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Handbags for Hope Raises Over $40,000 for Literacy Network
The Literacy Network of Greater
Cincinnati (LNGC) hosted its
sixth annual Handbags for Hope
fundraiser on February 23rd at
the Cincinnati Club. With more
than 300 guests, the event raised
over $40,000 for Literacy
Network programs.
Literacy Network President
Michelle Otten Guenther stated,
“I am humbled and amazed at
the outpouring of generosity at
this event! There are numerous
worthwhile causes in need of
support, which is why I am
deeply appreciative that there are
so many wonderful people who
have chosen to spend their time
and resources in support of our
mission.”
Tim Goldrainer of The Menus
kicked off the program and
rallied the crowd for the live
auction. Guests raised their
paddles for brand new handbags
including: Louis Vuitton,
Bottega Veneta, Tory Burch and
many more.
The night also included a silent
auction that featured designer
handbags and Pack-a-Purse.
Many other raffles featuring
prizes from Macy’s and
Diamonds Rock returned to the
event including: It’s in the Bag,
Split-The-Purse, Major Award
and Abby Girl Sweets Reward
Raffle. New this year was the
Louis Vuitton Raffle, in which
one lucky person won a $990
Louis Vuitton handbag. Another
new raffle was the Golden Ticket
Raffle, where the winner could
choose any auction item.
The Wendell family was named
as the 2017 Honorary Chairs.
The Literacy Network has
created a special relationship
with the Wendell family. Since
Dan Wendell passed away, the
family has commemorated his
life by partnering with the
Literacy Network. The Wendells
hosted Dan’s 3-Putt for Literacy
in July, in which Dan’s two
passions, reading and golf, were
combined to create an event
benefiting the Literacy Network.
“Through the bonds that we have
formed with the Literacy
Network, we’ve had the
opportunity to keep one of Dan’s
primary passions alive. He was a
firm believer that the ability to
read opened all other doors in
life,” said Dan’s father, Steve
Wendell. “LNGC truly is an
organization in which the whole
is more than the sum of its parts.
Their successes don’t end with
each individual. Someone who
learns to read has the opportunity
to move up the educational
ladder, reach for the sky and
become a more productive
member of society.”
Big Dave, Chelsie and Statt from
B-105 awarded the 2017 Hope
Award to the Children’s Basic
Reading instructors at
Resurrection Catholic School.
Teachers Debbie Faillace, Shela
Brockmann, Jan Schaedle and
Janie McDonald have expanded
the program at Resurrection over
the past two years to reach every
student in kindergarten through
third grade. (Story continues on Page 2)
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THE LITERACY LINK
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Handbags for Hope guests show off their new handbags.
Left to right: Christy Meyer, Laura Fredrick and Katy Meinhardt
(Handbags for Hope continued)
The Literacy Network thanks event sponsors, guests
and volunteers who made the evening such a
success. Event sponsors include: Merrill Lynch:
Hambleton/Fieler Wealth Management Group,
Busam Nissan, Scripps Howard Foundation,
Graydon, Wycoff: Lucas-Raymond James, KMK
Law, Diamonds Rock, Katy Meinhardt, Mary
Meinhardt, Ken & Kathy Feldmann, The Cobb
Group, Learning Through Art, Macy’s, Mercy
Health (Dr. Robert Cranley), Platinum Marketing
Group, Prestige AV & Creative Services, Saks Fifth
Avenue, Seton High School/Kathy Ciarla, Seven
Hills Women’s Health Center, Zaring Family
Foundation, Tim & Shauna Goldrainer, Jeff & Lee
Rose, Josh & Melissa Gerth, Abby Girl Sweets
Cupcakery, B105.1 FM Cincinnati’s Country
Morning Show, Ken & Bette Zureick, Fox 19, Don
& Linda Capannari, Q102, Taft, Stettiunius &
Hollister, Doug & Michelle Guenther, Nick Hahn,
Andrew & Kim McDermott and Joseph-Beth
Booksellers.
For more information on how you can give the gift
of literacy to struggling adults and children in the
Greater Cincinnati area, call (513) 621-READ or
visit www.lngc.org.
Page 2 T H E L I T E R A C Y L I N K
Handbags for Hope guests bid on their favorite silent auction purses.
Resurrection teachers received the 2017 Hope Award. Left to right: Jan Schaedle, Debbie Faillace, Janie McDonald,
Guest Speaker Greg Forbes Siegman and Shela Brockman.
Guests check out Handbags for Hope raffles in support of literacy programs.
Literacy Network President Michelle Otten Guenther and the 2017 Honorary Chairs, the Wendell Family. Left to right: Kris
Sammons, Kasey Underwood, Michelle Otten Guenther, Emily Fosmire, Steve Wendell, Anne Wendell, Bonnie Otten,
Tom Otten, Maggie Hacquard and Libby Anderson.
Page 3 T H E L I T E R A C Y L I N K
Seton Wins 26th Annual Literacy Network Spelling Bee
The Literacy Network of Greater
Cincinnati raised over $8,000 for
literacy services at their 26th
Annual Spelling Bee for Literacy
on Thursday, April 27, 2017 at
the Holy Grail on the Banks.
Seton High School competed
against 12 other teams and walked
away with the title of “Best
Spellers in Cincinnati.”
Teams of three from local
businesses, organizations and
groups of friends participated in
the Bee. Each team was given a
word with one minute to work
together and spell it correctly.
Prizes were awarded to the first
place team, Seton High School,
the second place team,
International Association of
Business Communicators and the
most spirited team, sponsored by
Don and Linda Capannari.
The B-105 morning team (Big
Dave, Chelsie and Statt)
welcomed guests and emceed the
evening. Literacy Network tutor
John Scott kicked off the event by
singing the national anthem and
sharing his experience as a
volunteer at South Avondale. The
Cincinnati Reds even sent Mr.
Redlegs to help rally the teams.
Literacy Network President
Michelle Otten Guenther stated,
“I am deeply grateful to all those
who sponsored or attended this
year's Spelling Bee. This is a fun
way to support our literacy
services for adults & children.
The ability to read dramatically
improves the quality of life of an
individual and their family. Your
participation and support make
our community stronger!”
Sponsors included: Graydon Law
Firm, Katy Meinhardt, Ken and
Cathy Feldmann, Don and Linda
Capannari, LPK, International
Association of Business
Communicators, Northlich, Ohio
National Financial Services, John
and CeAnn Raterman, Mother
Teresa Catholic Elementary
School, Mid-American Financial
Group, Cincinnati Reds, Prestige
AV & Creative Services, Elder
High School, B-105, Great
American Insurance Group,
Fox19, The Holy Grail and Seton
High School.
The B-105 morning team with Mr. Redlegs and the Literacy Network’s Spelling Bee mascot.
Left to right: Chelsie, Big Dave, Mr. Redlegs, Madeline Fassett and Statt
Spelling Bee champions from Seton High School receive their prizes and
celebrate with B-105’s Morning Show: Big Dave, Chelsie and Statt.
Left to right: Chelsie, Eileen Heaney, Big-Dave, Gary Collins and Statt
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Jay Gohman works at American Financial
Group, Inc. His passion for Winners Walk Tall
(WWT) began when he built a relationship
with the Mauk family, who founded the
program.
Jay has been volunteering as a WWT coach for
22 years! He has spent the last 19 years
helping students in the Norwood School
district, where he is currently a coach for three
different third grade classrooms at
Norwood View Elementary School.
When the Literacy Network visited his
classes, everyone knew “Coach Gohman” and
were excited to have him there. The faculty
and staff at Norwood View only had wonderful
things to say about Jay, his work and
dedication to their students.
The students showed off their confidence and
manners in the classroom as Jay reviewed the
“make friends, but choose them wisely” lesson.
He shared with us that he loves when his older
students come up to him and shake his hand.
Jay knows the WWT lessons stand true and
make a difference in the students’ lives. We
are so thankful to Jay for his continued service
and we are thrilled to highlight him as an
outstanding WWT Coach! Thank you, Jay!
Neighbors Who Care: Jay Gohman
T H E L I T E R A C Y L I N K Page 4
*************************************************
Interested in tutoring children and/or adults?
Please visit our website to see training dates
and sign up for tutor training:
http://www.lngc.org and click “Volunteer.”
Page 5 T H E L I T E R A C Y L I N K
Literacy Network and Learning Through Art
Cincinnati Host Second Family Literacy Night
Through a partnership with
Learning Through Art Cincinnati
and Elder High School’s
Tech-Reach program, the Literacy
Network co-hosted their second
Family Literacy Night on
Thursday, May 4, 2017 at Elder’s
Schaeper Center.
Children and their parents were
invited to gather at Elder High
School for an evening of reading
with their families and arts and
crafts. The theme of the evening
was centered around jazz. Each
child received the book “The
Sound That Jazz Makes” by
Carole Boston Weatherford and a
backpack provided by Learning
Through Art Cincinnati with other
craft supplies. The craft of the
night included children making
pictures of jazz singers Ella
Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong.
Kathy Wade, CEO of Learning
Through Art, also sang popular
jazz songs for the evening’s
entertainment.
The Literacy Network invited
families from the Price Hill area.
There were over 50 people in at-
tendance. The majority of the
crowd consisted of families from
Resurrection Catholic School and
St. William Elementary School,
where the Literacy Network holds
Children’s Basic Reading classes.
There were also guests from St.
Lawrence Elementary School and
Carson Elementary School.
Several employees from TriHealth
Young Professionals also
volunteered at the event.
The “Family Literacy Night was
such a fun-filled event, enjoyed
by all who attended,” Literacy
Network Basic Reading
Coordinator Liz Priestle stated.
“The smiles on the kid's faces
truly showed how excited they
were to be there with their
families. We were honored
Learning Through Art reached out
to us again to partner on this
wonderful night and thanks to
Tri-Health for sending all the
awesome volunteers!”
Children and their families from surrounding schools enjoy activities at Family Literacy Night.
Page 6 T H E L I T E R A C Y L I N K
Together We Can-- Literacy Network Partnerships!
In the last several months, we held numerous tutor
trainings and welcomed hundreds of new
wonderful tutors to the Literacy Network team
including: LaSalle High School, Children’s
Hospital (photo on left), Xavier University,
University of Cincinnati and Mount Saint
Joseph University.
One exciting and unique tutoring partnership is
with “Design in Mind,” a group of DAAP
students through the University of Cincinnati. This
group consisted of 56 college students, who are
working to incorporate the concept of art to help
students learn in different ways.
The Literacy Network was privileged to be selected as a
participant in the 2017 Brackets for Good contest. We
had a great time competing with other non-profits each
week to raise funding for our mission and advance to the
next round. Throughout the tournament, organizations
keep whatever donations they raise. The winner at the
end of the tournament wins an additional $10,000! We
made it through the first two rounds and were knocked
out in Round 3. Thanks to Brackets for Good and all of
our friends who supported us throughout the contest! We
hope to participate again! Follow us on Facebook for
updated information on next year’s contest.
Thanks to the wonderful, hospitable groups at the Eastern
Hills Exchange Club and the Kiwanis Club of Riverview–
Delhi Hills for inviting the Literacy Network to share our
mission with you. We had a great time getting to know both
groups and really appreciate your generous donations
toward literacy programs in our city. We look forward to
working with your groups on future projects!
Page 7 T H E L I T E R A C Y L I N K
Thanks to St. Veronica School for donating books
through their “Books for Belle” book drive during their
production of Beauty and the Beast! And special thanks to
Literacy Network Board Member Dave Heilmann for
coordinating the donation!
Special thanks to the staff, parents and students at
All Saints School for collecting 1,100 books at
their annual book drive and donating them to
students in the Literacy Network programs! What
better way to celebrate Read Across America Day
than collecting hundreds of books for fellow
students in the community!
The Other UC and Me: Editing the Sixties is about Judy
McCarty Kuhn's experiences as editor-in-chief of the
University of Cincinnati student newspaper during the
Vietnam conflict. The book is a combination of memoir and
history. Thanks to Judy Kuhn, who generously named the
Literacy Network as the beneficiary of her kindle sales for
the month of December!
Thanks to Morgan Hoffman, senior at Mount
Notre Dame High School, who did her
capstone project with the Literacy Network
this past year! Morgan did a great job working
on a few literacy projects for us and we really
appreciate all of her work. Good luck in all
you do, Morgan!
Page 8 T H E L I T E R A C Y L I N K
Literacy Programs in Action
Congratulations to one of our hard working adult
students, Sokhna Ndiaye, who completed a 10 week
culinary job training program with the Freestore
Foodbank, called Cincinnati Cooks! She was the only
student to get perfect attendance and she received an
outstanding performance award!
There is a second course she was invited to participate in,
but she told them that she wants to get better with her
reading first. Luckily, she was able to participate in both
at the same time. Sokhna embodies our mission at the
Literacy Network!
Everyone had a great time at our Children’s Basic
Reading Program holiday visits this year at:
Resurrection Catholic Elementary School, Sayler
Park, Evanston Academy, Sands Montessori and
Summit View Elementary.
We took some much-deserved time to celebrate all of
the students’ hard work with books, activities, special
treats and fun activities. Special thanks to
PricewaterhouseCoopers, Protective Life and Seton
High School for taking time out of your day to help
celebrate with the students, it meant so much to them!
T H E L I T E R A C Y L I N K Page 9
Thanks to Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Kroger Community Rewards and AmazonSmile
for donating a percentage of their sales to the Literacy Network! Every little bit helps
our students! For details on how to sign up for these programs, e-mail kim@lngc.org.
We are excited to share that Winton Hills
Academy Elementary School began our
Children’s Basic Reading Program this year! In
addition, Sands Montessori added a second class
to help more students at their school in need.
The Literacy Network offered a total of 14
Children’s Basic Reading Program classes in the
2016-2017 academic year, serving 169 students.
We are working hard to plan for next year’s
classes and are so grateful to all of those who
made these classes possible throughout the year!
Congratulations to our Children's Basic
Reading classes at Sayler Park Elementary
and Resurrection Catholic Elementary
School, who graduated the program after two
years of hard work! Great job!
The Literacy Network welcomed our Mount Saint Joseph
University Summer Intern, Nathan Hunter! In the fall of 2017,
Nathan will begin his final year of his undergraduate degree, working
toward a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management, with a
minor in Informatics. He is also beginning his fourth year of
collegiate baseball for the Mount. Nathan has experience at North
American Stainless as an accounting co-op and throughout the school
year he works as the Mount St. Joseph Intramural Sports Supervisor.
We are proud to have Nathan join our team!
We were also happy to welcome two instructors to the Literacy
Network team, Adult Basic Reading Instructor Donna Elsen and
Children’s Basic Reading Instructor McKenzie Monday!
Staff Updates
Dan’s 3-Putt for Literacy took place June 29,
2017 through July 1, 2017 at Clough Crossings
in Anderson Township, where a crowd of over
two hundred people came out to support the
Literacy Network. This year, the event raised
$5,150 for LNGC, raising a total of over
$9,000 the past two years.
The Wendell family has partnered with LNGC
over the past two years to commemorate Dan
Wendell’s life. Dan Wendell was a third grade
reading textbook editor at McGraw Hill in
Columbus. He was an avid reader and loved
golfing. After Dan’s sudden passing in February of
2015, his family wanted to find a meaningful
charity for memorial contributions. They came
across the Literacy Network and a special bond
was formed.
Dan’s dad, Steve Wendell, approached LNGC and
said they would like to create an annual event in
Dan’s honor that combined two of Dan’s passions,
golf and literacy, to benefit the Literacy Network.
The Literacy Network values this partnership so
much that they named the Wendell family the
Honorary Chairs at their 2017 Handbags for Hope
fundraiser.
At Handbags for Hope, Steve Wendell said, “Dan
was a firm believer that the ability to read opened
all other doors in life. It is truly our family’s honor
to be recognized for the small role we have played
to support such a wonderful organization and
noble cause.”
Literacy Network President Michelle Otten
Guenther shared, “We never had the opportunity
to meet Dan, but we feel like we have known him
through his remarkable family. Dan lived life to
the fullest and showed all of us it is not how long
your story is, but what you do with it while you
are lucky enough to have it that matters. It is such
a privilege to carry on Dan’s legacy and to share
his story.”
Special thanks to Clough Crossings for hosting the
event and the many event sponsors who helped
make the event a success.
Fund-raisers and Friend-raisers
Page 10 T H E L I T E R A C Y L I N K
The Literacy Network had a great
time working at the Taste of
Cincinnati! Thanks to all of our
volunteers who staffed the booth to
help raise tips for literacy and to the
Cincinnati Regional Chamber for
inviting us back this year!
Taste of Cincinnati
Dan’s 3 Putt for Literacy
The Wendell family gathers at Dan’s 3-Putt for Literacy. Left to right: Anne Wendell, Andy Wendell, Jenny Rush,
Trace Hacquard, Maggie Hacquard, Jeff Anderson, Libby Anderson, Emily Fosmire, Kasey Underwood,
Matt Underwood and Steve Wendell.
Thanks to Dewey's Pizza for naming the Literacy Network
as their DewMore recipient for the month of January. There
was a great turnout at all the Cincinnati and Northern
Kentucky locations. Special thanks to all the friends of the
Literacy Network for going out and eating some delicious
pizza for a great cause!
T H E L I T E R A C Y L I N K Page 11
Thanks so much to Board Member Josh
Gerth and his wife Melissa for having
their annual Flying Pig Party to benefit
Literacy Network programs! They
collected donations and books, and as
always everyone had a fantastic time!
Congratulations to all the walkers and
runners who participated in the race!
Gerth Flying Pig Party
DewMore
Madtree Brewing Charity of the Month
Special thanks to Madtree Brewing for selecting the
Literacy Network as their June charity of the month!
Throughout all of June, guests at Madtree had the
opportunity to “toss a buck for charity” to support our
literacy programs.
Their wonderful staff also invited us to host a happy
hour there on Tuesday, June 13th. Thanks to everyone
who came out to support this "Pints for a purpose"
event. What a fun atmosphere with great people that
support our mission to improve literacy in our city!
Upcoming Events
Thank you to all of the Literacy Network Board Members! Our staff, volunteers, students and
community are so grateful for your ongoing support of our mission. You are instrumental in making
the Literacy Network mission a reality and we want to express our appreciation to you:
Keith Armour Jim Gillespie
Robert Buechner Matthew Gutzwiller, Treasurer
John Busam Dave Heilmann
Harry Cappel Katy Meinhardt, Chair
Kathy Allen Ciarla Christy Meyer
Jeff Dattilo Jason Shorten
Ken Feldmann, Secretary Michelle Stechschulte
Mike Fieler Anne Zaring
Josh Gerth
Thank you to all of our corporate and foundation funders and our donors throughout the year!
Your support means the world to the adults and children in Cincinnati who struggle with basic literacy!
*The complete list of donors is published in our Annual Report*
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!
A Year in Review: 2016
* Received 2,286 calls on our literacy hotline.
* Served 132 adults with 6 Adult Basic Reading classes.
* Placed 1,850 Winners Read tutors in 36 schools and 7 Boys and Girls Clubs.
* Held 14 Children’s Basic Reading classes for children with severe reading deficiencies.
* Had 176 active Winners Walk Tall character coaches in 40 schools, 7 Boys and
Girls Clubs and the Squash Academy.
T H E L I T E R A C Y L I N K Page 12
*Oktoberfest Beer Booth: September 15-17th, 2017
*Rhinegeist Charitable Suds Happy Hour: September 27th, 2017
*Handbags for Hope 2018: Save the Date! Thursday, February 8, 2018, Cincinnati Club
Click on the icons to “like” us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter:
Please see this link for details on all of the Literacy Network’s upcoming special events: www.lngc.org.
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