Cleveland Magazine - December 2022

ON THE COVER

40 THE CAVS ARE BACK Sit in on an exclusive conversation between superstars Kevin Love and Donovan Mitchell. Plus, 23 reasons to visit Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Story by Ron Ledgard, Annie Nickoloff and Dillon Stewart

Photo by Casey Rearick

FEATURED

54 SNOWY OWLS This rare bird lands in Cleveland each winter and is a treat for birders. By Annie Nickoloff 6 FROM THE EDITOR 8 CONVERSATION

LAY OF THE LAND

15 A MUSICAL HISTORY Behind the scenes of Hamilton's Playhouse Square stop. 18 READ ACROSS THE CLE Ten new, essential reads from Cleveland authors. 22 IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE Exploring the life and legacy of Jimmy Stewart in Indiana, Pennsylvania.

FORAGE & FEAST

26 FOODIE FADS We ate well this year. These are the trends that defined dining in 2022. 28 ASK CHEF James Beard-recognized author and chef Jeremy Umansky can make a holiday ham out of almost anything. 30 DINING GUIDE These local Christmas ales prove we've perfected this genre of beer.

GRIT & GLAMOUR

35 ROSES ARE ORANGE Visit Hudson's Schitt's Creek-inspired storefront, Orange Rose Apothecary. 37 CLEANING UP One reporter faces his fear — a haircut — as he gets pampered at the lux Shaker Heights' Gentlemen's Cave. 168 LOOK BACK Get into the Christmas spirit with Higbee's 1987 dancing Santas. SPECIAL

SECTIONS

HOLIDAYS IN CLEVELAND

HBA’S HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

$200 per window savings are from retail price. Applies to Addison Plus, Imperial LS and Potomac models only. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Excludes Labor. Financing offers a no payment - no interest feature (during the “promotional period”) on your purchase at an APR of 17.99%. No finance charges will accrue on your account during the promotional period, as set forth in your Truth in Lending Disclosures, and you will not have to pay a monthly payment until the promotional period has ended.  If you repay your purchase in full before the end of the promotional period you will not have to pay any finance charges. You may also prepay your account at any time without penalty. Financing is subject to credit requirements and satisfactory completion of finance documents. Any finance terms advertised are estimates only. Normal late charges apply once the promotional period has ended. Offer expires on 12/31/2022.

Denise Polverine publisher Dillon Stewart editor

managing editor Ron Ledgard senior editor Annie Nickoloff associate editors Anthony Elder, Gracie Wilson editorial assistant Becky Boban editor at large Colleen Smitek contributing writers Jacob DeSmit, Kellie Gormly, Vince Guerrieri, Mark Oprea, Jeremy Umansky editorial interns Berkeley Chadwick, Cassidy Gladieux

art director Erin Stinard assistant art director Abigail Archer contributing artists Ken Blaze, Jeani Brechbill Photography, Alex Eisengart, Heather Linn Photography, Casey Rearick, Emily Robertson, David Schwartz, Alejandro Vergara, David Wilson

illustration intern Alexandra Schmitz photography intern Katie Holub editorial@clevelandmagazine.com

advertising vice president Paul Klein senior account managers Sarah Desmond, Tiffany Myroniak account manager Julie Bialowas traffic manager Corey Galloway associate marketing manager Julianne Radish adsales@clevelandmagazine.com

content marketing managing editor Jennifer Bowen Sima managing art director Rayanne Medford senior editor Ann-Marie Vazzano associate art director Megan Rosta contentmarketing@glpublishing.com

production production manager Jennifer Roberts associate production manager Alyson Moutz Cowan production@clevelandmagazine.com

digital media director of digital strategy Jacquie Chakirelis development manager Daniel Klinzing digital project coordinator Camille Ross

started here. This celebration

The Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove Showroom will help you go from delicious inspiration to memorable meals in a space that truly reflects the way you want to cook, live, and entertain. You’re invited to tour, taste, and test-drive with our team of dedicated product specialists and on-site chefs.

A New Golden Era

THERE WERE TWO TIMES basketball gave Cleveland an injection of hope.

The first was the NBA Draft Lottery on May 22, 2003. My dad was driving me home from wrestling practice, which tells you how little basketball meant to us. But the Browns, four years into their return, were bad, and the Cleveland baseball team was gearing up to go 68-94 and finish last. We needed something to believe in.

And we found it when that lottery ball, as it had a 22% chance to do, dribbled out of the hopper, giving the Cavs the No. 1 overall pick. The fairy tale had come true. LeBron James, the kid from Akron, would start his career at home in North east Ohio. I remember my dad rolling down the windows of the car and letting out a, "WOO HOO," the 10-year-old ap propriate version of LFG. Driving home with the windows down, cheers poured in from the suburban streets.

The second time was July 11, 2014, when I was a Cleveland Magazine intern My editor, Steve Gleydura, had gotten word that LeBron's return, which had been rumored all summer, was immi nent. Since the magazine's editors were on deadline, he assigned me to revisit cover age of The King from our archives and go out on the street to gauge the temperature around the prodigal son's return. Now with a centerpiece for our newly thriving downtown, Cleveland felt red hot.

But if I had to pick a third moment, I'd point to this summer's acquisition of Donovan Mitchell, who chats with teammate and veteran Kevin Love on page 48. Coming from the Utah Jazz, Mitchell has starmaking stuff on and off the court at a time when Cleve land needs a sports hero.

As Clevelanders, we live and die by our sports teams. But if history has shown us anything, it's to stop look ing for joy in the brown when there's wine and gold right in front of us.

Dillon Stewart, editor stewart@clevelandmagazine.com

Kevin Love introduces Donovan Mitchell, the Cavs newest star, on page 48.

@britewinter comments on Instagram: “❤ We love everything about this! Hope to see some new faces in February”

Twitter user @glittevandit says: “I’m going to have so much fun this winter!”

Staff Favorite Articles of 2022

Up the Camino: One Clevelander’s Search for Closure on Italy’s St. Francis Way clevelandmagazine.com/upthecamino

The Cleveland 50: A Look at the Last 50 Years in Cleveland clevelandmagazine.com/50years

How Stina Aleah’s Injury Helped Her Discover Painting clevelandmagazine.com/stinaaleah

My Heart Flew to Ukraine clevelandmagazine.com/ukraine

Cleveland Road Trip Guide clevelandmagazine.com/roadtrip

Photographer Johnny Joo Breathes New Life Into the Forgotten Buildings of Northeast Ohio clevelandmagazine.com/johnnyjoo

The young Couple Behind the Oddities of Lakewood’s Cleveland Curiosities clevelandmagazine.com/clevelandcuriosities

For more year-end lists, visit clevelandmagazine.com/ yearend , where our staffers share their favorite reads and the moments that defined 2022.

@kimmy_de comments on Instagram: “Best cover to date”

On the Web

Purchase a print subscription and receive access to a digital version of the magazine at no extra charge. Visit clevelandmagazine.com/ subscribe today.

Sign up for our free e-newsletters to get updates on entertainment and dining delivered straight to your inbox. Register at clevelandmagazine.com/ newsletter.

@clevelandmagazine @ClevelandMag

Silver Spoons Voting

Our annual foodie event, which supports the Arthritis Foundation and celebrates Cleveland's best restaurants, returns in 2023. Cast your vote for the city's best bites at clevelandmagazine.com/ silverspooncle to see your favorite spots appear in May's Best Restaurants issue and at the party.

THE BEST THAT CLEVELAND has to offer in dining, shopping and entertainment was celebrated by 1,000 attendees at the Best of Cleveland Party, held for the first time at Great Lakes Science Center. More than 55 winners participated, including restaurants, bars, stores and other Cleve land businesses that were voted on by readers and Cleveland Magazine staff. En tertainment for the night included Opus 216, Ray Flanagan and DJ E-V.

October 13, 2022 Great Lakes Science Center

1) Shelly Svonavec

2) Ray Flanagan

3) Abigail Archer, Anthony Elder and Dillon Stewart

4) Opus 216

FOURTEENTH ANNUAL NOACC CHAMBER BRIGHT STAR AWARDS |

October 20, 2022 LaCentre Conference and Banquet Facility

NOACC CELEBRATED CHAMBER leaders and volunteers at their 14th annual award ceremony where 49 awards were given out across two simulcast locations, total ing 250 attendees. The Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield-sponsored event honors peo ple who offer their time and talents to Northeast Ohio's chambers of commerce. The event included a special presentation of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Message by Nancy Kuzenko.

1) Jim Wade, Deanne Wade, Ryan Kuchenbecker and Lilly Kuchenbecker

2) Abby Hricivec, Bill Hricivec

3) Brad Mullins, Sandy Lomeo and Bob Early

4) Janet Haar and Larry Funk

THE LAND

ALMOST 40 YEARS AFTER A CHRISTMAS STORY arrived in 1983, a sequel, A Christmas Story: Christmas, picks the iconic story back up this holiday season. Unlike other sequels over the years, this one features many members of the original cast, including grown-up versions of Flick, Schwartz, Randy and, of course, Ralphie Parker. Peter Billingsley reprises the role, playing the grown-up main character — now a dad — as he returns home with his family for the holiday season. While the new flick wasn’t filmed in Cleveland, you’ll still see plenty of scenes referenc ing the city and the Christmas Story House, located in Tremont. "It’s been great to see the city embrace the film," Billingsley says. "I have a very, very fond place in my heart and will forever for that city." A Christmas Story: Christmas is available to stream on HBO Max.

H OLID A Y C L A SSIC S

A New Queer Haven

Studio West 117, Lakewood’s new LGBTQ hub for entertainment, recreation and dining, unveiled phase one of its $100 million project.

In 2019, Betsy Figgie and Daniel Budish, tax credit consul tants for nonprofits and historical renovations, respectively, launched an innovative, if not overwhelming, undertaking: carving out a self-sustaining neighborhood dedicated to the LGBTQ community. In October, that hand-carved commu nity known as Studio West 117 bore fruit in Lakewood’s for mer Symposium Entertainment Complex — merging recreation, creativity and entertainment into one safe space. “Lakewood and the western side of Cleveland have always been LGBTQ-friendly,” Budish says. “From an urban planning perspective, we wanted to

choose a location that was able to support the existing LGBTQ in frastructure.” Currently, the studio encompasses 300,000-squarefeet of real estate. Plans for the neighborhood include living spaces on the block and new storefronts, including Barber cult8888 and Margie’s Closet, which have already opened. A queer man himself, Budish provides insight into the needs of an underserved community. Creating a self-sustaining neigh borhood may sound improbable, but Budish and Figgie lean on local partners Greater Cleveland Food Bank, the Cleveland Cava liers and Plexus LGBT & Allied Chamber of Commerce.

The Fieldhouse Dining. The revamped restaurant space offers visi tors three simple yet strong options for dining powered by local chefs. Trellis, a 4,000-square-foot rooftop patio, has fire pits and light fare like salads and skewers. Muze provides a wood-fire grill experi ence, serving up Mediterranean eats and Spanish tapas. Eat Me Pizza caters to the Clevelander looking for a quick, classic option — delicious, greasy and cheesy pizza made wood-fired and fresh.

The Fieldhouse Gymnasium.

The reclaimed gym, which boasts a rock wall and the capability to host three volleyball, pickleball or dodgeball games simultaneously, feels massive when you walk in. “The LGBT youth sports league will be the first of its kind in the country and provide LGBT youth with opportunities for recreation in a safe environment,” Budish says. Outside sits a turf courtyard perfect for outdoor activities.

Makers Space. The facility's podcast studio features instructors to guide new podcasters. “We’ll work with you to help monetize it through subscription ser vices,” said Figgie. "So, your hobby can become a revenue stream.” An artisan marketplace called The Edge will host local makers, entrepreneurs and artists. Vendors must commit to a minimum of three months renting their space.

The Kitchen. Studio West 117 boasts a full demonstration kitchen, giving locals the chance to hone their cooking skills. The kitchen benefits from the neighbor hood’s community garden and a partner ship with Food Strong. “If kids aren’t into sports, we’re going to be doing cooking and gardening classes using the commer cial kitchen,” Figgie says. "It's a farm-totable model but in a kid’s camp format.”

Symposium. The Symposium hosted live music in an intimate space for more than 30 years. The new venue carries on that legacy, using the former name and maintaining a bit of the magic that made it special. Studio West 117 already hosts LGBTQ-centric entertainment, including drag shows, leather events and themed parties in the space described as a “true gay dive bar.”

BY ANTHONY ELDER PHOTOS BY KATIE HOLUB

THEATER

A Musical History

Director Tiffany Nichole Greene discusses the cultural impact of Hamilton: An American Musical.

THIS DECEMBER,

The musical gained unrelenting viral traction following its release in 2015 and dis plays the iconic lives of historical figure Alexander Hamilton and his contemporaries. The musical exposes flaws and celebrates victories and trials, all while entertaining and educating audiences of all ages.

Originally written for Broadway by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton is split into two acts. Part one is a musical biography recounting the founding father’s difficult begin nings and his rise to political prowess. From there, the story confronts the tumultuous beginnings of America with a boisterous mix of humor, R&B music and witty repartee.

Tiffany Nichole Greene, resident director for the musical, took a moment away from the production to explain the inner workings of the show and discuss what makes Ham ilton: An American Musical a smash hit around the world.

Q. What makes Hamilton such a culturally important show?

A. The show really brings people to his tory. It informs them of history they may not know. The show teaches people with out talking down to them and gives them a reason to evaluate their own perspective on the history of America — the way we talk about history brings it into a whole new light.

Q. What are some of the impacts on people who attend?

A. As humans, it's therapeutic to watch a different view of what people expect this person (Hamilton) to be. It exposes a dif ferent side of humanity. Witnessing the greatness of a historical figure while also witnessing his flaws in his everyday life is something that makes a connection to attenders — sometimes it’s the hypocrisy of America through a joke or the great ness through epic moments in a respectful way. The greatness of the complication of humanities is exposed in unique way.

Q. What sets Hamilton apart from other productions?

A. The show provides opportunities for actors of color and embraces many of the things we set aside in our usual teaching of history. It embraces how the country looks now in terms of race, especially, and how it presses forward with amazing power and grit. It’s relentless in a beautiful way.

Q. What is the production like behind the curtain?

A. People think we just show up and put on the show. That couldn’t be further from the truth. We get to the location and work six days a week. We get to the theater and work all day, managing the crew and assigning rooms. Curtain closes for a show on Sun day, we travel Monday; if that’s your day off, that’s too bad. We travel with multiple large wardrobe boxes, 100 people to every city. That includes an on-stage cast and an off-stage cast that are both working just as hard as each other. The show has sold out, been selling out, so I expect it will in Cleveland, as well.

PLAYHOUSE SQUARE welcomes the iconic Hamilton: An American Musical to KeyBank State Theatre.

Hamilton: An American Musical graces KeyBank State Theatre Dec. 6-Jan. 15, offering a rap-infused take on history.

Making Noise

White Noise , out this month on Netflix, is the latest milestone in Cleveland’s ever-growing film industry.

Late last July, actors Greta Gerwig and Adam Driver mill around outside Ad die’s Antiques in Wellington, 45 minutes southwest of Cleveland. Chatting off camera, Gerwig sports a frizzy mop of hairsprayed curls, and Driver hides a paunch under a plaid dress shirt. Most businesses neighboring Addie’s, an actual functioning antique shop, have been transformed into brightly col ored restaurants, nightclubs and other fictional storefronts. Sitting in lawn chairs next to paparazzi, locals gawk at the spectacle as if watching an Independence Day parade, and some even get in on the action as extras on this Hollywood film set.

The meta ‘80s fever dream is the brainchild of director Noah Baumbach for his up coming film, White Noise. But Hollywood descending upon Northeast Ohio is becoming a common scene. Fast and the Furious and Captain America: Winter Soldier shot scenes in and around Downtown Cleveland, and White Boy Rick and Cherry, directed by Cleveland natives John and Joe Russo, filmed almost entirely in the area. Heck, this is even the sec ond film to hit Wellington, a town of just more than 4,000, which hosted Liam Neeson’s film The Minuteman in 2019.

But White Noise is different. Author Don DeLillo’s timely, anxiety-riddled ‘80s novel was deemed by some in the industry as “unadaptable” after a few false starts in the early 2000s. The book’s overwhelming feeling of existential dread, strong internal dialogue and unseen threat probably abetted that narrative. But doing it right, according to Baum bach, was enough to give most money men a different kind of dread.

Local crew members describe a spare-no-expense approach that included shutting down a stretch of highway for six weeks, transforming an abandoned Walmart into a film stage, building a faux motel under the Inner Belt Bridge in the Flats, digging a river in rural Ohio and spinning dozens of rolls of real, tactile film.

And that’s exactly what Netflix did. Bill Garvey, president of the Greater Cleveland Film Commission, estimates White Noise spent more than $100 million in Northeast

Ohio — the most of any movie to date. Netflix’s original budget was about $82 million, but an extended shoot and an artist-first philosophy drove that up to a rumored $140 million, though official audits won’t come out until next year.

“We have such a diversity of looks here,” says Garvey. “That and the logisti cal ease of working here is what gets them here. But it is limited by the $40 million [tax incentive] cap we have.”

Production designer Jess Gonchor, who won an Academy Award for True Grit in 2010, is a mas ter of building universes. This project called for a true-to-life Mid western setting, one with spacious supermarkets, a boy scout camp, a college campus and housing stock that looked like Anywhere, USA. Only one place came to mind: Northeast Ohio.

Netflix's White Noise spent more money in Cleveland than any movie before it.

“I don’t think we could have done this anywhere else in the country,” says Gon chor. “We took major advantages of the locations and kindness of the people. There are not a lot of places that are inter ested in letting you do that kind of stuff.”

Tasked with setting the scene for De Lillo’s novel, which follows a professor and his family as they react to an airborne

FILM

toxic event in a “Middle America” college town, Gonchor first explored upstate New York, near Buffalo. Around the time that fell through, Gonchor found an interview where DeLillo mentioned being inspired by a supermarket in Chagrin Falls.

Gonchor never found that supermar ket, but two hours west of Buffalo, he did find the perfect location to recreate the book’s fictional town of Blacksmith. In the classrooms of the University of Ak ron, he saw Jack Gladney’s lecture hall. Wellington and Oberlin perfectly played the cozy town surrounding “College-onthe-Hill.” Peninsula’s Camp Manitoc had a dusty sheen of reality perfect for the boy scout camp to which the Gladney family would eventually escape.

Still, Gonchor admits the deciding fac tor typically comes down to budget and logistical ease.

“I always try to do, first and foremost, what’s right for the movie,” he says. “But, fortunately and unfortunately, a lot of movies these days are driven by tax incentives.”

The Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit incentives were cre ated in 2009 to encourage stu dios to make movies, shows, video games, theatrical pro ductions and more in the state. For those spending more than $300,000, Ohio offers a re fundable tax credit of 30% on production cast and crew wag es and other in-state spending.

But Ohio caps these incen tives at a combined $40 mil lion per year. That means if (the fictional) LeBron James on Ice eats up $20 million in tax credits, the studio behind The Wild Adventures of Cleveland Magazine Editor Dillon Stew art (in the very early stages of pre-production) only has the remaining $20 million with which to play.

Meanwhile, states such as New Mexico and Louisiana have used a $100 million cap to become leaders in the film industry, and Georgia pulled in $4.4 billion in fiscal year 2022 by not having any cap at all.

Opponents call these credits a bad deal for taxpayers. They say these filmmakers would

work here anyway. But Garvey points to ripples like the 36,000 nights spent in lo cal hotels by White Noise crewmembers. The NFL Draft, meanwhile, saw an 85% hotel occupancy rate among 26 hotels for one weekend — a number closer to 10,000 nights. A study by consulting firm Olsberg SPI found, from 2010-2020, a $3.09 return for every dollar in tax credits and that 134 projects created 6,192 fulltime equivalent jobs and $1.1 billion in total gross economic output. Meanwhile, more than $200 million was turned away due to the tax incentive cap, Garvey says.

Noise. Throughout DeLillo’s novel, televi sion clips puncture real life with snippets of consumer culture, creating a uniquely modern state of anxiety. Prunty worked to recreate that motif with the television sets and other circa-1980s props you see throughout the film.

As a member of the Local 209 union, which represents entertainment industry members in Ohio and Northern Ken tucky, Prunty is on a list of local crew members that studios can tap when mak ing films. He pays $1,500 in dues, which he says “pays off tenfold.”

Studios actually prefer to use local tal ent, Gonchor says. It’s cheaper. But it’s not always possible.

The movie is an adaptation of Don DeLillo's satirical, campus-set '80s novel

“The opportunities have grown expo nentially over the past few years, but it’s not at its peak,” says Evan Prunty, co-founder of Black Valve Me dia who served as a video playback operator on White

“When Cherry and Judas and the Black Messiah filmed in Cleveland at the same time, there was nobody left to hire in the area,” Prunty says. “It’s not like there are people sitting around. If there’s a movie, there’s work for you. I guarantee it.”

Read the CLE

From murder mysteries to timeless romances, these 10 books are a must-add for your “to be read” pile.

CLEVELAND DOES A LOT OF THINGS WELL. The comedy scene is on the come up, the food is irresistible and the sports teams al ways leave us on the edge of our seat. Something else we do well? Write. The region hosts great authors across an array of eclectic genres. This year was a home run for native Cleveland writers, with groundbreaking work from Celeste Ng, classic romances and a reflection of the highs and lows of being a Cleveland sports fan. Here are 10 local or local-inspired must-reads from 2022.

through the third installment in the Ice Cream Parlor mystery series. The inside scoop on this one? Bronwyn is being framed for the murder.

For more Abby Collette, check out her Books & Biscuits mystery series following long-lost siblings in the Pacific North west.

HONOR BY THRITY UMRIGAR

Case Western Reserve University’s Thrity Umrigar has made massive marks in the literary world. Her new novel is no different, telling a powerful story of love and connection centered in a world of divisive cultural issues.

For more Thirty Umrigar, see The Se crets Between Us and Everybody’s Son.

LADY GAGA: APPLAUSE

BY ANNIE ZALESKI

Music journalist and Clevelander An nie Zaleski is walking on air upon the release of her newest book, detailing the life and career of one of music’s most adored talents as well as showing off hundreds of pictures capturing her aes thetic and iconic fashion.

A KILLER SUNDAE BY ABBY COLLETTE

Chagrin Falls is noted for its smalltown charm, fancy homes and idyllic waterfalls. The thing we never pictured it as: the backdrop to a mysterious murder series. Follow Bronwyn Crewse, own er of the fictitious Crewse Creamery,

“I got approached by [Palazzo Edi tions] to write the book," she says. "I’ve been a longtime Lady Gaga fan and so it was an absolute yes."

Be on the lookout for Zaleski’s next release of a similar book, detailing the life and career of pop star, P!nk. She has also contributed to Cleveland Magazine

WILSON

HELLO CLEVELAND BY NICK PERRY

Think you know everything about Cleveland? Think again. Even savants of The Land can learn something new about their hometown in this book un covering the culture, history, lore and local celebrities in what Nick Perry dubs “The Most Unique City in the World.”

Topping it off are drawings from illus trator Jason Look to help paint a picture of Cleveland in all its glory.

THE MORE YOU GIVE BY MARCY CAMPBELL

A Northeast Ohioan who has loved books since she could read them, Marcy Campbell now writes for kids just like her, teaching them life lessons accompa

nied by striking artwork.

In The More You Give, Campbell ex plores themes of giving, generosity and family in a warm, picturesque format that teaches kids attributes of life from a young age.

ELEUTHERIA BY ALLEGRA HYDE

Allegra Hyde's debut novel is de scribed by a fellow writer as “darkly fun ny and far seeing."

In the novel, follow Willa Marks, a woman full of love for the earth, as she embarks on a journey in the hopes of turning the tides on climate change.

OUR MISSING HEARTS BY CELESTE NG

The Shaker Heights native is back with her latest release that hit the shelves in October, but this time, she is focusing the lens on society at large.

Her newest novel explores a distorted version of our world, but it might not be as different as we think. Follow Bird Gardner’s adventure to find his mother and unlock the answers to the dystopian society he inhabits.

Don’t forget, Ng’s 2017 smash novel, Little Fires Everywhere

STEALTH HAMMER #2 BY RYAN DROST

Calling all comic fans. Fall into a whole new world unlike our own in the second installment of Stealth Ham mer, a superhero story coming from the Strongsville author Ryan Drost.

With bright colors, detailed anima tions and a storyline packed with adven ture, readers will fly through this read as soon as they add it to their shelves.

In 1982, Coventry Road changed forever when Suzanne DeGaetano moved her bookshop from Kent State to this iconic Cleveland Heights street. The original location on Cov entry was housed above the Dobama Theater, then down the street toward Mayfield Road before settling in the shared storefront with Tommy’s that customers know and love.

Since then, local authors' book signings and long-running poetry readings have brought in customers while fostering Cleveland’s writing community.

“I have seen our local author commu nity grow and expand, and it’s been wonderful to see that,” says DeGae tano.

Foundational to the history of Mac’s Backs are the weekly poetry read ings, which have taken place since 1984. This contributed even more to what DeGaetano calls a “robust poetry community.”

DREAM ON BY ANGIE HOCKMAN

Cass Walker is ready to take the Cleve land law world by storm. That is, until she finds herself in a life-changing acci dent that conjures up images of Devin, a man she swears she’s been dating for months even though no one can find a trace of him. When she runs into him at a bar in Ohio City, she knows she is no longer dreaming.

“I wanted to show Cleveland some love,” says Hockman. “Cass is somebody who has been through a lot, but you can’t keep her down, and I feel like that’s Cleveland.”

Also check out Shipped, Hockman’s debut novel.

WEIRD MOMENTS IN CLEVELAND SPORTS BY VINCE GUERRIERI

In his second nonfiction sports book, Guerrieri humorously details moments like bottlegate and 10-cent beer night.

“This was my pandemic project. I had spare time and no sports to watch,” Guerrieri says. He has also contributed to Cleveland Magazine

With local authors on the rise and aspiring poets flooding in along with a host of customers ready to explore three floors of sci-fi, fantasy, ro mance and non-fiction, nothing could touch this local book lover’s hot spot.

Enter, March 2020.

While many businesses folded under the pandemic pressure or struggled to get back up, Mac’s Backs saw an outpouring of support from its online sales.

“I will never forget those people,” says DeGaetano. In the wake of the pandemic, online orders continue to flow in, but the doors are open again, bringing in poets and readers of all ages. It does, 40 years later, still feel like the store is in its heyday and will remain a staple for years to come.

Mac’s Backs Books on Coventry Celebrates 40 Years

Sea Change

IN THE EIGHT YEARS THAT NATALIE PUTS has been managing Sebastian’s Meats, she’s grown increasingly weary to promises of positive change at the West Side Market. Since Sebastian’s first occupied its liverwurst-laced stall in Market Hall in 1995, Puts felt the care was lacking. Backed up basement sinks often flooded shop floors. Exposed, prewar brick was difficult to clean. In the 2010s, neighboring vendors — like Annemarie’s Dairy and Vince’s Meats — left due to, Puts says, unfulfilled political promises.

But now, Puts is witnessing a sea change. In February, after the Bibb Administration received an updated West Side Market Revitalization Plan, a study completed by outside consultants, an overdue $12 million makeover clicked on. In the summer, stainless steel replaced the outdated brick. Floors were redone. Dirtied stalls in the produce arcade were powerwashed.

“We all hate empty promises,” says Puts, as she prepares a tray of Bacon Bombs — stuffed pepperoncini — for the Market’s 110th anniversary in November.

“When [Mayor Justin Bibb] came and told us, ‘Hey, our renovations are beginning X day,' we were like, 'OK, we’ll see what happens,'" Puts says. “And it actually happened.”

In late March, matching the study’s recommendations, City Hall announced plans to hand over the Market to a nonprofit operator. In June, Bibb hired Market Ventures, a Maine-based firm responsible for the lauded revitalizations of New York’s Essex and Cincinnati’s Findlay Markets. The firm‘s vision has crystallized in a variety of 21st-century gems: European-style retail plazas, East Asian cooking demos, food hall-style seating.

The eventual transition, scheduled to finish up by the end of 2024, will, according to a release, “[insulate] the Market from political changes” and execute “innovations in technology, programming and partnerships.” In a recent survey of 450 customers and

all 100 vendors, however, the top request was a little more clear: “Improve diversity among food stands.”

One key question still remains among vendors, even as they rebuild trust with local government. To what extent, many ask, should the market lean toward resi dents? And to what degree, tourism?

“If it was up to me, I would figure out a way to make this a better food market,” says Tom Boutros, who has run his fam ily’s Boutros Brothers Produce with his brother Joe since 2003. “Every customer will tell you, 'Don’t change nothing. I like it the way it is. I want more food.'”

But Boutros, who once spearheaded the 21-person advisory board, runs into his own self-doubt. Around 2012, after nine years of working full-time, Boutros noticed a gradu al dip in regulars from nearby Ohio City and Trem ont. Then, middecade, he saw new vendors un able to compete with veterans leaving after two years. He felt the city-owned arm of Mayor Frank Jackson’s administration failed to help.

manager

Puts is happy to see renewed attention paid to the West Side Market.

Over the former mayor’s 16 years, “I saw him maybe once or twice,” he says. “[Bibb] comes in way more than the other guy, so I’ll take it.”

Zach Niford, who helped open White Flower Cake Shoppe in July, notices a greater cultural tilt toward openness. He sees the redone electrical and sink casings as a precursor to more event-based fun — like, say, a macaron decorating how-to.

“There’s definitely an old guard that’s had their way,” he says, perched above a rainbow-hued row of cupcakes. “We’re ex cited for new things.”

And so are market tourists, especially regulars with a critical eye.

“Usually [at other markets], there’s a place to sit,” says Angela Brintlinger, a professor living in Yellow Springs, eating cannoli from Euro Sweets. “What about local art? T-shirts?”

“Music! Not too loud, though,” says her friend Nikola Jovic, a pollster from Serbia. “With a few tables. Some charities.”

“And wine—some jazz?” Brintlinger says. She takes a bite, then adds, “Some times you have to give people something they don’t know they want.”

Following years of political inattention, vendors of the historic Ohio City market appreciate the prospect of future nonprofit leadership.

Sebastian Meats

Natalie

It’s a Wonderful Place

Jimmy Stewart’s legacy brings Christmas spirit and more to the actor's quaint hometown.

Ii stroll along the main drag of Indiana, Pennsylvania, see its quaint, 19th century storefronts, and picture the town’s nostalgic charm during Christmas. I imag ine the live Christmas tree, tow ering more than 30 feet above Seventh Street, ablaze with lights while carolers walk over a blanket of freshly fallen snow singing, "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing."

It’s just like Jimmy Stewart — actor, World War II hero and the town’s most famous son — expressed: Indiana does indeed look like it could be the ficti tious Bedford Falls. I almost expect to see George Bailey on the sidewalk.

Along with the It’s a Wonderful Life theme and trail of sites from Jimmy Stew art’s life — like his childhood home and church — Indiana County has the distinc tion of being the Christmas Tree Capital of the World (although Estacada, Oregon, fights Indiana for the title). That makes it the perfect three-hour, 180-mile road

trip for Cleveland residents in December, even after the annual It’s a Wonderful Life Festival kicks off the season in November.

“There’s a big Christmas vibe here,” says Janie McKirgan, president and execu tive director of The Jimmy Stewart Muse um, which opened in 1995.

The museum is the area's biggest attrac tion, drawing up to 7,000 Stewart fans each year from all 50 states and countries like England, Scotland and Mexico. Stew art, who died in 1997, has many fans, McKirgan says.

“I think what contributed to his lon gevity is his World War II service and the fact that he [acted in] It’s a Wonderful Life. It’s such a family tradition to watch it ev ery holiday season,” says McKirgan.

Allow about three hours to see the mu seum. The history goes back to the found ing of Indiana, Stewart’s childhood as the son of a hardware store owner, his movie career and service as a decorated World War II pilot.

The Jimmy Stewart Statue, in front of the Indiana County Courthouse at 825 Philadelphia Street. The 9-foot statue was dedicated on Jimmy’s 75th birthday. Stewart attended the ceremony with fanfare: President Reagan ordered a military flyover of jets in honor of his friend.

Jimmy Stewart’s childhood home stands on 104 N. Seventh Street atop Vinegar Hill. Visitors can drive by the Dutch Colonial home, but please be discreet and don’t knock on the door; people live there.

The It’s a Wonderful Life mural covers a low wall at 100 S. 6th Street. The painting does not depict anything related to the movie, but it’s a cheerful landmark.

Jimmy grew up worshipping at Calvary Presbyterian Church at 695 School Street. The Stewart family sat near the front right side of the center aisle. calvarychurchpa.com

Jimmy’s personal 1961 Cessna 310 airplane was mounted on display at the Jimmy Stewart Airport, 398 Airport Road, in 2020. The airplane is illuminated at night. jimmystewartairport.com

Jimmy Stewart Museum draws visitors from at least nine countries. Cut your own tree at Mytrysak Family Tree Farm.

But the impact of Stewart’s life goes beyond his celebrity: He was generous. Stewart supported many national char ities, including the American Red Cross and March of Dimes. He supported the fire station where his father was a volun teer firefighter, along with the town’s Me morial Park.

“He was as down-home as everybody said he was,” McKirgan says. “He did a lot of very charitable things and just never wanted his name attached. He did it be cause it was the right thing to do, but not because he wanted a pat on the back.”

Whenever he returned to Indiana, Stew art would greet fans and sign autographs. Once, he agreed to present a corsage to a neighbor who was attending a school dance, McKirgan says. When Stewart’s

twin daughters, Judy and Kelly, went to college, their father’s advice was simple: “Always re member, be nice to people.”

During the holiday season through early January, the mu seum displays about a dozen themed Christmas trees, like the Hitchcock tree, the Hollywood tree and the military tree. Visi tors can explore an exhibit fo cusing solely on It’s a Wonderful Life and watch the movie in the museum’s theater, along with a behind-the-scenes docu mentary and the episode of General Elec tric Theater, featuring Stewart and Ronald Reagan.

Though there wasn’t much to see at the area Christmas tree farms when I visited

Indiana in October — a road trip I got in the mood for thanks to playing Wynonna Judd’s A Classic Christmas — come De cember, you’ll want to explore this aspect of Indiana. McKirgan recommends visit ing Mytrysak Family Tree Farm, which has special events with sleigh rides, hot cocoa and Santa visits.

WHEN YOU GO

The Jimmy Stewart Museum 835 Philadelphia St., Indiana, Pennsylvania 724-349-6112 jimmy.org

Discover Early Childhood School at Laurel for young girls and boys.

Families choose our Early Childhood program because it fosters a child’s sense of wonder, encourages curiosity and inspires a desire to learn. Spend your Saturday morning with us to understand the benefits of a Laurel education for your young daughter or son.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

FORAGE &

FRES

TITES

A FIRE BURNS

RASUL WELCH WASN'T HAPPY. For two decades, the commercial photographer loved collabo rating with chefs and learning how the sausage was made (literally). Yet, he wasn't fulfilled. One day, he was grilling a celebrity chef on the intricacies of Italian butchery. The client asked: When is the last time you asked a photographer this many questions? "So, I jumped ship," Welch says. Now, after a crash course of pop-ups (meatballs at Porco's Lounge & Tiki Room) and working any line that would have him, Welch has launched Farmer's Feast at Bottle House Brewery in Cleveland Heights. Inspired by his Cajun and Indian heritage, Welch delivers a concise, rotating menu of kebabs, bao bun tacos and other global fusions. One staple, the focaccia burger ($12) with Old Brooklyn pub cheese and Gifted Grass beef is unlike else anything in town. farmersfeastcle.com

PHOTO BY CASEY REARICK BY DILLON STEWART

H A P P E

How We're Eating

These food trends defined dining in 2022.

It’s been a big year for food here in Cleveland. Ambitious restaurants have popped up in every corner of the city, with new flavors and tastes emerging on inventive menus. It’s safe to say a lot has changed in Northeast Ohio’s dining scene in the past 12 months — and Cleveland Magazine was here to capture those changes real-time. Looking back, we’re taking note of the big shifts and trends in Cleveland’s restaurant industry. Here are a few things we noticed.

BUILT TO SHARE

When something is good, you want to share it. Whether it’s Zhug, The Last Page or Jaja, some of our most exciting new restaurants offer ambitious sharables. Restaurateurs say the tide is turning in this classically bigger-the-better town, as diners want to try a bit of everything. zhugcle.com, thelastpagerestaurant.com, cordeliacle.com - DS

MOCKTAILS

Maybe I noticed it more because my wife was pregnant, but mocktails were on nearly every menu. While some lack body due to the absence of alcohol, Cordelia uses alcohol-free spirits to keep the integrity of your favorite cocktails. cordeliacle.com - DS

GHOST KITCHENS’ NEXT LIVES

Diners are craving in-person restaurant experiences again, meaning some of the pandemic-popular ghost kitchens have found new life as brick-and-mortars. Two of the year’s most-hyped eateries — the classy Indian-fusion restaurant Amba and popular sushi spot Sora — trace their roots back to ghost kitchen beginnings. eatatsora.com, ambacle.com -AN

RISING COSTS

From burgers to crab legs, local oper ators have been feeling the effects of rising food costs — and so, in turn, have diners. Menu prices have noticeably increased this year. But customers have still come out in droves since the pandemic shutdowns. - DS

IT’S CORN!

Thanks to TikTok's “corn kid” or maybe Ohio’s position as a major corn producer, corn can be found all over the place. Our favorite sweet corn concoctions: Salt's cocktail; Cilantro Taqueria's elote; and Mitchell's seasonal ice creams. “I can’t imagine a more beautiful thing.” saltcleveland.com, cilantrotaqueria.com, mitchellshomemade.com - AN

RESTAURANT REVAMPS

We’re often distracted by shiny, new objects, but brand refreshes have come to old haunts. Karen Small’s Flying Fig relaunched as Pearl Street Wine Market, and Sam McNulty’s Bier Markt/Bar Cento turned into Bright Side. pearlstreet cle.com, brightsidecle.com - DS

BY DILLON STEWART AND ANNIE NICKOLOFF

SHARABLES: NIKKI STEFFEN / GHOST KITCHEN: COURTESY SORA SUSHI / SAUCE THE CITY ELOTE: LILY RICHARD

GIANT STEPS MOCKTAIL: COURTESY CORDELIA / RISING FOOD COSTS: MADELINE SALATA BRIGHT SIDE: CHRISTIAN HARSA

THE DISH

Orlando's Secret

The secret recipe to Orlando Baking Co.'s longevity, as it celebrates its 150th year anniversary, isn’t much of a secret at all — it’s in the name.

A career in the family business tends to start early. For John Anthony Orlando, his first paycheck was earned at age 11, for delivering bread with his father. Today, John Anthony may still be found honing this craft on the bakery floor, even as he carries the torch as the president and CEO of this local legacy brand.

“You always had a passion about it,” John Anthony says. “It was a pride. We had our name on the bag, and we were going out there to sell the bread and take care of the customers.”

Serving the company’s current customers is far less arduous a task than for generations past. Cooperation among family members has remained a constant, but in the early days, it was a necessity — for stacking and hauling crops in the mountains that overlooked the Italian village of Castel di Sangro, where Giustino Orlando founded the company in 1872, or to man the “Orlando Bros.

The family business, now located on the east side of Cleveland, started in Italy in 1872 and is still run by descendants.

Baking” horse and wagon that delivered hearth-baked bread and pasta in Cleve land around the first American location on Central Avenue in 1904.

Before settling at its current location at 7777 Grand Ave., company headquar ters moved around Cleveland’s east side. Nick Orlando, vice president of sales and marketing and cousin to John Anthony, recalls early memories of growing up just next to the bakery when it was located on Woodland Ave.

“The family was all centered around the bakery there,” Nick says. “There were so many people, everybody working allhand work.”

The business’s operation has outgrown its humble beginnings by leaps and bounds — in the past 20 years, Nick es timates the company has at least doubled in size to employing around 300 people, with an eye toward further growth. Uti lizing nine production lines, the bakery produces thousands of loaves of hearthbaked bread per hour, in more than 250 varieties.

The symphony of Italian voices that once guided production has been re placed by the whirring of spinning me tallic racks, stories-high, cooling cooked bread, or by the warning beeps and flash ing lights of heavy machinery. Though today’s production methods have taken some of the soul out of the baking pro cess, the company has looked for ways to maintain a familial atmosphere.

According to human resource manager Kathy Perry, as many as seven languages can be heard spoken by employees of the diversifying staff. Since assuming her role last December, Perry has taken initiatives to improve accessibility in employee documentation and ad vocate for the use of tools such as Google Translate. Such a commitment to the workforce has resulted in some employees carrying out careers with the Orlando Baking Co. for upward of three to four decades.

The family behind the 150-year-old bread business lets us in on how it has achieved longevity.

Holiday Ham Redux

There is one dish that has the power to unite us all this holiday season: ham. In an array of styles, from the luxurious Jamon Iberico of Spain to Northern Italy's culatello, this revered food sits on tables across the world during festive meals between friends and family.

In America, what we refer to as ham is the cured and seasoned back leg of a pig, typically smoked and glazed with some thing delightfully sweet. While this ham is fantastic, it doesn’t do much to include our Jewish, Muslim, vegetarian or vegan friends who may not consume pork.

But from tofu to beef shank, you can turn just about anything into a ham. That's because, in this column at least, when I say ham, I'm referring to the tech nique by which your meat or vegetable is prepared — and the reverence with which you present it.

A perfect example of something other than pork becoming ham comes from my friend Will Horowitz, chef and own er of Ducks Eatery in New York City. A few years ago, he went viral on Insta gram thanks to his watermelon ham. Salted, smoked and brined, sitting in its own juices and garnished with greens, it looked just like the original thing, and it appeared on the menu until the restau rant closed in 2020.

Why was this strange dish so popu lar? I think it's because no matter what it's made of, the holiday ham evokes a feeling of togetherness. It is truly a dish best shared with others. And that togeth

About the Author

Jeremy Umansky is the James Beard-recognized co-author of Koji Alchemy and chef and co-owner of Larder Delicatessen and Bakery. Don’t miss his seasonal musings on cooking in his new column for Cleveland Magazine

erness is something we can all use a little bit of this holiday season.

So, in this column, I'm going to give you some pointers to create your own holiday ham, but I want to see what you come up with! Think of this as a chooseyour-own-adventure book. I want you to be gastronauts, exploring all the hedo nistic pleasures that cooking and eating avails us. Have fun! And happy holidays.

First, select what you want to turn into a ham. Find an ingredient that will have the texture of a pork ham af ter it’s cooked. I suggest cauliflower, beets, tofu, seitan, beef or lamb shank, carp fish and duck, but you can pick almost anything. Vegetables like potatoes and other starchy foods, however, will have a dry and crumbly texture not befit ting of a holiday ham.

Ham must be cured. Curing is a pro cess in which you add salt and/or sugar

and spices to a food to season it, keep it moist and extend its shelf life.

Start by blending together two parts salt and one part sugar. I suggest using a quart-sized jar and shaking it up un til well-blended. That 2:1 ratio can be scaled up, whether you’re cooking for a friend or your whole neighborhood.

Vegetables, firm tofu, seitan and fish should be cured at 1.5% of their weight. Meats, including poultry, should be cured to a range from 1.75% to 3% of their weight. A grossly general rule for meat is the darker the color, the stron ger the cure you can use. Some wild ven ison hams can handle a 3% cure while beef, duck, and lamb are good around 2%. Most chicken or rabbit is delicious at 1.75%. Vegetables and fish will be too salty if cured to the same percentages that can be used for meats.

For a ham that will be eaten hot, 1.75% is appropriate, but one chilled

Just when we need unity the most, Larder’s Jeremy Umansky shows us how to make the classic holiday ham more inclusive.

and served sliced on a sandwich can handle up to 3% salt. This is due to how our perception of taste changes with the temperature of a given food. Animal fleshes should be trimmed and deboned prior to curing. There are always excep tions to these rules so do what feels right to you.

Follow this simple equation to con vert pounds to ounces and then calculate how much salt-and-sugar cure blend you need. In this case, we’ll use the percent age for one pound of vegetables.

1 pound x 16 = 16 ounces

1.5% of 16 ounces = .24 ounces of cure

To cure, rub your raw ham with all the calculated blend. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Store in a non-reactive dish in your fridge until it’s cured through.

How do you know it’s cured through? That's determined by thickness. Most vegetables are fine in a couple of days to a week. Most fish are ready within 72 hours. For meats, start at a minimum of one week and add two days for every quarter inch of thickness over 2 inches. So if your meat is 2.5 inches, you need to add four days to that initial week of curing. Count backwards from the day you want to cook your ham to figure out what day to start your curing process. Flip your ham every day to help the cure work its way into the ham.

Smoke is es sential for a prop er ham. If you don’t have a smoker or grill, think about adding a few drops of liquid smoke to your ham cure while rubbing. You could also add smoky notes with brown sugar and smoked salt, like the one sold by Ramat Wiley at Adun Spice Co. Black pepper, juniper, coriander and cumin also help impart a smoky flavor, as does porcini powder, finely ground coffee and dark cacao powder. Mix and match these

suggestions as you’d like, but keep in mind: A little bit goes a very long way.

As far as spicing your ham, you can add some spices when you rub your ham with cure or wait until just before you cook the ham and spice-crust it. You could also do both or have no seasoning at all.

Seasonings can be whatever you want them to be. For something akin to a ham baked with honey, rub your ham down with sweet spice mixes such as pump kin pie or apple pie spice. If you want to add some global flair, head to Van Aken and talk to Ramat Wiley of Adun Spices. Trust me. Her Ras el Hanout spice mix is life-changing and perfect for any ham.

If cooking in your oven, place ham into a roasting pan on a resting rack. Roast in an oven set to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Smoke in a smoker or on a grill at 225 degrees. For those of you cooking sous vide, I suggest looking up some time-temp-texture charts for what you made your ham from and following those guidelines followed by a reverse sear and then glazing.

Get yourself a digital thermometer; I’ll hardly ever give you cooking times, just the temperature a food should be cooked to when finished. That said, it’ll take anywhere from 30 minutes for a block of tofu to several hours for a pig’s leg. Whole muscle dark meat hams and poultry can be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Fish, pork and veggies should be cooked to no more than 145 degrees.

Finish with a glaze. Make a glaze out of any thing sweet that could pair with your chosen spice season ing. Try thinned-out hon ey, molasses, jam or jelly with — a personal favorite of mine — mirin or amazake koji mixed with a heaping dollop of sweet white miso. Glaze in the last quarter of your cook time — when you’re three-fourths of the way to your target temperature — and bump the heat in your oven up to around 375-400 de grees to get some nice caramelization.

E. 81st Deli’s Viral Chicken Salad

After 25 years on Superior Avenue, this family spot blew up overnight.

“Y'all better come up here and get one of these,” says longtime patron Tenisha Godfrey, pointing to her chicken salad in the now-viral TikTok video posted in late October.

Since then, owner Wael Her bawi, his brother and their retired father have worked nonstop, mak ing emergency grocery runs and managing a packed store. They fielded hundreds, if not thousands, of orders in just the first few days with people scrambling from states away for their Chicken Salad ($12).

Celebrities ranging from Josh Cribbs of the Cleveland Browns to rapper Lizzo, who used audio from the original clip in her own video, have stopped in or sent their re gards to the 81st Street Deli.

The ingredients are common enough: spring mix, juicy grilled chicken, a handful of mozzarella, diced tomato and creamy dressing. But there is one exception that kicks things up a notch: a secret Middle Eastern spice blend, a homemade recipe conceived by Herbawi’s mother.

“I didn’t know about it until TikTok, but I live close by,” says patron Se lita Kennan, pointing to her salad. “This is probably my fifth one now.”

AVON BREWING CO.’S CHRISTMAS MIRACLE

Dining Guide

CLEVELAND'S BEST CHRISTMAS BEERS

WHY WE LOVE IT: Sitting down with a fresh pour of this gold medal-winning blend of nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and local honey ($8) feels like winning a major award. “It’s Christmas in a glass,” says Mathias Hauck, head brewer and owner. “It’s one of the best beers in the area.” TRY THIS: The bourbon barrelaged Christmas MiraCLE ($10), which sat in Cleveland Whiskey barrels for nine months, will be tapped this year. Various Locations, 440-937-1816, avonbrewingcompany.com

BLUE MONKEY BREWING CO.’S MERRY MONKEY CHRISTMAS ALE

WHY WE LOVE IT: An exclusive to this North Royalton brewery’s taproom, the flavors of honey, imported cinnamon and ginger root will have you going bananas for this seasonal glass of Christmas flavor ($7). TRY THIS: Want to hang around for more beer without having to leave for dinner? Blue Monkey welcomes you to have your own food delivered to the taproom or bring a snack. 5540 Wallings Road, North Royalton, 440-628-9152, bluemonkeybrewing.com

BOSS DOG BREWING CO.’S UNCLE KNUCKLE’S CHRISTMAS ALE

WHY WE LOVE IT: This brewery is a Cleveland Heights favorite, and its Christmas Ale ($6.50) is no exception. This beer lends itself to the classic spiced flavors of Christmas like cin namon, ginger and nutmeg. TRY THIS: Visit on the weekends from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the Browns Brunch, featuring dishes like the Stefanski Special, Polish kielbasa, coleslaw and fries with barbe cue sauce ($12). 2179 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights, 216-321-2337, bossdogbrewing.com

BROADVIEW BREWING CO.’S HOLIDAY IN BELGIUM

WHY WE LOVE IT: It’s the best of both worlds at this Broadview Heights brewery, where you can enjoy the classic Holiday in Belgium ($7) for a darker taste or, for those who prefer something on the lighter side, the Milk and Cookies Golden Ale ($7) is a new holiday offering this year. TRY THIS: Visit the brewery Dec. 15 to enjoy a night of farmhouse porch decor making with a complimentary pint of beer. 4001-A Towpath Road, Broadview Heights, 440627-6017, broadviewbrewingcompany.com

COLLISION BEND BREWING CO.’S 8 CRAZY NIGHTS

WHY WE LOVE IT: This blend of honey, pressed apples and spices ($5.50$11.99) is available all winter and cele brates the traditions of Hanukkah with a nod to the comedic stylings of Adam Sandler. “It’s a little lighter in flavor than traditional Christmas beers,” says Mi chael Grano, founder of Collision Bend. TRY THIS: Host your wedding festivities by booking your reception or rehearsal dinner with food, beer and great views of the Flats. 1250 River Road, Cleveland, 216-237-7879, collisionbendbrewery.com

Market Garden Brewery's Festivus Holiday Ale

FAT HEAD’S BREWERY’S PIMP MY SLEIGH

WHY WE LOVE IT: Why deck the halls when you can pimp out a sleigh? The Belgian blend ($7), loved regionally, boasts deep red color thanks to the fruit, spice and fig blend from this famed brewery that got its start in Pittsburgh (but we’ll overlook that in the spirit of Christmas). TRY THIS: Fat Heads is doling out twice the joy this season. For some holiday variety, also pick up the Holly Jolly Christmas Ale ($6.50), which is on the sweeter side.

Various Locations, 216-898-0242, fatheads.com

CORNERSTONE BREWING’S XMAS ALE

WHY WE LOVE IT: This brewery caters to the East and West sides of Cleveland. You can snag a glass of its classic spiced holiday ale ($6) at its flagship Berea location or its 2009-opened Madison brewery. Each boasts a unique lineup of both beer and food. TRY THIS: Enjoy all the bar food favorites from brewer's pretzels ($9.99) to buffalo chicken dip ($10.99) to fried pickles ($8.99). For dinner, enjoy the lemon basil salmon ($17.99).

Various Locations, cornerstonebrewing.com

GREAT LAKES BREWING CO.’S CHRISTMAS ALE

WHY WE LOVE IT: The OG that started it all. This Cleveland gem ($12.99) celebrates 30 years this season, and we’re willing to bet that Saint Nick himself will take an extra stop in The Land to snag a glass (it’s not drinking and driving if the reindeer are in charge). TRY THIS: If you just can't get enough, try the Christmas Ale Burger ($20), two patties on brioche filled up with pepper jack cheese, pickled red onion and Christmas Ale glaze. 2516 Market Ave., Cleveland, 216-771-4404, greatlakesbrewing.com

From festive dining to beloved traditions, The Ritz-Carlton, Cleveland invites guests to embrace the magic of the season. Surprises are in store for both children and adults as the city’s only luxury hotel decks the halls, ensuring each moment is merry and bright.

Discover more at ritzcarlton.com/cleveland.

MASTHEAD BREWING CO.’S SLEIGH ALL DAY IPA

WHY WE LOVE IT: Just like trimming the tree and baking cookies for Santa, this beer ($6$11.99 )is all the best parts of Christmas. With hops, spruce tips and a malt base, this is the perfect drink to crack open by the fire or around the Christmas Eve dinner table. TRY THIS: Make Masthead part of a night on the town. The 300-seat brewery features Nea politan-style pizzas ($11-$15) that will make you forget about the cold weather raging outside. 1261 Superior Ave., Cleveland, 216-206-6176, mastheadbrewing.com

HOPPIN’ FROG BREWERY’S FROSTED FROG CHRISTMAS ALE

WHY WE LOVE IT: For 14 years now, Hop pin’ Frog has been named to the top 100 brewers in the world. Its signature holiday ale ($8) is a mix of dark beer flavor with hol iday spice, capturing what the brand calls the “essence of Christmas.” TRY THIS: Hop on over for a Sunday brunch at the tast ing room with offerings like the jalapeno cheddar biscuits and gravy ($11) or the breakfast burger ($16) with brewer-sug gested beer pairings. 1680 E. Waterloo Road, Akron, 234-525-3764, hoppinfrog.com

MARKET GARDEN BREWERY’S FESTIVUS HOLIDAY ALE

WHY WE LOVE IT: Calling all Seinfeld fans, this brewpub has been serving up this nod to the show about nothing ($7) since its inception in 2011, adding a little twist to Christmas. “We caramelize some of the unfermented beer," says head brewer Andy Tveekrem. “The caramelization gives it a little extra smoothness.” TRY THIS: Come in and drink some beer, see the Festivus pole and air your grievances to all who will listen. 1946 West 25th St., Cleveland, 216-621-4000, marketgardenbrewery.com

LAND

PLATFORM BREWING’S SOUTH POLE ELF

WHY WE LOVE IT: This blend ($7) is naugh ty and nice with sweet cookie spice that ensures the South Pole has come to play. A crowd favorite from the company’s 2014-opened tap room, with more than 100 seats and a couple dozen house fa vorites, there’s plenty of room to come in and celebrate. TRY THIS: Grab a bite to eat, too, such as the Knotty By Nature Ba varian Pretzel ($10) or a Smokehouse Flat bread pizza ($12). 4125 Lorain Ave., Cleveland, 216-202-1386, platformbeer.co

RAILROAD BREWING CO.’S SANTA SIGHTING

WHY WE LOVE IT: This 7.2% ABV blend of Belgian yeast, ginger, vanilla and cinna mon ($7) will have you thinking you saw the man in red flying high over the city. This blend of holiday tradition coupled with a kid-friendly brewery atmosphere makes for the perfect holiday night. TRY THIS: Visit Railroad Brewing Co. and get into the holiday spirit at the same time on Dec. 3 at Brewer’s Eve in Lorain. 1010 Center Road, Avon, 440-723-8234, railroadbrewingcompany.com

SAUCY BREW WORKS' THREE HO’S CHRISTMAS ALE

WHY WE LOVE IT: Jolly and red like St. Nick himself, the Three Ho’s ale ($7) at this Cleveland favorite brewery is loaded with holiday flavor composed of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Just spicy enough for a good time that won’t land you on the naughty list. TRY THIS: If spice isn’t your favorite flavor, try the best-selling Juicy ASAP ($6) or Love you, Bye ($8) for some thing a bit lighter and fruitier. 12885 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, 216-666-2568, saucybrewworks.com

SCHNITZ ALE BREWERY’S ELISE NAVIDAD WINTER ALE

WHY WE LOVE IT: Named for one of the owner’s daughters, Elise Navidad ($6) is something sweet. Heavy on the warm flavors of cinnamon and nutmeg, it’s a personal taste preference of head brewer Jerome Moore. “You just play around with spices and try to think of what is good,” he says. “We didn’t put a lot of ginger in it be cause I’m not a huge fan.” TRY THIS: Book space for your Christmas gathering at this Parma brewery, where you can share Elise Navidad with a side of German style fare with friends. 5729 Pearl Road, Parma, 440-3404353, schnitzalebrewery.com

THIRSTY DOG BREWING CO.’S 12 DOGS OF CHRISTMAS

WHY WE LOVE IT: This refreshing treat ($12.99) should be enjoyed far longer than just 12 days. Honey, spices and “Santa’s secret recipe” make this sweet holiday blend available both in bottles and on draft at The Taphouse just outside of Akron’s downtown. TRY THIS: Not sure what to try? Sample four on-tap beers in a flight served on a bone fit for the Thirsty 587 Grant St., Akron, 234-571-1456, thirstydog.com

WANT MORE?

Check out more recommendations at clevelandmagazine.com/food-drink

GLAMOUR

GRIT &

ROSES ARE ORANGE

ADMIT IT, everyone had their hobbies over the course of the pandemic. Some mastered bread baking, others went through the unfortunate Tiger King phase. Andrea Pierce-Naymon bingewatched Schitt’s Creek, and it changed her life forever. A self-proclaimed “boomer that started too late,” she began watching the show when the deluge of pandemic news became too much. She finished the show in January 2021 and knew what she had to do next. “By that time, I was like, ‘Well if David can do this, maybe I should do it,’” Pierce-Naymon says. Now, Orange Rose Apothecary takes up residence in Hudson, the picture windows proclaiming the sale of “Neighborhood Goods Made with Love” inside of the orange floral and crow-clad shop that is everything Schitt’s Creek fans love and nothing that will have you proclaiming “Ew, David.”

SH O P L O C AL

While the store got its start through fictional inspiration, her flagship prod uct came to be after observing a very real problem.

After her daughter got sick in high school, Pierce-Naymon was keeping a close eye on product labels, and what she found opened her eyes to a world of pos sibilities.

“When I started reading labels, I was pretty horrified. I kept a journal of all the different chemicals I was reading about and at that point I was pretty disgusted,” she recalls.

That is when the plant-based skincare brand was born. As an empty nester, she set to work in her kids’ old playroom, crafting natural skincare products that ended up having amazing results, like cur ing the eczema that her sister-in-law was struggling with at the time.

Now the lineup includes body serums, lotions, bath salts, lip balms and countless others. The signature scent? Orange Rose.

“Orange rose was an accident,” she says. “I had lavender and grapefruit [scents], but I was trying to mix up a citrus scent and somehow I put rose fragrance in by mistake.”

This translated into an entire theme for the boutique, a clean white interior space with orange accents from the shag area rug to the monarch butterflies and faux

"I was very lucky to be able to put them together and grow my business," says Andrea Pierce-Naymon.

orange slices deli cately hung from the center of the ceiling.

Upon entering, a display of OY-L products ($14$65) greets visi tors. A nook to the right boasts mindful toys for children and eco-friendly housewares while a seating area to the left invites relaxation among “ew, David” pillows and big white glasses that would make Moira proud.

In the back, a wall of glass lets visi tors peek into the OY-L world, as PierceNaymon brought the brand’s lab out of her home and into the store.

Just when you think it couldn’t get bet ter than sustainable and body-friendly products galore, this store is abundantly stocked with local gems for the home and kitchen such as homemade condiments and hand-poured candles.

After passing its first anniversary, Pierce-Naymon knows the store’s future couldn’t be brighter.

“My passion is natural products and flowers and plants, and I was very lucky to be able to put them together and grow my business,” says Pierce-Naymon. “I’m most ly up against millennials [so] I have been very lucky and just so grateful for it.”

3 Products We Love

Smile Slippers ($32)

You can’t help but smile when you slip on these faux fur-lined slippers that are perfect for winter days. Available in white, yellow and black, there is a pair

Canceled Plans

Candles ($32)

These candles are aptly named for the troubles we’ve all strug gled with. Social Anxiety (sage, amber, orange) and Student Loan Debt (coconut, vanilla, citrus) never smelled so good.

Orange Rose

Artisan Soap ($9)

Locally crafted to honor the scent and style of Orange Rose Apothecary, this marble-styled bar soap is hand-carved and the perfect accent for any bathroom.

Cleaning Up

Walking up to the Gentlemen’s Cave Luxury Barber Lounge — a sleek store front in Shaker Heights — I feel anxious. I haven’t had my hair cut in over two years. But the pandemic isn't an excuse anymore. It takes a whole 10 minutes for those fears to pass at the Gentlemen’s Cave Luxury Barber Lounge. “I would put every barber in here up against any other in the city,” says barber Myia Simon. As I walk in, I’m greeted by a spacious area with a lounge hidden behind thick double doors, a sturdy pool table and a fully stocked bar in the back corner. The vibe feels laid-back but respectful, not unlike owner Lozell Siler who joins me for a while as Simon sits me down and grabs me a water. Despite my lingering nerves, I tell myself sit back and relax, trust in the process.

The Facial. Simon warns me that the incoming towel might feel too hot. As the steaming fabric hits my face I feel the wrinkles on my brow melt away. She mas sages a series of products into my pores, and there’s not much of a smell, which I appreciate. The combination of pressure and moisturizer working into my skin leaves me feeling much more refreshed than the quick splash of cold water I’ve subjected myself to every morning — I feel almost silly for not doing this sooner.

The Manicure. I must admit, this por tion of the afternoon interested me the least. My fingers are placed into a bowl of warm water and rose petals before Simon massages them and begins filling the nails. She uses a slightly sweet-smell ing oil on them that I can’t help but won der about. “I used all natural products [with] natural eucalyptus, rose oil and peppermint oil,” Simon says. Sitting back and enjoying the smell, I learn the value of being pampered.

The Cut. With out a mirror di rectly in front of me, I sit there wondering how I look. I gave the barber simple but vague suggestions: Keep it long on top, fade out the sides and back. Anticipa tion wells up as I wonder about the final product, but the smooth R&B playing throughout the afternoon helps the time pass. Simon hands me a mirror and I can't look fast enough. “If someone takes less than 40 minutes to blend and fade your hair, they aren’t doing it right,” she says. Thinking back to 15-minute Cost Cutters haircuts that my grandma would take me to get, I shudder.

The Takeaway. After, I feel a sense of refreshment that my routine has lacked. I wouldn't trust myself with half of what they did for me. I'll be back soon.

Salons aren't just for women any more. One writer lets us in on his day of pampering at Gentlemen's Cave.

The Gentlemen's Cave offers myriad spa treatments with a sip of whiskey on the side.

Squirrel Feeder

Morning Glory sound engineer Charlie turned his pandemic hobby into a new shop at City Goods.

IT ALL STARTED with a fire pit from Menards, a YouTube video and a half-year of high school woodshop. You know, the way most things do.

“I bought this fire pit and was like, ‘We need chairs to go around it,’” says Char lie, the man behind the woodshop and the soundboard of Rover’s Morning Glory “The chairs were $150 or $200, and I said ‘Well, I’ll just watch a YouTube video.’”

To his girlfriend Christa Lumby’s surprise, the chairs looked great and held up around the fire pit. The rest, as they say, is history.

Charlie, whose name off the air is Michael Toomey, and Lumby met 14 years ago in Cleveland, and they have been to gether ever since. When they aren’t work ing at Rover Radio and Proforma, they are in the “world’s tiniest garage” making wood creations at their home.

“So, the basement gets taken over and then the dining room gets taken over and then the kitchen sometimes gets used,”

says Charlie. “The bedrooms are OK, but every other possible room is now a wood workshop.”

With every room in the house full, it is safe to say that business is on the rise. Especially with the introduction of squirrel tables.

Charlie's Woodshop creates tables for squirrels (humans, too) and custom signs.

“I became the rodent king of Cleveland,” says Charlie. “I couldn’t believe the amount of people that wanted to feed squirrels.”

Items from Charlie’s woodshop can be purchased at Hingetown's City Goods, where this holiday season it is going to be “squirrel table headquarters.”

“We have them at the shop, and we have a little Polaroid next to it of the squirrels eating off the one at our house,” says Lumby. “It’s just a funny thing to have.” charlieswoodshop.co

Squirrel Picnic Table ($30)

One man’s backyard pest is another man’s friend. Treat your backyard squirrels to the height of luxury with their own table to enjoy the food they dug up from your yard.

Fresh from the Saw Epoxy Coffee Table ($1,300)

A perfect accent to any home, this coffee table is custom built for each customer. Choose the color of epoxy resin that best accents the tones in your home.

Home is Where My Dogs Are Sign ($30)

We would be remiss to leave out the furry friends that belong inside the house. This sign has a wood-fired feel due to the lasercarved design that is a perfect gift for any pup parent.

CHARLIE

Rover’s

Hottest Ticket in Town Hottest Ticket in Town

Interview with Donovan Mitchell and Kevin Love on page 48

FOR THE FIRST TIME this century, the Cavaliers are building an identity without LeBron James. It started slowly. First, the drafting of Darius Garland, a dynamic guard. Then a trade for Jarrett Allen, an immovable force near the basket. And then last year, the drafting of Evan Mobley, a 7-footer who can play anywhere on the court and might be the best defensive stopper this side of Myles Garrett. The young group with veterans Kevin Love, Cedi Osman and Ricky Rubio surprised the NBA last season, getting off to a great start before injuries and attrition derailed what was looking like a playoff season. Fast forward to this summer. Just before tipping off the 2022-23 season, the J.B. Bickerstaff-led team got a jolt by the name of Donovan Mitchell. General Manager Koby Altman called the move “perhaps the biggest trade in franchise history.” It didn’t take long for fans to see why. The dynamic guard seems to jump out of the arena and score at will. Cleveland is looking more like a basketball town: CavsTown, to be precise.

BY DILLON STEWART, RON LEDGARD AND ANNIE NICKOLOFF

Young, Exciting, Dynamic: There is new leadership in this kingdom.

CASEY REARICK

Hottest Ticket in Town Hottest Ticket in Town

OF

COURSE, ROCKET MORT

23 Reasons to Catch Cavs Fever 1

GAGE FIELDHOUSE is more than just a basketball court, particularly after its $185 million dollar renovation, which was com pleted in September 2019. The project, funded by both the Cavs and local tax es, updated spaces and interior design, added new tech features and forged fan experiences unlike any other. However, its grand opening season — it turned out — wasn’t so grand. Just five months after the transformed venue opened its doors to the public, the pandemic closed them. In March 2020, COVID-19’s spread led the NBA to pause its season, led to major con cert tour cancellations and put the Field House’s grand welcome on hold — until now. “Really, this is the first normal cycle we’ve had as a business. We have a lot of people who are still coming out to Rocket Mortgage for the first time since the trans formation,” says Nic Barlage, the CEO of the Cavaliers, Rock Entertainment Group and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. So, we collected plenty of reasons to get excited about the Cavs this year, and even more reasons to get excited about visiting this Cleveland hotspot for a game, a show, a dining experience or a downtown outing.

First, Ticket Deals

Find the best ticket deals, but be cautious of ticket resale websites and scams. The team hosts several bundles, like the family fun pack and group discounts, and ticket offers like stu dent passes and discounts for military mem bers and first-responders. If you don’t mind waiting until the last minute to buy a ticket to the game, there’s a deal for that, too. Find more details at nba.com/cavaliers/offers

LEBRON JAMES RETURNS HOME

Gulp! King James returns with the Lakers on Dec. 6. The kid from Akron is 17-1 against the Cavs in his career and averag es nearly 30 points per game. But this will be the first time he faces the Cavs’ revamped lineup and Donovan Mitchell.

GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO HITS THE COURT

One of the NBA's most dynamic players visits Cleveland right before Christmas. Antetokounmpo and the Bucks face the Cavs on Dec. 21 and provide a super test for the Cavs’ strong frontcourt of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.

CHRISTMAS BRINGS KD AND NETS

On Dec. 26 , Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets are in town. They were supposed to be the next super team, but things have gone sideways so far. The feeling around the league is Christmas is when the season really gets started.

A Chance to Measure Up

Did you know that iconic shooter Steph Curry was born in the same Akron hospital as LeBron James? The other kid from Akron brings his Golden State Warriors to Cleveland on Jan. 20. Playing the defending NBA Champs near the midpoint of the season will be a good time to see how well the young Cavs team is meshing together as they try to make a late season run.

FREEBIES AND GIVEAWAYS

Score coveted bobblehead versions of Donovan Mitchell and Ricky Rubio in March, two of the biggest giveaways of the season. Other freebies will share your love of the Cavs, too: rally towels, beanies, bags, pint glasses and more.

ONE LAST GAME (BEFORE THE PLAYOFFS, THAT IS)

The home season began with the Wizards and ends with the Hornets on April 9. By this point, if things go as most predict, the Cavs should be preparing for the playoffs.

MOONDOG AND SIR CC

The Cavs’ two mascots appeal to different parts of Cleveland and the Cavaliers’ histories — and both have amped up generations of Cleveland ers while they’re cheering on the team.

SIR CC has been around since the team formed in 1970, making him a true Cleveland legend at this point. Sir’s costume has changed slightly over the decades, but his cape, feath ered cap and dimpled chin continue to be a welcome sight for fans.

MOONDOG is a more recent addition, joining Cleveland’s mascot family in 2003. The Cavs’ lovable canine companion got his name from Alan Freed, a Cleveland radio disc jockey who popularized the term “rock 'n' roll” (Freed famously nicknamed himself Moondog and hosted the first-ever rock concert, the Moondog Corona tion Ball, in 1952).

In-Game Entertainment

Athleticism and entertainment aren’t limited to players during a game. Performers appear during timeouts and game breaks, showcasing top-notch shows by the soaring Slam Squad dunk team, the extreme pogo stick group Po goliers, bucket drummers 216Stix and the hiphop dance crew Scream Team. Find more in formation at nba.com/cavaliers/entertainment

SPORTS BETTING

As of Jan. 1, sports betting becomes legal in Ohio, and you’ll be able to pick winners, losers, overs and unders at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Caesars Sportsbook (a more than 10,000 square foot, multi-level facility) is set to open soon near the Sherwin-Williams entrance to the arena in early January, Barlage says. “We’re very excited about that and we think that’s got a lot of layers of opportunity for us as a business and as a brand,” Barlage says. “We’re constantly thinking about, ‘How do we evolve? How do we do things differently? How do we think of what the next generation is going to want, those Cavaliers fans, here at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse?’”

Hearing Sean Peebles, Cavs PA Announcer:

You’ve heard Sean Peebles’ energet ic voice if you’ve been to a Cavs home game in the past five years. The team’s PA announcer was hired in 2017. Here’s a bit of what Peebles has to say about his job and his love of the Cavs:

What’s the job like?

I prepare days in advance, knowing who’s coming into town. I take a look at the incoming rosters and also get an idea of who [the] projected starters would be and any potential people that would be inactive. I get to Cleveland a few hours before game time. We have production meetings three hours before games, and any types of extra rehearsals or run-throughs.

How long have you been a Cavs fan?

My mom and stepdad took me and my brother to games when we were younger. I’d never had a chance to experience live sports up until then, and we went to the Coliseum and I remember the crowd, the game, the sound, the presentation — everything was a little different back in the ‘80s but nonetheless it was a profes sional sporting event I immediately fell in love with. To this day Mark Price is my all-time favorite basketball player, period. I was blessed and humbled that I was the one who made it to the finish line to become part of the Cavs family here as an announcer.

What are you excited about this season?

With everything that has transpired in regards to the drafts and trades over the past couple of years, you can’t help but be ex cited. Everywhere you look in the basketball world in regards to social media, people are talking about Cleveland. That’s great.

SELFIES IN THE POWER PORTAL

11The recent $185 million renovation of Rocket Mortgage Field House added a lot of bells and whistles to the typical fan experi ence inside the arena. That’s very apparent when one steps foot into the Power Portal, an immersive tunnel of LED screens that showcases video and audio in an entryway to the arena. It’s the perfect spot to snap a pic or video before the game. “It’s the first of its kind,” Barlage says. “It’s a fully immersive audio-visual fan walkway; there’s no other arena in the world that we’ve seen that has a similar execution to it.”

TO REMEMBER, ALWAYS, THAT THE WARRIORS BLEW A 3-1 LEAD

The Cavs’ 2016 Champion status is all over Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse — as it should be. Check out a replica of the Larry O’Brien trophy and 2016 Championship ring on display in the lobby, along with a creative use of the 2016 basketball court floor in the arena’s renovated atrium wall.

LOOK UP

Don't just watch on the court. Banners in the rafters recall history from the 2016 Champi onship to seven retired numbers: Bingo Smith (7), Zydrunas Ilgauskas (11), Larry Nance Sr. (22), Mark Price (25), Austin Carr (34), Nate Thurmond (42) and Brad Daugherty (43).

Hottest Ticket in Town Hottest Ticket in Town

LOCAL FOOD OPTIONS

15Get a taste of Cleveland’s dining scene while at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The arena offers concepts by Cleveland natives and local restaurateurs alike, featuring Symon’s Burger Joint, P St Market Cafe, Pearl’s Kitchen, Sauce the City, Brewdog and more. “I just think it’s a fantastic opportunity for everybody to be in a public space and be able to access restaurants and the food they’ve been doing in one spot, or several restaurants in one spot,” says Karen Small, the owner of P St Market Cafe. “I think it’s very supportive of the community.”

Great Lakes Experience

ARENA ART

You might not expect it, but walking through the FieldHouse is a little bit like walking through an art gallery. More than 100 pieces of art by 22 artists, curated by Detroit’s Library Street Collective, were funded by Cavs chairman Dan Gilbert and his wife, Jennifer,

Sculpture by KAWS

This towering 20-foot sculpture of a cartoon character is located in the atrium, where 60% of fans for any given Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse event enter, Barlage says.

Immersive works by Sam Friedman and Thrush Holmes Zaps of color and swervy lights make for a bold escalator ride inside the arena, taking visitors from the street level to Loudville. “We tried to take places that were may be more of a normal fan experience, or even a mundane fan experience, and transform it into more of an experience for everybody to enjoy,” Barlage says.

Basketball installation by Daniel Arsham

Daniel Arsham, the creative director for the Cleveland Cavaliers, contributed a stunning sportsthemed work to the FieldHouse, featuring a basketball embedded into a rippling wall.

Beer connoisseurs can enjoy a variety of drinks at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, especially at the Great Lakes Ex perience — a new partnership between the iconic local brewery and the arena. That partnership has created the 1,500 square-foot taproom with a sports bar, featuring GLBC standards on tap along with a rotating selection of brews exclusive to the FieldHouse. “The Cavs’ winning and historic legacy is something we’re especially proud to align with,” says Marissa DeSantis, GLBC’s brand mar keting manager.

MAKE OTHER ROCKET MORTGAGE FIELDHOUSE PLANS

The Cavs and Lake Erie Monsters might make up the bulk of the FieldHouse’s winter programming, but the arena hosts plenty more fun moments, including major concerts, comedy shows, family-friendly performances and sports events. Plus, the arena has hosted plenty of smaller events

East Fourth Street

Any time there’s an event at Rocket Mort gage FieldHouse, the East Fourth Street Dis trict lights up — literally. The lively downtown Cleveland neighborhood, located just a cou ple of blocks away from RMFH, is one of the city’s most vibrant dining hotspots, hosting top-notch eateries like Red, The Steakhouse, Society Lounge, Saigon, Mabel’s BBQ and In die. Whether you’re craving pizza, sushi, pho, tacos, a cocktail or a pint of Guinness, you’ll find something at East Fourth.

DATE NIGHT DESTINATION

Couples, get ready to get caught on the kiss cam during the Monsters’ Valentine’s Day match against the Rochester Americans. Or, swing by the Field House the night before to watch the Cavs take on the San Antonio Spurs. Just bring a box of choco lates or a bouquet of roses to complete these two sporty date ideas surrounding V-Day.

BUSKER PERFORMANCES

Downtown Cleveland is a hotspot for music and performance, and it’s not just confined to the venues and stages you’ll find at Playhouse Square, House of Blues and the Rocket Mortgage Field House. Recently, thanks to a Downtown Cleveland Alliance initiative, local musicians are able to more easily perform on downtown streets and parks in designated busking zones. One of those spots is located just across the street from RMFH — and there are more than a dozen others to check out, too. See the full map at downtowncleveland.com/busker.

TOWER CITY LIGHTS

Is there anything like stepping outside and seeing Tower City lit up wine and gold for the Cavs? The tower’s chosen colors each night typically reflect events and awareness on a variety of topics. Follow @TowerLightsCLE on Twitter to learn more about downtown Cleveland nighttime landmark.

and community-driven engagements like election polling and blood drives, says Carrie Samek, the director of event and media marketing at the fieldhouse. “It doesn’t matter what size your event is; we can figure it out.”

Besides the Cavs and Monsters games, here are six highlights on Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse’s calendar:

Donovan Mitchell is a Must-See Cavalier

DONOVAN MITCHELL OOZES

ATTITUDE with each dribble. There is a presence about him. At only 6-foot-1, he stealthily glides around and seem ingly under opponents. But with a 6-foot-10 wingspan, he has no prob lem throwing it down in the face of much bigger players. He even won the Slam Dunk Contest in 2018, the year he was drafted. Both attributes — along with the ability to erupt any time, as he did for 57 and 51 points in the Utah Jazz’s losing effort in the 2020 NBA Playoffs — helped this dynamo earn NBA All-Star status three times. But off the court, Cleve land’s newest acquisition is sharp, thoughtful and just a bit goofy. Kev in Love says Mitchell displays a laid-back style of leadership in the locker room and on the team’s text group chat. In fact, fans are just as vocal about Love as an early Sixth Man of the Year candidate as they are in nominating Mitchell for MVP. We asked Love, the team's longestserving veteran, to let us in on a chat with Mitchell, the Cavs’ newest gem.

Kevin Love: You’ve been here a month and a half. In the training room, we talk about celebrating the little wins. How do you feel about what we have going on here?

Donovan Mitchell: The biggest thing is we have guys that want to compete and get better on a daily basis. We fluctuate from old to young to right in between. Cham pionship experience, guys who have been in the playoffs. When you combine that with a coaching staff and a front office that wants to find ways to succeed, man, you know, it’s the perfect recipe.

KL: What were your goals coming into this year? I understand that you went from a good team, you had experience, as you mentioned. What year is this for you?

DM: Six

KL: You’re finally becoming a vet, not a super vet, but a vet. What did you take from those experiences and impart on this team? I’ve already seen your leader ship, the way that you speak to the team, whether it be before halftime or on the group chat; there’s different forms of leadership. But what did you want to take from that and impart on this team?

DM: Like you said, man, just be a leader. I’ve always been about 'lead by example,'

but also by listening because you come from a certain team, and you do things a certain way, and then you come into a different [organization], and I’m not coming in here and saying, This is how things should be done. I’m here to listen and understand and find ways to com bine what I’ve learned versus what I’m learning, and grow.

KL: How do you define success through out the course of the season? Do you break it up? Do you focus on seeding? Home court? Or do you just try to stay as present as you possibly can? That’s probably the two toughest things in life, balance and staying present.

DM: Obviously the end goal every season is to be playing in June. That’s the light at the end of the tunnel. So for me it’s just, are we getting better day by day? Whether it’s on the floor or in the training room, diet, recovery. Ultimately that will equate to wins if we stack it up properly. Because we have the talent. On paper, we look scary. But ultimately paper is meaning less. We have to go out there and do it on a daily basis. I kind of take it as a five- to 10-game thing. It’s kind of like: Have we improved? You know, being able to fix those mistakes game by game because you can’t have the same mistakes in Oc tober, November come January, February.

Acquired in a late-summer trade, the newest Cavalier is exquisite on the court. But in an exclusive conversation with Kevin Love, Mitchell shares what makes him tick off of it.

JUST AFTER ARRIVING in Cleve land, Mitchell rode the Cleve land Guardians bandwag on to the AL Championship Series — a ride his beloved New York Mets haven’t taken in years. But don’t expect him to switch loyalties so quickly. After playing six seasons in the minor leagues, Mitchell’s father, Donovan Mitchell Sr., has spent the past 20 years coaching and work ing in player relations for the Mets. Meanwhile, Mitchell’s mother Nicole and his sister Jordan were his rocks. Today, they help run his foundations SpidaCares and My Way 45, which have provided clothing, school sup plies, basketball camps and educa tion for children in Salt Lake City, the Bronx and his hometown of Green wich, Connecticut.

KL: Switching gears a little bit. I’m going to look at this paper. *checks notes* You said paper is meaningless, but when I’m doing a job that is not something I typi cally do I have to cheat a little bit like I did in high school and college.

DM: I love the flow here.

KL: So your mom was a teacher and your dad is a former baseball player. Now, I understand your love of baseball. What attributes from your parents helped you become the person that you are today?

DM: I think preparation for the sport.

KL: Which I’ve seen. I mean, we have the same birthday, Sept. 7 for both, Virgos. So I see the way that he works…

DM: *Laughs* At an early age, I was in the Mets’ locker room seeing guys like David Wright, Jose Reyes, Pedro Martinez, Car los Beltran — the list goes on and on. And at that age, you didn’t know what you were watching. And then when you get to a point where, as an athlete and a pro ath lete, you’re already falling into habits that you realize not everybody has because of what I’ve seen at early age. That’s what I definitely get from my dad. But from my mom, man, preparation, as well, but also perfection in every aspect. The little

Hottest Ticket in Town Hottest Ticket in Town

details. Making sure everything is to a tee. … You’re a Virgo, too, you get it.

KL: Well, it’s accumulation, too. All that stuff adds up.

DM: Exactly. You know, the little things take you a long way. So I’m thankful for both my parents because they have bless ed me with two separate gifts but, ulti mately, have brought me into one which helps with basketball.

KL: How often are they around?

DM: All the time. Especially my mom. My mom’s around a bunch. She runs my foundation. She’s basically my manager. She’s my every day. I wouldn’t be here without her. And I’ve got to give a shout out to my sister, too, because of the sac rifices they made taking me from game to game when my dad was coaching and playing. Spending five-, six-hour days between New York, New Jersey and Con necticut Friday to Sunday. It’s a lot.

KL: That’s a great support system. Talk to me about your foundation. I have one, I know how much it means to me away from the court. What is your goal? How will you impact the people of Cleveland?

DM: My foundation is run by my mother. We founded it going on four years ago. Our primary focus is single moms, educa tion and giving back to inner-city schools. Education is huge. My parents got di vorced, and we lived with my mother. My mom was a teacher for 10-11 years. She taught at the same school my sister and I went to, which was tough to get away with stuff because we were all the same class. I went to public and private schools.

So, I try to teach kids that there’s more than their surroundings, both kids who are in a pretty well-off area and kids who are in an inner city. The two sides don’t really know about each others' cultures. So I try to bring them together. We have two scholarships to send kids of color to Greenwich Country Day School in Con necticut, the school I went to. Kids who wouldn't have the means to get there on their own. When I’m here in Cleveland, I want to continue to do that.

THIS ISN’T THE FIRST TIME Love and Mitchell have sat down for an interview. In 2016, Mitchell was a rookie dreaming of NBA superstar status. So when NBA Spotlight gave Mitchell the chance to interview Love, the rookie jumped at the opportunity to pick the brain of the power forward, who found him self there as a member of Cleveland’s LeBron James-led super team.

KL: The love of the fans. You’ve already felt that in your first three games. As soon as you arrived, it was like ... madness.

That’s the beauty of it here. Blue collar. People come out and support no matter what. Every sport. They live vicariously through their athletes, and I think just feeling the trade and having you be a part of this team … it not only elevated our play, but just the excitement around the city and the excitement around the sport fans of Cleveland. So how has the love been even early on? I know you were like … Damn it’s early. Three games in we don’t need MVP chants yet! We won. We won.

DM: I appreciate it, though! I appreciate it. But we’ve definitely got some room to grow. But man, the love that we’ve got from them. You know, every event we’ve done. Typically it’s like, oh, we have an event coming up. Like meet the team night. And I’m thinking like 15-20 people. You know, maybe 90 people ...

KL: I haven’t seen it like that since we’ve made it to the Finals.

DM: And it’s been consistent, you know, even the preseason games. And then we go out for warmups the first game and I’m just like, white out?! We only did white outs for playoff games when I was in Utah. That in itself told me right away, like, 'OK, this is big.' You hear the chants, the screaming, every timeout is different. Even when I’m watching film, I’m listen ing to the arena music … The arena music is dope! Shout out DJ Steph Floss! Ah maad’s great. Everybody. The videos up top. I appreciate the little things. So I’m excited to be here. Like, man, we’ve got 41 of these at the minimum. I’m excited.

DM: You know, you’ve asked me a lot of questions. I told you that I had questions for you. I just want to know what paral lels you see — I’m not saying we’re the 2016 championship team. You guys were a separate, elite entity and we’re looking to build upon what you guys have done — but do you see any similarities as far as the way we get along, the attention to detail, whatever it may be? And what can we improve on to get to that level?

KL: I think talent-wise, it’s right there. When I look at our lineup, we have four All-Stars and a very deep lineup. But we were an older team. So our process, the way that we practiced was a little bit dif ferent, but our attention to detail and knowing how to operate was at a very high level. We had a level of profession alism that was all the way there. Whereas here in present day, we still have a lot to figure out but we have guys that get it.

We have a team that almost feels like a college atmosphere. I’m sure it’s the same for you. Like the love we have for one an other and showing up every day to work is incredible. In 2014-15, my first year here, through 2017-18, we kind of thrived under chaos, but we always found a way

We have guys who want to compete and get better on a daily basis. It's a perfect recipe.

—DONOVAN MITCHELL

Hottest Ticket in Town Hottest Ticket in Town

to get it done and win in different ways. I think this team is learning that. I think they’re taking a step in playing one more year together, us getting together in the summer, you getting traded here, fitting right in. You have the perfect personali ty to take part in this team, play shoot ing guard, play point guard, distribute, rebound, score the basketball. As we’ve seen, everybody really blends well.

DM: I agree. I was there in ‘17 when you guys unfortunately lost.

KL: Great interview by the way!

DM: I know! We flipped sides. I was inter viewing Love back in the day. High level basketball being played. I haven’t been to a finals game since. Actually, I did go to ‘16 in Golden State. Taking pictures of a few of the Warriors players. No offense.

KL: It’s alright. We won.

DM: That’s probably why they lost! Every team that I’ve went to go see in the Finals

has lost. So, I did y'all a favor, so you’re welcome. I’m the reason, you know, not Love or anybody else.

KL: So when we’re playing in June, you’ve gotta go play for the other team.

DM: I’ll flip jerseys.

KL: Right. Right.

DM: I’ll get traded at the deadline. Go over there, sabotage.

KL: Then come back, we win.

DM: Right, through a buy-out or some thing like that. I don’t know how it works. You know.

KL: I’ll talk to Adam (Silver).

DM: *laughs* And then my last thing with that championship, man? What was it like? There’s a picture in Koby (Altman’s) office. I saw that parade. It looked crazy. You know, that’s one of the things I watch.

If there’s ever a clinching game, I always watch. I don’t really like watching the Finals because the past three years I felt like we should have been in that position.

KL: No, it’s hard.

DM: But I’ll watch the last one to see a bunch of things: What it’s like in a clinch ing game? The after. And I always watch the parades. What does that feel like?

KL: You finally start to understand that level of sacrifice and how hard it is to win night in and night out. You get to a seven-game series, a six-game series, you’re playing a team that you’ve gone over their sets a countless number of times, watched their film, you know their tendencies, bigs and smalls, you know what the coach is going to run after (timeouts), sideline out of bounds, baseline out of bounds, halftime, what they’re going to come out with, what their rotations are going to be. Like, you understand all of that, and that becomes such a part of you, like you start having a cerebral brain and your recall

is always going to be there because you’ve gone over it so many times, but you realize that nothing matters but the team. Like, you have to go out there and be yourself. You’re there for a reason be cause of that attention to detail, because you put the time in and stuff that we don’t see, that everybody doesn’t see behind the scenes. And I think it’s kind of like Mike said in The Last Dance. It becomes a vice. It becomes a drug.

I’ve actually talked to Draymond (Green, Golden State Warriors) about this, after having so many battles with him — where you go from the top and then you’re kind of at the bottom and rebuild ing. Those habits that you broke so long ago and you did that for the betterment of the team and you sacrifice. Like, you don’t want to fall back into that. I think that’s the hardest part for me.

DM: *Looks at cheat sheet* Ohhh, food and community, that’s me.

Editor Dillon Stewart: We hear Kevin doesn’t like to share his go-to food spots.

KL: I’ve got my pizza spot! Il Rione. Those are my guys. I want to take these guys there. It’s a hell of a spot. Alright, I’m go ing to hit you with some lightning round questions here, so feel free to pass or tell me to stay away from that question. ... Fa vorite album ever.

DM: Blueprint. I gotta put Jay-Z in there for sure. Certified Lover Boy from Drake has really grown on me. And then any of the S.O.U.L. Tapes by Fab (rapper, Fabulous). I’d put the Drake album third. Jay-Z and Fab are my top two.

KL: All-time favorite sneakers.

DM: Mine. Done. 1, 2, 3 or 4.

KL: Yeah, that’s why I crossed out this one down here, “If you could sign and wear only one brand or designer…”

DM: Yeah, Adidas.

KL: Favorite food.

DM: Sweet potatoes.

KL: Wow.

DM: Fan boy.

KL: Interesting. If you didn’t play sports, what would be your career choice? Well, you would have been a baseball player.

DM: If I didn’t play sports, I would have been a firefighter for sure.

KL: Respect. When you signed your first pro contract what did you buy?

DM: I want to say I got my mom a car. I’m almost positive that’s what it was. And I bought my house.

KL: Look at you. Wow… this one, marry, f---, kill.

Communications Director BJ Evans: *pan icked look*

DM: *uncontrollable laughter*

KL: Just kidding, just kidding. If you could invite three people from history to dinner, who are your three?

DM: Barack Obama. Denzel Washington. And then I have to split between Michael Jordan and Jay-Z. But if you’re asking me

—KEVIN LOVE

if I would take the money or go to dinner with all them, I would definitely take the money.

KL: People are always like, would you take a million dollars cash or would you meet Jay-Z?

DM: Right, I would take the cash because Jay-Z would tell you to take the cash.

KL: Right, and then you could just be like 'Yo, can we go to dinner?'

DM: Right, a Zoom call. Anything!

KL: And I’d be like, 'Yeah,' and I got dinner.

DM: Actually, not at all. It’s Jay-Z. He’s got it.

KL: Dinner with the GOATs. OK, last one, Kate and I are coming over for dinner. What would you make for dinner if we couldn’t go out?

DM: I mean… I can cook, like, some good good, Cap'n Crunch.

KL: I was going to say. I probably wouldn’t even feed it to my dog.

DM: Honestly, it kills me. I continuously give them free promo and they don’t give me anything, but I gotta do it because it’s just that good: Boston Market. Uber Eats it to the house.

KL: You heard it here. Boston Market. Cleveland Magazine. The duo, the mixup we never knew we needed. Donovan Mitchell. One hundred points in the first three games. Cleveland loves him. Sept. 7. Virgo. That’s the interview. And we are done.

I think talent-wise we're right there with (the 2016 team). We have four All-Stars.

The snowy owl flies thousands of miles south every winter. Some spend the season in Cleveland.

WRITTEN BY ANNIE NICKOLOFF PHOTOS BY ALEXANDER EISENGART I LLUSTRATIONS BY EMILY ROBERTSON

Seeking the Snowy Owl

In the age of COVID-19, birdwatching has taken off in Northeast Ohio, drawing new, young bird enthusiasts to the hobby. And it doesn’t slow down during the winter, when animals like the snowy owl arrive on Lake Erie's shores.

he snow was falling, and Alex and Jon Eisengart had a flight to catch.

The father and son were running behind, circling a crowded Cleveland Hopkins Airport parking garage. Their plane to San Diego — where Alex would teach a photography workshop at the city’s bird festival — would depart soon.

Up and up they drove, winding around the garage, looking for a spot to leave their car and, finally, at the very top floor, exposed to the elements, they found an open space. There, Alex saw something else: in the dis tance, barely visible against the gray-and-white back drop of a Cleveland winter’s day, a snowy owl. Its bright yellow eyes pierced the dreary scene.

The large Arctic bird was perched at the top of the garage as Alex grabbed his camera and fumbled to a photo-worthy vantage point, tennis shoes soaked from the slush that had gathered on the rooftop lot.

Careful to respect the owl’s space, to not startle it, Alex clicked the shutter on the camera, snapping a few photos before his dad hurried him away. They caught the flight to San Diego. Their plane took off. From their window seat, Alex saw the same bird one more

time, soaring into the distance, spooked by the airport action. Once they landed and arrived at the birding event, Alex broke out his camera to share his find with fellow bird enthusiasts.

“When I got to San Diego, it was 80 degrees,” Alex says. “I was like, ‘Look at this — before we came here: A snowy owl.’”

THE GREAT SNOWY OWL

The snowy owl is a prized sight among the birding community — a community that continues to grow with younger and more diverse hobbyists, all while the Arctic bird’s population continues to dwindle.

Currently designated as a vulnerable species (one step above “endangered” status in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s scales), the snowy owl’s population is in a state of steady decline. The IUCN estimates that 14,000-28,000 snowy owls re main in the world — and fewer, every year.

The species, maybe best known for its iconic role in the Harry Potter books and movies as the titular charac ter’s pet bird Hedwig, is threatened by climate change. Disruptions in Arctic ecosystems can cause fluctuations

in the abundance of lemmings, the bird's primary food source, and create new patterns for the owls' winter time southward travel.

Regardless, some snowies make their way to North east Ohio every November or December. They’re as sure a marker of the winter season as a morning’s frost but not nearly as prolific.

While other birds — warblers, swallows and more — make their way to vacation in the southern United States during the chilliest Ohio months, some Arctic birds arrive on the frozen shores of Lake Erie for their annual migration, flying thousands of miles for some thing a little warmer than the extreme cold of their home. (A Cleveland winter might suck for us, but it’s downright balmy for these creatures.)

When the snowy owl shows up, birders take notice.

Online forums and birding apps like eBird, iNatu ralist and BirdsEye light up with photos and locations of snowy owl sightings, directing fellow enthusiasts to find the best spots where they can view the bird. With in hours of a sighting, crowds of birders will descend upon local parks, gathering to view and photograph the seasonal visitor. Often they’re waiting for long peri ods, often in blistering winds.

“Nothing will mobilize the masses like a snowy owl,” says Cleveland Metroparks naturalist Marty Cal abrese. “Nothing will throw a wrench in your schedule for the day like when a snowy owl is spotted and you’ve been waiting.”

A SNOWY OWL’S STAY

Calabrese says that snowy owls typically arrive in Northeast Ohio from Thanksgiving until March, forag ing for small mammals and other birds along the wa terfront. The snowy owl stands apart from other owls in

that it hunts during the day — making it easier to spot in the sky, unlike the vast majority of nocturnal owls. However, its white winter camouflage makes it harder to see — plus, there’s the fact that ... well, they’re rare.

“There could be one or two for the whole winter,” Calabrese says. “They’re seldom seen.”

There are a few good spots to start looking, though. The tundra-esque runways of local airports are popular hunting grounds for snowy owls. A snowy was spotted at Wendy Park in 2021, Calabrese says — and the Eis engarts spotted one at Headlands Beach in early 2022.

“Cleveland’s lakefront provides a host of advantages, from refuge to food,” Calabrese says.

Any liquid water source and any established food source indicates a strong birding hot spot in the win ter, say the Eisengarts. Small mammals and birds feed the snowy owl, and seed in home feeders can draw in hungry songbirds.

Birdwatching might feature a little less variety when the snow falls, but the hobby doesn’t halt like some of summer’s other outdoorsy activities.

For Alex, who’s been seriously birding for the past three years, the season gives an opportunity to catch less common visitors. He bundles up, faces the winter winds and conditions and heads out with scores of oth er local birders to look for the snowy owl, the Northern saw-whet owl and others like it.

“I always look for rarities — winter is the best time for rarities,” Alex says.

THE GAME OF BIRDWATCHING

Alex, at 15, still needs his parents, sister or grandpar ents to drive him to his favorite birding spots. Once he gets his driver’s license in the next year, he’ll be able to explore more of Northeast Ohio’s birding scene.

Alex and Jon Eisengart spend their weekends identifying and photographing birds at local parks.

ALEX AND JOHN EISENGART: SHELDON OBERFELD

But for now, he’s enjoying it like he always has — of ten with his dad, who first introduced him to the world of birding. Jon initially pursued birdwatching as an outlet for his photography hobby. On the weekends, Jon would take Alex hiking and see what birds he could shoot in parks near their Beachwood home.

While Jon would fiddle with his camera, Alex got bored waiting on the trail. Eventually, Jon bought a second camera and birding lens for his son to try out — one that he could still make use of if Alex never ulti mately took to the hobby.

“I figured that he wouldn’t use it all the time and when he wasn’t using it, I’d be able to get great pictures of small birds far away that I couldn’t do at the time,” Jon says, “but I never got to use it. Never once got to put it on my lens.”

Alex, who formerly played Pokemon Go, the pop ular augmented reality phone game, quickly latched onto the competitive aspect of birdwatching, fueled by Merlin and eBird, two of the bird world’s most popu lar identification and tracking apps. Merlin, the more beginner-friendly option, allows users to narrow down birds they see in the wild, based on size, colors, loca tion and bird calls, adding sightings to their “life lists” — a collection of birds they’ve witnessed in the wild. (Alex has 345 birds and counting on his life list.)

These apps show birdwatching’s explosion in popu larity in recent years. Merlin saw more than three mil lion users open the app in spring and summer 2022, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s annual report. Daily users tripled compared to 2021.

Before that, the pandemic led to a surge in outdoor interests, including birdwatching. In 2020, following COVID-19’s global surge, sales of birdseed and other backyard birding materials boomed, according to a National Audubon Society report.

“The pandemic gave it a real boost. Everyone was trapped, and they couldn’t go anywhere except for outside,” Alex says. “I think that really brought a lot of people into the hobby. I know it really got me started.”

At the start, Alex identified straightforward birds — ducks, herons, falcons, crows — based on Merlin’s cues. Now, he studies birds’ behavior while he’s out on a birding hike; on a September walk through Lakefront Nature Preserve, the 15-year-old rattled off details and facts about birds’ characteristics while he named them — sometimes, positively identifying a bird by its flight pattern or by a short burst of peeps.

Alex’s skills have translated into a number of honors and paid birding and photography work.

Through his Instagram page, @kid_with_a_sony, he was contacted by Hunt’s Photo Video, a shop in Boston, which connected him with several paid workshop opportunities around the country and in Ohio and San Diego. Some of his workshop earnings have funneled back into his hobby, even paying for expensive new camera lenses. Alex’s photos have land ed in the Audubon Society’s Top 100 photography

Northern Saw-whet Owl

The Northern saw-whet Owl gets attention for be ing tiny. One of the small est owls, this creature usually weighs less than four ounces and is seven or eight inches long.

Harlequin Duck Dark-eyed

The harlequin duck is named after colorful costumed theatrical characters. While females are brown, males are pat terned with brown, white and blue markings. The original “snowbirds!”

The dark-eyed junco’s arrival is known to predict snowy weather. You’ll see the sparrows fluffed up for winter with a white belly and black wings.

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Tufted Titmouse

All birders marvel at the massive raptors that hunt other creatures yearround in Ohio. Red-tailed hawks are a common bird of prey with distinctive auburn red tail feathers. A puff of orange or yellow encircles the head of this tiny songbird, which is barely bigger than a hum mingbird and regularly winters here and in other frigid environments. Not all songbirds ditch Ohio when cold weather lands. A pointy tuft of gray feathers gives this bird’s head expressive charac ter and makes for an easy ID for beginner birders.

competition’s youth category three times. In 2021, he was listed fifth for a spunky photo of an American woodcock.

That being said, the teen says he wants to keep bird ing as a hobby, pursuing a career path that doesn’t involve any chirping.

“As of right now. It’s changing, you know?” Alex says. “I think I’m gonna go into chemistry. I want this on the side because then I can afford a lens and camera, and birding trips.”

Alex is part of a growing community of young birders and bird photographers, many of whom meet online through Instagram or through organizations like Cor nell’s “Young Birders” group. Locally, teens have taken an interest in other ways; for example, a St. Ignatius senior recently founded the school’s birding club.

It’s a shift for the hobby’s demographics — in 2016, most birders were 55 or older, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The organization defines a “birder” pretty broadly, stating that 18% of the U.S. population could be part of the category. “To be counted as a birder, an individu al must have either taken a trip one mile or more from home for the primary purpose of observing birds and/ or closely observed or tried to identify birds around the home.” No fancy notebooks or binoculars required.

Young birders like Alex tend to use apps to track their birdwatching, and eBird and Merlin continue to wel come new birders. In 2021, eBird welcomed 116,000 new users and Merlin, 2 million.

“I saw this one statistic that said that 25% of people are in one way, shape or form a birder,” Alex says. “I think it really is catching on, even if you’re not crazy serious, right?”

BIRDING BEGINNERS

Compared to other outdoor hobbies, birdwatching has a low barrier for entry. Merlin and apps like it are free to download and use for folks who want to dig in. Though it involves some time spent outdoors, bird watching isn’t particularly strenuous or dangerous; a good pair of walking shoes and a healthy dose of

Alex's bird photos have earned multiple honors in the Audubon Photography Awards.

patience are all that’s required. (And, in the winter, maybe a pair of gloves and a warm coat.)

Besides being a form of entertainment, birdwatching has been noted for its positive psychological benefits as a mindful activity. It’s also a way for people to connect with the world around them.

“It’s probably good that people are into birding,” Jon says. “I think it makes people more ecologically aware, and they'll hopefully protect the environment or care a little bit about the environment.”

“Over the years, I’ve grown to realize this is a gift,” Calabrese says. “I have started to watch birds more, to pause and actually birdwatch while birding."

Looking to get a start with birding? Northeast Ohio is a good place to be. Organized birding meetups are nu merous; the Cleveland Metroparks consistently offers group bird walks, even in the winter. Some spots, like the Brecksville Reservation, allow visitors to hand-feed songbirds during program hours. Just a few hours away, Oregon, Ohio (a hot spot for warbler sightings), hosts the Biggest Week in American Birding event every May.

But when it comes to the great snowy owl — the most powerful presence of a Cleveland winter sky — look to the lake.

“Where the city meets the lake, that is the winter birding honey hole,” Calabrese says. “It really is the lure, the magic, of Lake Erie. Nowhere attracts the birds and hardened birdwatchers like water, like Lake Erie. The Cuyahoga River is a close second with its winding corners, attracting droves of ducks.”

This winter, watch for sightings on bird app forums, and get ready to head out quickly to catch a sight of the majestic creature. If sighted at Burke Airport, stop on North Marginal Road to try to spot it; if the owl is at Hopkins, the parking lot for the Aviator Pub & Restau rant serves as a good view, says Calabrese.

Remember to keep your distance. Snowy owls are busy hunting during the day and shouldn’t respond to disruptive birders or photographers. Patience is key.

“Just be patient. If you’re out there and you’re trying to get it to do something, then you’re really not doing it right,” Alex says. “It’s about patience and waiting for it. You can’t really manipulate a bird.”

The days are getting shorter and the weather’s getting colder, but the holiday spirit will warm and light your way. There are plenty of opportunities to get some holiday cheer.

BY VINCE GUERRERI

WRITTEN

MR. KRINGLE’S INVENTIONASIUM:

After a two-year layoff due to COVID-19, the inventionasium returns to Tower City. The Immersive, theatrical, STEM-accredited educational event allows kids to design and build a toy. Expect a few surprises, too. mrkringle.com/kringles-inventionasium

SEE THE LIGHTS AT NELA PARK:

Heralded as the first industrial park ever, Nela Park on Noble Road in East Cleveland has gained fame for its holiday light display, fitting, since it became known as the “Uni versity of Light” for its light bulb factory. The tradition — approach ing its 100th year — includes more than a million holiday lights.

TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA AT ROCKET MORTGAGE FIELDHOUSE:

It wouldn’t be Christmas without TSO, touring this winter with its electrifying “Ghosts of Christmas Eve” show. The group's stop at Cleveland will feature two shows on Dec. 30. rocketmortgagefield house.com/events

LITTLE ITALY HOLIDAY ART WALK:

Nobody does Christmas like the Italians, from the traditional Feast of the Seven Fishes to rows of holiday cookies. In Little Italy, Dec. 2-4, is the Holiday Art Walk, allow ing patrons to shop for art on the neighborhood’s main thoroughfare — and maybe stop somewhere for a bite. littleitalycle.com

CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA HOLIDAY CONCERTS:

From Dec. 8-18, Severance Music Center will again host the holiday sounds of the Cleveland Orchestra, with a variety of contemporary and traditional songs, and some special guests. Matinee performances will be preceded by a Holiday Brunch with Santa (reservations are required). clevelandorchestra.com

SEE MR. JINGELING:

To Clevelanders of a certain age, Mr. Jingeling was Christmas. He was the keeper of the keys to Santa’s workshop and a fixture for years at Halle’s department store downtown. After a lull, Mr. Jingeling made a full slate of appearances last winter and is on track to do more. “We’re so excited to carry on the tradition," says Jimmy Langa, Mr. Jingeling’s manager. mrkringle.com/mrjingeling

MR. KRINGLE'S INVENTIONASIUM & MR. JINGELING: COURTESY THE MR. KRINGLE COMPANY / THE CLEVELAND

DECK THE HALL, STAN HYWET, AKRON:

The inscription above the Akron estate’s front door, “Non Nobis Solum,” (Not For Us Alone) shows that the home was always intended for public display, and it’s never more evident during the holiday season. The 65-room Tudor revival home, first owned by Akron rubber magnate F.A. Seiberling (the co-founder of Goodyear), is decorated to the hilt for the holidays, with this year’s theme being “Gracious Gatherings.” And more than one million lights will be displayed on the estate’s 70-acre grounds. stanhywet.org

WATCH THE OHIO CITY SINGERS:

With “White Cleveland Christmas” a staple of holiday radio, the Ohio City Singers have become a new tradition since its forming at what members called a raucous 2008 holiday party. A mix of country and rock sensibilities, the band will release a new album in 2023. In the meantime, you can catch them around the area, including at the Rock Hall on Dec. 17.

ohiocitysingers.com

MEMORIES OF CHRISTMAS PAST, ARMS FAMILY MUSEUM, YOUNGSTOWN:

For 14 years, visitors at the Arms Museum, a Craftsman-style home in Youngstown that’s become one of the city’s main his tory museums, have toured seven themed rooms dec orated for the holidays. The famous crystal Christmas tree returns, joined by a midcentury room, the Holly Jolly Christmas room and a peacock-themed tree in the dining room. “It’s a one-of-a-kind exhibit,” says Anthony Worrellia, who de signs the exhibit. “You’ll see pieces your grandmother had, and maybe things from when you were a kid.” mahoninghistory.org/mcp

HOLIDAY CIRCLEFEST, UNIVERSITY CIRCLE:

For those who love Wade Oval Wednesdays during the summer, there’s CircleFest in December. Wade Oval will transform into a winter wonderland on Dec. 4, with food trucks, ice carving and a holiday market. There will also be horse-drawn carriage rides, and families can take a picture with Santa on the holiday trolley (Mr. Jingeling is set to be there too). Nearby museums in University Circle — the Cleveland History Center, the Cleveland Art Museum and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History — will also be open, with special activities. If you can’t make it for Circlefest, skate at the Rink at Wade Oval, which will be open Dec. 2-Feb. 26. At $2 admission and $3 skate rentals, it’s one of the best deals in town. universitycircle.com

WINTERLAND, CLEVELAND PUBLIC SQUARE:

Formerly known as Win terfest, Winterland marks its 37th year with a festive display in Public Square, fea turing thousands of lights and an ice rink (open until Feb. 21). winterlandcle.com

Hilton Downtown

Join Mr. Kringle & Friends for a delicious buffet style breakfast at The Burnham Restaurant inside Hilton Cleveland Downtown. Cookie decorating, letter writing & self-parking included!

Unwrap the gifts of Tower City, filled with free surprises for everyone. Play make-believe at Kringle’s Inventionasium, and toast the season at Holiday Spirits pop-up bar.

From the holiday shopping, to must-see entertainment and family-friendly activities through February, don’t miss the many opportunities to experience everything that Downtown has to offer!

Cleveland Bazaar

Public Square

Cleveland Bazaar is northeast Ohio’s longestrunning series of indie popup retail events (since 2004)! Learn more at clevelandbazaar.org and shop local + handmade this season! Join us for a day packed with winter fun on November 26 in Public Square starting at 4:00PM, hosted by Mark Nolan. Enjoy live music, food trucks, stage performances, fireworks and much more!

Enjoy winter at Public Square featuring The Cleveland Foundation Skating Rink and holiday lights throughout The Square, Santa, and holiday performances all season.

VISIT A HOLIDAY-THEMED

POP-UP BAR:

Much like people put up their own seasonal decorations, a lot of bars pop up for the holidays temporarily, from the Flats to Ohio City to downtown, where a pop-up bar returns to Jack Casino's third floor. Sleigh will include seasonal drinks, a sleigh for photos and a five-foot gingerbread house.

The most venerable option is the Christmas Corner Bar in Lake wood. Started in 2017, the pop-up in one of Around the Corner Café's party rooms features mu sic, decorations and lots of festive fun. “People have so much joy during the season, and we want people to walk in and feel mag ical about the place,” says Ryan Krivosh, general manager of both bars, as well as Vosh, a nearby bar and events center. facebook.com/ TheChristmasCornerBar

TWINKLE IN THE 216, CLEVELAND BOTANICAL GARDEN:

A reworking of previous years’ Glow, Twinkle in the 216 features special horticultural displays celebrating Cleveland’s histori cal and cultural landmarks, plus light displays and gingerbread houses. Also returning this year is Breakfast With Santa and the monster-filled Krampus Night. holdenfg.org

SEE JIM BRICKMAN IN CONCERT:

A Shaker Heights native, Brick man is a regular on the adult con temporary chart. The Grammynominated singer and pianist has worked with a variety of well known gospel and country artists. His A Very Merry Christmas tour arrives at Playhouse Square for three shows Dec. 17-18. jimbrickman.com

COURTESY THE CHRISTMAS CORNER BAR

An iconic Peter Millar style, the Suffolk Quilted Travel Coat at Ford’s Clothier features lightweight insulation and a fleece-lined interior that provides optimal warmth for chilly days ($248). Six interior pockets: two snap flap pockets, two welt pockets, a smart phone pocket and a vertical passport pocket. Machine wash cold, gentle cycle. 19821 Detroit Road, Rocky River, 440-333-2355, fordsclothier.com

Give a loved one a day of shopping at Legacy Village with a gift card, available in any denomination from $5 to $500. The gift cards are accepted at most shops and restaurants including L.L. Bean, Nordstrom Rack, Crate & Barrel & more. 25001 Cedar Road, Lyndhurst, 216-382-3871, legacy-village.com

The perfect corporate or personal gift, Cleveland Independents gift cards and The Deck, comprised of coupons for local hot spots, allow the recipient to choose from the best locally owned independent restaurants to gather with family and friends for a meal they won’t soon forget.

clevelandindependents.com

Make your holiday shopping stressfree and give Charles Scott Salon & Spas gift cards. You can purchase a $100 gift card for $85 during its holiday sale Nov. 26 through Dec. 24. 19025 Old Lake Road, Rocky River, 440-333-7994; 34970 Detroit Road, Suite 230, Avon, 440-8991957, charlesscott.com

or hot in the summer, Viper Remote Car Starter (starting at $249) from Wired Right Automotive Electronics is the perfect solution. Remote start your car from the comfort of your home or office with the world’s best-selling vehicle security and remote start brand. 22350 Lorain Road, Fairview Park, 440-734-3838

Unique one-of-a-kind hand crafted fused art glass jewelry, gifts and ornaments. Affordably priced from $10 to $75. Parties and classes available too! Deby’s Designs, 22090 Lorain Road, Fairview Park. Call or text 216-402-3245. Debysdesigns.net

Celebrate the season with these great gifts for anyone in your life.

PLAYHOUSE SQUARE:

In addition to the return engagement of the Broadway smash Hamilton , running Dec. 6-Jan. 15 at the KeyBank State Theatre, a variety of holiday-themed musical and theater productions will appear in Playhouse Square's theaters.

Since 1964, a stop-motion TV special of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer has been appointment television during the holidays. Now it’s a stage show, detailing how the most famous reindeer of all helped Hermey and Santa save Christmas. The show will appear at Connor Palace, Dec. 2-4.

Brett Eldredge brings his Glow Live tour to the State on Dec. 1, famed a cappella band Straight, No Chaser plays the Connor Palace on Dec. 6 and Dave Koz’s 25th anniversary Christmas tour stops at Connor Palace on Dec. 11.

And of course, what’s Christmas with out A Christmas Carol? There’s a varia tion on the classic Charles Dickens tale for everyone, including several movie

versions and takes for younger children by the Muppets and Mickey Mouse. The Great Lakes Theater has been present ing the play since 1989, and it remains its most popular production. It will run through Dec. 23 at the Mimi Ohio The ater. greatlakestheater.org

Another Christmastime staple is The Nutcracker . The classic Russian work by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky will be presented by Cleveland Ballet in seven shows Dec. 15-18. The Key Bank State Theatre will host The Hip Hop Nutcracker on Dec. 2, featuring ground breaking rapper Kurtis Blow. The show is a touring version of the Disney+ special.

mas trees, decorated by local artists and designers. clevelandplayhouse.com/ visit/festival-of-trees T h e m o s t m a g i c a l m e a l i n C l e v e l a n d . . .

ERIK DROST

Make a Wish

This year your special wishes can help light up the season.

Head to Pinecrest and make a special holiday wish at the Wishing Tree — the only interactive holiday tree of its kind in the Tri-State area. Then, make a donation of $1 or more, make a wish, and activate the Wishing Tree light show. Donations will go to The Help Group or The Cleveland APL.

Founded in 1975, The Help Group is one of the largest, most innovative, and comprehensive nonprofit organizations of its kind in the United States serving children, adolescents and young adults with special needs related to autism spectrum disorder, learning disabilities, ADHD, developmental delays, abuse and emotional challenges and provides affirming support for LGBTQ+ youth.

The Cleveland Animal Protective League has been creating happily ever afters in Northeast Ohio since 1913. Your donation will help it care for the thousands of animals who come to the organization in need each year.

The tree will be available for wishes from 5 to 9 p.m. daily through December 25. In addition, at the top of every hour from 5 to 10 p.m. the tree will feature a dazzling light show.

SOPHIE SAND KANNBERG

Holiday Events at Pinecrest

Meet Santa Claus

Don’t miss your chance to meet the jolly man himself when Santa visits Pinecrest this year. Be sure to let him know if you’ve been good or bad and what you hope to find under your tree this season. Snap a photo, post it on social media, and don’t forget to tag us @discover_pinecrest!

Fri. Dec. 2 Noon - 6 p.m. Sun. Dec. 4 Noon - 6 p.m. Mon. Dec. 5 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. Tues. Dec. 6 Noon - 6 p.m.

Wed. Dec. 7 Noon - 6 p.m. Thurs. Dec. 8 Noon - 6 p.m. Fri. Dec. 9 Noon - 5 p.m. Sun. Dec. 11 3 p.m. - 7 p.m.

Mon. Dec. 12 Noon - 6 p.m. Tues. Dec. 13 Noon - 6 p.m.

Say Hi to Mrs. Claus

Santa’s main squeeze will be walking about Pinecest Wed. Dec. 14 through Fri. Dec. 23. She will hand out holiday cookies from Wojtila Bakery, surprising shoppers with Pinecrest gift cards and wishing everyone a happy holiday.

Wed. Dec. 14 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. Thurs. Dec. 15 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Fri. Dec. 16 3 p.m. - 7 p.m.

Sat. Dec. 17 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Wed. Dec. 21 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. Thurs. Dec. 22 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Fri. Dec. 23 3 p.m. - 7 p.m.

Light the Menorah

Join Pinecrest and Temple Emanu El on December 19 at 6:45 p.m. and on December 20, 21 and 22 at 5:30 p.m.

SOPHIE SAND KANNBERG

200 GIVE Cleveland

Our communities are fueled by our nonprofits — the organizations, volunteers and leaders who often act behind the scenes to make sure Clevelanders can have a better life. They are present in our neighborhoods, our arts scene, our educational institutions, our physical and mental health services and so much more.

Here are 200 leaders who are making a big impact. Plus, discover ways your efforts can help create positive change.

200 GIVE Cleveland Contents

76 The Giving Place

Cleveland is a charitable city. Discover how nonprofits fuel that spirit and how they are adapting to changing times and needs.

84 Get Involved

You don’t always have to write a check to make a difference. Find out other ways you can lend a helping hand.

85 The Give Cleveland 200

These nonprofit executives are leading the difference makers in our communities.

Volunteer Profiles

78 Sylvia Morrison, Cleveland Sight Center 80 Ida Bryant, Cleveland Museum of Natural History 82 Michele Sommerfelt, Kids Book Bank 83 Bob Zrinzo, The City Mission and Laura’s Home Women’s Crisis Center 96 Cuyahoga Community College Foundation 97 Hunger Network 98 Cuyahoga County Public Library 99 The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland Cleveland Museum of Natural History 100 Cleveland Zoological Society Cleveland Foundation 101 Cleveland Public Library Girl Scouts of North East Ohio 102 The McGregor Foundation Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity 103 Ideastream Public Media

Nonprofit Profiles

JumpStart Inc. 104 Great Lakes Science Center Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center 105 Jewish Federation of Cleveland Beck Center for the Arts 106 Prayers From Maria American Heart Association 107 Shoes and Clothes for Kids Hospice of the Western Reserve 108 United Way of Greater Cleveland

The Giving Place

In Cleveland, nonprofit organizations shelter the homeless, provide medical care for the uninsured and educate children. They also feed abandoned animals, provide events for stargazers and build youth soccer fields. They are reflective of our city’s spirit — a giving and charitable one. But in truth, their impact often happens behind the scenes. It’s time to bring them to the forefront and celebrate their important work.

by Jill Sell

Larger nonprofits, especially a number of foundations and edu cational, cultural and medical or ganizations, make a huge impact on our city and attract most of the head lines. Others, including charitable non profits or those that are smaller and lesser known, go about their business quietly. They hand out warm mittens to those who need them or protect endangered wild flowers in the woodlands.

But make no mistake. Cleveland wouldn’t be what it is today without all of our legit imate nonprofits. There are 14,267 non profit organizations in Greater Cleveland. Together, they employ 257,447 people, earn more than $35 billion in revenue each year and have assets of $80 billion, according to Cause IQ, a web-based information and tools provider for nonprofits, accounting firms, technology and fundraising compa nies, financial services firms and others.

We wouldn’t be the kind of people we are without our nonprofits. We are friend ly Midwesterners, generous Clevelanders who historically donate proportionally more money than many other cities of our size. Nonprofits give us most of those op portunities to do so. Companies of all siz

es strongly encourage their employees to contribute time, resources and money to nonprofits. Clubs and organizations hold fundraisers. Individuals are passionate about certain causes.

Although it might seem that we contrib ute because it is expected of us, we know it is simply the right thing to do. And non profits serve as Cleveland’s conscience.

The Nonprofit Umbrellas

You can’t talk about nonprofits without including The Cleveland Foundation. The oldest community foundation in the coun try (founded in 1914), it is “still one of the top 10,” according to Lillian Kuri, execu tive vice president and COO. At the end of 2021, The Cleveland Foundation had total assets of $3.2 billion and authorized 5,484 grants valued at $124 million. It received $124.8 million in new gifts and recorded $16.6 million in operating expenses.

“We can be very responsive and have the ability to meet the needs of the com munity as they come up,” says Kuri. “A great example is the pandemic. We reacted quickly at the onset and our board actu ally started to do weekly grantmaking, which is very unusual.”

Stories

Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association’s 3Rs Program — Rights, Responsibilities & Realities — educates youth.

West Side Market’s Summerfest pop-up brings art to the street.

Being a trusted and respected steward for many donors’ funds that end up in nonprofits’ accounts also helps the foun dation meet its goals. But those positives don’t allow The Cleveland Foundation to just rest on its reputation. Foundations and nonprofits are aware that this year’s national decline in donors was among those small donors who gave less than $500. Larger donors have taken on a big ger role. But that narrower support can weaken the diversity of nonprofits, and The Cleveland Foundation wants to help nonprofits address those issues.

Kuri says The Cleveland Foundation has shifted from being “for the community,” to being “with the community.” Criticized in the past for being a bit inaccessible and a “little bit like an ivory tower,” the foun dation is moving its offices in early 2023 to Cleveland’s MidTown neighborhood, creating a building which is said to be

“welcoming to everyone, whether you are a donor, a nonprofit leader or a resident.” A new board chairman and staff changes complement the shift, according to Kuri.

Like the organizations it serves, The Cleveland Foundation recently had to re evaluate itself. Some of its decisions for action are based on challenges the region’s nonprofits are facing.

“First, what does the new normal look like for nonprofits? Each sector within our community has different issues. For exam ple, the arts sector lost a lot of jobs and the performing arts sector was hit the hardest. The question is how each nonprofit can figure out where they are now,” says Kuri, expressing the foundation’s need to guide and lead.

It’s no secret the pandemic also es calated the use of technology. Visa’s Payment Panel reported that in 2020, there was a 10% increase of credit card

We are friendly Midwesterners, generous Clevelanders who historically donate proportionally more money than many other cities of our size.

“We need to communicate in whole new ways and ways that engage with donors, and particularly entrepreneurs who have a very different way of giving.”

— Lillian Kuri

The Cleveland Foundation unveils the winners of the 2022 Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards, which contribute to

the

understanding of

racism and culture.

The Cleveland Foundation supports the 2022 African American Philanthropy Summit.

usage for charitable giving and a 20% decline in check giving from 2015 to 2020. Many trendwatchers expect those numbers to continue in the same directions. Donor privacy and cybersecurity are also of more concern than ever before.

“It’s a changing landscape with do nors. Younger generations are more used to things like crowd sources and want instant feedback,” says Kuri. “We need to communicate in whole new ways and ways that engage with donors, and par ticularly entrepreneurs who have a very different way of giving.”

Kuri also emphasizes that the nonprof it sector “really has to think more about diversity on their boards and have them represent more of what their communities look like.”

“Some have done that, but at this time it is absolutely critical,” she says.

VOLUNTEER Q&

A

Q. How did you connect with this nonprofit?

A. My aunt had age-related macular degeneration and was having trouble reading. I took her to the Cleveland Sight Center. Everyone there was so welcoming, and I never felt so warm ly embraced. It was the dignity that they extended to their clients that im pressed me the most. When we got back in the car, I told my aunt that when I retired, I was going to volunteer there, and that was 13 years before I did retire.

Q. What are your responsibilities?

Sylvia Morrison

Cleveland Sight Center

Cleveland Sight Center provides services and support to people of all ages who have low vision.

A. I read and record The New York Times, which I have been reading since the fourth grade when I lived in New York. On Mondays, I read features from the Sunday edition, but no pol itics or main news. On Fridays, I read the regular New York Times. I also re corded People magazine in Spanish for six years. I am multilingual, so I also do special projects as well as some books. Anyone can access the record ings through Ideastream Public Media (ideastream.org).

I read 52 weeks a year and have record ed more than 700 hours over the past six years. I can read and record in the on-site studio or even when I am out of town because of today’s technology.

Q. What makes a good reader?

A. You have to be a competent per son and have a strong reading voice. If I come across something emotion al, like news about Ukraine, I pause and count in my head before I continue. You can still express emotion, but you don’t want to be political.

A musician performs at the 2022 Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards celebration held at Maltz Performing Arts Center in University Circle.

THE CLEVELAND FOUNDATION: MCKINLEY WILEY / COURTESY SYLVIA MORRISON COURTESY

National Nonprofits By the Numbers

One hundred percent of nonprofits have the legal right to lobby to advance their missions, but less than 3% do so.

National Council of Nonprofits)

12.3 million

Nonprofits employ 12.3 million people, with payrolls exceeding those of most other U.S. industries, including construction, transportation and finance.

>10%

Nonprofits employ more than 10% of America’s private workforce.

$2 trillion

43 HOURS

$1.4 trillion

In the second quarter of 2022, nonprofits contributed $1.4 trillion to the economy. Historically, the nonprofit sector is the third-largest private employer in the U.S. economy and grows jobs four times faster than for-profit organizations.

VOLUNTEER Q&A

Ida Bryant

Cleveland Museum of Natural History

The Cleveland Museum of Natural History (CMNH) explores science, education and a passion for nature in order to promote a sustainable future for everyone.

Q. Why did you become a CMNH volunteer?

A. When I was growing up, my grandmother always took me to “our duck pond” (Wade Lagoon) at the Cleveland Museum of Art, near the natural history museum. I have five brothers and one sister, and when we were older, we would walk by ourselves to the art muse um, Cleveland Botanical Garden and other places in University Circle. But it cost money to go to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, so we never went there. I retired from the Department of De fense in 2014. In 2016, I was having problems sleeping. My doctor said I had too much time on my hands, and I was staying up just thinking. He sug gested volunteering. I thought this was my chance to get into the Cleve land Museum of Natural History and see what I had missed.

Q. What are your volunteer duties?

A. When I started, I expected to be in visitor services and lead tours. But that seemed like too many peo ple and too noisy for me, so I asked if I could work behind the scenes. I have always been fascinated by fos sils, so for two years I cleaned them. To have my hands on something thousands of years old felt great. I broke one once and felt scared about it. But I was told, “That’s why we have glue.” Now, I input informa tion into our databases.

Q. What kind of experience does one need to volunteer at CMNH?

A. They will teach you, and there are many opportunities, from vol unteering in the wildlife area at the museum to volunteering at Mentor Marsh. I’ve liked to learn all my life, and the museum is a great place to do that.

A Changing Environment

A nonprofit itself, the Cleveland Metro politan Bar Association and Bar Founda tion (CMBA) also serves other nonprofits. CEO Rebecca Ruppert McMahon says she has no doubts about the importance of these organizations to Northeast Ohio and our quality of life.

CMBA’s Reach Out for Nonprofits pro bono program provides education and vol unteer counseling opportunities, according to Ruppert McMahon. Representatives of Greater Cleveland’s nonprofit leadership are offered information about legal issues and other critical issues. Volunteer CMBA attorneys are steered toward assisting non profits in areas that include employment laws, vendor contracts, leases, corporate matters and intellectual property matters.

The most recent program, Reach Out for Nonprofits: The Summit, was held in Oc tober. Past programs have included hir ing and retaining employees, establishing a start-up and more. Additional programs are scheduled for 2023.

Ruppert McMahon says the two biggest challenges currently facing nonprofits are workforce concerns and the instability of the economy.

Larry Zukerman and Chomps enjoy the 21st Annual BenchBar Halloween Run for Justice.

IDA BRYANT PHOTOS: KEN BLAZE COURTESY CLEVELAND

“I don’t care how good your strategies are, if you can’t get the right people, or people are burned out, or people are mov ing from organization to organization at a high rate, that makes the execution of even the best strategies really challenging,” she says. “The most successful nonprofit orga nizations continue to exercise flexibility, even after the pandemic, in all aspects.”

Discussions about whether a nonprofit should function primarily with in-person employees, be strictly virtual or a create a hybrid model have left some organizations confused, adds McMahon.

“Some organizations, like mine, are or ganizations that need to be in-person on a regular basis,” she says. “We have built a consistent message over the past two years that while there is an opportunity for flex ibility and working remotely on occasion, we are truly an in-person organization.

“So we recruit people who want that. We have had some people leave, and as much as we hated to say ‘goodbye,’ we under stood their goals are different from ours. We now actively court people who want to work in an office environment.”

The executive also points to employee appreciation as critical for nonprofits. That

can be especially challenging when an or ganization is operating primarily in a virtu al environment.

“The proverbial watercooler conversa tion gets missed. You miss hearing the sim ple, ‘Thank you for your help,’ in person,” says Ruppert McMahon.

Economic instability that includes infla tion worries, fluctuations in the stock mar ket, partisan divisions and other factors can also take its toll on nonprofits. Those uncertainties can alter the success of non profits that depend on in-person fundrais ing “where people open their wallets to support their favorite organization.”

“But we have faith in Cleveland,” in sists Ruppert McMahon. “We live in one of the most philanthropy-centered communi ties anywhere. Cleveland will continue to support its variety of nonprofits day in and day out.”

Inside the Benefits

Research shows nonprofits:

> encourage voting and civic engagement in nonpartisan ways

> serve as incubators for individuals to learn leadership and governing skills

> promote community unity and neighborhood strength

Volunteers:

> save nonprofits considerable resources; the value of a volunteer hour in 2022 in Ohio is $27.07; the national amount is $29.95

> can receive physical and mental benefits by being more physically active and/or also focusing their attention on others

Information courtesy of the National Council of Nonprofits, Independent Sector (a research organization covering 1.8 million nonprofits) and other sources.

Judge Dan Polster and 3Rs students take a field trip to see the court system in action.

The two biggest challenges currently facing nonprofits are workforce concerns and the instability of the economy.

“The most successful nonprofit organizations continue to exercise flexibility, even after the pandemic, in all aspects.”

— Rebecca Ruppert McMahon

A

Michele Sommerfelt Kids’

Book Bank

Working with 1,500 community partners, including public and charter schools, churches and the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, Kids’ Book Bank is a distributor of free, donated children’s books.

Q. What drew you to be a volun teer at this nonprofit?

A. It matched things I love to work with — children and books. And at this point in my life, I knew I could be happy as a worker bee at the Kids’ Book Bank, not a planner as I was when I was a children’s librarian or special needs teacher’s aide. And I know that many children here don’t have books in their homes. But pov erty doesn’t mean you don’t want to be a reader.

Also, the sustainability appealed to me. The idea that these books are staying out of the landfill and are be ing repurposed is important to me. Only about 10% of the books we re ceive have to go to book heaven or be recycled.

Q. What are your responsibilities?

A. I serve as a Little Free Library stew ard for about eight Little Libraries on the West Side of Cleveland. I pick up books at the Kids’ Book Bank once or twice a week and make the rounds to make sure the Little Libraries are full. When the Little Libraries con cept came to Cleveland, it was “take a book, leave a book.” But that didn’t work. The kids just took books, al though that is a nice problem to have.

Once a week I also come in to do whatever needs to be done — sort books into reading levels, put Kids’ Book Bank stickers on books, pack

books or train new volunteers. We also do community outreach and fill new book orders for teachers.

Q.

Were you always a reader?

A. I was the kind of kid who climbed a tree in the backyard during sum mer vacation and took a book with me. Now, my favorite children’s book changes all the time. But when I was a child, I really liked Sam and the Fire fly by P.D. Eastman. Seeing that book brings back a lot of memories.

New Avenues of Support

Clevelanders support nonprofits, per haps just in different or additional ways than the Old Guard is used to seeing. Members of The Cleveland Professional 20/30 Club are young professionals who “socialize, network, learn and volunteer” in the community. Philanthropy is one of the club’s pillars, and it encourages mem bers to participate in year-round, hands-on volunteer work and fundraising activities.

“My passion is working with nonprof its that are mostly local to Cleveland, and our group finds it important to give back to the community,” says Bridget Corrig an, director of philanthropy. “Our biggest fundraising event of the year is Stuff the Stocking. This year, proceeds benefit Hat tie Larlham, which supports people with intellectual and developmental disabili ties and their families.”

Partnerships between nonprofits, the corporate world and government also con tinue to grow in Cleveland. One of the most intriguing stories of late has been the creation of a new nonprofit organiza tion that will be filed in January to man age Cleveland’s historic West Side Market. The city of Cleveland will continue to own the public market, which opened in 1912.

“My passion is working with nonprofits that are mostly local to Cleveland, and our group finds it important to give back to the community.”

— Bridget Corrigan

The West Side Market is a longstanding city institution.

COURTESY MICHELE SOMMERFELT / WEST SIDE

A master plan is being created that will af fect everything from stall layout to finan cial modeling to program development.

“Nonprofit operation of public markets is an international practice. Most people’s favorite markets are nonprofit operated and publicly owned,” says Jessica Trivi sonno, senior strategist, West Side Mar ket, mayor’s office. “The West Side Market is a key institution that has stood the test of time. We want to think about the mar ket’s next 100, 200 years, and how we can support that.”

Being managed by a nonprofit will allow the West Side Market to operate as a busi ness while fulfilling its mission as an im portant source of fresh food for residents and tourists, according to Trivisonno.

Bob Zrinzo

The City Mission and Laura’s Home Women’s Crisis Center

The City Mission meets the basic needs of food and shelter for Cleveland’s homeless and hurting, while creating individualized, comprehensive programs to assist clients in building a stable and independent future. For women and children, Laura’s Home is a bridge from crisis to stability and self-sufficiency.

Q. How did you become aware The City Mission needed volunteers?

A. I heard about it through my church, Grace Church in Middle burgh Heights. I wasn’t retired then, and just did special projects like planting flowers, some landscap ing and painting. But when I retired, I had more time on my hands and now I volunteer on a regular basis at Laura’s Home in the kitchen. On Friday evenings, I prepare meals, help serve and clean up. I also vol unteer for special things like Christ mas and back-to-school activities. I’ve been there about four-and-ahalf years.

Q. Why do you volunteer?

A. I have been blessed all my life. I’ve had a roof over my head and food on the table. I have six kids and a ninth grandchild on the way. I’ve had some rough times — no one’s life is per fect. But I had that internal conversa tion with myself and my conscience. I said to myself I needed to volunteer more, and not just on a once-in-ablue-moon basis.

Q. Can you share the moment you knew you were doing the right thing?

A. One Friday night I was just pull ing weeds in the back of the build ing and a little 3-year-old girl came up to me and grabbed me by the leg. She looked right up at me and said, “Thank you, thank you!” The mother came up to me and said, “She means that.” It brought a tear to my eye.

“The West Side Market is a key institution that has stood the test of time. We want to think about the market’s next 100, 200 years, and how we can support that.”

— Jessica Trivisonno

VOLUNTEER

Nonprofits bring people in the community together.

| MIKEY PARRILLAT / COURTESY

BOB ZRINZO

COURTESY THE CITY MISSION

Get Involved

You

certainly support nonprofits by writing a check of any amount.

Many nonprofit organizations prefer monetary donations to any other kind. Often, it’s just easier and more practical for everyone involved. But appropriate donations of clothing, household goods, construc tion materials, food and other necessities are also important if a nonprofit specifically asks for those items.

The key word is “appropriate.” One donation intake employee for a local nonprofit recalls the time a call went out for clothing donations to help survivors of a natural disaster. In the bags and boxes the charity received were countless pairs of high heels and bathing suits.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, some nonprofits have discouraged donations of non-monetary or used items. Always check with a specific nonprofit before you donate.

SHARE YOUR SUPPLIES

Schools and churches can often use unused office sup plies, including paper, envelopes and anything that can be used in art classes. But skip the outdated ink toner.

THINK OF THE ANIMALS

Donated dog food and treats are appreciated at shelters and by rescue groups, as are new and unused dog toys, collars, leashes and bedding. Also, volunteer to socialize or walk shelter dogs, foster in-home pets or teach dogs basic commands. If you are a professional groomer, you can volunteer your time to provide fur cuts and nail trims.

MEDICAL GIFTS

Groups including the American Red Cross Northern Ohio Region are grateful for donations during organized blood drives, urgent, emergency situations or other times by special arrangement. Also, volunteer auxiliary groups serving pediatric hospitals will sometimes accept donated toys and books. But usually, cash donations to buy those items new are preferred.

DIGITAL MONEY AND ONLINE OPPORTUNITIES

Donate credit card reward points to nonprofits; create crowdfunding site opportunities for your favorite cause; and share information and the wish lists of charitable organizations on social media sites, including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

CHARITABLE BIRTHDAY GIFTS

Currently popular with many families, birthday party guests are asked to bring a gift for a nonprofit charity instead of, or in addition to, a present for the birthday boy or girl.

SHOP SECONDHAND

A number of nonprofit organizations run thrift or sec ondhand stores that help support their causes. These can be great places to shop for those establishing new households, anyone looking for vintage items or for those who just like great bargains.

HELP SOMEONE’S BIG DAY

A number of nonprofits have been established to accept wed ding gowns and bridesmaid, mother-of-the-bride and flower girl dresses. Usually, the dresses must be less than five years old, unless a bride is going for an authentic vintage look. De pending on the nonprofit, the dresses and accessories may be given to those facing long-term medical issues, disabilities or financial difficulties or sold to the general public.

SHARE THE MUSIC

Still storing instruments from your kids’ band days? Youth centers, schools, clubs and other organizations can turn dust into notes.

TOUCHDOWN!

New sports equipment and related items in good condition may be accepted by local youth centers and community recreation centers. Do not donate used helmets, which may no longer be safe.

PROVIDE A RIDE

Help a nonprofit pick up donations or deliver furniture to someone who may not be able to afford a delivery fee for something purchased at a shop. Also, churches and senior centers often know individuals who could use a ride to doctors’ appointments or the store. Bicycles can provide recreation as well as transportation solutions.

can

But here are other ways you can lend a helping hand.

The Give Cleveland 200

Cleveland is ultimately a hugely giving community. This generosity is fueled by volunteers who hope to impact even one life and leaders who set the example for what it means to dream big and plan for a better tomorrow. Here are 200 nonprofit leaders — the people who are at the helm of the organizations making a difference — who top this year’s list of change makers.

AALBERT B. & AUDREY G. RATNER FAMILY FOUNDATION

ACHIEVEMENT CENTERS FOR CHILDREN

Empower children and adults with disabilities and their families to achieve their greatest potential.

Bernadette M. Kerrigan President & CEO 216-292-9700 achievementcenters.org

ADOPTION NETWORK CLEVELAND

Connect and empower individuals, organizations and communities impacted by adoption, kinship and foster care, as well as provide a source of healing for those in need.

Betsie Norris Executive Director 216-325-1000 adoptionnetwork.org

AKRON CLEVELAND ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS

Be the leading resource and advocate for the real estate community, enhance the ability, conduct and image of its members and protect and promote real property rights.

Mike Valerino CEO 216-901-0130 akronclevelandrealtors.com

AKRON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

Build permanent endowments and partner with fundholders and agencies to encourage philanthropy.

John T. Petures Jr. President & CEO 330-376-8522 akroncf.org

Giving primarily for education and Jewish organizations, with some funding for health organizations and musical arts associations.

Albert Ratner

President, Board of Trustees 440-345-3687

ALS ASSOCIATION NORTHERN OHIO CHAPTER

Discover treatments and a cure for ALS and serve, advocate for and empower people affected by ALS to live their lives to the fullest.

Mary Jayne Reedy Executive Director 216-592-2572 als.org/northern-ohio

AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY, HOPE LODGE

Provide free temporary housing during treatment for cancer patients (and caregivers) who live more than 40 miles from the treatment center.

Cara Stock Manager 216-400-0922 cancer.org/support-programs-andservices/patient-lodging/hope-lodge/ cleveland

AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION

Support programs and research focused on fighting heart disease and stroke.

Valerie Hillow Gates Executive Director 216-791-7500 heart.org/en/affiliates/ohio/cleveland

AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION

Save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease through education, advocacy and research.

Catherine Widemire Development Manager 216-524-5864 lung.org

AMERICAN RED CROSS NORTHERN OHIO REGION

Help communities in northern Ohio prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies.

Mike Parks Regional CEO 216-431-3010 redcross.org/local/ohio/northern-ohio

APOLLO’S FIRE/THE CLEVELAND BAROQUE ORCHESTRA Manage a period-instrument orchestra dedicated to performances based on the baroque ideal that music should evoke various passions in listeners. Jeannette Sorrell Founder, Conductor & Artistic Director 216-320-0012 apollosfire.org

ARGONAUT

Reduce poverty and increase educational equity through youth experiential learning and work experience in aerospace and maritime careers.

Drew Ferguson CEO 216-860-4883 phastar.org

ART THERAPY STUDIO

Enhance the quality of life for all people through art therapy.

Michelle Epps Executive Director 216-791-9303 arttherapystudio.org

ASIAN SERVICES IN ACTION INC.

Serve, support and advocate for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs), as well as immigrants and refugees, so they prosper and flourish.

Elaine Tso CEO 216-881-0330 asiaohio.org

ASSEMBLY FOR THE ARTS

Advance the arts and culture community of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County.

Valerie Schumacher Acting Managing Director 216-575-0331 artscleveland.org

BBECAUSE I SAID I WOULD Change lives through character development programs and volunteer projects in schools, juvenile detention centers, prisons and communities.

Alex Sheen Founder & CEO 216-226-3770 becauseisaidiwould.org

BECK CENTER FOR THE ARTS Combine professional theater and arts education to create art experiences for all ages and abilities.

Lucinda “Cindy” Einhouse President & CEO 216-521-2540 beckcenter.org

BEECH BROOK

Help children and families thrive by promoting healthy child development, strengthening the ability to overcome adversity and enhancing family health and stability.

Thomas P. Royer

President & CEO 216-831-2255 beechbrook.org

BENJAMIN ROSE INSTITUTE ON AGING

Support caregivers and empower all people to age well by providing in-person and phone-based health service, research service and public policy advocacy.

Orion H. Bell

President & CEO 216-791-8000 benrose.org

BIKE CLEVELAND

Work to improve policy, infrastructure and legislation to help make roads safe and convenient for bikes.

Jacob VanSickle

Executive Director 216-245-3101 bikecleveland.org

BIRTHING BEAUTIFUL COMMUNITIES

Provide intensive peer-to-peer support to low-income families throughout pregnancy, during labor and birth and up to babies’ first year.

Jazmin Long President & CEO 216-307-1538 birthingbeautiful.org

BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF NORTHEAST OHIO

Inspire and enable young people who need support the most to reach their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens.

Jeff Scott CEO 216-883-2106 bgcneo.org

BROADWAY SCHOOL OF MUSIC & THE ARTS

Operate a community school to enrich the lives of people by providing access to high-quality arts and music instruction.

Barbara Bachtel

Executive Director 216-641-7431 artsandsciences.csuohio.edu/caec/ broadwayschoolofmusicarts

BUSINESS ADVISERS OF CLEVELAND

Provide business advice and counseling to public and private, large and small and for-profit and nonprofit organizations.

Jeffrey Dean President 216-426-2053 bacleveland.org

BUSINESS VOLUNTEERS UNLIMITED

Provide nonprofit consulting services, volunteers and programs to strengthen the leadership and capacity of nonprofits in Northeast Ohio.

Elizabeth Voudouris

President & CEO 216-736-7711 bvuvolunteers.org

CENTER FOR ARTS INSPIRED LEARNING

Ignite student learning, creativity and success through the arts.

Sheffia Dooley President & CEO 216-561-5005 arts-inspiredlearning.org

CENTER FOR COMMUNITY SOLUTIONS

A nonpartisan think tank focused on solutions to health, social and economic issues and their impact on vulnerable citizens.

John Corlett

President & Executive Director 216-781-2944 communitysolutions.com

CENTERS FOR FAMILIES AND CHILDREN

Provide family, work, health and urgent behavioral health services to adults and children, no matter their background or current circumstances.

THE CITY MISSION

Provide basic needs, critical recovery resources and practical assistance to homeless persons in services to Christ and God.

Linda Uveges CEO 216-431-3510 thecitymission.org

CLEVELAND ANIMAL PROTECTIVE LEAGUE

Foster compassion and end animal suffering.

Sharon Harvey President & CEO 216-771-4616 clevelandapl.org

CLEVELAND BALLET

Present world-class dance through classical and contemporary works and create dance and outreach programs for the community.

CCANALWAY PARTNERS

Preserve the natural and cultural experiences of the Ohio & Erie Canalway National Heritage Area by serving as a catalyst for projects and programs.

Mera Cardenas Executive Director 216-520-1825 canalwaypartners.com

CATHOLIC CHARITIES, ST. AUGUSTINE HUNGER CENTER

Provide quality services designed to respect the dignity of every person and build a just and compassionate society.

Patrick Gareau President & CEO 216-334-2900 ccdocle.org

CAVALIERS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

Invest in organizations that directly support the development and wellbeing of youth in Northeast Ohio.

Len Komoroski CEO 216-420-2000 nba.com/cavaliers/community/ foundation

Eric Morse President & CEO 216-432-7200 thecentersohio.org

CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF CLEVELAND

Promote learning through play using innovative exhibits and programs designed for all children from birth to age 8.

Maria Campanelli Executive Director 216-791-7114 cmcleveland.org

CHN HOUSING PARTNERS

Leverage affordable housing to change lives and improve communities.

Kevin J. Nowak Executive Director 216-574-7100 chnhousingpartners.org

CITY CLUB OF CLEVELAND

Serve Greater Cleveland with programs, public forums and debates for a variety of audiences on a variety of political and social issues.

Dan Moulthrop CEO 216-621-0082 cityclub.org

Gladisa Guadalupe Co-Founder, Artistic Director 216-320-9000 clevelandballet.org

CLEVELAND BROWNS FOUNDATION

Help every child receive a high-quality education and opportunities, as well as remove barriers and provide support for student empowerment.

Renee Harvey Vice President 440-891-5000 clevelandbrowns.com/community

CLEVELAND CHRISTIAN HOME

Be a haven of hope and healing for children, youth and families struggling with mental illness, abuse and neglect.

Chuck Tuttle CEO 216-671-0977 cchome.org

CLEVELAND COUNCIL ON WORLD AFFAIRS

Inspire engagement in international affairs and world cultures through education, citizen diplomacy and public dialogue.

Carina Van Vliet CEO 216-781-3730 ccwa.org

CLEVELAND CULTURAL GARDENS FEDERATION

Preserve and promote the gardens and act as a liaison between sponsoring ethnic communities and government and institutional partners.

Sheila Crawford President 440-946-6549 clevelandculturalgardens.org

THE CLEVELAND FOUNDATION

Enhance the lives of residents by building community endowment, grantmaking and providing leadership on key community issues.

Ronald B. Richard President & CEO 216-615-7177 clevelandfoundation.org

CLEVELAND GUARDIANS CHARITIES

Private foundation of the Guardians that raises money though programs, events and player contributions to support recreational and youth programs.

Rebecca Kodysh

Executive Director 216-420-4487 mlb.com/guardians/community/ charities

CLEVELAND HEARING & SPEECH CENTER

Serve people with communication needs and increase awareness about hearing, speech and deaf issues.

Dr. Jennell Vick Executive Director 216-231-8787 chsc.org

CLEVELAND INSTITUTE OF MUSIC

Operate independent conservatories of music devoted exclusively to classical music performance.

Paul Hogle President & CEO 216-795-3193 cim.edu

CLEVELAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Promote artistically and culturally significant film arts through education and exhibition.

Marcie Goodman Executive Director 216-623-3456 clevelandfilm.org

CLEVELAND JAZZ ORCHESTRA

Increase awareness and appreciation of jazz with original music, exceptional performances and inspirational educational programming.

Scott Garlock Executive Director 419-908-8858 clevelandjazz.org

CLEVELAND KIDS BOOK BANK

Foster literacy and a love of reading by distributing free books to children in need through collaboration with community partners.

Ori Akrish Executive Director 216-417-1803 kidsbookbank.org

CLEVELAND LEADERSHIP CENTER

Provide leadership and community engagement opportunities to challenge individuals to make a positive community impact.

Marianne Crosley President & CEO 216-592-2298 cleveleads.org

CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART

Be a global leader among museums by building, preserving and sharing art from all periods and parts of the world.

William Griswold Director & President 216-707-2261 clevelandart.org

CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

Inspire a passion for nature and the protection of natural diversity through science and education.

Sonia Winner

President & CEO 216-231-4600 cmnh.org

CLEVELAND MUSIC SCHOOL SETTLEMENT DBA THE MUSIC SETTLEMENT

Deliver music instruction in a variety of styles in private lessons, ensembles, immersion programs and performance opportunities.

Geralyn (Geri) Presti President & CEO 216-421-5806 themusicsettlement.org

CLEVELAND NEIGHBORHOOD PROGRESS

Support community-based organizations to accelerate investment, support local initiatives and increase resources for community development.

Tania Menesse President & CEO 216-830-2770 clevelandnp.org

CLEVELAND OPERA THEATER

Produce vibrant, accessible, innovative and engaging opera in Greater Cleveland.

Scott Skiba Executive Artistic Director 216-512-0268 clevelandoperatheater.org

CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA

Inspire and enrich lives by creating extraordinary classical musical experiences at the highest level of artistic excellence.

Franz Welser-Möst Music Director 216-231-7300 clevelandorchestra.com

CLEVELAND PEACEMAKERS ALLIANCE

Engage community youth and program participants through case management services, including workforce assistance, housing, court support and education.

Myesha Watkins Executive Director 216-243-7002 clevelandpeacemakers.org

CLEVELAND PLAY HOUSE

Entertain diverse audiences by producing plays and theater education programs of the highest professional standards.

Mark Cuddy Interim Artistic Director 216-400-7001 clevelandplayhouse.com

CLEVELAND POPS ORCHESTRA

Provide performances with a mixture of the music of Broadway, Hollywood, jazz, rock and light classics.

Shirley Morganstern President & CEO 216-765-7677 clevelandpops.com

CLEVELAND PUBLIC LIBRARY

Foster a culture of learning that inspires all Clevelanders to continually learn and seek new knowledge.

Felton Thomas Jr. Executive Director & CEO 216-623-2827 cpl.org

CLEVELAND PUBLIC THEATRE

Raise consciousness and nurture compassion through groundbreaking performances and life-changing education programs.

Raymond Bobgan Executive Artistic Director 216-631-2727 cptonline.org

CLEVELAND RAPE CRISIS CENTER

Support survivors of rape and sexual abuse, promote healing and prevention and advocate for social change.

Sondra Miller President & CEO 216-619-6194 clevelandrapecrisis.org

CLEVELAND RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE OF CHARITIES

Enhance the health care experience for families and children through comfort, care and supportive services. Craig Wilson CEO 216-229-5757 rmhcneo.org

CLEVELAND SIGHT CENTER

Provide specialized services and programs to empower the blind and visually impaired to realize their full potential.

Larry Benders President & CEO 216-791-8118 clevelandsightcenter.org

CLEVELAND WATER ALLIANCE

Create a clean water innovation ecosystem that harnesses technology, spurs the economy, enhances education and drives research.

Bryan Stubbs

Executive Director & President 216-282-3400 clevelandwateralliance.org

CLEVELAND ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY

Create compelling experiences connecting people with wildlife and inspiring responsibility for conserving the natural world.

Sarah Crupi Executive Director 216-661-6500 clevelandzoosociety.org

COLLABORATIVE TO END HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Lead, empower and connect the community to eradicate human trafficking.

Kirsti Mouncey President & CEO 440-872-6500 collabtoendht.org

COLLEGE NOW GREATER CLEVELAND

Increase postsecondary educational attainment through college and career access advising, financial aid counseling and retention services.

Lee Friedman CEO 216-241-5587 collegenowgc.org

COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF LORAIN COUNTY

Cultivate a culture of philanthropy and strengthen Lorain County through leadership and grantmaking.

Cynthia Andrews President & CEO 440-984-7390 peoplewhocare.org

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP ON AGING

Promote independence, a healthy lifestyle, community involvement and opportunities for personal growth for older adults.

Wendy Albin Sattin Executive Director 216-291-3902 communitypartnershiponaging.org

COMMUNITY WEST FOUNDATION

Support organizations that provide basic needs programs and services in Cleveland, Western Cuyahoga and Lorain counties.

Marty Uhle President & CEO 440-360-7370 communitywestfoundation.org

CORNERSTONE OF HOPE

Provide support, education and hope for the grieving that is guided by Christian values of compassion and service.

Mark Tripodi CEO & Founder 216-524-4673 cornerstoneofhope.org

CUYAHOGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE (TRI-C) FOUNDATION

Provide short-term solutions for student expenses — such as housing, food, technology and books — that disrupt their education.

Megan O’Bryan President 216-987-4737 tri-c.edu/give

CUYAHOGA COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY

Empower individuals and communities by providing opportunities for all to read, learn, create and connect.

Tracy Strobel Executive Director 216-398-1800 cuyahogalibrary.org

CUYAHOGA VALLEY NATIONAL PARK

Preserve the natural and cultural resources of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park for the enjoyment, education and inspiration of all generations.

Lisa Petit Superintendent 440-717-3890 nps.gov/cuva/planyourvisit/basicinfo.htm

DIVERSITY CENTER

Promote understanding and institutional equality through youth programming, promoting diversity and addressing workplace bias.

Peggy Zone Fisher President & CEO 216-752-3000 diversitycenterneo.org

DOBAMA THEATRE

Dedicated to premiering important new plays by established and emerging playwrights in professional productions of the highest quality.

Nathan Motta Artistic Director 216-932-6838 dobama.org

DOWNTOWN CLEVELAND ALLIANCE

Make Downtown Cleveland a dynamic place to live, work, play and visit by attracting businesses, residents, talent and investment.

Michael Deemer President & CEO 216-325-0998 downtowncleveland.com

DRESS FOR SUCCESS CLEVELAND

Offer long-lasting solutions that enable women to break the cycle of poverty.

Melony J. Butler CEO 216-391-2301 cleveland.dressforsuccess.org

E

EASTERSEALS NORTHERN OHIO

ELIZA BRYANT VILLAGE

Provide quality services, outreach programs and a dignified, compassionate and secure living environment for seniors.

Danny R. Williams President & CEO 216-361-6141 elizabryant.org

ELIZA JENNINGS

Operate senior residential facilities providing planned activities such as social clubs, crafting, on-site entertainment, exercise and shuttle buses.

Richard Boyson Jr. President & CEO 216-226-5000 elizajen.org

EMPOWERING YOUTH, EXPLORING JUSTICE

Create a positive influence on Cleveland’s schools, youth and community members with a focus on Cleveland Metropolitan School District.

Mai Moore Executive Director 216-200-7042 eyej.org

ENGAGE CLEVELAND

Attract, engage and retain young, diverse talent to Greater Cleveland by connecting young professionals to people, jobs, organizations and events.

Ashley Basile Oeken President 216-584-5355 engagecleveland.org

EQUALITY OHIO

DEACONESS FOUNDATION

Help people in need build careers that sustain them and their families.

Cathy Belk President & CEO 216-407-0408 deaconessfdn.org

DIGITALC

Deliver high-speed internet access to underserved neighborhoods through EmpowerCLE+, an affordable wireless internet service provider.

Susan Valerian Communications Director 216-923-2240 digitalc.org

DProvide exceptional services for people with disabilities or special needs and their families to live, learn, work and play in their communities.

Beverly Richards President & CEO 440-838-0990 easterseals.com/noh

EDWINS LEADERSHIP & RESTAURANT INSTITUTE

Teach a skilled and in-demand trade in the culinary arts, empower willing minds through passion for hospitality management and prepare students for a successful transition home.

Brandon Chrostowski

Founder, President & CEO 216-921-3333 edwinsrestaurant.org

Identify and transform systems and institutions so LGBTQ+ Ohioans can fully access legal and lived equality.

Alana Jochum

Executive Director 614-224-0400 equalityohio.org

ESPERANZA INC.

Provide free personalized mentoring, leadership building, comprehensive post-secondary and family support to Hispanic students.

Victor Ruiz

Executive Director 216-651-7178 esperanzainc.org

THE FAIR HOUSING CENTER

Protect and expand fair housing rights, eliminate housing discrimination and promote integrated communities.

Carrie Pleasants Executive Director 216-361-9240 thehousingcenter.org

FIRST YEAR CLEVELAND

Mobilize the community through partnerships and a unified strategy to reduce infant deaths and racial disparities.

Katrice Cain Interim Executive Director 216-368-5017 firstyearcleveland.org

FOSTERING HOPE

Connect and enrich youth who live in residential treatment and foster care with unique experiences of hope and healing.

Karen Carter CEO 216-633-7798 fosteringhopeohio.org

THE FOUNDRY

Transform the lives of Cleveland’s youth through access to the sports of rowing and sailing.

Gina Trebilcock Executive Director 440-596-7069 clevelandfoundry.org

FRIENDS OF BREAKTHROUGH SCHOOLS

Provide distinctive, high-quality, college-preparatory school options to thousands of Cleveland’s kindergarten through eighth grade students.

Ralph Johnson CEO 216-373-7801 breakthroughschools.org

FRIENDSHIP ANIMAL PROTECTIVE LEAGUE OF LORAIN COUNTY

Ensure that healthy, adoptable animals receive the necessary care and attention they deserve until they find a new, permanent home.

David Humphrey

CEO, Ohio Desk 440-322-4321 friendshipapl.org

FRONT INTERNATIONAL

FFree, public contemporary art exhibition comprising artist commissions, performances, films and public programs every three years.

Fred Bidwell Executive Director 216-938-5799 frontart.org

FRONTLINE SERVICE

Assist homeless persons struggling with severe, untreated mental illness and living in places not meant for human habitation.

Susan Neth CEO 216-623-6555 frontlineservice.org

FUND FOR OUR ECONOMIC FUTURE

Create a network of foundation, higher education, development and government leaders to advance an inclusive economy with good jobs and rising incomes.

Bethia Burke President 216-456-9800 thefundneo.org G GATHERING PLACE

Support, educate and empower individuals and families coping with the impact of cancer through programs and services provided free of charge.

Michele Seyranian CEO 216-595-9546 touchedbycancer.org

GIRL SCOUTS OF NORTH EAST OHIO

Build girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place.

Jane Christyson CEO 330-983-0399 gsneo.org

GIRLS WITH SOLE

Use free fitness and wellness programs to empower the minds, bodies and souls of girls who are at-risk or have experienced abuse of any kind.

Liz Ferro Founder & CEO 440-668-1509 girlswithsole.org

GLOBAL CLEVELAND Attract, welcome and connect international newcomers to economic, social and educational opportunities in Greater Cleveland.

Joe Cimperman President 216-472-3282 globalcleveland.org

GOODWILL INDUSTRIES OF GREATER CLEVELAND & EAST CENTRAL OHIO INC.

Operate a retail thrift store and provide skill-building programs to remove common barriers to good jobs and independence.

Anne Richards President & CEO 800-942-3577 goodwillgoodskills.org

GRAFFITI HEART

Offer a platform for graffiti writers to practice their artistic talent with approved commissioned projects and other educational opportunities. Stamy Paul President 440-781-4515 graffitiheart.org

GREAT LAKES SCIENCE CENTER

Make science, technology, engineering and math come alive and make people value science to inform decision-making and enrich lives.

Kirsten Ellenbogen President & CEO 216-696-4440 greatscience.com

GREAT LAKES THEATER

Bring the pleasure and relevance of classic theater to the widest possible audience through mainstage productions and educational programs.

Bob Taylor Executive Director 216-453-4440 greatlakestheater.org

GREATER CLEVELAND CONGREGATIONS

Represent members of over 30 duespaying congregations from different religions and viewpoints including Christian, Jewish, Muslim and secular.

Keisha Krumm

Executive Director & Lead Organizer 440-799-5037 greaterclevelandcongregations.org

GREATER CLEVELAND FILM COMMISSION

Increase local spending and create jobs by using incentives to encourage media companies to produce more films in Cleveland.

Bill Garvey

President 216-344-7476 clevelandfilm.com

GREATER CLEVELAND FOOD BANK

Ensure that everyone in Greater Cleveland communities has the nutritious food they need every day.

Kristin Warzocha President & CEO 216-738-2265 greaterclevelandfoodbank.org

GREATER CLEVELAND HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

Help low-income families realize their dreams of homeownership and contribute to neighborhood revitalization by constructing and rehabilitating homes.

John Litten

President & CEO 216-429-1299 clevelandhabitat.org

GREATER CLEVELAND SPORTS COMMISSION

Improve the economy of Greater Cleveland and enrich the community by attracting, creating, managing and enhancing significant sporting and competitive events.

David Gilbert President & CEO 216-621-0600 clevelandsports.org

GREEN RIBBON

COALITION

Advocate a bold vision for Cleveland’s lakefront by dedicating undeveloped lakefront land for public use that balances recreation and commercial development.

Dick Clough Executive Board Chair 216-266-9040 greenribbonlakefront.org

GUND FOUNDATION Invest in Greater Cleveland with a focus on climate change and environmental degradation, inequality and strengthening democracy.

Anthony Richardson President 216-241-3114 gundfdn.org

HOLDEN FORESTS & GARDENS

Operate Holden Arboretum and Cleveland Botanical Garden to promote plant conservation and plant research.

Joel Alpern & Kathleen Heflin Co-Interim CEOs 440-329-5100 holdenfg.org

HOPE & HEALING SURVIVOR RESOURCE CENTER

Combine the best practices of the Battered Women’s Shelter and Rape Crisis Center to provide resources for those who have been victimized by these crimes.

Teresa Stafford CEO 330-374-0740 hopeandhealingresources.org

HHOSPICE OF THE WESTERN RESERVE

HATTIE LARLHAM

Provide care for children and adults with developmental disabilities in Northeast and Central Ohio.

Stephen Colecchi CEO 330-274-2272 hattielarlham.org

HEARTS OF PATRIOTS

Support the spouse, partner or family member closest to a veteran with PTSD or traumatic brain injury with education, resources and information.

Denise Weller & Megan Cain Co-Founders 440-477-4704 vetspouse.org

HELP FOUNDATION INC.

Provide supportive care, education and safe housing to intellectually and/or developmentally disabled children and adults.

Tamara Honkala

President & CEO 216-432-4810 helpfoundationinc.org

HIRAM HOUSE CAMP

Provide a healthy and safe outdoor experience for children, designed to meet the needs and challenges of the 21st century.

Courtney Nicolai Executive Director 216-831-5045 hiramhousecamp.org

Provide hospice, palliative care, caregiver support and bereavement services.

William Finn President & CEO 800-707-8922 hospicewr.org

HUNGER NETWORK

Provide emergency food supplies and hot meals to needy persons through 70+ centers throughout the county.

Julie M. Johnson CEO 216-619-8155 hungernetwork.org

ISLAMIC CENTER OF CLEVELAND

Provide Muslims with religious guidance, promote good-will and serve as a cultural institute.

Maher Al-Mzaian President 216-362-0786 iccleveland.org

JJEWISH FEDERATION OF CLEVELAND

Focus on the health of the Jewish community with direct services, education and planning guided by traditional Jewish values.

Erika B. Rudin-Luria President 216-593-2900 jewishcleveland.org

JOURNEY CENTER FOR SAFETY AND HEALING

Empower people to find a path toward healthy, thriving relationships. Melissa Graves CEO 216-229-2420 journeyneo.org/home

JUMPSTART INC.

Provide capital, services and connections to help entrepreneurs and early-stage tech ventures grow, researchers commercialize and corporations innovate.

Ray Leach CEO 216-363-3400 jumpstartinc.org

JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF GREATER CLEVELAND

KAULIG COS.

Provide direct giving, community involvement and significant partnerships focusing on the health and well-being of children and families in Northeast Ohio.

Matt Kaulig

Founder & Board Chairman 330-968-1110 kauliggiving.com

KOINONIA HOMES INC.

Provide residential services and day programming for adults with developmental disabilities.

Diane Beastrom President & CEO 216-588-8777 koinoniahomes.org

LLAKE ERIE NATURE & SCIENCE CENTER

Give every child and adult the opportunity to make a lasting connection to the natural world and to build a lifelong passion for discovery. Catherine Timko Executive Director 440-871-2900 lensc.org

LAKE VIEW CEMETERY

Create a peaceful, beautiful final resting place that would also serve as a space for the living to enjoy.

Katharine Goss Executive Director 216-421-2665 lakeviewcemetery.com

THE LCADA WAY

IIDEASTREAM PUBLIC MEDIA

Operate a member-supported multimedia source for illuminating the world around us.

Kevin E. Martin President & CEO 216-916-6100 ideastream.org

INGENUITY CLEVELAND

Ignite the creative spark among artists, entrepreneurs and innovators through joy and collaboration in service to social progress.

Emily Appelbaum Executive Artistic Director 216-589-9444 ingenuitycleveland.org

Inspire and prepare young people to succeed.

Al DiFranco President 216-861-8080 cleveland.ja.org

KARAMU HOUSE

Produce professional theater, provide arts education and present programs for all people while honoring the African American experience.

Tony Sias President & CEO 216-795-7070 karamuhouse.org

Transform individual lives, families and communities suffering from alcohol abuse, substance abuse and behavioral health issues.

Dan Haight President & CEO 440-989-4900 thelcadaway.org

KTHE LEGAL AID SOCIETY OF CLEVELAND

Provide legal services to low-income clients in five Northeast Ohio counties.

Colleen Cotter Executive Director 216-687-1900 lasclev.org

LGBT COMMUNITY CENTER OF GREATER CLEVELAND

Enrich the lives of the diverse LGBTQ+ community through advocacy, support, education and celebration.

Phyllis Harris Executive Director 216-273-6653 lgbtcleveland.org

LIFEBANC

Work with 80 hospitals in Northeast Ohio to save lives through organ, eye and tissue donation.

Jim Will President 216-752-5433 lifebanc.org

LINKING EMPLOYMENT ABILITIES & POTENTIAL (LEAP)

Work to advance participation and equality in society for people with disabilities in Northeast Ohio.

Melanie Hogan Executive Director 216-696-2716 leapinfo.org

THE LITERACY COOPERATIVE

Work to advance literacy by raising awareness of the issue, promoting effective public advocacy and fostering a delivery system with maximum impact on the region.

Robert Paponetti President & CEO 216-776-6180 literacycooperative.org

LUTHERAN METROPOLITAN MINISTRY

Provide housing, workforce and health services to homeless persons, at-risk youth, older adults and individuals with criminal justice or health issues.

Maria Foschia

President & CEO 216-696-2715 lutheranmetro.org

MALTZ FAMILY FOUNDATION

Operate a museum to promote the understanding of Jewish history, religion and culture and serve as an educational resource for Northeast Ohio.

Tamar Maltz President 216-593-0575 mmjh.org

MANDEL FOUNDATION

Support leadership educational programs at its own institutions and with select universities and organizations.

Jehuda Reinharz President & CEO 216-875-6523 mandelfoundation.org

MANUFACTURING ADVOCACY & GROWTH NETWORK (MAGNET)

Provide consulting services and programs to help manufacturers grow companies, launch new ideas and strengthen their workforce.

Ethan Karp President & CEO 216-543-1222 manufacturingsuccess.org

MAY DUGAN

Help people enrich and advance their lives and communities.

Rick Kemm Executive Director 216-631-5800 maydugancenter.org

THE MCGREGOR FOUNDATION

Support seniors in need and those who serve them.

Ann Conn President & CEO 216-851-8200 mcgregorfoundation.org

MEDWISH INTERNATIONAL

Repurpose and distribute surplus medical supplies as local and global humanitarian aid.

MALACHI HOUSE

Meet residents’ immediate and basic human needs of food, shelter, clothing and comfort.

Judy Ghazoul Hilow

Executive Director 216-621-8831 malachihouse.org

MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART CLEVELAND

Support artists and serve communities to encourage people of all backgrounds to appreciate contemporary art.

Megan Lykins Reich Executive Director 216-421-8671 mocacleveland.org

MUSIC AND ART AT TRINITY CATHEDRAL INC.

Support the Anglican tradition of providing quality music and arts freeof-charge for urban dwellers, students and workers in a cathedral.

Todd Wilson Artistic Director 216-774-0420 musicandartattrinity.org

NEW AVENUES TO INDEPENDENCE INC.

Provide opportunities and support for people with disabilities and special needs to become independent and productive members of society.

Karen Knavel CEO 216-481-1907 newavenues.net

NORD CENTER

Support behavioral health treatment and advocacy in Lorain and Huron counties.

Don Schiffbauer CEO 440-233-7232 nordcenter.org

NORD FAMILY FOUNDATION

Support projects that bring opportunity to the underresourced, strengthen the bond of families and improve the quality of people’s lives.

NNATIONAL KIDNEY FOUNDATION NORTHERN OHIO

Prevent kidney disease, improve the health and well-being of individuals and families affected by kidney disease and increase the availability of kidneys for transplantation.

Anna S. Tzinis Executive Director 440-241-6780 kidney.org/offices/nkf-servingnorthern-ohio

NATURE CENTER AT SHAKER LAKES

Conserve Shaker Lakes as a natural area, connect people with nature and inspire environmental stewardship.

Kay Carlson President & CEO 216-321-5935 shakerlakes.org

NEIGHBOR UP/NEIGHBORHOOD CONNECTIONS

Ann Kiernozek Co-Interim Director of Administration 440-984-3939 nordff.org

NORTHERN OHIO RECOVERY ASSOCIATION DBA NORA

Community-based substance abuse, training, prevention, recovery support and Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic.

Anita Bradley President & CEO 216-391-6672 norainc.org O

OHIOGUIDESTONE

Provide behavioral health services to help individuals achieve lifelong success.

MBritta Latz Executive Director 216-692-1685 medwish.org

MERRICK HOUSE

Encourage, educate and empower people in Tremont and its surrounding areas.

Harriet Hadley Executive Director 216-771-5077 merrickhouse.org

Ignite the power of everyday people to create, together, an extraordinary world right where they live in their neighborhood.

Tom O’Brien Director 216-361-0042 neighborupcle.org

Brant Russell President & CEO 440-234-2006 ohioguidestone.org

PPLAYHOUSE SQUARE

Operate a high-quality performing arts center, advance arts education and create an entertainment, business and residential living destination.

Gina Vernaci

President & CEO 216-640-8500 playhousesquare.org

POSITIVE EDUCATION PROGRAM

Provide direct and consultative services for children with severe mental health and behavioral challenges, their families and professionals.

Habeebah R. Grimes CEO

216-361-4400 pepcleve.org

PRAYERS FROM MARIA

Fund global research and increase public awareness about the causes, prevention, treatments and cure for the deadliest childhood brain tumors.

Ed & Megan McNamara Co-Founders 216-727-3511 prayersfrommaria.org

PROJECT DAWN

Offer opioid overdose education and naloxone distribution programs with the Ohio Department of Health.

Joan Papp Founder 216-778-5677 odh.ohio.gov/know-our-programs/ violence-injury-prevention-program/ projectdawn

PROVIDENCE HOUSE

Operate a crisis nursery committed to child abuse prevention and family preservation.

Natalie Leek President & CEO 216-651-5982 provhouse.org

REC2CONNECT FOUNDATION

Connect people with special needs and their families to community recreation, wellness and lifetime leisure skills through innovative recreation therapy programming.

Jen Knott Executive Director 330-703-9001 rec2connect.org

RECOVERY RESOURCES

Help people triumph over mental illness, alcoholism, drug and other addictions.

Seona Goerndt President & CEO 216-431-4131 recres.org

ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME

Operate museum to encourage regional tourism and engage, teach and inspire people through the power of rock ‘n’ roll.

Gregory Harris

President & CEO 216-515-1204 rockhall.com

SIGNATURE HEALTH INC.

End health disparities in the community by providing primary care, mental health, addiction recovery and infectious disease services.

Jonathan Lee Founder & CEO 440-578-8200 signaturehealthinc.org

SISTERS OF CHARITY FOUNDATION OF CLEVELAND Work through grantmaking and advocacy to improve the lives of those most in need, including families, women and children living in poverty.

Susanna Krey President 216-357-4460 socfcleveland.org

SMILES FOR SOPHIE FOREVER FOUNDATION

Provide financial support to St. Jude’s Research Hospital and families burdened by pediatric brain tumors and increase awareness of pediatric brain tumors.

Marc & Emily Quayle Co-Founders smilesforsophieforever.org

SPACES

SSAY YES CLEVELAND

Connect students and their families with after-school and summer programs, free legal assistance and mental health services, as well as access to scholarships and college.

Diane Downing Executive Director 216-273-6350 sayyescleveland.org

SEEDS OF LITERACY

Commission artists from around the world to make new work about timely issues, provide educational initiatives and distribute grants to artists.

Tizziana Baldenebro Executive Director 216-621-2314 spacescle.org

ST. HERMAN HOUSEFOCUS HOUSE

Shelter and support homeless men on the path to well-being and independence and meet the basic needs of people in the community.

Paul Finley Director 216-961-3806 sainthermans.org

STELLA MARIS

Provide transformational chemical dependency treatment and mental health services.

Daniel Lettenberger-Klein Executive Director 216-781-0550 stellamariscleveland.com

STEP FORWARD

Help low-income individuals and families transform their lives through early childhood education programs, adult skills training and other support.

Jacklyn A. Chisholm President & Executive Director 216-696-9077 stepforwardtoday.org

SUSAN G. KOMEN

NORTHEAST OHIO

Save lives by meeting the most critical needs of communities and investing in breakthrough research to prevent and cure breast cancer.

Sean Shacklett Executive Director 216-815-2009 komen.org/community/ohio/ northeast-ohio-cleveland-akron

RRANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS EVERYWHERE (R.A.K.E.)

Support the community in a positive way to enrich lives, encourage kindness and promote the act of “paying it forward.”

Ricky Smith

Founder & Executive Director rakenow.org

Provide free basic education and GED and HiSET preparation to adults to reduce illiteracy as a cause of poverty.

Bonnie Entler President & CEO 216-661-7950 seedsofliteracy.org

SHOES AND CLOTHES FOR KIDS

Improve kindergarten through eighth grade school attendance by eliminating lack of appropriate clothing, shoes and school supplies as barriers.

Terrence J. Uhl Executive Director 216-881-7463 sc4k.org

SPANISH AMERICAN COMMITTEE Act and serve as a gateway to socioeconomic success for individuals and families in Northeast Ohio while maintaining and celebrating a Latino perspective and focus to all.

Ramonita Vargas CEO 216-961-2100 spanishamerican.org

SPECS4US

Create eyeglass frames designed to accommodate children and adults with Down syndrome and other individuals with unique facial features.

Maria Dellapina Founder 800-586-1885 specs4us.com

UUNITED BLACK FUND OF GREATER CLEVELAND INC.

Provide financial support for other agencies servicing the Black community.

Cecil Lipscomb Executive Director 216-566-9263 unitedblackfund.org

UNITED CEREBRAL PALSY OF GREATER CLEVELAND

Empower children and adults with disabilities to advance their independence, productivity and inclusion in the community.

Beth A. Lucas President & CEO 216-791-8363 ucpcleveland.org

WHEN EVERYTHING MATTERS

Meaden & Moore provides you with the expertise to solve today’s challenges while understanding the importance of your strategy, vision, your team, and everything else that matters.

UNITED WAY OF GREATER CLEVELAND

Invest in solutions to address diversity, inclusion and poverty and to improve health equity.

Sharon Sobol Jordan

President & CEO 216-436-2100 unitedwaycleveland.org

UNITED WAY OF LAKE COUNTY

Measurably improve the quality of lives of people in Lake County.

Dione DeMitro President & CEO 440-352-3166 uwlc.org

UNITED WAY OF LORAIN COUNTY

Lead measurable community transformation, creating a better life for all by connecting community partners through collective impact in health, education and financial stability.

Ryan Aroney President & CEO 440-277-6530 uwloraincounty.org

UNITED WAY OF SUMMIT AND MEDINA COUNTIES

Improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of the community to advance the common good.

Jim Mullen President & CEO 330-762-7601 uwsummitmedina.org

UNIVERSITY CIRCLE INC. Develop, serve and advocate for the University Circle neighborhood.

Gary Hanson Interim President 216-791-3900 universitycircle.org

UNIVERSITY SETTLEMENT

Offer individuals and families resources by which they can learn, grow and thrive.

Earl Pike Executive Director 216-641-8948 universitysettlement.net

THE UP SIDE OF DOWNS

To provide support, education and advocacy for people with Down syndrome, their families and communities.

Toni Mullee Executive Director 216-447-8763 dsaneo.org

URBAN LEAGUE OF GREATER CLEVELAND

Enable minorities to develop their potential through education, youth and workforce development, entrepreneurship and advocacy.

Marsha Mockabee President & CEO 216-622-0999 ulcleveland.org

VELOSANO

Schedule bike-oriented events and fundraising to support lifesaving cancer research at Cleveland Clinic.

Nicole Peters Executive Director 216-444-6150 velosano.org

VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE SERVICES

Provide vocational rehabilitation services to assist individuals with disabilities to achieve greater independence and attain employment.

Susie M. Barragate President & CEO 216-431-7800 vgsjob.org

Armadarisk.com

WESTERN RESERVE AREA AGENCY ON AGING

Offer services and programs to give older adults and persons with disabilities information, assistance, consultation and long-term care services.

E. Douglas Beach CEO 216-621-0303 areaagingsolutions.org

WESTERN RESERVE HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Inspire people to discover the American experience by exploring the tangible history of Northeast Ohio.

Kelly Falcone-Hall President & CEO 216-721-5722 wrhs.org

WWESTERN RESERVE LAND CONSERVANCY

Provide the people of Northeast Ohio with essential natural assets through land conservation and restoration.

Rich Cochran President & CEO 440-528-4150 wrlandconservancy.org

WIGS FOR KIDS

Help children look themselves and live their lives.

Jeffrey Paul Founder & Executive Director 440-333-4433 wigsforkids.org

YMCA GREATER CLEVELAND

Put Christian principles into practice through programs that build a healthy spirit, mind and body for all.

Timothy Hilk President & CEO 216-781-1337 clevelandymca.org

YOUNG LATINO NETWORK

Empower the Latino community through leadership, development and civic engagement.

Selina M. Pagan Co-Executive Director, Operations and Development 216-258-0924 ylncle.org

YYOUTH CHALLENGE

Bring together young people with physical disabilities and teen volunteers to inspire each other through adapted sports and recreation activities.

Christopher Garr Executive Director 440-892-1001 youthchallengesports.com

YOUTH OPPORTUNITIES

UNLIMITED

Prepare teens and young adults (14 to 24) to become economically selfsufficient and build the area’s educated, skilled and inclusive workforce.

Craig Dorn President & CEO 216-566-5445 youthopportunities.org

YWCA GREATER CLEVELAND

Empower women and dismantle racism through the lens of racism as a public health crisis.

Helen Forbes Fields President & CEO 216-881-6878 ywcaofcleveland.org

DEC 3 - 22 • ALLEN THEATRE

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!

Cleveland Play House is proud to present the Festival of Trees in the Allen Theatre lobbies. This beloved holiday tradition is a display of beautiful trees decorated by talented artists and designers made possible by generous sponsors in support of our artistic and educational programming.

For more information and hours, visit clevelandplayhouse.com/FoT.

Cuyahoga Community College Foundation

700 Carnegie Ave., Cleveland | 216-987-4868 | tri-c.edu/give

MISSION & PROGRAMS

The Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) Foundation is a 501(c)(3) that seeks funding for programs, services and scholarships for the college. Its mission is to provide resources for advancing student success and to transform the lives of those Tri-C serves.

The vision of the Tri-C Foundation is to ensure that Cuyahoga Community College has the resources needed to help every student learn, thrive and succeed and to create a prosperous community for all.

The Tri-C Foundation’s philanthropic goals prioritize:

• Increasing access to training and education

• Making education more affordable

• Training people for life-changing work

• Connecting students to well-paid, in-demand jobs in this community

Founded in 1963 as Ohio’s first community college, Tri-C serves about 40,000 credit and noncredit students each year. Its mission is to provide high-quality, accessible, affordable educational opportunities and services that promote individual development and improve the quality of life in a multicultural community.

A Tri-C education can decrease employment inequity and income inequality, especially through Centers of Excellence that prepare students to work in high-demand industries like hospitality management, information technology, public safety, nursing and health careers, creative arts and manufacturing technology.

Low tuition, distance learning, flexible scheduling, countywide instructional sites and superior student support make the college accessible and effective for students from all backgrounds. As they achieve academic success, 90% of Tri-C graduates remain in Northeast Ohio, contributing to the economic vitality of our region.

FUNDRAISING

The Tri-C Foundation seeks charitable investments to support Tri-C programs and scholarships, ensuring financial stability for the college and its students.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Visit tri-c.edu/give, call 216-987-4868 or email foundation@ tri-c.edu.

TOP EXECUTIVE: Megan O’Bryan, President

DATE FOUNDED: 1973

NUMBER OF PROGRAMS: 200-plus

MAKING A DIFFERENCE: “If not for Tri-C and its supporters, scholarships and emergency funds, the opportunity for students like me to pursue our educational goals would not exist.”

— Donte Jones

TOP EXECUTIVE:

Julie M. Johnson, CEO

YEAR FOUNDED: 1995 NUMBER OF PROGRAMS: 2

Hunger Network

4415 Euclid Ave., Suite 110, Cleveland | 216-619-8155 | hungernetwork.org

MISSION & PROGRAMS

Hunger Network is a consortium of 75 hunger centers strategically located throughout Cuyahoga County. Recently, MidTown Market opened at Hunger Network’s headquarters, bringing access to fresh foods and a supportive network of community resources.

In 2021, Hunger Network provided 6.2 million meals to over 415,000 individuals. Additionally, we bridge the gap between hunger and food waste through the innovative Food Rescue Hero app, which allows us to recover perfectly viable fresh foods from local sources and directly transport them to nonprofit partners free of charge.

Since the inception of our Food Rescue program in 2018, 3,534,363 pounds of food have been rescued; 13,454 rescues completed; 137 local food donors have donated; 167 nonprofits have received recovered food donations; 1,919,180 pounds of carbon dioxide mitigated; 419 active volunteers rescuing food; and 2,002 Hunger Network Food Rescue app downloads.

Hunger Network Food Rescue is also now working to recover food from the West Side Market as part of a six-month composting pilot through Rust Belt Riders with collaboration from Rid-All Green Partnership and the Center for EcoTechnology. Hunger Network Food Rescue will be responsible for completing a comprehensive waste audit of all food at the market. The surplus food will be redirected to organizations within a 5- to 10-mile radius.

FUNDRAISING

As part of the annual Walk for Hunger & 5K Run, hundreds of supporters will take one more step toward ending hunger on June 3, 2023, at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. In 2022 we welcomed back our annual signature event, Night to Fight Hunger, which raised awareness about food insecurity and our vision that no one goes hungry, and no food goes to waste. Don’t forget to check out our website for next year’s date.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Donate: Help us ensure that no one goes hungry.

Volunteer: Our local hunger centers, MidTown Market and the Food Rescue program need volunteers.

Become a Food Rescue Hero: Download the Hunger Network Food Rescue mobile app, powered by Food Rescue Hero, to ensure fresh, nutritious food doesn’t end up in landfills.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE:

“I’ve been involved, engaged and supportive as a Hunger Hero volunteer since [the Food Rescue Program’s] launch in 2018. It’s wonderful to be the bridge between generous vendors who don’t want to see their product go to waste and grateful recipients at hunger centers. I cannot stand to see food go to waste, so I love that accessibility of this volunteer program. You can do as much or as little as you can manage, regularly or sporadically. And I always try to get my children involved as much as possible, helping them spearhead an annual food drive in December, which they hand-deliver to a nearby hunger center.”

— Jen Picciano, Food Rescue Volunteer

Cuyahoga County Public Library

2111 Snow Road, Parma | 216-398-1800 | cuyahogalibrary.org

MISSION & PROGRAMS

Cuyahoga County Public Library’s mission is to empower individuals and communities by providing opportunities for all to read, learn, create and connect. We envision a thriving and inclusive Cuyahoga County where all residents benefit from and are inspired by Cuyahoga County Public Library’s innovative resources, services and programs.

FUNDRAISING

Cuyahoga County Public Library’s core community programs and services are largely supported by charitable organizations and individual donors. Help us empower individuals and communities by providing opportunities for all to read, learn, create and connect. The Cuyahoga County Public Library Foundation exists to support the library’s mission and to raise financial resources and awareness of the library’s critical role in the community. Each year, the CCPL Foundation designates funds from its fundraising efforts and investments back to the library to areas where CCPL needs it most. The Foundation focuses on programs and services in line with the library’s strategic priorities — vital to the communities it serves: early childhood success and family engagement, student success, workforce development and digital equity and inclusion.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

There are many ways to donate to the Cuyahoga County Public Library Foundation and support CCPL’s mission, including secure online donations, memorial gifts, donor-advised funds and matching gifts. Visit cuyahogalibrary.org/support for more information on how you can help.

TOP EXECUTIVE: Tracy Strobel, Executive Director

YEAR FOUNDED: 1922

NUMBER OF PROGRAMS: 10,500

MAKING A DIFFERENCE:

“I love Cuyahoga County Public Library because they have computer classes that are free. In my situation, that made all the difference. If you tried to take these classes somewhere else, it may cost over $1,000 or more. It is really a gift.”

— Sherry Blondin

The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland

1223 W. 6th St., Cleveland | 216-687-1900 | lasclev.org

MISSION & PROGRAMS

Legal Aid uses the power of the law to increase safety and health, promote education and economic stability, support safe and stable housing and ensure government and justice systems are accountable and accessible. By solving fundamental problems for families with low incomes, we remove barriers to opportunity and help people achieve greater stability. This leads to greater engagement in our community, which fosters a more thriving democracy.

FUNDRAISING

Legal Aid is growing in response to community needs and the high demand for our unique services. With 130 full-time staff (including more

than 75 full-time attorneys), we are among the largest law firms in Northeast Ohio. Thanks to support from the philanthropic community, our services are provided at no cost to clients. Legal Aid is a lifeline for people experiencing some of life’s most harrowing challenges.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Legal Aid staff and volunteers have the skills, knowledge and commitment to public service to be problem-solvers for our clients and communities. We need your partnership and help to reach more families when and where they are in crisis. Make a gift or volunteer by visiting lasclev.org. #TogetherWeCan #ExtendJustice

TOP EXECUTIVE: Colleen Cotter, Esq., Executive Director

YEAR FOUNDED: 1905 NUMBER OF PROGRAMS: 6

Cleveland Museum of Natural History

1 Wade Oval Drive, Cleveland | 216-231-4600 | cmnh.org

MISSION & PROGRAMS

Since its founding in 1920, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History has pursued scientific research to advance knowledge across diverse fields of study — using its outstanding collections to share that knowledge and deepen the public’s understanding of science and nature. Through its Natural Areas Program, the museum also stewards thousands of acres of protected ecosystems across northern Ohio. A research institution, community gathering place and education center, the museum is a vital resource for Cleveland, engaging nearly 75,000 K–12 students each year. In addition, Cleveland and East Cleveland residents enjoy free admission to the museum every Sunday

through the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Community Days.

President and CEO Sonia Winner is leading the most comprehensive transformation in the Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s 102-year existence — expanding the museum’s footprint to 375,000 square feet, reimagining its campus and every exhibit and adding new public spaces. Scheduled for completion in 2024, this $150 million project will pioneer a new model for natural history museums around the world by highlighting the interconnectedness of all life on Earth.

Learn more and support our transformation at CMNHtransformation.org. For updates, follow us at @goCMNH on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

TOP EXECUTIVE: Sonia Winner, President and CEO

YEAR FOUNDED: 1920

Cleveland Zoological Society

3900 Wildlife Way, Cleveland | 216-635-3329 | clevelandzoosociety.org

MISSION & PROGRAMS

The Cleveland Zoological Society is Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s nonprofit advancement partner that raises philanthropic support for the zoo. The Zoo Society is governed by a board of directors and is an independent 501(c)(3).

The Zoo Society’s philanthropic priorities include campus renewal, as well as supporting the zoo’s national leadership role in science education programming, research and positive animal health and welfare standards.

In addition to funding that catalyzes animal care and educational programming in Cleveland, the Zoo Society contributes $500,000 annually to support the zoo’s international conservation partners, working to secure a future for wildlife around the world.

The Zoo Society maintains the largest membership program in Northeast Ohio (more than 40,000 households) and regularly achieves a 95%

customer satisfaction rating. Several membership levels exist, from individual and family, to young professionals.

FUNDRAISING

The Zoo Society hosts regular donor and partner events throughout the year, as well as ticketed fundraising events that raise more than $1 million each year: Twilight at the Zoo, Tails + Cocktails speaker series and Sunset Safari dinner experience.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

We are committed to engaging donors in zoo programs and initiatives of the greatest impact for our community. Individuals, foundations and corporations can support our work in many ways. Visit clevelandzoosociety.org/donate or call 216-661-6500, ext. 4461 to begin the conversation.

Cleveland Foundation

1422 Euclid Ave., Suite 1608, Cleveland | 216-861-3810 | clevelandfoundation.org

MISSION & PROGRAMS

The Cleveland Foundation is the world’s first community foundation — and one of the largest nationally today — with $3.2 billion in assets and annual grants of more than $120 million made in partnership with our donors since 2020.

Our mission is to enhance the lives of all residents of Greater Cleveland, now and for generations to come, by working together with our donors to build community endowment, address needs through grantmaking and provide leadership on key community issues. The foundation’s program areas include arts and culture, economic and workforce development, education, the environment, leadership development, neighborhoods, and youth, health and human services.

For the first time in more than 100 years, the Cleveland Foundation will have a street-level presence and a front door to the community when

we move into a new headquarters at the corner of E. 66th Street and Euclid Avenue in Cleveland’s MidTown neighborhood in 2023.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

You can make a tax-deductible gift to the foundation via clevelandfoundation.org/givenow. For individuals, families and organizations interested in establishing a charitable fund or giving plan, we offer many creative and rewarding ways to support the community — some with significant tax advantages. Visit clevelandfoundation.org/give to learn more, or call 216-685-2006.

TOP

YEAR FOUNDED: 1957

TOP EXECUTIVE: Ronald B. Richard, President and CEO

YEAR FOUNDED: 1914

EXECUTIVE: Sarah Crupi, Executive Director

Cleveland Public Library

325 Superior Ave., Cleveland | 216-623-2821 | cpl.org

MISSION & PROGRAMS

Cleveland Public Library is “The People’s University,” the center of learning for a diverse and inclusive community. For over 153 years, Cleveland Public Library has helped our community to read, learn, create and connect. No longer sources of just books and encyclopedias, public libraries have morphed into full-service community centers that aim to meet a wide variety of civic and social needs.

Today, public libraries are place makers, representing urban development, resiliency and social equity. Cleveland Public Library has 27 locations in the city, having a physical presence in every neighborhood. Everyone is welcome. Cleveland Public Library engages the community and contributes to the diversity and intergenerational equity in the city of Cleveland.

FUNDRAISING

The Cleveland Public Library Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Library. The Foundation partners with donors to improve the lives of residents in the city. Whatever you give, however you give, your generosity makes a difference. Donate today at CPLFDN.org.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Cleveland Public Library is transforming how we serve our community today and into the future. We are prioritizing what matters most to Clevelanders by changing lives, building communities and making a difference. When you invest in the Cleveland Public Library through its Foundation, you invest in Cleveland’s diverse and distinctive communities.

Girl Scouts of North East Ohio

MISSION & PROGRAMS

Girl Scouts builds girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place. They look at our world and take action to change it for the better. They make friends, challenge themselves with new experiences, write their own stories and develop the skills and confidence to say, “I know I can do this!” Girl Scouts of North East Ohio (GSNEO) serves over 17,000 girls across 18 counties in Northeast Ohio with the help of over 9,000 adult members. GSNEO is the largest, most active female voluntary service organization in the region, and among the largest Girl Scout councils in the nation.

The Girl Scout Leadership Experience has four key pillars that form the foundation of our program and our organization. They are:

STEM

Life Skills

Entrepreneurship

FUNDRAISING

GSNEO is building a workforce pipeline in STEM to meet the urgent need for female engagement and leadership in the fastest growing sector of the U.S. economy, with 144 STEM badges for girls to earn. GSNEO has added new STEM programming and plans to build a STEM Center of Excellence. Learn more at gsneo.org/STEMCenter

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Reconnect, join, volunteer or donate at gsneo.org.

TOP EXECUTIVE:

Felton Thomas Jr., Executive Director and CEO

YEAR FOUNDED: 1869

NUMBER OF PROGRAMS: 19,000

TOP EXECUTIVE: Jane Christyson, CEO

YEAR FOUNDED: 1912

The McGregor Foundation

14900 Private Drive, Cleveland | 216-851-8200 | mcgregoramasa.org

MISSION & PROGRAMS

The McGregor Foundation continues its mission by providing support to all of Cuyahoga County and beyond through residential care services, our community-based PACE program and our philanthropy that enables the continued availability of programs, services and resources. The foundation’s priorities include senior living options, education and staff development though the Earn & Learn program for those who work with seniors. We are committed to total quality of life programming in all settings.

In 1999, the McGregor board of directors adopted a new strategic direction to specifically focus on “supporting seniors and those who serve them.” The McGregor Foundation, with a separate board and endowment, carries McGregor’s mission to all of Cuyahoga County.

The McGregor Foundation, established in 2002 as a private grantmaking foundation, evolved from a history of more than 145 years

of providing distinguished care for seniors at the A.M. McGregor Home in East Cleveland and the Amasa Stone House in the Glenville neighborhood of Cleveland. This McGregor Foundation is Ohio’s only grantmaking foundation solely focused on the needs of the economically challenged elderly.

In February 2004, the residents and staff of the McGregor Home and Amasa Stone House finally came together in a beautiful new nursing facility on the McGregor campus, known today as The Gardens of McGregor.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Become a supporter of our older adults through Friends of McGregor by making a contribution, tribute or remembrance, or simply become a volunteer.

Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity

MISSION & PROGRAMS

Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity believes in a vision of a world where everyone has a simple, decent, affordable place to live. Our mission is to provide affordable housing to those who otherwise would not have an opportunity to become homeowners. We address the need for permanently affordable homeownership for lowto moderate-income earners in Cuyahoga and Lorain Counties.

FUNDRAISING

Last year, we served a record 24 families, partnering with them to become Habitat homebuyers. By the end of 2022, we will have sold 25 houses, making it possible for another 25

families to celebrate the warmth of the holidays in their own homes. It is through the generosity of the community that we are able to help more families invest in themselves through homeownership.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

When we remember that Cleveland is the poorest big city and there are children moving from couch to couch, and families who can’t find safe, decent and affordable homes — we want to change that. Together, let’s help more families have that strong start. Let’s help more kids grow up with stability. Let’s help more parents build equity and families have a place to create a legacy, have a place to celebrate holidays and call home.

TOP

YEAR FOUNDED: 1877

EXECUTIVE: Ann Conn, President and CEO

John Litten, President

Ideastream Public Media

1375 Euclid Ave., Cleveland | 216-916-6100 | ideastream.org

MISSION & PROGRAMS

Our mission is to serve the people of Northeast Ohio as a trustworthy and dynamic multimedia source for illuminating the world around us. By joining forces with WKSU, Ideastream Public Media is now Ohio’s largest independent, publicly supported news organization, serving 22 counties by delivering essential news and information to 3.6 million people on our broadcast, digital and on-demand platforms. By covering regional stories through a local lens, we serve Cleveland, Akron, Canton, Lorain and beyond — connecting with different communities through engaged journalism. Ideastream reporters dig into issues impacting our region, hold officials accountable and present a diversity of voices in our work.

FUNDRAISING

Ideastream’s calm, non-commercial tone and trusted content make us unique in a media

JumpStart Inc.

6701 Carnegie Ave., Suite 100, Cleveland | 216-363-3400 | jumpstartinc.org

MISSION & PROGRAMS

We believe entrepreneurship is the heartbeat of thriving economies and communities. From business founders to corporate innovators, the entrepreneurial spirit solves challenges with a fresh perspective. JumpStart provides capital, services and connections to help entrepreneurs grow, researchers commercialize and corporations innovate.

JumpStart has invested thousands of hours and millions of dollars into local entrepreneurial initiatives. The entrepreneurs we’ve supported have created a ripple effect within their communities, building vibrant storefronts, creating new jobs and contributing local and federal tax dollars. In 2021, companies supported by JumpStart generated $1.1 billion in economic output and maintained more than 9,200 jobs.

JumpStart provides access to high-impact business assistance, critical resource connections

landscape that increasingly offers programming designed to provoke emotions and divide our communities. With the support of Northeast Ohioans, we are the region’s most trustworthy source of relevant news and essential information.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Become a member, IdeaLeader or Corporate Supporter. Visit ideastream.org to become a sustainer like James from Cuyahoga County, who says, “Ideastream is my source of truth at a critical time,” or Lisa from Summit County, who adds, “Solid journalism is the backbone of a strong democracy, and we are fortunate to have such access.”

YEAR FOUNDED:

and pathways to capital for Black, Hispanic/Latino and women-led companies, driving progress toward a more inclusive and sustainable future. When supplied with inclusive opportunities, these entrepreneurs directly impact our region’s economic development.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Together we can go further, faster. We can ensure local entrepreneurs have access to the resources they need to start and scale. Through a charitable contribution to JumpStart, you will help the region’s ambitious and enterprising entrepreneurs flourish right here in Northern Ohio.

TOP EXECUTIVE: Kevin E. Martin, President and CEO

2001

Great Lakes Science Center

MISSION & PROGRAMS

Great Lakes Science Center, a top three finisher in the USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice travel award for Best Science Museum, is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2022. The Science Center is home to the NASA Glenn Visitor Center and makes science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) come alive for more than 300,000 visitors a year through hundreds of hands-on exhibits, temporary exhibitions, the Cleveland Clinic DOME Theater, historic Steamship William G. Mather, daily science demonstrations, seasonal camps and more. The Science Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit institution.

Our vision is a community where all people value STEM to inform decision-making and enrich lives. Featuring new monthly STEM activity themes, early childhood programming, science day camps, free admission days and more, the Science Center continues to adapt to the changing needs of the community. By helping kids develop the skillsets industry leaders need, we are well positioned to inspire future STEM professionals.

FUNDRAISING

The Science Center’s biggest fundraiser is the Great Science Gala, which honors the museum’s impact and investment in Greater Cleveland. The Science Center also raises funds with its annual Design & Build engineering design challenge, which provides a way for youth and corporate teams to collaborate and compete in a fun, creative environment.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Donations for operating support are especially important, as are capital gifts, which allow for improvements to exhibits and facilities that will help form the next generation of STEM leaders. A gift to the endowment ensures that the museum is able to operate from a position of strength and ensures STEM access for all, with an emphasis on those in under-represented communities.

Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center

601 Erieside Ave., Cleveland | 216-694-2000 | greatscience.com 11635 Euclid Ave., Cleveland | 216-231-8787 | chsc.org

MISSION & PROGRAMS

Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center is the nation’s oldest freestanding speech center and Northeast Ohio’s only nonprofit organization dedicated solely to serving those with special communication needs at our four locations.

CHSC serves thousands of children and adults in four service areas: Speech-Language and Learning, Audiology, Language Interpreting and Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. We advocate for equal access to information and communication and value all individuals’ language choices equally. Our vision is a community where every person can communicate effectively.

FUNDRAISING

Philanthropic gifts keep CHSC’s critical services accessible to those we serve, regardless of their ability to pay. Our signature fundraising event, Big

Wheel Relay, is hosted annually in Tremont. Big Wheel Relay, a high-energy relay race, is unpredictable, fun and provides funding for client care. To learn more visit chsc.org/bigwheelrelay.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Individuals who want to help provide equal communication access to all Northeast Ohioans can make gifts to CHSC that will impact direct client care. Gifts can be made at chsc.org/give. CHSC welcomes new racers and sponsors for Big Wheel Relay. To become involved in the event, contact Brooke Trego at btrego@chsc.org.

TOP EXECUTIVE: Kirsten Ellenbogen, President and CEO

YEAR FOUNDED: 1996

NUMBER OF PROGRAMS: 25

TOP EXECUTIVE: Dr. Jennell Vick, Executive Director

YEAR FOUNDED: 1921

Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Building, 25701 Science Park Drive, Beachwood | 216-593-2900 | jewishcleveland.org

MISSION & PROGRAMS

Under the leadership of Board Chair Daniel N. Zelman, we promote the well-being of our community, its members and Jews throughout the world; enhance the continuity, security and unity of the Jewish community; increase understanding of Jewish values and their application to improve people’s lives; encourage our members to fulfill the responsibility of tikkun olam, to make the world a better place; support Israel as a Jewish and democratic state; and promote collective action by individuals and organizations to advance these purposes.

FUNDRAISING

For more than 115 years, the Federation has cre ated the critical scale necessary to drive meaningful social change and provide relief in times of crisis in ways no one person or organization could do alone.

Jewish Federation of Cleveland Beck Center for the Arts

17801 Detroit Ave., Lakewood | 216-521-2540 | beckcenter.org

MISSION & PROGRAMS

Beck Center for the Arts is a nonprofit perform ing arts and arts education organization dedicated to inspiring and enriching the quality of life for Northeast Ohioans. Beck Center combines pro fessional theatrical productions with comprehen sive curriculum-based arts education in creative arts therapies, dance, music, theater and visual arts, serving over 60,000 annually in Cuyahoga, Lorain, Lake, Medina and Summit Counties.

Crain’s Cleveland Business named Beck Center the 11th largest cultural attraction in Cuyahoga County. Founded in 1933, the 3-and-a-halfacre campus, with two buildings and an outdoor gathering space, is located in the West End of Lakewood. Beck Center’s mission is to inspire, enrich and transform lives through dynamic arts experiences, and its vision is to connect people, communities and cultures through the arts.

As one of Ohio’s largest grantmaking organizations — with over $111 million allocated from all sources last fiscal year — we provide essential support for a wide range of vital programs and orga nizations serving Jewish and general populations locally and globally.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

More than 91 cents of every dollar you donate to our annual campaign goes to programs and services that address social, educational, security and humanitarian needs in Greater Cleveland — and in more than 70 countries around the world. Visit our website to discover how you can do good that goes everywhere.

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YEAR FOUNDED: 1903

Beck Center provides professional theater, youth theater, dance productions, music recitals and visual arts programming.

FUNDRAISING

For nearly nine decades, donors and volunteers have been the life force of this organization, creating arts experiences that have transformed lives.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Become a part of the Beck Center family today. Enroll in a class (financial assistance available), visit a free visual arts exhibition, enjoy a professional theater production, volunteer or make a gift at beckcenter.org.

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YEAR FOUNDED: 1933

NUMBER OF PROGRAMS: 43

EXECUTIVE: Erika B. Rudin-Luria, President

EXECUTIVE: Lucinda “Cindy” Einhouse, President and CEO

MISSION & PROGRAMS

The Prayers From Maria Foundation was founded to help answer the prayers of 6-year-old Maria McNamara, who was battling a deadly brain tumor. After diagnosis, Maria prayed of finding a way to help kids like her. Inspired by this, Maria’s parents, Ed and Megan, co-founded the foundation to raise desperately needed funds for pediatric brain cancer initiatives. The lives of Maria and other children who have passed away from cancer are celebrated each year at the foundation’s sunflower fields in Avon and at Cedar Point.

FUNDRAISING

Prayers From Maria American Heart Association

20226 Detroit Road, Rocky River | 216-727-3511 | prayersfrommaria.org 1375 E. 9th Street, Cleveland | 216-791-7500 | heart.org

childhood brain cancer. The foundation seeks out high-risk, high reward, cutting-edge projects that will advance research to find better treatments for children who suffer from cancer. Foundation events include Sunflower Soiree and Sunflower Wine Festival. Maria’s Fields of Hope also welcome thousands of visitors every year. All proceeds from events support the foundation’s mission.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Prayers From Maria Foundation efforts have resulted in over $12 million going to the fight against

Plant the Seeds. Grow the Movement! Donate, volunteer or become a sponsor of one of the foundation’s well-known events. Visit Maria’s Shop, rent Maria’s Ice Cream Wagon or visit the sunflower fields in bloom, and share the story of Hope.

TOP EXECUTIVES: Ed and Megan McNamara, Co-Founders

YEAR FOUNDED: 2006

MISSION & PROGRAMS

The American Heart Association’s mission is to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. For nearly 100 years, the association has been fighting heart disease and stroke and helping families and communities thrive. As champions of health equity, by 2024, the organization will advance cardiovascular health for all, including identifying and removing barriers to health care access and quality. Locally, the American Heart Association is impacting 2.2 million lives in Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain and Medina Counties.

The American Heart Association is driving com munity impact by focusing on four priority health targets, which include tobacco control and pre vention; blood pressure control and management; reducing health risks in women; and improving healthy food access. The association has funded research that has propelled breakthroughs that have saved lives. This commitment has led to dis

coveries that include the first implantable pacemakers, the first artificial valve, CPR techniques and cho lesterol lowering medications. Over the past five years, the American Heart Association has funded 40 local research projects totaling $18,398,208.

FUNDRAISING

The American Heart Association is a volunteerled health organization. To learn more about the organization’s fundraising initiatives, visit heart.org.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

We can only continue our lifesaving work with the support of generous donors like you. Join us in our journey to help improve and save lives in our community by making a donation today.

TOP EXECUTIVE: Valerie Hillow Gates, Executive Director

YEAR FOUNDED: 1924

NUMBER OF PROGRAMS: 7

Shoes and Clothes for Kids

3631 Perkins Ave., Suite 1C, Cleveland | 216-881-7463 | sc4k.org

MISSION & PROGRAMS

Shoes and Clothes for Kids (SC4K) distributed $3.3 million worth of new items to more than 20,000 kids in need in our community in the past year. We also helped almost 4,000 teachers with school supplies and decorations for classrooms. We continue to grow, as does the need for our products.

We have been doing this since 1969, when our founder, Morrie Sayre, got a bunch of buddies together and filled their trunks with store-bought shoes. They prowled the neighborhoods for kids in need. More than 50 years later, SC4K operates with a board of directors, a staff and many volunteers. Our mission remains critical: improve K-8 school attendance by eliminating the lack of appropriate clothing, shoes and school supplies as barriers.

Like every other organization that helps those in our community who need it most, we made sig nificant adjustments to our programs during the COVID-19 pandemic to continue to meet our mis sion under circumstances we could not predict. We

are enormously grateful to our staff, our board, volunteers, distribution partners, teachers and funders who all stepped up to help kids in poverty.

FUNDRAISING

We hold fundraising events including the Aramark Golf Outing, Night at the Shoreby and Socks in the City each year, in addition to being the recipient of the annual Fox8 Stuff the Bus event and the Cleveland Browns 50/50 raffle. We accept monetary donations throughout the year.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

We appreciate monetary donations, brand new (only) donations of school supplies and books. We also appreciate donations of time for those who want to volunteer. Helping kids grow up is very rewarding.

TOP EXECUTIVE: Terence J. Uhl, Executive Director

YEAR FOUNDED: 1969

NUMBER OF PROGRAMS: 2

Hospice of the Western Reserve

MISSION & PROGRAMS

Hospice of the Western Reserve provides palliative and end-of-life care, caregiver support and bereavement services throughout Northern Ohio. In celebration of the individual worth of each life, we strive to relieve suffering, enhance comfort, promote quality of life, foster choice in end-of-life care and support effective grieving. We provide hospice care in our inpatient units as well as home and alternative home settings. Our comprehensive bereavement services include art and music therapy, grief counseling and summer camps for children. We also offer pediatric hospice care and specialized services for veterans and their families.

FUNDRAISING

Hospice of the Western Reserve is a communitybased 501(c)(3) nonprofit hospice, tax ID: 341256377. Your donation is tax-deductible as permitted by law. All funds raised help to support programs not covered by Medicare or Medicaid. This includes pediatric hospice, comprehensive bereavement services, specialized care for veterans and quality-of-life programs.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Visit hospicewr.org/ways-to-give for a list of contribution options. This includes one-time and recurring gifts of support, ways to volunteer, planned memorial giving and more.

TOP EXECUTIVE: William Finn, President and CEO

YEAR FOUNDED: 1978

NUMBER OF PROGRAMS: 10-plus

United Way of Greater Cleveland

MISSION & PROGRAMS

Founded in 1900, United Way of Greater Cleveland is a local, independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting poverty across Greater Cleveland. As the region’s largest private sector investor in health and human services, United Way invests in efforts that address poverty, using a two-pronged approach.

The first prong, the Community Hub for Basic Needs, provides an immediate, coordinated response for people experiencing poverty symptoms. The Hub’s work includes United Way 211, a free, confidential 24/7 service that connects people with essential resources. The second prong, the Impact Institute, creates innovative, long-term solutions that permanently upend poverty’s root causes. Impact Institute initiatives include collaborative partnerships within Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition, Right to Counsel–Cleveland, and FamilySpace. United Way’s work

within both prongs is focused on three community strategies — economic mobility, health pathways and housing stability — which we believe will make the most meaningful impact on people living in poverty.

FUNDRAISING

United Way fundraises in support of its mission through corporate and individual gifts and events. For more information, visit unitedwaycleveland.org.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Create positive change in our community by giving your time, talent and treasure. The commitment and generosity of our donors and volunteers allow United Way to best serve Cuyahoga and Geauga counties.

TOP EXECUTIVE: Sharon Sobol Jordan, President and CEO YEAR FOUNDED: 1900

Building Dreams

The HBA Charitable & Education Foundation and Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana are making wishes come true through the annual A Home for the Holidays raffle.

The experts at Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery are here to help create a home that’s as extraordinary as you are. Any project, any style, any dream—bring your inspiration to Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery. Visit fergusonshowrooms.com to discover more and find your nearest showroom.

Making Wishes Come True

e’re excited to be partnering with the Home Builders Association of Greater Cleveland’s Charitable & Education Foundation (HBACEF) for a third year to give someone the chance to win a new home or cash Thanks to the HBA, generous sponsors and ticket buyers, in the past two years, we’ve been able to grant more than 30 wishes for Northeast Ohio kids with critical illnesses, some of whom you’ll learn more about in the coming pages. According to our 2022 national wish impact study of Make-A-Wish alums, out of 10 wish kids reported that the wish experience relieved out of 10 wish parents saw their child’s emotional well-being out of 10 medical providers say a wish increased compliance out of 10 wish kids reported that their wish gave them the strength

Simply put, a wish can be powerful medicine. We’re grateful for the support of the HBACEF and all its partners. We can’t grant wishes without people like you, and we hope you know how big of a difference you’re making for children in our community.

Stephanie McCormick President & CEO, Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana

A Message From the Mayor

orth Royalton has managed to preserve its quaint, rural feel, despite being minutes from Downtown. The win ner of the HBA A Home for the Holidays raffle will have the chance to become part of this close-knit group of neighbors and call this beautiful community home. Sharing that is a privilege in itself, but this program is about so much more. With ev ery ticket sold, participants have the opportunity to provide a bright spot in the lives of children undergoing the unimaginable — battles children should never have to face. Because of the community’s sup port, these kids are able to take a break from their challenges and experience pure joy — the best kind of medicine. We are honored to be a part of that for the second consecutive year.

Sincerely,

Larry Antoskiewicz Mayor, North Royalton

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REACH FOR THE STARS

Discover how A Home for the Holidays supports HBA’s Charitable & Education Foundation, as well as helps Make-A-Wish OKI grant life-changing wishes to children throughout Northeast Ohio.

by rachel hagenbaugh

The last thing parents expect to hear is that their child has a critical ill ness. One day, their happy-go-lucky youngster is playing in the yard, going to school and spending time with friends. The next day, their world is turned upside down by the diagnosis of a critical illness. This is just the start of a long physical and emo tional roller coaster for thousands of fami lies throughout the country.

Thankfully, a glimmer of hope exists to help provide strength to those who are suf fering. Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky & In diana (OKI) gives children a chance to turn their luck around and make them feel ac knowledged, loved and appreciated.

“Everybody needs the hope of a wish, espe cially with these children and families going through COVID-19 on top of everything else

they’re facing,” says Katie Ferrell, director of marketing and communications at Make-AWish OKI, which grants life-changing wishes for children ages 2-and-a-half to 18 years old. “Make-A-Wish takes a lot of pride in bringing families together and helping them rewrite their narrative after experiencing so much dis appointment, fear and uncertainty.”

This mission touched the hearts of those at the Home Builders Association (HBA) of Greater Cleveland, which in 2020 was look ing for a charitable partner for its new A Home for the Holidays fundraiser.

“We looked at all different charities,” says Brenda Callaghan, HBA’s executive director. “Make-A-Wish is a regional foundation, so we’re able to make wishes come true for kids who live in our own back yards. That was very important to us.”

Makings of Miracles

Now in its third year, HBA’s A Home for the Holidays event is impactful for two reasons — it helps Make-A-Wish fulfill children’s wishes and supports the HBA’s Charitable & Education Foundation, which provides funds for student scholarships and construction trades programs.

“In two short years, we’ve been able to raise funds for workforce development, and it’s moving so fast,” Callaghan says, revealing plans to bring the Home Builders Institute’s (HBI) new Pre-Apprenticeship Certificate Training (PACT) program to the region. “That covers nine trades and is a course that was ap proved in February 2021 by the state of Ohio construction curriculum. We are hoping to introduce it to schools in Northeast Ohio and launch a pilot program within the next year.”

Over the past two years, A Home for the Holidays has raised more than $330,000 for both Make-A-Wish OKI and HBA’s Charita ble & Education Foundation.

“Through the success of the Home for the Holidays raffle, we’ve been able to grant 33 wishes for kids across Northeast Ohio,” Ferrell says. “We keep seeing more and more support, as people realize we’re granting wishes for children right here in the community.”

For the HBA’s Charitable & Education Foundation, the funds mean exposing high school students to the many possibilities that are available to them with a career in the building trades industry. Last year, the HBA led 200 students from Cuyahoga Valley

Career Center on hard hat tours to see homes in various stages of development. Next year, HBA is hoping to host a job fair.

“This is very important because we’re getting students involved in the residential construction process,” Callaghan says, add ing that the goal is to encourage students to not only get involved in the building trades, but also consider owning their own busi ness someday. “I grew up in the construc tion industry and have been around it for 30 years. It’s been great to finally be able to make an impact on the industry.”

Callaghan adds that events like A Home for the Holidays are vital to the success of nonprofit organizations, especially during the past couple of years when many fundrais ing events were canceled due to COVID-19.

“We partnered with Make-A-Wish know ing what those kids were going through during the pandemic,” Callaghan says. “The importance of making those wishes come true hit home for all of us.”

Ferrell agrees, adding that little compares to the feeling of being able to give hope to children who are suffering. Research shows that receiving a wish relieves kids of traumatic stress, improves their emotional

well-being and increases their compliance with treatments. Most importantly, children reveal that it helps give them the strength to fight their critical illness.

“It’s a game changer and brings so much joy to the family to be a part of the process,” Ferrell says. “We’re so grateful to the HBACEF and ev eryone who purchases tickets for the A Home for the Holidays event. We can’t grant wishes alone. It takes a community coming together.”

Royal Treatment

In March 2020, 6-year-old Eva Smith was diagnosed with a rare neurological disease. When Make-A-Wish reached out to find out what the organization could do for her, Eva’s immediate response was a trip to Disney World. Travel restrictions were in place due to the pandemic, but Eva also needed to stay as healthy as possible due to the possibility of participating in a medical trial. Two years later, Eva’s parents found out that the trial was on hold. At the same time, travel restrictions were being lifted, allowing Eva’s wish to be fulfilled.

“It was surreal at that moment and awe some that it was going to happen,” Eva’s dad, Brendan Smith, says. “We were look ing for a way to make memories and share

experiences and figure out how to live life, so it was perfect timing.”

The week before the trip, Eva’s wish grant er surprised her with a party at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo complete with food donat ed by Angelo’s Pizza and volunteers who dressed up as Disney princesses.

“Eva was having the best time,” her dad says, adding that when she found out her wish was being granted, “she lit up, and ev eryone started cheering. You could tell she was so happy and excited. It was a moment where she was just a normal girl loving life.”

In May 2022, Eva, along with her parents and two siblings, left for Florida. Make-AWish took care of all of the travel arrange ments. Upon arrival, Give Kids the World and Disney World took over to provide the family with royal treatment.

“When we showed up, they immediate ly catered to us,” Smith says, adding that in addition to passes to every park, the family also didn’t have to wait in line for rides, was given spending money to buy souvenirs, participated in private meetand-greets with various Disney characters and much more. At Give Kids the World, a magical resort dedicated to serving

Happy Holidays

FROM BRADLEY STONE INDUSTRIES, LTD.

I can’t explain how much it did for us in that moment in time.”

– Brendan Smith

“

children with critical illnesses, the bou tique where kids get makeovers, was closed. So, a volunteer came to the resort’s spa and gave Eva a makeover.

“It was an amazing day, very emotional,” Smith remembers. “At one point, Eva asked if she was a princess, and we said, ‘Yes, to day you are.”

Smith says the entire experience is some thing his family will remember for the rest of their lives.

“I can’t explain how much it did for us in that moment in time,” he says, adding that Eva’s diagnosis has been an overwhelming change that puts stress on the entire fam ily. “It’s a lot for her siblings to deal with, but they never complain about it, which is amazing. They equally deserved this time to make good memories with Eva.”

A Day of Yes

Lisa Lint will never forget the day she found out her 11-year-old daughter, Halle Lint, had leukemia.

“It was a shock, to say the least. The last thing you expect to hear is that your child has cancer, and it’s scary,” Lisa says. “There were days she literally slept all day.”

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Halle, who lives in Broadview Heights, and her parents, spent a lot of time in the hospital. Although the doctors and nurses were amazing, it was still depressing, espe cially in the pediatric intensive care unit. But one thing that lifted their spirits was think ing about what gift Halle would ask Make-AWish to provide.

Halle fondly remembers the day the organi zation granted her wish for a shopping spree. It was the day before her 14th birthday — a day where everything went her way. She could buy whatever she wanted, and there were no needles, wires or ill effects from medication.

“It meant so much — the world — that a day was dedicated to me and not having to deal with problems, and everything was good,” she says. “A shopping spree sounded great because I could buy anything I wanted, and my parents couldn’t say, ‘no.’”

The $4,000 extravaganza started at the I-X Center’s Cleveland Christmas Connec tion event. From there, she visited South park Mall, where she was given a gift basket filled with presents upon arrival. Among her favorite purchases was a pair of sage green Converse, a pair of red Dr. Martens and an oversized pillow cushion from Earthbound

Trading Co. that she’d had her eye on for four years.

“I felt so appreciated and like someone was seeing what I’d been through,” she says. Now, looking back on all that she’s experi enced, Halle focuses on the joy and good memories she had on that day.

“Make-A-Wish provides a bright spot for kids who are in a dark place,” Lisa says. “No child or human being should be in a place like that. But it does restore your faith in hu manity when you see organizations that are bringing that starlight into the world.”

A Galactic Adventure

Jay Pabley, a 10-year-old Shaker Heights res ident, has been a Star Wars fan for his entire life. When he was 3 years old, he was diag nosed with leukemia. During treatments and hours spent at the hospital, Jay, his older sister and their parents bonded over Star Wars, from movies and TV shows to Lego sets.

In 2019, Make-A-Wish contacted Jay to find out what he wanted for his wish. He decided on a trip to the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser, a two-night, live-action adven ture that was to be built in Disney World’s Hollywood Studios in Florida. Then, the

I felt so appreciated and like someone was seeing what I’d been through.”

– Halle

pandemic hit, limiting travel and, potential ly, the destination’s development. Jay’s par ents asked him if he wanted another wish. He said no and patiently waited for the op portunity of a lifetime.

“Make-A-Wish always stayed in commu nication with us about it. In the meantime, they peppered us with treats and things to

keep his spirits up,” Jay’s dad, Keith Pabley, says. “Even if you don’t get what you want right away, the hope that Make-A-Wish brings helps people get through the day.”

In February 2022, Disney called to notify Jay that the hotel was opening, and his fam ily could be among the first to visit it. In ad dition to the immersive, once-in-a-lifetime

The hope that Make-A-Wish brings helps people get through the day.”

– Keith Pabley

experience, Jay and his family also spent sev eral days at Give Kids the World, where they were given passes to visit Disney World’s parks.

“It’s something we never would have been able to do without Make-A-Wish,” he says. “As a family, it was an amazing experi ence and memory that we’ll have forever.”

Jay recalls the day he found out his long-awaited wish was going to be granted.

“I was really excited. I had been waiting for this for almost four years and could final ly do it,” he says, adding that his advice to other children going through what he faced is to “keep waiting and know there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.”

Piece of Paradise

Nothing is impossible. That’s what Megan Rollinson remembers Make-A-Wish OKI telling her 12-year-old son, Fletcher, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor nearly six months before, in July 2019. The Rocky River residents had been experiencing a challenging several months. Megan was in Memphis, Ten nessee, at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospi tal, where Fletcher was receiving treatment for his rare condition. Her husband and daughter stayed home, visiting as often as they could.

“At the time, Fletcher was fixated on the idea of Australia,” she says. “He grew up watching Steve Irwin and loving the Irwin children and had an interest in the Great Barrier Reef and was always a water shark.”

Make-A-Wish OKI had never granted a wish trip to Australia and was very excited

about making this dream come true. Me gan and Fletcher returned home in March 2020, with plans to take the entire family to Australia in December. Then, the pan demic hit. Make-A-Wish asked if there was something else Fletcher wanted, but he was really interested in traveling. In fall 2021, when travel restrictions were lifted in the U.S., Make-A-Wish reached out to see if Fletcher would be interested in going to Hawaii. He was ecstatic and overwhelmed by the prospect of such a generous gift. In spring 2022, Fletcher and his family spent 10 days in Maui.

As part of the trip, Make-A-Wish took care of the family’s flight and hotel stay and ar ranged scuba diving lessons, as well as pro vided them with an allowance to use toward meals and activities. Make-A-Wish also put them in touch with a contact in Maui, who gave them recommendations for restaurants and activities to enjoy during their trip.

“Fletcher’s favorite part about Hawaii was scuba diving. We were able to see sea turtles and fish that were ridiculously beautiful. He loved that,” Megan says, adding that the family took advantage of everything the is land had to offer, from surfing lessons and

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helicopter rides to snorkeling and exploring black sand beaches.

“I thought it brought us a lot closer, and it was really fun to share that experience with my family,” Fletcher says of the trip.

As Megan reflects on what her family has been through, she thinks back to the time she and Fletcher spent brainstorming what he wanted for his wish. That experience gave her son hope and something to dream about.

“When I found out I was going to get a wish, I didn’t really know how it worked. When they told me, I was pretty excited, because there were so many possibilities, but I also was very touched that they chose me,” Fletcher says. “It gave me something to look forward to, be cause there were so many bad, negative things happening at the time that made me sad, and this was something that brightened it.”

“It took the focus off of the hard stuff that was happening, and it really gave him some thing positive to think about and look forward to,” Megan adds. “We were able to look up the wishes of other children and see the breadth of what Make-A-Wish does as an organization. “The work they do is inspiring to so many fam ilies. It’s a way to bring joy to those who are facing some pretty tough times.”

– Fletcher

There were so many bad, negative things happening at the time that made me sad, and this was something that brightened it.”

BUILDERS WITH BIG HEARTS

by rachel hagenbaugh

ABOUT THE HOME

When it comes to celebrat ing the holidays, some of the most special moments manifest from opportunities to give back to those in need. That generos ity is felt throughout Northeast Ohio as hun dreds of people come together to celebrate a new Cleveland tradition and raise funds for causes meaningful to Northeast Ohio.

For the third year in a row, the Home Builders Association of Greater Cleve land’s Charitable & Education Foundation (HBACEF) will be raffling off a home for its A Home for the Holidays event. Proceeds benefit Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky & Indi ana (OKI), which grants life-changing wish es for children with critical illnesses, as well as the HBA’s Charitable & Education Foun dation, an organization that provides funds for student scholarships and construction trades programs.

Last year, A Home for the Holidays sold more than 10,000 tickets and raised more than $150,000 for each charitable

organization. This year, the organization’s goal is to sell 15,000 tickets.

Putting on an event of this magnitude is no easy feat, especially in the middle of a pandemic. Throughout the past two years, builders have faced everything from lumber and supply shortages to appliance and fur niture delays that set projects back by sev eral months. Despite all of this, A Home for the Holidays prevailed.

“I give credit to all of our members for making this event possible,” says Brenda Callaghan, executive director for HBA of Greater Cleveland, adding that each year, about 50 businesses, from vendors to trades people, donate or discount their time, exper tise and materials to build the home that is raffled. Luxury Heating Co. in Elyria, for exam ple, donated labor and materials for this proj ect. The builder, Edgewood Homes, located in North Royalton, donated all of its services.

“Watching our members come togeth er to help build this home showcases how important Make-A-Wish and HBA’s

Charitable & Education Foundation is to the community,” Callaghan says.

This year, knowing the continued strug gles the industry was facing, as well as new challenges, such as concrete shortag es, the HBA started planning for this year’s event early. The result is a spectacularly built and uniquely designed home that will get visitors into the holiday spirit.

“Mike Kandra, of Edgewood Homes, was phenomenal to work with,” Callaghan says. “His team builds a beautiful home.”

Ticket holders who experienced the magnificence of 2021’s A Home for the Holidays event will recognize the area, as this year’s home also is being built in the Pine Hill subdivision in North Royalton.

“It’s conveniently located off of State Road, close to shopping and dining des tinations, and doesn’t come with any homeowner’s association fee,” says Cal laghan. “Plus, it’s on a large lot, so you get a little bit of that country feel because the houses aren’t right on top of each other.”

Custom-built, 2,517-square-foot ranch complete with a walkout basement, three bedrooms, two-and-a-half bathrooms and a three-car garage built in the Pine Hill subdivision in North Royalton by Edgewood Homes.

unique. Outside, the craftsmen-style ranch home combines an array of textures and colors for visual appeal. Inside, the cus tom-built, 2,517-square-foot space fea tures an open-floor plan complete with 10-foot ceilings, three bedrooms, two-anda-half bathrooms, a walkout basement and three-car garage.

Throughout the home, Sheely’s Furniture, a supply store with locations in North Lima and Aurora, once again added their finish ing touches to bring the spaces together.

that after the tours end, people will have the opportunity to purchase the Sheely’s Furniture pieces that appear in the home. Those interested in purchasing tickets for the raffle also will want to be on the look out for special prize packages that will be available. Those who buy a ticket during a specific week will be automatically en tered into a second drawing for a chance to win that week’s prize package.

Pulling into the driveway, you’ll immedi ately want to purchase another raffle ticket to increase your chances of winning this exquisite residence, valued at $669,000. Make no mistake — although this house is located across the street from the one HBA raffled last year — it couldn’t be more

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• Online: HBAHomeForTheHolidays.org

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“They really add a ‘wow’ factor to the house with some very stunning pieces and focal points,” Callaghan says. “Last year, everyone who walked through the home thought it was beautifully furnished.”

This year, Callaghan says one of the exciting new aspects of the raffle will be

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

Tour the Home

• M, T, Th, F, Sat., Sun. - Noon–5 p.m.

• Wed. - Noon–8 p.m.

• Closed: Dec. 24–25 & Dec. 31

• Virtual Tour: HBAHomefortheHolidays.org

Overall, A Home for the Holidays is a win-win for those involved in the event and the organizations it supports.

“We have builders already lined up to build the A Home for the Holidays residence for the next two years,” Callaghan says. “It’s a testament to how much this means to them and the community.”

Winning Ticket

• Chance to win home at 5460 Brookhaven Drive, North Royalton, or a cash prize

• Winner will be drawn on Dec. 31

• Notified by phone and mail

HOUSE OF LIGHTS

Proud Provider of Lighting for Make a Wish! 5818 Mayfield Road (1 Mile West of I-271) Mayfield Heights, OH 440-449-3500 www.houseoflights.biz

Despite all of the challenges with the pandemic, including supply and labor shortages, our members continued to step up.”

– Brenda Callaghan

HOME FOR HOPES AND DREAMS

The sky’s the limit for HBA members involved in the construction and furnishing of this year’s A Home for the Holidays.

by rachel hagenbaugh

Aliving piece of art. That’s how Mike Kandra, owner of Edge wood Homes, describes the houses he builds. Take one glance at this year’s A Home for the Holi days masterpiece, and you’ll understand exactly what he means. From the outside, construction features highlight the grow ing popularity of the craftsman-style ranch home, with subtle nods to the modern farm house. Visual appeal abounds as stone and metal textures seamlessly blend with warm and cool tones, resulting in a home that exemplifies what happens when you let a builder’s creativity run wild. For the A Home for the Holidays house, the sky’s the limit.

“Every house we build is a little different. To be able to create something that’s yours — that you built for someone — is amazing. It’s unique, and we help create that piece of art,” Kandra says, adding that he’s proud that the house the Home Builders Associa tion (HBA) of Greater Cleveland is raffling is once again located in his hometown of North Royalton. “In this case, we pick every thing out with professionals who know the trends and what’s coming up. Everything is very well thought out.”

These days, Kandra says, creating a home design that will appeal to any

homebuyer is all about simple, clean lines. Houses also are becoming more modern in design and style, and this year’s home, located in the Pine Hill subdivision, is just that. Slate gray metal accents, vertical sid ing and black windows and shingles pro vide smooth transitions and contrast to the light tan stucco, gray stone and medium brown columns that draw attention to the home’s front door.

Inside, the 2,517-square-foot open floor plan features 10-foot ceilings, as well as an office, three bedrooms, two-and-a-half bath rooms, a modern tray ceiling in the great room, walkout basement and three-car garage. There’s also a hidden pantry in the kitchen.

“Inside, we will have predominately white walls and black windows, with gold and black light fixtures and light to medium brown cabinetry with some black highlights to them,” Kandra notes. Hardwood floors mirror the warmth of the cabinetry, while the bathrooms bring in more neutral hues with varying gray tones.

The primary suite is located on the op posite side of the house, away from the secondary bedrooms. The en-suite prima ry bath incorporates features that are pop ular with today’s homebuyers, including a double vanity and large walk-in shower.

When it comes to the home office, Kandra says making those spaces more aesthetical ly pleasing is on a lot of homeowners’ wish lists. In this home’s case, the office’s 13-foot ceiling not only helps the room feel more spa cious but also makes the house look bigger from the outside, adding more visual appeal.

A Home for the Holidays

This year, getting an early start to fur nishing the HBA’s A Home for the Holidays made a world of difference in Sheely’s Fur niture’s ability to highlight the reasons the company has been in business for 70 years.

“We’ve had a wonderful opportunity to work more closely with the HBA and the builder on what’s going on step by step,” says Jessica Smith, co-owner of Sheely’s Furniture. “We were able to be really thor ough and intentional with each piece we selected, which is amazing for us because we had time to go through each vendor and select the best piece for each space.”

Like Kandra, Smith welcomed the chal lenge of furnishing a custom home with little direction, and before the home was even built.

“You’re not seeing the fixtures or hardware or cabinetry or any of that,” she says. “We just took the vibe that was given to us with the rendering and worked with the builder in hopes that he had a similar mindset.”

Having worked together to bring last year’s home to fruition, Smith says she’s al ways been fond of Edgewood Homes’ work, and this year’s home was no exception.

“There are a lot of different textural de tails and navy, blacks and neutral colors, likes gray and cream tones,” Smith says. “It’s really pretty.”

Smith also boasts about the home’s lo cation in a cul-de-sac in a safe area with a great school district and a lot of opportuni ties for growth.

“North Royalton is growing, and it’s upand-coming,” she says, adding that the collaboration and materials donated by var ious vendors, as well as the builder, is one of the most unique aspects of the home. “It speaks to the dedication of not only the builder, but other vendors — that they’re willing to build this home in such a beautiful area and make it such a wonderful home to raise as much money as possible.”

In terms of the direction Smith’s team took with the furnishings, picture yourself nestled by the fire in a modern lodge in Aspen, Colorado.

“Streamlined and simplistic, but beautiful — we’re using a lot of natural elements and mixed wood tones, along with a lot of tex ture — different furs and velvets and linens to give it that warm feel that you just want to cozy up with a warm cup of tea,” Smith says. “It still has some natural elements as far as knotty pine furniture pieces, but the overall style is more vintage than farmhouse rustic.”

With its warm tones and textural variety, it’s something everyone will like. “It’s more transitional and timeless,” Smith says. “We’re mixing a lot of different and unique pieces, but they are still super classic and simple when it comes to design.”

The approach is something Smith rec ommends for all homeowners — find beau tiful, transitional pieces that you’ll use for 20 to 30 years and sprinkle in a couple of unique elements that are trendier.

This year’s showstoppers? The over sized, statement art pieces that reflect a vintage landscape vibe located through out the home, including the great room and hallway.

“Last year, we did a botany wall in the great room that you saw as soon as you

entered the home through the garage. There were nine pieces on either side of the fireplace,” she says. “This year, we’re including something similar in effect that takes your breath away.”

When it comes to maintaining that holi day impression, Smith says visitors will feel the spirit of the season but shouldn’t antici pate the traditional vibrant greens and reds. Instead, rust, mahogany, evergreen — mut ed versions of the Christmas classics — will reign supreme.

Community Coming Together

Since Smith’s grandfather founded Sheely’s Furniture in 1952, the company has always felt a strong sense of commu nity and dedication to supporting char itable programs that positively impact Northeast Ohio.

“We have been around for 70 years, and we’re such a huge part of the community where we were founded in North Lima,” she says. “We want to be as much a part of the community in the Cleveland market and let

everyone know who we are, what we repre sent and what they can expect from us when they come into one of our showrooms and buy from us. We’re local and family owned and operated. That means something to us.”

And it’s why giving back to the commu nity and participating in events such as the A Home for the Holidays fundraiser are so important to Sheely’s.

“Being able to help present a kid with a wish is priceless,” Smith says. “You don’t get the opportunity to be involved in

something like that too often. We’re hon ored to be a part of it.”

Beyond supporting Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana, A Home for the Holi days also provides funds to HBA’s Charita ble & Education Foundation, which, during the past two years, has focused its efforts on workforce development and bringing new opportunities to high school students in Northeast Ohio who are interested in a career in the building trades.

“Being a part of the homebuilding in dustry, there are a lot of moving parts, and the shortage of workers is a huge problem,” Kandra says. “We are doing our part to get kids involved in the trades and realize there’s another career path where they can be successful.”

Smith echoes that sentiment. She grew up running around her grandfather’s store dusting furniture and washing trucks. Four years ago, she became one of the co-own ers at Sheely’s Furniture.

“These are not summer jobs or jobs that are steppingstones to something else,” she says. “They are careers that people can do for the rest of their lives and have wonder ful, prosperous outcomes from it.”

WORKING TOGETHER

Avon, Ohio, is a great place to live, work, play and raise our families. As president of the North Coast Chamber of Commerce, I am proud to serve the Avon businesses in our wonderful city. Our members work hard every day to provide high-quality products and services to serve the residents of Avon and beyond. On the following pages, meet some of the diverse businesses, people and organizations making a positive impact in our community. If you have or are planning on starting a business and are not a chamber member yet, I invite you to visit northcoastchamber.com and join us for an event. You’ll be glad you did.

Members came out en masse to support the North Coast Chamber of

Commerce golf outing fundraising event for college scholarships. We were able to add another $4,500 to the more than $125,000 the North Coast Chamber has already awarded.

The North Coast Chamber of Commerce is thrilled to bring you this edition of the Avon Community Guide. The North Coast Chamber is a founding member of the Power of MORE chambers of commerce. The Power of MORE is a consortium of nine local area chambers of commerce dedicated to growing businesses and creating jobs.

The North Coast Chamber would like to thank our members for their continued support and dedication to continue to make Avon a destination community.

Sincerely, Jerry Cline President, North Coast Chamber of Commerce

North Coast Chamber of Commerce P.O. Box 275, Avon Lake 440-933-9311 northcoastchamber.com

Pictured on Cover: X-Golf Play, Train, Entertain by Laura Watilo Blake

from the chamber president

BY LINDA FEAGLER

AUTOMOTIVE

RAY’S AUTO & TRUCK SERVICE

Business at Ray’s Auto & Truck Service is truly a family affair. Avon residents Ray and Jeanne Gilles launched the business in their garage in 1979 before finally opening an independent shop in 1988. Although the couple’s son, Mike, and his wife, Cathy, are an integral part of the operation, Ray, who celebrated his 80th birthday in November, still puts in more than 60-hour workweeks doing what he loves.

Through the years, the family’s business has blossomed, specializing in providing auto and truck repairs for residential and commercial customers, fixing a range of vehicles that include cars, vans, trucks, semi-trucks, buses, emergency vehicles and generators, as well as heavy equipment.

Longtime Avon residents, the Gilles family enjoys participating in all facets of community life.

“We’ve been able to keep a very strong customer base,” says Cathy Gilles, the com pany’s corporate treasurer and co-owner. “We have forged relationships with other business owners over the decades, where they count on us for vehicle repairs and we purchase goods and services from them. It’s a support system that goes both ways.”

Cathy is grateful for the connections she’s made through her membership in the North Coast Chamber of Commerce.

“The organization provides great network ing opportunities with business owners in surrounding communities,” she says, “which makes businesses grow a little further.”

Ray, a former North Coast Chamber of Commerce president, is a board member and chairs the scholarship committee, and his daughter-in-law is an active participant. The group works with local schools to select students eligible to receive annual awards.

Ray’s

Auto & Truck Service

Discover 12 businesses that provide a variety of critical services to those who live, work and play in Avon and beyond.

SUCCESS DRIVE TO

MARK WAHLBERG CHEVROLET OF AVON

When actor and entrepreneur Mark Wahlberg and his business partner, Jay Feldman, were looking to add another car dealership to their enterprise, the duo knew Avon would not disappoint. The dealership, which opened under new man agement in 2021, is a full-service business, specializing in sales of new and preowned vehicles and repairs ranging from general maintenance to engine overhauls.

“We’ve got good visibility from the highway,” says Rick Limbers, general manager of the dealership and executive officer for the Wahlberg Group. “Not to mention the fact that the city and sur

rounding towns are growing. That’s why we purchased the store.”

The dealership is also dedicated to giv ing back to the community by supporting high school athletic events in Avon and North Ridgeville.

“Other business owners we’ve met have been very welcoming and share our philosophy of community involvement,” Limbers says. “I think that’s huge.”

Mark Wahlberg Chevrolet of Avon 37995 Chester Road, Avon 440-965-6643 markwahlbergchevyavon.com

EDUCATION

LORAIN COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Whether it’s giving students the tools they need to earn the degree that leads to landing a dream job or transitioning into a brand-new vocation, Lorain County Com munity College (LCCC) is a leader when it comes to ensuring a promising future.

“We are the community’s college,” says Tracy Green, LCCC’s vice president of strategic and institutional development. “As a community college, we’re responsive to both the needs and aspirations of our com munity. Education and workforce develop ment is primarily at the center of what we do. But we’re also committed to economic, community and cultural development.”

As a proud board member of the North Coast Chamber of Commerce, Green is impressed by the organization’s outreach efforts, which has led to a strong network of members who are ready to promote all that the region offers, as well as the services available to help companies grow and attract new markets.

Lorain County Community College is a crucial piece of the puzzle. Green and her

team are dedicated to learning about and solving workforce development issues to help businesses remain competitive.

“We’re not only responsive but proac tive,” she says. “Our partnership with communities, including Avon, is so im portant. It allows us to be at the table to make sure we’re providing the talent they need to stay competitive.”

Lorain County Community College 1005 N. Abbe Road, Elyria 440-365-5222 lorainccc.edu

COURTESY MARK WAHLBERG CHEVROLET OF AVON / LCCC: RON JANNTZ

HEALTH CARE

FITNESS CENTER AT UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS AVON HEALTH CENTER

Since it opened in 1999, families in Avon and surrounding communities have come to rely on Fitness Center at Univer sity Hospitals (UH) Avon Health Center for a range of services that include lab testing, diagnostic imaging and radiology, comprehensive women’s health care and fully staffed, state-of-the-art urgent care.

But as Brad Calabrese, UH Avon Health Center’s general manager explains, there’s so much more patients and residents are amazed they can take advantage of — namely, 140 pieces of state-of-the-art fitness equipment, more than 75 weekly group exercise classes for every fitness level, an indoor/outdoor running track, lap swimming pool, hot tubs, a basketball court and day spa.

“There’s this common misconception many people driving along Interstate 90 have that we’re strictly a clinical hospital when they see the UH name,” Calabrese says. “Our mission is to not just treat the sick, but get them well and keep them well and, should they need additional services,

be able to provide a continuum of care. As a result, we’re one of the first medically based wellness centers in Greater Cleveland. We want everyone to know that the entire facility is open to everyone, and there are no long-term contracts to sign to become a member.”

The North Coast Chamber of Commerce has been at the forefront of letting commu nities know about all the UH Avon Health Center offers.

“It’s great to have a relationship with the chamber,” Calabrese says. “It was one of the first chambers to put on an in-person event a year or so ago, even during the pandemic. You can only do so much in this virtual world, and it’s wonderful to work with them to be able to see, touch and feel what everyone has to offer.”

Fitness Center at University Hospitals Avon Health Center 1997 Healthway Drive, Avon 440-988-6801 uhhospitals.org/fitness

CLEVELAND CLINIC AVON HOSPITAL AT RICHARD E. JACOBS HEALTH CAMPUS

No matter the health care need, Cleveland Clinic Avon Hospital is ready to help. The five-story center attached to the Richard E. Jacobs Health Center outpatient facility opened in 2016 and has 126 inpatient beds, including a 12-bed intensive care unit, a 10bed step-down unit and 20-bed observation unit. The Avon Hospital has six operating rooms, a cardiac catheterization lab and a 24/7 emergency department, as well as outpatient imaging and services.

“We’re dedicated to providing compre hensive care to patients in Lorain County, western Cuyahoga County and other nearby counties,” says Avon Hospital President Re becca Starck, M.D. “Avon Hospital is part of a very system-oriented practice model where we can link patients seamlessly be tween outpatient care and inpatient care so they don’t run the risk of not knowing their own medical or surgical history. Our Avon location repeats the great care Cleveland Clinic is known for, but closer to home.”

“The fact that it’s an easy drive right off the highway,” she adds, “was a key feature

as to why Avon made sense for us.”

Starck applauds the success the North Coast Chamber of Commerce has with bringing businesses together to focus on community needs. She meets monthly with members to discuss how to break employ ment and workforce development barriers and works closely with Lorain County Com munity College’s nursing program.

“The North Coast Chamber of Com merce and Cleveland Clinic are all about col laboration in the community,” Starck says.

“And it’s not just business. We want Avon and surrounding communities to be the healthiest in terms of health care, good nutri tion, access to jobs and economic growth. We partner with various agencies throughout our community to make that happen.”

Cleveland Clinic Avon Hospital 33300 Cleveland Clinic Blvd., Avon 440-695-5000 myclevelandclinic.org

Starck, M.D.

Find Your

Success! Success!

lcjvs.com

Tori Barbee Early Childhood Education senior from Avon

Rebecca

HEALTH CARE

EYE CENTER OF AVON

We count on our sight to provide a clear picture of the world around us, and Eye Center of Avon is dedicated to ensuring that view is the best it can be.

“There are so many diseases that can affect the eye,” says Mary Becka, practice administrator for the company’s five of fices, including the one in Avon, which opened in 2020. “We’re a comprehensive surgical eye care practice that offers services ranging from basic eye exams to treatments for complex issues that are the result of diabetes and age-related macular degeneration. The center’s optical shop helps patients select the eyeglasses that are right for them.”

The Avon location in the city’s health and wellness building is the company’s newest. When Becka and her team scouted around for an additional site, it didn’t take long to realize Avon was a perfect fit.

“Avon has shown such growth over the last few years,” she says. “When we had the opportunity to be part of the health and wellness complex, we jumped at the chance. The office space is phenomenal.”

Becka is also impressed with the fore thought civic leaders have given in develop ing the business corridor along the highway to ensure it doesn’t encroach on residential areas. She marvels at the camaraderie North Coast Chamber of Commerce members ex tend to one another even though their busi nesses are located in neighboring towns.

“I worked on the East Side for many years, and I was always a member of a variety of chambers, but they were just individual city chambers,” Becka says. “To come here and see how members of the North Coast Chamber work together for the good of everyone is a wonderful thing to see and participate in.”

Eye Center of Avon 38530 Chester Road, Suite 200, Avon 440-787-2067 fairvieweyecenter.com

Carla M. Krebs, M.D. Theodore E. Loizos, M.D.

MICHAEL L. MCCRAY, IRIS IMAGING

DURACLEAN RESTORATION & CLEANING SERVICES

Since 1975, Duraclean Restoration & Cleaning Services has been making a clean sweep of footprints and fingerprints left behind on carpeting, flooring and upholstery throughout Lorain County and Northeast Ohio.

“We clean just about any fabric and any type of surface flooring in homes and businesses,” says company president Todd Wearsch.

Duraclean’s team of trained and tested technicians also have the knowhow to handle fire, water and smoke damage restoration, provide odor removal and

remediation services and offer their customers climate-controlled warehouse storage for contents and property during reconstruction projects.

When it came time to expand the firm in 2008, Wearsch didn’t have to think twice about location.

“I was born and raised in Avon. I still live there and wanted to be close to home,” Wearsch says. “For me, that was the ideal location to make a permanent footprint.”

As a board of trustee member and incom ing president of the North Coast Chamber of Commerce, he’s ready to continue the

organization’s success in making Avon a thriving, growing community.

“Clearly, the city has a lot to offer,” Wearsch says. “Avon is one of the few small cities that has four exits off Interstate 90. The fact that businesses band together to really support each other is quite an accomplishment.”

Duraclean Restoration & Cleaning Services

1264 Lear Industrial Pkwy., Avon 440-937-5900 duracleanohio.com

WEST 34970 Detroit Rd., Avon 440.899.1957 RIVER 19025 Old Lake Rd., Rocky River 440.333.7994

WEST 34970 Detroit Rd., Avon 440.899.1957 RIVER 19025 Old Lake Rd., Rocky River 440.333.7994

STEWART’S TV & APPLIANCE

Mention Stewart’s TV & Appliance and old-fashioned dedication to customer service and quality come to mind. Although Elyria has changed throughout the years, Stewart’s Appliance has become an iconic landmark, occupying the same Cleveland Street location where Dick Stewart officially launched his enterprise in 1950.

“My dad [Dick] really started the business in 1946, when he began repairing radios

in my grandparents’ basement that people would bring over,” says company president Ed Stewart. “Four years later, he decided to open a store.”

In addition to television sets, Stewart’s has added kitchen appliances, washers and dryers, freezers and outdoor grills to the store’s inventory.

“My dad taught me that it’s easier to get people to come to you than you having to go to them by opening other locations,” he says. “So we’ve made Stewart’s a destina

tion that draws customers from all over Lo rain County, as well as western Cuyahoga, Medina, Huron and Erie counties.

But, Stewart adds, it’s not just the vast array of appliances the store showcases that draws clientele.

“Our calling card on the appliance side is our service department,” he says. “Custom ers can count on us to be there when they need us.”

As a local business owner, Stewart is grateful for the support he receives from

Homestead: (440) 329-5222

J.

CRAIG SNODGRASS, CPA, CGFM

J. CRAIG SNODGRASS, CPA, CGFM

Lorain County Auditor

Lorain County Auditor

226 Middle Avenue, 2nd Floor • Elyria, OH 44035

226 Middle Avenue, 2nd Floor•Elyria, OH 44035

General: (440) 329-5207

General: (440) 329-5207

Auditor Snodgrass: (440) 329-5170 Appraisal: (440) 329-5488 Board of Revision: (440) 329-5269 CAUV: (440) 329-5485

Auditor Snodgrass: (440) 329-5170 Appraisal: (440) 329-5488 Board of Revision: (440) 329-5374 CAUV: (440) 329-5485

Homestead: (440) 329-5222

Tax Exemption: (440) 329-5739

Tax Exemption: (440) 329-5739

License: Dog, Vendor, Junk Yard and Cigarette: (440) 329-5217

Real Estate: (440) 329-5212

Licenses: Dog, Vendor, Junk Yard and Cigarette (440) 329-5717 Real Estate: (440) 329-5212 Special Assessments: (440) 329-5210

Special Assessments: (440) 329-5210

Tax Map: (440) 329-5757

Tax Map: (440) 329-5272

Owner Occupancy: (440) 329-5203 Weights and Measures: (440) 329-5151

Owner Occupancy: (440 329-5203 Weights and Measure: (40) 329-5657

www.loraincounty.com/auditor • auditor@loraincounty.com

www.loraincounty.com/auditor•auditor@loraincounty.com

Serving the communities of Avon and Avon Lake for over 30 years. We provide basic needs assistance and individualized resource and referral services. We do this through our on-site food pantry and through financial assistance for rent, medical expenses, utilities, car repairs and other emergency expenses.

Serving the communities of Avon and Avon Lake for over 30 years. We provide basic needs assistance and individualized resource and referral services. We do this through our on-site food pantry and through financial assistance for rent, medical expenses, utilities, car repairs and other emergency expenses.

Serving the communities of Avon and Avon Lake for over 30 years. We provide basic needs assistance and individualized resource and referral services. We do this through our on-site food pantry and through financial assistance for rent, medical expenses, utilities, car repairs and other emergency expenses.

Serving the communities of Avon and Avon Lake for over 30 years. We provide basic needs assistance and individualized resource and referral services. We do this through our on-site food pantry and through financial assistance for rent, medical expenses, utilities, car repairs and other emergency expenses.

Serving the communities of Avon and Avon Lake for over 30 years. We provide basic needs assistance and individualized resource and referral services. We do this through our on-site food pantry and through financial assistance for rent, medical expenses, utilities, car repairs and other emergency expenses.

Serving the communities of Avon and Avon Lake for over 30 years. We provide basic needs assistance and individualized resource and referral services. We do this through our on-site food pantry and through financial assistance for rent, medical expenses, utilities, car repairs and other emergency expenses.

Serving the communities of Avon and Avon Lake for over 30 years. We provide basic needs assistance and individualized resource and referral services. We do this through our on-site food pantry and through financial assistance for rent, medical expenses, utilities, car repairs and other emergency expenses.

Serving the communities of Avon and Avon Lake for over 30 years. We provide basic needs assistance and individualized resource and referral services. We do this through our on-site food pantry and through financial assistance for rent, medical expenses, utilities, car repairs and other emergency expenses.

33479 Lake Road, Suite C, Avon Lake, OH 44012 www.aalcrs.org | (440) 933-5639

33479 Lake Road, Suite C, Avon Lake, OH 44012 www.aalcrs.org | (440) 933-5639

33479 Lake Road, Suite C, Avon Lake, OH 44012 www.aalcrs.org | (440) 933-5639

33479 Lake Road, Suite C, Avon Lake, OH 44012 www.aalcrs.org | (440) 933-5639

33479 Lake Road, Suite C, Avon Lake, OH 44012 www.aalcrs.org | (440) 933-5639

the business community and the relation ships he’s formed through North Coast Chamber of Commerce events.

“There are many new people moving into the area who are familiar with the big-box stores because they’re everywhere, but not familiar with many of the small businesses who call this area home,” Stewart says. “Independent business owners like me have to shout as loud as we can to let them know we’re here. The chamber helps us get the word out.” Stewart’s

STACK HEATING, COOLING, PLUMBING & ELECTRIC

We can all relate to the moment when a major operating system goes on the fritz, and panic sets in. Brian Stack, president of Stack Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electric, understands that angst.

“My parents, Andy and Sandy Stack, founded the business in 1976 out of our home in Lakewood,” says Stack. “My dad became known for his expertise in fixing the steam and hot water heating systems many of the older homes in the area had.”

The business grew through the years and after being headquartered in several locations, the family, which also includes Stack’s two brothers and sister, moved the 68-employee company to Avon in 1997. The full-service firm specializes in HVAC, plumbing and electrical maintenance, repair and replacement in residential and light-commercial buildings.

“My parents built a house in Avon in 1995, and we could see the growth poten tial the area had,” Stack says. “We looked at the future and knew Avon would be a great spot for our company to grow. It’s also the ideal midway point between Lake

wood, Rocky River and points west, where most of our customers are located.”

Stack values the fact that despite the city’s growth, Avon has maintained a small-town ambiance.

“Businesses work together to promote the city and support each other,” he says. “I find the networking opportunities particularly valuable because they are an ideal way to get to know each other, build relationships and exchange ideas.”

SPECIAL EVENTS

TOM’S COUNTRY PLACE

Bill Hricovec’s voice is filled with pride as he describes how Tom’s Country Place came to be. His grandparents, Tom and Mary Hricovec, were farmers looking for a new opportunity when they decided to build a party center on Stoney Ridge Road, a street that was considered to be practically in the middle of nowhere back in 1959.

“People told them they were nuts,” Hricovec says, “and that no one would come all the way out here to host special events. But my grand parents had the foresight to predict what this area would become.”

Now, 63 years later, Tom’s Country Place has become the iconic center for generations of celebrations that range from wedding recep tions to baby showers and special anniversaries to occasions commemorating the memory of a life that had been well lived.

Tom’s grandson, Bill, now the third-gener ation owner and president of Tom’s Country Place, has seen the business blossom from

hosting on-site events to providing off-site catering services.

Much of that success is due to the network ing opportunities the North Coast Chamber of Commerce provides.

“The chamber is a great way to connect with people who can help spread the word about your business,” he says.

Hricovec, a member of the North Coast Chamber of Commerce board of directors, helps select the trio of scholarships awarded to graduating seniors in the Avon, Avon Lake and Sheffield-Sheffield Lake school systems who display positive character, leadership skills, academic excellence, community involvement, past or present work experience and future aspiration. To be eligible, students must also be pursuing a full-time course of study at a college, university or vocational or technical school.

“We’re always looking for students who have an entrepreneurial spirit, but maybe had some bad luck along the way and need a bit of help,” he says. “That’s what we’re all about.”

Tom’s Country Place

3442 Stoney Ridge Road, Avon 440-934-4553 tomscountryplace.com

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RECREATION

X-GOLF PLAY, TRAIN, ENTERTAIN

Regardless of the weather, golfers of all skill levels can stay on top of their game at X-Golf Play, Train, Entertain, home to the “most innovative and accurate golf simula tor experience in the world.” The venue’s technology measures not only the motion vector of the golf ball, but also the path, angle, trajectory and velocity — thus repli cating the flight of the ball on real grass. The business features a driving range and nine simulators designed to help enthusiasts of the sport hone their technique by playing on 55 courses around the world.

“We offer a nice variety of playing op tions, which people really appreciate,” says Tim Smith, X-Golf’s general manager and head golf professional, adding that since the business opened in January, he’s given more than 700 lessons.

X-Golf also staffs a small retail shop with polo shirts, hats and gloves; and features a full bar that also serves shareable dishes including chicken tenders, french fries and chips and salsa. This fall, Smith launched a series of golf leagues, which he predicts will continue in the winter and spring. The GM appreciates the fact that since the venue is located in Avon Commons, it attracts shoppers at other estab lishments who stop by to take a look.

“You wouldn’t believe how many people I see going into Heinen’s next door who come in to ask, ‘What is this place?’ and want more information,” Smith says. “Some people are golfers who say, ‘Oh, this is awesome. Next

time I have my golf clubs in the car, I’ll stop and play.’ And someone who’s not a golfer will say, ‘My husband would love this,’ or ‘My son is just getting into golf, and I’d love to bring him here and have him play on your simulators.’ Others decide to make a fun night out of it by coming in, ordering drinks and food, and playing for a couple of hours.”

Smith also credits the North Coast Chamber of Commerce with promoting his business.

“The chamber’s partnership with Power of MORE has been very helpful, making sure we’ve met a lot of great people with dif ferent companies,” he says. “I’ve attended a number of corporate networking events and hosted several, which has definitely helped bring more business to the store.”

“The chamber,” Smith adds, “is com prised of good people dedicated to helping each other out.”

X-Golf Play, Train, Entertain 35948 Detroit Road, Avon 440-937-8026 playxgolf.com

LAURA WATILO BLAKE

Tim Smith

RIDGE CLEANERS

In today’s wash-and-wear world, Ridge Cleaners remains at the forefront of keeping folks looking good.

“So many things have changed in regard to business wear, but for us, the quality of service we provide remains the same,” says Ridge Clean ers president and owner Lisa Sebastian, whose parents, John and Sandy Sebastian, purchased the business in 1987. “It’s been very interesting to see men and women adapt to business casual, a style that is much more colorful and vibrant.”

In addition to eco-friendly dry-cleaning, resi dents in neighboring communities also rely on Ridge Cleaners for full-service alterations and tailoring, wedding gown cleaning and preserva tion and wash-dry-fold laundry services.

Sebastian is grateful to be the second gen eration at the helm of the company’s three locations in Avon Lake, Amherst and North Ridgeville, as well as a pick-up-and-delivery service encompassing Lorain County and western Cuyahoga County. A member of the North Coast Chamber of Commerce, she ap preciates the support that local residents and chamber members have given Ridge Cleaners, helping to spread the word about the services the company offers.

“Like most small businesses, we have good relationships with our customers and serve multiple generations as young people become ready to dress for success in their work envi ronment,” Sebastian says. “We’ve found it to be such a blessing to be part of the North Coast Chamber of Commerce and appreciate the relationships we’ve built through network ing events and the way members support each other. The chamber’s leadership has been amazing when it comes to reaching out and keeping us in the loop about topics that might be of interest to our specific business.”

Lisa Sebastian

Cleveland is filled with interesting and impactful companies that make life better for those who live and work here. Behind the company names are people who are passionate, creative and represent the very best of what our city has to offer. Inside this publication, you will see some of the fantastic faces who run everything from a podcast powerhouse, an unforgettable restaurant, a booming facial cosmetic practice, and an auto wash and detailing business that keeps growing and inventing new ways to serve you. We hope you enjoy this creative look at the people who have put their stake in the ground in our city, who believe in the very best service, and those you should consider calling first when you need an absolute expert in their field. Publisher, Cleveland Magazine MGM NORTHFIELD PARK PG. 146 CLE SMILES PG. 148

THE FACE OF

WINNING

–––YANINA DE VARGAS

MGM Northfield Park

Yanina de Vargas, vice president of finance at MGM Northfield Park, has found that the dedication of the entire team has been the reason for the property’s success. MGM Northfield Park has led the Ohio gaming market year after year and month after month.

“The invaluable efforts of every team member — their hard work, friendliness, attention to detail and outstanding guest service — make our unique and special property stand out from our competitors,” de Vargas says. “Every single interaction with our guests is approached with such dedication and passion. I couldn’t be prouder of our team at this property!”

MGM Northfield Park is located on the Northfield Park harness racing grounds, which offers live harness racing year round. The racino offers nearly 1,700 gaming devices, dining options such as Kosar’s Wood-Fired Grill and TAP Sports Bar and unparalleled live music and comedy events at Center Stage, a concertstyle music venue.

10777 Northfield Road, Northfield, 330-908-7625, mgmnorthfieldpark.com

Facebook Tag: MGM Northfield Park

THE FACE OF COSMETIC DENTISTRY

–––DR. NIKI COCHRAN

CLE Smiles by Dr. Niki

Dr. Niki Cochran has created thousands of sparkling smiles for more than 20 years practicing dentistry. Proudly serving Northeast Ohio, Dr. Niki treats her patients with attentive compassion, combining artistry with the science of comprehensive and cosmetic dentistry. Always investing in new technology, she is able to do a complete crown on your lunch hour and discuss any other dental enhancements you desire. CLE Smiles’ priority is to deliver a painless procedure from start to finish. Whether it is a single tooth repair or a complete smile makeover, Dr. Niki is here for you. CLE Smiles looks forward to meeting you soon.

15901 Hilliard Road, Lakewood, 216-226-3800, drnikicochran.com Facebook and Instagram Tag: CLE Smiles by Dr. Niki

THE FACES OF ROOFING

–––CHRIS AND MIKE KAMIS

Absolute Roofing and Construction Brothers Mike and Chris Kamis have been leaders for positive change in the roofing industry in Northeast Ohio, constantly promoting professionalism, integrity and quality workmanship. With combined industry experience of more than 50 years, they have the knowledge to handle all types of roofing and related projects, including shingles, slate, tile, flat roofs, gutters, skylights, copper work and gutter guards. As one of only four Owens Corning Roofing platinum roofing contractors in the area, Absolute services all types of residential and commercial roofing, but also regularly handles slate and tile roofing, copper work and historic restoration of roofing and buildings. Absolute is a longtime member of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry and the Better Business Bureau with an A-plus rating. Absolute Roofing offers free estimates on all of the work that it performs and services your needs year-round. 12301 Sprecher Ave., Cleveland, 216-898-1563, absoluteroofing.com

DAVID SCHWARTZ

THE FACES OF THE ULTIMATE DINING EXPERIENCE

DAWN CORSO, RICK BENNETT AND KATHLEEN DANGELO

Sapphire Creek Winery & Gardens

Come see and experience nature’s beauty in harmony with Sapphire Creek Winery’s inviting space. Intentionally designed to be integrated with nature, every season is beautiful. The experienced Sapphire Creek Winery team brings their diverse knowledge base together to create an unrivaled guest experience with exceptional food and wine, unparalleled service and a beautiful space. Plan your wedding or corporate/private event with us, or simply enjoy our dining experience.

16965 Park Circle Dr., Chagrin falls, 440-543-7777, sapphire-creek.com

THE FACE OF CBD

MEREDITH FARROW

Clean Remedies

Clean Remedies is a CBD manufacturer with a mission to have “A Healthy Body and Mind Powered by Nature.”

As one of the largest non-publicly traded hemp/CBD brands, Clean Remedies consis tently delivers quality natural products to hundreds of stores and medical professionals across the country, along with serving e-commerce clients who purchase or subscribe.

With a wide variety of USDA-certified organic and natural products, including tinc tures, gummies, chocolates, candies, drink mixes, muscle creams, beauty products and hemp flower, it’s easy to find a product to start or enhance any CBD routine.

Clean Remedies takes pride in being woman owned, family operated and local. Find us online or visit us in person to talk to one of our expert team members.

1431 Lear Industrial Parkway, Avon, 216-777-3133, cleanremedies.com

Facebook Tag: Clean Remedies

THE FACE OF FACIAL COSMETIC & RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY

DR. DIANA PONSKY

Ponsky Facial Plastic Surgery

The face behind many of Cleveland’s most beautiful faces, Dr. Diana Ponsky is recognized for her surgical skills and superior results. Her expertise comes from years of experience creating natural, beautiful faces, instilling confidence by desired results. Dr. Ponsky is a double board-certified facial plastic surgeon, one of only a handful of women in Ohio. Believing natural beauty is always in style, she focuses on the nose, face and neck, providing customized planning and follow-up to be sure each client is satisfied. Dr. Ponsky has won many awards, including Cleveland’s Best Doctors and the peer-nominated Castle Connolly Top Doctors award.

3700 Park East Dr., Suite 160, Beachwood, 216-508-4055, drdianaponsky.com

THE FACES OF ACCOUNTING

ANTONIO GOLSTON, DANIELLE KIMMELL AND CHUCK MULLEN

Apple Growth Partners

Apple Growth Partners’ (AGP) mission is “championing the Healthy Growth® of our people, our clients and our communities through authenticity, worldclass service and taking care of each other.” As an award-winning accounting and business advisory firm, AGP has been delivering creative solutions for healthy, sustainable growth in privately held businesses for 79 years. AGP offers a full range of services, including tax planning and compliance, audit and assurance, business valuation, litigation consulting, employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs), fraud prevention and detection and transaction advisory. AGP’s professionals can choose where they work best — in office, remote or hybrid.

25550 Chagrin Blvd., Ste. 401, Beachwood, OH. 44122

THE FACE

OF BUSINESS ADVOCACY AND GROWTH

CINDY HOLZHEIMER, IOM, CAE

Northern Ohio Area Chambers of Commerce (NOACC)

Cindy Holzheimer, IOM, CAE, and her team at NOACC offer high-quality costsavings programs to 132 chambers of commerce across Northern Ohio. These programs save local businesses thousands of dollars in the form of group health insurance savings, credit card processing discounts, energy savings and much more. NOACC also provides exceptional professional and organizational development to chamber professionals. NOACC prides itself on helping businesses save money and chambers grow their organizations, providing a win-win for everyone. As a member of prestigious organizations such as the U.S. Chamber, ACCE, ASAE, Ohio Chamber of Commerce and partnerships with over 10 local vendors, NOACC offers its member chambers and the business community the best services and programs available. P.O. Box 3230, Cuyahoga Falls, 216-447-9900, noacc.org

THE FACE OF HEALTH ADVOCACY

PATTY STARR

Health Action Council

Does your office have a sincere focus on mental and physical well-being, proactive strategies to encourage overall health and identifying and remedying disparities in health care? Patty Starr may have had a hand in it. As CEO of Health Action Council, she works to improve the relationship between business and health by spearheading programs and services that approach health challenges in new ways and by bringing stakeholders together in partnership for their mutual benefit.

Patty will never accept that there is not a solution. She knows that happy and healthier workplaces create more productivity and, more importantly, more longevity with employees. Every day, her mission is to advocate and implement positive change in employee benefits and the health care delivery system.

6133 Rockside Road, Suite 210, Independence, 216-328-2200, healthactioncouncil.org

THE FACES OF A PODCAST POWERHOUSE

Evergreen Podcasts

Evergreen Podcasts is an emerging growth media company headquartered near Downtown Cleveland. The company was founded in 2017. Evergreen will manage over 190 podcasts and nearly 15,000,000 downloads by the end of 2022. The company has grown from its original three employees to 25 full-time employees and an additional 30 contractors all working together to produce award-winning content that has been downloaded in more than 200 countries.

2644 St. Clair Ave., Cleveland, evergreenpodcasts.com

Facebook Tag: StreamEvergreen

DAVE DOUGLAS, BRIGID COYNE, JULIE HOLIDAY, GERARDO ORLANDO, DAVID ALLEN MOSS, LUKE GIBBONS, MICHAEL DEALOIA AND DOUG “DRAMA” BAILEY

THE FACES OF VIBRANT SENIOR LIVING

RICK MARON, CATHY LEWIS AND BOB GILLESPIE

Judson Senior Living

Judson residents come from different backgrounds and choose Judson for different reasons. They have diverse interests that create engaging and enriching programs. They value the welcoming surroundings and opportunities to continue giving back to the community. Judson Senior Living has been serving Northeast Ohio since 1906. As a not-for-profit continuing care retirement community, Judson offers a range of health services and programs for peace of mind and supports older adults in ways they need most, 24/7. Lifelong learning opportunities through partnerships, artistic resources in on-campus studios and recreational activities at wellness centers encourage residents to live life to the fullest.

2181 Ambelside Dr., Cleveland, 216-791-2436, judsonsmartliving.org

THE FACES OF A FAMILY-RUN COLLISION CENTER

LJI Collision Center

No one plans on getting into an accident. When it happens, it would be good to have a plan. LJI Collision Center provides 24/7 service. If someone has an accident after business hours, LJI Collision Center will answer their call. LJI Collision Center repairs vehicles of all makes and models and works with all insurance companies. It offers towing, rental cars, pickups and deliveries and provides consistent communication, along with a lifetime warranty on repairs. With a mission to build confidence in every customer and ensure quality repairs and superior customer service, as well as a commitment to achieve and retain a customer for life, LJI Collision Center strives to build customers’ confidence and trust and help them through frustrating and unfamiliar situations.

27100 Chagrin Blvd., Orange Village, 216-364-7100/ 1640 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights, 216-932-7100

DANIEL ANGIE, LAUREN ANGIE, JEFFREY ANGIE, JILL STRAUSS, MIKE GIARRIZZO SR. AND VICTOR STRAUSS

THE FACES OF FINE JEWELRY

KEN AND JENNIFER KLEINHENZ

Kleinhenz Jewelers

Ken and Jennifer Kleinhenz, third generation owners, offer the family’s commitment to uncompromising quality, style and service as one of the finest jewelry firms in Northeast Ohio. The Kleinhenz story began in Cleveland over 90 years ago. Ever since that time, it has been the company’s mission to provide the finest jewelry coupled with extraordinary and uncompromising service to the Greater Cleveland community. From generation to generation, trust and confidence have been synonymous with the Kleinhenz name. Knowledge, integrity and complete satisfaction in your fine jewelry will always be Kleinhenz’s commitment to you.

25979 Detroit Road, Westlake, 440-892-1020, kleinhenzjewelers.com Facebook Tag: KleinhenzJewelers

KEN BLAZE

JEANI

THE FACES OF PERSONAL PRIMARY CARE

RAISA LERNER, MD AND LAUREN O’BYRNE GOPAL, DO

Spry Healthcare

Spry Personal Primary Care’s membership-based practice is designed around your life. With same-day appointments, extended visits and direct access to physicians, patients receive care that is coordinated and convenient. Lauren O’Byrne Gopal, DO, and Raisa Lerner, MD, get to know you so they can understand your preferences and concerns. This allows them to develop a holistic approach that personalizes your care—when you need it and how you prefer it.

811 Prospect Ave., Ste. 200, Cleveland, 216-957-7779, myspry.com

THE FACE OF ORTHODONTICS

WILLIAM J. SWEENEY JR., DDS, MS

Sweeney Orthodontics

Dr. Sweeney is an Orthodontic Specialist creating confident smiles for patients of all ages. The talented team at Sweeney Orthodontics utilizes the latest orthodontic techniques in their fun, upbeat North Olmsted office. Dr. Sweeney is a graduate of John Carroll University, The Ohio State University College of Dentistry and Seton Hill University. He is a member of the American Association of Orthodontists, The Great Lakes Association of Orthodontists and both The American and Ohio Dental Associations. Call (440) 979-9500 or visit SweeneyOrthodontics.com to see how you can get your best smile today.

25165 Country Club Blvd., North Olmsted, 44070

THE FACES OF ORGANIZED DREAMS

JUAN AND STEPHANIE ANTUNEZ

California Closets

High school sweethearts and lifelong Clevelanders, Juan and Stephanie Antunez acquired California Closets more than 17 years ago. Through the years, they’ve expanded the business to three locations. The couple enjoys helping people organize their homes, allowing clients more time to create special moments. “Our business affords us the opportunity to work with wonderful people in our community and help them design better lives,” Stephanie says. “Having your home organized allows you to focus on what matters most. We understand how precious time is. Being organized helps make the most of those moments, and it all starts with California Closets.”

28000 Chagrin Blvd., Woodmere, 216-741-9000, californiaclosets.com

THE FACE OF MURAL ART

GARRETT WEIDER

Garrett Weider Studios

Born and raised in Cleveland, Artist Garret Weider loves color and derives inspiration from graffiti, comic styles and pop art. You can see his work on many walls around Northeastern Ohio including The Bike Boxes in the Flats, Bridge Avenue flower building, More Alike the Different flower wall on Puritas, among many more. He also collaborates with Eileen Dorsey on numerous Barrio restaurants outside the Cleveland area. Though he has a degree in Graphic Design from Ohio University and has worked in corporate design, he has always felt the desire to paint as a restless soul with the need to keep experimenting. 216-346 2684, garrettweider.com

BRATENAHL | $775K

Outstanding free-standing cluster home just steps from Shoreby Club and Lake Erie. The 2-story entry opens to the great room. Open. Bright. High volume ceilings. Elegant dining room. Home office.

BRATENAHL | $775K

One floor living. 1st floor master with walk-in tub and jacuzzi. Private brick courtyard. 2nd floor loft overlooks the great room. 2 generous guest rooms. Over 4000 sq. ft. above grade plus 2400 sq. ft. in finished lower level with rec-room, bar, full bedroom suite.

CLEVELAND | $700K

Exceptional northwest corner unit with walls of windows and breathtaking panoramic Lake Erie views. A vast field of vision from Avon Point to past the Cleveland Stadium. Light maple flooring. Open floor plan. Fresh, tasteful minimalist decor. Live downtown.

CLEVELAND | $700K

Sensational sweeping balcony. Everything redone and upgraded. 2 generous bedrooms. 3 full baths. Completely wired for sound! Maple and stainless kitchen. 2 garage spaces. Outstanding amenities. 24 hr. concierge service, fitness center, car wash, more.

BROOK PARK |

Pristine all brick ranch. 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths. Exposed hardwood floors throughout. Bright eat-in kitchen. All appliances. Many updates. Covered patio. Fully fenced yard. Finished lower level recreation room with fireplace. Excellent storage 2 car garage.

WEST PARK | CLEVELAND

Simply gorgeous West Park brick “storybook” cape cod. Fresh, tasteful decor throughout. 3 bedrooms. 1.5 baths. Hardwood floors. Idyllic gardenlike yard. Wonderful newer eat-in kitchen. Huge master. Lower level rec room. Newer roof and electrical. 2 car garage.

LAKEWOOD | $1.5M

Lake Erie views that will take your breath away. Luxury Meridian penthouse. Combined northeast and northwest corners. Flawlessly done. Offering over 5000 sq. ft. of sophisticated style. Massive great room. Floor to ceiling windows. Amazing balcony on 2 levels.

“THEY JUST SORT OF APPEARED and walked towards me,” says fiddler Bill Le stock. "And as fast as it happened, they dis appeared.”

Lestock set his pitch on the corner of the Higbee’s building on Oct. 8, 1987. The high was 46 degrees, three notches above the busker’s personal cap. Wary of May Compa ny’s anti-busker stance, an American fiddle tune radiated from his amp.

The Santas — completing the costume with white sneakers and cowboy boots — began to do-si-do. From the 1970s to 1990s, members of Case Western Reserve Universi ty’s Phi Gamma Delta fraternity volunteered an annual Santa Claus cameo for the Amer ican Heart Association’s cookbook, restau rant guide and greeting card sale.

In 1978, the “red brigade” paraded down town with Julie Ann Cashel, Playboy model

and Dick Goddard’s longtime girlfriend. In 1980, the Santa horde crowded the RTA rap id from E. 120th Street to Euclid Avenue to sing carols at the Terminal Tower. In 1989, they rode a rocket around Public Square.

After busking in frigid Portland, Maine, and the volatile Florida Keys, a dozen un derweight Santas didn’t surprise Lestock.

“That’s the spontaneity of playing in the street,” Lestock says.

In addition to playing, Lestock taught at Goose Acres Folk Music Center and drove a cab (the latter he despised).

Today, CWRU’s FIJI brothers volunteer at an urban farm, Vel’s Purple Oasis, and rake leaves and purge litter from Cleveland’s Cul tural Gardens. Lestock, a Chardon resident and Cleveland firefighter, still plays — gui tar, mandolin and fiddle — and is in the band Mo’ Mojo.

ASK DR. DUGGAN

Q: What do you want your patients to know about you?

A. I am a Board Certified Vascular Surgeon who specializes in the treatment of patients with varicose veins. I perform a minimally invasive procedure in the office using the CoolTouch Laser. Patients report only mild discomfort and can resume most activities within 24 hours. The results are quite dramatic, with rapid relief of symptoms and a pleasing cosmetic appearance.

Q: What is different about Varicose Vein Treatment with the CoolTouch Laser?

A. This Laser is unique in that it seals the vein with the least amount of heat, and thus discomfort to the patient. The CoolTouch Laser treatment replaces ligation and stripping, a painful surgery performed in the hospital with major anesthesia and prolonged recovery.

Q: What do those suffering with Varicose Veins need to know?

A. “There is no reason to continue enduring the pain, discomfort and unsightly disfigurement that is often caused by varicose veins. The CoolTouch Laser has essentially revolutionized the treatment of patients with varicose veins. In addition, this procedure is covered by commercial insurances, as well as Medicare and Medicaid.”

Mount Vernon Square 6690 Beta Drive, Suite 100 Mayfield Village, OH 44143 440-442-9300 • (fax) 440-442-9308