A voice - and a giving heart - generated $1,200 for Cincinnati Children's StarShine Hospice.

The voice and the giving heart belong to Lauren Faulkner, a 16-year-old junior at Sycamore High School.

She used her gifted voice to produce a CD as a gift to her father, Bob Faulkner, last year. But guess what - everybody else wanted a copy.

"I decided this was a chance to use my music to help a charity," Lauren said.

For four weeks, she stood outside a Kroger store and sold the CD and raised the money.

"The CD is a mixture of light opera, some Broadway and some folk songs,'' she said.

Lauren, a soprano, said she plans to major in opera.

StarShine provides a range of services for terminally ill children and their families. They include nursing visits, volunteer services, social services, home-health aides, spiritual care, infusion therapy, speech therapy, medical equipment and follow-up bereavement care.

To learn more about StarShine, visit www.cincinnatichildrens.org/starshine.

To order the CD, call 489-8697.

An added feature to the $19 million renovation of the Taft Museum of Art in the Dr. Stanley and Mickey Kaplan Lobby will be a two-story atrium with views of the museum's redesigned garden, a grand curving stairway, providing access to a second-floor walkway that will connect the historic Taft home to the expansion wing.

That will all be possible by a gift from the Kaplans.

"Mickey and I think of the Taft as a gem in Cincinnati's crown," said Dr. Kaplan.

He said the museum has needed refurbishing for many years and has needed additional exhibition and education space.

"Fortunately, all this is now being accomplished and we are pleased to play a role in it," Dr. Kaplan said.

The Kaplans have contributed many services to the Cincinnati arts community, including serving on boards of the Cincinnati Ballet, Cincinnati Arts Association, Cincinnati Institute of Fine Arts, Cincinnati Art Museum, Contemporary Arts Center, Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati, School for the Creative and Performing Arts, WCET-TV Channel 48 and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park.

They received the Governor's Award in 2000.

St. Xavier High School's Advent Canned Food Drive exceeded its goal of 100,000 pounds of food.

Students collected 40,000 pounds Dec. 8 and 15. The rest came from daily turn-ins during the drive.

Food will be distributed to local families Saturday.

Food was delivered to social service agencies in Lancaster, Ky., and Ivanhoe, Va., Dec. 11 and 15 and in Monticello, Ky., Dec. 17.

Allen Howard's "Some Good News" column runs Sunday-Friday. If you have suggestions about outstanding achievements, or people who are uplifting to the Tristate, let him know at 768-8362, at ahoward@enquirer.com or by fax at 768-8340.