Brothers Inc. told Hamilton County commissioners on Sept. 17 that a recent county Inspire grant supported its work to supply school materials and run after‑school programs for hundreds of local youth.

The nonprofit’s president, Ronnell Ellison, said the group used the grant to equip 300 children from Winton Terrace with backpacks and to supply teachers at Bond Hill and Rockdale academies. “We used to be considered the problems in our community, and now we wanna be part of the solution,” Ellison said.

Why it matters: The county’s Inspire initiative provides small grants to community groups to support youth services and neighborhood events. Commissioners said the funding and partnerships help groups that work directly with young people and can amplify county programs such as holiday toy drives and food distributions.

Ellison told the commission Brothers Inc. runs weekend and after‑school programs and estimated the organization serves about 2,000 children annually through multiple activities, including Kids Fest, Project Surge, Saturday Hoops and a Jingle Jam toy distribution the group partnered on last December. He said the group provided supplies for about 100 after‑school students in Roseline and plans to expand Thanksgiving food box distribution from 300 to about 350 this year.

Commissioners praised the group’s work and discussed continued partnership. Commissioner Alicia Rees said the county recently acquired the Mercy Health building and that the county hopes to use that space for ongoing collaboration and larger annual events with community partners. “This is the beginning of an ongoing partnership in that building,” Rees said.

The presentation included brief remarks from Alice Bledsoe, who the commission identified as coordinating the Inspire initiative for the county, and a mention of Robert Dale as part of the initiative’s leadership.

The county did not take further formal action at the Sept. 17 meeting regarding additional funding for Brothers Inc.; the presentation was a recognition and partnership update.

Looking ahead: Commissioners said they want to explore further support and coordination between the county’s office of youth and groups supported by Inspire grants, and they invited Brothers Inc. to continue partnering on events such as the Jingle Jam and future back‑to‑school activities.