Loveland Magazine

LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

Without fear or favor

Since 2004

Tag: education

Our Loveland Story – The Colletto Family

by Kim and Dan Colletto

Loveland Schools are worth fighting for! Keeping our school district strong in turn will keep our beloved Loveland community thriving, protect our home values and make our neighborhoods enticing to outside buyers. We, as proud Lovelanders, will stand behind the #yesforloveland movement. This is our family’s story and why we are so passionate about supporting the Loveland School District.

Our family relocated from Orlando, Florida to Cincinnati in the summer of 2016. This change was met with a lot of resistance by myself and our girls, who were 12 and 8 at the time. We were faced with leaving the community we loved and the only home our girls had ever known. Getting the move right was essential, to set our family unit up for success in our new home. Where did we start? The area school districts.

In Orlando, our girls had grown into a young school district and a developing area, with one elementary and middle school to choose from. After 10 years in the area, our school district had grown to encompass three elementary schools, two middle schools, and a new high school. My husband and I sat on community growth committees, held school PTA board positions, and volunteered countless hours in the classroom, at fundraisers and community events. We assisted in the effort to make our neighborhood one of the best in the Orange County School District. We knew what a successful educational community looked like and we felt it was essential to make the right choice for the future of our girls in our relocation.

In researching the Cincinnati area, we toured every surrounding school district. The final school on our list was Loveland. We feared that the opportunities and programs would be lacking, as it was a smaller school district. Boy, were we wrong.

In Loveland, we were greeted by enthusiastic administration and teachers who took the time to talk directly to our girls and answer their questions. We had top-notch tours and even had a sit-down meeting with the superintendent, assistant superintendent, and the person who would be our daughter’s high school counselor. The girls instantly felt like they would feel safe and welcomed in the Loveland schools. The district’s forward thinking mindset, focus on growth, and developing a well rounded, competitive student was supremely impressive.

We knew Loveland was the right choice when we left that meeting. Not only were there educational opportunities here, including a thriving gifted program and course options such as foreign language and college prep courses, but the district had top-notch music and arts programs which were of very high importance to both our girls. Loveland was providing music programs from the elementary level up. The high school arts programs were known as some of the best in the Cincinnati area. These opportunities solidified our decision.

We wanted to get a sense of the Loveland community as well. We explored the quaint downtown, enjoyed the local restaurants, and toured a dozen homes before we ended up buying in a beautiful, homey neighborhood where we were instantly greeted by welcoming neighbors. We had found our home and a place where we felt confident our girls would thrive and above all, be happy. And they have flourished here. Each of our girls had different needs in the classroom and they were both met with phenomenal teachers and support. They each threw themselves into drama, music, and show choir. They were exposed to and tried new things including runners club, intramural sports, student government, and volunteerism.

Our oldest has now graduated and was set up to enter college with 32 hours of college credit classes allowing her to easily double major in two rigorous programs. The Loveland High School experience gave her the tools to enter into the world confident and prepared. Anna was exposed to a broad range of activities, including music, art, student media, Showchoir, and student leadership groups in addition to a multitude of course options from financial planning to AP and College Credit Plus opportunities. And she took advantage of it all. She had a remarkable high school experience and was set up to get into highly competitive college programs.

Our youngest is now a junior and is in the college preparation stage. While her high school experience began during the COVID-19 pandemic, she continues to have a wonderful high school life in her classes and extracurriculars including athletics, music, and show choir. We are so thankful for her dedicated school counselors and teachers and for the arts programs that have given her hope and comfort in spite of the challenges of these last couple of years due to the pandemic and unfortunate cuts in the Loveland schools. She has grown immensely into a hard-working student, performer, athlete, and a Tiger through and through. At Loveland, Avery has learned resilience through compassionate district leaders, teachers and mentors.

Even while navigating the challenges of failed levies, Loveland has kept excellence and the dedication to their students at the forefront. No matter what challenges the district may face, the foundation of community and excellence prevails. The opportunity for students to experience a vast, well-rounded education is there. But the reality is that many of those beloved, winning programs our children have been blessed with are now on the chopping block.

We have hope that the community will step up and value the importance of a strong school district and how important it is to set our children up for future success.

Our children in the younger grades should have the same opportunities to enter their years after high school prepared, motivated, and competitive. It’s up to each of us to fight for our schools and to keep Loveland thriving.

We are Lovelanders now and we won’t give up on our schools or this community. I hope you will join in the fight to keep Loveland strong and get out and vote #yesforloveland.

____________________________________

Kim and Dan Colletto live in the Miami Trails Neighborhood

Apr 11, 2023
“Sip and Shop: Mother’s Day Edition” [Video Interview]

by David Miller, Loveland Magazine’s Managing Editor

Loveland, Ohio – “I am super excited about this sip and shop and I know it will be a great event to support Loveland Schools and these small businesses,” said Loveland High School Senior Kate Krabacher.

Kate is a student at Loveland High School and is a member of Tigers Inc. Kate said that she and Tigers Inc are excited to be co-hosting the “Sip and Shop: Mother’s Day Edition” with Lemons and Limes Boutique owner, Wendy Knight. The event will be on April 22nd from 11 AM until 4 PM at the Landing Event Center on the bank of the Scenic Little Miami River in Historic Downtown.

Lemons and Limes is a local small business boutique with locations in Loveland and Mason. Tigers Inc is a nonprofit organization run by a selective group of business-oriented student leaders at Loveland High School.

Kate is also an intern at Lemons and Limes and Wendy said she has been in charge, from “start to finish” of the planning for the Mother’s Day event from day one. Kate reached out to business vendors in the area and persuaded them to be involved, and purchase a space at this event. Wendy said that one of the most important things she wants the community to know is that this is “truly a student led event”

The venue will be set up as a small business market and each vendor will have their own space for a pop-up shop or display.

Last year the event was run by an employee at the Landing Event Center, but she is no longer there, so Tigers Inc took on the responsibility of organizing the event with Wendy at Lemons and Limes.

Kate said that it was a great success last year for all vendors and they are hoping to grow the attendance, even more, this year.

Besides supporting Tigers Inc, this year, the event is supporting a Loveland Elementary School Capital Campaign to fund new tables for the LES cafeteria.

Wendy said that shopping at the Sip and Shop is an excellent opportunity to support local small businesses by buying Mother’s Day gifts, birthday presents, something for yourself, or a graduation gift. She said there will be many items to buy for men and boys as well.

There will be a map provided to attendees that will encourage shoppers to visit the other shops in Historic Downtown and Wendy encourages shoppers to buy a meal at a local restaurant.

The fashion show will feature local “elite celebrity” models you will recognize, teachers, school administrators, and local moms and students. Most of the fashions come from the selection of clothing and accessories found at Lemons and Limes.

Learn more about Kate and Wendy and their excitement about “Sip and Shop: Mother’s Day Edition” in this newest episode of LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV.

Please “Like” and become a “Subscriber” to our YouTube Channel!

Do you want to join the fun and become a vendor? Email Wendy or Kate.

Here is the LINK if you want to become a vendor.

Find out more about the “Sip and Shop: Mother’s Day Edition” on Facebook

Tigers Inc on Facebook.

Learn more about Lemons and Limes Boutique.

The Landing Event Center on Facebook.

Apr 10, 2023
Real-Life Productions CEO Shares his Journey to Self-Employment

This story is republished courtesy of the Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities.

Cassie Mattia

by Cassie Mattia

Jarrod Arencibia has had a passion for videography since the first time he used his grandfather’s camera at the age of 14. Now, nearly 25 years later, his passion has flourished into a self-owned business, Real Life Productions, with successes including being published on the National Weather Channel and at a national conference.

Though Jarrod’s journey is paved with ups and downs, his own resiliency and network of support have helped him achieve the success he enjoys today.

Jarrod’s passion for the camera began in 1998, when he started using his grandfather’s camera. “I loved how I could create a story through the lens and share what I captured with the viewers,” Jarrod said. Around that time, Jarrod watched an action documentary series on The Learning Channel that catapulted his love for the “moving camera.”

“I learned that I liked the constant movement of capturing something on camera, then I met Bill Ross and Keith Banner through Visionaries and Voices while I was working in fast food and they allowed me to use their equipment to film Art Walks and interview people,” Jarrod said. Visionaries and Voices is an inclusive arts organization that provides creative, professional, and educational opportunities for adults with disabilities. Jarrod said that without the help of Visionaries and Voices he would have not been able to gain the experience he had interviewing people and working with high-quality cameras.

Jarrod continued to grow his network of support and ultimately, that growing network led to the idea of building his own media business.

“I met Christian Applebee who did a documentary about Visionaries and Voices in 2007 and I told Christian that I would love to do what he does and film behind the scenes,” Jarrod said. “Christian took that to heart and became a mentor and then in 2009 we completed a documentary showcasing people with special needs across the state called Film Outside the Lines.”

Jarrod felt as though he was finally achieving his dreams of being a videographer. More importantly, Jarrod got the opportunity to work with commercial camera equipment for the first time.

“While filming the documentary I got to work with the HVX 200 and DVX 100,” Jarrod said. “Keeping up with the latest equipment is really important to me because I always want to challenge myself and learn new things.”

In 2010, Jarrod met Carol Buckner, the owner of Buckner’s Employment and Training (BEST).

Jarrod and Carol Buckner

“I started working with Jarrod as part of a grant through the State of Ohio, Griffin and Hamis,” Carol said. “The objective was to take individuals who were struggling to find a clear career direction. Jarrod selected me to be his provider, and from there Jarrod then asked me to work with him on his contract with Media Bridges.”

Media Bridges, was a non-profit community media center that provided the education, equipment and environment for people to communicate effectively through media. The media center also offered classes in media production and literacy, access to a library media tools and equipment, and more.

When Jarrod obtained his first paid employment opportunity with Media Bridges, he became hyper focused on what it took to be self-employed. Unfortunately, in 2011, Jarrod was hit with an obstacle.

“When the budget was cut for Media Bridges, Jarrod was laid off,” Carol said. “I knew it was going to hit him hard, so I helped him with a video project where we filmed others who were self-employed across the state. The focus of the film was on their achievements and struggles and as a result of the film, Jarrod was featured at the National Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation Conference!”

“It was hard to overcome being laid off, but I picked myself back up and found employment opportunities,” Jarrod said. “Carol and I completed a documentary where we went around the state of Ohio and interviewed business owners with disabilities. I also got a chance to film a Christmas Parade. I will admit I struggled and lost motivation, but I knew I had to pick himself back up again. When one door closed for me, me and my team always found a way to open another door.”

As Jarrod gained more videography experience, he started to take on more “action film” projects. Jarrod became highly invested in storm chasing and to his surprise one of his videos and photos was featured on the National Weather Channel! With that national recognition, Jarrod’s confidence with the camera skyrocketed. He began filming interviews with people at community festivals and eventually one of his videos was purchased by the City of Blue Ash.

“I found that I really enjoyed going out in the community and talking to people,” Jarrod said. “I like that my videos help educate people. For example, I did a video on Yellow Springs, Ohio and after people watched it, they said they wanted to live there! I also did a feature video about Northern Kentucky University and one guy that watched my video said he wanted to attend NKU just after seeing my video! Seeing proof of people learning inspired me to create more videos.”

One project that was particularly important to Jarrod was filming interviews of people from Cuba about life in a communist society. “Jarrod’s father is from Cuba so interviewing and sharing the stories was an important milestone for him,” Carol said.

Carol shared that an important distinction for Jarrod is that videoing is a business, not a hobby. “What Jarrod does is paid work,” she said. “Working with Jarrod is fun, and always changing. His video career has really taken off! He was even scheduled to do a video in Vegas! He is a professional. He has achieved so much and done amazing things over the time we have known each other.”

Today, Jarrod has his own YouTube Channel called “Real Life Action TV” where he features all his company’s, Real-Life Productions, video projects. Jarrod’s YouTube Channel has 947 subscribers and 544 videos.

“I hope to continue to create content on YouTube and maintain a relationship with the Network Society so that I can educate the next generation about videography,” Jarrod said. “Right now, I’m working with a group of children in Mason called ‘The Hang Out Group’ where I teach them how to use video equipment and the ins and outs of videography. What I achieved just proves if you work hard opportunities will flourish. Things don’t just come to you; you have to work for them!”

Jarrod teaching a class on videography at “The Hangout Group” in Mason, Ohio

Jarrod and Individual Employment Support Coach, Barbara Danielson – “Jarrod has always been a glass half full kind of guy!”

Jarrod and BCBDD Employment Services Coordinator, Beth Risner – “The role that everyone plays does matter and it takes a village for everyone, not one person can be successful alone, we all need support. Jarrod is an inspiration to others to never give up even if something seems impossible, never give up on your dreams.”

Watch Jarrod’s Video About Yellow Springs, Ohio

Watch Jarrod’s Video About Blue Ash, Ohio

Watch Jarrod’s Video About Miami University

To watch more Real-Life Productions videos visit Real Life Action TV on YouTube or visit Real Life Action TV on Facebook. If you are interested in hiring Jarrod to create a video email him at Jarrodfilm@gmail.com.

_____________________________________

Cassie Mattia is the President and Publisher of Loveland Magazine and a resident of Historic Downtown Loveland. She is the Public Relations Coordinator at the Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities. Cassie was awarded the Little Miami River Chamber Alliance 2021 Young Business Professional of the Year. Cassie is very active in the Loveland community and will often be seen helping plan and volunteering at the Little Miami River Chamber Alliance and City of Loveland events. Cassie also enjoys supporting the local restaurants and businesses in Loveland as well as making guest barista appearances at Mile42 Coffee. To see what Cassie is up to follow her on Facebook and Instagram!

You can reach Cassie at cmattia12@gmail.com

Apr 5, 2023
Urgent! Loveland Community Needs School Levy Passed

Ellen Main, is a stay-at-home mom of two boys in Loveland Schools: one kindergartener and one first grader. Her family lives in the Belle Meade subdivision.

by Ellen Main

Loveland City School District has an operating levy on the May 2 ballot this year. Because Loveland has not passed a school levy in nine years, they are in desperate need of these funds to maintain their current high quality of education. If the levy is not passed, they will move towards State minimum services. Our students and future students deserve better than this. As a mom of two young Loveland students, I am witness to the outstanding and dedicated faculty, staff, and administration in our community. My experience at a recent school event illustrates this perfectly.

Waiting anxiously for the show to begin, I looked around at all the other parents, siblings, grandparents, and other family members sitting in the Loveland Primary School gym and thought how grateful I am to live in this community. After the heartwarming show, during which the look of pride on my son’s face almost made me tear up, we walked through a gallery of children’s art—vibrant paintings, oil pastel drawings, and construction paper weavings covered the hallways from floor to ceiling. My son showed such confidence in finding his art on the walls and explaining it to his family. Then, he led us to his classroom (Ms. Miller, Room 9), where he showed us two beautiful books, one created by him (about koalas) and one created by his classmate, a biography about what makes my son special (my son created one about his classmate too). He proudly showed us all his work, which had an Australian theme (each class had a different country). All of this thanks to the hard work, energy and creativity of Lauren Alten (music teacher) and Kayla McClary (art teacher) as well as the classroom teachers, custodians, administration—too many people to mention.

The “Around the World” Showcase is an example of what makes Loveland Schools such a special place to be. Music, theatre, art, athletics, physical education, robotics and so many other programs we may take for granted won’t be possible much longer if we don’t pass a school levy. Think about the most memorable and important moments of your elementary and secondary education—most likely they were made possible because of school levies being passed.

I was lucky enough to have some extraordinary teachers in the Perrysburg School District in Northwest Ohio. My most memorable experiences had to do with music and theatre, which would not have been available without teachers having the freedom to use their creativity to benefit students both in the classroom and through extracurricular activities. Maybe yours have to do with sports, science club, art, student government, none of which would be possible without our talented educators, who would slowly be cut due to lack of funds. We cannot deny future generations these experiences.

Right now, the employees at Loveland Schools are doing amazing work despite not having the money—92 percent of all Ohio school districts receive more money per student yet we are in the top 2 percent in the state on the Ohio Department of Education scorecard. We cannot keep the talented and hard-working people we have in Loveland Schools now if they feel stressed that they may lose their jobs or if the class sizes are so big they are spending all of their time managing student behavior rather than teaching.

With the passing of the levy on May 2, we can keep not only our schools strong but our community as well. Voting yes for Loveland Schools on May 2 is a vote for our students and future students and also for the well-being of our entire community.

_________________________

Apr 5, 2023
Think tank blasts Ohio flat tax proposal
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The Oho Statehouse, Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Graham Stokes for the Ohio Capital Journal. Republish photo only with original story.)

The way that the law is written would only complicate the state’s school-funding woes, take money from libraries, and increase property taxes for farmers and homeowners, it added.

BY: MARTY SCHLADEN – Ohio Capital Journal

It sounds fair. If everybody paid income taxes at the same rate, the rich would pay more because of their higher incomes and the poor would pay less because they make less in the first place.

But an Ohio proposal to enact such a “flat” state income tax ignores a host of other taxes, said a progressive public policy think tank. And the way that the law is written would only complicate the state’s school-funding woes, take money from libraries, and increase property taxes for farmers and homeowners, it added.

“One of the myths that we have to dispel is that flat taxes make things fair,” said Guillermo Bervejillo, a state policy fellow at Policy Matters Ohio. “It’s quite the opposite. One of the things people forget when they talk about income taxes is that there’s a whole array of state taxes.”

Bervejillo was speaking in reference to House Bill 1, which, as the bill number implies, is a top priority of the Ohio House’s Republican leadership. A spokesperson for that leadership didn’t respond to questions about the many criticisms that Policy Matters made of the bill.

One is that many economists have long argued that so-called “flat” income taxes add to the overall tax burden shouldered by the poor and act as yet another means of lightning that of the wealthy.

“There’s use taxes, sales taxes, excise taxes, taxes that are generally focused around consumption and use,” Bervejillo said.

Graphic from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

He explained that those kinds of taxes are the same for everybody, no matter her or his income. Buy a $100 pair of shoes in Ohio and you pay $5.75 in state sales tax regardless of whether you make $100 in a minute or in a whole day of work.

“You can only buy so much toilet paper,” Bervejillo said, explaining why sales and excise taxes fall more heavily on the poor. “You can only drive so many miles.”

The cumulative impact of those taxes is that the poor pay much more as a percentage of their income in state and local taxes than do the rich.

“On average, the lowest-income 20% of taxpayers face a state and local tax rate more than 50% higher than the top 1% of households,” the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy said in a report, Who Pays? “The nationwide average effective state and local tax rate is 11.4% for the lowest-income 20% of individuals and families, 9.9% for the middle 20 percent, and 7.4 percent for the top 1%.”

Federal and state income taxes are the few exceptions that were originally structured to be “progressive.” In other words, they were intended to fall most heavily on those with the greatest ability to pay.

And it’s true that if you take those and all other taxes into account, the richest Americans pay a bigger portion of their incomes out in taxes than poorer Americans. But the spread isn’t very wide.

In 2019, the poorest 20% of Americans paid 20.2% of their incomes in taxes, while the richest 1% paid 33.7%, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy reported.

But in Ohio if you take just state and local taxes into account, the script is flipped. In 2018, the poorest 20% paid almost twice as much of their income in such taxes — 12.3% — as the richest 1%, who paid just 6.5% of their lavish incomes in state and local taxes, the institute reported.

And if Ohio were to enact a flat income tax, it would come on the heels of other measures in which the state has foregone large sources of revenue largely to the benefit of the wealthy.

Ohio is giving up about $1 billion a year on a tax break for limited liability corporations. It was sold as a way to incentivize mom-and-pop businesses, but a 2017 analysis by the Ohio Legislative Service Commission found that as much as $450 million of that annual benefit was going to the highest 0.5% of Ohio wage earners.

Meanwhile, there’s been no evidence that the cut improved Ohio’s jobs picture. It was 39th among states for job growth in February 2003 — well before the LLC tax cut was implemented, according to data compiled by Arizona State University’s Seidman Institute. By last month, Ohio ranked 46th in year-over-year job growth.

And former Gov. John Kasich created JobsOhio by diverting funds from the state liquor monopoly. It’s spent more than $1 billion on things like incentives for wealthy businesses to locate to Ohio, but the agency has struggled to show that those expenditures have made much of a difference to the state’s jobs picture.

But aside from fairness, Policy Matters raised another objection to HB 1 — it’s not paid for. Working from a fiscal analysis of the bill by the Legislative Services Commission, the group found that after the initial phase-in:
- Property taxes on farmers and homeowners would increase at least $600 million a year because of “changes in the bill and the operation of Ohio’s existing property tax limit, known as House Bill 920.”
- Schools, libraries and local governments would lose hundreds of millions of dollars a year.
- There would be $780 million in annual net losses to the state that are not paid for in the bill.
Bervejillo said it’s not hard to understand why pain would spread to large swaths of Ohioans from the flat-tax proposal.

“At the end of the day, there’s only two things you can do when you cut taxes on the wealthy,” he said. “You can either cut services — and who depends more on services than low-income people? Or you increase sales and use taxes and gas taxes and cigarette taxes that fall disproportionately on low-income and working-class Ohioans.”

_________________________________

MARTY SCHLADEN

Marty Schladen has been a reporter for decades, working in Indiana, Texas and other places before returning to his native Ohio to work at The Columbus Dispatch in 2017. He’s won state and national journalism awards for investigations into utility regulation, public corruption, the environment, prescription drug spending and other matters.

MORE FROM AUTHOR

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Apr 4, 2023
Loveland High School Hope Squad takes lead role in creating mural

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The new Mural Unveiled at Loveland High School (Photo provided by Loveland Schools)

Loveland, Ohio – Loveland High School (LHS) has a new mural, thanks to a partnership with the Cincinnati Reds and PNC Bank. The school was selected as the recipient of a “Murals with a Mission.”

Artist Brent Billingsley worked with Loveland High School students to design and paint a mural that spreads a message of hope, depicting the journey from sadness to hope with the help of those around us,
according to a release from the school district.

Students from the LHS Hope Squad took a leadership role in creating this artwork. Hope Squad is a national youth suicide prevention program that includes education, training, and peer intervention.

The mural was unveiled during a celebration on Friday, March 31, with guests from the Reds and PNC Bank in attendance during a full school assembly in the high school gym.

The mural will be on display in the main hallway of the school, where students and guests will pass it every day.

Murals with a Mission, powered by PNC Bank was launched by the Reds organization in 2022 with the intention of creating a mural at high school campuses across Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. The mission is to elevate positive social messages relevant to each school’s student body. Under the guidance and leadership of local artist Brent Billingsley, students at each location work together to develop a concept, design, and finished product through which fellow students can feel represented.

Both Mason High School and and Princeton High School have previously completed and installed murals as part of the Murals with a Mission initiative

The mural at Mason High School (photo by Cincinnati Reds)

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Apr 2, 2023
Get To Know Arlington Renegades Quarterback Loveland native Drew Plitt

[learn_more] Content goes here[/learn_more] [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]by xflnewshub.com Anthony Miller

Drew Plitt has been with the Arlington Renegades since day one, but his past success is what has brought him here to the XFL as one of the few rookie quarterbacks.

High School Football Experience

Photo by The Enquirer

Plitt went to high school in Loveland, Ohio where he played quarterback for the Tigers. His biggest achievement at Loveland was leading the school to the 2013 Division II state title which was the school’s first state championship ever. In 2015, he threw for over 1,400 yards with 15 passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns in ten games. He was the team captain and was honorable mention all-district as a senior.

While deciding which college to go to, Plitt had offers from Ball State, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, and Lafayette. In the end, he decided to pick Ball State as the college of his choice. His former high school head coach Fred Cranford told Cincinnati.com what kind of quarterback the school was going to get.

“Drew’s quarterback style and talent will allow him to be crazy successful there. Ball State is getting a championship, high character quarterback. Ball State loves his talent and style, his leadership and quarterback intangibles.”

Loveland Head Football Coach Fred Cranford via Cincinnati.com

Ball State Experience

Photo by Mike DiNovoUSA TODAY Sports

In his first year in college back in 2016, Plitt was redshirted for the season as a freshman. The next year in 2017, he started the season as the fourth quarterback on the depth chart. Due to injuries to the quarterback position, Plitt was forced into action and played in the last five games of the season starting three of them. He finished his first season with 430 passing yards and three touchdowns along with three interceptions. Plitt also ran for 29 yards and one touchdown in the season.

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Apr 1, 2023
Loveland Tiger’s Spring Break begins Friday afternoon

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Photo by Ron Lach/pexels.com

Loveland, Ohio – Loveland Schools begin their Spring Break this Friday afternoon March 31, and classes will resume on Monday, April 10.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id=”td-default”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Mar 27, 2023
Emma Steiner, Marcel Mangan, Orhan Ozbudak and Team CoUREage 4.0 have $214,301.00 for Leukemia and Lymphoma cure

by David Miller

Loveland, Ohio – Team CoUREage 4.0 is a Loveland High School fundraising team for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Emma Steiner, Marcel Mangan, and Orhan Ozbudak were the leaders of a team of over 25 members with a goal throughout a 7-week campaign that ran from February 1st to March 25th to raise as much money and awareness as possible for blood cancer research. Their goal was to raise $100,000.

They raised $214,301 to help fund cancer research and to support cancer patients. This is a record for fundraising for an individual team in Ohio.

At the gala Saturday night at the Great Wolf Lodge in Mason it was announced that a total of $805,365 was raised by all teams.

Emma Steiner said, “My connection to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society began when a favorite middle school teacher of mine, and now mentor, lost her aunt due to Leukemia.” Steiner is a junior at Loveland High School.

Marcel Mangan, Emma Steiner, and Orhan Ozbudak

Steiner was asked to join Loveland’s Team CoUREage last year. She said, “While fundraising, I got to hear so many touching stories of people affected by blood cancer.” That was more than enough to make her want to accept the nomination to be a candidate for this year’s campaign. “Although I don’t have a direct connection to blood cancer, my grandpa passed away from cancer last year, and I fight so that other families don’t have to experience what my grandpa went through.”

LLS’s Student Visionaries of the Year campaign is a seven-week competition among high schools across the Cincinnati area. Loveland was one of 15 teams raising money for blood cancer research, advocacy, patient support, and ultimately, a cure. However, it is not just a competition among these 15 teams, rather it is a combined effort to help LLS find a cure.

The trio built this year’s campaign using the community as its foundation. Since last August, they have been building partnerships with local businesses securing sponsorships, auction items, and organizing events. So far, they have over 10 events planned to help them raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

They surpassed their goal with secured sponsorships with local businesses, community donations, events, and t-shirt sales. One of the biggest ways that the team fundraised is through donations received by each of their 30 team members.

Team CoUREage 4.0

The goal is to not only raise money for blood cancer but also to raise awareness in our Loveland community about Leukemia and Lymphoma.

Background Info about LLS:

LLS is uniquely able to report on the many advances and accomplishments that have occurred since their founding in 1949. From cutting-edge research and precision medicine innovations to legislative victories that improve access to therapies for cancer patients, LLS plays a leading- and often pioneering- role in the fight against blood cancers. Since 2000, approximately 40 percent of all U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved cancer drugs were for blood cancer, and some are now used to treat other forms of cancer and non-malignant diseases. A “win” for blood cancers, therefore, is a win for the cancer community overall.

Mar 27, 2023
Breakfast with the Bots

Loveland, Ohio – The Loveland Robotics Boosters are back with their fun fundraiser. Saturday, Breakfast with the Bots is March 25, from 8 AM until noon at Loveland High School.

Bring the kids for a pancake breakfast and a chance to see the amazing Loveland Robotics teams in action.

Breakfast includes pancakes, bacon, coffee, and juice.

Breakfast With the Bots tickets are $10, and kids under 3 are free. Buy your tickets at www.lovelandroboticsboosters.org or at the door.

Mar 21, 2023