On Aug. 6, more than 50 employees from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and the Reds Community Fund volunteered at South Avondale Elementary, helping the school prepare for the return of students next month.

Morning and afternoon shifts were worked at various locations on the Avondale school campus, while volunteers followed a comprehensive set of health and safety guidelines.

Inside the school, upgrades were made to the food pantry and “groom room,” which provides clothes, supplies, changing rooms and other necessities for the nearly 400 students.

Exterior work included painting, mulching and installing picnic benches for an outdoor classroom.

“Seeing all the Cincinnati Children’s and Reds employees volunteering today sends a message that we work together in order to uplift one another,” said Michael Allison, principal of South Avondale Elementary.

Joining the volunteers and Allison were Cincinnati Children’s president and CEO Michael Fisher and Reds president and COO Phil Castellini.

“What this means to us is just another way that we get to connect with the children of our Avondale community and help support them and their families,” said Fisher. “And the partnership with the Reds has been very special, and it’s a chance for our employees to give back outside the walls of the medical center.”

“The collaborative effort that comes in these big makeover projects takes our work in the community to the next level with the help of partners like Cincinnati Children’s, P&G and the Zoo,” said Castellini. “We feel proud to be working with these great organizations and hopefully more to come [for Avondale] in 2021, and so glad to be here and doing what we can today.”

Additional volunteers assembled backpacks with school supplies and P&G personal care products, which will be made available to students and families from both South Avondale Elementary as well as nearby Rockdale Academy.

Bobby Rodriguez, Cincinnati Children’s vice president of diversity, inclusion and community relations, addressed the volunteers in the afternoon session and worked on the outdoor crew.

“It’s an honor for the Cincinnati Children’s family to be here connecting with our community,” said Rodriguez. “This is my first event, and I am very proud that we are out helping today and following all the safety policies and regulations. It’s been a real pleasure to be part of this day with the Cincinnati Reds.”

The projects were scheduled to be a part of the 2020 Community Makeover in Avondale that was to feature over 500 volunteers from P&G, the Reds Community Fund, Cincinnati Children’s and the Cincinnati Zoo, along with other community partners.

Despite having to postpone the majority of the makeover to 2021 due to COVID-19, Cincinnati Children’s and the Reds Community Fund identified immediate needs at South Avondale Elementary for this year.

The volunteer projects also included donations from P&G, the Duke Energy Foundation and the Cincinnati Zoo.

OneSource Center for Nonprofit Excellence supported the project through its Shoppers Club resources, supplying file cabinets and shelving utilized in the interior renovation.

The Reds Community Fund and P&G have partnered for the Community Makeover since 2010. Cincinnati Zoo and Cincinnati Children’s joined the partnership in 2013 for the first Avondale project that included Gabriel’s Place, Hirsch Recreation Center and Hirsch ballfields.