NS Cares, a nonprofit foundation in Southwest Ohio that supports a variety of community-centric causes, is celebrating a successful 2018 campaign of giving. Notable contributions include a charitable commitment to Cincinnati Children’s of $100,000, along with a food warmer, soft serve ice cream machine and toiletry bags for families at Ronald McDonald House.

NS Cares’ relationship with Cincinnati Children’s started after they were introduced by another local nonprofit, Free Throws for Kids, whose commitment to Cincinnati Children’s includes care packages for over 800 families per year.

NS Cares saw the difference their outreach made and committed $25,000 in quarterly donations to support clinical social workers providing ongoing counseling, crisis intervention, advocacy, and education. The donation will be used for resources, transportation, housing and supplies for long-term patients and their families based on the hospital’s needs.

Additional donations to the Cincinnati’s Ronald McDonald House were made by NS Cares in the form of a toiletry bags packaged by employees and a food warmer and soft serve ice cream machine. These will help their kitchen staff keep up with demand as they expand their footprint in 2020 to included 99 extra bedrooms for children and families being housed near specialty care providers.

“Cincinnati Children’s and Ronald McDonald House are pillars in the tri-state area, and we share a common goal: to improve the communities where we and our customers live and work,” said Norman-Spencer President Brian Norman. “We are thrilled that the NS Cares’ partnership with Free Throws for Kids allowed us to support both organizations in a big way this year. We also owe a huge thank you to the employees of Norman-Spencer who volunteered their time and money.”

Norman-Spencer employees also supported local causes by walking in the American Cancer Society Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk, where the company was a stage sponsor, and assisting the Cincinnati Zoo with Festival of Lights preparations for the holiday season. NS Cares was recently awarded the Community Service Award, presented by Ohio Insurance Agents Association, Inc. for their extraordinary service within their local community.

NS Cares’ accomplishments in 2018 followed a strong 2017. The organization supported The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Tri-State Southern Ohio Chapter, Pink Ribbon Girls, Brigid’s Path and YWCA Dayton, and it received an Outstanding Foundation/Corporate Philanthropy award from Wright State University in 2017.