Please RSVP at officemgr@clermont2020.org or by calling 513-753-9222.

This year's class is made up of the following: Rick Borkowski, TQL; Sharon Cassidy, Clermont Senior Services; Lisa Davis, Clermont County MRDD; Meredith Delaney, United Way of Greater Cincinnati; Pete Gemmer, Mercy Clermont Hospital; Julie Graybill, Clermont Chamber; Ryan Hall, U.C. Clermont; Mike Harp, Duke Energy; Brad Johnston, Thompson & Zimmerman Co. LPA; Chyrl Larbes, KeyBank; Scott Light, Pierce Township Fire Department; Jenny Matthews, Schiff, Kreidler-Shell; Dave McNutt, American Modern Insurance Group; Mary Overberg, Clark, Schaefer, Hackett and Co.; Linda Pilon, Kamphaus, Henning & Hood; Alisa Poe, The Midland Company; Adam Schlosser, Great Oaks; Michael Shumaker, Focused Quality Solutions; Mary Ellen Steele-Pierce, West Clermont Local School District; April Thompson, National City Bank; Brad Toft, Kinker- Eveleigh Insurance; Susan Vilardo, Literacy Council of Clermont & Brown Counties; Cindy White, Clermont County Auditor's Office; Brenda Wilson, Miami Township; and Cory Wright, Union Township.

The team spent two days at Camp Joy where they got to know each other and began developing their teams. Chryl Larbes said, "The best team building I have ever participated in." "The Camp Joy Retreat helped us to further believe in the following - when you change the way you look at things, suddenly the things we look at change", said Ryan Hall. And Jenny Matthews felt that "this experience at Camp Joy, as part of my participation in LEAD Clermont's program, exceeded my expectations. What a great and needed opportunity to learn about my classmates in a most unusual manner, which allowed us to start off our year together as a cohesive unit that otherwise would have taken months to accomplish." Over the next nine months, they will be working in smaller teams to ensure that the class days comprised of economic development, education, health and human services, government and infrastructure and quality of life answer the questions they have in these areas. They will also be working in teams on projects that make enhance Clermont County a better place to live, learn, work and play.

"The Clermont 20/20 Clean and Green Program is excited about the opportunity to offer the Master Recycler Composter Program again. Do you want to learn how to reduce your waste? Conserve natural resources? Make a difference in your community? This program is for you!" exclaims Becky Ploucha, Director of the Clermont 20/20 Clean and Green Program.

Participants of the program are also required to volunteer 25 hours over a two year period in the community. Volunteer time can be accrued by staffing information tables at local events like the Clermont County Fair, implementing recycling at work, volunteering at the Clean and Green Spring Litter Pickup and the Ohio River Sweep or presenting programs at schools, churches or for community groups. The Master Recycler Composter receives a great gift once the volunteer hours are complete!

Cost of the program is $50 for Clermont County residents and $60 for residents outside of Clermont County. Contact Becky Ploucha at 513-753-9222 or cleanandgreen@clermont2020.org to register or if you need additional information regarding the Master Recycler Composter Program.

It's THE HARLEM AMBASSADORS (Show Basketball Team) vs. the Clermont Crushers. See this flyer for more details.

Nancy Hall manages Clermont Educational Opportunities, Clermont 20/20's college access program. "I'm excited about the opportunity to bring these partners into the communities to work with not just the school district personnel but with all of the members of the community to improve and strengthen the educational outcomes and achievements of their high school students and adults. This will be a collaborative effort that will raise the awareness of all of the postsecondary options and services that are available and ultimately increase the number of high school graduates and adults who pursue higher education. What each participating district will end up with is a seamless set of college access services that will truly be built by the community for the community."

"This is great news for both our county and our organization! I appreciate the confidence that the Greater Cincinnati Foundation continues to place in our organization for our ability to administer this grant. It will have a tremendous impact on the pilot school and the community in which the school is located. I am anxious to get started!" stated Becky Ploucha, Coordinator, College Access and Success Partnership. "In addition to the students in the pilot school district being more aware of postsecondary educational opportunities the adults of the community will also be more aware of their options."

Clermont 20/20 has a long history of supporting educational initiatives. In March of 2002, a Shared Vision for Clermont County was unveiled, "Together we will have established an outstanding network that is nationally recognized for the community support that assures lifelong learning." The overall goal is to create an inclusive lifelong learning network that:

• Educates and inspires us as citizens to understand our role in the world and to be responsible for meeting the changing needs of the community and the individual;
• Continuously develops and improves a workforce to meet the employment demands of the community;
• Makes Clermont County a great place to live, learn, and work.

"By providing access to Clermont County students, as well as opportunities for success in higher education, we are creating a strong foundation for a skilled and educated work force, fundamental to the success of our citizenry and progress in our County," added Cindy Jenkins, Executive Director of Clermont 20/20, Inc.

For more information on the college access campuses throughout Clermont County, contact Becky Ploucha at grasp@clermont2020.org or Nancy Hall at ceop@clermont2020.org, or call Clermont 20/20, Inc. at 513-753-9222.

Even if you're lucky enough to know where you want to go to college and what you want to major in while there, you may now be finding yourself drowning in admission forms and financial aid questions and struggling with that dreaded admissions essay. Or, maybe you haven't even started the admission process because you, like many of your classmates, have no idea what you want to be when you grow up so choosing the right college or vocational program seems like an impossible task.

Regardless of where you are in the college-bound process, there is a program in many Clermont County high schools that will help seniors and their parents with all of these overwhelming details. Clermont 20/20's college access program, Clermont Educational Opportunities (C.E.O.), puts college access advisors in each of the high schools that participate in the program. These advisors have a significant background and training in college admissions and financial aid issues and work closely with school guidance counselors who refer students to the advisors quite frequently. Often, the guidance counselors are overwhelmed with proficiency testing requirements, student data reporting, scheduling issues and emotional or disciplinary crises that can occur throughout the day at a high school. What they often don't have the opportunity to spend a lot of time on is the "good stuff" - helping students achieve their dreams of going on to college. That is where Clermont Educational Opportunities and the college access advisors come in. The advisor is able to focus on the individual needs of the students, meeting one- on-one with them and their parents throughout the school year, as well as facilitating College-Bound Evening Workshops in the fall and FAFSA Workshops in January and February for parents and students who need assistance in filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Currently, C.E.O. partners with Amelia, Glen Este, Clermont Northeastern, Goshen, and Williamsburg high schools, as well as Live Oaks Career Center in Milford. Advisors on these campuses work part time during school hours assisting students and working to raise the awareness of all post-secondary options. With 4-year colleges, 2-year colleges, vocational schools, certification programs and apprenticeships all available in our area there are so many options for students to pursue.

Many parents - and you know who you are - are scratching their heads right now thinking it was just yesterday that they sent their child off to kindergarten and now they're about to send that same child off to college. When exactly did this happen?! Now, instead of asking for lunch money, these kids are asking for tuition money! And where is that money going to come from?! This program can help. If your child attends one of the participating high schools listed above, I encourage you to enroll your senior in the Clermont Educational Opportunities college access program. Enrollment is free for all seniors attending the participating high schools. For those who enroll in the program, they will also have the opportunity to apply for a Last Dollar Grant through CEO in the spring. Last year, CEO awarded 12 scholarships to students throughout Clermont County who were enrolled in the program. Enrollment forms are given to all seniors at the beginning of the school year and if you haven't received one, please contact your high school guidance office and ask to speak with the Clermont Educational Opportunities college access advisor. They are ready to help your senior stay on track, find the money they need to make college accessible and achieve the dream of pursuing higher education.

The concept for Franklin Landing grew out of Clermont 20/20 Inc.'s extensive work with numerous Felicity- Franklin community members and is in direct response to the priority concerns of residents, who are troubled by a falling homeownership rates, an outdated housing stock and physical blight. In assessing the feasibility of Franklin Landing, Clermont 20/20 has surveyed the current infrastructure of the community (school capacity, sewer capacity, etc.), data concerning current market conditions, and demographic and other trends impacting the community. Through our assessment we have concluded that there is a market for the development and that current infrastructure capacity exceeds any demand that Franklin Landing may place on it. It is also felt that Franklin Landing will have a positive impact on the community.

Clermont 20/20 Inc. has developed the concept for Franklin Landing and raised funds in order to attract a for-profit partner and help offset the increased risk that they assume in developing in an unproven market. In recognition of their impressive portfolio of projects to date, the local, regional and national attention their developments have received, their commitment to community development and revitalization and their strong connections to Clermont County, Clermont 20/20 Inc. has chosen Potterhill Homes as our development partner. With projects currently underway in Miami Township and in Lebanon, Ohio, Potterhill has expertise to deliver the best product the market can bare.

With an estimated 38 single-family, owner-occupied homes, the total development cost of the project is expected to exceed 5.5 million. While conditions and fluctuations in the market impact the timeline, we expect the Project to be built out in three years. At the end of that period, the Felicity-Franklin area will have a well-designed subdivision developed and built by a highly acclaimed developer / builder. The community will also have 38 new homeowners contributing to the community through their tax contributions, their spending in the local economy and their participation in the social and civic affairs of the community. In many instances, we expect these new homeowners will have grown up in the community, having left after discovering there were inadequate housing choices for their young families only to return to a well- designed community where their investment in a home is one that appreciates.

Hats off to the FINE volunteers who worked all year long to make this annual event a success. A special thanks to Becky Barger, a Felicity/Franklin 2nd grade teacher, who coordinated this event with the school, the educators, the businesses and the organizations!

Clermont 20/20, Inc. has joined forces with NeighborWorks America, Spirit of America National Bank, and the Clermont County Community Planning and Development Department to host a meeting on Friday, October 19, 2007, 8:30 to 10 AM, at the Union Township Civic Center to organize a task force that will develop and implement a public education campaign addressing foreclosures and predatory lending practices. Known as the DON'T BORROW TROUBLE CAMPAIGN, the objective will be to take action to curb and ultimately eliminate predatory lending practices throughout the county; to offer education and counseling to the public about predatory lending; to partner with resources to market predatory lending prevention in targeted cities throughout the state; to increase the number of Clermont County residents that obtain financial counseling; to promote the importance of buying homes consumers can afford, reducing high foreclosure loans and to reverse the attitudes of buyers, homeowners and consumers toward "quick cash"/frivolous use of home equity.

Foreclosures threaten the vitality of our local communities. It works against neighborhood revitalization strategies. Foreclosure leads to vacant houses and conversions to rental properties as investors enter the market. In addition, foreclosures reduce property values near the affected properties and are highly costly to lenders and local governments.

Foreclosures affect all of us. Whether you are a victim, a friend or relative of someone affected, a neighbor or a business, foreclosures have an impact on all of our lives. PLEASE join us on October 19 as we kick off what will ultimately become a tool to stability and success among home owners in our county.

For additional information, feel free to contact India Davis, Spirit of America Bank at 513-575-5349, Mary Werner, Clermont County Community Planning and Development at 513-732-7286 or Sue McKinley, Clermont 20/20, Inc. at 513-753-9222.

Five Rules to Live by to Avoid Being a Whiner

1. Nobody owes you anything.
   If you want it - earn it yourself.
2. You possess the control over your life and success.
   Don't depend on anyone else to help you get there. If, along the road a mentor or some other helpful individual crosses your path, then consider yourself more fortunate than most, and try to pass the benefit on to someone else when you are able.
3. Always concentrate on 'you' not 'them.'
   Obsessing about others won't get you where you want to go.
4. Avoid 'analysis paralysis.'
   Many people fall into the trap of analysis paralysis, over-thinking situations instead of taking action.
5. Enjoy the ride: you have only one life to live.
   Millions of people are unhappy not because of any real condition in their lives that warrants their sadness, but just that they can't allow themselves to enjoy the ride.

1. The lates on "Guerilla Marketing"
2. 15 FOOL-proof Methods
3. Free or close to free Alternatives

Computer Classes at UC Clermont College

Sign up now for Computer Classes at UC Clermont College. Click on this link ( www.ucclermont.edu ) for the courses, meeting days, and times available. Call 513-732-5292 for more information! Classes begin September 19.

Clermont Philharmonic Orchestra - Summer Concert Series - 2007

• Saturday, Sep 15, at 7:00 p.m. - Union Township Civic Center Amphitheater
• Sunday, Sep 16, at 6:00 p.m. - Miami Township Amphitheater at Leming House
• Saturday, Sep 22 at 7:00 p.m. - Batavia Township Civic Center - Clough Pike

League of Women Voters Hold Town Hall Meeting

Have your opinion heard at a Special Town Hall Meeting to encourage citizen discussion on the topics of Polical Accountability and Elections Laws. This meeting is part of a statewide initiative of the League of Women Voters of Ohio to educate Ohioans about the political reform issues and reenergize Ohioans toward civic engagement, regardless of their political viewpoint. The Town Hall Meeting is open to the pubic and free of charge, will be held Tuesday, September 25, 7:00-8:30 p.m. at Receptions Conference Center East. Further information is available at www.lwvclermont.com/events.htm.

Fall Classic at The Oasis

Monday, October 15, 2007: Reserve Your Spot Today Call the Milford Miami Township Chamber of Commerce at 513-831-2411.

Coalition for a Drug Free Clermont County

Red Ribbon Kick-Off is October 18, Union Township Civic Center, 6:30 to 8:30.

Child Focus Training Center Workshop Information

• Cutting & Self Injury, October 9, 2007, 8:30 - 4:00
• Clinical Supervision , October 23, 2007, 8:30 - 4:00