Cincinnati Parks Foundation’s Annual Event Returns to Smale Riverfront Park on Friday, October 4 .
The Cincinnati Parks Foundation is proud to announce the 18th annual Hats Off Luncheon to support the conservation and creation of clean, green, beautiful spaces in Cincinnati Parks where communities can gather and grow. The group recently started planning its marquis fundraiser, which will host nearly one thousand attendees, with the theme of “Our Parks Add More,” in celebration of the organization’s partnership-driven mission to uplift and support Cincinnati’s Parks. The event will occur on Friday, October 4th, 2024, at the John G. and Phyllis W. Smale Riverfront Park.
The Hats Off Luncheon, presented by the Women’s Committee of Cincinnati Parks, a group of 900 advocates for the city’s parks and greenspaces, was founded by Debbie Oliver and Helen Heekin. Since its inception, the annual fundraiser has injected over $45 million into Cincinnati’s parks and green spaces.
The luncheon’s honorary co-chairs are Cincinnati Parks Foundation Board member and Cincinnati Enquirer’s 2022 Women of the Year, Edna Keown, former Cincinnati Parks Foundation Board President and former Cincinnati Park Board Commissioner Cathy Crain, and Carrie Hayden, who through her family foundation, recently established an endowment chair of Integrative Oncology Research at the University of Cincinnati’s Center for Integrative Health and Wellness.
“Our work in Cincinnati Parks creates connections that help build healthier communities. Our collaborations with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, with our be.well program and our emerging relationship with the Osher Center for Integrative Health at the University of Cincinnati, positioning Cincinnati Parks as a true destination for wellness, said Jennifer Hafner-Spieser, President and CEO of Cincinnati Parks Foundation. “We look forward to introducing the community to more ways that they can use time in Cincinnati Parks to achieve health goals and are grateful for the efforts of Edna, Cathy and Carrie to support this work in our community for the Hats Off Luncheon and beyond,” she said.
Joining Keown, Crain and Hayden are committee leaders Lisa Dir, Susan Frank, Mindy Hastie, Emily Headley, Michelle Jones, Maya LaLonde, Catherine Lentz, Megan Mitchell, Lori Smith and Deana Taylor Brewer, as well as over a hundred volunteers from the organization’s Women’s Committee of Cincinnati Parks.
This year’s luncheon will let guests, adorned in the latest millinery fashion, explore the Cincinnati Parks Foundation’s current projects and programs. All proceeds from the event will directly support ongoing and future projects that conserve, create and connect within Cincinnati’s parks and green spaces. To learn more about sponsorship and ticket opportunities, please contact Engagement Officer Nicolette Rader at [email protected].