Who decides which Community Grants applicants get funded?

Meet the Resident Advancement Committee (RAC), Saint Luke's grantmaking body of 10 community members who oversee the Foundation’s community discretionary budget.

Resident Advancement Committee's Purpose

The RAC, and the grants they award, widen Saint Luke's scope of influence, enhance Foundation learning, and offer residents decision-making power to promote change in their own communities.  

This participatory model was developed to help the Foundation better connect with the people in our footprint - establishing a deeper understanding of the opportunities, needs, and barriers residents face daily; and to further promote equity, which is a core of the Foundation’s health equity strategy.

Join the Committee

Through the RAC, residents of the Saint Luke’s footprint have the opportunity to review the Foundation’s Community Grant applications and award up to $120,000 annually for initiatives that zero in on the social, economic, and environmental factors which shape health in their own neighborhoods. Interested in this opportunity?

COMMITTEE APPLICATION

The Committee

marilyn-burns

Marilyn Burns

Marilyn Burns was born and raised in Cleveland. She has participated in community activities for more than 40 years. She currently works in the Woodland Hills neighborhood, where she has lived for mor... Read More

Marilyn Burns was born and raised in Cleveland. She has participated in community activities for more than 40 years. She currently works in the Woodland Hills neighborhood, where she has lived for more than 20 years. She works for Cleveland City Council President Blane Griffin as a Ward Precinct committee member in Ward 6, where she describes herself as a neighborhood leader and champion.

Burns has a strong commitment to the inhabitants of Woodhill Homes, who occasionally may not receive the resources and care they need. She serves on a number of boards and committees, including those for the Woodhill Co-Op, the Cleveland Foundation, and Healthy Eating Active Living (H.E.A.L.)

Burns pursued her degree in entrepreneurship at a number of colleges, including Case Western Reserve University, Tri-C, and John Carroll. Most recently I’ve attended Perdue University to obtain a Bachelor’s degree in Human Services and a certificate in Psychology.

Read Less
ashley-r-evans

Ashley R. Evans

Ashley R. Evans is a native Clevelander, residing in the Buckeye Neighborhood, who is faithful to serving her community. Over the years, Ashley has served with several organizations that mentor youth,... Read More

Ashley R. Evans is a native Clevelander, residing in the Buckeye Neighborhood, who is faithful to serving her community. Over the years, Ashley has served with several organizations that mentor youth, service the poor, or seek to create a platform for people whose voices are traditionally unheard. Ashley is thrilled to continue this work with the St. Luke's Foundation and the many community members and associations in the service footprint.

Read Less
janae-hambrick

JaNae Hambrick

JaNae Hambrick, who lives in the Buckeye Neighborhood, is an advocate for the development of Cleveland's southeast side. She has more than ten years of expertise in banking and leadership. She works ... Read More

JaNae Hambrick, who lives in the Buckeye Neighborhood, is an advocate for the development of Cleveland's southeast side.

She has more than ten years of expertise in banking and leadership. She works in leadership at KeyBank to assist a group that represents KeyBank's interests to commercial clients. She was given the Circle of Excellence Award by KeyBank in 2022.

Hambrick attended Cleveland State University where she majored in political science and consistently earned the Dean's List. JaNae also participates in a number of political organizations and promotes voter education and engagement among other ways to include the community in the political process.

Read Less
toni-johnson

Toni Johnson

Toni Johnson is a devoted mother, daughter, cousin, and friend who loves family. She is a connector and educator with 30 plus years as a community social worker. Toni is an advocate for the homeless a... Read More

Toni Johnson is a devoted mother, daughter, cousin, and friend who loves family. She is a connector and educator with 30 plus years as a community social worker. Toni is an advocate for the homeless and re-entry populations.

She is a long-time Buckeye resident and is currently the Chairperson of the social concerns committee at Our Lady of Peace Church. “I desire to see improvements to our business district, safety and security, and walkability. I would like to fall in love with my community all over again.”

Read Less
robert-l-render-iii

Robert L. Render III

Robert L. Render III (Bob) was born, raised and nurtured in what became known as the Fairfax neighborhood before becoming a Buckeye resident in 1991 He was a member and officer of the Black History Ar... Read More

Robert L. Render III (Bob) was born, raised and nurtured in what became known as the Fairfax neighborhood before becoming a Buckeye resident in 1991 He was a member and officer of the Black History Archives Committee, which eventually became the African American Archives Auxiliary of the Wester Reserve Historical Society where he helped to establish the African American Heritage and Cultural Celebration.

Since becoming a resident of Buckeye he has served as the President of the East 128th Street Block Club Association aka The Model Street, elected as Precinct Committeeperson Ward 6-T, Community Activist and Co-founder of the Buckeye Soul Series (BS3) and Co-Chairman of the Buckeye/Larchmere/Shaker Square Safety and Security Coalition.

Bob is determined to work with like-minded persons to improve the quality of life in the Buckeye Road neighborhood and to organize a critical mass of thoughtful citizens who will become the catalyst for progressive change in the community. He intendeds to use his role on the RAC to engage in transformational initiatives.

Read Less
audrianna-rodriguez

Audrianna Rodriguez

Audrianna Rodriguez is a social justice advocate with a history of working with urban communities and family service organizations with the aim of increasing quality of life. She completed her graduat... Read More

Audrianna Rodriguez is a social justice advocate with a history of working with urban communities and family service organizations with the aim of increasing quality of life. She completed her graduate training at the University of Haven with a degree in Clinical- Community Psychology. As a young professional, she utilizes the skills learned from her graduate program to promote positive change within the Buckeye neighborhood. A few of her community initiatives include: Dinner & Dialogue with the 4th District, Buckeye Carpool Cinema, Ward 4 City Council candidate forum.

She currently works as a Family Advocate for The Centers for Children and Families where she provides services and supports to targeted classrooms within three CMSD schools. Her chief role is to eliminate any barriers that families may encounter with the objective of increasing the likelihood that the child will stay within the classroom. She believes that it is crucial that we invest in our children to ensure that we are increasing the chances of job prosperity and increased opportunity for the next generation of Barack Obamas, Mae Jemisons, and Garrett Morgans to reach their fullest potential. She is a passionate community servant that advocates for families in and out of the classroom.

Read Less
susan-rozman

Susan Rozman

Susan Rozman, mom, friend, partner, coach, and conduit for positive ideas. She loves being and teaching self-sufficiency, aspiring for quality in life and friendship. Susan moved to Cleveland 25 yea... Read More

Susan Rozman, mom, friend, partner, coach, and conduit for positive ideas.

She loves being and teaching self-sufficiency, aspiring for quality in life and friendship.

Susan moved to Cleveland 25 years ago, immersed herself in the city, and never looked back. She is the owner of Fiddlehead Gallery in Larchmere where she features contemporary crafts, functional art & oddities. “I want to share and shine a light on the next generation of problems solvers from the ground up.”

Read Less
zack-reed

Zack Reed

Zack Reed is a native Clevelander who was raised in Mt. Pleasant. Zach Reed worked on a number of initiatives to enhance public safety, economic development, and education around Cleveland during his ... Read More

Zack Reed is a native Clevelander who was raised in Mt. Pleasant. Zach Reed worked on a number of initiatives to enhance public safety, economic development, and education around Cleveland during his nearly two decades as a Cleveland City Councilman for Ward 2. Zack sponsored legislation to ban texting while driving, provide free parking downtown during the holidays, and limit the availability of foods containing trans-fats made in factories.

Zack worked as the Minority Affairs Coordinator at the Ohio Secretary of State's Office in 2019 after serving as a City Councilman. While serving in this capacity, he tried to understand the requirements of the minority business community and to counteract any false information coming from abroad that was directed at the minority community. Presently, Reed works in the position of Business Development Administrator in

Read Less
jabril-shabazz

Jabril Shabazz

Jabril Shabazz was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. He has lived in the Buckeye/Woodland community for more than 30 years and is a leader, business owner, and resident.He is the Founder of Reentry ... Read More

Jabril Shabazz was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. He has lived in the Buckeye/Woodland community for more than 30 years and is a leader, business owner, and resident.
He is the Founder of Reentry Executives, an organization whose mission is to significantly lower the recidivism rate and support returning citizens as they work toward becoming contributing members of society. He has worked diligently to enhance equity with groups like the National Action Network (NAN) and is very interested in civic involvement. His current academic goal is to earn a bachelor's degree in organizational leadership.


He provides a vast skill set to the St. Luke's Foundation Resident Advancement Committee in addition to his education and lifelong residency to develop the St. Luke's footprint to establish vibrant communities together.

Read Less
jack-hill

Jack Hill

Read More

Community Grants

Want to learn more about our community grants?

LEARN MORE