I spend a significant amount of time exploring and playing in the outdoors. One day you may see me…read morecanoeing and fly fishing our local rivers, or, if you're damn lucky, you might notice me hiking through a park, identifying the flora and fauna of our area. To even the casual observer, it shouldn't be a surprise that I am dedicated to protecting and preserving our natural resources. This commitment extends to local organizations doing important environmental advocacy work. Greenacres Water Quality Project, a program of the Greenacres Foundation, is a prime example of coupling professional expertise with community involvement. Though the project participates in outreach events around Cincinnati, I am most intimately involved with Saturday Morning Snapshot. What is Saturday Morning Snapshot? I'm glad you asked. Basically it's a group of dedicated volunteers who take water samples from the Little Miami River and its tributaries on the second Saturday of each month from March through November. These water samples -- sometimes totaling more than 80 -- are taken to the Greenacres Water Lab for testing. Here is the special part. At the lab, "citizen" volunteers perform all the tests, many of whom don't have professional backgrounds in science or lab work. I am part of this category. But nobody really cares. Every volunteer is trained by the Greenacres Water Quality director who runs the River Lab and answers volunteer questions. And let me tell you, the director is a first class lady. She loves her job and her volunteers. The best of both worlds, really. Oh, and she gives you lunch. A damn good lunch if I can gush a bit. Now these cats testing for bacteria, phosphates, nitrates, turbidity and other barometers of water quality -- they are some of the most down to earth and good natured people you will ever meet. I'll be the first to admit that water testing can be a tedious and sometimes boring process, but with an eclectic and interesting group of people to chat and collaborate with, the prospect of measuring nitrates and phosphates doesn't seem so bad. The very idea of expanding my pool of knowledge while helping to monitor and protect our water supply is extremely motivating. Because in the final analysis, if we don't have a clean environment to live, what the hell do we really have?

This organization does great things! I first volunteered with them over the summer, as they painted…read more40+ homes in the downtown Cincinnati area. They partner with other organizations occasionally, as I volunteered with Habitat for Humanity for a Give Back Cincinnati event. I like that they are looking for ways to partner with other organizations to help our city become better. I did go to their social in January, as they kicked off the new year with an open social meeting at a local brewery. I also volunteered with them in January, as their first service project was called 'back to school'. This service project focused on helping a local school turned orphanage. We painted several of the rooms and hallways, as well as cleaned up the school. Give Back went over and beyond, as they provided bagels and coffee in the morning before we worked. They welcomed everyone with a big smile! There was over 60 people at this event, so neat to see. This organization always does a social after an event. This time they met in the Hyde Park/Oakley area to say thank you to their volunteers with some drinks and appetizers. I really do think this organization does great things, and I look forward to their various service projects throughout the year. Interested? Check out their website or follow them through social media. They are really good about posting about upcoming events. All are welcomed!

I've been going to Mathew 25 ministries for the past 10 years and they continue to grow while…read morekeeping their mission the same. It is the best place to volunteer sporadically and they have a lot of open availability. This year I wanted to do something for my birthday, giving back to the community and I was able to organize an event for my friends to get together and do. It was amazing. We hung candy on Christmas trees for A-Kid-Again. And they were nice enough to throw in a tour of the grounds as well, which made it even more special.

Very happy with donation of food lost my job this will really help me thank you so much!!read more

ArtsWave formerly the Fine Arts Fund is the largest arts fund of its kind in the United States. Did…read moreyou know the greater Cincinnati area raises more money for the arts than the largest cities in the country - NYC, LA, San Francisco? Due to the work of ArtsWave, money raised during their annual giving campaign supports more than 100 arts and community organizations in our area from community arts centers, and arts non-profits to the largest arts organizations in town - Symphony, The Ballet, Opera, Cincinnati Art Museum. You can't miss their annual arts sampler weekend where you can check out arts all over town for free. They also have an active YP group, which gets together to enjoy many performances throughout the year Its amazing we're blessed by the arts in our community making Cincinnati a great place to live due to ArtsWave!

The phenomenal work of the Fine Arts Fund has helped the arts community flourish in Greater…read moreCincinnati. The oldest fine arts fund in the United States, the Fine Arts Fund has been serving the cultural needs of this region for over 80 years. The primary responsibilities of this organization are to fund and support local artistic and cultural endeavors, through services such as marketing, fundraising, board development, and other administrative functions. The goals of the Fund are to raise money in the workplace for arts, foster excellence through support of regular programming, and minimize the disparity between ticket/admission price and actual costs of producing programs. Their campaign in 2007 raised over $11.7 million making it the #1 united arts fund in the country. What is so impressive about this number is that over half of the contributions came from individuals in the workplace. Keep up the great work of keeping the arts alive in Cincinnati.

An organization with a long history helping so many!! Support them whenever you can!!read more

This organization is incredible. They truly follow through on their mission and vision, practicing…read morethose core values in everything they do. Caracole, Inc. works very hard to support their community, and are relentless in their passion to provide prevention, education, and outreach opportunities to really make a difference in the population that they serve. So impressed with this group. You seriously could not find a better group of staff and volunteers to run such an important organization. They're so nice, would bend over backwards to help someone, and continue to work hard even when a pandemic tries to get in the way! Love this group and the work they do.

Over the Rhine Foundation is a great organization that is working to revitalize the most beautiful…read moreneighborhood in Cincinnati. They have money and they are using it to keep it beautiful and keep it growing. Sometimes they will have fundraisers and auctions to keep their funds going, but they seem to be doing okay. They are working on a market for antiques and crafts that might happen every weekend on Main Street, recruiting new businesses in the area, support for current businesses, a marketing campaign for promoting coming to Over the Rhine on weekends, working towards preserving current buildings, and working on renovations. They also do a lot of work with youth growing up in Over the Rhine and the quality of their organization. They do a lot of good things and are really succeeding in what they've started out to do. Cheers!

This is an amazing non-profit foundation that does amazing work to help children and families…read morestruggling with young cancer and bone marrow transplant patients. They work in partnership with Children's Hospital and do amazing work with children and their families, including siblings! I'm truely in awe of all the great work they are doing and how much they are growing.

This foundation does great things for families who are affected by cancer. This weekend they were…read morethe sponsor for The Candy Race 5k and jelly tot dash at Sawyer Point. They also have many other events throughout the year. It is all for a great cause!

My friends son Ryan went through the Cook's program and Tony Lavatori was so helpful in getting him…read moreback on his feet , helped him get a job and has now been promoted at the job the free store helped him obtain . Thank you to the Free Store and Tony for helping him get in the program. This changed a young man's life

It is great what they do for the community. We went to a dinner event that funds the eork. This was…read moreat the main iffice and their students didcthe catering. Great all around.