Keep Cincinnati Beautiful

Keep Cincinnati Beautiful, 1115 Bates Avenue
, Cincinnati OH 45225

Environmental Education Program

The Keep Cincinnati Beautiful Education and Community Engagement (KCBEE) Team is delighted to provide a 6-month progress report on the utilization of the $30,000 grant generously awarded by the Dater Foundation. The primary focus of this grant has been to create new educational programs for elementary and high school students, with an emphasis on cultivating stewardship of public spaces throughout Cincinnati. Participants in these programs received benefits such as: workforce skills development, local placemaking, and networking with community professionals.

Program 1: Cultivating Stewardship
The Cultivating Stewardship program works to bridge the gap between corporate entities and community partners to revitalize public spaces in Cincinnati's top 10 blighted neighborhoods, particularly at South Avondale Elementary School. In July, over 20 volunteers from Fidelity Investments, INC., and 30 teens from the Boys & Girls Club worked together to enhance the school's environment. They mulched the playground, installed an outdoor classroom, and planted a new vegetable and pollinator garden. This initial work laid the foundation for our Weeding Wednesday program (outlined below) and further engagement with SA Elementary students. So much so, that in December we worked with 70 2nd and 3rd graders to expand the pollinator habitat through a seed broadcasting event held during recess. Through placemaking– involving students in the care of the school grounds– we aim to address litter in the Avondale Community. Support from the Dater Foundation supplied the materials needed for these projects. Next steps involve installing educational signage throughout the school grounds, featuring recognition of the Dater Foundation. A secondary aspect of our Cultivating Stewardship program involves creating and distributing educational materials to community centers (libraries, CRCs, etc.) throughout the city, with a focus on those in a top-blight neighborhood. During the CPS winter break, we distributed over 200 hand-made “Cultivating Stewardship Field Guides'' to over 10 of these community centers. Each field guide displayed the Dater Foundation name. Many recipients of these activities expressed interest in continued support, showcasing the need and desire for KCB involvement.

Program 2: Weeding Wednesdays
The Weeding Wednesdays program, developed in partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Cincinnati (BGCGC), has successfully connected after-school program participants with monthly, hands-on volunteering experiences. This initiative not only promotes environmental awareness but also instills a sense of community service and responsibility among the youth. Our current program works primarily with the Avondale Club where students help with greening initiatives and maintenance at South Avondale Elementary School down the street. With the Dater Funding, the Weeding Wednesday participants have installed pollinator habitat, blueberry and holly shrubs, signage, and outdoor learning space. The funding also provided t-shirts, dinner, reflection journals, and retention initiatives (such as a holiday party and gift cards) to participants. At our last Weeding Wednesday, where students participated in a landscape planning activity, one participant claimed that it was the only reason he had elected to come to the after school program that day. Given the success of this program, which featured a 142% participation increase between the first and last events held, we plan to expand this program to the Price Hill BGCGC location in the spring.

Key Achievements:
Monthly engagement of 10+ after-school program participants in outdoor service learning and placemaking initiatives
142% participation increase between September and December events

Program 3: Tree the CRC
The Tree the CRC program has been a resounding success during its first semester. Over 30 high schoolers across the city have been given the unique opportunity to supplement tree canopy and enhance the beauty of Cincinnati Recreation Commission (CRC) sites near their schools, resulting in over 105 hours of experiential learning. These field trips not only contribute to the overall aesthetic appeal of these spaces but also serve as a powerful tool in cultivating a sense of stewardship among the participating students who often socialize and recreate at these sites. Teacher feedback has been extremely positive with groups reporting 100% satisfaction in their events. Words used to describe the TCRC events in feedback surveys include “positive, uplifting, and rewarding.” One survey respondent said that elements he liked best about the program were, “Being outside, learning about trees, moderate amount of physical activity (not too little, not too much).” This quote represents secondary benefits, such as physical activity, provided by the program.

Tree the CRC is continuing to grow with over five school groups (100+ students) interested in hosting events this spring. We are partnering with the Civic Garden Center to offer Tree the CRC events to participants of their Green Teens Challenge program to further demonstrate the power of community and partnerships to students (and enhance networking opportunities). Student transportation has been a big challenge and funding from Dater has helped us to supply transportation to school groups.

Key Achievements:
Conducted 2 field trips to CRC sites, involving more than 30 high school students.
Planted and maintained over 20 trees in Evanston and Walnut Hills
Facilitated conversations on the importance of urban forestry and the impact of green spaces on community well-being.

Overall Impact and Next Steps:
In addition to the ongoing success of the Dater Foundation-funded programs, we are excited to announce our new workforce development initiative with Cincinnati State. This initiative, titled Roots-to-Boots will provide students from historically underserved communities with the opportunity to obtain a landscape technician certificate from Cincinnati State while gaining hands-on experience with Keep Cincinnati Beautiful and our partner organizations. We are actively fundraising for this program and will be launching the applications on January 15th for a Fall 2024 start. As we continue to expand our high school programs, we recognize the potential for these initiatives to serve as valuable marketing opportunities.


Website: http://www.keepcincinnatibeautiful.org
Amount: $30,000
Date: July 2023