A.J. Cohen Memorial, Inc.

Mission Statement

Since its inception A.J. Cohen Memorial Inc. has strived to preserve the memory of our friend, brother and son, Austin Jay “A.J.” Cohen who untimely perished in a college campus house fire on December 10, 2000. 

Vision

The mission to preserve A.J.’s memory is achieved through the A.J. Cohen Memorial Fire Prevention Program, fire expos, A.J. Cohen Memorial Baseball Tournament and other A.J. Cohen Memorial events.  Each event has a focus on educating children and adults on the hazards of fire to safeguard their life and safety.  Proceeds raised at A.J. Cohen Memorial events provide funding for the A.J. Cohen Memorial Scholarship at the Summit Country Day School, the A.J. Cohen Memorial Fire Prevention Program and other fire related programs. 

Core Values

The following list of core values reflects what is truly central to A.J. Cohen Memorial, Inc. as an organization. These values do not change from time to time, situation to situation or person to person, but rather they are the underpinning of our organization and capture the essence of A.J. Cohen.  By maintaining these core values we can preserve A.J.’s memory in a light befitting his character.   

  • Tradition- Respect for customs, courtesies, and tradition developed over the many years since the establishment of A.J. Cohen Memorial, Inc.;
  • Commitment- The promise to complete a worthy goal of educating children and adults on the hazards of fire to safeguard their life and safety;
  • Teamwork- Individual effort in support of the other team members in accomplishing the team's mission; and
  • Integrity- The demonstration of the highest standards of conduct and character.   

WHY WE DO IT...

Austin Jay ("A.J.") Cohen died tragically on December 10, 2000 in a house fire at the University of Dayton. As a tribute to A.J’s love of sports, in particular baseball, A.J.'s family, along with Summit Baseball coach Andy Poli, founded the A.J. Cohen Memorial Baseball Tournament in 2001. The idea was also welcomed by Cincinnati Country Day School Head Coach Tim Dunn who worked closely with the Cohen Family after A.J.'s little brother Matthew played football and baseball under Coach Dunn.

The first tournament took place on April 7, 2002 to raise money for the A.J. Cohen Memorial Scholarship Fund established shortly after A.J.’s death at The Summit Country Day School.  The tournament raised a total of $400.00.  Since that time, over the past ten years, over $125,000.00 has been raised. 

In 2009, in an effort to raise greater awareness regarding the dangers of college campus fires the A.J. Cohen Memorial Fire Prevention Program was developed.  Firefighters Randy Miller and Alan Guile of the Springfield Township Fire Department designed the program specifically for high school seniors to educate them by using real life examples of college campus fires throughout the United States. 

The A.J. Cohen Memorial Fire Prevention Program started small with presentations at Summit and Seven Hills in 2009.  In 2010 we more than tripled the number of schools participating in the program.  We are currently scheduling presentations for 2012.  If you are interested in further information please contact saralippert@ajcohenmemorial.org.       

As an additional means to raise funds, in 2010, board member Susan Foad created Treasures for A.J. The inaugural rummage sale which took place in March 2010 raised more than $9,000.00.