From the Desk of Mayor Hardman

On a beautiful October day, 300 Sharonville residents, city employees, local businesses, Kiwanians, Princeton High School Varsity basketball players, scout packs and troops, and church parishioners gathered for the first ever Sharonville Serves event at Sharonville United Methodist Church. Over that day, our City gave hope to children around the world by packing 70,200 meals with Hands Against Hunger for starving children in Haiti. It was a great way to kick off the Season of Giving and a constant reminder that our City is THE Sharing-ville Community.

Throughout November and December, our City explodes with opportunities to make a difference in the lives of our neighbors. For over 15 years, the Sharonville Police Association has sponsored a Shop with a Cop day. Through donations from local businesses and community members, our City police officers shop with 30 elementary and 15 middle school students to help those kids enjoy a joyous holiday season for themselves and their families. In addition to the year-round availability of their food pantry, the Sharonville Christmas Fund works with our community to provide Thanksgiving meals and Christmas presents for adopted families. The Sharonville Convention Center, in collaboration with the center’s catering management - Spectra Food Services, and Ohio Valley Goodwill Industries hosts the annual Homeless Awareness Dinner. Goodwill’s Special Projects Team coordinates transportation for 300 guests from nine different Greater Cincinnati homeless shelters to sit down to one of our center’s hot meals and enjoy a little special entertainment.


 

But the need obviously goes beyond just these two months of the year. That is why I have encouraged our city employees to reach out to our community’s non-profit organizations for opportunities that they can give back and make a difference. Through our Sharonville Gives initiative, your city employees over the past year have given over 175 hours of volunteer service to organizations like Sharonville Elementary School, the mobile food pantry, St. Michael’s School, and the Princeton Closet. Each person we help to lift up from a difficult situation is a way that we empower our community. I proudly wear my “I Love Sharonville” t-shirts because of the sacrifices of time and treasure that our city employees, our city residents, and our city businesses, share with these and many other unmentioned groups. May our generosity continue to flow and make a positive change in our community and our world.