The dance steps may have been slightly off beat and the choice of music separated by a generation gap, but the first father-daughter dance at the Clough Pike Elementary School in Union Township, Clermont County, was a big hit.

Among the 250 dads and daughters attending were Neil Smith and his daughter, Courtney, a sixth-grader.

"It was absolutely a great experience,'' said Smith. "They had a chance to understand how they should be treated at a dance. The DJ played some of the music of our times and some of the music the daughters know about. We sort of had to teach each other about the different music.''

The dance was given for students in kindergarten through the sixth grade. The daughters wore party dresses and some were decked out with corsages.

Jacqueline Kerber, co-chair of the event, said it was "magical.''

"We knew it would be a special evening but had no idea how much the girls and dads would embrace the event,'' Kerber said.

Don't get jealous, moms and sons. Jennifer Becker, PTO president, said they are planning a bowling night for moms and sons on May 1.

New leader ready

As Christopher H. Young becomes president of the Cincinnati chapter of 100 Black Men, he sees a pressing need among young blacks for mentoring and health issues.

Young, a software architect with AT&T, replaces Kwasi Thornell, who founded the local chapter.

The 100 Black Men organization is a national group with about 90 chapters across the United States, England, West Indies and the Caribbean.

"Most of this year is going to be putting things in place,'' Young said. "We do a lot of mentoring, but most of it is on an individual basis. We have 25 members. We have an opportunity to positively impact the lives of many local youth - many of whom have not had much exposure to positive role models. Given the challenges faced by our youth, we believe that we can truly make a difference.''

Young, 38, lives in Blue Ash with his wife, Linda, and two sons. He designs and develops process automation software.

Scholarship opportunity

Children who volunteer in their communities have a chance to be part of the Kohl's department store Kids Who Care Program, which awards scholarships to recognize outstanding youth volunteers.

The nomination deadline is March 15. Nominees must be between the ages of 6-18. They will be judged in two age groups: 6-12 and 13-18.

Two winners will be selected at each Kohl's store - one from each age range to receive a $50 gift card. They go on to compete for regional ($1,000) and national scholarships ($5,000). Information: www.kohls.com.

Evendale praises officer for averting potential theft

EVENDALE - Evendale Police Officer Rick Vonderhaar was recently recognized for quickly recovering a woman's purse last month.

A Hamilton woman had forgotten her purse at the Northland Ice Skating Rink after watching her grandson's hockey practice.

After being notified of the incident, Vonderhaar called the woman and told her he would go to the rink and look for the missing purse. Within 10 minutes, he had found the purse with all its contents intact.

Evendale officials praised Vonderhaar's prompt work in averting a possible theft.

"Rick is the type of officer whose demeanor is very quiet; however, he lets his actions speak for him," Evendale Police Chief Gary Foust said. "He's very thoughtful."

Send police and fire items to behindthebadge@fuse.net