beechacres PARENTING CENTER «if ryt ae it, at Vall eocelaat ae 1 &Share participation Sans adBOARD OF DIRECTORS BEECH ACRES FOUNDATION BOARD. Tim Terrell, Chair ere eee Poter A. Alpaugh ere Pee stautbers FROM THE PRESIDENT & CEO Harnessing the Power of Community! ‘Alone wa can ab so litle, together we can do so much. Helen Keller In recent years, Beech Acres has experien : unprecedented growth’ As your generous support has sgtoinn, o has the rumber of local families we continue to , reach with our diverse service offerings. Nowhere is this growth more evident than with the Shoo & Share program, where once again participation numbers have set now records. As you will read in the article, Shop & Share participation continues to soar, our collaboration with Forest Hills Schools has evolved into much more than an opportunity to provide holiday gifts to local families. This program provides hone for those in hard times, fosters the next generation of service-minded leaders, engages families in collaborative giving, and harnesses the power of noighbors working togethor for the common good, And, asif that wasn't enough, we continue to hear compelling stories from Shop & Shore recipients whose deep gratitude spurs them to turn the tables of generosity as their life circumstances imprave. One such story is highlighted in the article, Holiday giving comes full circle, where we hear about Geraldine and her now 21-year ald son, Eliiah whose lives were transformed through our school-based services program just shc years ago. After watching her son blossom into the responsiole young man he is today, Geraldine sees an advertisement for Shop & Share on TV and decices that this year, it’s her turn to lend a hand to a family in need, That's the funny thing about giving..it's contagious, Instead of depleting @ community of its resourcas, acts of kindness have a way of multiplying generosity. No one knows this truth better than our very own hometown hero, Lauren Hill whose seifiess efforts were a catalyst for generating more than $2.2 million in funding for The Cure Starts Now, banefiting rain cancer research. Thtcugh her example of strength, courage, and humility, Lauren inspired @ netion by fighting hard to realize her dream of playing college basketball, in spite of her terminal diagnosis. Even after losing her personel battle with DIPG this past spring, Lauren's legacy lives on and continues to both inspire and change lives, In early Novernber, | wes fortunate enough to sit down with Lauren's morn, Lisa Hill as she shared some insights into the young woman behind the legend. In learning more about the Hill family traditions and about Lauren's personality, we gained a rere Insight into the making of an everyday superhera Be sure to take a few minutes to read the article, Raising a hero: The Brent and Lisa Hil story, and then consider what your family’s Unique super-strengths might be. Want to leverage your family’s talents for the benefit of others? In Six ways to nurture superhero giving within your family, we provide simple steps for getting started, The ower of community starts at home, with your family...and I can’t think of any bottor investment than that! k YOU for continuing to be an important part of our Beech Acres family sincere, 7 Y sim Mason President & CEO https://beechacres.org/donate/ toShop & Share participation continues to soar! BY: CHRISTY BERNING - otha ‘The 2015 Shop & Share program set new records onco again. Seven years ago, we and our friends at Forest Hills Schools could never have imagined the impact our efforts would have on the greater Cincinnati community After years of connecting local residents with those in heed through the agency's adopt-a-Tamily program, Beech Acres was approached hy Jen Senlescer, a mother at Wilson Elomentary, about 3 potential partnorshie between the two organizations. The collaboration stemmed from two deals..support those in need during the holidays and engage local students in developing a heart for service-minded laadershie. While Beach Acres continues to receive suppert from families throughaut the Cincinnati region. the Forest Hills School community has taken their generosity to a whole new level. In the partnership's initial yeer, Wilsoi Elementary families kindly provided holiiay gifts for 25 families. It wasn't long before other schools within the district began hearing about the program, and acked for © seat at the table. Participation from the Forest Hills, community has continued to dramatically grow each and every year since. ‘There are many elements of the Shop & Share program that are quite unique. First, ts growth Is truly organic. Each particisating school Is led by a passionate parent-volunteer and has the full support of the school edministretion. While Jen and her Shop & Shere team, have not actively sought out new schools to join the effort, they are happy to welcome additional schools on beard when the program and structure meets their particular needis. She explains, “The Shop & Share model Werks, because we have people wha are fully invested in making it a success. It takes a large commitment on the part of parents and school administration. We are so grateful that all of our participating schools are completely invested. They are all in And “all in." they mast certainly are. Each year during Shop & Share week, the participating schools blanket thelr campuses with themes of giving, Thoy particioate in specialized curriculum around wat it looks like to be a service-minded leader, they discuss philanthropic giving in studont advisories and thair hallways are covered with student daclarations about “How I raised my donation. $61,000 in donations. NetCR ete eloh rel inec anes see ete al IR Cll earn This program is about mare than simply asking mom and dad for a donation, The kids are encouraged to really “own” their contributions. One airl babysits and donates the money to the “pot,” another boy rakes his neighbor's yerd to earn donation money. Several students forgo. their allowance or sacrifice certain holiday aifts, so that thay can contribute. Continued on page & CONNECTIONS | 3Raising a hero: The Brent and Lisa Hill story #22. DIPG, Lauren Hill was so much more than the number made famous by her college basketball jersey. She was more than a brain tumor diagnosis, Lauren Hill was both Superman and Clark Kent. ‘She was the inspirational hero who defied odds and inspired a nation with her determination, ner drive, hor perseverance, her grace, and yet... she was also a typical 19 year old girl, someone who according to mom, could be snarky at times, a girlle girl who liked to have her hair done and couldn't stand for it to be grungy, vho like most teenagers, enjoyed hanging out with friends and who ‘could tug on her parents’ heart strings to get them to buy her a puppy, who didn’t always make the cut, who fell, but always got back up and kept moving forward, and who ‘often had a hankering for a veggie burrito from Chipotle. She was Superman, and she was Clark Kent. In the age of helicopter moms and free-range parenting, we were curious to know... How can we tap into the unique superpowers that lie within ourselves and within our children? How exactly does one go about raising a superhero? 4 | CONNECTIONS This past fall, sim Mason, Beech Acres’ President and CEO, and | sat down with Lisa Hill to ask these questions. Below are four transformative “phone booth” secrets that Lisa revealed about her daughter and their family. When | asked Lisa what she will miss most about her daughter, she replied with a sad reflective smile, “her laughter” Even though Lauren was one of the more serious members of the Hill family, she had a quirky sense of humor from an eatly age. Lisa recalls tucking her in at night when she was younger and that the two of thom would get into unruly giggle fits. “Lauren's laugh is so funny that you couldn't help but join in, ‘And Lauren's humor was tempered only by her humility Sure, she was a typical girl who liked to style her hair a certain way, but she also didn’t let vanity get in the way of har mission of being the voice for the voiceless - young DIPG patients. Perhaps these seeds of this humility were spawned by the Hill family tradition of being "big dresser-upers for spirit days, bia games, and holidays.” Their family motto? "Go big or go home,” That explains a lot. | watched an interview where Lauren talked about @ recent fall. She confidently shared “I just decided on the way In to assault the floor.” How olse do you respond to falling on your face in public? Go big or go home. Lauren was a big music buff - all genres, Lisa fondly recalls their regular jam sessions in the car where they would overdramatize a sona while singing. If you live on the west side of Cincinnati, perhaps you caught one of their car concerts along I-74? Go big or go home. With hor health declining, Lauron spent Easter Sunday in the hospital. When she awoke that morning, she smiled with gratitude as her family presented her with a special treat from tho Easter Bunny. Her favorite part of the basket? Not the candy, but rather the Easter grass inside, which Lauren gracefully dumped on her head to once again trigger some family laughs. Sadly, this would be the last morning that Lauren would awaken to share her beloved smile. Lisa shares, “if we didn't have humor and make some light out of difficult situations, I'm not sure how we would have made it through everything,During our interview, we shared with Lisa how surprised we were that Lauren didn't even know her own high school stats vihen she was recruited ta play college ball Lisa explains, “Lauren was so focused in the moment. it was a way for her even before being diagnosed. It amplified itself even more after diagnosis, but she was always present in the moment both on the court and in life in general. In basketball, she would concentrate on the play. If you asked her what the score was, she wouldn't even be able to tell you. It was always about the win at the end or Improving the next play. She had no idea how many baskets she made, because she just gat out there and gave it her very best every time. When one play was over, she simply focused on the next one.’ Living in the moment is something that the Hill family takes seriously, so much so that eight years ago, they developed their very own official family holiday. At the time, Nathan, Lisa’s son (and middle child) began porsistontly compiaining “its not fair” that his Jewish friends exchanged presents for eight days straight and yet the Hill family holiday only lasted two days (Christmas Eve & Christmas). Although Lisa explained the rationale and differences between these two occasions, Nate remained resolute in his pursuit of justice, To keep family peace, Brent and Lisa compromised, and Hanukkah Hill was born. Since they were already doing sibling/parent gift exchanges, they simply spread out the opening of these gifts to. celebrations held ovar five nights, ending with Christmas day. Each night of Hanukkah Hill, the family sits together by the tree, listening to Christmas carols. They have a special tray with sparkly candles they light, and then each family member draws the name of another person to determine whose gift to open. Because they each only opena single present, there is more time spent appreciating one ancther's gifts, and they tend to put more thought into their selections. As you might suspect, is not the actual presents that make Hanukkah Hill such a meaningful tradition, but rather the “presence” of one another at an otherwise busy time of year. “For us as a Hill family, to try your hardest was always something we instilled in our kids. For example with grades - if you get an F, that's fine as long as you gave it 10%. I's tough when families expect their kids ta get all "A's," because sometimes that's not possible and then CONNECTIONS | 5the kids wrestle with shame. None of us are perfect. We all have weaknesses. Growing up, Lauren was no stranger to disappointment. During her senior year, she was cut from her high schoo! soccer team. After lacing up her cleats since the age of four, her time on the field was over It was a big blow for Lauren who even wrote an English paper about the experience entitled, When Everything Changed Lisa shares, “In retrospect , if Lauren had stayed with soccer, it probably would not have provided her with the opportunity or the platform she needed in basketball to become the voice for DIPG. Another unexpected gift from Lauren's soccer setback was that she learned how to use her voice to advocate r herself. Her soccer coach’s standing rule was that only players could talk to him about team decisions. Armed with a list of questions (just in case her emotions got the best of her), Lauren walked into the coach's office to get some answers just days after being cut from the team. Later Lauren’s coach responded, “Never in my career have any of my players ever walked in with a full list of questions." 6 | CONNECTIONS Lauren’s bravery through this process would serve her well after her diagnosis, when at the age of 18, she had so many important decisions to make about her own medical care. Unexpectedly, the soccer challenge provided Lauren with the courage to advocate for herself and eventually for other children struggling with DIPG. Lauren’s greatest worry about dying was not her own fate, but rather a concern for her family and friends, and how hard her death would hit them, She was especially worried for her siblings, Erin and Nate, now ages 15 and 18, Lisa recalls a special evening towards the end of Lauren’s journey. The family had just moved her to a first floor bedroom of their house, because the stairs were fecoming too difficult for her failing body to maneuver. Lauron’s sister, Erin was upstairs cleaning her room when brother Nate stopped by. All of a sudden Nate started razzing Erin about her messy room. Their banter back and forth was only covershaclowed by their laughter. It was in that moment that Lauren, in tears, turned to her mother and said “that makes me feel so good.” Lauren knew that her siblings would be ok. She knew that Erin and Nate would take care of one another.Continued from page 3. Shop & Share participation continues to soar! ‘And, donating money isn’t the only way in which they give. Students step up to lead their school's participation whether it's through decorating bulletin boards, creating flyers, collecting and counting donations, ar simply showing up with their family at Target on the night of Shop & Share. Armad with a family-in-noed's wish list, they set out to find those perfect gifts for thelr assigned family. all while working within a pre-determined budget: ‘Some shoppers simply take thelr purchases to one of the registers and use previously collected funds from the “pot” to pay for their items. Others choose to pay fully for the items as their donation, and still a number of families se a combination of collected and personal funds to fulfil the family’s wish list. What's wonderful about Shop & Share is that it’s an equal opportunity experience. ‘Whether a student donates $3 or $100, their contributions, are valued. What a wonderful way to teach our children that you don’t have to be rich to be generous. There are many ways in which we can all serve and contribute our unique gifts and strengths to our communities. The Target shopping night is a game-changing ‘component of Shop & Share. When you are giving in the context of community, being philanthropic actually becomes the cool thing to do! Mrs. Schlosser and her team routinely observe young teens entering Target with thelr moms on Shop & Share night, looking less than enthusiastic. It’s rewarding for them to witness the transformation in these kids during their shopping experience. As they begin to recognize some of their buddies from school, from sports teams, and from thelr neighborhood, their attitucle starts to shift. And as they begin to shop, their hearts continue to grow upon realizing that their family’s wish list contains @ number of simple needs that so many of us take for granted. By the time thay hit the check out lines, they are proudly displaying their shopping purchases for all to soe. The fact that Target hands them a. ‘voucher at checkout for free popcorn and a drink just sweetens the experience. Relationships are at the core of this program’s success and nowhere is that more evident than on Shop & Share hight. Undor the leadership of Store Manager, Choryl Syson-Lau, the Target store on Beachmont serves a role much larger than that of a shopping destination. Target's staff and leadership team are “all in” too. Whether it's scheduling extra staff to manage the crowds, designating special check-out lanes for participants, patiently working through the challenges of recon purchases between the “pot” and individual donors, generously donating treats for shoppers, or ordering specialty items in advance to be sure the shelves are appropriately stocked, Target has been a true partner in every sense of the word. ling 8 | CONNECTIONS A couple of years ago, Mrs. Schlosser recalls a Target employee who was gtinning trom ear to ear during ‘Shop & Share. At one point in the evening, the employee divulged, “I was a Beech Acres kid. Growing up, | would have loved this kind of program. What you are doing for these kids and their families is really incredible!" Talk. about coming full circle! ‘Ang, the stories continue... There's the single dad who hit a financial rough patch a couple of yoars ago and was on the receiving ond of Shop & Share, and is naw sponsoring holiday gifts for another family. , the stucent who proudly givas her time to build enthusiasm for Shop & Share and counts her school's collections, without ever knowing that her family is on the recipient list. And then, there’s Geraldine and her son, Elijah, a Beach ‘Acres client family whose story of full-circle giving is highlighted within this month's newsletter. ‘As we celebrate another banner year of the Shop & Share program, we give thanks for the growing number of participating families, for the vision and passion of one. mam who simply wanted to make a difference, for the leadership of parents, aciministrators and staff within the Forest Hills School District, for the efforts of so many budding student philanthropists, for our community partners at the Beechmont Target store, and for the Beech Acres staff members who remain on the front lines each and every day, supporting local families in need throughout the year. Each January, we are flooded with thank you notes from families served by Shop & Share. Below is an excerpt from one of this yeer’s recipients. BM Col RUN ae La Poe N eto Rete therapy, and mentoring, Jennifer Wikette eee eer our eee a ek at RCM Ronee is aa SAUNAS Ren ame aa} oP ae CRT Motto) PRs n ECS asl relig an om Ge Teicona an This is the true power of Shop & Share. Beyond the numbers, it's about changing lives one family at a time, and growing future philanthrosists one heart at a time. Now, if only we could quantify that!Ina similar way, the outpouring of support for Lauren has boon incredibly heart-warming, Friends and strangers from all over the world have added the Hill family to their prayer chains, have sent in donations, and offered generous support and uplifting words. For the Hills, being in the role of receiving has been tough. Lisa remembers, “Lauren would highly have preferred. not to ask for help. As a family, we're all pretty independent and before this, we're also very behind-the-scanes. Wo prefer giving and will do anything to help in any way we can." Taking care of others was something that was on Lauren's heart too. She had dreams ta study sports medicine & ohysical theracy. Lisa reveals, “she was very sympathetic about injuries and sitting on the bench, because she knew haw much it stunk to want to pley, to want to get out there, but have a twisted, ankle or another injury. Lisa smiles, "Lauren probably would have worked her clients very hard. ‘it says here that you should give me 10, but you can give me 18: She had a special spirit that made you want to be better, to push yourself.” And isn't that what being a superhero is really all about? ‘Second oraders, Lucy and Ava celebrate Supethero Day at Brookville mentary by dressing up at Lauren Hill #22 Photo courtesy of .gan Strchmiet. Want to learn more about how you, too, can nurture the superhero spirit within your own family? As with the Hills, it starts with identifying, affirming, and nourishing your family’s core values and unique super strengths? The VIA Institute on Character is a great place to start (www.viacharacter.org). Think of it as our very own, modern day Hall of Justice for superheroes. And remember you are not in this alone. Beech Acres Parenting Center is just a phone call away, “growing great families together,” using our ISMP (Intentional, Strength-based, Mindful Parenting) approach. To learn more about Lauren Hill’s inspiring story, visit https://beechacres.org/lauren-hill-hope/. CONNECTIONS | 7Holiday giving comes full circle Every year that my life gets better, | want to give something back” Geraldine, a single mom of a now 2i-year-old son, chose to give back to the community this holiday season by taking part in Beech Acres’ Shop & Share program. A few years ago, she was on the receiving end. Geraldine first learned of Beech Acres through Hays-Porter Elementary, where her son, Elijah was in eighth grade It was 2010 and we were living in Over-the-Rhine; she says. “My son was having anger issues and got suspended from school. That's when the school connected us with Beech Acres and we met Miss Emily: She's talking about Emily Schartenberger, who is now a Team Lead in our School-Based Services. Working lang hours, Geraldine recalls that she sometimes had difficulty summoning the energy to face challeng home. "i was so tired,” she says, “But Miss Emily had enough energy for both of us, She went above and beyond the call of duty. The program didn’t stop at the school. It wasn't nine-to-five. There was 2 genuine sense that she wanted to see him do bette at Emily helped the family fin affordable furniture and brought them donated holiday gifts alang with food and clothing. “We didn’t have a lot then. But Emily sew that we got whatever we needed, She goes on to describe times when Emily picked up Elijah from football practice, or answered emergency phone calls from Geraldine. “I thought | was going to see my son behind bars someday.” she admits. “But he's a different person today. We're two better people.” Today, Elijah works at a steady job, is in a committed relationship, and has a six-month-old child of his own They visit Garaldine for weekly dinners. They were all ching television together one evening when they 1w a. commercial for Beech Acres. They started reminiscing about the time they spent with Emily and the program, ‘and it just dawned on me,” she says “That's what | want to do to help this year. Now that I'm Ina position to help, | want to say thank you.” The next day, she called Beech Acres and adopted a family for Shop & Share. She recalls thinking, “There’s another parent out there who needs a litte lifting up this holiday” Thank you, GeralSix ways to nurture superhero giving within your family Participants of www prokids.ora/superner Inspired to engage your children in the giving game? Below aro some ideas for doing just that! During the past summer, we shared these ideas as part of our summer-long blog series entitled, Summer of Kindness. What's great about them is that they are timeless, so give them As Sue, mother of t offers, “Point out to your kid's when you see people being kind and generous, and especially whan you witness them doing so! Ask them how it makes them feel to be recipient of others! loving deeds.” Simply naming kindness when you see it demonstrates to your child that this is something you value, and they will be more likely to value it as well Ask each of your children to choose one family volunteer opportunity and let ge the details, Whether it is making a phone call to schedule a family volunteer session or setting up and planning their very own naighberhaod fundraiser, make it @ goal for each of your kids to take charge of at least one family kindness project each year. Kids can do BIG things! Want proof? Visit nttp://bakemehome.com/ to learn the story of twins, Emma and Amy, who turned their passion for others into a non-profit leaacy, starting at the age of seven! Invite your child’s classmates, neighborhood friends, or sports team to participate in a volunteer activity together and allow local 2014 Superhero Run for Kids event, benefiting Prokids pause to show off their superher Sut this annual family-frenciy aver rena Vist positive peer pressure to work its magic! Last year, Nick Feldkamp did just this for the Beech Acros Fill-a-Backpack program. Together with his sister and classmates, Nick donated 70 backpacks to local families! What are your child's, greatest strengths and interests? Does she love do Does he have a knack for technology? Do they enjoy cooking? Brainstorm volunteer opoortunities that utilize your child's strengths, and you'll likaly discover some Unique opportunities that are all the more meaningful Charity starts at home. Lock for opportunities to serve within your own family or neighborhood. Mow grandpa’s lawn, wash a sick neighbors’ car, host a tea party for an elderly woman in your neichborhood who could use some company. By engaging in these acts of kindness, your kids will start to catch the kindness bug and will be more excited to engage in more formalized volunteer programs down the road. You know your children best. Don't overbook them for too long of a volunteer project and be sure to take breaks when needed. Remember the name of the game is helping them develop a spirit of life-long giving. The best volunteer projects are ones that serve a community hile also serving up healthy doses of connection and fun! The best givers are cheerful ones. Know your limits, CONNECTIONS | 11beechacres PARENTING CENTER GROWING GREAT FAMILIES 6801 beechmont avenue cincinnati, ohio 45250 5182316620 | beechacresora ay eS = Come Play with us! interactive sessions and drop-in activities designed for families to play together Drop in for a few minutes or stay all day! give to Beech Acres, Non Prett Org US. Postage PAID Cincinnati, OF Permit No. 1659 beechacres.org or