Welcome to the eleventh edition of Opportunities, Kicks For Kids’ E-newsletter! With so many exciting events coming up, we want to regularly inform our friends of all that is going on with KFK. We thank you for your continued support and hope that you can take a moment to see what is new with KFK. Remember that you can always visit our website at www.kicksforkids.org for more information. We hope to see you soon at one of our events!

On Monday, December 17th Kicks For Kids hosted its 13th Annual Christmas Celebration. For the second straight year the event was held at Paul Brown Stadium and brought together the joys of the holiday season with the excitement of being in the home of the Bengals. The event gave 50 kids from all over the Tri-state a chance to experience the true joys of Christmas and also some once in a lifetime opportunities that any Bengals fan would envy.   

Click here for the full story and pictures from the Christmas Celebration »»

On Wednesday, December 19th Kicks For Kids (KFK) and Comair took 84 kids on an exciting journey to the 'North Pole'. Children from Northern Kentucky, Greater Cincinnati, and Southeastern Indiana all took part in Operation North Pole... an exciting new event for KFK. The evening began with the children checking in at Comair's headquarters near the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. It would end after a night the kids will remember forever.   

Click here for the full story and pictures from Operation North Pole »»

Insight Communications is a company whose employees are "committed to the towns in which they live and work." As a result, Kicks For Kids was able to positively impact many young lives at its Christmas Celebration this past December; for, on September 20th, 2007, Insight Communications hosted its annual charity golf outing at Hickory Sticks Golf Club -- once again benefiting KFK.

  

Click here for to read more about Insight Communication's golf outing »»

Since 1995 KFK has invested nearly $1.5 million into improving the outlook of the children it serves -- and positively impacted over 40,000 young lives in the process! Just in 2007, through KFK's Career Days, Great Outdoor Adventure, Christmas Celebration, Operation North Pole, Field of Dreams and Inspire Youth programs, Basketball Camp & Bengals' Training Camp Trip, by sending kids to The Lion King, The Nutcracker, Reds and Jungle Kats games, and by introducing children to health/nutrition and art programs, we touched the lives of even more local kids.

The revenue needed to provide these opportunities, thus "leveling the playing field" for area youth, is primarily generated through two first-class events... the RGI River Run and Meijer Celebrity Golf Classic. The RGI River Run is one of the top 10 run/walk events in Greater Cincinnati, and over 1,000 participants are expected on Saturday, May 24th at the Purple People Bridge in Newport. The Meijer Celebrity Golf Classic is one of the area's top charity golf outings (avg. net proceeds: $165,000) and will take place at beautiful Triple Crown Country Club on Monday, June 23rd and Tuesday, June 24th.

Sponsor packages are now available for both events, and start at just $500. Please contact the Kicks For Kids office (859-331-8484; ted.kluemper@kicksforkids.org) to become a sponsor.   

Click here to view available sponsorship packages »»

Since 1998 Morgan Stanley has been one of KFK's primary supporters. In the last ten years the firm has been the title sponsor of the Pairings Party Dinner, regularly participates in the Celebrity Golf Classic, and has sponsored the River Run and the infamous Celebrity Shootout. The staff at Morgan Stanley is also an integral part of KFK's volunteer base, regularly volunteering for events like the Christmas Celebration and Great Outdoor Adventure. Thanks to two of these volunteers, Mike Stacy and Tom Carns, Kicks For Kids received some extra support this holiday season.

KFK was the recipient of a $5,500 contribution from the Morgan Stanley Foundation's Volunteer Incentive Program. Through this community outreach program Morgan Stanley not only makes an impact in the communities where its employees live and work, but more importantly the company is supporting charities its employees are involved with. In order for a charity to be considered for this grant a Morgan Stanley employee must submit a request for funding on behalf of an organization that they have been an ongoing volunteer for at least one year. Both Mike, a KFK Board member, and Tom certainly fit that description as they have been seen at KFK events for many years.

KFK is happy to have the support of the many employees at Morgan Stanley. Ron Bass, Vice President & Branch Manager, was happy to see the smiles on so many kids' faces when he attended his first Christmas Celebration in December. According to Ron, KFK is a charity that Morgan Stanley is "proud to support." Morgan Stanley's volunteers feel that they "get more out of an event than they put in” and "the regional reach of KFK is similar to Morgan Stanley's" - making it a natural partnership. After seeing how KFK touched the lives of some local children at the Christmas Celebration, Ron said he is proud to support an organization that "helps a small amount of kids, but in a big way!" KFK would like to thank all involved with Morgan Stanley for their continued support and hope that it is a partnership that will continue for many more years.

When it comes to Christmas traditions in the Cincinnati area, one of the first things that comes to mind is enjoying The Nutcracker. For many, this has become an annual event. Thanks to KFK about thirty local girls were able to experience this magical ballet for the first time this past December. Young ladies from Florence, Cincinnati, and Southeastern Indiana all enjoyed a night out in the "big city" that ended with an amazing experience at the Aronoff Center.

Not only was this the first time that any of these girls had seen The Nutcracker, but for many it was their first experience with the hustle and bustle of downtown Cincinnati. Before the show the kids went out for, what seemed to them, a gourmet dining experience. Some of these children had never been to a sit-down restaurant before, so from their eyes the night was off to a very fancy start. This would only continue upon their arrival at the Aronoff as they listened to the pre-show concert of live Christmas music.

Once the curtain went up and the show began, the ballet had their undivided attention. One of their chaperone's noted that the girls were "so enthralled by the performance that they didn’t even blink!" According to this chaperone the girls "smiled throughout the entire show" which was a much needed sight because "these girls face so much in their daily life...the chance to get out and do something fun was an incredible gift." 2007 was the first time that KFK sent kids to see The Nutcracker, but it was such an amazing experience that it certainly won't be the last!

Mark your calendars for 2008

RGI River Run
Saturday, May 24th

Meijer Celebrity Golf Classic
Mon, June 23rd & Tues, June 24th