Milford, Ohio – Stepping Stones will host the 2023 Viva La Bloom fundraiser with a new theme and location on Saturday, September 9th at the Little Miami Event Center in Milford. Event chair Nancy Aichholz invites you to a fun, “Vegas” themed night full of games, entertainment, a fabulous silent auction, and dinner by Cincinnati’s best food trucks. Try your luck at one of our casino-style games throughout the night for a chance to win the Grand Prize.
Nancy Aichholz will host the 19th Annual Bloom for Stepping Stones.
Bloom benefits Stepping Stones’ mission to build pathways to independence and promote inclusion for people with developmental and physical disabilities. Show your support for the community by buying tickets or becoming a sponsor.
“We are excited to celebrate Bloom in a new location with a new theme this year,” said Nancy Aichholz, event chair. “The funds raised from Bloom go a long way to support Stepping Stones’ impactful programming and we hope that you will join us.”
Gail and Fred Fischer (NKY) attend Bloom last year. (Provided Photo)
Event tickets are $150 per person. The Little Miami Event Center is located at 310 Mill St. in Milford, Ohio. To purchase tickets, visit CincyBloom.org. Volunteers are needed for the event. Visit Bit.ly/BloomVolunteers to sign up. For more information, contact Sara Schaser at 513-965-5103 or email Sara.Schaser@SteppingStonesOhio.org.
Who: Stepping Stones
What: Viva La Bloom
When: Saturday, September 9, 2023 at 7 p.m.
Where: Little Miami Event Center
Why: To raise money for year-round programs benefiting children, teens and adults with disabilities.
Stepping Stones is an impact agency that serves individuals with disabilities in day and overnight programs that increase independence and promote inclusion. Founded in 1963, the agency provides educational, recreational and social programs at locations in Batavia, Indian Hill, Norwood and Western Hills. For more information, visit www.SteppingStonesOhio.org.
Loveland, Ohio – Dress for Success Cincinnati has announced that The Care Center of Loveland is their new satellite location for the StyleHER program.
For the past 15 years, the Care Center has been assisting families by helping them remove the barriers and build the resources needed to thrive in life. Located at 11020 South Lebanon Road in Loveland, The Care Center will now be offering DFSC styling services to residents of the Loveland and neighboring communities.
According to Data USA, the largest demographic living in poverty in Loveland is currently women ages 25-34. The hope is that through this partnership, they will be able to tend to that community of women living at or below the poverty line and offer them services that will nurture their employment mobility and help them to thrive.
A strong supporter of this mission is Greg Knake, Executive Director of The Care Center, who recognized the opportunity for Dress for Success Cincinnati and The Care Center to help more women through a partnership early on.
“Our mission is about helping people thrive in life, and one critical way we do that is by helping them reenter the workforce,” Knake said. “We also have a high value for not trying to recreate the wheel, and we instantly identified that Dress for Success Cincinnati already had a model that was successful. It is a perfect fit to incorporate Dress for Success Cincinnati’s services in what we do.”
Through this act of ‘not trying to recreate the wheel’ they have formed a partnership that can utilize the successes of both organizations to further benefit women. The Care Center of Loveland is a state-of-the-art resource center offering beneficial services such as childcare and transportation that help to eliminate major barriers that stand in the way of women receiving this support.
As childcare is a service that is not currently offered by Dress for Success Cincinnati, they can now offer it to their clients at The Care Center’s location. Not only have they expanded the range of women they are able to serve but have expanded the accessibility for women to utilize the services as well.
“We want to be a resource for people who want to take advantage of Dress for Success Cincinnati’s resource but may not have the reliable transportation to access the Norwood location,” Knake said. “We are excited to offer Dress for Success Cincinnati’s resources in areas like Milford, Goshen, and Loveland.”
In addition to offering DFSC styling services at The Care Center, the new satellite location will also offer similar career assistance to that of Dress for Success Cincinnati’s Norwood office. Just as the DFSC office has partnered with Cincinnati Works to provide help with resume building, job searching, and more via an on-site Cincinnati Works representative, The Care Center will offer the same opportunity for clients.
“We also offer career development resources through Cincinnati works and even work with the same Cincinnati works representative,” Knake said. “So, clients will have that same opportunity when they come here to be styled.”
Dress for Success Cincinnati said that they are thrilled to launch this new satellite location and to be working with Knake and his team at The Care Center to offer their services, along with the added benefits that come from this new location to more women in surrounding areas.
To learn more about The Care Center or schedule your styling appointment, visit The Care Center’s website here.
Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Ohio – “The health and safety of customers and staff is our first priority,” said Paula Brehm-Heeger in an announcement issued July 2 by the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. Paula Brehm-Heeger is the Director of the system of libraries.
Paula Brehm-Heeger is the Director of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County
Her statement was issued after Thursday’s announcement by Governor DeWine and his team of health professionals unveiled a new monitoring and reporting system for COVID 19 infections in each county.
The “Ohio Public Health Advisory System” is based upon a set of criteria and categorizes all Ohio counties in one of four levels. Counties are rated as: 1) yellow, 2) orange, 3) red or 4) purple — with purple being the highest cautionary rating.
Seven counties in Ohio are rated “red” including Hamilton County. The description and guidelines for level three include:
Very high exposure and spread
Limit activities as much as possible
Follow all current health orders
“Based upon this new information, we have made the difficult decision to pause in-person services in our buildings beginning Monday, July 6,” said Brehm-Heeger. All of the 28 open locations will continue to provide curbside or drive-thru service, and they will continue to open nine more locations to provide these services throughout July.
This temporary change is a proactive decision to help limit the spread of the virus, according to Brehm-Heeger. “We will monitor news and information from health officials daily so we can bring back in-person service as soon as the situation improves and the key alert indicators start trending downward. We have repeatedly been reminded that the pandemic is fast moving and requires our quick response and ability to adjust plans accordingly.” Thank you for your continued patience and understanding as we adjust to the pandemic and find new ways to serve you.”
Between now and the middle of July, the Library is phasing services back in, with new locations being added each week. The goal is to be providing services at all locations by mid-July. The exception is Price Hill, as that location is currently closed through the end of 2020 for a major renovation and expansion project. “We’ll use this space to keep you up to date on what is going on. We are excited to see you again,” said Kathy Taylor, Regional Manager in a statement issued on July 3.
The Loveland Branch currently has Curbside Service only and no Drive-Thru Service is planned.
Brehm-Heeger said, “Thank you for your continued patience and understanding as we adjust to the pandemic and find new ways to serve you.”
Hours of Service
Beginning June 15, all open locations will be operating from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
Book Drops
All locations are accepting returns through their book drops, except Price Hill. Materials are being quarantined for 3 days before being checked-in, so it will be a few days before you see any changes reflected on your account.
Curbside Service
Curbside: Avondale, Blue Ash, Clifton, College Hill, Delhi, Forest Park, Green Township, Hyde Park, Loveland, Madisonville, Mariemont, Monfort Heights, North Central, Oakley, Pleasant Ridge, St. Bernard, Sharonville, Symmes, Walnut Hills, Westwood, West End and Wyoming
Beginning July 6th these branches will open curbside service: Madeira, Mt. Washington
Beginning July 13 these branches will open for curbside service: Bond Hill, Cheviot, Corryville, Deer Park, Green Hills, Miami Township, Northside, Norwood
Scheduled appointments are not required for curbside service, but calling ahead will make the process more efficient for you, especially if you need to do something other than pick up a hold.
When you arrive at your location for curbside pick-up, look for the curbside service sign, park, and call the branch at the number on the sign.
Drive-Thru Service
Drive-thrus are at these locations: Anderson, Covedale, Groesbeck, Harrison, Reading, and the Downtown Main Library
Scheduled appointments are not required drive-thru service, but calling ahead will make the process more efficient for you, especially for curbside service, or if you need to do something other than pick up a hold. Find phone numbers for all branches on this web page.
Holds/Borrowing Items
If you would like to borrow an item from the library, search our catalog, find the item you want, place a hold on it, and choose which location you’d like to pick up the item from. Or you can call us, and we’ll place the hold for you.
When the item is ready, you will receive an email notice. You can pick it up anytime between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday. If you’d like, you can call the location and schedule a time for pick-up.
In-Person Services
Due to the wide community spread of the virus in Hamilton County right now, the Library made the decision to temporarily suspend in-person services. Read more in this blog post from the director.
We’re Here for You Online and on the Phone
Our eBranch is always open, and we are continuing to provide events like storytimes online on a regular basis. Check our calendar for more information.
Call, email or chat with us seven days a week for help with job searching, finding trusted health information, getting assistance with a library resource, and more.
For the latest Library service updates and resources, please visit our COVID-19 resource page.
Seven counties in Ohio are rated “red” including Hamilton County. The description and guidelines for level three include:
“Based upon this new information, we have made the difficult decision to pause in-person services in our buildings beginning Monday, July 6,” said Brehm-Heeger. All of the 28 open locations will continue to provide curbside or drive-thru service, and they will continue to open nine more locations to provide these services throughout July.