L.I.M.A.: It Begins

Little-ones In Media and Arts is getting underway!

We will hold our first classes Friday, February 24th at 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. and every subsequent Friday at the same time. Currently, we want to focus on 5th through 8th grade, but as we grow and develop, we plan to expand our curriculum.

As of right now, we have artists and musicians from the community volunteering their talents for guitar, contemporary dance, and creative writing. We are working on securing a vocal instructor, but still have a need for photography and illustrating. But don't let that deter you if you are a local artist and want to help make your community more beautiful; we want you.

And if your student has knack or a skill they want to develop, please contact us and let us know. We will work at securing a volunteer for that need.

As of right now, because we have not found a separate space for this program, we will be holding all classes at New Life Christian Ministries until further notice. However, we are actively seeking a space that will meet our needs and that we can call our own.

L.I.M.A. is a program that our community is in dire need of, so get excited!

I'll leave you with the wisdom of Psalm 127: As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.

Our New Page

We now have a new calender page. We've utilized Google calender to keep the community updated on the times and locations of all the services we offer. If you see an event that interests you, then click the link for more information. You can even copy it to your Google calender with the click of a button. To visit the calender look for the CALENDER OF EVENTS tab at the top of the page or just follow this link.

BABY Project and Other News

Don't forget that our BABY Project is meeting tomorrow in the basement of New Life Christian Ministries. If you or mother you know has young children and is in need have them contact Lulu Fields at LFields@connectedhands.org or by phone at (567) 712-2298.

There will be life and parenting skills taught, a guest speaker, and food and refreshments. We hope to see you there.

The LIMA Project Wants You!

We are getting geared up for the LIMA  (Little-ones In Media & Arts) Project right now and are currently looking for artists in the community to volunteer some of their time  about an hour a week. Already, we have teachers lined up for guitar, piano, creative writing, dance (hip-hop, jazz & ballet) as well as some pledges for used guitars for the children to use, but we are still looking for voice and photography instructors and comic book artists. We will, however, definitely be open to suggestions if you're passionate about an art-form and would want to make in impact in a child's life.

Remember, the LIMA Project is open to children from 5th to 8th grade  though we are looking into expanding the eligibility age  and is completely free of charge to them and their families. We're planning to start sessions at the end of February on Friday afternoons.

If you would like more information for your student or if you want to make an investment in the future of your community, email me at dkellermeyer@connectedhands.org.

B.A.B.Y. Project @ Lima West Apartments

The BABY Project will now also be meeting at the community room of the Lima West Apartments every Tuesday from 5 P.M. to 6 P.M. This will not affect the regular Thursday meetings in the basement of New Life Christian Ministries.

The meetings and services provided by BABY Project are free and open to the public. Come join us for snacks and refreshments and stay for the parenting & life skills courses and free infant supplies.

If you have any questions contact the BABY Project's program director, Lula Fields at lfields@connectedhands.org or by phone at (567) 712-2298.

Dr. John Carlos @ ONU

I'll be there. Will you? You should.

I've heard Dr. John Carlos in an interview featured on Smiley and West's radio show. If you want the real, not to mention riveting, truth, then be at ONU's English Chapel, Thursday January 19th at 7:00 p.m.

For more info, follow this link:
Activist and Olympic standout to commemorate MLK Day at ONU | Ohio Northern University

Somebody Told a Lie One Day: Dr. MLK, Jr Day

Preach, preacher!

L.I.M.A.

According to the CDC’s 2010 report on understanding youth violence, about 16 young people are murdered every day and about 32% of high school students reported being in a physical fight within the last 12 months.¹ However, these numbers do not just reflect a national problem. The city of Lima has a violent crime rate that exceeds those of most major Ohio urban centers, including Columbus, Toledo, Dayton, and Cincinnati. Our violent crime rate even outpaces New York City’s.² Connected Hands Helping Others’ program, Little-ones Impacted by Media & Arts (LIMA), looks to address these trends by engaging the youth of the community, offering them free access to the arts. LIMA operates under two guiding principles: that anyone can engage and excel in the arts and that the arts offer alternate, non-violent forms of self-expression. Our curriculum encompasses a broad range of arts and fine arts, including but not limited to sculpting, painting, photography, creative writing, drama, music, and dance. Our leaders and facilitators represent the community's vibrant and continually growing art culture.

Check out what other artists, like Eddy Van Halen and Yo Yo Ma, are doing for their communities to further the arts. And check back soon with CHHO for dates and availability for our free arts programs. Or send us an email if you're interested in giving your student an opportunity to make a positive impact on not just their own life but in their community as well.

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1 The Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Understanding Youth Violence: Fact Sheet 2010.

2 The Federal Bureau of Investigation. 2009 Violent Crime Rates. Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics.

Lupus Education and Awareness

One of the services CHHO offers to the community focuses on educating and empowering not just sufferers of Lupus and their loved ones, but the community as well. Lupus–a chronic autoimmune disorder that can affect all areas of the body, including the skin, joints, kidneys, lungs, and heart–is most common in African-American females.

To educate our community we hold meetings a 1 p.m. on the 2nd Thursday of every month. These meetings have guest speakers along with the following:

• Education about Lupus
• Screenings for Lupus
• One or more Optimal Health Groups for Lupus sufferers and their caregivers
• Trained nursing personnel to help Lupus sufferers implement health strategies and navigate the health-care system

January's meeting will be held Thursday, Jan. 12 @ 1:00 p.m. at the Lima Towers.

Services are confidential and without charge and funded by The Ohio Commission on Minority Health.

For more information email us at connectedhandshelpingothers@gmail.com or call (567) 712-2298.

LIMA: Lost in Middle America, Part 2

Last Friday's post featured the first half of the PBS documentary Lima: Lost in Middle America (and What Happened Next), which chronicled the "rise and fall" of our community.

Despite the turmoil and obstacles depicted in the documentary, it is important to realize that Lima is a microcosm of our country. Yes, we are suffering economic hardship. Yes, you can see this in the homes left derelict and in disrepair. But we are also a vibrant and resilient people. So, how do we make this known?

We need to re-instill in ourselves a pride in our community, in our neighborhoods, in each other. This pride is not the pride that that Proverbs says to hate (8:13), but the type used in Psalms when It says, "We put pride in the name of Lord our God" (HCSB 20:7). This type of pride is a trust--a trust in God, a trust in our community, in our neighborhoods and in each other. If we each take pride in not only, our homes--and not just their outward appearances--but in the homes of our neighbors, then we make others think twice about destroying or debasing our community. We encourage others to come and build up. We make the foundation for a greater Lima. We make it so Lima can be found in Middle America.

Following is the conclusion to the PBS documentary, but it is only the prologue for Lima's story. What happens next is up to its citizens.

Lima: Lost in Middle America

This is the title of a poignant PBS documentary by the Emmy Award winning producer, David Crouse, who grew up in Lima. The doc is also narrated by the great Hal Holbrook, who is not only from Ohio, but just recently visited our community, performing his long running one man show, Mark Twain.

Lost in Middle America follows Lima from its birth and boom through its bust and subsequent decline. Airing in 1999, Craig's documentary paints a pretty fair portrait of Lima up until that time, but it's interesting to see how Lima has changed in the more than 10 years since the PBS episode aired.

Our community has lost over 3% of its population since 2000, exceeding the rate of Ohio as a whole. In fact, Lima's current population is only slightly higher than its 1910 population of aprox. 35,000. Not only that but out of the 2000+  locally owned businesses in our community, the census bureau has classified the amount of minority owned business as fewer than 100 or has suppressed the data.

Here are parts 1 and 2 of the documentary. Stay tuned for the conclusion on Monday.

If you would like to volunteer your knowledge, abilities and time to helping resurrect our community, please contact CHHO at dkellermeyer@connectedhands.org.

Tutor Profile: Adam Shaw

CHHO offers SES tutoring as one of our programs, not only to educate and empower Lima's youth but also to create jobs for the Lima area's underemployed, educated workforce. We pride ourselves in our ability to attract talented and experienced teachers like Adam Shaw.

Mr. S, as his students affectionately refer to him, has a B.A. in
art from Bluffton University and is licensed by the Ohio Board
of Education to teach K-12. He did his student teaching at Lima
Senior High School and has substituted for the past 3 years in
the Hardin County School District.

With his free time, Mr. S works with oil paints and ceramic
sculpture. In 2008 he won the Sidney Spring Fling art show's
People's Choice Award.

If you wish to inquire about our tutoring services or if you might be interested in making a difference in your community by becoming a tutor for Connected Hands, send us an email at  dkellermeyer@connectedhands.org.

Who We Are

Connected Hands Helping Others (CHHO), founded June of 2009, has a mission to restore positive and productive paths for our at-risk community residents to walk in. Headquartered in the heart of Lima, Ohio, we are committed to enlightening and empowering individuals and families through the creation of education and employment opportunities.

Presently, we offer Lupus education, job readiness training, after school tutoring, and the BABY Project.

We are also currently working on a program to offer free access to the arts for at-risk youth.

To inquire about any of our programs send an email to dkellermeyer@connectedhands.org.

Check back regularly for updates.