Team Stepping Stones will walk, run and maybe even crawl to try to finish the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon to raise money for the Stepping Stone Center.

Stepping Stone Team members will be among the thousands of runners and walkers participating in the annual race, which has generated international interest.

Team members include Carrie Taylor; Ken Bush; Kurt Wiemeyer; Lysa Meyer; Judy Deeter; Mark Sackett; Sandy Koehler; Gail Fischer; Fred Fischer; Nikki Allen; Jackie Bell; Sarah Bosley; Mary Beth Danker; Theresa Ciampone; Angie and Allison Fischer; Tammy Fisher; Pamela Hatfield; Nicole Kiser; Ron Kleinjohn; Paul and Sharon Lake; Rosemary Mentzel; Lauri Paniccia; Becky Poast; Amy Schmidt; Jo Ellen Spitz; and Kurt Wiemeyer.

In the first two years Team Stepping Stone participated in the marathon, it has raised $75,000 for the center through members soliciting sponsorships for the event, said Theresa Ciampone, one of the organizers who is also part of the team.

"We have been in training for about two weeks,'' Ciampone said. "We have 21 walkers, eight runners and two relay teams. There are about seven or eight more people still undecided about being on the team.''

The team trains at Running Spot East in Milford under running coach Dave Ackerman.

Ciampone said her husband, Nick, adds support from the sidelines, handing out water and refreshments.

The funds are used to support vital services for children and adults with disabilities and their families at the Stepping Stone Center..

The Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon is May 4. To join the team, call 831-4660 extension 12.

Wins Caribbean cruise

A seven-day Caribbean cruise was not on Donna Perkins' shopping list when she went grocery shopping at Thriftway last November.

But the Norwood woman was able to bag the cruise through a scratch-off game ticket for using her Thriftway Customer Reward Card.

Norwood Thriftway store manager Tony Souder presented Perkins with the Carnival Cruise ticket and a cruise gift basket Friday at the store, 4550 Montgomery Road in Surrey Square Mall Shopping Center.

Perkins will take the cruise in June with her husband, Tim. She said they plan to renew their wedding vows for their 25th anniversary while on the cruise.

Nearly 9 million scratch tickets were distributed to Thriftway and Winn-Dixie customers who made purchases using their Customer Reward Card.

Scouts aid the poor

A fund-raising project by a Junior Girl Scout Troop involved acts of kindness that benefitted the Interfaith Hospitality Network's Christmas gift-wrapping program.

Members of Troop 614, fifth-graders from St. Agnes Elementary School in Fort Wright, participated in the Gift Wrapping Fundraiser hosted by Media Play in Florence Mall last month.

The Scouts worked two, 2-hour shifts wrapping presents for donations. Troop members supplied the wrapping paper, bows and tape.

The donations they received helped to finance their trip to the Center of Science and Industry in Columbus. Leftover paper, ribbon, bows and tape went to the interfaith network.

The troop does other service projects, said Stephanie Rediman Thoeny, a Cub Scout leader.

"They sent a large box of donated school supplies to a school in Afghanistan. They donated a large box of birthday party fixin's to the Women's Crisis Shelter in Covington and donated items to an Adopt-a-Grandparent gift program," Thoeny said.