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Difference Makers honored at awards dinner Thursday night at Cincinnati Museum Center

38 nominees recognized, six presented with 2011 Difference Maker Awards

CINCINNATI – Cincinnati Museum Center hosted the fourth annual Difference Maker Awards dinner Thursday evening to honor youth and adults, agencies and organizations who work to better the lives of children. Members of the community submitted nominations and six honorees (one youth, one organization and four adults) were chosen with the help of a judging panel.

“This year we received an amazing response of nominations for those who share Museum Center’s mission to make a difference in the lives of children in our community,” said Douglass McDonald, president and CEO of Cincinnati Museum Center. “Whether it’s by tutoring and mentoring, providing support to children and families challenged by disabilities or overwhelmed by medical complications, educating and supporting adults to raise happy, healthy children or using their own experiences and backgrounds to encourage and build self-esteem – we were proud recognize and celebrate each and every nominee, and are grateful for their work and dedication.”

At the sold out dinner, all nominees were recognized on stage and presented with a certificate; six were presented with 2011 Difference Maker Awards. After dinner, guests were invited to celebrate with cake in Positive Exposure, a new photography exhibit aimed at making a difference by featuring the beauty and humanity of those living with medical disorders while educating the broader community. Posters of the six honorees were also unveiled.

Museum Center is asking the community to help celebrate! Special evening hours in Duke Energy Children’s Museum from 4 to 8 p.m. on Friday, October 21 for just $5 per person are available in honor of our Difference Makers. Join us for Difference Maker related programming and let us know what a Difference Maker looks like to you.

Congratulations to our 2011 Difference Maker honorees!

This year’s youth honoree is:

Beckett Schiaparelli (Mason): Beckett is 10 years old and for the last two years he has been providing birthday party essentials and a gift to kids in second and third grade at Western Row Elementary School who participate in the Backpack Program, which distributes food in backpacks to children so they have something healthy to eat on the weekends. His program is called Beckett’s Birthday Backpack Program.

This year’s organization honoree is:

Josh Cares: An organization dedicated to ensuring that no seriously ill child goes through a hospitalization without the critical support of a familiar face who cares for them when family members cannot be there. They fund professionally trained Child Life Fellows who provide consistent comfort, care and companionship for hospitalized children. Fellows also serve as links between the family and child to nourish their relationship despite their physical separation.

This year’s adult honorees are:

Marquicia Jones (West End): Founder of Q-Kidz Dance-Drill team more than 25 years ago which gives more than 100 girls living in West End public housing the opportunity for creative, artistic and powerful self-expression through dance and drill. Continuing to grow and move forward, Marquicia is currently working with Q-Kidz on musical performances that will create powerful conversations around bullying and acceptance of those from different family and economic backgrounds.

Mike Holmes (Anderson): Assistant basketball coach and role model for the Cincy Swish basketball program, he teaches not only basketball drills but also leadership and life lessons to the young players on the team. In addition to his volunteer work with Cincy Swish, Mike also volunteers with the American Red Cross, the Yellow Ribbon Center, and the United Way of Greater Cincinnati. Mike is also a senior in the Starfire U program, which provides young people with disabilities the opportunity for continued social and personal development after high school.

Etta Hoeh (Covedale): Etta has volunteered in many roles at Ronald McDonald House for more than 15 years, including serving Christmas Eve dinner to the residents with her family. Etta is also a faithful supporter of Everybody Counts, and each year, on their behalf, she speaks with hundreds of students at local schools to foster greater understanding of children with different abilities and illnesses. She and her family have raised more than $600,000 to help families whose children have life threatening illnesses.

Aaron Davis (Mt. Healthy): Coach and former member of the West End Wildcats football team is now a branch manager for PNC bank. He arrives to football practice in his business suit to show his team of boys, ages 5 to 12, a positive black male role model and encourages kids to want more out of life. At practice, he makes time to talk about “life” – he answers tough questions and he asks them, too. He gives as many hugs as he does high fives. Through his dedication and support, Aaron has led the Wildcats through championships and graduations.

About Cincinnati Museum Center
Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal is a nationally recognized institution as well as national historic landmark. Dedicated to sparking community dialogue, insight and inspiration, Museum Center was awarded the 2009 National Medal for Museum and Library Service. Our Union Terminal has been voted the nation’s 45th most important building by the American Institute of Architects. Organizations within Cincinnati Museum Center include the Cincinnati History Museum, Duke Energy Children’s Museum, the Museum of Natural History & Science, the Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX® Theater and the Cincinnati Historical Society Library. Recognized by Forbes Traveler Magazine as the 17th most visited museum in the country, Cincinnati Museum Center welcomes one million plus visitors annually. Cincinnati Museum Center gratefully acknowledges operating and capital support from the taxpayers of Hamilton County and the State of Ohio. For more information, visit www.cincymuseum.org.

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