As a graduate from a Clermont 20/20, Inc. leadership program, if you have an announcement you would like to share please send your information to officemgr@clermont2020.org.

 

 

Friday, August 21, 4:30 p.m.
Hors D'oeuvres and Appetizers at 4:30 p.m. followed by
Dinner at 5:30 p.m. cost is $20.00
Campfire at 8:00 p.m. no cost

 

If you will be joining us for Appetizers/Dinner, we need to know by Friday, August 14. Please RSVP your intentions to attend, so we can plan accordingly for the refreshments! RSVP at 753-9222 or by e-mail at leadership@clermont2020.org.

 

Woodland Lakes Christian Camp & Retreat Center is located at 3054 Lindale-Mt. Holly Road, Amelia, Ohio 45102 513-797-5268

• From I-275 head east on St. Rt. 125 (Beechmont Ave. - Ohio Pike) Proceed toward Amelia.
• Lindale-Mt. Holly Road is located 8.6 miles east from I-275 just outside of Amelia.
• Lindale-Mt. Holly Road is the next traffic light past Wal-Mart. Turn right onto Lindale-Mt. Holly Road.
• Go 1 mile following camp signs. Lindale-Mt. Holly Road makes one 90 degree left turn and one 90 degree right turn.
• Camp is located on the left hand side of the road following the 90 degree right turn.

Here's your opportunity to show fellow alumni who really does have the Best class.
 
Our goal is for the CLASS with the most participation, 100% WOULD BE GREAT,
to be honored at the 2010 Graduation ceremonies on July 8, 2010.
 
One-third of your individual membership is your investment in supporting the Leadership Programs, while the other two thirds support the overall mission of Clermont 20/20!
 
Here's your chance to HOLLER more loudly than any other class!
 
For more information, please feel free to contact Clermont 20/20, Inc. at 513.753.9222 or www.clermont2020.org, or Donate On-Line.
.

 

 

 

Lisa Davis, Clermont County MRDD and Julie Graybill, Clermont Chamber of Commerce both LEAD Clermont Class of 2008 Graduates! They have been nominated for the 13th Annual Orpha Gatch Citizenship Award that will be presented at the Suffragists Event on August 25, 2009 at Receptions. To register and for additional information regarding the award go to the website www.lwvclermont.comIsn't that wonderful?
 
Steve Heck, Educational Leadership Class of 2003 for being selected for a special NASA expedition! Steve is a teacher in the Milford School District.
 
"Congratulations to my son, Drew, for graduating from Lead Class of 2009.  It took his dad more than 5 decades to become a Lead Clermont Alumnus.  Drew accomplished the same achievement in only 2.5 decades!!  Keep on doing good works, Drew, and the rest of the class of 2009."
           - Chuck Fink, Ascent Leadership, 5 Stuart Circle, Asheville, NC 28804.

 

 

 

Happy Belated to a few July Birthdays!
July 8 - Phyllis Smith, LIVE Class of 2009
July 19 - Len Bonomini, KBA Architects, LEAD Clermont Class of 1996
July 14 - Nikki Vargas, UC Clermont College, LEAD Clermont Class of 2010!
July 29 - Dan Straub, Huntington Bank, LEAD Clermont Class of 2003
 
Happy Birthday Leo's!
When the mighty Lion enters center stage, everyone notices. This dramatic, creative, and outgoing sign has the keyword magnetism for good reason. Fiery and self-assured, a Leo's charm can be almost impossible to resist. Whether it's time spent with family and friends or efforts on the job scene, a Leo is going to bring a lot to the table.
 
August 5 - Cindy White, Clermont County Auditor's Office, LEAD Clermont Class of 2008
August 6 - Nancy Ball, Clermont County Boys & Girls Club, LEAD Clermont Class of 2004
August 13 - Greg Carson, Clermont Senior Services, LEAD Clermont Class of 2009
 
Happy Birthday Virgo's!
With an acute attention to detail, the Virgo is the sign in the zodiac most dedicated to serving. Their deep sense of the humane leads them to caregiving like no other, while their methodical approach to life ensures that nothing is missed. The Virgo is often gentle and delicate, preferring to step back and analyze before moving ahead.
 
August 23 - Sharon Cassidy, Clermont Senior Services, LEAD Clermont Class of 2008
August 26 - Barb Davis, Clermont Department of Public Safety Services (DPSS), LEAD Clermont Class of 2007.

 Please click on the link below and enter your birthday for us. We are creating a birthday calendar for Clermont 20/20. Don't worry, it'll take less than a minute (and you don't have to enter your year of birth).

       In cooperation with 

 

All proceeds benefit the
Clermont 20/20, Inc. Last Dollar Scholarship Fund
 
Pre-registration required: $40 per team of 2
**MAXIMUM OF 40 TEAMS**
 
First Place Team Prize: $300
Second Place Team Prize: $150
 
For more information and to register call Clermont 20/20, Inc. at 513-753-9222
Or email ceop@clermont2020.org
 
This is a Complete Amateur Tournament.  No pro- or semi-pro caliber players.

 

 

 

Clermont 20/20, Inc.'s college access program, Clermont Educational Opportunities, has awarded Last Dollar Grants to students who have demonstrated financial need as well as a strong desire to continue their education after high school.  This is the eighth year that Clermont 20/20's college access program has awarded the scholarships to students at each partnering school. 
 
"Every year we award two $500 scholarships to graduating seniors at each of the Clermont County schools that participate in our college access program. We are excited to be able to award one of those winners with an additional scholarship this year of $3500. That award went to Desiree Lehn, a senior at Williamsburg High School," explained Nancy Hall, director of the college access program.  Desiree plans to attend the University of Cincinnati in the fall and major in Mathematics.  

The scholarship fundraiser last November enabled Clermont 20/20 to offer this larger scholarship to a student who really stood out as having a great deal of potential for success but needed some financial assistance to reach that potential. The Last Dollar Grant is a needs-based scholarship and requires a minimum 2.5 grade point average to be eligible.  After all other financial aid resources have been tapped out, sometimes a bit more is still needed for students to meet the cost of attending college.  "These grants help bridge that gap to make the students' dream of attending college a Desiree Lehn, 2009 Williamsburg graduate, is the recipient of a $4,000 Last Dollar Grant awarded by Clermont 20/20, Inc. Pictured here with Desiree are Matt Earley, Williamsburg HS principal, Ann Appleton of UC Clermont and Andy McCreanor, Executive Director of Clermont 20/20, Inc. reality", said Hall. Fifteen Last Dollar Grants were awarded this year.  Fourteen of the grants were for $500 each and one was for $3,500. 

Desiree Lehn, 2009 Williamsburg graduate, is the recipient of a $4,000 Last Dollar Grant awarded by Clermont 20/20, Inc. Pictured here with Desiree are Matt Earley, Williamsburg HS principal, Ann Appleton of UC Clermont and Andy McCreanor, Executive Director of Clermont 20/20, Inc.

 

Congratulations to all of our 2009 Last Dollar Grant recipients:
 
Amelia HS                Jacklyn Crofts & Kristian Mullins
Batavia HS                Corey DeRossett & James Little
CNE HS                    Stephanie Goldfuss & Caitlin Neely
Glen Este HS            Alexandra Bauer & Miranda Hileman
Goshen HS               Hannah Rogers & Samantha Carpintero
Live Oaks                 Matthew Dameron & Morgan Canter
Williamsburg HS       Desiree Lehn & Samantha Jeffries

 

"It's not along the river. It's more than thirty miles from downtown and far from the nearest shopping center," says Sue McKinley as she speaks about Felicity. She says this Clermont County town is typical of its Appalachian status - an overlooked community with a higher poverty rate and fewer economic opportunities than many of its county neighbors. The median per capita income for the area is about $12,000, half that for the county overall; 29 percent of families live below the poverty line, compared to five percent for the county.
 
McKinley is manager of a rural United Way-funded place matters pilot in Felicity and Franklin Township. The initiative focuses on blighted property improvement or removal, crime reduction and enhanced youth programs.
 
Felicity Initiative for Neighborhood Excellence (FINE) is the Felicity/Franklin Township place matters lead agency. FINE, along with community partners that included Clermont 20/20, Inc., citizens of the community, members of village council, local and county law enforcement agencies, and the township trustees, developed the place matters priority areas. McKinley sometimes admits to getting emotional at the thought of the people here and their desire for improvement in this town she says she loves. "It's impossible to appreciate how far Felicity has come in the past five years without an idea of where it once was," she says.
 
Property Improvement
She points out the poor condition of many of the town's housing units as something that afflicts many homes in Felicity: with summer coming on fast, no air conditioning and the air inside still and unmoving, front doors hang open to reveal darkened hallways and living rooms cluttered with the accumulation of a house not privileged to have curb-side trash pickup. Some of the homes have dirt floors. The median home value here is under $60,000, compared to $123,000 for the county.
 
"But FINE has undertaken a massive effort to eliminate the trash that clogged so many homes and yards here," she says. A look around today reveals an area that recently was transformed into one with clean grassy yards and unobstructed curbs. "It's one house and one family at a time," she says, pointing out houses that have been transformed and repainted, and calling the benefit "striking and undeniable". And, she says, "efforts to enforce building/housing ordinances in Felicity and zoning codes in Franklin Township have resulted in the demolition of some blighted properties." place matters in Felicity - a United Way Initiative Brings Back a Town.
 
Crime Reduction
"The town's physical isolation perhaps led to past problems with crime," she says. "After criminals are released from the penal system, they often find their way to Felicity, attracted by its status of being off the usual radar. This attraction has only been facilitated in the past by an ease of entry, due to Felicity's unusually large number of mobile homes and multi-family housing rentals." But recent concentrated efforts have reduced crime. These include Clermont County Sheriff patrols partnering with the Felicity Police to initiate a successful drug bust that netted 16 arrests.
 
Youth Activities
The anchor of the town is the combined elementary, middle and high school, built just a few years ago with the help of educational funding from the state. McKinley describes it as the heart of community life here, serving as a point of pride and a center for community activities.
 
Goals for the future include increased emphasis on crime reduction; work to change the negative perception of the area; a comprehensive approach to housing improvements; and more participation of seventh- through tenth-graders in area youth activities, including matches with non-parent adult mentors.
 
Many of these projects will be funded through additional partnerships and grants such as a $450,000 street improvement grant the village received from Community Development Block Grant funds and related matching county funding that already has resulted in new sidewalks, lighting, fire hydrants, and park improvements; and investments from area businesses and companies.
 
"There is nothing the people of Felicity want more than to see their town come alive again," McKinley says.

United Way's place matters enlists other charitable funders, local governments, social service agencies, and others in targeted geographic areas to achieve breakthrough improvements in community conditions. A lead agency, serving as a catalyst and convener, promotes strategies that address physical rehabilitation of neighborhood buildings, increased economic activity in the neighborhood, better outcomes for children and families, and increased resident participation in organized community improvement activities.
In addition to the original United Way place matters neighborhoods - Avondale, Covington, and Price Hill - United Way is pursuing a place matters approach in Felicity and Middletown.