow the Cronin Career Scholars Fund, offering paid internships with community partners. Another $500,000 will go toward establishing the UC Blue Ash Career Services Endowment Fund. An additional $3.5 million will create new scholarships and support faculty research. Since 2018, this donor has contributed $7.26 million to the university.

Greater Cincinnati Foundation, in partnership with the City of Cincinnati, has awarded $836,000 in Boots on the Ground Fund grants to 38 local nonprofits. The city contributed $650,000 of the funding, which aims to strengthen small, community-based organizations focused on housing, food and healthcare access, gun violence prevention, workforce and youth development, and mental health and substance use services. Each grant, up to $25,000, was selected with input from a diverse community group. The list of recipients is available on GCF’s website.

 gcfdn.org/recentgrants

Fifth Third Bank has donated $50,000 to the Sam Hubbard Foundation’s Hubbard’s Cupboard program, helping stock shelves in 21 Greater Cincinnati schools with healthy snacks. The initiative aims to fight food insecurity among students and give children the fuel they need to succeed in the classroom.

The donation was part of Fifth Third Day (May 3 or 5/3), the bank’s annual celebration of service. Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard joined Fifth Third employees at the Madisonville Operations Center to pack meals for Freestore Foodbank.

 samhubbardfoundation.com

Cincinnati Museum Center has secured a gift from the Vontz family to support the creation of The Vontz Family Research, Education and Collections Center. This new facility, which will be built on the former Heidelberg Distributing property on Dalton Avenue, will consolidate and better preserve CMC’s collection of over 6 million artifacts, while expanding research, education and public access to the region’s natural and cultural history. The family’s one-time donation is part of a larger $45 million fundraising goal for the project. Construction for the new center is set to begin in 2026, with plans to complete the move by late 2027.

 cincymuseum.org

St. Vincent de Paul Northern Kentucky received a $25,000 grant from the Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile Jr. Foundation to support its Rent and Utility Assistance Program, which provides emergency aid to help local residents avoid eviction and utility shutoffs. From October 2023 through September 2024, SVdP NKY distributed more than $1.08 million in rent and utility assistance, supporting over 10,000 people – a 13% increase over the previous fiscal year.

 svdpnky.org

Black Women Cultivating Change, a Cincinnati nonprofit focused on mental health advocacy in the Black community, has received a $30,000 grant from the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation to expand suicide prevention programs for local youth. The funding will support BWCC’s delivery of evidence-based training, including QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) and Mental Health First Aid, designed to help youth and adults recognize and respond to signs of mental distress.

 blackwomencultivatingchange.com

Cancer Support Community Greater Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky has received a $60,000 grant from the Dearborn Community Foundation to expand free emotional and social support services for cancer patients and families in Dearborn County, Indiana. The three-year grant enables the nonprofit to

(Far left) UC Clermont Cronin Career Scholar and pre-medicine graduate Luke Ustick conducts research in the college’s cancer lab.

A significant gift from the Vontz family pushed fundraising to $15 million for the Museum Center’s new research and collections center near Union Terminal.

offer integrated oncology support at the new St. Elizabeth Healthcare Cancer Center in Greendale, Indiana – bringing programs such as support groups, yoga, meditation, educational workshops and family services to a previously underserved area.

 mycancersupportcommunity.org

LIFE Food Pantry has received a $20,000 grant from the Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile Jr. Foundation to support the dietary needs of its diverse client base. Founded in 1988, LIFE Food Pantry serves individuals in the 45140 ZIP code who are facing food insecurity and financial hardship. The funding will help the Loveland-based nonprofit regularly stock halal meat and low-sodium and sugar-free nonperishable items in response to growing demand.

 lifefoodpantry.org

Santa Maria Community Services Inc. has received a pair of grants to support its initiatives in Price Hill: a $30,000 grant from The Scripps Howard Fund for its Promoting Our Preschoolers program and a $40,000 grant from the Josephine S. Russell Charitable Trust to support its Workforce Development program.

 santamaria-cincy.org

Central Clinic Behavioral Health has received two grants totaling $85,000 from PNC Charitable Trusts to support mental health services for the LGBTQ+, Latino and African American male communities facing mental illness and substance use challenges. A $65,000 grant will support the organization’s Adult Services programs, with a focus on the LGBTQ+ Clinic and Culturally Responsive Services.

Additionally, the Jack J. Smith Jr. Charitable Trust awarded $20,000 to enhance services for the Latino community and promote collaboration with other organizations to address mental health needs.

 centralclinic.org

Photo by danny k idd of

The Datebook

JUNE 1, SUNDAY

Cincinnati Jazz Hall of Fame, 11th Induction Ceremony | 3 p.m. Mayerson JCC, Amberley. Emcee: Courtis Fuller. Honoring Greg Chako, Dave Matthews, Patsy Meyer, Joe Rogers and Carmon DeLeone. Tickets: $25; $30 at door.

 cincyjazzhof.org

JUNE 2, MONDAY

Big Brothers Big Sisters, Outback Steakhouse Golf Classic | 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Kenwood Country Club. Golf, contests, silent auctions, food and drinks.

 donate.bigsforkids.org

Stepping Stones, Annual Golf Classic | O’Bannon Creek Golf Club, Loveland. Golf, food and raffles. Tickets: $300; $1,200 foursome.

 steppingstonesohio.org/golf-classic

JUNE 4, WEDNESDAY

ACG Cincinnati, Deal Maker Awards | 5-6:30 p.m. Music Hall Ballroom. Emcee: Doug Bolton. Reception and awards ceremony.

 acgcincinnatidealmaker.org/event

Adopt A Class, Celebration Breakfast | 8-10 a.m. Cintas Center, Xavier University. Breakfast and program. Tickets: $50.

 aacmentors.org/celebration-breakfast

JUNE 5, THURSDAY

Midwest Regional Sustainability Summit | 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Sharonville Convention Center. Keynote: Lyla June Johnston. Speakers, exhibitor expo,

With a Spotlight on the Movers and Makers behind Greater Cincinnati’s Fundraisers, Friend-Raisers and Community Events

poster session, art show, live performances and networking reception. Tickets: $200.

 midwestsustainabilitysummit.org

Talbert House, Fatherhood Celebration | 4:30-6:30 p.m. Memorial Hall, Over-the-Rhine. Supports program that assists men in becoming responsible, committed and nurturing dads. Father of the Year and speaker: George Vincent, partner, Dinsmore & Shohl; Graduate Father of the Year, Erik Spottz. Networking, appetizers, drinks and program. Tickets start at $75.  talberthouse.org/events

Warren County Foundation, Community Service Awards | 6 p.m. Manor House, Mason. Happy hour, dinner, program and awards. Tickets: $60.  warrencountyfoundation.org

JUNE 6, FRIDAY

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, Revel and Romance Gala| 5 p.m. Honoring Michael and Margaret Valentine. Drinks, dinner by-the-bite and exclusive performance of “Mrs. Dalloway: A New Musical.”  cincyshakes.com/on-stage/revel2025

Cincinnati ToolBank, Par-Tee for the ToolBank | The Mill Course, Winton Woods. Golf, drinks, dinner and raffle. Tickets: $20.  cincinnatitoolbank.org

Dan Beard Council, Sporting Clays Tournament | 12:30 p.m. Sycamore Pheasant Club. Clay shooting, lunch, silent auction and raffle. Tickets: $100.  danbeard.org/sporting-clays

Health Care Access Now, Community Health Workers | 9 a.m.-3 p.m. 2400 Reading Rd., Cincinnati. Day of recognition.  healthcareaccessnow.org

Ken Anderson Alliance, Ken & Friends | 6-9 p.m. Hard Rock Casino. Program, dinner, open bar, Q&A and live auction. Tickets: $500.  kenandersonalliance.org

JUNE 7, SATURDAY

Cincinnati Concours d’Elegance Foundation, Hangar Party | 5-9 p.m. Executive Jet Management, Lunken Airport. Display of luxury jets, vintage aircraft and rare collector cars. Dinner by-the-bite and drinks. Tickets: $165. Also, countryside tour at noon at Mariemont Square.

 ohioconcours.com/events

Contemporary Arts Center, Art Adventure | 10:30 a.m. Contemporary Arts Center, downtown. Special art activations and programs. Free.  contemporaryartscenter.org

Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, Southwest Ohio Take Steps | 10 a.m. Yeatman’s Cove, Sawyer Point Park. Honoring Luke and Lucy Zerkle, Kiristin Sampsel and Emily Scott; familyfun activites and ribbon ceremony.  tinyurl.com/southwestohiotakesteps

Manifest Drawing Center, Groundbreaking | 4 p.m. Start of Phase One of “Manifest Emerges,” capital project aimed at transforming organization’s 93-year-old Central Parkway facility into a fully realized Manifest Center for the Visual Arts.  manifestgallery.org/studio

The Southwest Ohio Take Steps walk to raise funds and awareness for Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation takes place at Yeatman’s Cove, Sawyer Point Park on June 7. This years’ honorees are Lucy and Luke Zerkle, Kiristin Sampsel and Emily Scott

Parental Hope, Swing for Hope Golf Outing | 7:30 a.m. Kenton County Golf Course, Independence. Breakfast and golf. Tickets: $100.

 parentalhope.org/swingforhope

JUNE 8, SUNDAY

Cincinnati Concours d’Elegance Foundation, Concours d’Elegance | 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Ault Park, Mt. Lookout. Automotive art show, brunch and craft beer garden.

 ohioconcours.com/events

JUNE 11-14, WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY

Americans for the Arts, AFTACON 2025 | Hyatt Regency. Sessions covering cultural impact, economic growth, educational development, social transformation, future innovation and civic action.

 aftacon.org

JUNE 12, THURSDAY

NKY Chamber, Fusion: A Multicultural Experience | 4:306:30 p.m. Metropolitan Club, Covington. Drinks, appetizers, networking and cultural exchange. Registration: $25.  nkychamber.com

JUNE 13, FRIDAY

Adopt A Class, Golf Outing | 9 a.m. Mill Course, Winton Woods. Scramble format, lunch and awards ceremony. Registration: $250.  aacmentors.org/golf-outing

Emily Scott

Kiristin Sampsel

Lucy and Luke Zerkle

Beechwood Home, Annual Sporting Clay Event | 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Sycamore Gun Club, Miamiville. Clay shoot, lunch, awards, gun raffle and bourbon basket. Tickets: $300.

 beechwoodhome.com/events

Holly Hill, Annual Golf Classic | 7:30 a.m. Kenton County - Pioneer Course, Independence. Golf, lunch, light fare and awards. Registration: $175.

 birdease.com/hollyhillgolfclassic

JUNE 13-JULY 2, FRIDAY-WEDNESDAY

Off Ludlow Gallery, Artists in Action Show | Artists pair up with nonprofit organizations to create art inspired by the nonprofit’s cause, displayed alongside brief description of nonprofit. Proceeds shared primarily between artist and nonprofit.

 facebook.com/offludlowgallery

JUNE 14, SATURDAY

Cincinnati Opera, Pride Night | 6:30 p.m. Wilks Studio, Music Hall. VIP sponsor cocktail reception, performance of Verdi’s “Rigoletto” and dancing. Honoring Brian L. Tiffany and Jerry Ewers. Tickets: $35.

 cincinnatiopera.org/pride-2025

Ohio River Foundation, Wild & Scenic Film Festival | 6-10 p.m. Memorial Hall, Over-the-Rhine. Celebrating 25th anniversary with environmental films, food and drink. Tickets: Starting at $30.

 ohioriverfdn.org/events

People Working Cooperatively, Repair Affair | Use home-repair skills to provide important home maintenance

Jerry Ewers and Brian L. Tiffany are the honorees at Cincinnati Opera’s Pride Night on June 14. The festivities will bookend a performance of Verdi’s “Rigoletto.”

services to seniors and people with disabilities living on low or fixed incomes.

 pwchomerepairs.org/repair-affair

Young Professionals Choral Collective, True Colors Gala | 8:30 p.m. Cincinnati Masonic Center, downtown. Performances by Sapphira Cristál and reunion choir. Tickets start at $35.

 ypccsing.org/upcoming-events

JUNE 16, MONDAY

Junior Achievement, Golf Classic | 9 a.m. Heritage Country Club, Mason. Each player receives $100 gift card for pro shop and participates in course contests.

 japartners.org

JUNE 19, THURSDAY

Urban League, Juneteenth Block Party Celebration | 3458 Reading Road, Avondale. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Free, family-friendly event, broadcast by Lincoln Ware, food trucks, children’s games, interactive art, entertainment and information booths

 ulgso.org/juneteenth

JUNE 20, FRIDAY

Cincinnati Zoo, Zoo La La | 7:30-11 p.m. Food samples, animal encounters, live entertainment, carousel ride, train rides and games. Tickets: $125; VIP: $195.

 cincinnatizoo.org/events/zoo-la-la

JUNE 21, SATURDAY

Center for Great Neighborhoods of Covington, Farm to Fork| 6-9 p.m. Covington Plaza. Bluegrass music,

farm-to-table food and drinks. Proceeds benefit Covington Farmers Market. Tickets: $65.  greatneighborhoods.org

From Fatherless to Fearless, Better Together Conference | 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Summit Hotel, Madisonville. Day of empowerment, connection and celebration of mothers and daughters (age 1222). Breakfast, lunch, snacks, giveaways,

Every summer, volunteers come together to provide home maintenance services to seniors, the disabled and others in in need.

PWC’s Repair Affair is June 14

speakers, breakout sessions and more. Free. Donation suggested.

 2025BetterTogether.eventbrite.com

SHE+ Foundation, Root to Rise | 9 a.m. Gettler Stadium, University of Cincinnati. Yoga session combining pelvic floor health and yoga in honor of International Day of Yoga.

 sheplusfoundation.com

JUNE 21, SATURDAY (CONT.)

St. Vincent de Paul, Dare to Care Dash 5K | 9 a.m. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, Milford. Proceeds support neighbors facing housing instability across six Southern Ohio counties. Scenic route, flyover by Vintage Warbirds, door prizes and fun for all ages, running or walking.

 runsignup.com/daretocaredash

JUNE 22, SUNDAY

EquaSion, Cincinnati Festival of Faiths | 12:30-4:30 p.m. Cintas Center, Xavier University. Honoring Chip Harrod. Honorary co-chairs: Becca and Fred Desai, Aruni Marapane and Rev. John Ivey. Food and entertainment. Free.

 equasion.org/about-the-festival-2

Holocaust & Humanity Center, Upstander Awards | 6 p.m. Union Terminal. Host: Jesse Eisenberg. Three-course meal, live music, dancing, interactive art experiences and awards ceremony. Tickets: $100.  holocaustandhumanity.org

May We Help, Pickleball for a Purpose | 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Aces Pickleball Bar + Grill, Norwood. Pickleball tournament, brunch and bar. Tickets: $95/player or $45 socialize/ watch.

 maywehelp.org/pickleball-for-purpose

JUNE 23, MONDAY

WAVE Foundation, Putt for Penguins | 10:30 a.m. Wetherington Golf & Country Club, West Chester. Meet penguins, breakfast, golf, food, drinks, dinner, live auction, silent auction and awards. Cost: $300/golfer; $1,200/team.

 e.givesmart.com/events/HaE

EquaSion, Cincinnati Festival of Faiths is June 22 at Xavier’s Cintas Center. The free event will honor Chip Harrod Honorary co-chairs are Becca and Fred Desai, Aruni Marapane and Rev. John Ivey.

JULY 11-12, FRIDAY-SATURDAY

St. Vincent de Paul-Cincinnati, Strike Out Hunger | Reds vs. Colorado Rockies, Great American Ball Park. Help ease summer hunger for families. Bring at least three non-perishable items to receive a free ticket voucher for a future game.  svdpcincinnati.org J

JULY 14-16, MONDAY-WEDNESDAY

JUNE 24, TUESDAY

Giving USA, Cincinnati Briefing | 9 a.m. Virtual. Annual presentation of research findings on philanthropic giving trends for 2024. Insights by independent researcher Melissa Brown. Sponsored by Grants Plus and the Association of Fundraising Professionals.  grantsplus.com

JUNE 25, WEDNESDAY

Wave Pool, It’s Been a Decade | 6-9 p.m. Wave Pool and Swell, Camp Washington. Annual fundraiser to fund programs and artist support initiatives. Tickets: $25.  wavepoolgallery.org

JUNE 28, SATURDAY

Cincinnati Pride | 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Downtown and Sawyer Point. Parade followed by festival celebrating gender and sexual diversity  cincinnatipride.org

The Cure Starts Now, 25th Hyde Park Blast | 7 a.m.-11 p.m. Hyde Park Square. Run/walk, kids fun run, pro cycling and block party. Registration: $45; $50 after June 26.  hpblast.org

JUNE 29, SUNDAY

Holocaust & Humanity Center, Upstander 5K | 8:30 a.m. Union Terminal. Race marshal: Kathrine Switzer, first woman to officially run Boston Marathon. 5K walk and run options, live music, family activities, breakfast and pickleball tournament. Registration: $35.  runsignup.com

Black Tech Week | Aronoff Center, downtown. Keynote: Keke Palmer. Workshops, panels discussions, investor matching and after-hours activities. Early bird tickets until May 16.  blacktechweek.com

JULY 14, MONDAY

Karen Wellington Foundation, Annual Birdies, Beer & A Band Golf Outing | 10 a.m. Maketewah Country Club, Bond Hill. Golf, lunch, happy hour and after-party.  karenwellingtonfoundation.org JULY 19, SATURDAY

AfriFest Cincy: Taste of Africa | Noon-9 p.m. Sawyer Point Park, downtown. Showcasing African arts, culture, music and cuisine. Free.  eventbrite.com,

JULY 26, SATURDAY

4C for Children, Block Party | 9 a.m.-noon. Cintas Center, Xavier University. LEGO building competition and snacks.  4cforchildren.org

JULY 28, MONDAY

Junior Achievement, Golf Classic | 8:30 a.m. Triple Crown Country Club, Union. Each golf player receives $500 shopping spree to JA Pro Shop.  japartners.org

St. Vincent de Paul - Cincinnati, Prescription Fore Fun Golf Outing | 8:30 a.m. Western Hills Country Club. Golf, drinks, lunch, dinner and awards banquet.

 svdpcincinnati.org

JULY 29, TUESDAY

Cindependent Film Festival: Film Night at GABP | 7:10 p.m. Great American Ball Park. Meet and greet with Crunchy and Bubs. Cincinnati Reds vs. Los Angeles Dodgers. Tickets: $23.50-$46.50.

 cindependentfilmfest.org

AUG. 2, SATURDAY

Adventure Crew, Ohio River Paddlefest | Schmidt Recreation Complex. Racers 7 a.m. Recreational paddlers 7:10-8:30 a.m. Award presentation and Mill Creek Peek tours. Registration starts at $60; prices increase July 27.

 ohioriverpaddlefest.org

AUG. 6, WEDNESDAY

Companions on a Journey, Vince Munafo Memorial Golf Outing | 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Glenview Golf Course, Glendale. Shotgun start, best ball scramble, lunch, beer garden, dinner, music, putting contest, prizes, awards and Legacy Wall viewing.

 givebutter.com/c/vmm2025

AUG. 7, THURSDAY

NKY Chamber, Annual Golf Outing | 6:45 a.m.-7 p.m. Golf Courses of Kenton County, Independence. Three flights of golf, clinic, food, drinks and networking.

 business.nkychamber.com/events

AUG. 10, SUNDAY

Welcome House, Summer Sunday | 5-9 p.m. Drees Pavilion, Covington. Food, open bar, live music, silent auction and raffle. Tickets: $100.

 welcomehouseky.org

AUG. 11, MONDAY

Junior Achievement, Golf Classic | 8:30 a.m. Wetherington Country Club, West Chester. Each golfer receives $500 shopping spree.

 japartners.org

AUG. 16, SATURDAY

Karen Wellington Foundation, Annual Fun Run & Recipient Celebration | 9 a.m. VOA Park, West Chester. 5K, raffles, prizes, music and food trucks. Registration: $35; prices increase June 1 and Aug. 12.

 racepenguin.com/events/kwffunrun

Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly, Annual Tom Wess Memorial Golf Outing | 1:30 p.m. Glenview Golf Course, Glendale. Golf tournament.

 littlebrotherscincinnati.org

AUG. 17-18, SUNDAY-MONDAY

American Cancer Society, Cincinnati Golf Classic | Kenwood Country Club. Dinner reception featuring honoree Dr. Doug Flora, golf, raffles and silent auction.

 cincinnatigolfclassic.org

AUG. 18, MONDAY

Master Provisions, Annual Larry Nelson Master Pro Golf Classic | Triple Crown Country Club, Union.  masterprovisions.org

AUG. 23, SATURDAY

Gorman Heritage Farm, Row By Row | Annual farm-to-table fundraiser.

 gormanfarm.org

AUG. 25, MONDAY

Junior Achievement, Golf Classic | 8:30 a.m. Wetherington Country Club, West Chester. Each golfer receives $500 shopping spree.

 japartners.org

AUG. 31, SUNDAY

Best Point Education & Behavioral Health, Rockin’ at Riverfest | 5-11 p.m. Anderson Pavilion, Smale Riverfront Park. Cochairs: Jenna DeBord & Tad DeBord, Gail Mullinger & Steve Mullinger, Jennifer Wormington & Matthew Wormington. Honorary chair: Wes Miller, University of Cincinnati men’s head basketball coach.

 bestpoint.org

American Cancer Society will honor Dr. Doug Flora at its Cincinnati Golf Classic at Kenwood Country Club. Dinner reception Aug. 17, golf outing Aug. 18

SEPT. 6, SATURDAY

Stepping Stones, The Great Bloom | 7 p.m. Element Eatery, Madisonville. Silent auction, casinostyle games, dancing, dinner and drinks. Tickets: $150; increase to $175 on Memorial Day.

 steppingstonesohio.org

SEPT. 9, TUESDAY

St. Elizabeth Foundation, Annual Golf ParTee | Save the date.

 stelizabeth.com

SEPT. 11, THURSDAY

Elder Law Cincinnati, Annual Elder Care Symposium | 8:15 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Oasis Conference Center, Loveland. Keynote, breakout sessions, panel discussion, lunch and raffle.  elderlawcincinnati.com

SEPT. 12, FRIDAY

Dress for Success, Fashion Show | Mercantile Immersive, downtown. Chair: Stevi Gable Carr, founder & CEO of WISE Wellness Guild.  dfscincy.org

Hospice of Cincinnati, For Hospice | 7-11 p.m. Little Miami Brewing Co. Event Center. Food and live music.

 bethesdafoundation.com

SEPT. 20, SATURDAY

Children’s Law Center, Boots, Bourbon & Biscuits Brunch | 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Receptions, Erlanger. Keynote: Michelle Keller, Kentucky Supreme Court justice. Live music, silent auction, drinks, brunch and biscuit bar. Tickets on sale June 1.  childrenslawky.org

SEPT. 20, SATURDAY

Community Action Agency, Annual Dinner Party | Save the date.  cincy-caa.org

SEPT. 22, MONDAY

City Gospel Mission, Golf Outing | Aston Oaks Golf Club, North Bend. Hole-inone contests, course games and raffles.  citygospelmission.org

Clermont Chamber of Commerce, Golf for Kids | 7 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Elks Run Golf Club, Batavia. Breakfast, golf, lunch, happy hour, raffle and awards.  clermontchamber.com 

Make sure your fundraiser or community event is listed at moversmakers.org/datebook

Listings are free.* Send event details and print-quality photos of honorees , chairs or speakers to: editor@moversmakers.org Stand out Consider advertising. Contact Thom Mariner: tmariner@moversmakers.org for digital and print options.

*See Page 4 for print deadlines. Events must meet our editorial standards. Print content is chosen at the discretion of editorial staff and featured as space allows.

31Nonprofit News

CMC tyrannosaur research reshapes assumptions

Cincinnati Museum Center is playing a pivotal role in reshaping what we know about Daspletosaurus, a 75-million-yearold Cretaceous tyrannosaur. A specimen housed at the museum – one of only 10 on display worldwide – was central to newly published research that challenges long-held assumptions about the evolution of this prehistoric predator.

The research, published in Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, reexamines skull bones from CMC’s Daspletosaurus and questions the classification of three species within the genus. The study suggests Daspletosaurus wilsoni may not be distinct from Daspletosaurus torosus, indicating a more linear evolutionary family tree.

“This new research proves these dinosaurs aren’t just cool to see in the gallery; they are vital to ongoing scientific research,” said Glenn Storrs, CMC’s curator of vertebrate paleontology.

 cincymuseum.org

Teens create videos for mental health PSA

The coalition behind “Breaking the Silence: Teens Fighting Suicide” is spotlighting eight student-created public service announcements to elevate teen voices around mental health. Led by The Joe Burrow Foundation, FOX 19, Crossroads Church and Interact for Health, the campaign invited high school students to submit 30-second videos answering, “What do you wish the adults in your life knew about mental health?”

Organizers received more than 60 submissions and chose three finalists for a public vote. The winning video, “The Field” by Cole Rensberger of Wyoming High School, aired during the Super Bowl.

In recognition of May as Mental Health Awareness Month, the campaign partners created a curated YouTube playlist of standout videos – including “You Can Be the Difference” by Bridget Brennen (Dixie Heights) and “Break Your Silence” by Gina Jasinoski (St. Bernard High School) – to encourage conversation, awareness and support for youth mental wellness. Organizers are urging the public to share the videos and listen to what young people are saying.

 youtube.com,

Students launch pedestrian safety campaign

Students at Western Hills University High School have launched a pedestrian safety campaign, marked by a new studentdesigned billboard across the street from their school urging drivers to

slow down near school zones.

Created by Jeffrey Demaree’s class, the Pedestrian Safety Project began after a classmate was hit by a car. It grew into an award-winning effort that earned top honors at School Board School’s Education Pitch Night. With support from Cincinnati Public Schools and Huenited Collective, students developed a full public awareness campaign – including the billboard and radio ads now under consideration for wider release.

The billboard shows a student

walking near a school, then fading into a graduation scene. Its message: “Focus on the road. Focus on our future.”

“For me, this is personal,” said senior Moriah Harper. “My mother was run over and dragged by a car. She survived, but her life completely changed. I want people to know – this can happen to anyone.”

The students are now working to bring the campaign to other CPS schools.

cps-k12.org

CMC’s Daspletosaurus skeleton served as a key specimen in breakthrough research.

PWC to move headquarters to Sharonville, expand services

People Working Cooperatively will relocate its headquarters to Sharonville in 2026, a move designed to help the nonprofit serve more low-income, elderly and disabled homeowners across Southwest Ohio, Northern Kentucky and Southeast Indiana.

The new facility – the former Sugar Creek Packing Co. building at 3440 E. Kemper Road – will replace PWC’s longtime home on Paddock Road in Bond Hill. Renovations will begin this summer, with the move expected in the first half of 2026.

“As we celebrate the last 50 years and look ahead to the next 50, we remain committed to strengthening communities one home and one family at a time,” said Jock Pitts, president of PWC. “This new headquarters will give us the space, tools and efficiency to meet the growing needs of the region.”

 pwchomerepairs.org

Magnified Giving, UpSpring boost philanthropy education

Magnified Giving has partnered with UpSpring to introduce two new summer camp sessions focused on philanthropy education for children experiencing homelessness.

The collaboration will bring Magnified Giving’s Camp Give program to students at UpSpring’s Summer 360° camps in Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati. Campers will participate in service projects and grant-making activities to build leadership skills and community awareness.

Horizon Community Fund is sponsoring the Northern Kentucky camp, while The Mayerson Foundation is funding the Cincinnati session.

 magnifiedgiving.org

African American Chamber wins UC Research Impact Award

The Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky African American Chamber of Commerce has won the 2024 Research Impact Award by the University of Cincinnati’s Alpaugh Family Economics Center.

This recognition stems from a multiyear collaboration between the chamber and the Alpaugh Center to analyze the impact of Blackowned businesses in the region. According to the latest report, published in July 2024, these businesses contributed more than $2.8 billion to the local economy, supported 16,472 jobs, and generated $635.1 million in wages.

UC recognized the chamber during the Economics Center annual ceremony, which celebrates contributions to economic education and research in the region.

 aacconomics.com

Five local startups selected for Flywheel accelerator

Five local startups have been chosen for Flywheel Social Enterprise Hub’s 2025 Elevate Impact program, a nine-week accelerator aimed at supporting ventures to build a more equitable and vibrant community. Each participant will receive a share of $25,000 in funding, as well as in-kind business coaching and services.

The program will feature mentoring, workshops and networking opportunities, culminating in a Demo Night on June 26.

The 2025 cohort includes:

• The Magical Adventures at Park Clinic: An animated series promoting health literacy for kids.

• Prtty Pckup LLC: A transportation service improving safety for women, especially during nighttime travel.

• Cindependent Film Center: A hub for indie filmmaking, offering workshops and screenings.

• Early Affirmation Dolls: Makers of the Kyya Doll, designed to boost children’s confidence.

• Fearless Beauty: A salon-based initiative offering mentorship and job training for marginalized young women.

Table Sense Kids, focused on youth development, is the program’s presenting sponsor.

Nature Center launches wetland restoration project

A stretch of farmland in Goshen is about to return to its natural roots.

The Cincinnati Nature Center, in partnership with The Nature Conservancy and with expertise from Oxbow River & Stream Restoration, has launched a 93-acre restoration project at Long Branch Farm & Trails. The effort will convert land used for row crops back into a forested wetland, boosting biodiversity, improving water quality and creating vital habitats for wildlife.

The effort will take about a year to complete, with full ecological benefits expected as the landscape matures.

 cincynature.org

Lithium battery recycling program expands locally

The Cincinnati Recycling & Reuse Hub has expanded its lithium battery recycling program to 14 fire stations across Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky. Funded by Rumpke Waste & Recycling, the initiative helps residents safely dispose of old or damaged lithium batteries – a growing fire hazard when tossed in household trash or recycling.

Launched in 2023, the program now includes drop-off points in Cincinnati, Blue Ash, Colerain, Covington, Fort Wright and more. The full list of participating fire stations is available on the Movers & Makers website.

 cincinnatirecyclingandreusehub.org

AACC President and CEO Eric Kearney (holding award) and the AACC team

A rendering of People Working Cooperatively’s new Sharonville headquarters

Christina Vassallo, director of the Contemporary Arts Center, has been selected for the DeVos Institute of Arts and Nonprofit Management Fellowship in Washington, D.C. The intensive three-year program provides fully subsidized executive training in strategic planning, leadership, fundraising and governance.

Maria Seda-Reeder started a new position as exhibitions director at Visionaries + Voices. She had been director of exhibitions and artist support initiatives since 2017. She’s also been an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati’s DAAP College.

Western & Southern Financial Group named Kristen Carter, career and technical education teacher at Riverview East Academy, as 2025 Dr. Lawrence C. Hawkins Educator of the Year. Carter was nominated by peers in Cincinnati Public Schools. She was recognized with a plaque and $10,000. Four other finalists received $2,500 each. They were Gretchen Bayer, Woodford Academy; Jaclyn Deutsch, Academy of Multilingual Immersion Studies; Brad Gerard, School for Creative and Performing Arts; and Heather Woodyard, Walnut Hills High School.

Easterseals Redwood picked veteran Dave Corlett as director of military and veteran services. Corlett will provide strategic and operational leadership, manage staff and build relationships, advocating for veterans and driving outreach and fundraising efforts to support program growth. Corlett continues to work as an instructor with the Hamilton County Mental Health Crisis Teams and tours the country teaching military and first responder audiences more about PTSD.

Seth Cutter, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport’s vice president of public affairs, received the NKY Community Award from The Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. Cutter develops and executes CVG’s local, state and federal policy priorities on transportation and infrastructure funding.

The Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library announced that Michelle Matthews, community and employee engagement director, and Keloni Parks, West End Branch manager, were named 2025 Movers & Shakers by Library Journal. This national recognition honors library professionals who are innovative, creative and help shape the future of libraries. Matthews has launched initiatives including a gunlock safety partnership and a collaboration with Barbershop Books to raise youth literacy and outreach in the Hamilton County Juvenile Justice Center. Parks was honored for powerful storytelling and transformational leadership. As the creator and host of the West End Stories Project podcast, Parks preserves the voices of longtime residents.

Talbert House promoted Aly Fox to director of administrative support. She will lead efforts to improve and streamline administrative systems across all programs. While working at Talbert House, Fox earned her bachelor’s degree and an MBA from Northern Kentucky University.

Candace Novak Sabers joined the bi3 Fund team as vice president of health policy and advocacy, focusing on improving health outcomes. Sabers most recently served as vice president of government and community relations at UC Health.

The Hispanic Chamber Cincinnati USA appointed Pamela Rincones as its first executive director. With a career spanning corporate, nonprofit and community sectors, Rincones brings extensive leadership experience and a strong record of empowering diverse communities through economic opportunity and innovation.

Raina Regan joined Cincinnati Preservation as preservation director. Regan comes from the National Park Service in Washington, D.C., where she led communications and external engagement for cultural resources programs, advancing preservation efforts at the local, state and national levels.

The Christ Hospital Health Network named Dr. Rajesh Govindaiah as president of The Christ Hospital Physicians, a multispecialty group of more than 650 providers. A practicing internal medicine physician, Dr. Govindaiah brings extensive leadership experience from Memorial Health in Springfield, Ill., where he most recently served as senior vice president and chief physician executive.

Dr. Christopher Paprzycki, physician at The Christ Hospital Health Network, has been named president of the Academy of Medicine of Cincinnati. Paprzycki has been a vascular surgeon with The Christ Hospital Heart & Vascular Institute since 2017 and specializes in the minimally invasive treatment of arterial and venous disease.

Visit Cincy announced two key leadership promotions. Myra Epps was promoted to associate director of the Visit Cincy Foundation for hospitality excellence, where she will lead strategic partnerships and program development. Ryah Harrison will serve as program manager and will oversee the Dan Lincoln Institute of Hospitality Leadership, focused on workforce training and education.

Christine Russell, vice president of strategy for BE NKY Growth Partnership, was chosen to serve on Urban Land Institute America s’ national Public/Private Partnership Council. She will define and implement the strategic direction of the organization, and manage operations and finances. She also is executive director of the Northern Kentucky Port Authority,

Breakthrough Cincinnati added three trustees: Martha Buitrago Mayoral is a finance senior director at Procter & Gamble, with 25 years driving financial strategy and operational excellence. Louie Randolph is a wealth advisor with The Randolph Group, helping families and private foundations navigate sustainable investment strategies. Cierra Campell, a researcher at P&G, has worked in research and analytics, recently working on new hair care products. 

Cierra Campell Louie Randolph Martha Buitrago Mayoral

Christine Russell Ryah Harrison Myra Epps

Dr. Christopher Paprzycki

Dr. Rajesh Govindaiah Raina Regan Pamela Rincones

Candace Novak Sabers Aly Fox

Keloni Parks

Michelle Matthews Seth Cutter Dave Corlett

Kristen Carter Maria Seda-Reeder Christina Vassallo

Snapshots

CAA crowns Dancing for the Stars champs

Who, what, where & why

Turner Construction VP and GM Erin Mignano and dance pro Jozsef Parragh took top honors at the Cincinnati Arts Association’s 17th annual Dancing for the Stars.

Ryan Anderson, assistant vice president of Cincinnati Financial Services, and James Branham of Arthur Murray Dance Studio–West Chester took second place. Karla Boldery of Miami University Regionals/Latina Entrepreneur Academy/La Mega and dance pro Josh Tilford placed third.

Bill Chappie, owner of Studio 900, was Fundraising Champion with more than $20,000 in ticket sales and donations. He danced with Maura Garuccio of International Ballroom Academy.

The other competitors were pro roller skater Dylan Morton of D. Morton Skate Nation and dance pro Bonita Brockert, and Stacy Sims, author, playwright and founder of The Well, and Alyenendrov “Lenny” Tsorokean of Phoenix Rising Ballroom.

The event raised more than $110,000 for the organization’s arts education programs, including the Overture Awards – the nation’s largest locally run high school arts scholarship competition.

 cincinnatiarts.org

Dancing for the Stars committee member Terry Foster (center) and guests

Stacy Sims with Alyenendrov “Lenny” Tsorokean

Second-place pair Ryan Anderson and James Branham

Third-place couple Karla Boldery and Josh Tilford

Dancing champions Erin Mignano and Jozsef Parragh

Dylan Morton with Bonita Brockert

Dr. Marianna Vardaka of presenting sponsor TriHealth and Bruce Carter

Judges Desiree Mainous, Johnny Chu, Carri Chandler and Douglas Beal

Maura Garuccio with partner and fundraising champ Bill Chappie

Women’s Alliance tips hats to Marcy Fitzgerald at fundraiser

The Women’s Alliance honored Marcy Fitzgerald as a Jewel of the Community at its 17th annual Hats Galore fundraiser. With the theme “Roses in Paris,” the event drew a capacity crowd to the Manor House, with attendees wearing a wide variety of hats.

“With a legacy of over five decades, we have been unwavering in delivering educational and artistic programs that empower youth in the Greater Cincinnati area,” said President Julie Graham.

WA sponsors fundraisers to invest in school-age youth. All donated proceeds go to scholarships and programs.

 womensallianceinc.org

Women’s Alliance members: (Back) Andria Carter, Tonee Holland, Marissa Staples, Leslie Bryant, Jessica Manson, Kimaya Pope and Stacey Hill-Simmons; (middle) Dawn Grady, Lauren Braddock-Moffett, Carol Braddock, Shericeia Scott, Kandi Staples and Lana Hackworth; (front, seated) President Julie Graham and Vice President Andrea Johnson

Violinist Yue Yang performs at the event.

“I love that hat!” winner Louise Edwards

“I love that hat!” winner Kathy Young

Jewel of the Community honoree Marcy Fitzgerald (center) with husband Brian Fitzgerald and son Tyler Fitzgerald

Members of the Cincinnati Chapter of Jack and Jill of America: Rhonda Starghill, Dr. Marcia Irving Ray, Karyn Frost, Linda Clement Holmes, Markiea Carter, Sylvia Nelson, Stacey Hill-Simmons, Jewel of the Community Marcy Fitzgerald (seated), Dwonna Lenoir, Jill McCauley, Sherry Whitlock, Agnes Godwin Hall and Philecia Avery

Event co-chairs Leslie Bryant and Jessica Manson flank Jewel of the Community honoree Marcy Fitzgerald.

Cincinnati City Council Member Meeka Owens and Cincinnati Police Lt. Shannon Heine

Visual artist Gayle Harden-Renfro

“I love that hat!” winner Shelley Hamler

Scholarship recipients: Founder’s Award winner Savanna Hayes-Bogle of Walnut Hills High School; Senior Award Scholarship winner Phoenix Lewis of Walnut Hills, 2020 Senior Scholarship winner Mikaela Johnson of Xavier University, Founder’s Award winner Kamaria Brown of Princeton High School and 2022 Senior Scholarship winner Ameccuh Taylor of Miami University

Cure Starts Now gala raises $750K

The Cure Starts Now Foundation raised more than $750,000 for pediatric cancer research at its 18th annual Once in a Lifetime Gala at the Sharonville Convention Center. The gala, attracting more than 925 patrons, featured a game show theme.

The evening offered over 400 auction items, plus once-in-a-lifetime experiences like a Jeff Ruby dinner with Marty Brennaman and Thom Brennaman or a chance to make beer with the brewmaster at High Grain Brewery. Randi Rico of WLWT and Brian Thomas of 55KRC emceed the festivities. They also took home the Changemaker Award during the evening awards ceremony, honoring individuals who have gone above and beyond in the fight to cure all cancers.

Other recipients were Lisa Kirkbride, Hero of the Year; Doug Desserich, Changemaker Award; and Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, Lauren’s Fight for Cure Full Court Press Award.

 thecurestartsnow.org

Emcee Randi Rico showcasing auction items with her helper Julia Wolf

Kim Slaymaker and Andrew Slaymaker (back) with colleagues Ivy Reynolds and Jamie Reynolds

Brooke Desserich, Grace Desserich, Hero of the Year Lisa Kirkbride and her son Calvin Kirkbride

Presenting sponsor Graeter’s gets into the game show theme.

Brooke George, CEO and cofounder Brooke Desserich, Jackie Criswell and Heidi Varns

Keith Desserich, as game show host, lets a patron spin the big prize wheel.

Amanda Thomas and Alexa Reber provide mothers’ perspective on their son’s diagnosis and treatment.

Keith Desserich with Carla Eng and Mike Eng

The Cure Starts Now Chairman/co-founder Keith Desserich, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, Lisa Hill-Fenstermaker and Brent Hill

Generosity shines at Rey of Light event

DePaul Cristo Rey High School’s 14th annual Rey of Light Scholarship Benefit, held at its Clifton campus, celebrated the generosity of sponsors and the creativity of event volunteers. More than 400 guests helped make the 2025 rendition a huge success.

During the paddle raise alone, a video created by DPCR film students and faculty inspired guests to donate over $325,000. DPCR board member Ed Stenger and his wife, Betty Stenger, chaired this year’s event, assisted by a volunteer committee as well as DPCR teachers, staff, students and alumni. All proceeds fund financial aid for DPCR students. Over the previous 13 years, Rey of Light has raised $7 million.

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.

 dpcr.net

Brian Howell and Jenni Howell with Katie Rizzo and Tony Rizzo

Michael Williams, Class of 2018, with Samone Mathes

Michele Schuster, DPCR board Chair Mike Schuster, Jonathan Blasiak, Lauren Joseph, Charnella Grossman and Aaron Grossman

Speakers: DPCR freshman Dallis; DPCR President Siobhan Taylor; Haxell Castillo, DPCR Class of 2020; and sophomore Braylon

Ed Stenger and Betty Stenger, Rey of Light chairs, with DPCR President Siobhan Taylor (center)

Character Council of Cincinnati honors 25 Heroes of Character

The Character Council of Cincinnati celebrated its 25th anniversary by honoring 25 community changemakers at a packed fundraiser attended by over 365 guests at the Delta Marriott-Sharonville.

NFL legend and keynote speaker Anthony Muñoz presented founders Michael and Pamela Daly with the Pillar of Character award. Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge received the Courageous Leadership award, while longtime board members Mary Andres Russell and Jill Tomey were honored with True North awards for over two decades of service. The event also spotlighted the achievements of six students and 14 adults from across the Tristate.

 charactercincinnati.org



Retired Police Capt. Steve Saunders presents Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge with the Courageous Leadership award.

Anthony Muñoz presents Character Council founders Pamela Daly and Michael Daly with the Pillar of Character award.

Glenda Suttman, Rhoda Fahr, Ambassador Mary Anne Frey, Carol Abbott and Lana Piazza

Ambassador Danise DiStasi, board member

Dolores J. Lindsay, Dino DiStasi and Mary Ann DiStasi

Honorees Ana Martinez, Jennifer Barrera Mendoza, Caleeah Carter and Dawn Delight Bailey

Stan Szary, Robin Szary, Kim Snider, Rita Szary, honoree Harper Szary and Jon Szary

Cheryl Evans, Ambassador Gayle Brock, Karin Williams and Shirley Black

Honoree Katy Heller

Honoree Zack Kramer

Beth Collins, Suzi Hoffman and Lori Schutt of the Northern Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce

Cherie Maddin and honoree Ken Maddin

John Cavanaugh, Ambassador Ron Beshear, Bill Banker and Roger Griggs

‘Night on the Serengeti’ boosts Village Life Outreach Project

The Village Life Outreach Project marked its 20th anniversary with “Night on the Serengeti,” a cultural fundraiser held at the 21c Museum Hotel. The event raised more than $100,000 to support the nonprofit’s mission to fight poverty and improve access to clean water, health care and education in Tanzania and Cincinnati. Guests experienced Tanzanian-inspired cuisine, live performances and African marketplace ambiance, all reflecting the organization’s commitment to cross-cultural exchange.

Founded by Dr. Christopher Lewis, the Village Life Outreach Project is based at the UC 1819 Innovation Hub and partners with communities in northern Tanzania and Ohio. Proceeds from the evening will help sustain programs like the M. Anne Haire Reproductive and Child Health Center in Tanzania, addressing maternal and infant mortality.

“This event offered a glimpse into the future of our mission,” said Lewis, who has dedicated more than 20 years to global health and community building.

 villagelifeoutreachproject.org

Ziady, Village Life board member, and

Baba Charles Miller (third from left), a master percussionist, with fellow drummers Village Life board member Prince Ellis, UC (on right), and fellow African Professional Network members

Rodney Veal’s Inspired By

Our regional arts and cultural scene is vibrant and full of surprises. Let Rodney Veal, host of The Art Show on CET and ThinkTV, be your guide on a journey of exploration as he interviews artists and other creatives about what inspires them.

Listen to it on your favorite podcast app or on YouTube. Learn more at CETconnect.org/InspiredBy.

Village Life board member

Dr. Stewart Wright of UC Health

Nicola

Diana Lara

Keisha Easley, UC; Tianay Amat, president and CEO of Cincinnati Works; Tarita Preston

Dr. Christopher Lewis, founder of Village Life Outreach Project

Dr. Esther Kawira (front left) from Tanzania and family

Dr. Clyde Henderson and wife Janis

Mimosas for Memories raises

$136K for dementia

support

The Giving Voice Foundation’s 10th annual Mimosas for Memories event raised a record $136,248. About 350 people attended the event at The Cincinnati Club. JonJon Curl of KISS107 served as emcee. The goal of the event was to raise awareness and funds for the Giving Voice Foundation, which offers free support and programs to more than 151,000 older adults living with Alzheimer’s and dementia, and their caregivers.

 givingvoicefdn.org

 mimosasformemories.com

Flying Pig Marathon awards

18 high school scholarships

Pig Works and the Flying Pig Marathon awarded a record 18 scholarships to area high school track and cross country athletes at the annual Scholarship Breakfast at Music Hall. The breakfast was part of the celebration of the 27th running of Flying Pig Marathon weekend. Ultramarathoner and Flying Pig streaker Harvey Lewis was this year’s keynote speaker. The scholarships, totaling $20,000 each ($5,000 a year), go to members of their high schools’ cross country or track and field teams who demonstrate dedication, teamwork and service to their schools and communities. Scholarships are made possible through the Bob and Jeanne Coughlin Foundation and Skyline Chili. The athletes and their high schools are listed on the Movers & Makers website.

 moversmakers.org

Dr. Christian Gausvik, Executive Director Krista Powers, Tim Gandy and Aleah Hordges

Dan Quible

Marketa Meyer, Mary Spadaro and Amy Hehman

Justin Ellis, Kelly Grimes and Austin Fast

Angie Vaughan, Thomas Vaughan, Rich Wendel, Comfort Wendel, Catherine Moulas and Dean Moulas

Craig Coy, Kellie Coy, Judy Schuler, Jere Schuler, Barbara Smith and Bud Smith

Steph Beck and Rachel DesRochers

Kristin Cooley and Emily Elma

Evangeline Widjaja from Springboro High School, scholarship recipient; Bob Coughlin, co-founder of Flying Pig Marathon; and Doug Olberding

Honoree Marty Hovey, Pig Works CEO Doug Olberding and honoree Denise Hovey

Keynote speaker Harvey Lewis

CYC celebrates Dream Makers

Cincinnati Youth Collaborative’s annual Dream Makers Celebration brought together community leaders, partners and supporters to honor students, mentors and the power of brighter futures and bold dreams. The event was filled with energy and emotion – from the vibrant performance of the Aiken High School Drumline that set the tone, to heartfelt stories that highlighted the impact of mentorship in action.

Four outstanding students were recognized for their achievements and perseverance: Jocelyn Aguilar, Griselda Juarez Hernandez, Yahya Tall and Sarai Waller.

Girls Club mentor Carrie Caldwell and CYC mentor Harry Blanton earned spots in the CYC Hall of Fame, recognized for their lasting impact on local youth. PNC Bank took home the 2025 Dream Makers Honoree title for its active role in youth development and community engagement.

CYC alumna and current GEAR UP advisor Keniah McCants shared her story of the lifechanging impact of mentorship.

 cycyouth.org

CYC board member Debbie Gringrich participates in the paddle raise.

CEO Amy Thompson and Outstanding Student Scholarship recipients Yahyah Tall, Sarai Waller, Jocelyn Aguilar and Amber Woody

Amy Thompson and Hall of Fame inductee Carry Caldwell

CYC board members Pam Webb and Patrick Longo

Amy Thompson and Hall of Fame inductee Harry Blanton

Terrance Daniels

Kay Geiger and Jack Geiger

GCF hosts ‘Appointed Women Who Lead’ mixer

The Women’s Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation hosted its Spring 2025 Appointed Women Who Lead Mixer, featuring a chat with Dr. Amy Acton, former Ohio director of health, led by Emmy Award-winning journalist Michelle Hopkins.

More than 150 women attended, including several local elected officials. Acton shared insights from her personal and professional journey, highlighting the critical role of women’s voices in civic leadership. Acton is running as a Democrat for Ohio governor.

The event was part of the Women’s Fund’s Appointed program – a nonpartisan initiative offered free of charge. Appointed prepares women to serve on civic boards and take on leadership roles in local government and their communities.

 womensfund.gcfdn.org

Aviatra highlights women-owned businesses

Aviatra Accelerators, the regional nonprofit dedicated to supporting women entrepreneurs in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, hosted its fifth Women-Owned Business “Crawl” (WOB Crawl) in Covington’s downtown and MainStrasse neighborhoods. The event showcased more than 30 women-owned businesses from retail shops to bars, restaurants and service providers, celebrating women and their businesses within the Covington community.

Participating businesses offered exclusive promotions, discounts and giveaways throughout the day, including F & Goode Desserts, Grainwell, Handzy, Juniper’s Gin Bar, Revival Vintage Bottle Shop, Kealoha Kitchen, Succulent Senorita, Purple Paisley Local Artisan Shop and House of Beauty, among others.

Sponsors included Ramona Rechtin of Mueller Financial, The Law Offices of Shannon C. Smith, Western Southern Life and KHYTRI Human Love Resource.

 aviatraaccelerators.org

Rajani Menon, Women’s Fund director of civic engagement and leadership, with Shakila Ahmad and Lauren Worley

Sarah Weiss, Dr. Amy Acton and Camilla Worrell

Nicolette Rader, Libby Hunter and Lynne Friedlander

Michelle Hopkins and Dr. Amy Acton

Mansi Mehan, Alexandria Bixler, Latha Samu and Anita Raturi

Lisa Davis Roberts, Cathy Cebulski Sacco and Angel D. Andria



Cincinnati City Council member Victoria Parks, Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Driehaus and Kathryne Gardette

Dr. Amy Acton, Angele Blackshear (Sister Keli) and Christian Davis

Catrena Bowman, owner of Inspired Fashion

Amanda Lippert and Juli Russell Karl Schmitt and Amanda Schmitt

Cincinnati Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Kearney, Executive Director Camilla Worrell and Rasheda Malcolm Cromwell

CancerFree KIDS honors research grant recipients

CancerFree KIDS hosted its Science with a View event at The View in Mount Adams. Each year, CancerFree KIDS names its research grants in honor of its most dedicated supporters and sponsors. This event brings together these named grant honorees and the CancerFree KIDS research grant recipients from Cincinnati Children’s and Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus. Researchers from both of those leading pediatric healthcare institutions spoke about the impact CancerFree KIDS funding has had on their careers, and the promising future of pediatric cancer research made possible by their work.

 cancerfreekids.org

CFK founder Ellen Flannery and her sister, Lori Thesken, award the Terry Rasch Memorial Research Grant, in honor of their mother, to Janet L. Oblinger of Nationwide Children’s Hospital.



CFK board member Matt Scherocman, Billie Clark, Ralynn Brown and Gwen Kennedy award the Interlink Cloud Advisors Research Grant to Chia Sharpe of UC/Cincinnati Children’s.

Columbus CFK board member Megan Shroy and Brent Shroy with CFK Executive Director Jill

Nick Roberto, Shayna Flannery and Michael Morrison of altafiber, funder of the altafiber Research Grant

Brinck

Jersey Mike’s area director Sam Ballard, Ellen Ballard and Stella Davies (right) of Cincinnati Children’s, present the Jersey Mike’s Research Grant to Dr. Kristie Ramos of Cincinnati Children’s.

Mark Anderson and MC Anderson award the MC and Mark Anderson Research Grant to Akila Venkataramany (center), oncology fellow at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

CancerFree KIDS supporters represented the Visionary Society. (Back) Jim Albers, CancerFree KIDS board Chair Tom Simpson and CancerFree KIDS co-founder Sam Flannery; (middle) Mindi Albers, Mark Anderson, Daniel Starczynowski, Greg Bell and Eliana Boerner; (front) Mark Clement, Mary Clement and MC Anderson

Anderson Area Chamber marks 50 years of community awards

The Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce celebrated its 50th Annual Awards honoring individuals and organizations driving progress in the region. Community leaders enjoyed a cocktail reception and music by the Anderson High School Chamber Orchestra.

Board Chair Jeff Scheper thanked Mt. Washington Care Center, which has supported the event for two decades. Special recognition was given to board member Ken Schroeder, who has chaired the awards committee for 25 years.

AACC Annual Award winners:

• Educators of the Year: Jody Brandon, Forest Hills School District Preschool; Bill Losekamp, McNicholas High School

• High School Students of the Year: Sean Gawronski, Anderson; Maya Ganim, Turpin; Lila Moeves, McNicholas

• Young Professional of the Year: Katie Ziegler, Cushman & Wakefield

• Volunteer of the Year: Amy Miller

• Community Joy Award: Michael Thibodeau

• Business of the Year: Addressed For Success

• Legacy Award: Julie Rimer

• Citizen of the Year: Annie K.T. Warner, Warner Law Firm

 andersonareachamber.org

Aviatra screens film about women in business

Aviatra Accelerators, the nonprofit dedicated to supporting women entrepreneurs in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, hosted a screening of “Show Her The Money” at its headquarters in Covington. This award-winning documentary follows four women entrepreneurs seeking funding and mentorship to grow their businesses. The film received local support from producer Sue Bevan Baggot, a Queen City Angels investor.

The event, sponsored by 1919 Investment Counsel, also included a discussion featuring Gaby Blocher, CEO of Sunflower Fuels, who shared her journey of securing funding to grow her business, and Leah Foxx, VP and responsible investing analyst for 1919, who shared insights on supporting the power of women as investors, entrepreneurs, caregivers, savers and more.

 aviatraaccelerators.org , 1919ic.com

Event panelists Jill Morenz, Aviatra president and CEO; Gaby Blocher, CEO of Sunflower Fuels; Leah Foxx, VP and responsible investing analyst, 1919 Investment Counsel Leah Foxx, Reshma Ballie McGowan, Jennifer Evans, Alison Bevilacqua and Kat Weber

Robert Fellows, Kyle Fender and Chris Newton

AACC Board

member Larry Hook and Jody Brandon, Educator of the Year

Hetal Ganim, Turpin Student of the Year Maya Ganim and Paul Ganim

Katie Ziegler, Young Professional of the Year, with AACC board member Amy Broghamer

AACC Executive Director

Sarah Celenza and Annie Warner, Citizen of the Year

Ken Schroeder, event chair and AACC board member; Michael Thibodeau, Community Joy Award winner; emcee Taylor Nimmo of WCPO; and Jeff Scheper, AACC board chair

Volunteer of the Year Amy Miller and Dee Stone

Pro Bono Partnership honors local attorneys, businesses

Pro Bono Partnership of Ohio spotlighted its 2024 award winners at its annual volunteer and donor reception, honoring outstanding commitment to providing free legal services to nonprofits.

• Company of the Year: CareSource

• Law Firm of the Year: Thompson Hine LLP

• Corporate Attorney of the Year: Thea Langsam of Fifth Third Bank

• Law Firm Attorney of the Year: Cathy Dunlay of Bricker Graydon

• Rising Star Attorney of the Year: Cecelia Tio of Lumin Digital

• Excellence in Nonprofit Service: Justin Tillson of Tire Discounters

In honor of PBPO’s 10th anniversary, the nonprofit also established a hall of fame, celebrating an inaugural class of 23 volunteers who have provided more than 100 hours of pro bono service.

The organization completed 30% more legal projects in 2024 than the previous year and noted that the need for PBPO’s services is rapidly growing as organizations work to understand the changing legal landscape.

 pbpohio.org/support-us

Michelle Knox, Tawanda Edwards and Beth Byington of CareSource, 2024 Company of the Year

Members of the PBPO board of directors: Brian Pokrywka, Scott Kane, Emily Pan, Kevin Howard, Susan Street Whaley, Erin Childs, Kermit Lowery and Marty Dunn

Corporate Attorney of the Year Thea Langsam of Fifth Third Bank with Mary Helen Richer

SATURDAY 6:30PM CET

SUNDAY 8:30PM CET ARTS

Join Barbara Kellar as she showcases artists and cultural leaders from the Greater Cincinnati community.

Emmy Award Winner Regional - Interview/Discussion Program www.CETconnect.org

PBPO board

member Kevin Howard and Ben Sandlin of Thompson Hine LLP, 2024 Law Firm of the Year

Tracy Cook and Rising Star Attorney of the Year Cecelia Tio of Lumin Digital

Tracy Cook with Excellence in Nonprofit Service winner Justin Tillson of Tire Discounters

Mary Helen Richer with Law Firm Attorney of the Year Cathy Dunlay of Bricker Graydon

Behavioral Health Services honors Champions of Hope

Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Services held its 19th annual Champions of Hope Gala at the Madison Event Center in Covington.

More than 200 guests turned out to honor Judge Anita Bechmann of Clermont County Municipal Court. Hosted by WLWT anchor Ashley Kirklen, the evening raised money to assist people who experience mental illness or substance use disorder.

St. Francis Seraph Ministries/St. Anthony’s Center received the newly named Nick Hahn Community Partnership award, honoring GCBHS board member Nick Hahn who died earlier this year.

 gcbhs.com

Woman’s Club fundraiser supports philanthropic efforts

The Cincinnati Woman’s Club hosted a high tea-style event to honor the CWC’s philanthropic programs for 2025. The internal fundraiser showcased and raised money for the club’s ongoing philanthropic programs. Proceeds will fund the CWC Community Impact and Scholarship Endowment funds, supporting service projects for Greater Cincinnati.

The CWC heard from two speakers: Jill Huyhn, president and CEO of Give Like a Mother, “a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring that local children and teens in need have access to seasonally appropriate clothing,” and Lucy Acuna, a CWC scholarship recipient and senior at the University of Cincinnati majoring in musical theater.

 cincinnatiwomansclub.com

CWC member Cheryl Sieve, event co-chair

CWC members Keke Sansalone and Cheryl Sieve carry out the high tea theme, “Beauty and the Beast,” as The Beast and Mrs. Potts.

Lucy Acuna, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music musical theater student and CWC scholarship recipient, shares her story and performs two selections.

Jill Huyhn, president and CEO of Give Like a Mother, shares GLAM’s mission.

Dawn Bruestle, Lucy Acuna, Susan Deye, Jill Huyhn, Gloria Riffey and Blanche Sullivan

Rossana Basch, Nick Basch, Sarah Basch and Pam Hudson



GCBHS President and CEO Jeff O’Neil with honoree Anita Bechmann Mary Pat Raupach with Kim Bower and Greg Hahn, daughter and son of award designee Nick Hahn

GCBHS board members Amresh Sahay and Dr. Zeeshan Pasha with Pasha’s son

CWC President Susan Deye welcomes members.

Linda Gallagher and LaNora Godfrey

Bill Scherer and GCBHS board Chair Susan Scherer

Spring4Life gala lassoes hope for mental health

1N5’s annual Spring4Life gala brought big energy and even bigger hearts to the SugarCreek Bacon Barn for a western-themed night of fun and purpose. Guests, decked out in western gear, gathered to raise vital awareness for mental health.

The evening featured lively music, heartfelt moments, and a keynote from Dr. Erica Graham, current Mrs. Indiana USA. Messer Construction was honored as 1N5’s Workplace Partner of the Year for its outstanding commitment to workplace wellness.

The event raised more than $260,000 – ensuring that schools, workplaces and communities across the region have greater access to mental health education and suicide prevention resources.

 1n5.org

(Back) John Browner, 1N5 board member Ellis Hummel, event committee member Susan Wright, Gibby Wright and Roger David; (front) Christine Browner of 1N5, Tippy Hummel and Ceci David

HOME luncheon puts focus on inclusive housing

Nearly 200 fair housing advocates and local community members gathered at the Cintas Center for the 2025 Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME) Fair Housing Luncheon, themed “Justice Begins at HOME.” The event emphasized the urgent need to protect and advance fair, inclusive communities across Greater Cincinnati.

HOME recognized Marcus Parrish, president of the Greater Cincinnati Realtist Association, with the 2025 Judd Award for outstanding leadership and advocacy, particularly his work advancing the Roadmap for Increasing Black Homeownership. The luncheon included a keynote from Demetria McCain, director of policy at the Legal Defense Fund, who spoke about the ongoing fight for equitable housing. Sponsors included gold-level sponsors Zillow, Fifth Third Bank, First Financial Bank, PNC Bank and presenting partner Cincinnati NAACP.

 homecincy.org

Taren Kinebrew and LaChé Roach

Kelly Barry, 1N5 senior corporate program manager, with Cara Cross and Martina Poet of honoree Messer Construction

1N5 development manager Jessica Hartley, founder and Executive Director Nancy Eigel-Miller, board member Mukesh Ram and school program director Sara Utecht

Demetria McCain delivering her keynote speech

Sarah Law, Julieta Simms, Janet Brown, Michael Cureton, Teresita Lewis, Frank Bowen Jr., Rebecca Griffin, Kyria Graves, Shawn Jeffers, Chad Siekman, Harold Jones, Eric Barrett, Larry Pauly, Lydia Morgan, Amy Goodman, Elisabeth Risch, LaTonya Springs, Clementine Deck, Denese Benn, Ayat Bell and Maya Bere

Kyria Graves, Elisabeth Risch, Judd Award recipient Marcus Parrish and Harold Jones

Wellington gala puts the FUN in fundraising

The Karen Wellington Foundation’s 18th annual Karen’s Gift Gala raised more than $250,000 towards its mission of putting fun back on the calendars of families living with breast cancer by giving them opportunities to create priceless memories.

More than 500 friends, survivors, sponsors and KWF recipients gathered for an evening of giving back, welcoming the 4,000th recipient, Maggie Sapp, to the KWF family. Thanks to the VOA Country Music Festival, Sapp and her husband will enjoy a break from breast cancer with four-day VIP passes to the festival this summer.

With support from sponsors at The Albach, Wells & Dauer Group at Morgan Stanley, The Edelweiss Foundation and Bricker Graydon LLP, KWF will give more than 1,000 “Gifts of FUN” in 2025, taking women out of doctor’s offices and onto beaches, spas, concerts, helicopter rides and other memorable activities.

 karenwellingtonfoundation.org

Ohio River Foundation celebrates 25 years with ‘A Watershed Moment’

More than 150 guests turned out for the Ohio River Foundation’s 25th anniversary celebration, “A Watershed Moment,” held at MadTree’s Parks & Rec at Summit Park in Blue Ash. The evening featured a cocktail hour buffet, keynote by MadTree Brewing’s Rhiannon Hoeweler, live freshwater mussels, a lively auction and an awards ceremony.

Honorees included Mike Fremont (River Advocate Award), Mike Miller (Conservation Educator Award) and MadTree Brewing (Habitat Conservation Award). Attending teachers also won free River Explorer field trips and Mussels in the Classroom programs for their students.

The event raised over $25,000 to support the foundation’s initiatives, including the new Rivers to Classrooms Education Access Fund, the River Report Card and the 10,000 Trees project – efforts aimed at protecting regional water quality and inspiring future environmental stewards.

 ohioriverfdn.org

KWF Executive Director Katie Elbisser, program associate Siena Villeneuve, Carly Adams and Sammie Lennon of VOA Country Music Festival, KWF donor relations manager Lori Falke, Gift of FUN recipient Maggie Sapp, Austin Sapp and Chelsea McCarty, Sapp’s friend and nominator

Roaming performers from Queen City Stunt Circus mingle with guests.

KWF donor relations manager Lori Falke, KWF’s 4,000th Gift of FUN recipient Maggie Sapp and her husband Austin Sapp

Kevin Byrum, Kevin Meyer, Shelley Meyer, Kristen Harding, Mark Harding and Tom Sperber

Awardees Mike Miller and Mike Fremont

Adam Teitelbaum, Julien Teitelbaum, John Bloch, Sarah Bloch, Hollie Thomas, Peter Bloch, Randal Bloch, Brittany Cox and Sean Cox

ORF Executive Director Rich Cogen and Rhiannon Hoeweler, VP of MadTree

Luncheon honors Jewish Cincinnati’s ‘Lions of Judah’

The Jewish Federation of Cincinnati’s Lion of Judah Thank You Event was held at Cincinnati Ballet headquarters. Nearly 100 women gathered for “Philanthropy on Pointe,” celebrating the leadership and philanthropy of the Lions. Guests experienced a rehearsal of “Our Story,” a performance by David Morse honoring the lessons of the Holocaust through movement and dance.

The luncheon included the induction of 16 new Lions of Judah. Together, these women have raised more than $1.2 million for the Federation’s Annual Campaign, supporting the Jewish community locally and globally.

Through storytelling, reflections on leadership and conversation, the event highlighted how the Lions of Judah exemplify Jewish Cincinnati’s generosity and communal support.

 jewishcincinnati.org

MacDowell Society offers insights into music and drama

The Cincinnati MacDowell Society presented two artistic programs for the enjoyment of members and their guests.

At The Mercantile Library, Grammyand Emmy-winning composer Michael Patterson treated a crowd of 80 with insights into the creative process and his musical career. Pianist Julie Spangler and violinist Mari Lunde assisted in the presentation. Patterson also performed at the piano, joining Carmon DeLeone’s trio, with DeLeone on the drums, Rick VanMatre, sax, and Peter Gemus, bass.

At The Literary Club, Ken Prince lectured on the playwright Thornton Wilder, who was a MacDowell Fellow at the MacDowell Colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire, when he wrote his most famous work, “Our Town.”



Felicia Zakem, Karen Goodman and April Davidow

Renee Sandler, Andrea Baron, Ellen Feld and Jessica Kuresman

Abby Schwartz, Debra Steinbuch, Carrie Goldhoff and Beverly Saeks

Julie Pentelnik, Pam Geller and Felice Marcus

Lindsey Wade, Debbie Brant and Danielle V. Minson

Linda Greenberg, Patti Heldman and Julie Shifman

Polly Stein and David Harris

Crowd at Mercantile Library

Composer Michael Patterson performed at the piano, joining Carmon DeLeone’s trio, with Rick VanMatre on sax, Peter Gemus on bass, and DeLeone on drums.

Pianist Julie Spangler and violinist Mari Lunde

Composer Michael Patterson speaks to the Cincinnati MacDowell Society at The Mercantile Library.

Farmers markets: An antidote to processed life

SometimesI just get so tired of the things I do all the time. Changing lanes. Signing up for things on the internet. Closing my windows when the industrial-strength lawn machines start up. Trying to remember my stupid, stupid password. Thinking retail therapy at TJ Maxx is going to make me feel better. Walking the loooong aisles of the grocery store, going past hundreds of feet of high fructose corn syrup-sweetened fizzy water and cereals inspired by candy.

Fortunately there are antidotes to conformity and the virtual. Like the farmers market. That’s retail therapy that actually works. A farmers market offers something real, made by human hands. Each thing I buy there has a connection I can feel: to the soil, to our region and to the hard-working people who plant, nurture, harvest and lug their food to me.

I go to the farmers market all year: there are several winter markets, and you’d be surprised at what great stuff you can find when there’s snow on the

ground, from bread and eggs to greens, apples and root vegetables. But now it’s late spring, every farmers market is up and running, and the bounty is coming in. So get yourself to one. If my purely emotional recommendation isn’t enough to get you there, let me give you some more rational arguments. Oh, and if your first reaction is “local food is too expensive,” I hear you and I’ll get to that.

Food grown by farmers within an hour of two of the many local markets tastes better. You know what I’m talking about if you’ve ever eaten a grocery store tomato and a homegrown one. No varieties at the farmers market were bred for transportation. They are fresher, more vibrant, more alive, and I know spinach doesn’t get healthier as it travels here from California.

The quality of the food, along with treating myself to a cup of

coffee and an almond croissant and getting a chance to visit with the farmers I’ve become friends with, is what keeps me going on Sunday mornings. But my bedrock motivation is something else that motivates many of the market operators, vendors and customers. It’s a commitment to certain systems-changing principles that feel like resistance.

The way food is produced in this country has some deep flaws. This column is nowhere near long enough to explain them all. But the crux of the critique is that agriculture, which is based on natural systems, has had an industrial system imposed on it for the sake of efficiency. For example: huge fields of one crop, which leads to the need for pesticides and herbicides; mechanization, which leads to farmers going into debt; and employing fewer people. Feeding animals in huge feedlots, which leads to antibiotic use and excess manure as waste, when once it would have served as fertilizer. Chickens in overcrowded barns. Trucking food long distances. Constant downward pressure on prices. All bad for the environment, animal welfare, rural life and farm labor.

Plus, federal agriculture policy subsidizes with $30 billion a year the cultivation of specific commodity crops like corn and soy, which are used to make cheap, highly processed food. Or which are exported for animal feed, while we import human food from other countries. Subsidies also encourage planting even marginal land instead of leaving it in a natural state. Just one more thing about agriculture that contributes unnecessarily to climate change.

The sweetened breakfast cereal and the soda pop are on the federal dole. The unsubsidized broccoli, the walnuts, the fish are self-sufficient. And local food is even freer from the bigger system. Especially since even the paltry amount of federal dollars to help build markets and local systems are being taken away.

So, yes, local food costs more. It reflects the actual cost of raising the

Polly Campbell

food. (Though you’ll find that local eggs are quite competitive right now.) Sometimes people call local food elitist, but I think regular food is what’s elitist because it makes unhealthy, processed food cheap and healthy food expensive. Also, it is cheap on the back of taxpayers, the health of the environment and the climate, farmers and farm laborers and animals. I feel like I’m buying a different product when I get cauliflower or ground beef from a local farmer than the grocery store version, and I choose to pay the price without even thinking about it. It’s a luxury perhaps, but the opposite of a guilty pleasure.

If you can’t afford it you can’t afford it, and everyone has a time and money budget I wouldn’t presume to dictate. But at least don’t think farmers are gouging you. They are not getting rich, they’re trying to do something good. There will come a day when their expertise in how to grow food sustainably will save us.

But maybe go this summer and try the things that are the most better than the grocery store. Indiana melons. Heirloom tomatoes with the perfect balance of sweet and tart and laden with mysterious umami. Peaches you have to eat over a sink. Fresh local non-Chinese garlic, plump and pungent in its paper skin. Bibb lettuce cut this morning.

The flavor is the advertisement. The product is supporting a better way to do things. 

Polly Campbell covered restaurants and food for the Cincinnati Enquirer from 1996 until 2020. She lives in Pleasant Ridge with her husband, and since retiring does a lot of reading, cooking and gardening, if that’s what you call pulling weeds. She writes monthly on a variety of topics, and she welcomes your feedback and column suggestions at editor@moversmakers.org.

The KeyBank community development team provides more than capital solutions. We bring much-needed investment for affordable housing in all 50 states. Our clients trust us to achieve their complex goals by using a broad, fully integrated commercial real estate platform. In addition, we can help assemble innovative and complex financing in conjunction with multiple for-profit, nonprofit, and government entities.

To learn more, visit key.com/affordable or reach out to Cincinnati Market President, Jennifer Damiano, at 513-830-1169.