By Nancy Bowman

Those behind the Downtown Tipp City Partnership (DTCP) have a lot to be excited about in 2024 including a revamped Community Events Resource Card.

The card already has been distributed via the U.S. mail and is available at downtown businesses.

An events card is not new to the downtown community. This year’s version was revamped by Tasha Weaver, who joined the DTCP last year as executive director. When she sought feedback from the community after starting the job, Weaver said she received a lot of comments about what was called “the refrigerator card” because it was placed by recipients on their refrigerators to serve as a reminder.

She looked at the previous card and decided a larger version would be appropriate, as would the use of space on the card for events versus sponsors, whose information was on the back of the card, facing, at least on the refrigerators, the door and not the recipient.

Instead of seeking out sponsors, Weaver instead applied to the Tipp City Foundation for a grant to pay for this year’s Community Events Resource Card.

The foundation distribution committee liked the idea, approving a $5,588 grant for design and printing of the card that contains a year’s worth of events along with key contact information for those called often. They include the schools, the city, DTCP, the arts council and Tipp Monroe Community Services. A small portion of the grant also will be used by the partnership to pay its website provider to update the online version of the calendar as more events are added and as occurs once in a while, a date change is needed.

Many calls received at the DTCP offices were seeking information not only on downtown activities but contact information for the schools and others, Weaver said.

Merchant Terri Bessler of Midwest Memories agreed saying many who visit the community on weekends would come into the business and ask questions not only about events but also the schools and community in general. “We always consider ourselves a face of the community on weekends. To be able to hand them this (card) that tells them so many things is really valuable,” Bessler said.

The events calendar also is used by merchants in their planning, she said. “It’s valuable to us, too,” Bessler said. Feedback on the Community Events Resource Card has been positive, Weaver said, “Everybody loves it.

"Tipp as a whole is a great community, a great downtown,” Bessler said. “This card really put information in your hands, not just at your fingertips online.”

By Nancy Bowman

Stephen Monath acknowledges that running a school district band program can be costly, but said the Tipp City Exempted Village Schools is fortunate to have support from the band boosters and others including local foundations.

“The performing arts are expensive,” said Monath, district band director. “Support from organizations like the Tipp City Foundation allows us to broaden our horizon and continue to provide a better experience for our students, which translates to a better experience for our audience also. Having high quality, reliable equipment allows for the students to have an increased sense of pride and self-esteem while performing.”  As examples of costs, he said a marching band show can cost $10,000, while one marching band uniform, head to toe, is $580.

Among the most impactful grants received recently (2022) from the foundation was $3,000 to support purchase of a new band trailer, Monath said.

“The old trailer was around 20 years old and was becoming more of a liability than an asset. The trailer, along with a box truck, is used to transport instruments and props to and from games, competitions, parades, concerts and other events. The previous trailer even made trips to New York, Chicago and Orlando,” he said.

Among other grants received from the Tipp City Foundation have been:

• $699 in 2023, to update the high school band room with a harmony director. This is a keyboard that helps make teaching more effective.
• $3,450 and $2,782 grants in 2022 were used to purchase a new xylophone and vibraphone for the high school band program.
• $1,334 in 2022 to purchase new concert band performance folders.
• $4,486 in 2021 to buy a marimba for the high school Indoor Percussion Ensemble.
• $400, in 2021, bought a tarp to protect the gym floor for the Percussion Ensemble in grades seven-12.

The support of parents, the community and foundations is important to the music programs and the students who devote their time to participate, Monath said. Those music programs teach students far more than skills and an appreciation for music, he said.

“At some point, yes, I have to care that they play the right notes and march on the right foot. But at the end of the day, I care more about who they are five to 10 years after they graduate,” he said.

“I care much more, especially now that I have kids of my own, that my students go on to be outstanding productive members of society. Yes, they had to learn the right notes to play...but more importantly, hopefully they learn what notes to live by. “

By Nancy Bowman

Megan Powell hopes the students who elect to take her semester- long ceramics course at Bethel High School “find a mode of artmaking that really speaks to their souls.”

Powell is the creator of the program in its first year of availability for students in grades nine-12.

She came to the Bethel schools in August 2022, previously teaching at Beavercreek High School.

“My hope for this program is to provide my students with a space where they can explore the artistic possibilities of clay and create something lasting and meaningful,” Powell said.

During the semester, the students will learn about traditional hand-building and wheel throwing techniques, she said. “While the students love building structures with their hands, I find they most enjoy the challenge of throwing their own vessels on the wheel.”

The ceramics program is funded with a $3,778 grant Powell sought from the Tipp City Foundation. “Without it, I would not be able to offer this amazing opportunity to my students. With the generous support from the Tipp Foundation, I was able to purchase clay, glazes, tools and a pottery wheel! What an amazing contribution to the Bethel Local School district,” she said.

She was encouraged by the school principal to seek the foundation support.

The grant was made from the Bethel Arts Fund, which was established in 2014 by sisters Barbara Bailey and Sonia Ewald. The fund is a tribute to their parents Emmert and Jane Studebaker.

Powell said art has been in her life since a very young age. She recalled spending summer afternoons at her grandparents where she would scribble with crayons on paper at their kitchen table. In high school, she fell in love with film photography spending countless hours in a darkroom. It was in college where she discovered a love of ceramics.

“I was required to take several ceramics and sculpture classes for my degree and really learned to love the material. There's something so magical about the tangibility of working with the Earth,” she said.

Powell is a graduate of Kettering Fairmont High School and holds degrees in studio art from The Ohio State University and a master of science in education from the University of Dayton. She, her husband and two children live in Dayton.

She said she enjoys teaching at Bethel and leading the ceramics course.

“It is such an honor and privilege to guide the young minds of Bethel High School in their artistic journey and I can't wait to see what fabulous creations that come out of our new ceramics program,” Powell said.

She invited anyone in the community interested in seeing the students’ creations, to attend the annual student art show scheduled for 5-7 p.m. March 7 at Bethel High School.

There are times in life when you realize that some people just seem to be plain lucky. It’s not that they win the lottery every other week, or are recognized for some great feat, but rather that from all appearances, there is just something uniquely special about how things work out for them. Frank Scenna and Heather Bailey seem to fit in that category.

For evidence of that, consider their nuptials. Heather and Frank were married on Friday, October 13, in a surprise wedding at the Willowtree Inn, just west of town. The twist was that the celebration took place at a party they themed "Get Lucky with Frank & Heather," and their party guests were completely unaware that they were actually wedding guests—and that the party would include a marriage ceremony! What a day to truly be remembered, as Heather and Frank remark that it was “one of the very best days of our lives.” There’s just some special luck in that.

With deep roots in the area, Heather’s family goes way back, with parts of her family having resided in the area we now call Tipp City since 1813. And while Frank is a relative newcomer to the area, moving here in 2004, he now also proudly calls this place home. Both desire to make sure that the community and region in which they live continues to grow in a positive direction, as Tipp City long has.

With that desire in mind, Frank and Heather focused on establishing charitable funds. With Heather’s father a tax and estate planner, both Heather and Frank recognized the need to make sure that their efforts would grow not only now, but well past their lifetime. To that end, in 2009 they established the Urban Stewardship Fund to do just that. Used as a long-term estate planning tool, this fund improves buildings in downtown Tipp City.

Thinking back to their wedding when searching for a name, Frank and Heather opened an additional fund called Lucky 13 more recently, in 2019. This fund helps community organizations by allowing Frank and Heather to donate stock into the fund without realizing any capital gains on the appreciation of the stock. This means that the full value of the stock is available for Heather and Frank to provide to charity.

As a donor-advised fund, Frank and Heather are also lucky to be able to direct their charitable support to institutions and groups who share their ideals and passions, from Glen Helen Nature Preserve to Brunner Literacy Center and many others, such as WYSO, the Dayton Art Institute, Ohio’s Hospice, Child Care Choices, Think TV, the League of Women Voters…. The list is endless, with all beneficiaries sharing ideals close to Frank and Heather.

By working with the Tipp City Foundation, everyone—Frank and Heather, charitable organizations, and local residents and the community—prospers, especially when endowments are built to last well into the future. To me, that sounds like a community which is “lucky” to have people like Frank and Heather. And as for Heather and Frank, well, it pays to be lucky.

By Nancy Bowman

It’s no secret that being a parent – biological or in a foster role – can be a challenge.

At Isaiah’s Place foster agency, a new retention and recruitment program introduced during the past year to help deal with challenges appears to be having positive results.

First paid for using a grant offered to agencies by the state, the program focuses on bringing foster families together for fun activities and events. Those activities, in turn, give the foster families an opportunity to talk with those who may be facing similar challenges with the children trusted to their care.

When the state funding ended after one year, Isaiah’s Place looked to those locally who have provided support before, including foundations, said Robby Lybarger, Isaiah’s Place operations director.

The response included a $2,000 grant this summer from the Tipp City Foundation and other grants approved or pending.

“We really saw the value in having these events for our families, so we were seeking support from our local foundations to be able to continue,” Lybarger said.

The families provided “a lot” of positive feedback on the program, he said. “I would say the main thing the families appreciated was having space to get together with other foster families to network, problem solve together.”

Each month, space is rented for activities such as a cookout, pool party or a pizza party. Upcoming activities will include a program through Brukner Nature Center and a holiday event.

“I think it is comfortable for parents to know others there in a similar situation, often where children may have outbursts” or other behaviors, Lybarger said.

“The kids get to run around and have fun and the parents have time to talk” about resources and other solutions, he said. Attendance often is 80 to 100 people including foster parents, foster children and biological children.

Foster parents provide a vital service, Lybarger said. Many left during the pandemic but retention has improved. The national average is around 50 percent of foster parents stopping participation after the first year. Common reasons cited include feeling alone and not having the support network they need.

Isaiah’s Place has 61 licensed homes, most within a one-hour radius and around 60 foster children, according to Lybarger. The parents range in age from their early 20s to their 60s.

The Isaiah’s Place website at www.isaiahsplace.com has details on how to become a foster parent. Those interested also are invited to attend in-person trainings or to stop by the agency office on South Stanfield Road, Troy, weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“Thank you to the foundation. In all areas of our operations, it seems unique to me that in this county we have so many local funders such as the Tipp City Foundation. We have been really blessed to get a lot of support,” Lybarger said.

- Hidden Picture Puzzles by Liz Ball Fund makes first award

Several grants awarded by the Tipp City Foundation in September touched the areas of dexterity and eye-hand coordination. “Requests that involve creative expression are not uncommon, but the specific focus on fine motor skills has been less typical in the foundation’s 80-year history,” said Jim Ranft, president.

One of those dexterity-focused grants supports the Rehabilitation Center for Neurological Development. Located in Piqua, their service area includes Miami and surrounding counties. Their therapeutic approach to brain trauma or mental disability is to retrain neuron pathways. Individually designed, neurology-based exercises, result in improved function for clients.

Ultimately, nine organizations received 10 awards totaling $24,016.40.

The following is a list of recipients, award levels and the impact these grants will make. Any additional support that donor advisors gave through their grantmaking is included.

ARTS & CULTURE

Downtown Tipp City Partnership, $5,588, shouts out upcoming 2024 city-wide community activities through the printing and mailing of event cards to all homes in 45371.  These cards are regularly posted on refrigerators as a reminder of fun things coming up.

Rehabilitation Center for Neurological Development, $614.93, expands the tools available for Body & Brain Integration therapy sessions. Treatment can improve fine and gross motor skills, balance and coordination, speech, and mobility. This is the first award from the Hidden Picture Puzzles by Liz Ball Fund. Additional support came from the Robinson-Walters Family Fund.

Tipp City Exempted Village Schools, $3,624.75, replaces the aging cyclorama in the high school center for performing arts. Also known as a “cyc,” this is the large piece of light-reflecting fabric that hangs at the back of the stage.

Tipp City Exempted Village Schools, $1,000, brings a Warhammer gaming club to the high school by purchasing starter sets. Students build models, paint figurines, develop strategies and build social skills in the club.

Tipp City Public Library, $1,154.18, doubles the number of machines for the monthly teen sewing class. Sewing promotes dexterity, confidence, patience and creativity.

HEALTH & SAFETY

New Creations Counseling Center, Inc., $6,000, assists with counseling and psychological services for those with financial need.

Ohio’s Hospice of Miami County, $1,746.06, aids Hospice House’s patients’ visitors through the purchase of an AED.

RECREATION

Tipp City Parks Department, $788.48, purchases signage for Chamberlain’s Pond. Awarded from the Warren E. Miltenberger Parkland Fund.

SOCIAL SERVICES

Family Abuse Shelter of Miami County, Inc., $2,500, purchases food, paper goods and cleaning supplies needed for sheltering victims of domestic violence and homelessness. Additional support from Robinson-Walters Family Fund advisors rounds out this request for a total of $3,000.

Isaiah’s Place, Inc., $1,000, smooths the transition for children entering foster care through the purchase of Care Bags. Bags include weighted blankets, weighted stuffed animals and sound machines; each can soothe and sustain sleep while calming stress.

Quarterly grant deadlines are February 15, May 15, August 15, and November 15 each year. Jim Ranft is available for your grant-related questions at 937-528-2482. Applications are available online at www.tippfoundation.org.

Members of the Foundation are Heather Bailey, Richard Bender, vice president, Bryan Blake, Mary Bowman, Diana Featherstone, treasurer, Dee Gillis, Joellen Heatherly, Bruce McKenzie, Glen McMurry, Patrick Reese, Jim Ranft, president and distribution chair, Julie Taylor, Jackie Wahl, and Bill Wendel, secretary.

The Tipp City Foundation is a component fund of The Troy Foundation. If you would like information about how to make a tax-deductible contribution or how to establish an endowment fund, please contact Heather Bailey at (937) 528-2482.

For more information visit www.tippfoundation.org or Tipp Foundation on Facebook and Instagram.