All posts by Carmen Lawrence-Billé

News

The Music Plays on Through COVID Obstacles

November 16, 2020 Carmen Lawrence-Billé

Through the uncertainty of COVID-19, the Ben Carlson-Berne (BCB) Scholarship Fund is working hard to remain a reliable resource in the lives of their students. Private lessons have already resumed virtually for the talented students in SCPA and other select schools, and BCB began private lessons for several new students, too!

The BCB’s additional programs have also continued and grown. Their burgeoning after school program at Oyler School continues into its second year, and four new students began violin lessons with the BCB’s talented teachers. BCB even managed to keep these introductory classes mostly in-person, focusing their efforts on socially distanced, in-person learning. The BCB’s in-school lessons at Withrow University High School recently received the support of ArtsWave’s Catalyzing Impact Grant for young nonprofit programming supporting community impact. The program is set to continue this year as planned with creative solutions in place for the many difficult obstacles that COVID-19 has presented.

ABC is amazed and thrilled to see how well the Ben Carlson-Berne Scholarship Fund’s students have been able to pivot and find new ways to learn this year. They have demonstrated spectacular determination, resilience, and patience this year, and the flexibility and care expressed by their teachers is profound. We hope to have recitals again one day, but in the meantime we are thrilled to know the music still plays on!

Activities Beyond the Classroom is the fiscal sponsor of the Ben Carlson-Berne Scholarship Fund.

News

ABC Provides Creative Support to CPS Children and Families

October 26, 2020 Carmen Lawrence-Billé

The spring and summer of 2020 were rough months at Activities Beyond the Classroom. School buildings were closed, extracurriculars were cancelled, funding was down significantly, and we didn’t know if we’d be here when the 2020-2021 school year began.

We sent a plea out to our donors asking for support. We knew that even if we weren’t able to run our programs as we had in the past, we needed to be here, as strong as ever, to support the children of CPS as they and their families navigate the pandemic.

Our donors agreed, and thanks to the support of the Cincinnati community, we are standing strong, ready to serve however we can.

Because of COVID, activities beyond the classroom are no longer limited to extracurricular activities. We are working in creative and critical ways that are unique to the pandemic. Here are a few examples of the programs we’re supporting as we dive head-first into the new school year:

Virtual resource center for student athletes: Created an online community where student athletes could find at-home workouts, stay in touch with coaches, and get encouragement from their peers.
CARES funding for food: Received a $49,800 grant to provide shelf-stable food to families where ABC is the lead agency, as well as families supported by Project Connect.
Care & Collaborate: Provided and coordinated donations of food, personal care items, and cleaning supplies to families at two schools up to three times per week throughout the spring and summer months.
Safe activities for children in foster care: Continue to support children living in foster care through the Kids in School Rule! (KISR) program by finding safe and impactful activities for them to participate in.
School supplies for remote learning: Partnered with the Bengals to provide educational kits to 350 student athletes in CPS.
ACT Bootcamp for student athletes: Through the AAA Pathway program, host weekly virtual ACT Bootcamp classes—with Bengals players joining to provide support and inspiration to the students.

And the following ABC-CPS partnerships are currently under development:

Before- and after-school mindfulness, wellness and physical activities: Sixteen hour-long virtual activities will be available to students in 3^rd to 12^th grade every week, providing opportunities for social emotional learning, self-expression, and physical activities
Before- and after-school tutoring: Virtual tutoring before and after school for students in 7^th-12^th
3E Pandemic Services: Virtual opportunities for all high school juniors to thrive and engage in the world around them by exploring the 3E’s (enrolling in higher education, enlisting in the military, or employing in the workforce after high school graduation.)
Resource Coordinator pandemic services: Support for Resource Coordinators’ efforts to provide additional funding to assist with academic achievement
Academic Coach for Project Connect: Mentorship and guidance to ensure the academic success of young men identified as experiencing homelessness at specific CPS high schools.
Family Enrichment: Outreach and support to families experiencing barriers to staying connected and engaged in their student’s virtual learning
College Credit Plus: Provide students in grades 7-12 the opportunity to earn college and high school credits at the same time by supporting CPS’s College Credit Plus program

And the list goes on….

We are humbled by the outpouring of community support that made this work possible, and we are proud to stand next to CPS during these uncertain times. And thanks to our supporters, we are standing strong, ready to take on whatever comes our way.

News

ABC to Provide Shelf-Stable Food Thanks to Grant

October 12, 2020 Carmen Lawrence-Billé

Activities Beyond the Classroom was recently awarded a $49,800 grant from Hamilton County’s CARES Act funding to provide shelf-stable food to Cincinnati Public Schools students and families. This grant will enable ABC to provide 3,000 boxes of food to students and their families in the coming months.

While CPS is providing two meals per day for students on school days, this grant is specifically focused on providing boxes of carefully selected and packaged non-perishable foods for weekends and days away from school. The grant recipients will be families of students who attend a CPS school where ABC is the lead agency and employs a Resource Coordinator. These schools include Roselawn Condon, Aiken High, Cheviot, Frederick Douglass, Woodford Paideia, College Hill Fundamental Academy, Carson, Winton Hills, Silverton, and Covedale.

In addition, recipients include families of Project Connect, of which ABC is the fiscal sponsor. Project Connect serves children and their families who are experiencing homelessness.

“We are thrilled to provide this service to the children we serve,” said Sally Grimes, ABC Director of Advancement. “While overcoming food insecurity isn’t directly in ABC’s mission of providing extracurriculars, we have learned to be nimble and to quickly pivot in order to meet the greatest needs of CPS families during this pandemic.”

To ensure the food gets to where it’s most needed, ABC will partner with Childhood Food Solutions (CFS), a local nonprofit that provides boxes of groceries to elementary school children. Each box of food that CFS constructs and delivers includes graham crackers, peanut butter, “Fruit & Grain” bars, bite-size shredded wheat cereal, ramen noodles, and macaroni & cheese. Some items are chosen for their nutrition, some for their familiarity and acceptance, and some because they “gum up your mouth” and provide time for the food to fill the stomach. The strategy of slow eating overcomes a food-insecure child’s first instinct to eat all their food at once – food is saved for later. In effect, children learn to budget the food they have received.

Jen Kramer-Wine, Executive Director of CFS, said, “We are grateful for our partnership with ABC, which will allow CFS to serve twice as many families in CPS – many of whom report that the box of shelf-stable groceries will help ‘more than you know.’”

If your family attends one of the schools listed above and would like to be a part of this program, complete this google form: https://forms.gle/JRtyAfXwZzaR551x5 or send your contact information to jen@childhoodfoodsolutions.org. For more information about CFS, visit http://childhoodfoodsolutions.org.

News

Downtown Residents Council Donates Personal Care Items to Taft and Rothenberg Elementary Students

October 2, 2020 Carmen Lawrence-Billé

ABC supporter Downtown Residents Council (DRC), a social and information group open to anyone who lives and/or works in downtown Cincinnati, recently donated hundreds of personal care items for students and families at Taft Elementary and Rothenberg Elementary schools.

Mary Jacobs, Chair of the DRC Outreach Committee, reached out to ABC asking how their members could help families connected to downtown CPS schools. When ABC responded that families needed personal care items such as toothbrushes, deodorant, feminine hygiene products, and soap, DRC members jumped into action.

“In addition to an annual monetary donation to ABC, our members are always eager to get involved in hands-on projects,” said Jacobs. “Gathering personal products for families in downtown elementary schools was a big hit.”

Resource Coordinators from the the two schools met Jacobs and ABC staff at the ABC offices to organize and sort the donations. Elizabeth Cone, Resource Coordinator at Taft Elementary, said, “We are truly grateful for the generous donation of personal care items from the Downtown Residents Council. It is so wonderful when the community comes alongside us to support our families in need. This is what creates healthy communities!”

DRC began their support of ABC a year ago. Jacobs said “While searching the internet for afterschool programs we might partner with, I discovered ABC. It is a great fit for our organization. Knowing that education is a key to a vibrant city, members are excited to be a part of such a relevant set of programs. We look forward to future projects.”

If you live or work in downtown and would like to learn more about DRC, visit www.ilivedowntown.com. DRC meets on the 2^nd Tuesday of every month for one hour to discuss news about downtown development and hear reports from the police and fire departments.

News

Cincinnati Bengals Donate and Pack Education Kits for CPS Students

September 25, 2020 Carmen Lawrence-Billé

During the 2018-19 school year, ABC and Cincinnati Public Schools developed the AAA (Athletic and Academic Accountability) Pathway program, a comprehensive student athlete development program designed to provide CPS athletes the supports needed to achieve success in both their academics and athletics. Ever since AAA Pathway was created, the Cincinnati Bengals have been a tremendous supporter of the program.

A few weeks ago, representatives from the Bengals approached ABC to ask how they could support student athletes during remote learning and the COVID-19 pandemic. The conversation resulted in 10 Bengals players spending a morning packing $6,000 worth of school supplies in education kits for 350 CPS students

Each education pack included a scientific calculator, protractor, compass, notebook, pencils, erasers, pencil sharpeners, a water bottle, and a note signed by the Bengals player who packed the bag. Athletic directors from Taft, Aiken, and Shroder High Schools picked up the bags from Paul Brown Stadium to distribute to their student athletes.

Bengals players got in on the school supply donation as well. Jessie Bates, Vonn Bell, Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd, Jordan Evans, John Ross, Xavier Su’a-Filo, Drew Sample, Mason Schreck, and Alex Erickson took the time to assemble the bags for the students.

“We are so grateful to the Bengals and players for supporting student athletes during these difficult times,” said Brian Leshner, ABC Executive Director. “Having the right learning tools, such as a scientific calculator, is imperative to academic success.”

ABC is extremely grateful for the ongoing support of the Cincinnati Bengals, who have already donated over $130,000 and countless service hours to AAA Pathway.

Thanks to the Bengals for creating this great video of the players packing the bags!

News

Bengals Player Joins ACT Bootcamp for AAA Pathway

September 22, 2020 Carmen Lawrence-Billé

AAA Pathway Perseveres in the face of COVID-19

While students at Cincinnati Public Schools are learning remotely, programs like AAA Pathway are managing to persevere. Created during the 2017-18 school year through a partnership between ABC and CPS, AAA Pathway is a comprehensive student athlete development program designed to provide CPS athletes the support needed to achieve success in both their academics and athletics. AAA Pathway includes career coaching, academic support, nutritional guidance, and mentoring.

One important program within AAA Pathway is the ACT Bootcamp, a free, six-week intensive small group training focused on developing the skills required for ACT success through practice, lecture discussion, and guided mentorship. ACT Bootcamp is designed specifically to provide additional ACT support for student athletes who are actively being recruited to accept a scholarship.

Prior to COVID, ACT Bootcamp was hosted at three schools for students within a certain geographic radius. Each six-week session included an average of 12 student athletes, with 56 students completing the program during 2019-2020.

Due to COVID, this year’s ACT Bootcamp kicked off Monday, July 27 as a virtual class. Students meet with the instructor via Google Classroom twice per week, two hours at a time, with homework in between. ACT Bootcamp includes a practice test and an instructor who is available at any time throughout the six weeks. Thirteen students from Taft, Schroder, and Aiken are participating in the first ACT Bootcamp of the year

Cincinnati Bengals Player Joins Virtual Call with CPS Students

On Tuesday, September 8, Michael Jordan of the Cincinnati Bengals hopped on a virtual call for the ACT Bootcamp to provide words of advice and encouragement to CPS students. Jordan is an offensive-lineman who played college football at the Ohio State University.

Jordan answered questions and gave advice on topics such as adjustment to college, how to balance work and life with a busy athletic schedule, and how to prepare for the ACT itself. Jordan revealed that his biggest challenge was getting himself to not rush through the test. He encouraged students to make sure to relax when taking the test, and be careful of tricky wording used in the questions.

When asked if he had advice for making the most of their senior years in the face of the COVID pandemic, Jordan urged the students to “try your best to look at the glass half full, and try to enjoy the process.” Jordan mentioned that he still has strong bonds with many of his high school teachers, and advised the students to form similar bonds with their teachers.

The last bit of advice Jordan left for the kids was to “believe in yourself, knowing you can accomplish anything you put your mind to.”

ABC + CPS + Cincinnati Bengals = A Strong Partnership

Since 2018, the Cincinnati Bengals have donated $130,000 to support the AAA Pathway Program. ABC and CPS are extremely grateful for this amazing partnership with the Bengals which, starting this year, has expanded to include players joining virtual ACT Bootcamp calls throughout the school year.

District AAA Pathway Advisor Stephanie Price adds, “I am so thankful for the Bengals partnership with AAA Pathway and especially for the opportunity to have Michael Jordan talk with our kids. I know our students felt supported by Michael and they will continue to remember his words—even if they don’t realize it now.”

News

KISR! Kids Get Hooked at The Punch House

July 17, 2020 Carmen Lawrence-Billé

“If it were up to them, the kids would go to The Punch House every single day.”

Those are the words of Dr. Kelvin Fields, Education Coordinator at K.E.L.L.Y. Youth Services, a nonprofit organization that helps troubled children who are in and out of the foster care system. Dr. Kelvin recently partnered with Activities Beyond the Classroom’s KISR! (Kids in School Rule!) program to find a healthy, positive extracurricular activity for the some of the kids. ABC’s KISR! program provided seven children with a membership to The Punch House, and now, the kids are hooked.

“At The Punch House, we use boxing to teach people self-defense combined with physical fitness,” said Danny Calhoun, owner of The Punch House and former professional boxer. “But for the kids in KISR!, our programs offer much more. Our trainers become a mentor for the kids. As they teach them the art of boxing, they are actually empowering these children, and building up their self-confidence while helping them get in shape.”

That’s exactly what Dr. Fields was hoping for when he reached out to KISR! about a partnership. His role at K.E.L.L.Y. Youth Services is to help the kids via counseling, mentoring, and setting educational settings. He works with children ages 12-17, and through K.E.L.L.Y., provides safe and secure group and semi-independent homes.

“Our kids have lots of anger management issues. They come from drug-infested homes, and have seen domestic violence. They tend to have violent behaviors because that’s what they saw that at home. My hope is that through The Punch House, they will learn how to cope with their anger and how to channel their emotions in a healthy way,” he shared.

Mr. Calhoun is the person to make this happen. A former professional boxer, who was ranked #2 nationally by USA Boxing, Calhoun graduated from the University of Cincinnati where he played football for three years. He then attended the College of Business at Xavier, and after many years in the fitness industry, founded The Punch House.

“The KISR! kids work in a structured environment,” Calhoun said. “The workouts are designed specifically for them. They learn how to warm up and stretch, and learn various boxing combinations like a boxer would.”

He noted that one of the KISR! kids is going through the program for the second time and has shown tremendous emotional and physical improvements. “This particular child took full advantage of the program and ended up competing in boxing. You can tell when a kid tries an activity and falls in love; that’s how boxing was for this young man. We could see that he was inspired to work hard, and he practiced and got better every day.”

But he’s not the only one. Dr. Fields said “All of the kids participating in The Punch House program have a good time. They crave structure and want to get out and do something active. If it was up to them, they would go every single day.”

News

CPS Student Athletes Resume Off-Season Training with COVID-19 Precautions

July 7, 2020 Carmen Lawrence-Billé

The question top of mind these days is “what will high school athletics look like next year?” While there is still uncertainty surrounding the answer to that question, the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) indicated they are planning for fall sports to resume as scheduled. In anticipation of sports returning in the fall (and in accordance with the Governor’s orders), CPS welcomed their student athletes back to schools to work out and train—with new social-distancing measures in place, of course.

The first phase of returning to training limited students to outdoor workouts, in groups of 10 at a time, all six feet apart from one another. This past week, CPS approved the move to the second phase, which allows students to return to indoor work-outs and practices, with social distancing measures in place.

New safety measures include:

Only groups of 10 student athletes are permitted to train together outdoors and in the gymnasium
Only groups of 5 students can work-out together in the weight room
Student athletes must maintain a six-foot distance from one another while training
Student athletes are not required to wear a mask while training, but must wear one at all times before and after
Coaches and trainers must wear masks at all times

ABC’s Athletic Directors have been working diligently to ensure that their students and staff strictly follow these new measures. In addition to planning when each team can use the athletic facilities, they personally oversee many of the workouts, and immediately correct any issues that arise.

Supplemental Training at Home

In addition to in-person training, CPS coaches have been encouraging their students to train from home. Coaches from around the district, such as Clark Montessori/Walnut Hills Strength and Conditioning Coach Deontay Kenner, put together videos that lead students in a workout routine they can complete at home. Coach Kenner’s latest video details an upper-body workout, and visually shows how these can be completed using household items. For example, when demonstrating how to perform an upright row, a filled duffel bag is used in place of free weights.

These videos, along with other updates regarding high school athletics at Cincinnati Public Schools, can be found on CPS Athletics’ twitter page: https://twitter.com/iamcpsathletics

News

Student Musicians Share Recital Selections

June 23, 2020 Carmen Lawrence-Billé

It’s been a stressful couple of months for students across Cincinnati. The Ben Carlson-Berne (BCB) Fund’s programs had to deal with a lot of confusion and uncertainty between COVID-19, school closures, and social isolation.

For students who had the technological means, lessons were taken online, and everybody had to adjust the way they are used to learning; essentially learning how to learn again. Even worse, the recital the BCB students had been preparing for all year was cancelled.

No matter how stressful the situation was, these music students refused to let COVID-19 silence their progress and art. A few students in the Ben Carlson-Berne Fund were able to record their recital pieces, and ABC is excited to share them here. Thanks to the BCB Fund for sharing the hard work of these students and reminding audiences of the beauty in our everyday

You can click on any of the three videos below to watch these amazing students perform their recital selections.

ABC is proud to be the fiscal sponsor of BCB.

Jordan (Clarinet) performs "Scherzo in C Minor" by Paul Kroepke

Shawnta (French Horn) and her teacher Jessica (Piano) perform "Nocturno Op. 7" by Franz Strauss

Manny (Bass) performs a selection of "The Dragonetti Waltz" by Domenico Dragonetti

News

THANK YOU! 8,400 Children Served, 650 Volunteer Hours, and Community Support Galore

May 20, 2020 Carmen Lawrence-Billé

Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday since school buildings closed in mid-March, Activities Beyond the Classroom has been doing what it does best: supporting the children of Cincinnati Public Schools.

Through CPS’s Collaborate & Care initiative, ABC became the Site Champion for two meal distribution sites, Winton Hills Academy and Cheviot Elementary School. As Site Champion, ABC gathered and distributed donations to any family who came to a distribution event (children did not need to attend a CPS school to receive donations).

“Our families are extremely grateful for everybody’s support. There is a lot of need in our community, and the donations have been a blessing to so many,” said Shelby Zimmer, ABC’s Resource Coordinator at Winton Hills Academy. She added, “They especially loved the flowers donated by WOW Windowboxes. It provided a little something extra to brighten their lives during a difficult time.”

One mom at Cheviot Elementary School expressed her thanks by simply saying, “You don’t know how much these meals make a difference for my family.”

And even though school ends this week, we’re not done yet. ABC will continue as the Site Champion for these two sites at least through the end of June. (Want to help? Donate today!)

Here’s a summary of ABC’s COVID-19 relief efforts since March 16:

BY THE NUMBERS

280 children served per day
8,400 children served in 10 weeks
30 donation distribution days
650 volunteer hours gathering, organizing, bagging, and distributing donations

MOST REQUESTED AND DISTRIBUTED ITEMS

Non-perishable foods
Cleaning supplies
Educational activities
Feminine hygiene products
Personal care products (deodorant, toothpaste, toilet paper, etc)
Hand sanitizer
Books
Toys
Face masks

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

This effort has been a true case of “it takes a village,” with dozens of partners and volunteers rolling up their sleeves to help. Special thanks go out to the following companies for their support:

Assistance League of Greater Cincinnati (donated hygiene kits, books, and educational activities)
FreeStore Food Bank (provided large food donations and Power Packs)
Sycamore Schools (donation of educational activities and supplies)
Skyline Chili (provided meals to families)
WOW Windowboxes (donated hundreds of potted pansies to families)
La Soupe (provided weekly frozen meals for families)
Grace Fellowship Church (provided meals at their facility on Tuesdays)
City of Cheviot (provided storage space for donations)
REALITY, an initiative of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation (provided a large grant to purchase items)
KreativeMindz LLC (donated masks for families)