Cincinnati’s Ronald McDonald House provides a “home away from home” for families with seriously ill children receiving treatment at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.  Dater Foundation funding started performance programming in 2003 and continues to help the program grow.  Annually, the House offers families nearly 700 activities to enjoy.  

This special programming not only lifts the spirits of children coping with serious illnesses, but helps their families de-stress so they can better support their children’s healing.  

Grants made in late November:

Assistance League of Greater Cincinnati, $30,000.  Operation School Bell is a back-to-school program that provides school clothes including uniforms, jackets, pants, shirts, underwear, socks and shoes along with hygiene supplies to about 2,500 children in need at 37 area public and parochial schools.

Childhood Food Solutions. $15,000.  Winter Break Food Support is part of  CFS’s year-round supplementary program for food-insecure elementary school students in low income urban areas of Cincinnati.

Cincinnati Arts Association, $10,000.  Artists on Tour brings talented artists-educators directly into schools and youth organizations, enhancing learning with unique programs that vary in culture and art form.  A ticket transportation subsidy fund supports SchoolTime performances for students at the Aronoff Center.

Cincinnati Boychoir, $10,000.  Boychoir members expand musical opportunities for boys in underserved neighborhoods through an in-school Boychoir program and the All-City Boychoir Festival.

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, $50,000. Continuing support for the Hematology/Oncology Research Department’s gene therapy for cancer and inherited blood diseases focusing on brain tumors, Fanconi anemia, and sickle cell anemia. The Foundation has made grants of more than $500,000 in this area since 2000.

Cincinnati Museum Center, $20,000.  The Children’s Museum stimulates children to “learn through play” and serves young people and families with exciting, educational and age-appropriate programming throughout the year.  Support also includes the Learning Through Play conference and registration vouchers for underserved participants.

Cincinnati Nature Center, $50,000.  (Third of three $50,000 grants; $150,000 commitment).  Phase Two of a capital campaign includes establishment of a Center for Conservation and Stewardship, which will provide expanded capacity for habitat and species management on CNC's 1,600 acres of managed lands. The new center will also serve the region by facilitating partnerships, providing education and developing resources to engage, inform and enable people and organizations to become better stewards of the land. 

Josh Cares, $30,000.  Specialists in the Child Life Program provide special attention for infant patients at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center whose family members are unable to be with them due to lack of resources, work or other family obligations.

Outdoor Adventure Clubs of Greater Cincinnati, $10,000.  Clubs at 19 partner schools offer weekend opportunities for camping, rock climbing, skiing, snowboarding, swimming, zip lining and wilderness survival techniques.  There is no charge.

Ronald McDonald House Charities, $12,000.  The Family Performance and Activities Program provides games, arts and crafts, shows and entertainment – many of them held in the Charles H. Dater Performance Theatre -- for guests at Ronald McDonald House.  This grant will provide performer stipends and cover a portion of administrative costs.  

Roundabout Opera for Kids Cincinnati, $15,000.  Roundabout Opera for Kids (ROK) connects eager grade school audiences to opera through high quality outreach programs presented by volunteer student and other performers.  Programs are provided to schools and community centers at no charge. 

The Underground, $10,000.  An after-school program with Winton Woods High School will offer teenage students the opportunity to congregate in a safe space where they can build community, encounter positive adult influences, and develop creative and artistic skills.  The Underground’s goal is to be the preferred place for teens to spend time between home and school.

UpSpring, $15,000.  Formerly Faces Without Places, UpSpring continues the organization’s successful summer education program under the name of UpSpring Summer 360°.  The free, seven-week academic and enrichment program helps homeless children ages 5-12 gain needed math and literacy skills.  

The Dater Foundation makes grants to non-profit organizations in the Greater Cincinnati area to carry out programs that benefit children and focus in the areas of arts/culture, education, healthcare, social services and other community needs. Information about the grantmaking process and guidelines and links to an online grant application website are available at www.DaterFoundation.org.

The private foundation was established by fourth-generation Cincinnatian, businessman and philanthropist Charles Dater (1912-1993) to ensure that his resources would continue to fund worthwhile community programs after his death. The foundation has made more than 2,700 grants totaling over $42 million since its inception in 1985. 

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For additional information regarding this news release, contact Roger Ruhl (513/598-1141).

The Charles H. Dater Foundation, Inc. is located at 602 Main Street, Suite 302, Cincinnati, OH 45202.