Cincinnati Opera staff members play games with children at the Community Center within the Villages at Roll Hill.
In two memorable visits over the summer, several Cincinnati Opera staff took a break from their regular office hours in order to engage with children at the Community Center within the Villages at Roll Hill, a community of government-subsidized housing located in Cincinnati’s East Westwood area.
Mrs. Lisa Hyde-Miller, the community relations coordinator at the Villages at Roll Hill Community Center, works tirelessly to help residents overcome economic challenges. “Ms. Lisa,” as her community knows her, fundraises, applies for grants, and personally oversees community services such as a food pantry, access to computers and internet, and transportation to the grocery store in her 15-seat passenger van. Through her partnership with local organization Cradle Cincinnati, Ms. Lisa helped Roll Hill reduce its infant mortality rates in 2019, making the neighborhood one of only three in Cincinnati to achieve this reduction last year.
Cincinnati Opera staff members join in field day activities with children from the Villages at Roll Hill.
Jemannie Severson Luong, education manager for Cincinnati Opera, says that the visits to Roll Hill gave her a greater sense of community. “The work Ms. Lisa puts into building and uplifting her community really shows,” says Luong. “Not only does she know everyone by name, but she truly has a relationship with them. It gives new meaning to the community name, the ‘Villages’ of Roll Hill.”
Along with exploring Ms. Lisa’s impressive work, Opera volunteers also enjoyed a chance to play as they helped facilitate a “field day” of socially-distant outdoor activities in one visit and bagged candy to share in another. “Helping Ms. Lisa was an absolute pleasure,” says Cincinnati Opera’s music coordinator Alyssa Mehnert, a participating volunteer. “It was fun to get out of the office and laugh along with the children.”
Cincinnati Opera staff returned to Music Hall recharged and full of ideas on how to connect to the greater Cincinnati community. In Luong’s words, “The volunteers of Cincinnati Opera were lucky to spend the day here, and we look forward to future volunteer events and our continued partnership.”
Cincinnati Opera’s music coordinator Alyssa Mehnert prepares snacks for children at Roll Hill.