Ohio Dominican's Village to Child Hosts 10th Anniversary Fundraiser

February 14, 2005

COLUMBUS, OH - In recognition of the 10th anniversary of Ohio Dominican's Village to Child program, the Advisory Board of Village to Child will host a "Jazz Anniversary Celebration" fundraiser at Long Street Entertainment, on Thursday, March 10, 2005. Participants will enjoy an evening of fun jazz and light hors d'oeuvres with a cash bar.

Long Street Entertainment is located in downtown Columbus at 40 East Long Street. The event will be from 5:30 - 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. Advance tickets can be purchased by calling Village to Child Director Tei Street at 251-4528. All proceeds from this event will benefit the Village to Child Program.

The event is sponsored by Long Street Entertainment, Sodexho and White Castle.

Village to Child is an academic school year program designed to raise the educational achievement of 100 middle and high school students who live in the neighborhoods which surround ODU 's main campus at 1216 Sunbury Road. Village to Child participants come to the campus one to three days per week to participate in programs focused on science, reading, math, the arts, and technology. The students receive tutoring, mentoring, and cultural enrichment through the program. ODU students are recruited to serve as mentors and tutors.

Fifty-two-year-old Annie Fennell, whose three granddaughters are enrolled in the program, said, "Village to Child has been a blessing to me and my granddaughters in more ways than I can even begin to describe. Through the girls' transition when they came to live with me, through my husband's death, and through my cancer treatments, the people in this program showed that every day they are fulfilling the proverb, 'It Takes a Village to Raise a Child.'"

Village to Child's annual operating budget is $105,739, with an investment from the United Way of $66,900. The fundraiser will help offset some of the costs of the program, which was recently cut back in light of funding issues.

The Village to Child Advisory Board includes:

• Chair: Heidi Yoakum, Coordinator, Columbus Youth Commission
• Dionne Blue, Ph.D., Program Officer, Ohio High School Transformation Initiative
• Jackie Calderone, Director of Education, Columbus Association for the Performing Arts (CAPA)
• Kimberly Cocroft, Attorney at Law, Buckingham Doolittle & Burroughs LLP
• Tracey Colson, Columbus Public Middle School Teacher, Medina Middle School
• Chris Corso, Owner, Long Street Clubs and Red Zone Events
• Pam Foster, Vice President of Community Affairs, Fifth Third Bank
• Lisa Ingram, Vice President, Restaurant Operations, White Castle System, INC/li>
• Sr. JoAnn Hohenbrink, O.P., Associate Professor of Education, Ohio Dominican University
• Colon Lewis, Principal, Mifflin Middle School
• Gregory Madison, Financial Accounts Technician, Defense Finance Accounting Systems (DFAS)
• John R. Mascazine, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Education, Ohio Dominican University
• Terina Matthews, Director Student Judicial Affairs, The Ohio State University
• Tracy Passmore, Defense Finance Accounting Systems (DFAS)
• Leslie Sawyer, Director of Access Initiatives at the Ohio Board of Regents