Model philanthropy program at NKU
One class made decorative pillowcases and delivered them to the Ronald McDonald House of Greater Cincinnati for families with critically ill children who are being treated at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Another launched an online crowdsourcing site to raise money for Dress for Success, the nonprofit for women struggling to make ends meet as they enter the job market.
The two classes are among nine this semester participating in Northern Kentucky University’s Mayerson Student Philanthropy Project. At an event on Tuesday, students awarded more than $14,000 to 13 nonprofits. Most of the funding support came from community donors, including the Manuel D. & Rhoda Mayerson Foundation, Citi of Florence, the Scripps Howard Foundation, ArtsWave, and Skyward. In some classes, students supplemented the funding with efforts of their own.
More than 3,300 students have participated in the Mayerson program since the inaugural class in fall 2000. The program has become a national model for classes at other colleges and universities as well as at the high school level.
At NKU, the philanthropy component is incorporated into existing classes in a variety of disciplines, including this semester in English, organizational leadership, theater, human services, communication, social work, and information sciences. The classes have tremendous benefit to students, who learn their course material more deeply as they visit community partners to decide where to invest.
In a typical class, students receive $2,000 and their job is to identify a community need, explore what nonprofits are addressing that need, and then, as a class, decided where to invest. Some classes raise supplemental money. A costume design class in the Theater Department, for example, built an online “Impact NKU” site to raise extra funds for Dress for Success. That site is still live, and you can make a donation at https://impact.nku.edu. Click on “Changing Clothes, Changing Lives.”
Baker Hunt art sale at Covington Latin, concert at Cathedral
Local artists and artists from Baker Hunt Art & Cultural Center will be selling hand-crafted works perfect for Christmas shopping on Sunday, December 4 from 11 a.m.- 5p.m. at the Covington Latin School, 21 E. 11th Stree
Sale items include unique jewelry, mosaics, paintings, pottery, and more. The sale helps to benefit the Covington Latin School visual and performing arts program.
Students from the Covington Latin School will sponsor a bake sale during the art show, supporting those patrons who’d enjoy light snacks in between Christmas shopping and listening to carols.
In addition to this art show, the nearby Cathedral Basilica at 12th and Madison will offer a free tour of the church at 11 a.m.
A Cathedral Concert Series will be offered. The Advent Festival of Lessons & Carols at 3 p.m.
There is no admission charge.
Free parking is available in adjacent lots to the Covington Latin School and the Cathedral.
