Loveland Magazine

LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

Without fear or favor

Since 2004

Tag: Developmental Disabilities

  • “Local Families Benefit as Envision Raffles Dream Super Bowl Weekend”

    “Local Families Benefit as Envision Raffles Dream Super Bowl Weekend”

    Cincinnati, Ohio – Local non-profit Envision is sending two lucky tri-state residents to the Super Bowl in 2025. Envision, a disability services nonprofit with over 60 years of service to the Greater Cincinnati region, is offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to win a Super Bowl Weekend Package, including 2 tickets to the 2025 Super Bowl in New Orleans, accommodations, and a travel budget. Proceeds from this raffle will support programs for children and adults with developmental disabilities, ensuring families in our community have access to life-changing services.

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    Buy Now – only 350 tickets sold! 

    Grand Prize Package includes:

    -2 Tickets to the 2025 Super Bowl in Caesars Superdome on Sunday, February 9th.

    -Accommodations for two nights in a 2 bedroom property near the French Quarter Feb 8-10

    -$500 for travel expenses

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    Enjoy the vibrant nightlife, fantastic live music and amazing cuisine that New Orleans has to offer. Soak up the local culture, and then experience the excitement of attending the 2025 Super Bowl!

    “This is going to be an amazing experience for someone in our community”, says Jim Steffey, CEO of Envision. “We never thought we would be able to offer something like this. When we heard that the NFL Referee Association was donating tickets for us to raffle off, we were just blown away”.

    Envision has limited the total number of tickets sold to increase the odds of winning. By purchasing a raffle ticket, supporters not only have a chance to win but also contribute to Envision’s mission to support children and adults with developmental disabilities in Greater Cincinnati and help them live full and vibrant lives.

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    First Runner Up

    Cincinnati Sports with tickets to the Cincinnati Reds

    Includes 2 Terrace Line or 4 View Level seats to a 2025 game of your choice.

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    –Must be 21 or older to win. Super Bowl tickets cannot be sold or traded by the recipient. Tickets cannot be scalped or used for illegal purposes. Prize drawn January 9th.  Winner must present matching Government Issued photo ID at check-in to stay at the rental property. Winner is responsible for all damages and incidentals incurred at the rental property by winner and/or their guests. See details in “Rules and Regulations” during ticketing process for additional package rules, rental property rules, and information. Funds raised by the raffle will benefit support services for children and adults with developmental disabilities in the Greater Cincinnati region.

    “It’s already December”, says Steffey. “A chance to win tickets to the Super Bowl could be a fun and unique holiday gift to give to that tricky person on your list”.

    Tickets can be purchased through a link at www.envisionohio.org for $100 each.

    About Envision

    For over six decades, Envision has been a cornerstone of the Cincinnati community, offering support, resources, and programs for individuals with developmental disabilities. Services include group homes, support for independent adults, family support, foster care, Mental Health care, CITE on site children’s services, and an adult day program. Through innovative programs and compassionate care, Envision supports and empowers families to create a brighter future.

    For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.envisionohio.org

  • Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities offers tips for an inclusive Thanksgiving experience

    Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities offers tips for an inclusive Thanksgiving experience

    While the holidays bring joy for many, they can be overwhelming for those with developmental disabilities or sensory-processing needs, who thrive on routine.

    To make your Thanksgiving celebration more sensory-friendly, consider these top five tips brought to you by Easterseals Midwest!


    Learn more about the Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities.

     

  • Take the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council survey

    Take the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council survey

    It is the mission of the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council (DD Council) to create change that improves independence, productivity and inclusion for people with developmental disabilities and their families in community life. DD Council receives federal funding for innovative advocacy, capacity building and systems change activities. These activities are designed to contribute to a coordinated system of services, supports and other assistance that is centered around and driven by individuals with developmental disabilities and their families.

    Ohio DD Council’s work is driven by its Five-Year State Plan. The plan is developed by input from people with disabilities, family members and interested stakeholders from around the state. All projects described in the plan adhere to DD Council’s philosophy that people with developmental disabilities have the right to be productive, interdependent members of their communities and of society at large. You will also find that the projects that fall under each committee represent activities related to Sections of the DD Act that governs what we do.

    2027-2031 State Plan Survey

    We are in the early stages of developing our next Five-Year State Plan for 2027-2031, and our first step is to gather public input through our survey. The survey is available in English, Spanish, and Somali. Use the links below to access the survey.

  • Sensory Saturdays at Cincinnati Art Museum

    Sensory Saturdays at Cincinnati Art Museum

    Cincinnati, Ohio – This program  at the Cincinnati Art Museum is designed for families with children who have autism or other developmental disabilities. Each month, explore the museum’s galleries in a less crowded environment, using multisensory tools and resources to make the most of the visit. Email access@cincyart.org for questions or more information.

    2024-2025 Dates

    • September 28, 2024
    • October 26, 2024
    • January 25, 2025
    • February 22, 2025
    • March 22, 2025
    • April 26, 2025
    • May 24, 2025
  • Trump Suggested Some With Disabilities ‘Should Just Die,’ Nephew Says

    Trump Suggested Some With Disabilities ‘Should Just Die,’ Nephew Says

    Former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich. last weekend. (Neo Hopkins/The Detroit News/TNS)

    by Michelle Diament | July 25, 2024 disabilityscoop

    In a new book, Donald Trump’s nephew Fred C. Trump III says that the former president told him that people like his son, who has intellectual and developmental disabilities, “should just die.”

    The claim comes in Fred Trump’s memoir “All in the Family: The Trumps and How We Got to Be This Way” that is set to be released next week. An excerpt was published by Time on Wednesday.

    Fred Trump, the son of Donald Trump’s late brother Fred Trump Jr., said that he saw his uncle being in the White House as an opportunity to advocate for housing support and other needs of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities like his son William, 25.

    After the 45-minute Oval Office meeting concluded, Fred Trump said his uncle asked to see him.

    “I thought he had been touched by what the doctor and advocates in the meeting had just shared about their journey with their patients and their own family members. But I was wrong,” Fred Trump wrote.

    “Those people,” Fred Trump said his uncle told him, “the shape they’re in, all the expenses, maybe those kinds of people should just die.”

    Not knowing what to say, Fred Trump said he “turned and walked away.”

    On another occasion, Fred Trump said he reached out to his uncle to ask for help with a medical fund that the family had set up for his son that was running low. After explaining the situation, Fred Trump recounts that the former president told him “I don’t know,” then let out a sigh and said, “He doesn’t recognize you. Maybe you should just let him die and move down to Florida.”

    The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment from Disability Scoop about Fred Trump’s claims. Time also said that it asked the former president to respond and received no reply.

    Read the full story at DisabilityScoop…

    Read more stories like this one. Sign up for Disability Scoop’s free email newsletter to get the latest developmental disability news sent straight to your inbox.

  • [Video Interview] Cassie Mattia Talks With Autism Awareness Advocate Tim Livelsburger

    [Video Interview] Cassie Mattia Talks With Autism Awareness Advocate Tim Livelsburger

    David Miller is the Managing Editor of Loveland Magazine

    by David Miller

    Loveland, Ohio – In celebration of Autism Acceptance Month, Cassie Mattia invited a very special guest to share his story with the community. Tim Livelsburger is not only advocating for those with Autism within the community, but he is also using his experiences as a learning tool to help those that may be encountering obstacles due to their disability.

    Tim is thriving and wants nothing more than to use his voice to help others with developmental disabilities achieve their goals! He told Cassie what obstacles he overcame, and how he is now exceeding his ultimate goals.

    Cassie, besides being the President and Publisher of Loveland Magazine is the Public Relations Coordinator for the Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities. She asked LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV and myself to travel to the BCBDD’s office in Hamilton with our video equipment to help produce the interview and wanted us to share it with you, our faithful Loveland Magazine readers.

    I couldn’t be more thankful to have a business partner with the values of Cassie and that she seeks out someone like Tim to interview, someone who is doing wonderful things within his Autism family and the broader family we all hope to have an impact on. Thank you Tim, Cassie, and the Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities for what you are dedicating your life’s work toward; inclusion, understanding, and acceptance of each individual.

    Happy Autism Acceptance Month to each of you and to our readers.

    President and Publisher of Loveland Magazine, Cassie Mattia is a resident of Historic Downtown Loveland and the Public Relations Coordinator at Butler County Board of DD. Cassie was awarded the Little Miami River Chamber Alliance 2021 Young Business Professional of the Year.

     

  • Coming soon to our pages: Cassie Mattia’s interview with Tim Livelsburger

    Coming soon to our pages: Cassie Mattia’s interview with Tim Livelsburger

    Loveland, Ohio – In celebration of Autism Acceptance Month, LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV was invited to collaborate with the Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities in filming and producing an interview that Cassie Mattia conducted with Tim Livelsburger.

    “Livelsburger is not only advocating for those with Autism within the community, but he is also using his experiences as a learning tool to help those that are encountering their own obstacles due to their disability! Tim sat down with BCBDD PR Coordinator Cassie Mattia to talk about his disability and how he has overcome so many obstacles along the way. Tim is thriving and wants nothing more than to use his voice to help others with developmental disabilities achieve their goals!”

    Stay tuned to see the full-length interview coming soon!

  • The Table of Discussions Celebrates Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month

    The Table of Discussions Celebrates Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month

    Connie Mehlman • Cassie Mattia • Courtney Hineman
    by Cassie Mattia

    Loveland, Ohio – Did you know more than 6 million Americans have one or more developmental disabilities (DD)? That means about 15 percent of the United States population is living with DD. Over the few past decades, individuals with DD and DD advocates have been fighting for inclusion and equal opportunities within their communities and the workforce. Without help from leaders and social reformers like Dorothy Dix, Helen Keller, Eleanor Roosevelt, Martin Luther King Jr., Ronald Reagan, and George Bush, to name a few, both National Developmental Disabilities Month and the Americans with Disabilities Act wouldn’t exist.

    “It’s just basic human needs not special needs.” – Courtney Hineman

    In 1987, President Ronald Reagan made a public announcement asking Americans to provide individuals with DD “the encouragement and opportunities they need to lead productive lives and to achieve their full potential.” Reagan’s powerful message not only established the month of March as National DD Awareness Month, but his advocacy also led to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) being passed in 1990 by George Bush. The ADA officially made it illegal to discriminate against individuals with disabilities.

    Once the ADA passed, DD advocates across the world began to take a stand, using their own experiences and success stories to promote equal rights. Although progress has been made in the DD community there are still many obstacles’ individuals with DD face every day. This is why National DD Awareness Month is a time to celebrate the achievements of those with DD and take the time to educate yourself and those surrounding you on the importance of including individuals with DD in all aspects of community life!

    In light of this very special March celebration, I decided to again share an interview that I conducted in March of 2023 on my Loveland Magazine TV Table of Discussions with two of the most respected DD advocates in Ohio, Connie Mehlman now a Consultant with Best Buddies International and Courtney Hineman, the Community Outreach Advocate for Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities! Connie and Courtney have paved the way for inclusion and equality within the DD community giving them both a plethora of knowledge when it comes to educating others about how they too can advocate for individuals with DD. Connie has since retired from her job with Butler County.

    I am pleased to rebroadcast my Table of Discussions episode featuring Connie Mehlman and Courtney Hineman! Happy DD Awareness Month!

    This year’s Greater Cincinnati Best Buddies Friendship Walk is on Saturday, April 13 at Marcum Park, 116 Dayton Street in Hamilton.

    REGISTER

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    In celebration of National Developmental Disabilities Month, Courtney wrote an Opinion Editorial in 2023 about what it’s like to live with developmental disabilities and how the community created equal opportunities for her.

    Click here to read Courtney’s Op Ed, “I want others with disabilities to have opportunities like I had!”

    The gallery of photos below was provided by the Butler County Board of DD and Cassie Mattia.

     
    What is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)?

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    Courtney Hineman is a disability rights advocate. She is the Community Outreach Advocate at the Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities and was appointed by Governor DeWine to the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council for the second term. She is a member of Butler County’s self-advocacy group, and has enjoyed participating in Best Buddies.

    Connie Mehlman is the Community Connections Coordinator for the Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities. She has more than 35 years of experience both working and volunteering in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities. She is currently serving as the Chairperson for Best Buddies Ohio and is very active in the Miami University Best Buddies Chapter.”

     

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    Cassie Mattia is the President and Publisher of Loveland Magazine, Cassie Mattia is a resident of Historic Downtown Loveland and the Public Relations Coordinator at Butler County Board of DD. Cassie was awarded the Little Miami River Chamber Alliance 2021 Young Business Professional of the Year.

  • Cassie Mattia’s red carpet interview with movie star Joshua Felder

    Cassie Mattia’s red carpet interview with movie star Joshua Felder

    Managing Editor) David Miller (right) and Josh Felder at the Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities 2023 Community Recognition Awards.

    by David Miller

    “Interviewing Josh on the red carpet was a fantastic opportunity for our community to see via Facebook Live – what kind of a person Josh is. I think what he had to say was important for everyone to hear and quite frankly was inspirational,” Cassie told me after the interview.

    Joshua Felder was one of the leading actors in the recently released movie Champions, starring Woody Harrelson, and was the keynote speaker at the 2023 Community Recognition Awards gala put on by the Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities (BCBDD) on September 28.

    Champions is the story about a Des Moines, Iowa young adult basketball team whose players all have developmental disabilities. Joshua played the role of Darius. The film stars Woody Harrelson as an unpredictable, minor-league basketball coach who after an arrest for drinking while driving and hitting a police car was ordered to coach a team of players with intellectual disabilities as community service. By the way, Harrelson is a 1979 graduate of Lebanon High School.

    Cassie also told me that having Josh as their keynote speaker for the awards ceremony and getting the chance to spend time with him while he was in Hamilton was something she will always treasure. Besides the on-air interview, Cassie was also able to spend the day with him and her cohorts as he toured the city and learned about the things BCBDD does. “Josh is definitely going to achieve big things in his life. What a great role model for many many individuals out there,” she said.

    In the movie, Joshua plays Darius, the teammate who had a promising basketball career before he was involved in a terrible car accident caused by a drunk driver and ended up with brain damage. He refuses to play for Harrelson’s team. However after getting to know the new coach, Darius realized he needed to be able to forgive the woman who hit him and the character played by Harrelson and decided to join the team that went to the Special Olympics finals in Winnipeg.

    In real life, Joshua is a Global Ambassador and is on the International Board of Directors for Best Buddies International. He was the first person with a disability to be a dancer in a Super Bowl halftime show. He appeared with The Weeknd and was featured in a Showtime Original, which outlined the making of the Super Bowl LV Halftime Show. Additionally, Joshua was featured on CBS This Morning with Gayle King. Joshua has “high-functioning” autism.

    Cassie, besides being the president and co-owner of Loveland Magazine is the Public Relations Coordinator for the Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities and was given the responsibility to do interviews on the red carpet as guest celebrities arrived for the the Hollywood-themed annual awards celebration.

    Cassie continued, “Planning and putting on an annual event like the Community Recognition Awards can be tough, but after you see the results of the awards and how the event brings the community together is truly the icing on the cake.”

    I attended the event to be inspired by the award winners, meet a star in what is now one of my all-time favorite movies, and volunteer to record videos and take still photos for Cassie and the BCBDD.

    Cassie Mattia interviewing movie star Joshua Felder.

    Josh said that while he toured Hamilton he was glad he finally got to stand under the famous Alexander Hamilton statue. He picked up a Joe Burrow jersey even while proclaiming he a “forever” Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan and enjoyed Skyline Chili.

    According to Cassie, “Josh is an incredible advocate for the DD community and is living proof of what someone with a developmental disability can achieve.”

    Thank you Josh and Cassie for the lessons you teach me and your exciting inspiration.

    Savannah Guthrie, Woody Harrelson, and members of the cast of “Champions” talk about the bond they made during the production of the movie Champions.

    I encourage you to view the BCBDD story with other highlights of their 2023 Community Recognition Awards“Hollywood” style gala.

    The Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities supports over 3,700 people to live, work, and learn successfully in their community. Supports and services are available life-long through contracts with partner agencies or directly provided by the Board.

     

    If you believe that you, someone in your family, or someone you know might benefit from a local DD Board, here are some links:

    Hamilton County Developmental Disabilities Services

    Warren County Board of Developmental Disabilities

    Clermont County Board of Developmental DisabilitiesBest Buddies International is a dynamic and growing organization, thanks to the people who help advance its mission every day. From the Board of Directors to the summer interns, everyone on the Best Buddies team shares their energy and enthusiasm as they work to enhance the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

     

  • Best Buddies Friendship Walk raised over $51K

    Best Buddies Friendship Walk raised over $51K

    Hamilton, Ohio – On Saturday, April 22, volunteers and community members came together to support the annual Best Buddies Friendship Walk at Marcum Park in Downtown Hamilton. The volunteers included Loveland Magazine co-owners, Cassie Mattia and David Miller.

    Mattia unloaded trucks and vans and re-loaded them when the walk was over. Her role was also to greet walkers, help them with registration, and publicize the event on social media. Miller took photos from the unloading and set-up until capturing guests eating food and enjoying games after walkers cross the finish line.

    Connie Mehlman, the Community Connection Coordinator for the Butler County Department of Development Disabilities was the Greater Cincinnati Walk coordinator.

    The Best Buddies International Friendship Walk is the leading walk in the country supporting inclusion for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Due to the amazing efforts of everyone involved in the walk this year, the Best Buddies Ohio Greater Cincinnati Friendship Walk raised over $51,000. The funds raised will aid in the expansion of local Best Buddies programs. “Thank you to all those that participated, volunteered, donated, and sponsored the Best Buddies Walk,” said Melman.

    Take a look at the Best Buddies Walk action captured in a photo collage video brought to you by Loveland Magazine‘s David Miller and Cassie Mattia.

    Learn more about Best Buddies Ohio.

    Learn more about the Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities

    Thank you to the event sponsors: Hanover Reserve Weddings and Events, Telhio Credit Union, Speak Up a Self-Advocacy group Through Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities, Bill & Jenny McCloy, The Lang Agency, Gifts In Honor of Joseph Pollock: The Pollock and Bhat Family, and Nothing Bundt Cakes.