Welcome to the eighteenth 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 the charity. Remember, you can always visit our website at www.kicksforkids.org for more information. We hope to see you soon at one of our events!

We are excited to announce the 13th Annual RGI River Run, presented by Duke Energy and benefiting Kicks For Kids (KFK), will once again launch the Tri-State's summer running season! Taking place at 9:15 AM on the Saturday (5/23/09) of Memorial Day weekend, the proceeds of the RGI River Run will support KFK's efforts to "level the playing field" for local children who are challenged physically, mentally or by the environment in which they live.

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Kicks For Kids and its long-standing sponsor RGI, Inc. are excited to officially present the charity's new logo! Thanks to RGI's creative team, KFK now has a fresh look that symbolizes its growth since 1995. While the nonprofit's values and principles have stayed constant, the new logo represents KFK's transition from a foundation into a non-profit organization that hosts youth programs and events, its accomplishments, and its goals to reach even more children at risk throughout the Tri-state by providing a variety of opportunities.
  

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Students at Dayton Independent High School in Kentucky are getting a 'behind-the-scenes' look into the dynamic world of film, while also creating a short documentary about their lives in the process! The video project is built on one of Kicks For Kids’ goals for 2009: to increase "the arts" programs it offers to local children.
  

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KFK's Junior Board of Young Professionals hosted its first fundraiser on Tuesday, February 10th at The Quarter Bistro in Mariemont, Ohio. Doug Pelfrey and Shayne Graham were both in attendance to help everyone 'kick' their winter blues! The event not only helped generate funds for the charity, but also raised awareness of its mission.
  

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Shehan Pools has graciously supported Kicks For Kids since the charity's inception in 1995. Not only has the company provided financial sponsorship over the years, it has also recruited volunteers as well as helped plan events for KFK. The generosity of the company is built on a friendship that formed long before the charity began.
  

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For more than a decade, Donna Herron has gone 'above and beyond' in her work with Kicks For Kids. Not only does she serve across several committees as well as recruit incredible volunteers, she has strengthened the charity's partnership with Comair, her employer. She is the type of person who doesn't leave until the work is done, and always looks for new ways to improve every event. It is for these reasons that she is this month’s volunteer spotlight!

Donna first became involved with the charity after running into an old friend, Doug Pelfrey, who started talking about the recent inception of Kicks For Kids. She had known Doug since he was young, and before he became a Bengal. "Something about what Doug was talking about, and knowing what kind of person Doug is," Donna said, "I could tell that he really cared about what he was doing, and that this wasn't just another charity." She immediately became involved, and has never looked back.

While she has been a part of many different events over the years, she currently serves on the Celebrity Golf Classic and Christmas Celebration committees. Every year Donna and her coworkers arrange all of the celebrity travel arrangements for the Meijer/KFK Celebrity Golf Classic in June, and then help transform Paul Brown Stadium into a winter wonderland for the Christmas Celebration in December. Also, in partnership with Comair, the Operation North Pole youth event has given hundreds of children the chance to fly on an airplane or taxi around the runway. "It's been an unbelievable experience for the employees, the pilots, and flight attendants involved," Donna said, "They line up waiting for the chance to be the one to fly the plane or be on the plane!"

But it is also what Donna does "behind the scenes" that is truly remarkable. For example, over a weekend and a brief reprieve from work, she voluntarily moved all of the Christmas decorations from Comair's headquarters to KFK's storage following an event. She says her involvement is a majority priority in her life. "You see where the dollars go back, and see what all your efforts raised," she commented. Every event and fundraiser is so fulfilling because of the same vision of the volunteers, committee members and sponsors. "Everyone just has one agenda," Donna paused, "The kids."

Kicks For Kids thanks Donna for all of her incredible work and continued support.