CLERMONT COUNTY, Ohio — The Eastern Area office of UWGC played a major role in organizing Summer Blast, a dinner and resource fair held Aug. 11 for residents of Thomaston Woods and Thomaston Meadows in Clermont County’s Batavia Township. 

Thomaston Woods apartments provide safe, quality, affordable housing to residents as a bridge to home ownership. Residents have access to a variety of services, including personal finance and self-improvement courses, after-school and summer camp activities for children, and college scholarship programs. Thomaston Meadows is an apartment complex for low-income senior citizens. Both complexes are sponsored by Episcopal Retirement Services.

Community dinners were held monthly for Thomaston Woods and Meadows residents until COVID-19 put a halt to them. So, for the first-ever Summer Blast, organizers decided to go bigger with a community dinner and a resource fair — and hold the event outdoors so people could practice social distancing.

The 60 families that attended the Summer Blast were greeted by more than 20 participating agencies. United Way’s Eastern Area office obtained meals for residents from MercyWorks. United Way also set up a Success By 6^® space to connect parents to early childhood programs and resources. Great Oaks representatives shared information with high school students about career possibilities and financial aid. Inter Parish Ministry provided backpacks and clothing vouchers for children returning to school. 

Planning for Summer Blast was a collaborative effort led by Marcie Langendorfer, manager of UWGC’s Eastern office; Ashley Wagner and Sue Schindler, community manager and social services coordinator, respectively, of Thomaston Woods and Meadows; Nicole Gordon, client services manager of Inter Parish Ministry; and the Rev. Darrin Elin, rector of St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Terrace Park. Members of the church support both Thomaston complexes.

Other participating agencies included the Hearing Speech & Deaf Center of Greater Cincinnati; Easterseals; the Boy Scouts and Girls Scouts; Ohio Means Jobs; and University of Cincinnati Clermont College.

And on a day with temperature in the 90s, a Kona Ice truck, provided by Episcopal Retirement Services, offered cool treats.