Category: News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 30, 2020

Nippert Legacy Foundations Donating over $1 Million to Local Organizations Supporting our Community During the COVID-19 Crisis

CINCINNATI, Ohio – Greenacres Foundation and the L&L Nippert Charitable Foundation, legacy foundations of Louis and Louise Nippert, recognize that the Nipperts would always step forward when the community needed them. Due to the unprecedented impact of COVID-19 on individuals, families and businesses, Greenacres recognizes this as one of those times of need. In the spirit of the Nipperts, the Foundations’ Trustees are continuing their tradition and making donations to area charities. 

“Coincidentally, Greenacres dedicated 2020 as the first year of “WWTND” — What Would The Nipperts Do? The idea was to engage employees and sharpen our focus on the mission and vision of Louis and Louise Nippert. Little did we know that the year would change so dramatically and that we would really have to think about WWTND in a whole new light.” says Carter F. Randolph, Ph. D., President of the Greenacres Foundation and the L&L Nippert Charitable Foundation.

Organizations were chosen from those that have been directly affected by the shutdowns and whose causes were important to the Nipperts. Not only will the funds be distributed to organizations that have a direct impact on the Greater Cincinnati area, but also Brown County where Greenacres has a new facility. 

“It’s the right thing to do,” says Randolph, who grew up as a neighbor of the Nipperts and whose families were close friends. “The values they taught me have helped guide my decisions on managing these Foundations. When catastrophe strikes, you look out for your community. It’s the Nippert Way.”  

Greenacres Foundation has donated $1 million, while the L&L Nippert Charitable Foundation has donated $150,000. 

Greenacres Foundation is supporting: 

L&L Nippert Charitable Foundation is supporting:

Greenacres dedicated 2020 as the first year of  “WWTND”  — What Would the Nipperts Do?  The idea was to engage employees and sharpen our focus on the mission and vision of Louis and Louise Nippert. Little did we know that the year would change so dramatically and that we would really have to think about WWTND in whole new light. In response to COVID-19, Greenacres is taking the following actions:

These are internal steps but our team is dedicated to serving the community and wanted to do more. So we looked at what we can offer to help with the current challenge.  Here are additional thing Greenacres will be doing:

All of the above are actions that the Nipperts would approve of and would participate in. During WWII the going was getting very difficult in the Philippines due to rain – typhoon season. Jeeps and wheeled vehicles were bogging down in the mud and the enemy had the advantage of being entrenched while our soldiers needed to move forward and advance. The problem was discussed and a solution was proposed – send in the Cavalry, not the modern wheeled or even more modern helicopter Cavalry but the old fashioned horse Cavalry.  Mr. Nippert was a Captain who knew a thing or two about horses and called upon to head to Kansas and restart the horse Cavalry to be used to invade the Philippines.  Mr. and Mrs. Nippert headed west to Kansas and began to rebuild the horse Cavalry.  Mr. Nippert described the effort as challenging because so few of the chosen soldiers could ride a horse, let alone care for it.  The “old” Cavalry manuals were out of date and out of print and the horse Cavalry was needed in the Philippines now.  So Captain Nippert went to work training horses and soldiers and preparing to invade the Philippines. The day came for the Horse Cavalry to prove it was ready to leave Kansas with orders given to pack up and head to California to get on ships. As they prepared to depart, the typhoons ended and the Jeeps started rolling.  Captain Nippert received new orders – disband the horse Cavalry.  When he talked about this story which he did infrequently and with little detail, he always mentioned that he, like so many in the GREATEST GENERATION, never thought about the downside, the danger or the sacrifice they were making. They just thought about their country and their duty to answer the call, whatever it was.

Today, we are all being asked to answer the call to take on a new enemy, an enemy that is here among us, a virus.  WWTND? The answer is clear – answer the call and serve. Some will serve by growing more food, some by creating new education channels and some just by following the rules and self-quarantine.  In each case there is individual sacrifice, but those sacrifices are small compared to the sacrifice of the Greatest Generation in WWII.  It is time to pull together, do what you can and listen to and follow the lines of Bob Dylan’s “You got to serve somebody”.   It does not matter who you are, now is the time to serve somebody and the somebody I suggest is your neighbors and friends and serve them with kindness and care and follow the COVID-19 rules.  That is what the Nipperts would do.

Please stay healthy and happy and remember to serve someone.

-Carter Randolph

Greenacres President

APRIL 7 2020

Protecting the safety of our employees and animals has always been a priority at Greenacres. Although we are taking every precaution with our staff, with the current news of a tiger at the Bronx Zoo testing positive for Coronavirus, we need to make sure we do everything to protect our animals to the same standard. It is believed that an asymptomatic zoo employee transmitted the infection and it is confirmed that animals can contract the virus from humans.

In order to ensure animal safety, please remember that Greenacres is CLOSED with the exception of essential employees which includes our animal care personnel and garden personnel.

Our property is beautiful and may be tempting to hike or walk your dog, but we ask that you refrain and keep in mind that it is private property and cannot be treated like a public park. During normal times we appreciate having invited visitors, but for now, we must absolutely limit who is on the property.

We appreciate your help and respect in the matter and look forward to having school groups back soon.

For more information about the tiger and how the disease can potentially spread from humans to animals:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-05/tiger-at-nyc-s-bronx-zoo-tests-positive-for-coronavirus

MARCH 30 2020

The latest updates from the CDC and the State of Ohio means that Greenacres will be shutting down all non-essential operations until further notice.

All field trips, events and volunteer programs are suspended until at least May 1.

Our Farm Store continues to stay open with limited hours and curbside pickup.

MARCH 16 2020 

With recent updates from the CDC and the State of Ohio, Greenacres will be shutting down all non-essential operations until further notice.

All field trips, events and volunteer programs are suspended until early April.

Our Farm Store WILL REMAIN OPEN WITH LIMITED HOURS as it is an essential source of nutrition for many families. Please note the following Farm Store procedures and hours:

• Tuesday – Friday: 12 PM – 5PM
• Saturday: 10 AM – 12PM
• We will limit the amount of customers in the store to 2 shoppers at a time to avoid close contact scenarios.
• Farm Store employees will be implementing even stricter handwashing procedures.
• All high contact surfaces (ie. door knobs, fridge handles, etc.) will be sanitized multiple times throughout the day.

The safety of both our staff and visitors is of the utmost concern for us and we feel this is the best course of action for now. We will review our status on a weekly basis and will let you know as soon as anything changes.

We wish you and your families the best during this time.

-Greenacres

MARCH 13 2020 

Friends of Greenacres,

As a valued visitor, we appreciate your support for Greenacres whether it’s through attending our field trips, shopping in our farm store, renting our events venue, or helping with our volunteer programs. 

With COVID-19 dominating the headlines, we want to update you with the status of our various activities and the steps that we are taking to ensure the safety of our visitors and employees. 

We are closely monitoring the CDC’s guidelines, as well as the recommendations from state and local governments. We have provided our employees with specific instructions on how to help prevent the spread of the virus, stressing the importance of proper hand washing, staying at home if they feel sick, and increasing our sanitation procedures. We have not had any of our staff travel to high-risk areas since the virus broke out, but we would ask anyone who thinks they have been potentially exposed to self-quarantine for the recommended 14 days. 

As a guest, we want to let you know that we are remaining open for business until further notice. That means you can still shop our farm store, attend any field trips your school has booked this year, volunteer as usual, and plan for your event to go on as scheduled. We do ask that you respect the safety of other guests and employees and stay home if you feel unwell or think you may have been exposed to the virus. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the department you have been working with and someone will be happy to offer guidance on how to proceed. 

Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to serving you soon.