Several members of the Mothers group are helping to decorate a car to be used in Monday's Opening Day parade that will carry the banner; "Mothers Against Crime."

"For the last three years, the city has been plagued with violence; shootings, rapes and young black men being killed by young black men," said Pam Asberry, vice president of The Vision Is Now Inc., a group that started a crime-fighting crusade several months ago. "It is becoming an expectation for our children to get killed. And our children are now being accosted while going to and from school. Enough is enough."

Curlee Jackson-Bobbs of Westwood lives through a horrible memory each day of the night of Sept. 30, 2001, when her son, Jermaine, 19, was shot outside her house.

"Being the mother of a murdered child is hard," Jackson-Bobbs said. "It is even harder when we think we know who did it, but don't have enough evidence to bring the person to trial. We just have to wait until God does something for us."

The groups will have two cars in the parade. One is a car being raffled to raise money for crime-fighting initiatives.

For more information, call 631-3920 or 475-9833

Minority Health Month

The Center for Closing the Health Gap will launch Minority Health Month at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at Metropolitan CME Church, 2815 Melrose Ave., Walnut Hills. The goal of the effort is to eliminate health disparities among African-Americans, Hispanics, residents of Appalachia, Asians, American Indians/Alaska natives, native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.

"These communities are actually in a health crisis," said Dwight Tillery, executive director of the center. "We are following a model of a national campaign by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, focusing on health disparities."

Tillery said there are serious disparities among minorities who suffer from HIV/AIDS, diabetes, heart disease and cancer, compared to whites.

He said the center will also focus on the need to provide customized health care for every ethnic or racial group and the need for cultural competency.

The center, part of the Health Alliance, also includes Metropolitan CME Church, the Cincinnati Medical Association, the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Baptist Ministers Conference and WDBZ Radio.

Syndicated talk show host Bev Smith will be the speaker. The public is invited. For more information, call 585-9872.

Artist in residence

Candidates for the 2004 Duncanson Artist-in-Residence must be African-Americans or of African origin and must specialize in photography.

Deadline is April 30. The purpose of the residency is to promote and develop a deepening awareness of art and artists of African origin.

For more information, call 684-4526.

Volunteers: Hugh Daly Fund helps

When community agency support falls short and there is a need for the social service department at Christ Hospital to reach needy families of patients, the Hugh Daly Human Needs Fund steps in.

The fund is sustained by contributions, some made in honor of a colleague or in the memory of a friend or loved one.

The full amount of all contributions goes directly to helping individuals in need, said Debbie Christie, manager of the Christ Hospital social work department.

"Whatever amount you give can make a tangible difference," said Christie. "Through this fund, you can touch lives in a positive, definable way."

The fund was established in 1983 by Hugh Daly, director of the Christ Hospital social work department from 1973 to 1990.

"He was one of the godfathers of social work in the hospitals," Christie said.

The fund is designed to reach working people who suddenly are hit with a chronic disease and cannot meet regular expenses. It could involve providing a ride home, preventing utilities from being turned off, helping with food or providing transportation for a relative to the hospital, Christie said..

"The fund reaches out and helps working people who do not qualify for the other community help programs," Christie said.