Presenting Four Non-Profits Making Our Communities Better

Photo by Daniel Smyth

Joe Nuxhall Miracle League Fields

​Play ball!

Those words come to life at Joe Nuxhall Miracle League Fields at Hatton Park in Fairfield.

The sports complex – as its motto celebrates – is a place where every kid with every challenge has the opportunity to play baseball. The park, named after the late major league pitcher and beloved Reds broadcaster, opened in 2012.

"He knew we were building, and it was thrilling for him to see what was happening," says Kim Nuxhall, Joe’s son. 

The park, which serves more than 300 players from ages 4 to 72, sports two rubberized fields with brick dugouts complete with electrical outlets for players requiring oxygen or a charge for their wheelchairs. The exuberant ambiance of an authentic baseball park is created with a "Red Monster" wall, an LED video board, stadium-like seating and concession area.

It is the organization’s continuing charitable vision to become the most comprehensive sports facility for children and adults with disabilities.

The third annual Miracle Ball is slated for Wednesday, November 2, from 6-10 p.m., at the Oscar Center at Jungle Jim’s in Fairfield. This year’s honoree is former Cincinnati Bengal and NFL Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz. Nuxhall anticipates the event, which raises money for the facility’s operations, will sell out.

Joe Nuxhall Miracle League Fields is located at 4850 Groh Lane, Fairfield, OH 45014. For more information, call 513.829.6899 or visit nuxhallmiracleleague.org.

Photo by Wes Battoclette

Lighthouse Youth Services

Lighthouse Youth Services is committed to ending youth homelessness in the Cincinnati community by 2020. The goal of the project is to create a seamless system of care to support the unique needs of youth and young adults experiencing homelessness.

 At the center of this concept is a multipurpose facility currently under construction in Walnut Hills where youth can learn the skills they need to become stable and live independently. The $20 million capital campaign to fund the project is almost complete.

"We’re working to reach our fundraising goal soon," says Lauren Frooman, Lighthouse assistant development director. "Our two annual events support this initiative, and we’re so proud to have Mercedes-Benz of Cincinnati among our supporters." 

Approximately 250 guests enjoyed Lighthouse’s Fall Event – Fashion, Food, Friends and Fun – at the Indian Hill home of Peggy and Gary Johns on Sept. 29. The Lighthouse Beacon of Light Humanitarian Awards Gala will be April 29, 2017, at the Hyatt Regency. Lighthouse will honor  retiring CEO and President Bob Mecum for his 40 years of continuous service to Lighthouse and the local community. 

"I’m grateful for the community’s support over the last 40 years," says Mecum. "The agency has been preparing for a leadership transition for the past three years and it’s time now for me to pass the helm to a new generation. New Lighthouse CEO and President Paul Haffner is committed to our mission to advance the dignity and well-being of children, youth and families in need." 

Mecum has served as Chief Executive Officer of Lighthouse Youth Services since 1978. Under his leadership, Lighthouse has grown from an agency serving 16 youth on a daily basis in two residential programs to a multi-service organization serving children, youth and families statewide. Lighthouse has pioneered the development of many services for youth and families, and has received national recognition for its work in the areas of runaway and homeless youth, juvenile corrections, independent living and foster care.

Past Beacon of Light Humanitarian Award honorees include Shakila Ahmad, Dr. Alvin and Jean Crawford, and Dr. Gary Zola.

Lighthouse Youth Services is located at 401 East McMillan Street Cincinnati, OH 45206. For more information, call 513.221.3350 or visit www.lys.org.

Photo by Wes Battoclette

May We Help?

Designing, creating and delivering unique custom solutions for individuals with special needs is the mission of May We Help.

More than 100 handymen, artists, electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, programmers, techies, gear-heads, students, designers, fabricators, car enthusiasts, problem solvers and friends regularly volunteer their time and talents to ensure that mission is fulfilled.

The local non-profit organization leaves a smile and a legacy with each project delivered. A sensory chair that helps an 8-year-old with autism settle and focus, distraction free. A modified tricycle that assists a 7-year-old with delayed fine and gross motor skills make it up small hills. A custom-made handlebar that gives a 40-year-old father with limb differences on each arm the ability to ride bikes with his children. These are just a few examples of the more than 400 smiles delivered since the Cincinnati chapter began in 2009.

"We are leading the way in our effort to expand our mission outside of Cincinnati," says Terry McManus, executive director, who says there is a chapter in Columbus and one developing in Grand Rapids, Michigan. "We are always looking for volunteers. We’re growing, and we will do more projects than ever."

Volunteers and partner organizations are recognized annually at the Legendary Leadership Dinner. This year’s special recognition goes to St. Xavier High School for designing a modified walker for a sight-impaired individual.

May We Help Cincinnati Chapter is located at 7501 Wooster Pike, Cincinnati, OH 45227. For more information, call 513.340.8102, email workshop@maywehelp.org or visit maywehelp.org.

Photo by Wes Battoclette

One Way Farm Children’s Home

One Way Farm Children’s Home helps troubled children replace bad memories with good and realize possibilities for the future.

The facility, a state-certified non-profit organization located in Fairfield, has been dedicated to caring for abused, abandoned and neglected youth and children with physical and developmental disabilities since 1976. Under the patient, compassionate direction of founder Barbara Condo, One Way Farm helps mend the minds, bodies and spirits of children, ages 6 to 18, and to age 21 for the developmentally disabled, while offering the following services:

• Temporary/emergency housing 

• Long-term independent housing

• Placement of children by the juvenile courts, Job and Family

Services, and other agencies

• An alternative to institutionalization for mildly troubled, developmentally disabled and physically challenged children

• Animal education therapy and other therapeutic programs

Condo, a woman of faith who overcame struggles and abuse that occurred during her own childhood, relates to the children who come to One Way Farm in need of a secure, warm, loving environment. 

Condo has five children of her own, she says, but always found room for one more. In fact, One Way Farm has served as a home for more than 10,000 homeless children in need of a safety net for the last 40 years. Their upcoming November Gala will celebrate and recognize One Way Farm’s four decades of service to the local community.

One Way Farm Children’s Home is located at 6131 River Road, P.O. Box 18637, Fairfield, OH 45018. For more information, call 513.829.FARM or 513.829.LOVE, email administration@OneWayFarm.org or visit www.OneWayFarm.org.