Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) celebrated the 2017 Duke Energy Children’s Museum Difference Makers Saturday evening. Adults, youth, organizations and businesses in six categories were honored for their exemplary work on behalf of local children.
CMC impacts the lives of children every day through education and childhood enrichment programs, but CMC celebrated those in our community impacting the lives of children in the communities in which they grow, live and play. We asked the community to nominate youth, adults, nonprofits, businesses and school and youth groups they knew that were making a difference and inspiring others. The response was overwhelming with over 50 nominations submitted from across the Greater Cincinnati region, each nominee an unsung hero.
The 2017 Difference Maker honorees are:
Katie Deitsch – Youth
Devi Namboodiri – Youth
Logan Pickett – Youth
Reverend Dawne Sarchet – Adult Professional
Leeann Fitzpatrick – Adult Volunteer
La Soupe – Nonprofit
U.S. Bank – Business
Students Together Assisting Refugees (STAR) – Youth Group
“It’s such an honor to be in the presence of such incredible individuals tonight,” said Elizabeth Pierce, president and CEO of Cincinnati Museum Center. “We are so inspired by their commitment to the community around them and look forward to following their journeys and seeing the impact of their efforts for years to come.”
At the event, the Junior League of Cincinnati was recognized as the 2017 Community Honoree for their efforts to improve oral healthcare in children through their GrinUp! initiative. Tooth decay is the leading chronic infectious disease in children, with more than 40% nationwide experiencing dental tooth decay by kindergarten.
Locally, one out of every ten children in Cincinnati Public Schools has visible tooth decay. But through education and awareness, the Junior League’s GrinUp! initiative, highlighted by the opening of the permanent exhibit Inside the Grin in the Duke Energy Children’s Museum, is creating a city of happy, healthy smiles.
The Junior League is also working to foster community acceptance and inclusion to improve the lives of refugees in Greater Cincinnati through RefugeeConnect, a united, collaborative program that relies on educating, connecting and advocating.
More on the 2017 Difference Maker honorees
Katie Deitsch leads programs that break down barriers and create true friendships with individuals with special needs. As a volunteer in Winton Woods Riding Center’s Special Riders Program and Special Olympics Equestrian training program, Deitsch develops deep, personal relationships with special needs children and their families. She provides a space for inclusion that makes children feel confident, accomplished and proud. She is also one of the founding mentors of the Finneytown Sparkle Cats program, an inclusive high school cheerleading squad for individuals with and without disabilities.
Devi Namboodiri initiated an after school music class at the Academy of World Languages , developing the curriculum and running the classes. Her interest in neuroscience and the impact of music education on brain development encouraged her to expand that curriculum into Music Without Limits, a traveling program that teaches music to young students who may not have resources or access to instruments and music lessons. Using craft activities, singing and clapping, Namboodiri is able to teach children about rhythm and reading sheet music even when instruments are hard to come by.
Logan Pickett has been helping those less fortunate and in dire circumstances for over five years. At just six years old he donated his own money and raised additional funds for the American Red Cross to donate to local tornado victims. Since then he has held a blanket drive at his school for victims of Hurricane Sandy, created over 300 gift bags and stockings for children during Christmas at the Hamilton Dream Center and donated books, puzzles and craft supplies to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.
Leeann Fitzpatrick is a mother of two children diagnosed with a rare brain malformation called Chiari Malformation. She experienced the realities of living life in a hospital as neurosurgeons performed multiple surgeries to correct the condition. Her experience inspired Fitzpatrick to change the outcome for children diagnosed with Chiari Malformation by creating a website to educate parents. She organizes activities to create awareness and raise funds to improve the lives of children diagnosed with the malformation.
Reverend Dawne Sarchet is pastor of the Reading-Lockland Presbyterian Church. She helps lead the church’s Summer Food and Educational Enrichment Program . The program provides a free breakfast and lunch to between 85 and 100 children each day through the summer, filling a nutritional gap for children in the Lockland community. The program also offers educational and cultural enrichment through classes focused on reading, writing, math, art, recreation and character development.
La Soupe – As a chef and caterer with 30 years of experience, Suzy DeYoung started La Soupe to address the needs of children in the city who go to bed hungry each night, a group that makes up as much as 40 percent of the city’s population. La Soupe rescues fresh produce and food from farmers, groceries and bakeries that is an overage, slightly imperfect and transforms them into more than 7,200 servings of soups, smoothies and applesauce for children each month. La Soupe also offers the Cincinnati Gives a Crock Cooking Program that provides children in the class a new crock pot and teaches them to prepare a dinner to take home for their family.
U.S. Bank’s Adopt A Class program connects the corporate community to schools by offering mentors who adopt a classroom in a school of need. Each year, U.S. Bank adopts 13 classrooms where a total of 130 U.S. Bank employees provide mentorship, guidance and a focus on college and career readiness. U.S. Bank also provides corporate support to pay for field trips for the adopted classrooms.
Students Together Assisting Refugees – Disappointed by local efforts and opportunities to help those refugees seeking an escape from the violence in Syria, Adam Sella started Students Together Assisting Refugees (STAR) at Walnut Hills High School . STAR is dedicated to raising awareness of the Syrian refugee crisis and offering aid to those refugees. The group has invited local refugees to speak at school assemblies, collected donations of household items for refugees and recruited students to volunteer with refugees at the Academy of World Languages in partnership with the Junior League’s RefugeeConnect program.
For more information on the nominees, click here .
Proceeds from the event support museum visits and programming for underserved children and families.
Cincinnati Museum Center
