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Elder Community Service – Service Programs

SERVICE PROGRAMS

Elder Serves offers a variety of types of services opportunities:

  • PERIODIC PROGRAMS:  Service experiences that take place multiple times throughout the year.
  • ONE TIME EVENTS:  Larger service events that involve a large number of members of our community.
  • COMMUNITY EVENTS:  Non-profit agencies, community members or grads that request volunteers.
  • MISSION TRIPS:  Experiential service-learning activities that involve travel and time away from school.
Sleep In Heavenly Peace - Cincinnati

ESLC LIAISONS
Brett McQuillan ’26 & Connor McCarthy ’28

ABOUT
Elder Serves is excited to work with Sleep In Heavenly Peace – Cincinnati OH Chapter (www.shpcincy.org) to help build and deliver beds to kids in need.   Several times each month, we will be either building or delivering beds.  The deliveries will be to some of the many kids on SHP Cincy’s wait list.

BED DELIVERIES
Deliveries will take place immediately after school and space is limited to a few students per delivery.

BED BUILDING 
Bed building sessions will take place afterschool and during flex, and we will have room for approximately 12 students for each build session.  Dates will be posted to the calendar.

TO REGISTER
Check our CALENDAR page and email Mr. Forman if you would like to participate in an event.

PHOTOS 
CLICK HERE for photos from SHP Elder Deliveries.

Cross Ministry

ESLC LIAISONS
Connor McCarthy ’28 & Zach Hafner ’27

ABOUT
The mission of Elder Serves Cross Ministry is to spread our faith in Jesus Christ through the making and distribution of small wooden crosses.  We provide FREE HANDMADE CROSSES to anyone who asks.

WHAT WE DO
Elder students come together to build small wooden crosses in the form of necklaces and simple wood crosses.  These crosses are available to anyone who would like them – free of charge.

HISTORY
Elder’s Cross Ministry was inspired by the work of two men – former Elder teacher Mark Klusman and an Iowa pastor named Mr. Bill Evans.

In 1978, Elder teacher Mr. Mark Klusman gave each student in his Geography class a small wooden cross.  Mr. Forman was a student in Mr. Klusman’s class and was impacted by this small token of our faith. He still has this cross in his possession today.

In 2011, Mr. Bill Evans of Davenport, Iowa, began the 2nd Chance Cross Ministry to give old, unusable wood a “second chance” by turning transform this discarded lumber into small crosses.  Mr. Evans would then send these crosses, at no cost, to whoever requested them.  Over the years, Mr. Forman became friends with Mr. Evans and requested and received several thousand wooden cross necklaces for his students.  In June 2018, Mr. Evans’ ministry ended when he passed away (obituary) after impacting many thousands of lives through his small creation of a cross.

CONTINUING THE MISSION
At Elder High School we continue Mr. Evan’s mission and honor Mr. Klusman’s memory and gift of crosses to his students.  The production of crosses includes acquiring scrap hardwood, planing the wood to proper thickness, cutting and routing the pieces, gluing, drilling, and assembling necklaces.

TO REGISTER
Check our CALENDAR page and respond to the MobileServe invite if you would like to participate in an event.

Street Team

ESLC LIAISONS
Sam Bill ’26 & Reese Morgan ’28

ABOUT
Help us beautify our neighborhood by cleaning up litter found on the neighboring streets around Elder.  Volunteers will carry a grabber and bucket to try to accumulate the most trash.  Meet outside of Mr. Forman’s office (Room 111) on clean up days.  Volunteers will get 1.5 hours of service for helping out.

TO REGISTER
Check our CALENDAR page and respond to the MobileServe invite if you would like to participate in an event.

PHOTOS
CLICK HERE for photos from previous Street Team events.

Tech With The Elderly

PROGRAM LEADER/FOUNDER
Michael Albers ’27

ESLC LIAISONS
Rosember Diaz-Zacharias ’26 & Evan Kafel ’28

DATES
TBA – Contact Michael Albers (e26-albersmt@elderhs.net)

ABOUT
Tech With The ELDERly connects Elder students with elderly people at assisted living homes where we help the residents with the technology questions – iPhones, laptop computers, and other tech.

TECH with the ELDERly gives back to the people who have helped shape our world today. It is extremely rewarding to help an older generation understand how their technology works, especially since many things are centered around technology now. By helping them, they can become more connected with the world and more active in day-to-day activities. Screens can be difficult to navigate, especially for a generation raised without them, but our group will do our best to help with any questions they may have and teach them the basics on how to use their devices.

INTERESTED?
If you would like to join the ELDERly Tech Team, email Michael e26-albersmt@elderhs.net and he will keep you posted.

Western Wildlife Corridor

PROGRAM LEADERS
Lincoln Edwards ’27 & Brecken Born ’27

ESLC LIAISONS
Brody Gilday ’27 & Sawyer Bradshaw ’28

EVENT DATES
Sat, Oct 11 – We invite you to join us at the Kirby Nature Preserve in Addyson on 2 – 4 PM where we will be opening a outdoor adventure loop built by Elder students earlier in the year. Please email junior Brecken Born (e27-bornbc@elderhs.net) if you are interested in volunteering.

ABOUT
Since 1992, Western Wildlife Corridor (www.westernwildlifecorridor.org) has been focused on protecting natural greenspace in and near the Ohio River valley between Cincinnati  and the Indiana border to the west. We do this for a lot of reasons; to protect and preserve habitat for local flora and fauna, to provide opportunities for people to access nature, and to offset and balance the environmental impacts and effects of development around us.  WWC now protects over 400 acres of natural habitat.  Volunteers are needed to build and maintain trails, remove invasive species, and other fun outdoor wildlife restoration projects.

LOCATION
Various greenspaces managed by WWC

PHOTOS
CLICK HERE for photos from WWC.

TO REGISTER
Email Brecken Born and Lincoln Edwards if you’d like to participate.

Ronald McDonald House

ESLC LIAISON
Zach Hafner ’27

ABOUT
The Ronald McDonald House (www.rmhcincinnati.org) provides housing for families with children being treated at Children’s Hospital and other area hospitals.  Help is needed preparing and serving meals for these families.  Volunteers will be taught basic kitchen rules and knife skills, and then we will work on preparing the meal for the 177 families staying at the house.  Once prepared, we will serve the dinners to the families and then we enjoy dinner as well.  Afterwards, we clean up the kitchen before leaving.

LOCATION
341 Erkenbrecher Avenue, 45229 (MAP)

DATES
Wed, Nov 5 (4 PM – 8 PM)
Others TBA

REGISTER
Check our CALENDAR and email Mr. Forman if you are interested in participating.
** VOLUNTEERS MUST BE AT LEAST 16 YEARS OF AGE **

Ohio March For Life (Oct 3)

OHIO MARCH FOR LIFE
DATE: Fri Oct 3, 2025 | 6:30 AM – 3:30 PM
LOCATION: Columbus, OH

ABOUT
The Ohio March for Life is a pro-life event held at the Ohio State Capitol building in Columbus, Ohio, to advocate for the rights of the unborn and raise awareness for the pro-life movement. The marchers will gather to support legislation that protects unborn lives and to advocate for a culture that values all human life. The event will take place at the Ohio State Capitol building in Columbus. ** Students will earn 8 service hours for participating. **

TO REGISTER
Go to MobileServe and click on EVENTS.

CONTACT
Email Mrs. Daubenmerkl (daubenmerklce@elderhs.net or Room 301) if you have any questions.

SVDP Coat Distribution (NOV 7 & 8)

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL COAT DISTRIBUTION
LOCATION: Elder High School – Schaeper Center
SET UP: FRI, NOV 7 | 2:30 – 3:30 PM
EVENT: SAT, NOV 8 | 8 AM – Noon

ABOUT
Help our neighbors in need get a warm winter coat at SVDP’s Coat Distribution event, conveniently located at Elder HS.  Volunteers are need on the Friday session to help set up the coats, and others are needed on Saturday session to help distribute the coats. Friday after school is event Set Up and Saturday is Coat Distribution.

TO REGISTER
Check our CALENDAR page and email Mr. Forman if you would like to participate in the Setup or the Distribution.

PHOTOS
CLICK HERE for photos from previous Coat Distributions.

PWC Prepare Affair (NOV 15)

PEOPLE WORKING COOPERATIVELY
LOCATION: 4612 Paddock Road 45229
DATE: SAT, NOV 15, 2025 | 8 AM – NOON

ABOUT
PWC performs critical home repairs and services so that low-income homeowners can remain in their homes living independently and healthier in a safe, sound environment.

PREPARE AFFAIR
Prepare Affair is a volunteer event that brings together more than 2,000 volunteers to help low-income, elderly and disabled homeowners prepare their homes for winter. One of the largest volunteer events in the tri-state, Prepare Affair crews will perform winter preparation activities that will make a huge difference for elderly homeowners with physical limitations.  Services range from raking leaves and cleaning gutters to other small winter preparation tasks.

TO REGISTER
Check our CALENDAR page and email Mr. Forman if you would like to participate in this event.

PHOTOS
CLICK HERE for Prepare Affair photos.

Coats for Kids (NOV 18)

STUDENT LEADER: BLAKE WILLIAMS ’28

Spiritual Boosters' Turkey Fry (NOV 26)

FOR FRESMEN STUDENTS AND THEIR DADS/MENTORS

 

WHO ARE THE SPIRITUAL BOOSTERS?
The Boosters are a group of men dedicated to the spiritual development of Elder students.  Founded in 2004, we are men of faith, some Elder graduates and some are not.  We exist to assist the faculty in the spiritual development of the students through evenings of reflection, service projects and retreats.

THE HISTORY OF THE TURKEY FRY
The Turkey Fry began in 2009 feeding 25 families through the Holy Family School and Food Pantry.  It has expanded in recent years to include families from the Romero Academy (former Resurrection School) for a total of 55 meals each year.  Since the beginning, Elder students and their fathers/mentors have prepared over 750 Thanksgiving Dinners for Price Hill families.  Families have enjoyed meals of deep fried turkeys, cranberry sauce, breadsticks, canned vegetables, and pumpkin pies which are delivered by the students and fathers/mentors to their homes.

TURKEY FRY 2025 DETAILS
The Spiritual Boosters are recruiting 16 student-father/mentor pairs to help prepare and deliver the turkey dinners on Wednesday, November 26. There will be multiple shifts throughout the day – SHIFT 1: 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM | SHIFT 2: 10:30 AM – 2:30 PM | SHIFT 3: 2:00 – 5:30 PM.  You will be able to indicate which shifts work for you on the registration form.

In order to participate in the event, students and their fathers/mentors must attend a meeting and prayer service on Tuesday, November 25 at 5:00 PM in the Elder Chapel.  Following the meeting and prayer service, we will need 4 of these student-father/mentor pairs to help in the kitchen to prepare some pumpkin pies for the dinners. Participation in both the meeting/prayer service and the Turkey Fry are required for this event. 

WHO IS INVITED TO PARTICIPATE?
The Turkey Fry opportunity is first opened to Freshmen students and their father/mentor.  If we any openings after November 10, we will open spots up to other father-son/mentor-son pairs that have not previously participated.

TO REGISTER
CLICK HERE to complete the registration form. (Limited to 16 father/son pairs – First Come First Served.)
SORRY – REGISTRATION IS FULL. Email  FORMANTT@ELDERHS.NET if you would like to be added to the waitlist.

PHOTOS
CLICK HERE for photos CLICK HERE for WCPO Channel 9’s segment

QUESTIONS?
You can direct all Turkey Fry questions to Doug Jaeger (doug.jaeger@geaerospace.com) or Tom Aug (taug382@gmail.com).

CLICK HERE FOR RECAP OF TURKEY FRY 2024

SVDP Toy Drive (DEC 3) & Toy Shop (DEC 12 & 13)

Elder High School is excited to be hosting its annual Toy Drive and Toy Shop to serve needy families in Price Hill.  Many volunteers are needed to make this event a success – from bringing in toys to helping the week of the event and during the event itself!

HISTORY
The Elder Toy Shop was started in the 1980’s by Mrs. Liz Witte, an Elder mom.  Mrs. Witte believed that all kids should have some toys to open on Christmas day and she decided to do something about it.   For many years while her sons were at Elder, Mrs. Witte would coordinate the collection of food and toys to be distributed to needy families in Over-The-Rhine.  As the years went and her sons graduated, the reins were passed to her son Pete Witte who still supports the event to this day.  As the demographics of our city changed, the Toy Shop changed to serve primarily our Price Hill neighbors in need.  We are pleased to be able to honor Mrs. Witte’s legacy as we prepare for Toy Shop this year.  CLICK HERE for a Price Hill Press article from 2011.

TOY DRIVE 2025
On Wed, Dec 3, Elder will have a Theme Day and students are asked to bring in one or more unwrapped toys that will be used at our Toy Shop.  The type of toy to be brought in will be based upon students’ HR teacher.  (A chart will be posted here shortly.)  We truly appreciate any support students and parents can give to our Toy Shop this year!  NOTE:  Our Amazon Wish List will soon be posted.

TOY SHOP 2025
We are excited to partner with St. Vincent de Paul once again this year and be a part of their Christmas Together programs.   SVDP has a long history of serving neighbors in need in Cincinnati (and around the world), and they have hosted successful Toy Shops for many years, helping neighbors in need who request assistance during the Holiday season.  Even though we are working with SVDP this year, the neighbors who will be shopping at Elder’s Toy Shop reside in the Price Hill area – so we are truly helping our neighbors in need again this year.  NOTE: All families invited to our shop will have been notified by St. Vincent de Paul.  Unfortunately we are NOT able to accept walkups.

TOY SHOP – STUDENT VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Volunteers are needed for the Toy Shop Setup on Fri, Dec 12 (2:30 – 4:30 PM) and the Toy Shop on Sat, Dec 13 (8 AM – 1 PM).  Official sign up will take place in November but email Todd Forman (formantt@elderhs.net) if you’d like to reserve a spot.

TOY SHOP – ADULT VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Moms and Dads are needed to help with the Toy Shop as well by helping us with set up on Fri, Dec 12 (2:30 – 4:30 PM) and the Toy Shop on Sat, Dec 13 (8 AM – 1 PM).  CLICK HERE to indicate your interest in volunteering.

CLICK HERE FOR RECAP FROM OUR 2024 TOY DRIVE & TOY SHOP

Mother/Son Service Day (JAN/FEB)

2025-2026 MOM/SON SERVICE DAY INFO COMING SOON

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED!

Father/Son Service Day (MAR 21)

Fathers and Sons (or Grandpas and Uncles) are welcome to join us for the annual Father/Son Service Day event.  We will once again work with the Sayer Park Garden Club to beautify Nelson Sayler Memorial Park.

REGISTRATION
Registration information will be coming in January 2026, however if you want to reserve a spot email Todd Forman (formantt@elderhs.net).

Mark Klusman Day of Service (MAR 26)

2025-2026 KLUSMAN SERVICE DAY INFO COMING SOON


KLUSMAN DAY OF SERVICE RECAP – MARCH 29, 2025

THANK YOU for your hard work on Saturday building beds for kids in need!   It was awesome working with you all and truly appreciate your help building beds for need in honor of the life and legacy of beloved Elder teacher Mark Klusman (CLICK HERE).

Special thanks to Mark’s nephew Tom Klusman and his family for joining us and providing some background on Mark’s life and inspirational stories.  Thanks, too, to Al Kovacic and the many volunteers who pulled a double-shift and to those who helped us pack up everything at the end!

Because of Elder’s financial contribution, monetary gifts from a few other special donors, and your hard work, we will be able to provide 50 children in Price Hill with a new ready-to-sleep-in bed in 2025! Each child will receive one of the bed frames you built, along with a mattress, sheets, comforter, pillow, pillowcase, blanket, and stuffed animal.  Their lives will be changed for the better.

PHOTOS
CLICK HERE for photos from our build day.

DELIVERIES – HELP NEEDED
We would love to have you join us for deliveries!  This is where the magic happens. We need help on our upcoming April 12 and May 18 visits.  Visit www.shpcincy.org/volunteer to see our volunteer schedule and links to register.  Contact kim.drefcinski@shpbeds.org if you have any questions.

BUILD WITH US
If you would like to join us on a future build day, we would love to have you join us. Most of our build days are sponsored events, so we give first dibs to the sponsoring team…however we often need additional volunteers.  To see our upcoming build schedule and delivery days, please visit www.shpcincy.org/volunteer.  I have already added your email address to our database, so you will receive an email from me when we need volunteers for bed builds and deliveries…but don’t hesitate to reach out if you see a build you’d like to participate in.

BEDDING DRIVES
Please consider hosting a bedding drive to help us get new twin-size comforters, sheets, pillowcases, pillows, blankets, and stuffed animals.  Contact me or carrie.sitarski@shpbeds.org if you would like to learn more.

GOT CONNECTIONS?
If you know of a company, organization, foundation, or individual who you think would like to learn more about what we do and why we do it, please connect us.  We would love to share our story and help others get involved. Contact todd.forman@shpbeds.org if you can be a connector.

WEST SIDE SHP TEAM – SEEKING SPACE
While main SHP Cincy warehouse is located on the east side of Cincinnati, we have a strong and growing group of volunteers on the West Side thanks to our friends at Bridgetown Church of Christ.  Leaders Mark Phair and Kevin Davis are eager to begin building beds and inviting others to join, but first they need to find a small, secure, indoor space to use for bed construction.  If you have some ideas, contact Mark (mphair22@gmail.com / 513.235.3657) or Kevin (kdavisusa13@gmail.com / 859.380.6223)

VISIT US AND FOLLOW US
Visit www.shpcincy.org for any other information you might need.  We have links to our Facebook and Instagram page there as well.  And CLICK HERE for our latest newsletter.

Thanks again for everything and MAKE IT A GREAT DAY!

Louisa KY Mission Trip (FALL/SPRING)

LOCATION: Fr. Beiting Appalachian Mission Center
UPCOMING TRIPS: SEP 16 – 20, 2025 | APR 21 – 25, 2026
COST: No Charge

Elder students are invited to participate in the very special Appalachian outreach trip (MAP).  This is a mission trip/retreat experience where students will do volunteer work each day through the Mission Center.  Each evening participants live in community where they prepare and share meals together, discuss and reflect on their experiences, and end the evening in shared prayer.

MORE INFORMATION
Visit https://www.fbamc-ky.org/ for more information and contact Mrs. Jen Lanter (lanterjd@elderhs.net) if you have any questions.

PHOTOS
CLICK HERE for photos from previous trips.

INTERESTED?
CLICK HERE for trip application.

Mexico Mission Trip (JUNE)

SUMMER 2026 TRIP DETAILS COMING DEC 2025

LOCATION: Solferino/Quintana Roo, Mexico (just outside Cancun)
UPCOMING TRIP:  JUNE 8 – 15, 2026
COST: $1400 (2025 cost)

Elder High School is excited to offer a summer mission trip to Solferino, Quintana Roo, Mexico (just outside Cancun – MAP),  June 10 – 16, 2025. This service trip will allow students to explore a new culture while completing service projects, spending time in prayer and reflection, and spending time with members of the community we serve.

The total out-of-pocket cost for this mission trip is $1400 (2025 cost) per student. The cost is all-inclusive, covering all travel, meals, mission activities, sightseeing, and transportation.

Summer 2025 Itinerary

  • June 10 (Tue) | Travel Day: Leave Cincinnati, arrive in Cancun Mexico, transportation to Solferino, welcome, dinner, night prayers
  • June 11 – 13 (Wed, Thu, Fri) | Service Days: Prayer, breakfast, mission work, lunch, community time, mass, dinner
  • June 14 (Sat) | Mass, followed by sightseeing including Chichen Itza
  • June 15 (Sun) |  Mass, followed by fun beach day
  • June 16 (Mon) | Travel Day – Breakfast, check out, transfer to airport, return to Cincinnati

CHAPERONES
Fr. Andrew Gronote, Religion teacher Mrs. Jennifer Lanter, and Spanish teacher Mrs. Mary Beth Corey will be chaperoning this trip.

PARENT MEETING
Meeting will be held the last week of February (Date TBD) when we will have better details to share regarding the mission and the service we will perform. We will also discuss fundraising during the parent meeting.

PASSPORT
If you are interested please make sure to apply for a passport for your son, passports are needed to book the flights. Passports are currently taking about a month to receive after application.

PHOTOS
CLICK HERE for photos from previous trips.

INTERESTED?
Contact Mrs. Lanter (lanterjd@elderhs.net) to indicate your interest.  To secure a spot, a $300 deposit (refundable) will be due to the main office by February 2026. Make checks payable to Elder High School and indicate it is for the Mexico Mission Trip.