What is Starfire?
Starfire is a non-profit unique to Cincinnati that provides inclusive social
and service activities for children, teens and adults with disabilities. You might
see a group of Starfire members out at Reds’ games, restaurants, movies
or Kings’ Island. You could find them volunteering at over 30 local agencies,
helping to make Cincinnati a better place for all of us.
What is Starfire’s History?
Starfire Council evolved from Camp Fire Boys and Girls, Inc. In 1986, the
Council’s board in Cincinnati initiated a comprehensive review of programs
 and redirected its resources toward individuals with special needs. As a result
of this evolution, Starfire Council was established as a separate non-profit corporation
in 1993. Today, Starfire continues to create groundbreaking programs that address
the emerging needs of teens and adults with disabilities and is the largest program
of its kind throughout the country.
Where does the name Starfire come from?
Starfire evolved from the Camp Fire Girls and Boys of Greater Cincinnati.
The fire in Starfire represented the Camp Fire lineage. Considering “Starfire”
was and still is such a unique, groundbreaking program, the star symbolized the
organization reaching to new heights when serving people with disabilities.
What services does Starfire provide?
Starfire offers teens and young adults with disabilities the opportunity to
develop and cultivate individual interests and talents while simultaneously reducing
social isolation through inclusion and peer interaction. Additionally, Starfire
members impact the community through service and volunteer activities.
Starfire provides 90 monthly (1080 annual) activities for its members. Starfire
activities eliminate the many barriers that prevent individuals with disabilities
from participating in within the community (i.e. transportation, accessibility
issues, etc.). These outings also provide individuals with disabilities the opportunity
to gain skills needed to eliminate social isolation.
Many teens and adults with disabilities are plagued by social isolation, a
leading risk factor attributed to the fact that more than 80% of individuals with
disabilities will be abused in their life time. Starfire is the only organization
that focuses on reducing isolation through the development of social and community
skills.
What is the difference between Starfire and other
organizations serving people with disabilities?
No other organization, locally or nationally, provides the depth and breadth
of opportunities for individuals with disabilities. Starfire provides activities
consistently and frequently during the evenings and weekends throughout the year.
Consistency is a key factor that allows individuals to stay active and interested,
avoiding the dangers of social isolation.
Starfire’s year-round consistency and evening and weekend outings also
provide valuable respite to parents and caregivers. 67% of parents of Starfire
members report that Starfire is their only source of respite that they have every
month of the year.
Starfire also provides activities of interest to people with disabilities.
Many other programs concentrate only on sports (basketball, bowling, swimming)
and do not offer the wide range of activities that Starfire does. Starfire does
not provide just one type of activity, but embraces the interests of every person
with a disability by providing arts and crafts, cultural activities, community
events, life skill activities, service outings, spectator and team sports, theater
and everyday activities like shopping and dining with friends.
 Because other organizations only offer activities during a short period of
time throughout the year (e.g. camps and summer programs), the person with a disability
does not have the opportunity to develop long lasting friendships and community
connections that will have a lasting impact on social isolation.
Unlike many organizations, Starfire offers separate peer group interaction
for teens, young adults, and adults. In most other organizations, individuals
with disabilities age 15 and over are lumped together, assuming that teenagers
and elderly adults will enjoy the same activity.
How many people does Starfire serve?
Starfire serves 460 individuals with disabilities. In addition, their families
and caregivers receive valuable respite, greatly increasing Starfire’s impact
in the community.
What age groups do you serve and why?
Starfire serves teens and adults in the following peer groups:
| Teen Group |
Young Adult |
Adult I |
Adult II |
| Age 13 to 21 |
Age 22 to 30 |
Age 31 to 45 |
Age 46 and over |
The need for social opportunities independent of family members and caregivers
becomes extremely strong in the teenage years.
Starfire is one of the only programs that serves both teens and adults, providing
the only consistent programming that will ensure individuals with disabilities
stay connected with the community and do not fall through the cracks in their
transition into adulthood.
As they transition into adulthood, individuals with disabilities have an even
greater need for independent interaction. This need for self-sufficiency and community
connections continues throughout their lives.
Who is eligible to be a member of Starfire?
Anyone who has a developmental disability is eligible to be a member of Starfire.
A developmental disability is a disability with an onset by the age of 22. Some
familiar developmental disabilities are Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome,
Mental Retardation.
What is the cost to the members?
Starfire members pay an annual membership fee of $50 per year. When applicable
the member also pays for their admission and or ticket price to an event and at
times is asked to pay a portion (1/6th) of the cost of the ticket price of the
volunteer and staff person. Starfire members also contribute to the community
by making charitable donations of money and goods during service outings that
are distributed to more than 30 other organizations throughout the country.
Starfire offers free outings every month and outings that have nominal fees
of $1 or $2. Starfire provides the resources for planning and scheduling of over
90 monthly outings, transportation during the outing, staff training and education.
These dollars are provided by Starfire’s special events, local foundations,
individual donors, and United Way of Greater Cincinnati.
Describe a Starfire outing
Six members with disabilities, a Starfire staff person and a community volunteer
attend a typical outing. This small group size allows individuals to practice
social interaction and build relationships with each other. The community outings
may be recreational, offer service opportunities or enable the person with a disability
to practice and learn a life skill.
Service Outings: Service outings include projects such as making
health kits for the homeless in the Drop Inn Center and eliminating litter through
the “Adopt-a-Block” program. Starfire volunteers for over 30 different
service agencies every year.
Recreational Outings: Recreational outings can include arts and
crafts, karaoke, playing basketball or going to a Cincinnati Reds baseball game.
Everyday activities, that you or I may take for granted, like going shopping at
Wal-Mart or dining with friends is also included in this category.
Life Skill: Life skill outings are outings that enable the individuals
with a disability to gain a skill that will enable them to reach towards self-sufficiency.
Some outings may focus on vocational skills and others focus on independent living
skills (i.e. cooking class or community safety).
How do I find out more about Starfire?
Find out more about Starfire at www.starfirecouncil.org
or contact:
Starfire
5030 Oaklawn Drive
Cincinnati, Ohio 45227
(513) 281-2100
Starfire@fuse.net
Contact person:
Tim Vogt, Executive Director
What Starfire does:
- Hosts over 110 activities every month
- Serves over 460 individuals with disabilities in the Greater Cincinnati
area
- Provides inclusion by incorporating over 100 community volunteers
- Professionals, teens, college students, couples, families, etc
- Provides valuable respite to families in Greater Cincinnati
- Over 58% of care providers report having no other source of consistent respite
- Allows members to work on social, life and leisure skills
- Over 75% of members improve their social skills every year
- Members learn new life skills, such as handling money, time management, and
community access
- Members are able to volunteer in the community at over 30 local non-profits
through service projects. Total, Starfire members have:
- Assembled 625 Health Kits for the homeless at the Drop Inn Center
- Helped to bag 14,200 lunches for individuals served by the Feed the Hungry
program in Avondale.
- Collected 467 school supply kits for area children.
- Assembled over 400 Disaster Relief Kits for families that have been in natural
disasters
- Volunteered three times a month at the Freestore/Foodbank
- Organization is currently planning toward the future
- Completed Strategic Plan up to 2006
- Completed feasibility study for a Capital Campaign for a building
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