Say Yes Cleveland

325 Superior Ave., Rm. 38, Cleveland 44114 | 216-273-6350 | sayyescleveland.org

First Say Yes graduate Leean Andino, photographed with her family.

WHAT WE DO: Say Yes Cleveland provides two big offerings for Cleveland public school students: support services from the start of school through graduation, and tuition scholarships after high school.

Say Yes Cleveland offers support services to Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) students — from Pre-K through Grade 12 — in 104 schools, 100% of all CMSD and partner charter schools, in fact. Services include afterschool programming, free legal services, physical and mental health services, and a Family Support Specialist in every school to connect students and their families to needed assistance.

Say Yes Cleveland also provides scholarships that cover the cost of college or postsecondary tuition — after federal and state grants — to every eligible CMSD and partner high school graduate for the next 25 years. Our scholarships can be used at all public universities, community colleges and Pell-eligible certificate programs in Ohio, as well as over 100 private colleges and universities across the nation. and families. It created new needs that had to be addressed by our family support specialists, including helping CMSD rapidly distribute the computers and Internet access points that are necessary for remote learning. As COVID-19 has stayed with us, our family support specialists have often been the first line of support as students and families have continued to face lingering impacts of the pandemic.

HOW TO HELP:

Visit sayyescleveland.org, in order to:

Give: With the support of Northeast Ohio’s philanthropy, business, families and individuals, Cleveland met the first fundraising goal to become the fourth chapter of Say Yes to Education. Your support is needed to raise the last $29 million toward the goal of $125 million, which is necessary to guarantee Say Yes Cleveland for the next 25 years.

Mentor: All Say Yes scholarship recipients are paired with a mentor — local professionals with college degrees who can provide crucial college-going advice to students, many of whom are the first in their families to attend college. Every year, we need more than 1,000 new mentors to volunteer for Say Yes’s class of graduates.

OVERVIEW

EMPLOYEES: 115

YEAR ESTABLISHED: 2019

SOURCES OF REVENUE: Say Yes Cleveland scholarships are funded entirely by contributions. Say Yes Cleveland family support services are funded through a combination of public, nonprofit and philanthropic entities.

LEADERSHIP

TOP EXECUTIVES & BOARD MEMBERS

Diane Downing,

executive director

Inajo Davis Chappell,

scholarship board chair (partner, Ulmer & Berne LLP)

Lonnie Coleman (Coleman Spohn Corporation) Paul Dolan (Cleveland Guardians) Veena Khanna (Key Private Bank) Rob Martens (Better Together Solar) Drew Martin (PNC Bank) Ann Mullin (The George Gund Foundation) Debbie Read (Thompson Hine LLP) Ronn Richard (The Cleveland Foundation) Victor Ruiz (Esperanza) Eddie Taylor (Taylor Oswald) Helen Williams (The Cleveland Foundation)