Anthony Barlow, an attorney with Strauss & Troy, will lead a group of volunteer parent trustees conducting fund raising, program development, personnel and parent involvement efforts through the 2003-04 school year as president of the board at the Kennedy Heights Montessori Center.

The center has 100 students studying in the Montessori tradition of learning.

"I don't have a lot of new ideas to implement. It is just a matter of keeping the volunteer forces intact," Barlow said. "We have a parent volunteer group, and all the money we raise goes toward the school. We try to offer tuition for some of those families that can't afford it. Our volunteer corps of parents do just about everything from raising money to planting flowers to painting walls."

Barlow said the center enables children of different ages, backgrounds and cultures to learn together in combined classrooms.

It is a nonprofit and nondenominational school, offering classes from preschool and kindergarten.

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Mercedes-Benz of Cincinnati's chief executive officer Dana Hackney was honored during the ATP tournament the past week for his efforts in sponsoring the Pro/Am event, which raises funds for the Inner City Youth Opportunities.

The event, which involves executives matching up with pros for a tennis match, has generated nearly $100,000 for the youth opportunities group over the years, said Jeanne Bell, its executive director.

The group strives to teach practical life skills and develop responsible, educated and caring youth through tennis, academic intervention and youth development activities, Bell said.

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Eleven families affected by HIV were treated to the Fantastic Family Weekend camp last week, at Camp Swoneky, sponsored by the Salvation Army.

"Camp Swoneky is a great resource for our community," said Maj. Kenneth W. Maynor, Salvation Army divisional commander.

He said a representative from AIDS Volunteers of Cincinnati was available at the camp throughout the weekend.

The Salvation Army first sponsored the camp five years ago.

Maynor said it has grown from five families to 11.

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Two trainers for the Center for Peace Education in Clifton recently spent five days in Seoul, South Korea, presenting workshops on Peer Mediation, at the request of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education.

The agency has offered violence prevention programs in Cincinnati for 20 years.

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Allen Howard's "Some Good News" column runs daily. 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.