Scouting for a Cause in Cincinnati

When you buy from a small, locally-owned business, you’re doing much more than shopping. You’re helping to build a community. It’s an investment you’re making in a relationship. You’re more than a statistic, a metric, or a sale. You’ll actually get to know the person you are buying from and we just bet that you’ll get amazing customer service in return. Not only does supporting local businesses help support the local economy, but it helps support the local community too. Many times, small businesses in The Scout Guide make regular investments in worthwhile nonprofit organizations within our city. If you regularly do business with any of the companies in The Scout Guide Cincinnati, that means you’re investing in meaningful philanthropies as well.

We’ve asked The Scout Guide business owners and all of you to nominate your favorite Cincinnati-area nonprofit organizations and we love hearing all about the great giving that is going on in our city. We’d venture to say that Cincinnati is filled with people with big hearts. That’s why we’re so proud to be featuring the following nonprofit organizations in Volume 7 of The Scout Guide Cincinnati.

The Aruna Project

Aruna is an impact driven athleisure brand. Through their products and events you can bring lifelong freedom to victims of human trafficking while celebrating freedom in your own adventure. By providing empowerment through employment, the Aruna Project creates lifelong freedom marked by holistic care for victims of human trafficking. Their products are crafted in freedom by skilled Artisans who are finding their voice, experiencing independence and growing with a sisterhood of others who have overcome.

Boys & Girls Club of Greater Cincinnati

The Boys and Girls Club of Greater Cincinnati is changing lives and building great futures for kids who need a safe and positive place to spend the most vulnerable times of the day—immediately after school and at night, when supervision is often lacking and temptations are great.

Our doors are open to the community’s youth, who are invited in to enrich their lives with Club membership, exceptional staff and volunteers, high-quality services and innovative programs, all at no cost. Every day, all of our kids do the things in this “home away from home” that will ultimately make a difference in their lives.

The Book Bus

Founder and former teacher Melanie Moore sells books that she handselects from her 1962 Volkswagen pickup truck. She loves meeting fellow booklovers, talking all things books, and is certain that on her four wheels, she truly has something for every reader. Her passion, though is getting books into the hands of kids who need it most. Profits from The Book Bus buys children’s books for schools in low-income areas to help build classroom libraries to give students the opportunity to experience the joy of reading.

Cincy Drag Brunch

Keep your eye on the calendar for next year’s Wigs & Waffles, the Cincy Drag Brunch fundraiser that supports Lighthouse Youth & Family Services programs aimed to help the LGBTQ+ community. Lighthouse works to prevent and end homelessness amongst LGBTQ+ youth in Hamilton County by implementing strategies to make sure every LGBTQ+ youth has the housing, resources, and connections needed to thrive.

Dress for Success Cincinnati

Transforming lives for 20 years, Dress for Success Cincinnati empowers women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and development tools
to help them thrive in work and in life. You can make a financial donation, volunteer, or donate clothes to help make a difference.

Freestore Foodbank

Freestore Foodbank’s mission is to improve lives by eliminating hunger in partnership with our community, and our vision is to create a hunger-free, healthy, and thriving community. This organization works to provide nutritious food, connect to support services and offer a pathway from crisis to stability. With every dollar donated, Freestore Foodbank is able to help provide three meals to hungry children and families in the tristate area. 94% of donations, including both in-kind and monetary, go directly to programs and services.

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Cincinnati

With the vision of a work where everyone has a decent place to live, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities, and, most importantly, hope. Habitat for Humanity of Greater Cincinnati. seeks to eliminate substandard housing locally and globally by building and renovating decent, affordable homes to sell to low-income first-time homebuyers.

Since 1986, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Cincinnati has built, renovated, or repaired more than 650 homes throughout a 9-county, 3-state region (Hamilton, Butler, Clermont and Warren in Ohio; Boone, Campbell and Kenton in Kentucky; and Dearborn and Ohio in Indiana). We have also supported to building 1000+ homes globally in Armenia, Cambodia, El Salvador, and Kenya.

Habitat is dedicated both locally and globally to construct, rehabilitate and preserve homes; advocate for fair and just housing policies; and provide training and access to resources to help families improve their shelter conditions.

JDRF Southern & Central Ohio

JDRF is the world’s largest nonprofit funder of type 1 diabetes research and is leading the fight against type 1 diabetes (T1D). JDRF funds research, advocates for policies that accelerate access to new therapies, and provides a support network for millions of people around the world impacted by T1D. JDRF collaborates with a wide spectrum of partners and is the only organization with the scientific resources, regulatory influence, and a working plan to bring life-changing therapies from the lab to the T1D community. JDRF is the organization that will turn #TypeOneIntoTypeNone.

Junior League of Greater Cincinnati

The Junior League of Cincinnati is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. The JLC has over 95 years of history within the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky communities. During that time, the JLC has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars and volunteer hours to start-up and established non-profits.

Karen Wellington Foundation

The Karen Wellington Foundation puts FUN on the calendars of women and families LIVING with breast cancer by sending them on special vacations, relaxing spa days, concerts and other FUN-ONLY activities. Since 2007 their recipients have traded in chemo chairs and canceled plans for sunrise hikes and hot air balloon rides. Whether they are enjoying a relaxing spa day with friends or skydiving in their hometown, over 1,000 recipients have said “YES” to KWF.

Kenzie’s Closet

Kenzie’s Closet provides prom attire for young ladies attending accredited high schools in the Tri-State area. Services are provided at no cost to Juniors and Seniors with current financial need. When Brynne Coletti discovered that her daughter’s classmate was not attending prom because of the expense, she anonymously helped through the high school. The need quickly became evident that more young ladies could benefit with this type of assistance. Focusing on the goal of helping these young ladies, she started collecting dresses and prom attire. She incorporated Kenzie’s Closet as a non-profit organization in December 2006. Brynne developed a program that believes ‘it is more than a dress’. She crafted an experience that allows these young ladies to shop in a boutique that is every girls dream, staffed with volunteer Personal Shoppers to assist in selecting the right dress. Since that time, Kenzie’s closet has dressed nearly 5,000 young ladies for their proms.

Kindervelt

Kindervelt is an organization composed of neighborhood or other common-interest groups joined together by a central, city-wide board of trustees. It is the largest auxiliary of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) and is recognized as one of Greater Cincinnati’s outstanding volunteer organizations. Kindervelt is dedicated to raising funds for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.  We believe in creating an environment that provides a foundation for building friendships and productive relationships within the organization and throughout the community.  Kindervelt is an opportunity for individuals to come together and make a difference in the lives of children.

La Soupe

The La Soupe mission is to Rescue – Transform – Share. Each week, La Soupe is rescuing over 20,000 pounds of perishables and sharing approximately 15,000 servings created at La Soupe and another 15,000 through our partner restaurants as a part of the Community Kitchen program. These meals are shared with over 100 partner agencies across Cincinnati.

Lachey Arts

Lachey Arts is a 501c3 non-profit organization focused on using the arts to build a diverse community of young artists, empowering the creative spirit and giving the confidence and tools to change the world.

Lighthouse Youth & Family Services

Since 1969, Lighthouse Youth & Family Services has been working to help young people achieve more than they thought possible. Serving ages 0-24, Lighthouse offers shelter, youth housing, mental and behavioral health services, juvenile justice and residential treatment services, and foster care and adoption. Committed to meeting our community’s changing needs, Lighthouse provides effective, inclusive, and compassionate care when and where it’s needed.

Matthew 25: Ministries

Matthew 25: Ministries is an international humanitarian aid and disaster relief organization helping the poorest of the poor and disaster victims locally, regionally, nationally and internationally regardless of race, creed or political persuasion. By rescuing and reusing products from major corporations and manufacturers, Matthew 25: Ministries provides basic necessities, nutritional supplements, educational materials, micro-enterprise supplies and disaster relief across the US and worldwide.

The people helped by Matthew 25 are not receiving a handout, but a helping hand. It is only when a person’s most basic needs are met that one can become self-reliant. Because of this belief, Matthew 25: Ministries has always placed an emphasis on education, job creation and providing aid to children. Matthew 25: Ministries is a federally recognized 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.

Mayfield Education & Research Foundation

Founded in 1978, the Mayfield Education & Research Foundation exists to advance educational and research efforts in the neurosciences. The original cohort of donors to the Foundation include Mayfield physicians, residents, nurses and other administrative staff.

The mission of the Mayfield Education & Research Foundation is to advance the care of patients with brain and spine disorders through leading-edge education and research.

Mission2Move

A chronic stress prevention program, Mission2Move helps schools improve the social and emotional behavior of children through movement and mindfulness. Their mission is to improve academic performance and social emotional behavior of children with their movement and mindfulness programs. They build resilience in students by equipping them with coping strategies and work with teachers to help them
teach kids how to move and be mindful.

Most Valuable Kids (MVK) of Greater Cincinnati

Most Valuable Kids (MVK) of Greater Cincinnati was founded in 2005 to provide at-risk kids with event tickets to reward and motivate them to overcome significant life challenges. MVK works to enhance the self-esteem, academic achievement, and social development of under-served kids through opportunities to attend sporting events, cultural arts and unique experiences. MVK has built a network of community sponsors, business leaders and individuals that allows them to go beyond simply providing tickets. Together, they provide these deserving kids with experiences that have the potential to change their view of their world, their future and themselves.

New Life Furniture Bank

New Life Furniture Bank partners with local social service agencies to provide full house furniture to families and individuals overcoming devastating circumstances, so they can start their new life with hope and dignity.

ProKids

ProKids is a nonprofit agency that provides outstanding volunteer advocacy for abused and neglected children in Hamilton County, who — through no fault of their own — are in the child protection system. ProKids recruits, trains, and supports CASA Volunteers to provide a powerful voice to these children.

Children assigned to a CASA Volunteer are successful. A national study shows that children with CASA volunteers spend less time in long-term foster care and move less often. A CASA Volunteer is a Court Appointed Special Advocate — a trained volunteer who advocates on behalf of the best interest of a child in the foster care system. A child in foster care has occasional court hearings where important decisions are made regarding the child’s future, including educational and medical needs, visits with family, and, most importantly, where the child will ultimately live.

MORTAR

Throughout our 15-week course, MORTAR helps both existing and aspiring entrepreneurs build a comprehensive business canvas and learn the nuances of business management; The goal being to launch businesses that create jobs and circulate dollars locally. MORTAR doesn’t stop when the program’s over, however! MORTAR alumni will have access to new customers and opportunities for additional funding in addition to a mentorship network of business leaders.

WordPlay

WordPlay is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization helping young people in Cincinnati fulfill their potential through reading, writing & storytelling. WordPlay Cincy’s mission is to create spaces for young people to fulfill their potential by discovering, honoring and sharing their voices. Their free programs for ages 5 – young adult blend the four elements of personal growth, community-building, creative expression and future orientation through project-based learning. They infuse reading, writing and storytelling with the visual and performing arts, where children and teens uncover their unique personal narratives, activate their strengths, and determine how they want to contribute to a more just, inclusive and creatively connected community. 

When it comes to good people doing good work here in Cincinnati, this list is just the tip of the iceberg. And there are so many ways you can help support the work these organizations are doing. Give them a follow on Instagram. Attend their events. Consider a donation. Tell your friends about them. And support the businesses that sponsor them. Is there a nonprofit we should know about? A philanthropic event we should not miss? Tell us about it. We can’t wait to hear from you about all the great things happening in our city.