Ron Greenbaum, The Basement Doctor, honored as a LifeTown Legend at this year's luncheon

On Wednesday May 30, LifeTown held its annual Legends Luncheon at the Renaissance Hotel with keynote speaker Hollywood Producer Gordan Gray. This year's luncheon also honored our own Ron Greenbaum, and Michael Schiff as LifeTown legends.

“Having two adults with special needs in my family, I know first-hand how important the exposure to everyday life skills is,” Greenbaum says. “LifeTown is about empowering students to become self-advocates and productive members of our community. It is an organization I am proud to support, and I am humbled to be honored at this year’s event.”

Funds raised at this year's luncheon are donated to the LifeTown Scholarship fund and make it possible to give 3,506 children the LifeTown experience. LifeTown is the only facility of its kind in Ohio and one of only two in the United States. That’s why students come from all over the state to take advantage of the program. It gives thousands of kids, who are too often marginalized and forgotten, the tools to live and work successfully as valued members of society. 

Something new to LifeTown that was highlighted during the luncheon is its "Stop to Live" initiative. The Stop to Live program is the first prescription drug misuse and abuse program in the Nation designed for students with varying abilities. It was born out of the devastation and suffering caused by the opioid epidemic and the recognition that people with special needs are 2-4 times more at risk but are often overlooked when it comes to prevention strategies. 

If you would like to learn more about this important initiative, we encourage you to visit stoptolive.org. You can also learn more about the important work being done at LifeTown everyday at lifetowncolumbus.org. 

Freezin' for a Reason! The Basement Doctor presents the 16th Annual Polar Plunge at Express Live

The Basement Doctor was proud to be the presenting sponsor of the 16^th annual Polar Plunge on February 3^rd at its new location, Express Live!  All proceeds from the plunge went directly to support 26,000 Special Olympics Ohio athletes.  This fun event included a costume contest and an after-party hosted by DJ MDizzle.

Special Olympics has made it their mission to ensure that no athletes or their families are financially responsible for participating. Similar to last year, all plungers were required to raise a minimum of $75 ($50 for students) in pledges. This year, plungers had the option to register as ‘Too Chicken To Plunge’ and were required to raise a minimum of $30. The event was a success raising over $108,000 total!

As well as our sponsorship, Team Basement Doctor had 29 participating plungers and raised over $1,500! Many employees made donations and were present for the event to show their support.

“It was great to see so much community support for this wonderful organization. I am proud to be a part of the Polar Plunge year after year," said Ryan Bolin, Sales Manager for The Basement Doctor. "Looking forward to seeing many new faces in 2019!”

Team Basement Doctor doubled in size this year and we hope to grow even more next year! For more information about Special Olympics Ohio, please visit their site here.  

To see all of the great pictures and videos from the event, please visit our Facebook page.

The Basement Doctor helps Canine Companions for Independence in their move to a brand new facility!

Ron Greenbaum presenting CCI’s Megan Koester with 

check for a donation from The Basement Doctor.

Another organization dear to our hearts, Canine Companions for Independence is a foundation that provides people with disabilities with highly trained service dogs to assist them in every day tasks. These service dogs can act as the ears, hands, legs, and emotional support of their owners leading to increased confidence and independence.  Every dog must master 40 commands before graduating from their training and being assigned to a client. 

According to Joe Parrish, president of CCI’s North Central Regional board, the North Central Region provides trained dogs for people in 14 states.

After attending a summer service dog graduation, Ron was inspired to provide a donation to support their new location’s board room. The center, now located in Delaware, is preparing for their upcoming move to New Albany on 16 acres near New Albany-Condit Road. The timeline for the build will depend on a capital fundraising campaign.

According to the North Central Region executive director, Megan Koester, the new facility will have a kennel indoor for dogs in training as well as an administrative building along with a training center including a dormitory for clients in training for their dogs. She stated that the company offers clients the dogs at no charge using donations. The dormitories at the facility would save veterans, adults, and children from paying for hotels and meals during their two-week training period. 

“That’s the big bonus of having the dorms”, Koester added.

She has stated that there is no set timeline for the construction of the new facility since it will be determined by the completion of the capital fundraising campaign.