The Ripple Effect - Magnified Giving

The Ripple Effect
“Remember there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness.
Every act creates a ripple effect with no logical end.”
— Scott Adams
Written by Jamie Rogers
We might perceive ourselves to be insignificant and diminutive,
just one nondescript face amidst millions of other faces. But like
the smallest stone tossed into the depths of a still pond that creates
a large ripple and affects everything it touches, we too can make
a ripple of significance that can impact a multitude of individuals.
It is an obligation and responsibility of ours to determine what
ripples we will make in our life. The hope and mission should be to
demonstrate kindness to create a ripple to wash over others, filling
their hearts in a positive way. Hate and negativity can spread like
wildfire, but simple acts of love, kindness, and compassion have
the ability to extinguish the flames and build a ripple effect that
can have the power to change a heart and change lives. The quote
from Scott Adams states this beautifully and became the overarching theme when Susan Emerson created her inspirational cabaret,
The Ripple Effect.
St. Aloysius is thrilled to welcome Susan Emerson to perform
her captivating and emotionally inspiring cabaret in which she tells
a story in song and dance of how one person can make a difference.
Emerson is a Bay Area Critics’ Circle Award and Drama-Logue
Award winner. She has appeared on Broadway, off-Broadway, and
in top regional theatres around the country. Emerson settled in
Cincinnati almost a decade ago but continues to share her heart on
stage, enchanting those who hear her story.
“The Ripple Effect is a cabaret, a story told through song and
anecdotes, that shows how one person can make a difference, and
how we make a difference each day of our lives,” Emerson says.
When Emerson made the move from New York to Cincinnati,
she observed that cabarets were uncommon to this city. Caba-
ret can be in the form of a concert, to depict a particular theme.
Emerson had fantastic mentors that performed cabaret shows and
found them delightfully entertaining and funny. After leaving acting in 2003 to help with her husband’s business, Emerson found she
missed the stage. The decision to reignite her acting was not based
solely on wanting to perform again on stage, but to use her talents
to make a difference. Emerson
believes whether consciously
or unconsciously, you are
making a difference every day
through every action. A single
smile or angry comment can
make a significant impact on
the people around you. It was
this concept that became the
basis for creating her cabaret.
The phenomenal talents of
Lisa Asher and Jeff Waxman
joined the cabaret, Lisa as the
director, and Jeff, the musical
director. The show has been
performed five times in the
last three years and on September 8, The Ripple Effect will be performed at Pinecroft at Crosley Estate to benefit St. Aloysius. It is
so fantastic to use the gifts you have to make a positive difference,”
Emerson states.
“D.C. Anderson said you have to earn your ballad. The cabaret
has to be funny and engaging. The songs must be tied together, and
illustrate the theme or story you are trying to relay, which for me
was the belief that we make a difference each day.”
Written and performed by Emerson, the one-woman show is
a collection of personal stories, jokes, and quotes. The songs are
pulled from Broadway, bluegrass, and pop. And the response the
show has received is sensational. In addition to its robust entertainment value, the show truly provides enrichment into others’ lives.
The Ripple Effect proves as a reminder to all that every person does
make a difference, and we must capitalize on this knowledge to use
our talents and heart to pay it forward and create positive ripples.
Emerson says, “The shows I feel the best about are the shows that
have touched people and made a difference in their lives.”
There is an abundance of ways to make positive ripples and
incredible people of all ages are doing their part to make a difference in others’ lives. People like Roger Grein who is a man who has
lived his entire life as a testament to his faith, showing the world
benevolence, generosity, and kindness.
Eleven years ago, Grein was having lunch with Dr. James C.
Votruba, who was President of Northern Kentucky University.
Over lunch, Dr. Votruba shared with Grein that there was a foundation that supported a program on the college level where each class
was provided money to give to a nonprofit of their choice. Grein
left the conversation thinking what a spectacular idea this was.
He believes everything he has is a gift from God, and as stewards
of God, we are to give back and help. Every year Grein struggled
with deciding which worthy charities he would support because
there were so many he wanted to help. After his conversation with
Dr. Votruba, Grein recognized an optimal opportunity to still give
his money to charitable organizations, but also get youth involved.
His hope was for student’s involvement to speak to their hearts and
they would continue to stay involved in philanthropic efforts long
after participating in the program.
“Look at the potential this opportunity could have, it could
cause a ripple effect that would not only touch the student’s hearts,
but would also influence everyone they touched,” Grein says. He
contacted Father Michael J. Graham, S.J., president of Xavier University, to share his idea and Father Graham was willing to take a
chance with this program. Ten years later, and Xavier has given
more than $200,000 to local charities.
At Xavier, this opportunity was presented as a part of a class.
The assignment was for students to break into groups and determine which type of charity they wanted to help. The students
would research different charities and discern which were most
worthy of receiving the funds. They would consider the budget,
the type of impact the money would make, and exactly how the
funds would be used. A number of the students became so invested
in the charities, and they began to volunteer on their own time.
“It really changes their hearts in a significant way. Every spring,
the students host an award ceremony where they give the donations
to the chosen charities. This ceremony has a profound impact on
the students, teachers, and recipients, it is truly a phenomenal experience,” Grein says.
Seeing how successful the program was at Xavier, Grein wanted to expand the impact and he began financially supporting the
program at eight different colleges. He then joined forces with
Campus Compact, (a coalition of college and university presidents,
committed to fulfilling the public purposes of higher education)
knowing the partnership would increase the program’s potential.
Grein signed a contract to financially support 16 colleges through
Campus Compact.
In 2008 when the financial markets turned for the worse, Grein
took a devastating hit and was no longer able to financially support the colleges. It was a terribly sorrowful time for him, but he
recognized that he had his health, friends, and most importantly,
he had God. His God was not his money and he knew this, and it
helped him get through the extreme financial loss he had incurred.
Campus Compact was aware of Grein’s situation, and not wanting
to let Grein down or put an end to the program, they applied for a
grant, and four months later, called Grein to tell him that they had
been awarded the funding for the program. Grein was elated. The
three-year grant Campus Compact received was worth $3 million.
They were able to continue the program, and even expand from
16 colleges to 34. It was at this time Grein formed the nonprofit
organization, Magnified Giving. Since he could no longer write
donation checks, he concentrated his efforts on raising money for
this worthy cause.
Four years ago, Grein approached Todd Forman with the idea
of starting the program on the high school level. They began with
seven high schools, and it has grown to 21 with a plan to continue
to expand. The program is funded on the high school level through
the gracious donations of people around the community through
Magnified Giving. Grein has created waves with his generosity,
propensity for helping others, and his kind and altruistic heart.
“Roger had approached me about implementing the Magnified
Giving program here at Mount Notre Dame. I had been involved
with student philanthropy for five years prior to our discussion
and believed whole-heartedly in the value of the program. The
program has taken off and we should be up to nearly 30 schools
by summer. The hope is that the program is sustainable and continues to grow and cause a ripple effect. This effect has already
been observed. A Seton High School student went on to start her
own nonprofit after being inspired through her participation with
Magnified Giving. Another student took the initiative to organize
a student walk and rose over $20,000 for the program. I’m sure a
number of our students will be inspired to start their own philanthropic ventures or join philanthropic efforts. Once it starts, you
can’t control it.”
–Todd Forman, Teacher at Mount Notre Dame High School.
Sean D. Hamilton
www.seandhamiltondesigns.com
In the eyes of every child, who lives on the street and imagines
hope for a better life, we can find a waterfall of pain and tears
that in a blink, turns into crystals of inspiration and belief depicted in this extraordinary piece of artwork, “The Dream”. In
the painting, the young child folds up in a cardboard box, escaping into his imaginary world from where he finds comfort and
peace. Yet the symbolism of the empty pot depicts a lack of
food, hunger and starvation, a harsh and cruel street life of begging and constricted with poverty. The child’s feet are marred
with bruises, disfigured, battered, and swollen with cuts from
running on a line of broken dreams, mental agony, and severe
abuse. And yet, in his mind, he has found refuge away from his
scarred body and anguish from a broken heart. In his rags for
clothing, from under the sounds of defeat, arises a warrior with
iron wings and a mind like a steel trap that has visions of living
a life wallowed in love and victory. A new life that will carry him
home to a place of security, compassion, and freedom. “The
Dream” echoes sounds of kindness, endless play, and defeat of
cries; now there are sounds of laughter and play, where he will
no longer shiver in the night from the fear of a broken life and
a broken body.
It was through Magnified Giving that Seton High School was able
to award a grant to St. Aloysius. Through their compassionate servitude to children and families through diverse education, mental
health, and other specialized programs, St. Aloysius is making ripples
by improving and promoting success in the lives of children. And it is
through the support of others in the community that will allow this
incredible organization to continue to flourish and grow, allowing
them to make a significant difference in other’s lives. You can help to
support St. Aloysius by joining them on September 8 for The Ripple Effect. The event’s VIP reception will be hosted by Drew and Lea Lachey.
The Lachey’s have a love for performing and wanted to bring their
years of experience back to their hometown of Cincinnati. They are
offering students ages 14-19 who have a passion for performing a
unique opportunity to attend Lachey Arts camp. It is not limited to
individuals with a history in dance, drama, and vocal music, but is
open to any student with a desire to perform. The camp will be held
August 6-17 and will be hosted by an amazing faculty of working professionals from New York and LA. The group is enthralled to not only
teach the students but to demonstrate first-hand the discipline, selfrespect, and hard work that it takes to make it in the entertainment
industry. For more information, visit www.lacheyarts.com.
Katelyn Sussli
“I am a senior, soon to be graduate of MND. Being exposed to philanthropic programs through my school has truly been a blessing in
my life. You get to see all of the students become passionate about
philanthropy. It is not about being in a classroom and getting a
grade for the work, but instead continues out of the class through
further volunteer efforts. Philanthropy becomes a part of students
and becomes imbedded in them for a lifetime. Mr. Grein is an
inspiration, he is so passionate about doing good for others and it
ignites that passion into the students. Along the way, they become
better people and are ready to change the world for the better.”
Shae Douglass
“I have a specific mission in my future volunteer efforts to seek out
smaller nonprofits and do what I can to help them. It is great to
see so many youth that are getting involved and have becoming
passionate about volunteering.”
Katie von Erden
“People that are so young can do so much and this is very inspiring.
In the future, I want to make sure that I continue to be involved in
different organizations and influence my family and friends to get
involved as well.”
Molly Savage
“Going out into the community allowed me to recognize all of the
good works organizations are doing and how passionate they are
and it has influenced me to want to help and give back.”
Megan Desrosiers
“It has been fantastic to work with amazing people that are helping
others out of the goodness of their heart.”
Take this opportunity to challenge yourself to take action and extend a hand to help another. There are countless organizations that
need your help, organizations with the mission to create better lives
for individuals and fortify our community. Institutions like St. Aloysius who understand the dire need to support, nurture, educate, and
lift up the children of our community. They understand the child in
the artwork, who has been beaten down, abused, and neglected and
they embrace that child. St. Aloysius serves as a beacon of hope and
solace for children in need. Delve deep inside of your heart, utilize
your gifts and talents, and reach out to make a ripple that will resonate
through the core of our community. We are not small, we are significant, and we have the capability to change the world.
Anyone can make a ripple, change someone’s heart, and
make a difference in another person’s life.
The Ripple Effect will be held on September
8 at Pinecroft at Crosley Estate located
at 2366 Kipling Avenue, Cincinnati, OH
45239. For more information, please contact
Thomas Courtney at 513.242.7613 ext. 308.
For reservations call 513.318.9039.
St. Aloysius is located at 4721 Reading Road, Cincinnati,
OH 45237. You can reach them at 513.242.7600 or visit
their website at www.staloysiuscincinnati.org.