NEWS & PRESS RELEASES
Press Releases
4th Annual Party For A Purpose Event Coming Soon
The 4th Annual Party For A Purpose is April 16th
CINCINNATI, OH (April 16, 2009) - Who doesn’t like a party? How about a party that isn’t just fun, but helps some great causes too? If you said “Sign me up!” then you’ll want to join us for the annual Party for a Purpose, hosted by Brad and Colleen Johansen.
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Benefiting OneCity (as well as Neediest Kids of All, Matthew 25: Ministries and CancerFree KIDS), it’s a casual event that brings folks together for great food, drink, live music, and dancing. No auctions, no programs, just a big gathering of folks enjoying themselves and busting a move or two
Giving Your Time to Give Kids Hope
OneCity Expanding National Mentoring Project in Cincinnati
CINCINNATI, OH (January 15, 2009) - OneCity, a local Leadership Foundation, is starting off the New Year with some help from the U.S. Department of Justice. OneCity is one of 16 foundations across the country receiving grants, over a three year period, to strengthen and expand mentoring programs with at-risk youth.
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For 3 1/2 years, OneCity has partnered with CityCURE to offer mentoring to local youths through its Whiz Kids tutoring/mentoring program modeled after a nationally-recognized tutoring program that received the Presidential Award for Excellence. The Department of Justice grant will provide OneCity the resources to recruit, train and support 300 additional mentors for at-risk youth, ages 6-1 2, in Cincinnati. Whiz Kid's goal is to approach nearly 1,000 volunteer mentors by the Fall of 2009.
"We're very excited to be able to expand Whiz Kids across Southwest Ohio. The Department of Justice Grant allows us to reach more young students that struggle with reading and math, by partnering them with a caring adult that can build their academic skills and their confidence," said Mark Stecher, President of OneCity.
Currently, 25 Tri-State schools and over 50 local churches have partnered with the Whiz Kids tutoring/mentoring program, including Cincinnati Christian University, Xavier University and the University of Cincinnati. OneCity will also utilize the federal grant money to expand the number of current tutoring sites in the City Center and across the Greater Cincinnati Region.
Persons interested in being a mentor should contact Tricia Morris at 513-579-0555 or tricia.m@onecity.org.
OneCity develops local best practice collaboratives by researching the premier program models from non-profits across the country in order to address some of the biggest issues facing our city like poverty, at-risk youth, homelessness, and chronic unemployment. OneCity recruits and mobilizes individuals to strategically work for change in the city. For more information about OneCity, visit their website at www.onecity.org.
Local Churches and Organizations Unite to Help Break the Cycle of Poverty in Cincinnati
CINCINNATI, OH (December 1, 2005) - Some of Cincinnati’s largest churches and organizations have come together to make a difference in the lives of people in poverty through CityLink Center. Founding churches are: Christ Emmanuel, Crossroads, New Life Temple, New Jerusalem Baptist, and Vineyard; founding organizations are: CityCURE, City Gospel Mission, Crossroad Health Center, Jobs Plus Employment Network and The Lord’s Gym.
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Through a strong collaboration, these organizations will provide a one-stop care center in the heart of Cincinnati. CityLink Center will be a "mall" offering individual plans for a life change to the under-resourced.
"Our belief is that real life change comes through relief and relationships," said Mark Stecher, Executive Director of CityLink Center. "CityLink Center is about care, offering life relief, relationship and real life change to people who struggle. We believe CityLink Center is the way to help break the cycles of poverty in our city."
The facility will offer education, medical and dental care, job development and legal counseling for the poor, targeted for a five-acre facility in the West End.
"We want to make this a first class facility because we believe people in poverty deserve that," said Stecher.
CityLink Center is modeled after a similar project in Los Angeles, called PATHMall. There, residents saw a 20 percent drop in crime and a significant dent in poverty.
"We hope to see the same results in the West End and throughout Cincinnati," said Bishop Michael Dantley, Christ Emmanuel Christian Fellowship. "We have to remember that CityLink Center is not about the organizations involved, it’s about breaking the cycles of poverty in our city."