Arts and culture, education, social services and community development benefited from $20 million this year through Fifth Third Bank.

        Recipients included such organizations as the Children's Hospital Medical Center, which received $1 million for research to identify the role genes play in children with arthritis.

        Jim Anderson, president and CEO at the center, said the gift will help researchers and doctors to understand the cause of arthritis in children and identify potential routes for new therapies.

        “We are now at a point in time scientifically when major new technologies can be brought to bear on childhood diseases,” Mr. Anderson said.

        The YMCA of Greater Cincinnati received $550,000 for a capital campaign for comprehensive rehabilitation, expansion of facilities throughout the region and endowment development.

        A $300,000 grant went to the Local Initiatives Support Corp to help with community development and revitalization projects.

        In Kentucky, the Wave Foundation, the nonprofit organization of the Newport Aquarium, received an $88,000 grant for its grade school educational programs.

        “This helps us to provide educational material about marine life to teachers and educators to use in their classroom curriculum,” said Sherri Higginbotham, senior development manager for the Wave Foundation.

        The West Point Independent Schools in Louisville received $15,000 to supply reading material, books and testing materials to track progress for grades K-8.

        The Urban League of Lexington Fayette County received $100,000 toward its Leadership Challenge Grant.

        Around Ohio, $50,000 went to The Catholic Diocese of Columbus to develop housing for senior citizens of low/moderate income levels; $100,000 to the Girls Scouts of Maumee Valley in Toledo to renovate its building; $36,000 to South Community Inc. in Dayton to support disturbed children; $125,000 to Clinton Memorial Hospital in Wilmington to support the capital campaign to expand the Women's Health and Wellness and $100,000 to the Solomon Schechter Day School in Shaker Heights for a new school building.

        In Indiana, $50,000 went to Children's Bureau of Indianapolis for a multipurpose building.

        Another $245,000 went to support various programs in Michigan, Illinois and southwestern Florida.

The Over-the-Rhine community is invited to a breakfast from 8-10 a.m. on Christmas Day at the First Lutheran Church, 1208 Race Street, Over-the-Rhine.

        Boy Scout Troop 591 from College Hill is co-sponsoring the breakfast.

        Allen Howard's “Some Good News” column runs Monday-Friday and Sundays. If you have suggestions about outstanding achievements, or people who are committing random acts of kindness that are uplifting to the Tristate, let him know at (513) 768-8362; at ahoward@enquirer.com; or by fax at (513) 768-8340.
       

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