Feast of Love Ministries has added a new ministry called "Choices"--school assemblies aimed at helping young people. "There is a war raging right here in the tri-state for the hearts, minds, and lives of young people," says FOL founder Karen Lane. "The pressure placed on them by the media and friends to experience drugs and sex is beyond anything many of us can imagine." Choices assemblies are frank discussions of tough issues.

One of the presenters is an undercover agent who works catching drug dealers and removing young children from meth labs. Another is a former professional football player who, growing up in Chicago, belonged to a gang. Attendance at a Choices assembly requires permission from parents, but has been enthusiastically received by school officials and by students facing tough decisions.

Now in its twentieth year, Feast of Love began as a way to "demonstrate Christ's compassionate love by being a bridge between those who need to give and those who need to receive... for the Glory of God." There are now seven FOL ministries, all operated by volunteers and funded by donors. In addition to Choices, they are:

• Feast of Love (free, hot dinners on Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving Sunday, and Christmas Day)
• Find a Need and Fill It (donations of household supplies to people with specific needs for them)
• Tools for Schools (collects school supplies for grade school children)
• Operation Baby Formula (collects formula and diapers for infants)
• Operation Cool Down (distributes air conditioners and fans)
• Operation Heat Up (distributes coats, blankets, and heaters)
• Camp S'more (overnight summer camp for low- income children)

Feast of Love Ministries is an ecumenical ministry of the College Hill Presbyterian Church (CHPC), St. Clare Roman Catholic Church and the Evangelical Community Church, with space provided by CHPC. For information about funding Choices or about volunteering or contributing to any FOL ministry please contact the sponsoring churches or call Feast of Love Ministries at 541-5676, ext. 167.

Samantha Gerwe-Perkins is pleased to invite everyone to an evening at the Theatre with Aiken's Drama Club. The Club presents "The Haunted High School" by Orville Snapp on November 18 and 19 at 7 pm in the main auditorium on the Aiken High School Campus.

The Haunted High School is a three act mystery set in the 1950's. At Falcon High School, it's a tradition to celebrate "Youth Day" when students and teachers exchange roles. Just before the play's beginning, the principal succumbs in an automobile accident and a student is poisoned. Two other unexplainable accidents occur and there are strange happenings in the school. A detective’s bungling efforts only produce fiascos. The school board is about to close down the school but they don’t reckon on the students who resolve to do everything possible to keep their school open and restore law and order.

Ms. Gerwe-Perkins says, “This is the Aiken Drama Club's fourth play in the past two years. We've been working very hard to build a successful drama program here at Aiken. Please come and support these wonderful students!”

Tickets are $2 for students and $5 for adults, available at the door.

Find out what you need to know about Medicare Plan D Thursday, November 17, from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. There will be a licensed enroller in the store that day to answer your questions and help with your enrollment.

Visconti-Lechler Pharmacy's "Seniors' Day" will feature refreshments, free gift items, hourly drawings and a 10% discount for seniors only on over-the- counter items and Hallmark Cards & Gifts.

Three local authors will be on hand to discuss their books and autograph copies: Gail Finke (College Hill), Christine Mersch (Delhi: Cincinnati's Westside) and Betty Ann Smiddy (Cincinnati's Golden Age, a new book of Cincinnati photographs taken by artist Frank Wilmes during the time period of 1880-1920).

For more information, contact Rhonda or Ralph at 513-541-0975.

McAuley High School hosts its annual Open House on Sunday, November 20, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. All sixth, seventh and eighth grade girls and their parents are most cordially invited to attend. Our faculty, administration, and students are anxious to meet you and answer your questions. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about this unique high school for girls.

Student ambassadors will give tours to families; self- guided tours will be offered as well. Faculty and administration will be available to answer any questions.

For more information, please contact Kathy Dietrich at 681-1800 x 2272.

The College Hill Recreation Center is hosting the annual Christmas Bazaar on Saturday Dec. 3 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Bring your family for a visit with Santa, and stay to shop for holiday home decor, candles, soaps, trees, poinsettia, luminary kits and much more.

Imagine all the holiday shopping you’ll complete right in your own neighborhood!

If you have any questions please call Rick or Katie at 513-591-3555.

At its regular November meeting the College Hill Summit renewed its mission and vision statements to better express what it is and how it works for the community. Here’s what was approved:

“The Summit is a diverse gathering of community organizations dedicated to make College Hill a better place to live and work. We do this by working together to share information, to collaborate on community issues and problems that affect us all and coordinate resolution of these issues, and to interact as a cohesive, unified group with those outside of College Hill.

“We hold each other accountable to the following commitments:

• Honest and open information sharing.
• Active listening to ensure effective problem solving.
• Willingness to hear new ideas.
• Commitment to energizing our volunteer base for the greater good of our community.”

The Summit was formed about two years ago to help the various College Hill organizations coordinate their activities and speak with one voice. It meets on the second Thursday of every month at 8:00 am. If you’d like to attend a meeting, please contact one of the facilitators, Ron Cowgill ( rcowgill@cinci.rr.com) or Valerie Hershberger ( vlhershberger@cinci.rr.com) or at (513) 541-5676.

Jenny Braun reminds us that the 22nd annual Gingerbread Shoppe is fast approaching. Since 1984, the Three C’s Nursery School has sponsored Gingerbread Shoppe, an event that includes over 80 crafters and their beautiful handmade items for sale. Together with a bake sale, gourmet luncheon, complimentary cup of wassail and door prizes, the Gingerbread Shoppe is truly a great way to kick off the holiday season. Most importantly, all of the proceeds from this family friendly event go to the Three C’s Scholarship Fund, which provides tuition assistance for families in need.

This year’s Gingerbread Shoppe is Saturday, November 19 from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm at the College Hill Presbyterian Church. Call Jenny Braun for more information at (513) 541- 8534.

Llanfair Retirement Community will be hosting an information session about the new prescription drug coverage under Medicare. Catherine Barrett, a representative from Skilled Care Pharmacy, will discuss the Ohio plan. Come join us, on Thursday, December 1 at 1:30 p.m. to learn about Medicare Part D.

Please RSVP to 681-4230 by Friday, November 18. Hope to see you there!

Police dogs from all over the Tristate came to the College Hill Pet Clinic recently for a free checkup by the area's top specialists in dog teeth, skin, eyes and bones. The dogs get regular veterinary care, but the Cincinnati Veterinary Medical Association puts on the annual Canine Corps Health Fair to provide extra screenings as a public service for the dogs that search for people, guns and drugs.

“Yes, we’re staying.” That’s our answer when we’re asked by neighbors who stop by to see what’s happening at the former “blight-of-the-week” at 5699 Belmont, “Are you going to live here or are you just fixing it up to sell?” Sarah Mann would like to assure everyone that they aren’t going to "flip" their 1916 diamond-in-the-rough—that it will be their home for a long time to come.

Sarah goes on, “We got engaged over Christmas 2004. I lived in Price Hill; Greg (Wolf) lived in Indianapolis; so we weren’t quite sure where we would wind up living. The house at 5699 Belmont decided for us.

"I didn’t think much of the house when Greg sent me the listing from the realtor.com page. The price was low for a four-bedroom, so I figured it must be in a bad area. On the contrary, as most College Hill residents know, Belmont is probably one of the most beautiful streets in Cincinnati. We went and looked at it on a cold day in April and found out why it was so cheap—it was trashed. However, despite the fallen tree, the Petri-dish swimming pool, the broken windows, the scarred and sagging floors, the peeling wallpaper, the heaps and heaps of garbage and debris, and the general neglect we were able to see a charming, historic, three-story brick home with a balcony and solarium, cherry banister, large fireplaces, slate roof, and beautiful wooded lot. By the end of April, the house was ours.

"Three dumpsters, many gallons of paint and tubes of caulk and a whole lot of sanding later, the third floor is just about finished. The windows and doors have all been repaired or secured and the house is beginning to show its beauty. In the attic, under layers of filthy 1958 era linoleum and plywood, we found wide pine floorboards that had been barely touched probably since they were laid in 1916—or perhaps in 1923, as we found almost an entire Cincinnati Enquirer dated Christmas Eve, 1923, stuffed back in the eaves. (We also found drug paraphernalia, quite the selection of bullets and “literature” on topics such as “growing your own marijuana” –certainly left much later than the 1923 newspaper!)

"Greg and I have been very touched by all our College Hill neighbors, many of whom have dropped by to check on us as we work and to express their encouragement in saving this house. Some have been able to offer descriptions of what it looked like 20 or 30 years ago. If anyone has any old photographs—exterior or interior—we would LOVE to have them. We even had a visit from a relative of the original owner of the house (Frank Bowman, a City of Cincinnati Solicitor in the early 1900s, lawyer, and son of Sarah Henshaw of the College Hill Henshaws). So, if you’re in the area—stop by and say hello! Oh, and maybe bring a shop vac."

Solarium "before" and "after."

Risa Jaroslow & Dancers from New York City merge performance and community building, using dance to forge connections between people. Widely praised for daring physicality and edgy social commentary, Jaroslow creates work that appeals to a wide range of audiences.“Whole Sky” is the title of the evening length work that the company will present at the Jarson-Kaplan Theatre on Friday and Saturday, November 18 & 19 at 8:30 pm.

Risa’s lush choreography and stunning visual landscapes are alive with compassion and humor. She examines questions at the core of human experience, weaving the answers through choreography that is strong, earthy and yet soaringly transcendent, while completely rooted in the everyday.

These performances are presented in partnership with the National Performance Network.