The slow economy in 2002 had no effect on the Gifts of Hope Campaign, which benefits the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Institute in Price Hill, said Bill Bross, project leader for the General Electric Elfun Society. The society, composed of GE employees and retirees, sponsors the campaign.

Total contributions were $16,388, Bross said.

"This year's team went above and beyond in contributing many hours of hard work," Bross said. "Not only did the team do an outstanding job but the response from GE Elfun retirees was overwhelming."

The group gave a party at St. Rita's School for the Deaf in Evendale, which included some of the children who received gifts.

Items received in the 2002 Gifts of Hope Campaign included sign language, books, crayons, dolls, flashlights, flash cards, small toy animals, computers and a van donated by one of the committee members.

Bross said the van is being used to transport deaf children and adults to church-related events and social activities.

"Financial contributions will be used to send children to deaf camps, free of charge, in order to improve their communication skills with the deaf and hearing communities," Bross said.

He said additional sign language books will be purchased for hearing parents to learn American Sign Language and four Bible storybooks will be incorporated into the shared reading library at the Hartwell Elementary School, 8320 Vine St., Hartwell, and at the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Institute, 3515 Warsaw Ave., Price Hill..

Also funds will be used to pay the tutors for the shared reading program and to purchase toys for the Gifts of Hope Program.

Reading Junto, a family literacy program, has distributed several hundred books in Harrison, the West End and Norwood through the Babies Milk Fund (BMF) Pediatric Care Program.

Barbara Shappie, manager of social services at BMF, said children ages 6 months to 5 years are given a new book as part of their well-child visit to BMF sites.

"BMF hopes by providing books during the child's pediatric visits they can build a library at home before they even start school," Shappie said.

Reading Junto collected the books during a book drive campaign this month and distributed them to BMF.

"I was pleased that we could further our outreach by working with BMF," said Summer Tyler, executive director of Reading Junto. "The distribution of books to children who do not have books in the home is the largest part of our current services."

To donate new infant, children's or young adult books call, 557-3470 for drop-off sites.

Northwest Senior High School will host the 50th Annual State Conference of the Ohio Association of Student Councils April 10-12, becoming the first school in the state to host the conference four times.

Allen Howard's "Some Good News" column runs Sunday-Friday. Contact him at 768-8362, at ahoward@enquirer.com or by fax at 768-8340.