By Karen Vance

COVINGTON - When a woman goes to the Women's Crisis Center for help, sometimes she finds herself giving her information to counselors every time she goes in.

That's because the center, which provides services to victims of domestic violence, sexual abuse and rape, doesn't have any way to share its client files among its five offices and two shelters.

But thanks to a $35,000 grant from the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, that's about to change, said Joyce McNeely, development director for the center.

"It's going to really, really improve communication and help our clients," she said. "Especially since counselors won't be spending time copying and faxing files and will be able to spend more time seeing more clients."

The organization serves more than 5,000 men, women and children each year in 13 counties in Kentucky with a $2.4 million budget. McNeely said the center would not have been able to make the necessary computer upgrades without about $100,000 in grants.

Beth Reiter, a spokeswoman for the foundation, said the group awarded more than $1 million in grants to 30 organizations for the first quarter of 2003.

Groups receiving grants:

• Ballet Tech Performing Arts Association, Maineville, $10,000;

• Bayley Place, Cincinnati, $75,000;

• Christ Tabernacle Ministries of Excellence of Hamilton, $20,000;

• Florence Christian Church, $12,000;

• Girl Scout Council of Licking Valley, $15,000;

• Greater Cincinnati Police Historical Society, $20,000;

• Greater Milford Area Historical Society Inc., $35,000;

• Holly Hill Children's Home, California, Ky., $41,200;

• Housing Opportunities Made Equal, Cincinnati, $75,000;

• Lakota Local School District, West Chester, $15,000;

• Madison Villa, Cincinnati; $50,000;

• Mallory Center for Community Development, Cincinnati; $20,000;

• Ohio Lake Management Association, Kent, Ohio, $10,000;

• Ohio River Advocacy, Cincinnati, $18,000;

• Saint Luke Hospital East, $15,000;

• SEM Haven Health and Residential Care Center, Milford, $40,000;

• Opera Co. Inc., Middletown, $20,000;

• Three Valley Conservation Trust, Oxford, $20,000;

• Transitions Inc., Bellevue, $50,000;

• TweenPlace Alliance Inc., Cincinnati, $25,000;

• Valley View Foundation, Milford, $50,000;

• The Visiting Nurse Association, Cincinnati, $50,000;

• Warren County Humane Association, $50,000;

• WGUC-FM, $100,000;

• YWCA of Hamilton, $10,000.

Allen Howard is on vacation. Karen Vance will write "Some Good News" until he returns April 8. If you have a "good news" story you would like to share, e-mail to Karen at kvance@fuse.net.