The Helping Hands that stretched from Indian Hill across town to a family in Delhi Township are reaching into the sky to help an airline flight attendant who is fighting ovarian cancer.

        Helping Hands is a group of friends who set up the nonprofit organization in December 2000. The members volunteer for projects to help a person or a family in need.

        The first project was raising money to buy a van for Frank and Peggy May to use for their daughter Meagan, who has cerebral palsy.

        They gave the family a Dodge Caravan, equipped with a hydraulic wheelchair lift.

        The new project will be launched at 8 p.m. May 9 at Annie's, 4343 Kellogg Ave., Columbia Tusculum. “We are calling it the Passing of the Baton Party,” said Leigh Anne Meurer, a member of the group. “The May family will be there to help kick off the project.”

        Cindy Smith, a Delta flight attendant, is taking chemotherapy for cancer. She has a child Austin, 10, who has attention deficit disorder.

        “We want to set up a trust fund for Austin,” said Toni Bolser, a member of Helping Hands.

        The party at Annie's will include a silent auction, raffle, split the pot drawing every hour, and a band.

        “We are asking people to come and bring 500 of your closest friends,” Mrs. Bolser said. “We are asking for a $5 donation.”

        The group has set up an account at Fifth Third Bank in the name of Austin Louis Michael Smith. The account number is 42430439.

        • • •

        An internship for minorities studying in the health care field has been established in the name of Eddie Lee Ralls Sellers, who helped to set up health care centers throughout the city.

        Mrs. Sellers was one of the first African-American nursing graduates from the University of Cincinnati and was director of the West End Health Center.

        The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati established the internship to help minorities become health care professionals.

        For more information, call 458-6621.

        • • •

        The Ropin' Rockets, a group of students from North Avondale Elementary School, gave demonstrations at three schools to promote the American Heart Association's Jump Rope for Heart program.

        The group performed at Lakeside and Cheviot Elementary schools and Rapid Run Middle School .

        Jump Rope For Heart is an aerobic exercise event to benefit the American Heart Association. Students collect pledges based upon the amount of time they jump rope.

        • • •

        Third-, fourth- and fifth-graders at J.F. Dulles Elementary School in the Oak Hills School District recently raised $11,843 in a marathon to benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

       Allen Howard's “Some Good News” column runs Sunday-Friday. He can be reached at 768-8362, at ahoward@enquirer.com or by fax at 768-8340.

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