Is Butler County Commissioner Cindy Carpenter your favorite dancer?  How about Middletown Mayor Larry Mulligan?  If so, we have an event you cannot miss!   

Six elected officials will be competing in the Community Cumbia, a dance competition at SELF's 15th Annual Awards Dinner & Auction, appropriately themed "Dancing Under the Stars."  The Cumbia is a traditional Colombian group dance.  The competitors will be paired with members of Colombia Viva!, a local professional dance group.  Each person will have a short time to "wow" the crowd with his or her dance moves.   

The dancers for this event are:  

• Cindy Carpenter, Butler County Commissioner
• Rhonda Freeze, Mayor of Trenton
• Marty Judd, Fairfield City Councilman
• George Lang, West Chester Township Trustee
• Larry Mulligan, Mayor of Middletown  
• Bob Routson, Mayor of Monroe

The winner will be determined by how much they raise in pledges and who wins the hearts of the judges.  To support one of these competitors, you can make a monetary pledge on SELF's homepage.  All proceeds will support SELF's mission to helping low-income families achieve, sustain and advocate self-sufficiency. 

Last month, SELF asked the community to nominate Butler County volunteers who far surpass the call of duty.  Each of the nominees will be recognized at SELF's 15th Annual Awards Dinner & Auction on Saturday, April 9 at the Courtyard Marriott from 6- 11 p.m.   

Thanks to community nominations, the 2011 Janet Clemmons Community Service Award nominees are...

1. Angie Akers of the Butler County School Supply Coalition
2. Christine Birhanzl of the American Red Cross, Butler County Office
3. Kellie Warner of Butler Tech and Edgewood High School 

Please join us in honoring these nominees and celebrating 15 years of service to Butler County's low-income families!   

In addition to the Community Cumbia dance competition described above, the night includes live performances by Colombia Viva! and Salsa Underground, dinner, a live and silent auction, raffle items and dancing!  Our Patron Reception, for ticket holders only, precedes the event from 5- 6 p.m. and includes wine tasting, hors d'oeuvres and live entertainment & dance instruction!

To register, you can visit our website at  www.selfhelps.org or you can mail in your check with specified registration to PO Box 1322 | Hamilton, OH 45012.  Checks can be made payable to SELF.  Registration details are below under "Upcoming Events." 

SELF is still seeking sponsorships for the event and donations for the auctions.  Sponsors and donors will be recognized the evening of the event and in the program.  If you are interested in providing a sponsorship or donation, please contact Vanessa Jackson at (513) 820-5017.    

SELF's Executive Director Jeffrey Diver

Dear SELF Supporters,  

As Congress debates budget cuts, SELF and other Community Action Agencies are holding our collective breath. At a time of such great need, we are hoping one source of SELF's funding, the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG), won't find itself on the chopping block.     

While SELF can maintain operations for a period of time if funds are cut, the loss of CSBG funding would severely limit the services and the growing number of low-wage families we can assist in removing the barriers to self-sufficiency.   

• Flexible: CSBG funding allows communities to invest money where their needs are; for some it is in business development, for others it focuses on employment and education programs
• Immediate: agencies are located in the areas of greatest need, managed and staffed by community residents and often open far into the evening.  Therefore, when a family or an individual faces a crises, their CAA is able to respond quickly with targeted forms of assistance appropriate to the situation
• Coordinators: A bedrock principle of Community Action is that resources of all kinds need to be integrated so they can be used in combination to solve community and individual problems.  CAA's manage more than $14.9 billion (2009) in public and private resources annually, serving more than 20.7 million low-income persons.

As a network, we are here to help encourage youth, to support low-wage workers and the poor facing crisis, to sustain and honor the elderly, to strengthen whole families and to strengthen and unite our communities.  

If you'd like to help us educate our legislators, please contact me. We will strive forward.  Thank you.  

Sincerely,  

Jeffrey A. Diver