Help take a bite out of crime by strolling through the lobby of the Westin Hotel downtown and buying a raffle ticket.

The money raised will help a local group fight crime while giving buyers a chance to win a 2004 Chevrolet Aveo. The car was provided by McCluskey Chevrolet at cost.

Rev. Raymond Jones looks over a 2004 Chevrolet Aveo at the Westin Hotel downtown. The Cincinnati Enquirer/TONY JONES

The Rev. Raymond Jones, president of The Vision Is Now Inc., which is sponsoring the crime-fighting campaign, said the car will remain at the Westin for 30 days and will move to several malls. The drawing is July 8.

Jones said tickets and bumper stickers with crime-fighting messages can be purchased at Walgreens stores and Shell Stations, Liberty and Vine streets, and Gilbert Avenue and Martin Luther King Drive.

He also said the group will make and distribute T-shirts with names of victims of unsolved crimes.

"Whatever money we make will go to different community councils and block watches to help buy cell phones for people who call the police when they see a crime being committed and to help with other expenses.,'' said Linda Berger, a member of the group.

For more information, call 631-3920, 604-6985 or 504-2096.

Olympian praises volunteers

Olympic champion Jackie Joyner-Kersee is still clearing hurdles, but this time she is running for a cause.

The effort, she said, is to recognize volunteers who go the extra mile - the after-school worker, the volunteer classroom mom, the tutor and the mentor.

Joyner-Kersee has joined Midwest Living magazine to help launch Champions in Education. She said the program will recognize individuals and groups in the Midwest who are making a positive difference.

They are looking for nominations, and the deadline is April 1, she said.

"Champions in education could be anyone who is going that extra mile,'' Joyner-Kersee said.

She said the program will present a total of $30,000 in cash prizes to 32 winning schools this fall.

"There will be a special $5,000 Parent Who Makes a Difference Award from Corporate Champion Ford Freestar,'' Joyner-Kersee said.

Dan Kaercher, editor-in-chief of Midwest Living magazine, said the purpose is to give people the recognition they deserve and to motivate others to join them.

Entry forms and rules can be obtained by calling (800) 678-8093; writing Midwest Living magazine Champions in Education, 1716 Locust St., Des Moines, IA 50309-3023; or online at www.midwestliving.com/champions.

Joyner-Kersee of St Louis is winner of six Olympic medals, holds the heptathlon world record and the U.S. record in the long jump. She retired in 2001.