February 12, 2025 • 19 mins
Today, our guest host is Scott Sloan, better known as Sloanie at 700 WLW. He serves as the king of this amazing party held annually in Northern Kentucky to raise much-needed money to fund local programs that support homeless children.
35 years ago, in Cincinnati, a tragic incident occurred that touched the hearts of our local residents. Four homeless children were living in an abandoned garage and were locked in when their father left them alone. A fire broke out in the garage, unable to escape, all four children perished.Today, Homeless Children continues to be a major challenge in our community. Desperate area children in Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati have benefited immensely from the actions of so many who have volunteered, donated, and attended in support of this annual event that can feed so many local children for an entire year. - Mardi Gras benefitting Homeless Children
35 years ago, in Cincinnati, a tragic incident occurred that touched the hearts of our local residents. Four homeless children were living in an abandoned garage and were locked in when their father left them alone. A fire broke out in the garage, unable to escape, all four children perished.Today, Homeless Children continues to be a major challenge in our community. Desperate area children in Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati have benefited immensely from the actions of so many who have volunteered, donated, and attended in support of this annual event that can feed so many local children for an entire year. - Mardi Gras benefitting Homeless Children
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
This week on iHeart Sinsey, it is the Party of
the tri State. It's two weeks earlier this year, and
is it a whole new location.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Don't miss it.
Speaker 3 (00:12):
Our mission is to make sure everybody has shelter for
the night and to get them rehoused and stable for
the long term.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Today on iHeart Cincy, I'll share an interview by the
King of the Marti Gras benefiting homeless children, Scott Sloan
with the organizers who make this unique experience come alive
in twenty five and how you can get tickets and
be a part of it.
Speaker 4 (00:36):
And later it's two Degrees of Phillips on the West
Side of Cincinnati that you either went through yourself or
you know somebody who did.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
For nearly one hundred years, this Cincinnati landmark and fun
spot has been the home of countless memories for Westsiders.
Today I'm talking with a Phillips Swim Club. You're going
to hear how it all began in the very start
of the Great Depression, how it nearly went away, and
how it was saved to remain a summertime fixture on
the West Side.
Speaker 5 (01:00):
Now on iHeart Cincy with Sandy Collins.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Welcome back to iHeart Cincy. I'm Sandy Collins and today
I'm going to share with you a conversation my colleague
Scott Sloane had with the organizers of the Northern Kentucky
fundraiser and Big Party, Marty Graw Benefiting Homeless Children. The
beginnings of this organization began some thirty five years ago
in Cincinnati. You can read this story on their website,
and it is a tragic one. Four homeless kids were
(01:26):
living in an abandoned garage and they were locked in
when their father left them at home alone. Well, a
fire broke out in the garage and they were unable
to escape, so all four children perished. Today, homeless children
continue to be a major challenge in our community. Desperate
area children in Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati have benefited immensely
from the actions of so many people who have volunteered, donated,
(01:49):
and attended and supported the annual event that can feed
so many local children for an entire year. So here's
the conversation Sloane had this week about Marty Graw Benefiting
Homeless Children. Coming up this month with information about how
to get tickets, dates, times, and more.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Guys good to see you again. Marty Got twenty twenty
five is on presented by the Northern Kentucky Restaurant Association.
Gordy Snyder is here, who is the founding chairman. Pat
O'Callahan can't be here because there's a bloody coup of
some sort. Jimmy Cravall and Pegneekers from Bethany House. Good morning.
How is everybody?
Speaker 5 (02:21):
We are good?
Speaker 4 (02:22):
It is good.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Remember it's good.
Speaker 5 (02:24):
Gordy.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
I'll start with you because you're the oldest in the
room and you have the most seniority here.
Speaker 5 (02:28):
We also got the most great here.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
So it's a big one year build up. Of course
last year was a great event where he's I forget
how what was the number? I'm bad with numbers. What
was last year?
Speaker 5 (02:38):
Just close to two hundred thousand.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Two hundred thousand dollars lastyear? Move your mikeel a little
bit closerselfing two hundred thousand last year. Hopefully we can
surpass that. Tickets about on sale for a while now
I know there's a few left, correct.
Speaker 5 (02:48):
There's some tickets left. We also have some sponsors left,
and if they want to be part of the sponsorship,
Marty grot twenty twenty five dot org. We could use the.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Supports, yeah, and it all goes, of course to benefit
particularly three eighties in Cincinnati, which would be a welcome house.
It would be a Brighton Center and Bethany House and
Peg Dercus is here who runs Bethany House. And it's
incredible the work that you guys do in the community
and no awth three of you together and serving so
(03:18):
many families and particularly kids, typically at Bethany House. Your
mission is what.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Our mission is, to make sure everybody has shelter for
the night and to get them rehoused and stable for
the long term.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Who's a typical client, typical.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
Client, mom of a couple of kids. Everybody we work
with has children with them. They've typically been homeless for
a little over a year, moving from friend to friend
or family to family member and then nowhere else.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
To couch to couch, maybe a car correct maybe sometimes nowhere.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
And unfortunately, because us the way rents have gone in
our region over the last several years, we have more
families homeless than ever before, more finding places, as we
say on the street, it might be under a stairwell
in an apartment building, in a reception area and a hospital,
(04:21):
public library. But you know, we try to get as
many families in every day to make sure they are sheltered.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
When you talk to when you talk to the children,
because that's you know, the parents, you house what's gone.
But I can't imagine being a child and going, Okay,
we're gonna go here, We're going to go there, and
it's it goes from the adventure to a burden and
you must realize that something bad is happening in your
life that you had nothing to do with. But kids
often blame themselves. Is that a difficult component. It is
hard for the kids.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
Kids bear the brunt of homelessness if we don't take
the time to work with them, get them in the
back into a normal routine. We help kids get re
enrolled in school, make sure they get three meals a day,
do some therapeutic programming with them so they can really
process their feelings. They take a lot of cues from
(05:11):
the parents that they're with, and so we also work
with the parents on their trauma.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Yeah, and there's a lot to unpack there, but multiply
that by countless agencies, but yourself and of course Brighton
Center and you're at Bethany House, but welcome house too,
and it's a huge problem and I just can't help
but think how brutally cold it's been this winter and
what those poor babies have to go through.
Speaker 5 (05:34):
It's hard to hear. That's right.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
The city and many many agencies have stepped up to
provide warming centers, but still we can only serve about
thirteen percent of the families that are calling for help.
Last night we had one hundred and seventeen children in
our emergency.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
Seventeen, that's correct. Probably more tonight too, because it's going
to get cold and icy outside as well, and we're
complying about driving the self. Imagine having to live it
out and this stuff. And that's where you come in.
If you're listening to the show this morning here on
seven hundred slowly, we need you to buy tickets, need
you to sponsor a table, need you to get involved,
because that money that we raise on the eighteenth is
going to go to feed these children and give them
(06:16):
meals for an entire year. Correct, That is correct. Have
we fulfilled that goal in years past?
Speaker 5 (06:22):
We have?
Speaker 3 (06:24):
And of course cost of food goes up, does eggs,
and it's not just the eggs. I was going to say,
but kids before they come to us haven't always been
able to eat regularly, and so food is a very
very precious commodity when a family enters shelter.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
And most of us have too many calories in our bodies.
It is it's hard. Food is fasted. It's plentiful. We
have a lot of it. It's relatively cheap, despite what
the cost eggs are doing. But at the same time,
you know, you look and realize I have a lot.
How hard is it to get a ticket to an
event that, quite honestly, and it's just the the paradox
of it. You go and you eat and you drink
to your heart's content in order to buy food for
(07:05):
kids who don't have anything. That's America baby. But we
can all help in this mission too. I know that
Jimmy Carveall is here. He's with a Governor's house, wine
bar and Italian kitchen. And why do you get involved in.
Speaker 6 (07:15):
We just wanted to do our parts. You know, we
look our restaurants located in the Covington area and we
want to support the three different agencies that help out
these homeless children and be a parts and.
Speaker 5 (07:28):
To just do good for the community.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
It's hard to I mean, you hear those stories and
you go, damn, you know, I have so much and
I know a restaurant this is front notorilously tight margins.
I don't have to tell you about the cost of eggs,
cost of flour, cost of health. It's it's incredible how
thin the margins are. And yet you find out a
way to be able to go, Hey, we can go
and cook a bunch of food for thousands of people
one night, an event to raise money for kids who
have nothing. That's that's pretty damn.
Speaker 5 (07:50):
Cool, you know.
Speaker 6 (07:50):
And so you know, I mean, I serve a lot
of people in my restaurant, but this event makes me
smile that I am participating in a worthwhile call in
serving people for the benefits of children in our community.
I mean, it's it's a win win situation.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Yeah, And I listen to a conversation with you and
Peg and Gordy and you feel like, Okay, well, I'll
go to this event, but I'm having a good time
in order to raise money for people who aren't having
a good time. It's the weirdest Georgy's the.
Speaker 5 (08:18):
Weirdest paraduct it's a great party. It is, but you.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
Feel like I'm party, I'm stuffing, I'm drinking. I mean,
And we'll get to all that in a second. But
let's not forget the reason you're doing this or one
hundred dollars ticket or a ten thousand dollars you know,
a major SPONSORIP if you want to do that, if
you have that in your heart, in your budget and
you want to donate, we'd love that. We'll get to
that in just a second. This is telling you why
why we're doing this, and we're doing it for kids
who have nothing right. It's hard to believe that our
(08:43):
community was as blessed and as rich as we are
in this country that there's people, there's kids out there
that have to go through this. It's just heartbreaking. But
we do it every single year. We do it all love.
So if you want to get tickets, it's Marty Grat
twenty twenty five dot org. How much your ticket's going
for this year? What's my minimum buying? Let's talk about that.
Speaker 5 (08:59):
They start out one hundred bucks, one hundred dollars, get
you in it's six thirty and then for a VIP
ticket it's just one hundred a quarter and that gets
you in at at five thirty early entry.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
Which which is a good deal because an extra twenty
five bucks. There's there's fewer people there, You get the
choice speed, You get to get your picture taken by
Queen Sheila Gray. I may contaminate the picture in some degree,
whether I'm not sure or not. But the best part
you get the big piece of chicken because you get
to go to go to Jimmy's station out and I
think there's like, how many restaurants were we having there?
Speaker 5 (09:29):
We have fifty four restaurants boost yet we're we're completely folded.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
It's incredible, and Jimmy will be there, but countless other
restaurants as well. So you're gonna get the big meat ball,
the big piece of chicken, the big roll, the big
whatever you want for an extra twenty five bucks plus.
Speaker 5 (09:41):
Do you even get a little king?
Speaker 2 (09:42):
You might. We didn't even talk about the alcohol quite honestly,
it's insulting the amount of alcohol there isn't this building
on a Tuesday night you're drinking. You know, they've got
distilled spirits and we have like like who's out there?
Speaker 5 (09:56):
We got Margarita's, We've got beautiful selections of different wines
and beers and craft cocktails, so you know, it's a
great whatever.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
And if you're an alcoholic, we have that too. There's
a drinking fountain.
Speaker 5 (10:07):
I think we've got somebody there passing out bottle of water.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
That's a classy operations over the bottle of water. That's
all good.
Speaker 5 (10:14):
It's not on Fat Tuesday.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
It's on the eighteenth.
Speaker 5 (10:16):
No, it's early this year actually, you know, with the
Cincinnati Convention Center shutting down, they took a lot of
the space over in North Kentucky Convention Center, so we
lost our date unfortunately, but we moved it up to Tuesdays,
so it's actually on February eighteenth, now, two weeks before
the regular Marty group.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
We're going to call it Tasty Tuesday, the Tasty Tuesday.
Just pretend it's you know, ash Wednesday the next day.
You look at this way, you don't have to get them.
Speaker 5 (10:39):
Go to church. That's right, that's right, because.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
There's by many times where you go and get your
ashes and it hurts when they put it on you
because your head is like about to explode. But I
love the idea too that this is pre Valentine's Day. Now,
that's the catch. It's a Valentine's here's the hook. This
is an awesome, awesome Valentine's to Day present.
Speaker 5 (10:58):
Yes, it is right.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
You buy the tickets. All the money goes to charity
defeat kids in northern Kentucky and Cincinnati who don't have anything.
It starts fairly early and we're done by ten, ten thirty,
so it's not a late night at all. Cross the street,
y'all have hotels.
Speaker 5 (11:11):
There's two hotels right there. Yeah, I'll make it a
full date that night.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
And just take Wednesday off.
Speaker 5 (11:16):
Anyway.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
You got the you get the foot and it's a
great night. So yeah, it's it's for a charity, but
you're gonna have I guarantee you're gonna have a blast
because we've got the marching band who's playing this year.
The band the band band Beechwood High School, Beachwood High
School Marching band.
Speaker 5 (11:30):
But the news music.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Yeah, my friend so Melissa Reid, a dear friend of ours,
and they're in a great If you've never seen DVA,
if you've seen DV eight, you know what I'm talking about.
But she is an incredible vocalist and not the takeaway
from the band and they hit you know, it's seventies
eighties and.
Speaker 5 (11:46):
They're brand new this year. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (11:48):
And one other thing that's brand new this year is
free parking. What we've got free parking?
Speaker 2 (11:53):
How are you making it? How are we making money
for the kids off this gordion if you're giving the
parking away for free.
Speaker 5 (11:57):
We've had sponsorship, We had some sponsor ships will pay
for the parking this year. So parking is going to
be free in the Kenton County Garage rights the street.
So wow, that's a big perk this year.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
Yeah, one hundred dollars, one hundred and twenty five. You
want the VIP What time the doors open?
Speaker 5 (12:12):
Five point thirty for the VIP emission, six thirty for
regular emission. It was still ten o'clock. And we have
a live auctions, so an auction as you know, we
have all kinds of great prizes on that, and we
have the Marty Gruss Parade, which.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
You'll be in, I will be in.
Speaker 5 (12:27):
I heard something about you might be wearing goggles this year.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
I was the way to think about wearing my hockey helmet?
Speaker 5 (12:32):
Yeah? Is that right? I know?
Speaker 2 (12:34):
Okay, he's reaching in his pocket. I got smoke by.
So the tradition is the tradition thanks for not throwing it.
So this is they're throwing these Colosterman rolls, which were
left over from last year's Marty Gray believe just judging
by delicious Colosterman rolls. The giant Kruton's actually what they are.
(12:58):
Maybe we'll use them as doorsteps. Uh So every this
started back when McConnell was the King of Mardi Grass.
Some of his buddies would show up and they got
well again, maybe had enjoyed the libations too much and
went to the classrooman table and they have a big
table of bread there. Why I don't know, you're just
randomly eating bread. But nonetheless they're taking the bread and
they're throwing with Mike on this giant platform that gets
(13:20):
rolled down, which is the float, the float, the platform
the painter's rig and it comes down and they're throwing bread.
So I started doing it when he stepped down. And
then he showed up and he started throwing rolls. And
then my friends and family show up and now they
throw a roll. So the tradition is it's going on
for years.
Speaker 5 (13:37):
I think Sheila got it.
Speaker 2 (13:38):
She got drilled in the face. She almost missed a
week of school because of that. Imagine on that. Yeah,
you don't want to don't mess with the face. That's
the whole operation right there, right, yeah, I don't know,
I got to you gotta be careful with the role.
So that right there is the price of mission. And
we throw beads out and we've been known to maybe
put an eye out or two with the beads. So
we've got that going on from our high position, our
(13:58):
high perch. And it's a block too. You know, you
mentioned the Hey, you've been doing this for a few years,
you've been there. How ridiculous is the auction in this
island auction? How many items do you think there are?
Speaker 3 (14:08):
I bet there's over one hundred, around one hundred.
Speaker 5 (14:12):
Coast one hundred.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
Yeah, and then of course you got everything.
Speaker 5 (14:16):
Then we have about half a dozen live auction items.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
Correct, including the Vauntage slush Pupular shush puppy machine, which
my wife is a degenerate. About that year where she
bid on it and it was up to the thousand,
couple thousand dollars, I said, honey, we love the chair,
we do, but listen, I'm gonna have to work a
third job in order to pay for the slushing machine.
So the bidding is fast inferior. And if you always
want and we have one, it's awesome. If you want
(14:39):
your own slush puppy machine, that's the place to I
don't know where else you can get a slushpuppet machine
at auction.
Speaker 5 (14:43):
Now, this is one of the only places you can go. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
So as Marty Graph for homeless Kids. It's happening on
the eighteenth, so a couple of weeks earlier this year
at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center. It's presented of course
by and I know Don couldn't make it in this morning,
but our dear friends at Mercedes Benz of Fort Mitchell
and the Wiler Family Wiler Family Foundation, they've been instrumental
in the sponsorship.
Speaker 5 (15:01):
Over there seven or eight years now, it.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
Really has and Don always he leans into it hard too.
Speaker 5 (15:06):
He's been great.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
He's a good man. Where's he today? Selling cars? He
got a new Maybach coming in?
Speaker 5 (15:10):
What do we have? I think this, this sponsorship they're
doing is providing much so much business. He can't get
you well, he should be.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
I mean, you know again they don't have to do this,
but they do this because they want to get back
to the community. So we should support. And who doesn't
like an ice Mercedes. That's a beautiful car. Oh, it
is luxury right there. Luxury. Also the Northern Kentucky Restaurant
Association where Jimmy Kervalls, he's representing from Governor's House in
Northern Kentucky as well, So you and fifty three other restauranteurs, distillers,
brewers will be out the wineries to have the wine.
(15:38):
You got wine, Yes, you got to have the wine.
Speaker 6 (15:40):
Wine.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
Got to have the wine.
Speaker 5 (15:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (15:42):
The Governor's House serves a lot of wine. We'd love
to drink it as well.
Speaker 2 (15:46):
Really really the back of house, front of house. People
like to drink a little bit after I got it.
What's on the menu?
Speaker 5 (15:52):
What do you guys?
Speaker 2 (15:52):
I know you brought meatballs in this morning, but if
you're going to Governor's House, we have we're doing.
Speaker 6 (15:56):
Our meatball's Marinera for the event, which is USU nice
has meatball server with the mare and air sauce and
a blunder of cheeses. You know it's it's it's an easy,
uh pickup item at our at our table. And last
year we had quite the show out at our table.
We're pretty deep. It's nice getting that early VIP ticket
because YEP made easy, easy and quick to hit our table.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
Yeah, eat up and then you can drink up and
you're good at that time. If I go to governor,
so somebody goes to the government relocated and and what's
your signature?
Speaker 6 (16:23):
Many get it on green up streets three, one, four.
Our signature dishes would be short rib meatballs and our
pork shank.
Speaker 5 (16:32):
Oh nice bown in slow cooked.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
Oh any well, how about this this instead of the
bread wh I need you to throw up pork chops.
Speaker 5 (16:39):
Or do you remember the food prices having.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
I'd be like a pelican with my mouth open at
that with the cases would be dodging. It would not
be dodging that I'd be. I'd be catching that one
because I love Italian food. I love to cook Italian food.
So Jimmy, thanks, Jimmy, thanks for coming and appreciate We'll
see you on the eighteenth and peg representing Bethany House
and of course the other services that are are going
to benefit from this and hopefully pretty well too. We
got to sell this thing. Out. Would you agree? Absolutely,
(17:07):
Guardy give me a sales pitch. Let's go.
Speaker 5 (17:10):
All the proceeds go to feed these homeless kids. We
need your help, Marty Grow twenty twenty five dot org
to buy tickets or sponsorship a table.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
Right, or you could stop buy. You can go to
I believe you haven't bething house correct peg? Yes, do
you have tickets?
Speaker 5 (17:25):
Okay, well they'll they'll they'll direct you to the website.
Oh you just go to the web. Okay. I don't know.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
I sometimes I think in the past weak physically, but
I know Mercedes spends Fourmantell.
Speaker 5 (17:32):
Has the tickets too. We aren't doing paper tickets.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
You're not doing it all. It's all our want. Why
was I how come I was in that meeting? Jan
how come I didn't get that memo?
Speaker 5 (17:40):
Oh it's right here.
Speaker 2 (17:42):
Oh you got to be able to pocket, you got
to be able to read. That's right. You should go
back to pictures. It's much easier for me. All right,
So just we made it easy instead of paper tickes.
Just go to Marti Grow twenty twenty five dot org.
You can get your tickets there. It starts at one
hundred dollars a one twenty five VIP highly recommended, and
we're looking for sponsors to Absolutely we need to get
going here. We've always sold out. Yes, we will not
(18:05):
not sell it on my watch. Not on my watch.
Speaker 5 (18:07):
We won't a little less than two weeks ago.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
You know, if John John were in charges operation, God
help you. But me, I'm running the text sight ship.
We're gonna sell this damn thing out again.
Speaker 5 (18:15):
That's right, Joe kids. By the way, John John's yester
this year.
Speaker 2 (18:18):
Yeah, you don't even get me started with that. These
kids to go buying ridiculous outfits. He had to move
to Capitals should be his living room. Honest life.
Speaker 5 (18:25):
It was interesting, ridiculous.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
Way, Yeah, I said, man, a couple more years, a
couple more of the Jimmy's meatballs, and you're gonna have
to more span from this stuff. We may have to
go to the fifteen percent spand X rather than the
five peg Jimmy and my good friend Gordy Snyder from
the guy who's run this all these years, the Chairman Emeritus,
thanks for stopping by, guys. Looking forward to the eighteenth,
It's always one of my favorite events of the year,
(18:47):
if not the efects for all your support and please
help the kids. This is all about the children for real.
What we raise is going to feed them for an
entire year, the homeless kids in Northern Kentucky. It's Marty
Grass benefiting homeless children on the eighteenth of the Northern
Kentucky Convention Center Marti Grat twenty twenty five dot org.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
Thanks y'all, Thank you Scott Sloan for sharing that great
conversation with the folks at Marty Grau benefiting almemless children
coming up next.
Speaker 4 (19:11):
I think if you're a member, you have the feel
that you have a stake in its success.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
This is iHeart Cincy
This week on iHeart Sinsey, it is the Party of
the tri State. It's two weeks earlier this year, and
is it a whole new location.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Don't miss it.
Speaker 3 (00:12):
Our mission is to make sure everybody has shelter for
the night and to get them rehoused and stable for
the long term.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Today on iHeart Cincy, I'll share an interview by the
King of the Marti Gras benefiting homeless children, Scott Sloan
with the organizers who make this unique experience come alive
in twenty five and how you can get tickets and
be a part of it.
Speaker 4 (00:36):
And later it's two Degrees of Phillips on the West
Side of Cincinnati that you either went through yourself or
you know somebody who did.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
For nearly one hundred years, this Cincinnati landmark and fun
spot has been the home of countless memories for Westsiders.
Today I'm talking with a Phillips Swim Club. You're going
to hear how it all began in the very start
of the Great Depression, how it nearly went away, and
how it was saved to remain a summertime fixture on
the West Side.
Speaker 5 (01:00):
Now on iHeart Cincy with Sandy Collins.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Welcome back to iHeart Cincy. I'm Sandy Collins and today
I'm going to share with you a conversation my colleague
Scott Sloane had with the organizers of the Northern Kentucky
fundraiser and Big Party, Marty Graw Benefiting Homeless Children. The
beginnings of this organization began some thirty five years ago
in Cincinnati. You can read this story on their website,
and it is a tragic one. Four homeless kids were
(01:26):
living in an abandoned garage and they were locked in
when their father left them at home alone. Well, a
fire broke out in the garage and they were unable
to escape, so all four children perished. Today, homeless children
continue to be a major challenge in our community. Desperate
area children in Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati have benefited immensely
from the actions of so many people who have volunteered, donated,
(01:49):
and attended and supported the annual event that can feed
so many local children for an entire year. So here's
the conversation Sloane had this week about Marty Graw Benefiting
Homeless Children. Coming up this month with information about how
to get tickets, dates, times, and more.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Guys good to see you again. Marty Got twenty twenty
five is on presented by the Northern Kentucky Restaurant Association.
Gordy Snyder is here, who is the founding chairman. Pat
O'Callahan can't be here because there's a bloody coup of
some sort. Jimmy Cravall and Pegneekers from Bethany House. Good morning.
How is everybody?
Speaker 5 (02:21):
We are good?
Speaker 4 (02:22):
It is good.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Remember it's good.
Speaker 5 (02:24):
Gordy.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
I'll start with you because you're the oldest in the
room and you have the most seniority here.
Speaker 5 (02:28):
We also got the most great here.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
So it's a big one year build up. Of course
last year was a great event where he's I forget
how what was the number? I'm bad with numbers. What
was last year?
Speaker 5 (02:38):
Just close to two hundred thousand.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Two hundred thousand dollars lastyear? Move your mikeel a little
bit closerselfing two hundred thousand last year. Hopefully we can
surpass that. Tickets about on sale for a while now
I know there's a few left, correct.
Speaker 5 (02:48):
There's some tickets left. We also have some sponsors left,
and if they want to be part of the sponsorship,
Marty grot twenty twenty five dot org. We could use the.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Supports, yeah, and it all goes, of course to benefit
particularly three eighties in Cincinnati, which would be a welcome house.
It would be a Brighton Center and Bethany House and
Peg Dercus is here who runs Bethany House. And it's
incredible the work that you guys do in the community
and no awth three of you together and serving so
(03:18):
many families and particularly kids, typically at Bethany House. Your
mission is what.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Our mission is, to make sure everybody has shelter for
the night and to get them rehoused and stable for
the long term.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Who's a typical client, typical.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
Client, mom of a couple of kids. Everybody we work
with has children with them. They've typically been homeless for
a little over a year, moving from friend to friend
or family to family member and then nowhere else.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
To couch to couch, maybe a car correct maybe sometimes nowhere.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
And unfortunately, because us the way rents have gone in
our region over the last several years, we have more
families homeless than ever before, more finding places, as we
say on the street, it might be under a stairwell
in an apartment building, in a reception area and a hospital,
(04:21):
public library. But you know, we try to get as
many families in every day to make sure they are sheltered.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
When you talk to when you talk to the children,
because that's you know, the parents, you house what's gone.
But I can't imagine being a child and going, Okay,
we're gonna go here, We're going to go there, and
it's it goes from the adventure to a burden and
you must realize that something bad is happening in your
life that you had nothing to do with. But kids
often blame themselves. Is that a difficult component. It is
hard for the kids.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
Kids bear the brunt of homelessness if we don't take
the time to work with them, get them in the
back into a normal routine. We help kids get re
enrolled in school, make sure they get three meals a day,
do some therapeutic programming with them so they can really
process their feelings. They take a lot of cues from
(05:11):
the parents that they're with, and so we also work
with the parents on their trauma.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Yeah, and there's a lot to unpack there, but multiply
that by countless agencies, but yourself and of course Brighton
Center and you're at Bethany House, but welcome house too,
and it's a huge problem and I just can't help
but think how brutally cold it's been this winter and
what those poor babies have to go through.
Speaker 5 (05:34):
It's hard to hear. That's right.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
The city and many many agencies have stepped up to
provide warming centers, but still we can only serve about
thirteen percent of the families that are calling for help.
Last night we had one hundred and seventeen children in
our emergency.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
Seventeen, that's correct. Probably more tonight too, because it's going
to get cold and icy outside as well, and we're
complying about driving the self. Imagine having to live it
out and this stuff. And that's where you come in.
If you're listening to the show this morning here on
seven hundred slowly, we need you to buy tickets, need
you to sponsor a table, need you to get involved,
because that money that we raise on the eighteenth is
going to go to feed these children and give them
(06:16):
meals for an entire year. Correct, That is correct. Have
we fulfilled that goal in years past?
Speaker 5 (06:22):
We have?
Speaker 3 (06:24):
And of course cost of food goes up, does eggs,
and it's not just the eggs. I was going to say,
but kids before they come to us haven't always been
able to eat regularly, and so food is a very
very precious commodity when a family enters shelter.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
And most of us have too many calories in our bodies.
It is it's hard. Food is fasted. It's plentiful. We
have a lot of it. It's relatively cheap, despite what
the cost eggs are doing. But at the same time,
you know, you look and realize I have a lot.
How hard is it to get a ticket to an
event that, quite honestly, and it's just the the paradox
of it. You go and you eat and you drink
to your heart's content in order to buy food for
(07:05):
kids who don't have anything. That's America baby. But we
can all help in this mission too. I know that
Jimmy Carveall is here. He's with a Governor's house, wine
bar and Italian kitchen. And why do you get involved in.
Speaker 6 (07:15):
We just wanted to do our parts. You know, we
look our restaurants located in the Covington area and we
want to support the three different agencies that help out
these homeless children and be a parts and.
Speaker 5 (07:28):
To just do good for the community.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
It's hard to I mean, you hear those stories and
you go, damn, you know, I have so much and
I know a restaurant this is front notorilously tight margins.
I don't have to tell you about the cost of eggs,
cost of flour, cost of health. It's it's incredible how
thin the margins are. And yet you find out a
way to be able to go, Hey, we can go
and cook a bunch of food for thousands of people
one night, an event to raise money for kids who
have nothing. That's that's pretty damn.
Speaker 5 (07:50):
Cool, you know.
Speaker 6 (07:50):
And so you know, I mean, I serve a lot
of people in my restaurant, but this event makes me
smile that I am participating in a worthwhile call in
serving people for the benefits of children in our community.
I mean, it's it's a win win situation.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Yeah, And I listen to a conversation with you and
Peg and Gordy and you feel like, Okay, well, I'll
go to this event, but I'm having a good time
in order to raise money for people who aren't having
a good time. It's the weirdest Georgy's the.
Speaker 5 (08:18):
Weirdest paraduct it's a great party. It is, but you.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
Feel like I'm party, I'm stuffing, I'm drinking. I mean,
And we'll get to all that in a second. But
let's not forget the reason you're doing this or one
hundred dollars ticket or a ten thousand dollars you know,
a major SPONSORIP if you want to do that, if
you have that in your heart, in your budget and
you want to donate, we'd love that. We'll get to
that in just a second. This is telling you why
why we're doing this, and we're doing it for kids
who have nothing right. It's hard to believe that our
(08:43):
community was as blessed and as rich as we are
in this country that there's people, there's kids out there
that have to go through this. It's just heartbreaking. But
we do it every single year. We do it all love.
So if you want to get tickets, it's Marty Grat
twenty twenty five dot org. How much your ticket's going
for this year? What's my minimum buying? Let's talk about that.
Speaker 5 (08:59):
They start out one hundred bucks, one hundred dollars, get
you in it's six thirty and then for a VIP
ticket it's just one hundred a quarter and that gets
you in at at five thirty early entry.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
Which which is a good deal because an extra twenty
five bucks. There's there's fewer people there, You get the
choice speed, You get to get your picture taken by
Queen Sheila Gray. I may contaminate the picture in some degree,
whether I'm not sure or not. But the best part
you get the big piece of chicken because you get
to go to go to Jimmy's station out and I
think there's like, how many restaurants were we having there?
Speaker 5 (09:29):
We have fifty four restaurants boost yet we're we're completely folded.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
It's incredible, and Jimmy will be there, but countless other
restaurants as well. So you're gonna get the big meat ball,
the big piece of chicken, the big roll, the big
whatever you want for an extra twenty five bucks plus.
Speaker 5 (09:41):
Do you even get a little king?
Speaker 2 (09:42):
You might. We didn't even talk about the alcohol quite honestly,
it's insulting the amount of alcohol there isn't this building
on a Tuesday night you're drinking. You know, they've got
distilled spirits and we have like like who's out there?
Speaker 5 (09:56):
We got Margarita's, We've got beautiful selections of different wines
and beers and craft cocktails, so you know, it's a
great whatever.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
And if you're an alcoholic, we have that too. There's
a drinking fountain.
Speaker 5 (10:07):
I think we've got somebody there passing out bottle of water.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
That's a classy operations over the bottle of water. That's
all good.
Speaker 5 (10:14):
It's not on Fat Tuesday.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
It's on the eighteenth.
Speaker 5 (10:16):
No, it's early this year actually, you know, with the
Cincinnati Convention Center shutting down, they took a lot of
the space over in North Kentucky Convention Center, so we
lost our date unfortunately, but we moved it up to Tuesdays,
so it's actually on February eighteenth, now, two weeks before
the regular Marty group.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
We're going to call it Tasty Tuesday, the Tasty Tuesday.
Just pretend it's you know, ash Wednesday the next day.
You look at this way, you don't have to get them.
Speaker 5 (10:39):
Go to church. That's right, that's right, because.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
There's by many times where you go and get your
ashes and it hurts when they put it on you
because your head is like about to explode. But I
love the idea too that this is pre Valentine's Day. Now,
that's the catch. It's a Valentine's here's the hook. This
is an awesome, awesome Valentine's to Day present.
Speaker 5 (10:58):
Yes, it is right.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
You buy the tickets. All the money goes to charity
defeat kids in northern Kentucky and Cincinnati who don't have anything.
It starts fairly early and we're done by ten, ten thirty,
so it's not a late night at all. Cross the street,
y'all have hotels.
Speaker 5 (11:11):
There's two hotels right there. Yeah, I'll make it a
full date that night.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
And just take Wednesday off.
Speaker 5 (11:16):
Anyway.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
You got the you get the foot and it's a
great night. So yeah, it's it's for a charity, but
you're gonna have I guarantee you're gonna have a blast
because we've got the marching band who's playing this year.
The band the band band Beechwood High School, Beachwood High
School Marching band.
Speaker 5 (11:30):
But the news music.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Yeah, my friend so Melissa Reid, a dear friend of ours,
and they're in a great If you've never seen DVA,
if you've seen DV eight, you know what I'm talking about.
But she is an incredible vocalist and not the takeaway
from the band and they hit you know, it's seventies
eighties and.
Speaker 5 (11:46):
They're brand new this year. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (11:48):
And one other thing that's brand new this year is
free parking. What we've got free parking?
Speaker 2 (11:53):
How are you making it? How are we making money
for the kids off this gordion if you're giving the
parking away for free.
Speaker 5 (11:57):
We've had sponsorship, We had some sponsor ships will pay
for the parking this year. So parking is going to
be free in the Kenton County Garage rights the street.
So wow, that's a big perk this year.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
Yeah, one hundred dollars, one hundred and twenty five. You
want the VIP What time the doors open?
Speaker 5 (12:12):
Five point thirty for the VIP emission, six thirty for
regular emission. It was still ten o'clock. And we have
a live auctions, so an auction as you know, we
have all kinds of great prizes on that, and we
have the Marty Gruss Parade, which.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
You'll be in, I will be in.
Speaker 5 (12:27):
I heard something about you might be wearing goggles this year.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
I was the way to think about wearing my hockey helmet?
Speaker 5 (12:32):
Yeah? Is that right? I know?
Speaker 2 (12:34):
Okay, he's reaching in his pocket. I got smoke by.
So the tradition is the tradition thanks for not throwing it.
So this is they're throwing these Colosterman rolls, which were
left over from last year's Marty Gray believe just judging
by delicious Colosterman rolls. The giant Kruton's actually what they are.
(12:58):
Maybe we'll use them as doorsteps. Uh So every this
started back when McConnell was the King of Mardi Grass.
Some of his buddies would show up and they got
well again, maybe had enjoyed the libations too much and
went to the classrooman table and they have a big
table of bread there. Why I don't know, you're just
randomly eating bread. But nonetheless they're taking the bread and
they're throwing with Mike on this giant platform that gets
(13:20):
rolled down, which is the float, the float, the platform
the painter's rig and it comes down and they're throwing bread.
So I started doing it when he stepped down. And
then he showed up and he started throwing rolls. And
then my friends and family show up and now they
throw a roll. So the tradition is it's going on
for years.
Speaker 5 (13:37):
I think Sheila got it.
Speaker 2 (13:38):
She got drilled in the face. She almost missed a
week of school because of that. Imagine on that. Yeah,
you don't want to don't mess with the face. That's
the whole operation right there, right, yeah, I don't know,
I got to you gotta be careful with the role.
So that right there is the price of mission. And
we throw beads out and we've been known to maybe
put an eye out or two with the beads. So
we've got that going on from our high position, our
(13:58):
high perch. And it's a block too. You know, you
mentioned the Hey, you've been doing this for a few years,
you've been there. How ridiculous is the auction in this
island auction? How many items do you think there are?
Speaker 3 (14:08):
I bet there's over one hundred, around one hundred.
Speaker 5 (14:12):
Coast one hundred.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
Yeah, and then of course you got everything.
Speaker 5 (14:16):
Then we have about half a dozen live auction items.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
Correct, including the Vauntage slush Pupular shush puppy machine, which
my wife is a degenerate. About that year where she
bid on it and it was up to the thousand,
couple thousand dollars, I said, honey, we love the chair,
we do, but listen, I'm gonna have to work a
third job in order to pay for the slushing machine.
So the bidding is fast inferior. And if you always
want and we have one, it's awesome. If you want
(14:39):
your own slush puppy machine, that's the place to I
don't know where else you can get a slushpuppet machine
at auction.
Speaker 5 (14:43):
Now, this is one of the only places you can go. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
So as Marty Graph for homeless Kids. It's happening on
the eighteenth, so a couple of weeks earlier this year
at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center. It's presented of course
by and I know Don couldn't make it in this morning,
but our dear friends at Mercedes Benz of Fort Mitchell
and the Wiler Family Wiler Family Foundation, they've been instrumental
in the sponsorship.
Speaker 5 (15:01):
Over there seven or eight years now, it.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
Really has and Don always he leans into it hard too.
Speaker 5 (15:06):
He's been great.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
He's a good man. Where's he today? Selling cars? He
got a new Maybach coming in?
Speaker 5 (15:10):
What do we have? I think this, this sponsorship they're
doing is providing much so much business. He can't get
you well, he should be.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
I mean, you know again they don't have to do this,
but they do this because they want to get back
to the community. So we should support. And who doesn't
like an ice Mercedes. That's a beautiful car. Oh, it
is luxury right there. Luxury. Also the Northern Kentucky Restaurant
Association where Jimmy Kervalls, he's representing from Governor's House in
Northern Kentucky as well, So you and fifty three other restauranteurs, distillers,
brewers will be out the wineries to have the wine.
(15:38):
You got wine, Yes, you got to have the wine.
Speaker 6 (15:40):
Wine.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
Got to have the wine.
Speaker 5 (15:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (15:42):
The Governor's House serves a lot of wine. We'd love
to drink it as well.
Speaker 2 (15:46):
Really really the back of house, front of house. People
like to drink a little bit after I got it.
What's on the menu?
Speaker 5 (15:52):
What do you guys?
Speaker 2 (15:52):
I know you brought meatballs in this morning, but if
you're going to Governor's House, we have we're doing.
Speaker 6 (15:56):
Our meatball's Marinera for the event, which is USU nice
has meatball server with the mare and air sauce and
a blunder of cheeses. You know it's it's it's an easy,
uh pickup item at our at our table. And last
year we had quite the show out at our table.
We're pretty deep. It's nice getting that early VIP ticket
because YEP made easy, easy and quick to hit our table.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
Yeah, eat up and then you can drink up and
you're good at that time. If I go to governor,
so somebody goes to the government relocated and and what's
your signature?
Speaker 6 (16:23):
Many get it on green up streets three, one, four.
Our signature dishes would be short rib meatballs and our
pork shank.
Speaker 5 (16:32):
Oh nice bown in slow cooked.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
Oh any well, how about this this instead of the
bread wh I need you to throw up pork chops.
Speaker 5 (16:39):
Or do you remember the food prices having.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
I'd be like a pelican with my mouth open at
that with the cases would be dodging. It would not
be dodging that I'd be. I'd be catching that one
because I love Italian food. I love to cook Italian food.
So Jimmy, thanks, Jimmy, thanks for coming and appreciate We'll
see you on the eighteenth and peg representing Bethany House
and of course the other services that are are going
to benefit from this and hopefully pretty well too. We
got to sell this thing. Out. Would you agree? Absolutely,
(17:07):
Guardy give me a sales pitch. Let's go.
Speaker 5 (17:10):
All the proceeds go to feed these homeless kids. We
need your help, Marty Grow twenty twenty five dot org
to buy tickets or sponsorship a table.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
Right, or you could stop buy. You can go to
I believe you haven't bething house correct peg? Yes, do
you have tickets?
Speaker 5 (17:25):
Okay, well they'll they'll they'll direct you to the website.
Oh you just go to the web. Okay. I don't know.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
I sometimes I think in the past weak physically, but
I know Mercedes spends Fourmantell.
Speaker 5 (17:32):
Has the tickets too. We aren't doing paper tickets.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
You're not doing it all. It's all our want. Why
was I how come I was in that meeting? Jan
how come I didn't get that memo?
Speaker 5 (17:40):
Oh it's right here.
Speaker 2 (17:42):
Oh you got to be able to pocket, you got
to be able to read. That's right. You should go
back to pictures. It's much easier for me. All right,
So just we made it easy instead of paper tickes.
Just go to Marti Grow twenty twenty five dot org.
You can get your tickets there. It starts at one
hundred dollars a one twenty five VIP highly recommended, and
we're looking for sponsors to Absolutely we need to get
going here. We've always sold out. Yes, we will not
(18:05):
not sell it on my watch. Not on my watch.
Speaker 5 (18:07):
We won't a little less than two weeks ago.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
You know, if John John were in charges operation, God
help you. But me, I'm running the text sight ship.
We're gonna sell this damn thing out again.
Speaker 5 (18:15):
That's right, Joe kids. By the way, John John's yester
this year.
Speaker 2 (18:18):
Yeah, you don't even get me started with that. These
kids to go buying ridiculous outfits. He had to move
to Capitals should be his living room. Honest life.
Speaker 5 (18:25):
It was interesting, ridiculous.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
Way, Yeah, I said, man, a couple more years, a
couple more of the Jimmy's meatballs, and you're gonna have
to more span from this stuff. We may have to
go to the fifteen percent spand X rather than the
five peg Jimmy and my good friend Gordy Snyder from
the guy who's run this all these years, the Chairman Emeritus,
thanks for stopping by, guys. Looking forward to the eighteenth,
It's always one of my favorite events of the year,
(18:47):
if not the efects for all your support and please
help the kids. This is all about the children for real.
What we raise is going to feed them for an
entire year, the homeless kids in Northern Kentucky. It's Marty
Grass benefiting homeless children on the eighteenth of the Northern
Kentucky Convention Center Marti Grat twenty twenty five dot org.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
Thanks y'all, Thank you Scott Sloan for sharing that great
conversation with the folks at Marty Grau benefiting almemless children
coming up next.
Speaker 4 (19:11):
I think if you're a member, you have the feel
that you have a stake in its success.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
This is iHeart Cincy
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