LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

Without fear or favor
Since 2004

Tag: Northstar Community Church

  • Terri Rogers says thanks for supporting the Loveland Initiative’s 24th annual backpack program

    Terri Rogers says thanks for supporting the Loveland Initiative’s 24th annual backpack program

    by Terri Rogers

    On August 19th, The Loveland Initiative continued to push our mission forward to provide educational support and assistance to underserved children and their families. We held our 24th annual backpack program for the 2020-2021 school year providing students with new backpacks filled with school supplies. 

    Terri Rogers is the Executive Director of the Loveland Initiative

    Due to the COVID 19 pandemic, the backpack program functioned differently this year. We made several changes to ensure that we had a safe program for our donors, partners, and the families we serve. 

    This year we teamed up with an amazing group, The Care Center at Northstar Community Church. Their mission is to provide CARE for the whole person as we help people remove barriers for success and build the resources needed to get to the next place in life. 

    Over 180 families received personal hygiene, cleaning supplies, and paper goods at The Care Center, and more than 200 backpacks filled with school supplies provided to kids through The Loveland Initiative via a drive-thru format.

    A HUGE thank you to The Care Center for hosting the program and for the use of their facility. A HUGE thank you our donors who collected backpacks, monetary donations and/or supplies. A HUGE thank you to ALL our volunteers, YOU were invaluable! A HUGE thank you to Loveland Magazine for their publicity support. Without the support from our awesome community we could not do what we do. 

    Once again, thank you for making our 24th annual backpack program an enormous success!!

    The Loveland Initiative is a 501(c)(3) registered charity. For more information on The Loveland Initiative, please contact Terri Rogers at trogers7@fuse.net or www.lovelandinitiative.org and our Facebook page.

  • Have you seen Loveland’s “Amazon Swan?!”

    Have you seen Loveland’s “Amazon Swan?!”

    Photo by Brian Rogers © 2020 on a GoPro

    by Cassie Mattia

    Loveland, Ohio – Have you happened to see a gigantic swan floating down the Little Miami River? Well, I am here to tell you that it wasn’t just your imagination! On Saturday afternoon Symmes Township Resident, Nick Dyson, shared with us some photos that showed himself and his family and friends floating down the Little Miami in a huge inflatable swan. Dyson shared his “swan story” with us so that those who frequent the State and National Wild and Scenic, the Little Miami River, and our famous Loveland Bike Trail would be sure to look out for the swan all the way from the Amazon!

    “My friend Brian Rogers is the director of student ministries at Northstar Community Church, and he initially bought the swan on Amazon to use with his students and volunteer leaders in the retention pond that was going to be made with all of the construction going on at Northstar/The Care Center,” Dyson explained, “However, in the final renovation there ended up not being a retention pond at all, so he took the swan out for its inaugural float about a month ago on the Little Miami with all of his volunteer youth leaders. He then busted it out a second time to use this past Saturday the 25th with both of our families, including their exchange student from China. We put the swan in the river at the Monkey Bar in Foster and got out about 2-1/2 miles downstream at the Deerfield Township river access on Shore Drive. There are only a few spots on the river where the river access is wide enough to put the Swan in the water because it is so huge,” Dyson said.

    Dyson provided us with some incredible photos of the “swan-filled” afternoon so that we could share the story and photos with the Loveland community! We want to thank you Nick for sharing your story and some really fun photos with us! Check out Dyson’s photos below!

    Photo by Brian Rogers © 2020 on a GoPro
    Photo by Nick Dyson © 2020
    Photo by Nick Dyson © 2020
    Photo by Nick Dyson © 2020
    Photo by Brian Rogers © 2020 on a GoPro
    Photo by Nick Dyson © 2020
    Photo by Brian Rogers © 2020 on a GoPro

    Hello Loveland Friends,

    We believe we always have some important news to share with you about our community.

    And sometimes like today – this very fun and Lovelandesque photo that really depicts our resort town – the Staycation Resort of Southwest Ohio.

    If you believe as we do that having a locally owned and independent newspaper is valuable to your life and the life and vitality of Loveland, will you consider clicking on the link below to send along a modest contribution?

    We recognize not everyone can do so at this time, however, we are like so many other small local businesses with reduced revenue and bills to pay that we cannot ignore.

    Those that can afford a modest contribution will enable us to continue publishing news for everyone.

    Please stay safe and healthy friends.

    Best regards, best wishes, and thank you so very much,

    Cassie, Donna, Mihaela, Claire, David, and the Frog.