Media Release 
Contact: Frances Sack
513-933-5417

Date: November 3, 2009

MIDDLETOWN, OHIO-----Charities from throughout the county will gather in Hamilton on Nov. 13 to celebrate giving in our communities as the third biennial Butler County National Philanthropy Day luncheon takes place. Dr. O’dell Owens, Hamilton County Cornoner is the keynote speaker with John Lomax, WKRC-TV, Good Morning Cincinnati serving as the emcee.

The local event, hosted by the six community foundations of Butler County and the Butler County Development Roundtable, serves to spotlight the generous nature of the community’s residents and recognize them for their support.

The noon luncheon will gather dozens of attendees at the Courtyard by Marriott in Hamilton, as all Butler County-area nonprofit agencies are invited to recognize their supporters.

The Fairfield Community Foundation has selected to honor John and Carol Prazynski. The parents of LCpl. Taylor B. Prazynski, they established a scholarship in his memory, funded by an outpouring of support from the community within weeks of his May 2005 death while serving his country in Iraq. It helps with education costs of students interested in the military, teaching, medicine or special education.

Fairfield Community Foundation Executive Director Betsy Hope said the fund has grown from $9,000 to $21,000 over the past four years even though it has awarded scholarship payments to students annually.
 
The Middletown Community Foundation plans to recognize the sponsors of its local chapter of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, an early childhood literacy program that provides one free, age-appropriate, expert-selected book a month to any child birth to age 5 living in the city.

“Although the Middletown Community Foundation serves as the primary financial sponsor of the project, it would not be possible for us to offer this to all children in our community without additional funding from several other vital partners, and we’re thrilled to be able to publicly thank them,” explained Executive Director T. Duane Gordon.

The book project’s initial co-sponsors are the Miriam G. Knoll Charitable Foundation, Middletown Rotary Foundation, Kiwanis Club of Middletown, Arthur Harvey Foundation, Barnitz Fund of JP Morgan Chase, and United Way of Greater Cincinnati – Middletown Area/Women Living United in addition to in-kind support from the Middletown Public Library and TV Middletown.

Oxford Community Foundation Acting Executive Director Jeanne Murphy said her organization will be honoring Winifred Clowe Pearson, who created the Paul G. and Winifred C. Pearson Fund to support multiple charities in the greater Oxford area, and Mildred Cotter, founder of the Mildred B. Cotter Family Fund, which funds programs for gifted students at the Talawanda Middle and High Schools. 

Some organizations are even crossing county lines, as Otterbein Retirement Community’s Lebanon campus will honor the James M. Cox Foundation, which made a significant donation to its “small house neighborhood” project. 

Gov. James M. Cox was an important part of Otterbein Homes, our history and heritage. It is very fitting that his name will continue in a meaningful way in a Small House Neighborhood that will be built on the Otterbein Lebanon campus in the future. “The Cox Foundation’s support for this project will revolutionize the way older people receive long-term skilled nursing care, not only in Ohio, but in the entire United States,” noted Frances Sack, Capital Campaign Director. Otterbein Homes opened an Avalon neighborhood at the Atrium Medical Center campus a year ago.

In Hamilton, the Fitton Center for Creative Arts will recognize several members of its namesake family: Vaden and Grace Fitton, Claire Fitton, Martha Jane Spain, James K. and Susan A. Fitton and Woody and Dianne Fitton.

In addition to those who contribute funds, those who help raise funds are also being honored. Roger Brandenburg, Development Director at Middletown Christian Schools, said their honorees would include Rodey and Monica Litteral and Phillip and Ann Flannigan, co-chairs of the school’s Eagle Quest Capital Campaign to expand the campus.

“This expansion will include state-of-the-art biology and chemistry labs, new art department and a modern home economics department,” he explained.

The Great Miami Valley YMCA will honor Betty Terry, a Liberty Township resident who serves on the organization’s Metro Board of Trustees and co-chaired its water park capital campaign at the East Butler YMCA branch.

“Betty has become more than a volunteer and supporter of the YMCA,” noted Vice President of Development Kimberly Munafo. “She has become a part of our family, a family that knows when we need to encourage and support each other to accomplish something larger than ourselves.  I deeply value her friendship, and truly admire her tireless efforts and boundless energy.” 

National Philanthropy Day (NPD) is a special day set aside across the country to recognize and pay tribute to the great contributions that philanthropy -- and those people active in the philanthropic community -- have made to our lives, communities and work. This year marks the 24th anniversary of NPD. 

BCDR is a collaborative of area fund-raising professionals who promote benevolent giving to nonprofit agencies. This group is in its ninth year of offering quarterly networking and educational opportunities to Butler County and surrounding area professionals.  The organizers have also created a giving circle at the Hamilton Community Foundation to honor area Butler County philanthropists.

Event sponsors are Duke Energy, First Financial Bank, Miami University Hamilton, and Cox Ohio Publishing at the gold level and Atrium Medical Center/Premier Health Partners and US Bank at the silver level.

Charities wishing to honor individuals or organizations that help them to accomplish their missions may visit www.wclfoundation.com/npdluncheon.html for online reservations or call 513-874-5450 by November 9.