Your Stories
Below are stories submitted by people and organizations working to make a difference in the lives of those around us.
Dedication of the Harvey Rice Learning Campus!Submitted by: Kim St. John-Stevenson,
Saint Luke's Foundation Our Story: Now, three years later, all gathered and marveled at the beautiful new Harvey Rice K-8 School, which opened in August 2009, the Rice Branch of the Cleveland Public Library, a learning garden, multicolored play areas, and the public art installations on the campus. These elements have literally transformed this site into a remarkable community asset. Because of the collaboration of numerous invested stakeholders, the project partners have created a holistic, vibrant community-gathering place that serves the needs of the students, residents and businesses and encourages a healthy urban lifestyle. Additional project funding was provided by Joseph and Ellen Thomas, the Roy A. Hunt Foundation, and the Hershey Foundation, and Cleveland Public Art played a significant role in the public art elements showcased across the campus. The dedication event, led by two amazing mistresses of ceremony (both 7th grade students at Harvey Rice) featured song selections by the Harvey Rice pre-K students and active participation from the Harvey Rice student body, project partners, funders, and the school district. To learn more about the Harvey Rice Learning Campus, and to see photos of the project as it evolved, click http://www.clevelandpublicart.org/projects/completed/saint-lukes-pointe
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A Caregiver’s JourneySubmitted by: Sue Grant,
Fairhill Partners Our Story: That was four years ago. Rosemary Wolanski began her search for help at Fairhill Partners’ School for Caregivers, and since then, has found more support for her caregiving journey in participating with her husband in Fairhill’s A Matter of Balance (MOB) class and Chronic Disease Self Management Program (CDSMP). “It gets to be more of a challenge as time goes on. I’m always looking for information that can help out,” Rosemary said. Fairhill, with a mission to connect people to solutions for lifelong learning, intergenerational relationships, and successful aging, recognizes the challenges caregivers face, and has been offering classes and support for over ten years. In 2007, Fairhill began offering CDSMP, an evidence-based program developed at Stanford. Six weeks of classes cover techniques to deal with problems such as frustration, fatigue, pain and isolation; appropriate exercise for maintaining and improving strength, flexibility and endurance; appropriate use of medications; how to communicate effectively with family, friends, and health professionals; nutrition; and how to evaluate new treatments. Participants have seen weight loss, increased levels of exercise, decreased falls, decreased depressive episodes and reduced rate of hospitalizations. “I enjoyed that we could all participate. We would talk about it and hints and ideas from other classmates would help solve our problems,” Rosemary said. The social support motivated Rosemary to work with her husband on his Parkinson’s-related speech problems. Speech exercises required him to say “AH” for twenty seconds several times a day. Although he couldn’t do it the first time, Rosemary knew it would help to start with small steps. “The second week he was able to do it three times but not for the twenty seconds—maybe 15. The third week he was able to do a little more. After that he improved bit by bit. Starting out slow was one of the biggest lessons we took away from that class.” Mastering “goal setting” is an essential aspect of CDSMP. In 2008, 58 percent of Ohioans were diagnosed with at least one chronic disease. Currently, Fairhill is one of only four organizations in Northeast Ohio certified to teach the CDSMP model, and the only one in Cleveland. Two master trainers train coaches to deliver CDSMP; as more coaches are trained, we can offer more classes. In addition to CDSMP, Fairhill offers two other health promotion programs. Diabetes Self Management (also developed at Stanford) and A Matter of Balance, which has been offered since 2006. Rosemary Wolanski and her husband are not the only people who have found support and solutions through Fairhill’s School for Caregivers and national evidence-based health promotion programs; each of our participants has a story to tell. We are looking for people willing to be trained as coaches to help people like Rosemary and her husband reduce the impact chronic disease has on their quality of life.
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The Luxury of GivingSubmitted by: Amanda Apostol,
Boys & Girls Clubs of Cleveland Our Story: On November 22, Shaq arrived at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Cleveland’s Broadway Clubhouse to distribute 1200 boxes of food and toiletries to some of Cleveland’s neediest families for an event he called “Shaqsgiving.” He generously paid Feed the Children $7,200 to provide boxes of non-perishable food and personal care items so Club members and their families could celebrate Thanksgiving properly. In the process of handing out food, Shaq also made several new friends and built an even bigger base of adoring fans. He spend nearly two hours signing autographs, meeting kids, posing for photographs, and yes, even kissing babies. Brandon Guy, a nine year old member from Bedford, arrived in all of his Cavalier gear, and gladly handed each item to Shaq to sign. “Shaq is such a well-rounded individual for our Club kids to look up to,” explains Ron Soeder, President of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Cleveland. “He is a role model for our members not only because of his tremendous basketball abilities, but also the passion and dedication that he has displayed both academically and philanthropically. He is always looking for the next opportunity to improve himself and his community, and that truly inspires our kids to be great!” Even after hundreds of photos and countless autographs, Shaq maintained his characteristic smile and energetic humor, giving high fives to kids as he walked to his car. When asked to reflect on the afternoon, he stated, “The best part of the day was just seeing myself 30 years ago—seeing little kids, seeing the look in their eyes from meeting someone famous.” In this season of giving, it is so wonderful to see that those with much willingly give to those in need. Though Shaq’s contributions to the members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Cleveland are a high profile example of the generosity of others, our organization has been blessed to have thousands of supporters over the past year who have all given what they could. Our hope is that through the kindness of others, our kids will be more prepared to face life’s challenges, find success, and ultimately give back to their communities.
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Independence: One Step at a TimeSubmitted by: Beth Lucas,
United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Cleveland Our Story: When the Cox's first brought Ben to UCP two years ago, they did not know what the future held for their son. Ben was born with a congenital heart defect and was diagnosed at a young age as having unspecified developmental disabilities; his disability does not have a name. At the age of three, he was unable to crawl, to pull himself up and they were unsure that Ben would ever take his first step. Like all parents, they had dreams for their child and the therapists at UCP were equipped to help Ben make those dreams a reality. Ben was evaluated and immediately began the agency's intensive Steps to Independence program. Within two weeks, he was sitting up unassisted and crawling for the first time. When his first Steps to Independence session ended, Matt and Diane enrolled Ben in traditional physical and occupational therapy at UCP. After six months, they watched with immense surprise as Ben pulled himself into a standing position to get a better look at his baby sister Emily. At the age of five, Ben stood for a family picture for the first time. And now he is cruising around the house and school with the aid of a walker. Today, Ben's parents have more hope than ever that their son will live to his fullest potential thanks to the programming at UCP. They still do not know what the future holds or what Ben will be doing in another two years, but as Diane says, "we are sure it will be a lot more than we are doing today." United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Cleveland has made a true impact on the lives of Ben and his family. The agency provides the tools, while Ben provides the motivation and drive. The Steps to Independence program helps bring hope to close to 100 families each year due to the generosity of Saint Luke's Foundation and other community partners. Working together, each of these children will become more independent, one step at a time.
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"the good doctor"Submitted by: Megan Havey,
Care Alliance Health Center Our Story: Care Alliance's Outreach Nurse, Donna Kelly, found Eugene extremely ill, living in an abandoned building. She placed him at 2100 Lakeside Men's Shelter and reconnected him with the hospital where he received his original diagnosis. Unfortunately, by this time, the cancer had spread through his body. One of the physicians at Care Alliance, Dr. Daniel Meges, worked closely with Eugene, restoring his dignity and helping him face his terminal illness. Dr. Meges treated Eugene as though he was the most important person in the world, one that was worthy of dignity and respect. As a result, Eugene has a tremendous appreciation for Dr. Meges and asked Donna to convey to him: "Meges, you are a good doctor, man... and there aren't a lot of them." Donna plans to say that same phrase in Russian for Eugene one day.
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Recycling at the Habitat ReStoreSubmitted by: Jeffrey M. Bowen,
Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity Our Story: Providing affordable materials and tools so that the community can repair, renovate and rehab deteriorating housing stock directly supports our mission to “eliminate poverty housing” while keeping tons of materials out of local landfills. Making it possible for a mother with few resources to repair a bathroom in Slavic Village, or providing supplies so an unemployed pipefitter in Lakewood can make a garden to grow his family’s dinner, means we are raising self esteem, providing meaningful ways to help, and therefore also recycling lives. These are truly difficult times, but there is no better time, to come together as a community, to reduce waste, to share resources and to rebuild the city we all call “home”, one house, one garden, one day at a time.
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Success Story: A Father's JourneySubmitted by: Alesha Washington,
Center for Families and Children Our Story: With no source of income or a permanent place to live, he did his best to make ends meet, but Jacob needed to provide and plan for his family (his daughter and her mom, his girlfriend Samantha) for the long term. Jacob realized he would never be the kind of father he wanted to be unless he was employed. That’s why he to chose to participate in CFC’s Fathers and Families Together (FAFT) program. When FAFT’s Fathers Resource Advisor, Damien Ware, first met with Jacob six months ago, he worked with him to set specific, realistic long-term goals -– getting back in school, participating in individual and group FAFT programs -– to gain the skills he needed to become a successful father. To help with short-term needs, FAFT provided Jacob with bus tickets and access to food and other basic needs, including his first pair of glasses. Today, Jacob is enrolled at Kaplan University, where he is taking courses to become a machinist. Jacob and Samantha are working together -– employing what they learn from FAFT’s parenting and healthy relationship classes -– to improve their communication, and they have moved into an apartment with Jordan, now three years old. Damien is energized by Jacob’s determination and commitment to his daughter and inspired by his ability to reach out when he needs help. “If you don’t have the means to provide and protect your family, society says you are not a man.” Damien explained. “Because of this, it’s often difficult for men to ask for help. For those men courageous enough to take the first step and come to the FAFT program, we are ready to provide them the emotional support and camaraderie they need to do well.”
CFC Program FAFT provides educational and family-focused activities for men and their children. The goal is to help fathers become stable providers for their family and strengthen the bond with their children. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Who's eligible to participate? Program services are offered to fathers who are interested in reconnecting with their children and/or enhancing their capacity to be caring, committed and responsible fathers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . For more info, please contact... Damien Ware, FAFT Fathers Resource Advisor 216/932-9497 :: dware@c4fc.org
CFC: Making success possible for people who choose to change their lives www.c4fc.org :: 216/432-7200
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You Know It's Mentoring When...Submitted by: Margaret Mitchell,
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Cleveland Our Story: At first, I honestly didn’t know if I should hide or cheer when Heath made reference to Big Brothers Big Sisters, but he was calling our name (BBBS) and as the President and CEO of the local affiliate, I dutifully answered with a wave. I’d never been embarrassed in front of a packed house. After all, how bad could it be? And as my professional existence flashed in front of me, Dan Health forever changed how we tell our story at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Cleveland. Through an excellent example of how an organization can effectively use “sticky messages” to connect with its audiences, Dan read the first example out loud: “You know it's Mentoring when… Thousands of boys with no dad learn how to throw a baseball and treat every girl with respect.” At that moment, I had a light bulb moment on steroids. Actually it was more like landing on the Sun’s surface. This is the very essence of a message made to stick. The examples Dan used (initially developed with our sister BBBS agency in Colorado) were completely unprompted by Saint Luke’s. It was a gift from Heath and Saint Luke’s that I put in the priceless category. Anyone who knows us knows we love our kids, volunteer mentors and donors at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Cleveland. But they also know we are very proud of our data too. We’ll tout our new national study and aren’t shy about carting out our old data as well. Better still, we’re just as delighted to share OPD (other people’s data) when it comes to mentoring. For example, “Mentoring” has been identified by the Children’s Defense Fund as the number one intervention strategy to dismantle the cradle to prison pipeline.” But is the data compelling? Sure, I know the importance of marketing beyond the data. I want to share our stories, but in reality we fall back to our proven methodology and miss connecting with the hearts of families, volunteers and donors. As a result of Dan Heath’s message on a Monday morning in late August, we’ve kicked our marketing, messaging and branding up toward the TOP of our priority list. Stay tuned. There will be more to this story.
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Scouting in Mt. PleasantSubmitted by: Culeen Carey,
Boy Scouts of America Our Story: When the Scouts began meeting, it was quickly decided that they wanted to attend the Tenderfoot resident camp which included three days and two nights of camping at Beaumont Scout Reservation. In order to achieve the goal, Scouts met for three hours, three times per week at Woodhill Park for six weeks to learn the skills they would need to attend. These meetings included hands on learning experiences such as first aid, knot tying, setting up tents, and survival skills. In addition, with the guidance of the leaders, the Scouts had to plan activities, their meals, how much food to purchase, compose a list of things to bring to camp as well as know their job responsibilities for each day once they got to camp. They also had to plan the skits they would perform at the cracker barrels, otherwise known as the evening campfires. Summer day campers had an opportunity to do a “good turn” when the troop received an invitation from Cleveland City Hall to participate in the Dedication of the new water slide at the Kenneth L. Johnson Recreation Center. The Scouts were asked to set up a Boy Scout campsite exhibit on the grounds to promote Scouting’s presence in the neighborhood. The Scouts had the opportunity to meet Mayor Jackson as part of the program. By the time the Scouts where ready to load the bus to camp, they were confident young Scouts ready to implement all they had planned and learned. It was the first time they ever camped and the first time they were without a parent or adult family member. Time at camp provided additional learning opportunities as the Scouts were in the woods surrounded by nature, listening to the music provided the insects and birds at sunset. The Scouts prepared their campsites, pitched tents, built fires, hiked, fished and cooked. Needless to say, the smores were the most popular menu item! Each Scout learned the flag ceremony procedures and had a different role to perform at each ceremony. The skits where corny but the laughter still could be heard throughout the woods. The friendship and fellowship that this experience provided made the troop stronger. The Scouts returned home much more independent and responsible. They are already talking about and planning their next monthly weekend camping experience.
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