Stories

Take a closer look at WeTHRIVE!’s partners

Post By hollisbass Nov 21, 2023

The WeTHRIVE! initiative has 57 partners – organizations that align with one or more of the WeTHRIVE! Pathways of Chronic Disease, Emergency Preparedness, Environmental Health, Injury Prevention, Social Health, and Substance Use. Let’s take a look at how our partner organizations work with WeTHRIVE! communities, schools, and each other to help our mission of creating a culture of health, safety, and vitality throughout Hamilton County.

Implementation Team brings partners together

Most of our partners serve on the WeTHRIVE! Implementation Team, which was formed in 2016. WeTHRIVE! Outreach Contractor Karen Schwamberger has facilitated the team since the beginning.

“The team has grown from about 20 members back then to 45 today,” Karen says. “It’s a diverse group of partner organizations. They don’t all know each other, and our quarterly meetings give them the opportunity to interact and talk with people they normally do not have contact with.”

One partner usually hosts or is a featured speaker for each quarterly meeting. “This gives the organization a chance to highlight their space and what they do,” Karen says.

Group of adults in a meeting, sitting at tables.
The most recent Implementation Team meeting was held at the American Heart Association and included a hands-only CPR demonstration.

Implementation Team members are also called on to share their resources and expertise with individual WeTHRIVE! community/school teams and the WeTHRIVE! initiative as a whole. “For example, when we decided to revamp the pathway assessments that WeTHRIVE! community teams complete, partners provided input and feedback in their area of expertise,” Karen says.

Annual event brings partners & WeTHRIVE! teams together

The annual WeTHRIVE! Speed Networking Event is popular with our partners and WeTHRIVE! community and school teams. During this experience, WeTHRIVE! teams spend about ten minutes with each partner. As they learn about what the organization does, the partners find out about the community or school team’s needs and priorities.

WeTHRIVE! partners appreciate this chance to interact with members of the community that they normally may not have a chance to meet with one-on-one.

Amanda Changet, community impact director, American Heart Association-Cincinnati, says: “The speed networking event…was a wonderful opportunity to hear directly from community members who are working to improve outcomes for their neighborhoods. These passionate individuals were excited to share their community priorities and hear how they could be supported by organizations like ours in the future.”

Amy Habig of Ohio State University (OSU) Extension-Hamilton County has attended the past three Speed Networking Events. Her first was in 2020, held virtually due to the pandemic. Amy says she had just started working in Hamilton County and appreciated the chance to learn more about the communities and schools in the area. “From the beginning, that was super helpful. And then I think over time, seeing some of the same faces, as well as new faces, has been really nice. It helps to build those relationships over time.”

Three women sitting at a table talking.
Amy, center, speaks with a WeTHRIVE! community team member at the 2022 Speed Networking Event.

Collaborations are mutually beneficial

Whether they meet at the Speed Networking Event or are introduced by a WeTHRIVE! population health specialist, our partners and WeTHRIVE! teams accomplish a lot by working together.

The partners provide WeTHRIVE! communities and schools with expertise, programming, and other resources that promote health and safety. For example, earlier this year, we published a four-part series on how some of our partners have worked with WeTHRIVE! school districts (start with part 1 here).

But our partners let us know that the benefits of collaboration often go both ways, with WeTHRIVE! teams serving as a valuable community connection for organizations.

Luke Ourednik, associate planner with Hamilton County Planning + Development, has been working with the WeTHRIVE! communities of Lincoln Heights and Mt. Healthy as part of a grant the county received to complete active transportation planning.

Group of 7 adults and 1 child posing in front of village of Lincoln Heights seal.
Luke, second from left, with the Lincoln Heights WeTHRIVE! team.

Luke says he’s been able to build relationships with people in these communities through WeTHRIVE! “Getting to know them and to understand their priorities adds a lot of perspective to my work. It’s a critical connection, the one between experts and the lay people, the residents who have to overcome the challenges. I’ve gained a lot of appreciation for that through working with WeTHRIVE! communities.”

Library has a unique relationship with WeTHRIVE!

Headshot of David Siders, civic engagement coordinator for the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library.

We asked David Siders, civic engagement coordinator with the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library, to share how the Library and its branches interact with WeTHRIVE!

“In Miami Township, our Branch Library is part of the WeTHRIVE! efforts to work to eliminate food insecurity. The Cheviot Branch Library is working with that community’s WeTHRIVE! team to explore opportunities to provide career pathway support. And in Reading, the Branch Library provides valuable community meeting space and connected community members to the Library’s Discovery Pass program, which provides free access to community assets like Great Parks of Hamilton County.

The Implementation Team meetings provide a wonderful opportunity to network with other vital community organizations. We learn how they are impacting the community, and how we may possibly partner with organizations to amplify the Library’s community impact, along with our partnering organization’s collective impact on our communities.

In 2023, thanks to the networking opportunities provided by the WeTHRIVE! Implementation Team, our libraries joined the Youth Suicide Prevention Coalition of Talbert House and its community campaign, and we began exploring collaborative possibilities with the Urban League’s new Social Justice Center in Avondale. We are stronger together, with amplified collective community impact, thanks to the WeTHRIVE! Implementation Team!”

You can find contact information and a short description of each partner organization on our website. Listings are in alphabetical order and categorized according to their alignment with WeTHRIVE! pathways.

See other stories featuring our partners: