EXIT First Capital Realty to Host Pink Shoe Club Fundraiser

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Brad Fennell
Regional Owner
EXIT Realty Ohio
513-258-2948
brad@exitohio.com

EXIT First Capital Realty to Host Pink Shoe Club Fundraiser

Worthington school program aims to develop character, decrease bullying among students

Chillicothe, Ohio (Grassroots Newswire) 7/16/2009 -- Bill and Suzanne Leib, Exit First Capital owners, knew they wanted to start giving back to the community by hosting a fundraiser auction but weren't sure which group to choose.

"Opening is a blessing within itself, and we wanted to give back to the community," Suzanne said.

The specifics of who would be the first recipient - the Leibs plan to choose a different recipient each year - revolved around something that was local and not supported by a grant or a larger organization. After hearing some suggestions from a friend, the Leibs were shown a newspaper article about the Pink Shoe Club at Worthington Elementary. The program was piloted at the school with 11 fourth-grade girls who were a combination of students who had been aggressive or have been victimized. The aim was to teach respect, encourage community service, enhance social skills, inspire self-confidence and develop healthy relationships with peers.

The teachers who piloted the program, including Eleanor Nickras, were encouraged by the progress the girls made among themselves and also with their peers outside the group. As a result, at the end of the school year, the plan was to open up the club to all girls in fourth grade, having the fourth-graders meet twice a month and the fifth-graders who already are part of the club meet once a month to check progress.

"We were flabbergasted," Nickras said of being contacted by the Leibs about the fundraiser. "It was just amazing. We were really thrilled they took this much interest. This will make things so much easier."

Nickras said the group had put together budgets for expanding the program over the next few years and had been concerned with how to raise funds to continue the program beyond small fundraisers the girls do during the school year. However, proceeds from the Leibs' fundraiser will help them keep expanding and have a safety net.

Suzanne and Bill are encouraged by the program, saying they feel it will help the girls who go through it to be better, more responsive adults as well as touch the child's home and school life right now.

"I still retain to this day the impact of certain programs that I had attended as a young child ... When being confronted by a bad situation, the strength and know-how to do the right thing is anchored in me by those childhood programs that I attended. That is why we believe that this program is so important," Suzanne said.

Exit First Capital will absorb any of the costs of putting on the fundraising auction, ensuring 100 percent of proceeds will go to the club, Bill said, adding he hopes to raise between $3,000 and $5,000. Scott Rickey of Rickey Auctioneering will be volunteering his time for the event. The auction - both live and silent - is slated to be 1 p.m. Sept. 12, at Exit First Capital, 44 E. Water St.

For more information about EXIT Realty Ohio, please call 513-258-2948. EXIT Realty Ohio is located at 8176 Beechmont Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45255.

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