The Smith Family Foundation is pro-active,
designing (and often conducting) fund-raising projects and seeking
suitable partners to further its mission of "serving youth worldwide"
through public awareness and education reform. Following are some of our
important policies and guidelines:
The
Smith Family Foundation is devoted entirely to youth, primarily in the
Cincinnati community and does not support projects or activities
unrelated to that goal.
Most
projects are community in scope but many of these also have national significance.
The
Foundation is primarily interested in well-defined projects with a
beginning and an end, projects leading to information that advances
knowledge of effective programs and strategies consistent with the
Foundation's principles.
The
Foundation's program seeks to make a difference in education, not
simply by adding resources to established organizations or supporting
conventional ideas and routine activities, but by seeking
well-conceived projects and able individuals that go against the
grain, challenge the perceived wisdom, alter the status quo and work
outside the box.
The Foundation will:
Make
grants for the purpose of advancing charitable and educational
activities in the Greater Cincinnati community and elsewhere.
Design,
conduct, and/or implement fund-raising programs.
Provide
scholarship assistance for students attending elementary, secondary, and college
level educational institutions.
Engage
in any other activity which may be conducted by a not-for-profit corporation - as
the Board of trustees shall determine appropriate.
We are and will continue to be an advocate for the high standards, strong academic
content, and tough-minded accountability. We also welcome the "reinvention" of K-12
education to include such alternatives as charter schools, contract-management,
student scholarships, and other strategies for stimulating more education choices,
greater competition, and consumer empowerment.
Smith Family Community Endowment Fund
Mission Statement
To
build a lasting source of charitable assets
to benefit our community's youth today... the world tomorrow:
By
providing support to our foundations charitable interest in perpetuity.
By
providing responsible stewardship of all funds.
By
making grants to support the interest of the community - primarily in the field of
youth education.
By
recognizing and serving as a catalyst to address the needs of our community's youth.
By
simply insuring that the operating budget of our favorite charities receive an
annual boost.
By
"taking stock" in ourselves through thoughtful, organizational self-assessment -
that will examine strengths and areas for improvement - by seeking opinions and
assessments of other organizations and leaders as part of this process. And, in
the future, announce the individuals chosen to guide the internal and external
assessments. We feel it is important to receive community input to help us set
our future direction. We anticipate growing quickly and do not want to lose sight
of what the Cincinnati Community expects from us.
Big Brothers
Big Sisters of Greater Cincinnati
The Big Brother movement was established in Cincinnati in 1903 by
concerned citizen and businessman Irv Westheimer. There are now 514
affiliate Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies throughout the United
States... all as a result of the compassion of one Cincinnati
man.
Children in the program are generally 6-17
years old and live in a variety of home situations (over 95% are from
single-parent or non-parent households). Backgrounds, personalities,
financial status and interest of the agency's clients are diverse. Need
for service varies but all are matched with the intention of providing a
role model to provide friendship and guidance.
The volunteers come from all walks of life.
College students, single, married, and retired adults volunteer for the
program and range from 18 years old to over 80 years old. Most
volunteers are between 25-50 years old.
The mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters of
Greater Cincinnati (BBBSGC) is to help children become confident,
competent and caring individuals through a professionally supported,
one-to-one relationship with an effective adult mentor.
On July 4, 2003 this agency will celebrate
the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Big Brother movement by
Cincinnati Businessman Irv Westheimer. Rich in the roots of its history,
the agency is focused on the task of youth development and preventative
social service by matching Tri-State children and teens with responsible,
caring adults.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater
Cincinnati is pleased to share the following information about the 850
children who are currently matched with a Big Brother/Sister/Couple in
their program:
- 99% are not pregnant
- 98% are substance-abuse free
- 97% are in school
- 97% are not involved with the juvenile courts
- The agency matches are together for an average of 3-1/2 years.
Big Brothers Big Sisters
of Greater Cincinnati, Inc.
2400 Reading Road
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Character
Council of Greater Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky
The Smith Family Foundation is proud to be an endorsing organization of
the Character Council of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.
The Character Council of Greater Cincinnati
and Northern Kentucky is a nonprofit, non-religious organization founded
in 2000. The Council is devoted to promoting good character in order to
improve the lives of our residents and enrich the spirit of our
community. The Council joins organizations in more than 80 cities, in
association with the International Association of Character Cities,
which have pledged to encourage good character. Football Hall of Famer
Anthony Munoz is the Character Council's spokesperson.
For more detailed information, please visit their Web site.
www.charactercincinnati.org
Susan Bell, Executive Director
Iris Cole, Director of Communications
Character Council
3805 Edwards Road, Suite 200
Rookwood Tower, Cincinnati, OH 45209
Literacy
Network of Greater Cincinnati
The Literacy Network of Greater Cincinnati champions the development of literacy in
the individual, the family, the workplace, and the community by raising
awareness, improving access, and serving as a catalyst for literacy efforts.
The Literacy Network of Greater Cincinnati (LNGC) was
founded in 1986 under Project Literacy U.S. (PLUS) to bring together
local forces to combat illiteracy. In 1988 a full-time office was opened
to serve as an area-wide contact center for literacy. LNGC focuses on
raising public awareness about the literacy cause and linking students
and tutors with appropriate literacy programs. Today, it has become a
resource center of vital importance in the community.
There are approximately 8,000 children (ages 7-9) in Greater Cincinnati
who face frustration and anxiety every day due to a disability known as
dyslexia. The LNGC’s Children’s Basic Reading Program is designed for children
with profound reading difficulties who are unable to receive assistance through
their schools. These classes are offered free of charge and give the children the
tools needed to read more proficiently. The Literacy Network is the only organization
in Cincinnati offering these classes.
Funding to support this effort is greatly needed.
The Network’s Information & Referral Hotline offers counseling and referral
services to interested volunteers and individuals in need of literacy assistance.
The Network serves 50 adult education programs in over 70 sites in Greater Cincinnati.
Monthly tutor training classes, free screenings and classes for adults with symptoms
of dyslexia are also offered.
Those interested in improving their basic skills or in becoming a volunteer should
call LNGC’s Information and Referral Hotline at 621-READ (621-7323).
One Way Farm, Inc.
6131 River Road
Fairfield, OH 45018
Healing the Hurt with Heart
Stone Soup Institute
The Smith Family Foundation is proud to be an endorsing organization of the Stone
Soup Institute.
Stone Soup for Cincinnati
Reprinted from The Cincinnati Enquirer, Monday, October 18, 1999
All Greater Cincinnatians involved in the
education and nurture of young people - teachers, parents, youth
agencies, others - should know about a book and project called Stone
Soup for the World. More than 120 communities, schools or groups
already use this collection of heart-warming true stories to teach young
people character-building and citizenship lessons and motivate them to
get involved in service to others.
The book includes 100 short tales of modern
heroes - ordinary people doing extraordinary things and extraordinary
people (like Mother Teresa) doing ordinary things to make the world a
kinder, better place.
The book, created by Marianne Larned, a
former teacher, has spawned an educational curriculum, a leadership
training institute and a fellows program. Next may be a Walter Cronkite
TV series on the heroes and the tradition of service to others that is
part of our history and national character.
Stone Soup for the World: Life-Changing
Stories of Kindness & Courageous Acts of Service is adapted from
the 16th century folktale Stone Soup, about a traveler who inspires poor
villagers to create a feast with a little imagination, cooperation and
goodwill.
The Stone Soup Leadership Institute
collaborates with companies and organizations to provide training to
people who want to use these education tools in their communities to
motivate young people.
Now, Cincinnati is on the Stone Soup stop -
thanks to businessman and entrepreneur Gale E. Smith, founder and CEO
for the Smith Family Foundation. He spotted Stone Soup
lessons at Cincinnati's Marva Collins Preparatory School and says it's
too good not to share. He dreams of Cincinnati becoming a "Stone Soup
community" - one in which business, community groups and individuals use
Marianne Larned's learning principles and stories "to transform our
youth into tomorrow's leaders and transform our city, too."
So Mr. Smith, with help from some
others, is bringing the Stone Soup Leadership Training program to
Cincinnati on Oct. 29-31. Who should attend? People who work with kids;
teachers or tutors who want to inspire students to service; mentors,
companies, groups involved with volunteerism; after-school and any youth
program seeking a program that'll hook kids, etc.
The stories, short and clear in message,
transcend culture and ethnicity, and one reviewer noted, can "touch
alike the alienated urban child and the most jaded suburban teen."
Through dramatic of real individuals'
struggles and successes, the young reader takes away a vision of victory
and, hence, more hope that he can prevail in his own life. It also shows
many ways that one person can make a big difference for good, even
against formidable odds.
Will Morles, for example, was a 14-year-old
illiterate gang member until a "lifer" taught him to read. Will is now a
28-year-old law student, home owner, new father, founder of Boston's
Urban Edge Youth Police Partnership and Director of Egleston Square YMCA
in Massachusetts. He's one of the book's heroes who'll speak at the
Cincinnati training seminar.
The book is for everyone. The Leader's Guide
shows how to talk about every story and the values they teach -
generosity, innovation patience, etc. If you care about
character-building in children, read the book and share it with a young
person you know.
For information about the Stone Soup Foundation, phone 508-696-8514; on
the web at soup4world@aol.com.
If you or your school, organization, etc.
wants to be a catalyst for this kind of education here, ask about
sending or sponsoring someone to the Oct. 29-31 Stone Soup training.
Scholarships are available. For details, call Gale Smith at
513-564-8747.
Brewing Stone Soup in Cincinnati
Reprinted from the Cincinnati Enquirer, Monday, December 13, 1999
On a scale rating inspiration and hope, the
recent Stone Soup leadership training in Cincinnati was a weekend of
10s. About 70 teen-agers, educators, mentors, youth workers, business
and government leaders and parents spent two and one-half days learning
how individuals, working together in public service, can change their
schools and communities for the better. Just like the community heroes
in Marianne Larned's popular book, Stone Soup for the World:
Life-Changing Stories of Kindness & Courageous Acts of
Service.
People across the country are using the
collection of 100 short, real-life stories to teach young people
positive values and citizenship, to build character and motivate them to
become involved in public service. The materials are used by
organizations such as Big Brothers, Big Sisters, churches, schools and
others who are guiding young people.
It's adapted from the folktale Stone Soup,
about a hungry traveler who inspires poor villagers to each give
something - and create a feast for the entire village. They learn to
make soup from a stone, with a little imagination, cooperation and good
will. Using the stone soup metaphor, Mrs. Larned helps us see that when
we work together in a community, we can do way more than we thought was
possible to make things better for everyone.
Weekend participants heard some of the real
"heroes" featured in the Stone Soup book, share their powerful stories
and how they implemented change against impossible odds.
The Stone Soup Leadership Institute is the
learning-in-action arm of the Stone Soup Foundation. Through workshops,
trainings and flows programs, they bring the Stone Soup fable to life -
using it as a teaching tool about public service and social
activism.
Training participants now can move on to
Stone Soup fellowships - one- to two-year projects where the Stone Soup
series is integrated into schools and other community programs. Fellows
typically are teen leaders, teachers, religious educators, juvenile
justice and child welfare advocates and companies and organizations
which want to collaborate on community projects. Fellowships hone skills
at creating, organizing and coaching larger groups of people committed
to community service.
Anyone witnessing the Cincinnati Stone Soup
training would be optimistic about the unlimited potential for
Cincinnati to be a community known for character and compassion. Like
the traveler in the folktale, we're reminded that we can all make a
difference for good. But often we need a boost, like the Stone Soup one,
to rekindle our "can-do" spirit. Even the most apathetic among us would
be moved by listening to Will Morles's story. He was a 14-year-old
illiterate gang member until a "lifer" taught him to read. Now, at 28,
he's a law student, new father, and founder of Boston's Urban Edge Youth
Police Partnership.
"Each person can add something to the
incredible 'soup' we are creating together," said Cincinnati
businessman/entrepreneur Gale E. Smith, founder and CEO of the Smith
Family Foundation. He encountered the Stone Soup lessons at
Cincinnati's Marva Collins Prep School and wanted it to be shared with
others in the region. He hopes Cincinnati, like dozens of other cities,
will become a "Stone Soup community."
Thanks to the Smith Family Foundation
and other sponsors such as Meijer stores, for caring enough to make it
happen. For more information about Stone Soup programs, call Gale Smith
at 513-564-8747 or Stone Soup Foundation in Maryland,
508-696-8514.
For detailed information, please visit their Web site.
http://www.soup4world.com/
The Stone Soup Institute
P.O. Box 4301
Vineyard Haven, MA 02568
Life-Changing Stories of Kindness & Courageous Acts of Service
The MS Center
The mscenter is a regional resource for
patients, physicians, and community members who need information and
treatment for Multiple
Sclerosis. Offering a comprehensive treatment approach, education programs
and research, the mscenter strives to give their clients what matters
most: hope, help and health.
The mscenter believes in a comprehensive approach to treatment that takes into account their clients' physical, mental and relational needs. In addition, they are looking to help patients find physicians, specialists and providers who are experienced with treating patients with MS.
Education is crucial to the effective management of MS. From large-group monthly seminars, to couple-focused education to classes in Aquatic Therapy, the mscenter is committed to providing the education their patients need. They also keep doctors as well as patients informed of the latest trends and treatments through guest speakers, a resource library, the Internet, videos and other media.
And treatment doesn't stop at the door to their facility. The mscenter encourages their patients and their families to contact them at any time with questions or concerns.
For more information call the mscenter at
513-487-4878 or visit www.hopehelphealth.org.
mscenter
111 Wellington Place
Cincinnati, OH 45219
