The Urban League of Greater Cincinnati officially retired the $5 million debt owed on its Avondale offices during a public reception Tuesday.

        The evening ceremony paid tribute to nearly 500 donors who contributed to the Urban League's “Capping the Cornerstone Campaign.” Special recognition was given to Ross and Cheryl Love and Stan and Mickey Kaplan and Fifth-Third Bank, who each contributed $250,000 to the building fund.

        Mr. Love, president and CEO of Blue Chip Broadcasting, is a former chairman of the Urban League's capital campaign.

        “It's one thing for people to provide leadership, and it's another thing to back leadership up with their own resources,” said Urban League president and CEO Sheila Adams. “These people are visionaries who saw the value of contributing to the infrastructure of this community.”

        The Urban League also unveiled a new donor wall, listing the names of donors.

        The Urban League broke ground on the multimillion-dollar facility in the spring of 1996 and had moved in about a year later. The organization has been able to retire its debt in about five years.

        Ms. Adams said the Urban League's building symbolizes the highest level of cooperation among government, corporations and citizens“Our motto is: Open doors and build futures. That is what this facility enables us to do,” she said. “We are able to do that more when we can dedicate our money to programs rather than a mortgage.”

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