An old Frisch’s Big Boy building in Clifton has been turned into something entirely new.Twice a week, kids gather at Garden of Joy to talk about their feelings, learn how to garden, cook meals and spend time in a safe environment after school.Each session starts the same way.Executive Director Ali Rizvi sits in a circle with students and leads breathing exercises and conversations about emotions, anger and how to calm down during difficult moments.Then, students can choose to work in the garden or head into the kitchen.It may seem simple, but Rizvi said the mission behind the program is serious.“For us, our kids failing or our kids dying or our kids being arrested — it’s just not an option,” he said.Rizvi is also a social worker at Cincinnati Public Schools. He helped create Garden of Joy after 11-year-old Domonic Davis was shot and killed in the West End in 2023.He said the turning point came when city leaders visited a school and asked students to raise their hands if they had been personally affected by gun violence.“And it seemed like every hand in the room went up,” Rizvi said.That, he said, was the moment he knew something different needed to happen.The program operates next door to the House of Joy Church, where the Rev. O’Neal helped make the space possible by buying the old Frisch’s building and turning it into what is now Garden of Joy.One of the students at Garden of Joy is Montez Hinton, a sophomore at North College Hill High School.Hinton said he had never cooked before joining the program. Now, he frequently volunteers and stays late to help clean up.“I don’t know, it just gives me a brush of joy when somebody says, ‘I like your food,’ or gives me a compliment when I make something,” he said.Rizvi said the impact is already showing.He said schools have started reaching out to say discipline incidents are going down and grades are beginning to improve for some of the students who attend.For Hinton, the biggest change has been feeling accepted.“I learned that I’m a very likable person,” he said. “At home and at school, I’m usually kind of quiet, but here, people love that kind of calm, chill energy.”And after the gardening and cooking are done, everyone comes together for a family-style dinner.Organizers say that shared meal is one of the most important parts of the night — giving students, volunteers and mentors time to sit together, build relationships and talk about what is going on in their lives.
CINCINNATI —
An old Frisch’s Big Boy building in Clifton has been turned into something entirely new.
Twice a week, kids gather at Garden of Joy to talk about their feelings, learn how to garden, cook meals and spend time in a safe environment after school.
Each session starts the same way.
Executive Director Ali Rizvi sits in a circle with students and leads breathing exercises and conversations about emotions, anger and how to calm down during difficult moments.
Then, students can choose to work in the garden or head into the kitchen.
It may seem simple, but Rizvi said the mission behind the program is serious.
“For us, our kids failing or our kids dying or our kids being arrested — it’s just not an option,” he said.
Rizvi is also a social worker at Cincinnati Public Schools. He helped create Garden of Joy after 11-year-old Domonic Davis was shot and killed in the West End in 2023.
He said the turning point came when city leaders visited a school and asked students to raise their hands if they had been personally affected by gun violence.
“And it seemed like every hand in the room went up,” Rizvi said.
That, he said, was the moment he knew something different needed to happen.
The program operates next door to the House of Joy Church, where the Rev. O’Neal helped make the space possible by buying the old Frisch’s building and turning it into what is now Garden of Joy.
One of the students at Garden of Joy is Montez Hinton, a sophomore at North College Hill High School.
Hinton said he had never cooked before joining the program. Now, he frequently volunteers and stays late to help clean up.
“I don’t know, it just gives me a brush of joy when somebody says, ‘I like your food,’ or gives me a compliment when I make something,” he said.
Rizvi said the impact is already showing.
He said schools have started reaching out to say discipline incidents are going down and grades are beginning to improve for some of the students who attend.
For Hinton, the biggest change has been feeling accepted.
“I learned that I’m a very likable person,” he said. “At home and at school, I’m usually kind of quiet, but here, people love that kind of calm, chill energy.”
And after the gardening and cooking are done, everyone comes together for a family-style dinner.
Organizers say that shared meal is one of the most important parts of the night — giving students, volunteers and mentors time to sit together, build relationships and talk about what is going on in their lives.
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