Benson, 41, executive director of a newly established non-profit organization, One Village of New Miami, hopes to revive programs for youth, teens and families in the New Miami School District.
She said One Village of New Miami is committed to providing resources for positive enrichment, recreational programming, community engagement, family events and other needs identified by the Butler County community.
The seeds for the program were planted while Benson worked alongside her mother, Pamela Benson, executive director of the Village Food Pantry. She said many of the pantry’s clients complained about the lack of youth activities offered in the area.
“We have to take care of the next generation,” Benson said when asked why she formed the organization. “They’re watching us right now. We need to provide them with an outlet and a safe place of their own.”
The non-profit held its kickoff event May 4.
Despite occasional inclement weather, One Village Community Day and Health Fair attracted more than 300 people at the New Miami School, according to Benson. She said Premier Health provided free health and mammogram screenings. The event also featured 30 community resources that provided information to the community, including Red Cross, Butler County Regional Transit Authority, Butler County Sheriff’s Office, Butler County WIC, YWCA, Prevent Blindness, Ohio Means Jobs, and the Village Food Pantry.
One Village of New Miami has partnered with the New Miami School District, which will house all of its youth and teen programming throughout the summer and school year, said Benson, who noted her daughter, Jai’Lyn Benson-Issacs, is a teacher in the district.
Having the programs in the school will allow the organization the opportunity to serve youth and teens immediately since it doesn’t have a physical building, she said.
Benson said the group has partnered with Cincy ARTE to offer a five-week teen summer camp for the New Miami School District students and teens who reside in the New Miami community. The camp will pair law enforcement officers and local teens to create a collaborative project to strengthen police-community relationships in the New Miami community, she said.
Other community partnerships include the Village Food Pantry, JEE Foods, Community Development Professionals, Badin High School, Hamilton Urban Gardens (HUGS), Miami University Student+, and Pressley Ridge/Ohio Means Jobs that has allowed the group to hire six students from the New Miami School District National Honor Society to work in the Summer Camp.
Benson said last weekend’s event was “what was needed. This will be a success if the community rallies behind us.”
For more information, visit onevillageofnewmiami.org.
The Journal-News periodically runs a “Good News” story in the Saturday edition. If you have a story idea, email Contributing Writer Rick McCrabb at rmccrabb1@gmail.com.
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