National Social Work Month is almost gone, but it has left an indelible mark of goodwill at Christ Hospital.

Recognizing the difficulties many patients face in paying for medicine, employees of the Christ Hospital social work department asked friends who regularly donate gifts to the staff to instead consider giving donations so staff members could help patients.

"There are increasing challenges for us to find ways to meet the financial needs of our patients who have limited resources,'' said Nancy Platt of the social work department.

Social worker Peggy Schmidt (from left); Shawnda Noble, regional director of admissions and marketing for Carington Health Systems; social worker Nancy Platt; Debbie Christie, director of social work for Christ Hospital; and social worker Amanda Jackson gather donations from Carington Health Systems. The Cincinnati Enquirer/MEGGAN BOOKER

"The cost of prescriptions can be overwhelming for those of modest means, but it is impossible for the working poor and elderly who can barely survive.''

The friends and vendors were asked to consider funds instead of gifts to the hospital's Human Needs fund the social workers can access to help patients with emergency financial problems related to illness or hospitalization.

They suggested gift cards for stores where food and prescriptions can be obtained, as well as gift certificates for food outlets.

"So far, the response has been great,'' said Patty Holiday, public relations officer for Christ Hospital. "We have about $1,200 donated and donations are still coming in.''

For more details, call 585-0742

Academy appointments

Nine students in the Second Congressional District who were nominated by U.S. Congressman Rob Portman, R-Terrace Park, have received appointments to service academies:

Andrea Brock, Mason; William Liggett, Anderson Township and Luke Tyree, Waverly, were appointed to the U.S. Military Academy.

Luke Fisher, Batavia; Jared Krueger, Loveland; and Kasey Wilson, Anderson, were appointed to U.S. Air Force Academy.

LeeAnn Darland, Mason; Christopher Gavieres, Amelia; and Justin Moore, Mount Orab, were appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy.

Portman said he wished the students entering the graduating class of 2008 luck.

"I was proud to nominate each of the students selected this year,'' Portman said. "Our nominees are extraordinarily talented and compete against a highly qualified group of young men and women.''

Funds sought for school trip

Karen Schupp, a volunteer with Cincinnati Public Schools, is asking for help to send needy children at Whittier School who have qualified for an end-of-year field trip to Chicago, May 18-21.

"We have 44, seventh- and eighth-graders who have met the requirement in student habits, citizenship, behavior and attendance,'' Schupp said. "Some of these children have never been outside of Cincinnati.''

Send donations to Whittier School, c/o Alesia Smith, 945 Hawthorne Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45202 or call 759-4963. Deadline is April 30.

Web site lists volunteers

National Volunteer Week is April 18-24, and Lisa Thogmartin, a senior associate with VolunteerMatch, has an easy way for people to learn how they can help worthy organizations.

VolunteerMatch is a nonprofit Internet-based service that lists volunteer opportunities by geographical area on its Web site at www.volunteermatch.org. It's slogan is "Get out. Do good."

"Our mission is to help everyone find a great place to volunteer," Thogmartin said. "Our Web site has helped to match over 1.5 million volunteers."

Her figures show that about 7,500 from Cincinnati alone have been matched to nonprofit organizations since 1998.

She said visitors to the Web site who enter their ZIP code on the home page will receive an up-to-date list of volunteer opportunities in their areas.

Thogmartin said nearly 200 Cincinnati nonprofits use VolunteerMatch to recruit volunteers. She said that in Ohio, there were 900 opportunities and nearly 800 organizations listed with VolunteerMatch..

"We usually go through VolunteerMatch to get volunteers to help us with the Great American Cleanup, which is coming up on April 24," said Kerry Crossen, program and events manager for Keep Cincinnati Beautiful. "It is a great resource for finding volunteers."

For more information, call (415) 437-5136