The Cincinnati Open and Fifth Third are proud to recognize 12 area residents as this year’s Cincy Serves honorees, selected from over 200 nominations submitted by community members. They each receive a $5,300 donation to a charity of their choice along with a VIP experience at the 2025 Cincinnati Open.
The second class of honorees range from a college student to a retired police sergeant and help their Cincinnati neighbors with everything from nutrition and mental health to financial literacy and life-saving equipment, impacting thousands in the greater Cincy region.
Doug Adams
As the founding board chair of Cincinnati ToolBank in 2012, Doug Adams helped establish this unique organization as a vital community resource that lends tools solely to the nonprofit community. It has equipped 430 nonprofits with high-quality tools and equipment for volunteer projects, facilities repair, grounds maintenance and more. Over four decades, Doug has continually taken initiative to turn ideas into action across sectors like education, financial empowerment, youth development, and community engagement.
Kelly Blount
As a board member for the NEST Community Learning Center, Kelly Blount seeks to provide nutrition and educational resources to under-resourced children in the Loveland area. Always ready to lend a hand, Kelly also volunteers for several other nonprofit organizations. She is the incoming Vice Chair of Community and Outreach for Junior League of Cincinnati, does advocacy work for the Ben Morrison Memorial Fund, and for her recent birthday celebrations she organized friends and family to pack survivor bags for Pink Ribbon Good’s Survivor Celebration and meal kits for seniors through Meals on Wheels.
Candice Crear
Candice Crear founded From Fatherless to Fearless in 2016 after she chose to transform her pain of growing up fatherless into a greater purpose. She set out to help other fatherless girls and their mothers by addressing the root cause of their adversity. She works with girls in schools and juvenile detention centers across Cincinnati to provide opportunities to develop mental, emotional and financial wellness. The mission is focused on empowering fatherless girls to break cycles of trauma and build brighter futures.
Brian Ibold
As a local policeman for 28 years, Brian Ibold witnessed many people in the community struggling. When he retired as sergeant, he started The Help Squad to meet the tangible needs of those people. The Help Squad assists families in crisis with short-term financial support and wrap-around services for food, clothing and shelter as well as new paths for life development strategies. The nonprofit fundraises to provide direct aid and connects families to assistance organizations.
Olivia Kentner
As a young leader in Cincinnati, Olivia Kentner founded the nonprofit Ready Set Graduate! while in college. The organization has helped thousands of students around the state find their passions and mix their strengths to be prepared for success after high school. She’s worked closely with the Ohio Board of Education to prioritize career planning in high school classes. She has also volunteered in the Cincinnati community with Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Cincinnati Scholarship Foundation, Junior League and the Miss America Scholarship Organization.
Steve King
In the wake of Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest during a Bengals’ football game, Steve King took swift, inspired action to address a local emergency readiness gap: only a fraction of Hamilton County patrol cars carried Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs). King launched a mission to ensure that first responders across the Cincinnati region are equipped to save lives, raising over $800,000 to secure 400 AEDs. King’s leadership has inspired public and private entities to make Hamilton County the first “Heart Ready” county in the state with all police vehicles equipped with these life-saving devices.
Lucabella LaEace
At just 21 years old, Lucabella LaEace’s dedication to ending the silence around suicide has driven her to create the nonprofit Let’s Talk; Let’s Listen. Having lost her grandfather to suicide as a young girl, she has authored a children’s book, “More Than Sad,” that has been featured in classrooms, after school programs, YMCA camps and more to help kids understand emotions and when it’s time to ask for help. She also speaks to thousands of middle and high school students every year and was a founding member of the group that created 988, the national suicide and crisis lifeline phone number.
Katie Nzekwu
As a product of the foster care system, Katie Nzekwu knows that it is well-intended but cannot provide that sense of safety and support that young people need to thrive and to grow. She co-founded the nonprofit Found Village in 2015 to provide teens in the foster care system with that “village” of support. Nzekwu has built a program that provides young people who have been in and out of detention centers, courtrooms, foster homes and shelters a place of safety and support with after school, one-on-one and community-based activities including job training, life skills, fitness, creative experiences and mentoring.
Adebola “Baba” Olowe
After coming to Cincinnati as part of a Nigerian dance troupe, Adebola Olowe established the Bi-Okoto Drum & Dance Theatre in 1994 to bring West African cultural understanding to the community. For more than 30 years, his programs have provided mentorship, structure, confidence and cultural pride throughout the community through free and low-cost school residencies, summer camps, after school programs and performances. Described as a cultural ambassador, an altruistic leader and a father figure, his lifelong mission is to empower communities through culture and build bridges across differences.
John Rouster
As evidenced by his wide array of volunteer pursuits, John Rouster has an unwavering commitment to serving others at a grassroots level. Rouster’s endeavors range from assisting blind individuals with bills and mail, to reducing food waste in the community and driving cancer patients to appointments. Through all his volunteer efforts, a consistent thread runs through John’s work: a deep commitment to helping those who are often overlooked or in need of additional support.
John Silverman
John Silverman has served on the board of the Talbert House since 2003, leveraging his time, talent and resources to champion causes like the Fatherhood Project, which helps men build strong relationships with their children. John has ensured hundreds of men could access the coaching, classes, and support they need to become nurturing and involved dads. Beyond his service with the Talbert House, Silverman has brought passion and vision to key leadership roles with organizations serving children, families, individuals with disabilities and the Jewish community.
Tyran Stallings
As a longtime teacher in some of Cincinnati’s most challenging neighborhoods, Tyran Stallings lost more than 30 former students to violence. This fueled him to create the D.A.D. (Directing Adolescent Development) Initiative to provide mentorship, education, workforce development and mental health support to over 13,000 children in the past 15 years. The Black Futures program connects over 400 high school students with Black professionals and mentors every year, and his partnership with RWB Construction to provide carpentry training has equipped 150 students with trade skills, with 127 successfully placed in jobs.
