Civic Groups

March 10, 2007, at the Lakewood Public Library

The Lakewood Earth And Food Community is looking for earth and food loving Lakewoodites. The L.E.A.F. Community is bringing people together who wish to buy local, healthy food, economize, preserve the environment and beautify the city while building a deeper sense of community. The L.E.A.F. Community is working to realize four basic initiatives; community gardening, bulk buying, soil building, and building relationships with local farmers through participation in Community Supported Agriculture (C.S.A.) programs.

On Tuesday, February 26 at 7:00 p.m. at Harrison Elementary School LakewoodAlive will be presenting the first of a two part forum series entitled Making “Cents” of Lakewood’s Finances...

On Wednesday, April 16 at 7:00 p.m. at Harrison Elementary School LakewoodAlive will be presenting the second of a two part forum series entitled Making “Cents” of Lakewood’s Finances. A panel of Lakewood city officials will present the 2008 Budget for the City of Lakewood. The presentation will include brief review of city finance challenges, the methodology for creating the current city budget, and an understanding of the goals for investing in Lakewood’s future...

H2O “Help to Others” youth volunteer program has exciting news! H2O is holding a “Guitar Hero” Video Game Tournament at Lakewood High School and you’re invited. H2O’s “Guitar Hero” tournament is being held on Saturday, March 8th, in the Lakewood High School East Cafeteria from 11am – 1pm...

The Junior Women’s Club of Lakewood is currently accepting grant applications for agencies that meet non-profit status in accordance with IRS regulations and wish to be considered beneficiaries of next year’s fundraising projects. In the past decade, JWCL has given more than $160,000 to deserving organizations including:The Barton Center, The Beck Center, Keep Lakewood Beautiful, Kids Cove, Lakewood Christian Service Center, Lakewood Family Room, Lakewood Library Foundation, Lakewood YMCA, Matthew’s Lending Library, Meals on Wheels and Project H2O. 

Nearly 80 Rotarians and guests were on hand to witness the new Lakewood/Rocky River Sunrise Rotary Club receive its Charter from Rotary International. It was a beautiful evening at the Cleveland Yacht Club, and the food and fellowship were outstanding. Representatives of 11 Rotary Clubs from the North East Ohio Rotary District 6630 were represented.

The Lakewood Chamber of Commerce and the Lakewood City Schools Community Education and Recreation Department would like to announce the schedule of speakers for this year’s Lakewood Home Show.

We are looking forward to seeing you at the Home Show at Harding Middle School in Lakewood, 16601 Madison, on Saturday March 8 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday March 9 from 1 p.m. through 5 p.m. Offers on the back of tickets for the LAKEWOOD HOME SHOW add up to more than the admission price of $5 (parking is free and kids under 18 are free). Tickets are available now online and at the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce, 14701 Detroit Road...

Do you value a healthy, locally sustainable food source? If yes, it’s not too late to purchase a share bag through the Lakewood Earth & Food Community’s CSA initiative.

The Lakewood Kiwanis Breakfast on May 19 will be at new location this year- Lakewood Catholic Academy.

What season is Lakewood Kiwanis season? It’s a trick question: Kiwanis offers a different fund-raising event every season. Spring, specifically the balmy but exhilarating month of May, belongs to the French Toast and Pancake Breakfast.

Although this event has been presented unchanged for many years, it will take place at a new location this year, namely, Lakewood Catholic Academy, 14808 Lake Avenue, just to the west of Lakewood park. The day is Sunday, May 19. The time is 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

The Fifth Annual Light Up Lakewood festival will take place this year on December 3. This year, thanks to the generous sponsorship by David Stein of Plantation Home, LakewoodAlive is instituting the First Annual Light Up Lakewood Festival King and Queen Scholarship for college. This scholarship is open to any Lakewood resident that is currently a high school sophomore or junior druing this 2011–2012 school year.

A $500 scholarship will be awarded to one male and one female recipient on December 3. The deadline to submit applications is October 14, 2011. The scholarship recipients must agree to various obligations including attending the Light Up Lakewood Festival on December 3 and dedicating 20 hours of volunteer service to the community between December 4, 2011 and June 15, 2012.

 

The meeting of Lakewood City Council was held on April 15th. It was preceded by an ad hoc meeting held for the purpose of reducing the number of committees that have continued to grow through the years, some of which no longer serve any purpose.

• A Tree Task Force has just been established. It’s purpose is to study and advise municipal officials, and the public recommending action on items involving trees on public and private and public land in Lakewood. It will be disbanded after 12 months.

• The Lakewood Youth Committee has been inactive for a long time, and is not required by the City Charter. Its function could be fulfilled by other agencies.

These days, across the nation, there is a noticeable lack of community service being done by organizations which used to have the neighborhood as a reason for their existence. Many service organizations no longer are a viable part of a city’s social core because it seems to have gone out of fashion.

Lakewood dog owners will have the chance to support their right to take their dogs into Lakewood parks on September 26 at a Hot Dog Social. The Citizens Committee to Allow Leashed Dogs in Lakewood Parks plans its first fundraiser that day from 1 to 5 p.m. at Lakewood’s newest pet store, The Furry Nation, 15800 Detroit Road (near Brockley Avenue). There’s plenty of parking in back, and plenty of interesting things to look at in the store. In addition, the Committee is planning a fun afternoon with local vendors, pet adoptions, raffles, pet photos, a bake sale and activities for the kids.

Some 600 pizza-tasters crowding the LHS East Cafeteria at the January 27 Lakewood Kiwanis Club Pizza Bake-Off – that is a definition of success by any standards, and by some standards the most successful LKC fund-raiser ever.

The event netted $4700, all for groups and projects serving the Lakewood community, as well as providing an evening of fun and companionship for those in attendance.

The key to LKC’s success was community involvement, in this case the 14 pizzerias that furnished their wares for attendees to sample.

 

Keep Lakewood Beautiful Great American Clean - Up in Lakewood and Earth Day event was a huge success this past Saturday, April 30. Over 150 participants-children and adults picked up litter, raked up yard waste and collected recyclables in our community's public spaces. Armed with rakes, brooms, gloves, garbage and yard waste bags they spruced up our city parks, parking lots, tree lawns and curbs. Twenty-five individual and groups registered for this year's clean up and were assigned to clean up 22 of our city's public spaces. Many walked in that morning as well asking what can I do to help. The city provided us with assistance at our two big parks and picked up our collected bags at various sites through the city. Our city's biggest litter complaint was cigarette butts and we targeted that litter through out the city and specifically on our city sidewalks and curbs. Now that we got a head start on cigarette butt litter we are asking our businesses to continue the efforts by picking up and sweeping their store fronts daily. What a great community effort. Fortunately the weather was cooperative and we had warm and dry skies to make this clean up easier!

Many new residents of Lakewood, and a few who have been here for awhile, turned out on a cold, rainy spring evening to find out what makes their city a great place to live. They already knew it isn’t the weather. At the second annual Welcome to Lakewood event, held at Garfield Middle School, Wednesday evening, April 24th residents were able to learn from over 40 Lakewood organizations about the variety of activities that make life here vibrant, diverse, and which provide so many opportunities to be engaged in the community. Mayor Summers, City Council members, Lakewood School and Library staff were happy to talk with residents in a very casual and friendly atmosphere. Kids who attended really had fun with activities planned by Emmie Hutchinson and her wonderful volunteers from H2O. One young person said she was very disappointed to learn that she would have to wait a whole year to come back for some more fun.

Four high school seniors have been awarded scholarships by the Lakewood-Rocky River Rotary Foundation. The students were introduced to the club at its May 9 meeting.

Remember, “Follow the money,”? That was the premier catch-phrase during the Watergate era. Watergate, however, is long past, and following the money these days will likely result only in disillusionment, despair and cynicism.

Winners of the Rotary annual Speech, Music, and Visual Arts Contest were honored at an awards ceremony March 25 at the Beck Center for the Arts.

Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Lakewood & Rocky River, the competition showcases the incredible talents of students attending one of the five high schools – Lakewood, Lutheran West, Magnificat, Rocky River, and St. Edward.

“This annual event is a wonderful way to acknowledge the talents of our youth,” stated Ed Gallagher, Beck Center director of education, “and the quality work of the participants truly shows that the arts and creativity are alive and well in our community.” The Beck Center is a longstanding partner with the Rotary club for this competition.

 

For more than 40 years, Greater Cleveland Volunteers has worked to match volunteers with nonprofit and public service agencies throughout the greater Cleveland area.

The Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River received an overview of the organization, its goals and services during its April 1 weekly meeting.

“It’s not a one size fits all when it comes to volunteers,” said Jan Vectirelis, GCV volunteer coordinator, who first started volunteering when she was just four years old.

Vectirelis says the “candy striper” volunteer model 40 years ago was much different than it is today. “It used to be we would send volunteers out and they would spend their time doing whatever tasks the project called for, like cooking or serving food. Nowadays, volunteers want to spend their time doing projects that match their particular skills. For example, a retired lawyer may be sent out to do legal work; a computer programmer might be sent somewhere where they need programming work.”

 

Is it presumptuous to suggest that the United States government would do well to look at the way Lakewood Kiwanis chooses its president? Let’s look at the facts.

How would you answer these questions?

1. Are you the kind of person who loves dogs? 
2. Do you like to smile and have a good time? 
3. Do you enjoy making new friends and socializing? 
4. Do you have the belief that giving of your time, talents and skills is the “right thing to do” to give back to your community? 
5. Are you the kind of person who has energy, helpful ideas and works well with other people to accomplish goals and to feel self satisfied? 

If most of your answers were YES, you’re in good company!

 

Keep Lakewood Beautiful is a City of Lakewood committee comprised of volunteers who work to promote citizen involvement and investment toward the beauty of Lakewood through green space activity, litter prevention, and recycling efforts. The committee also encourages individual environmental education. The committee's activities include an annual Clean up Day, Adopt-a-Spot program, leaf humus sales, Earth Day Event and Beautiful Home Awards.

The Beautiful Home Awards are awarded to one home in each school district in order to include a wide range of home values and styles. The nominations are accepted, in July and August, from friends neighbors and often even the home owners themselves. The board of directors from Keep Lakewood Beautiful then divide the school districts up among themselves and determine the winners based on 3 major criteria- landscaping, house maintenance and overall beauty of the property.

The verb of the day was “Persevere.”  A collection of middle-school aged campers and other various adults sat on the floor of the Lakewood High School L-Room, reflecting on the word “persevere” and listening to a former student at LHS talk about his life story and his most recent accomplishment. The students were all part of the H2O (Help to Others) Summer Service Camp, a City of Lakewood Division of Youth summer camp that stresses the importance of community and service work by providing middle school kids chances to actually engage in volunteer work and community building every day of camp. The speaker was a man with the nickname “Dee”. He had been a Lakewood High Class of 2008 graduate, a former soccer teammate of mine, and had then gone on to Denison University. He had just run 117 miles in less than 3 days.

Save the date: Wednesday, April 24th, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Garfield Middle School, 13114 Detroit Ave.

We’ve been asking you to save the date for some time now because this will be the second annual Welcome to Lakewood event, and we wouldn’t want you to miss a chance to learn so much more about your new hometown. We want people to see and feel that Lakewood is a welcoming community, and to find ways for you to be engaged, involved, and we hope, to learn that this is the place you want to stay for a long time to come.

You will have a chance to chat with Mayor Summers, members of Lakewood City Council, Lakewood City Schools Superintendent Jeff Patterson, as well as other representatives. Many of Lakewood’s civic and service organizations will have tables and representatives to share information that you can take with you.  Find out how these organizations are contributing to life in Lakewood. This will be a fun event with H2O holding activities for kids, and refreshments provided by Lakewood’s fabulous local bakeries.

Middle school students in the H2O program had a wonderful opportunity to hear a presentation by Erin Huber from "Drink Local, Drink Tap" in February which included a preview of her mid-feature length documentary, “Making Waves from Cleveland to Uganda.” (Visit www.drinklocaldrinktap.org for more information). She visited both Garfield Middle and Harding Middle School, telling kids there about her journey as an activist and environmental advocate. Erin, (named one of the Most Interesting People by Cleveland Magazine in 2012), has always been a person to passionately pursue her interests, especially when it comes to helping others. After an eye-opening visit to villages in Uganda that lacked any access to water (clean or otherwise) and no sewage, she focused her impressive energy on developing "Drink Local, Drink Tap." H2O is among its latest “wavemakers,” carrying out DLDT’s mission to “reconnect people with local water in tangible activities. These activities include educational events, beach cleanups, World Water Day celebrations, public speaking, art and film making.” Ultimately, Cleveland-area wavemakers learn to care for the enormous body of fresh water in our backyard and support other parts of the world that suffer from lack of access to water.

Did you know that feminine care products are often unavailable at shelters and food pantries? In fact, many local relief agencies and government subsidy programs do not cover the cost of these items frequently referred to as “unmentionables.”

What would the Fourth of July be without hot dogs?

Well, it would still be the country’s birthday, and a tribute to the Founding Fathers, and a stimulus to patriotic fervor.

Okay, then… Let me re-phrase the question: What is the national food on the Fourth of July? Hot dogs, of course, and what better place to get your hot dogs on the Fourth of July than the Kiwanis stand in Lakewood Park?

Members of the public are invited to join Lakewood Kiwanians on August 24 as they celebrate 90 years of service to our community at the Clifton Club, 17884 Lake Road.

Now that the January snow is behind us, it’s time to join in the pre-spring tradition of “Wining” about winter. LakewoodAlive’s first annual fundraiser, Wine About Winter, is set for Saturday, March 7th from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Come join your friends downtown at Rozi’s Wine House for a wonderful way to find warmth in the cold -- wine tasting!

Stew Buchannan (left), past district governor for Rotary 6630, has presented Jim Lechko, member of the Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River, with the Rotarian of the Year Award for 2010-2011, in recognition of Lechko's outstanding leadership and service to the district and Rotary. There are 56 clubs in the Northeast Ohio district with over 2,300 members.

On October 22nd, 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., the Lakewood Historical Society hosts its second annual Vintage Varieties sale at the Skate House at Lakewood Park, just behind the Oldest Stone House, 14710 Lake Avenue. This sale was intended to feature small furniture, of which we have a nice array, but we've also received donations of some beautiful larger items Of note are a TV armoire; two corner china cabinets- one in gleaming cherry and one in lustrous oak; two dining room tables; a Victorian reproduction parlor set; wicker porch furniture and a most precious vintage child's roll-top desk and swivel chair. You'll also find architectural salvage, including two porch rail sections; 35 leaded windows (double-hung, casement & fixed) and a pair of French doors to match. There will be vintage hardware, vintage and contemporary lamps and light fixtures; artwork in all styles and sizes; home decor items and some things that are just plain fun- like boxes of rocks. Just looking at all the interesting stuff will be a treat, but at these prices, better bring a truck! Don't miss this sale!

The Kiwanis Club of Lakewood will be selling donuts on Thursday and Friday, October 27 and 28. I have already sung the praises of Kiwanis donuts, so I don’t need to tell you that they are the highlight of the autumn season. Instead, I will provide the details:

I am not a world traveler, and never have been, far from it. But I have seen Barcelona, and that makes up for a great many deficiencies.

One of the main charms of Barcelona is the Ramblas, a pedestrian boulevard (technically, a series of boulevards), where every evening it seems that half of Barcelona is out strolling, perusing the stalls and the street performers and each other.

What’s the point of all this, you say. Well, the point is that every year, on the first Saturday in August (Aug. 6 this year), Lakewood turns into a second Barcelona for the Arts Festival. It seems that half of Cuyahoga County is congregated along Detroit Avenue between Belle and Gladys, perusing the stalls and each other. 

I’ve never taken a poll, but I would guess that many people come to Kiwanis meal-time fund-raisers for the purpose of supporting Kiwanis and the community. That’s all for the good, but there’s another very strong reason- you get an excellent meal.

Winners of the Rotary 66th annual Music, Speech and Visual Arts Contest were honored at an awards ceremony April 11 at the Beck Center for the Arts.

West Shore Career-Technical District Outstanding Student Award recipients were honored by the Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River at its noon luncheon on March 11 at the Don Umerley Civic Center.

The 15 students, top performers in their Career-Technical programs, were chosen for their exemplary accomplishments in the classroom, school activities, clubs, athletics and service in the community.

Parents, employers, work supervisors and guests were among those in attendance. According to Nancy Ralls, West Shore Career-Technical District Career Development Coordinator, this is the sixteenth year the club has honored the Outstanding Student Award winners.

The Rotary club will present each student with a gift card and a plaque to honor their achievements at West Shore’s annual Career Passport and Student Recognition Assembly on May 21. Each award recipient is automatically nominated to receive the “Career-Technical Student of the Year Award” which will be announced at West Shore’s Career Passport and Student Recognition Assembly.

This month the spirit of the big red-striped tent will arrive from the shores of Lake Chautauqua to the shores of Lake Erie, and Lakewood Kiwanis will be helping to welcome the participants  and make their visit a rewarding one.

As Observer readers well know, the Chautauqua tent will be up in Lakewood Park from June 22 through June 26, featuring presentations and displays concerning the Civil War era.

The Gold Coast Follies is a musical variety group made up of seniors from Lakewood and the Greater Cleveland Area. Members range in age from 60 to 95 and are dedicated to staying active, having fun and making others smile.

Darby is a big boy who looks tough but is just a big softy that loves to be around people and will be your shadow! He is great with other cats. Darby was brought in during the coldest days of the Lakewood winter by a kind woman who gave him shelter. PAWS was able to step in and help find him a home. He is great with other cats and loves to play, play, play! 

Darby is up to date with routine vaccinations, is altered, litter box trained and just waiting for his forever home!  Could it be yours? If interested in Dearby, please contact The Public Animal Welfare Society of Ohio (PAWS) at 440-442-PAWS or visit www.pawsohio.org.

H2O, “Help to Others” has had a remarkable start to the 2011-2012 school year. The students are energized and responsive to the many volunteer opportunities that have been presented to them. This first month has included some events that are familiar to the program, such as the Lakewood Community Festival, Harrison PTA Child care for meetings, Ronald McDonald House, Trinity Lutheran Community Outreach’s Food Distribution, and the Cedar Valley Settlers Celebration in the Cleveland Metroparks.

You are invited to hear world-renown chef and cooking school founder Loretta Paganini at the League of Women Voters' "First Thursdays" speaker series on Thursday, December 2, 2010, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm, at Trinity Commons at Trinity Cathedral, 2230 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland. Chef Paganini's talk is titled, "A Woman's Place is Running the Kitchen." The public is invited to attend at no charge, with free parking behind the Cathedral off Prospect Avenue.

Our new LOKOL (Lakewood Observer Know Our Lakewood) Public Forum Series will kickoff with LakewoodAlive Executive Director, Ian Andrews, presenting a report on 2013 activity priorities. Mr. Andrews will also entertain community feedback and input during a Q&A and Discussion session.

All are welcome to this free event on Saturday, March 16 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in Lakewood Public Library’s Multipurpose Room.

LOKOL (the acronym purposely sounds like “local”) forums are intended to be interactive and are designed to help The Lakewood Observer Project reach our mission and goal: to attract, articulate, and amplify civic intelligence and community good will in the city of Lakewood and beyond (mission) in order to help Lakewood residents and neighbors learn as much as possible about the city (goal).

On November 16th, a unique partnership of groups and individuals including the City of Lakewood, Lakewood Historical Society, Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District, citizens of Lakewood, and Lakewood Catholic Academy’s Green Team all came together to install a rain garden on the east side of the Oldest Stone House in Lakewood Park. The site was chosen in partnership with the City of Lakewood, Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District, and Lakewood Historical Society, who wanted to have better drainage around the Oldest Stone House to better preserve the historical structure’s foundation. After a lot of planning and leadership by Lakewood City Councilman Tom Bullock, the garden was completed with the efforts of these groups.

Keep Lakewood Beautiful is starting up for another busy spring! As our snow melts and flowers begin to pop up, we need to clean-up what an especially long winter left behind. We are planning our Great American Clean-Up in Lakewood on Earth Day April 30 and are thrilled to have received a grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) to help with these events.

Keep Lakewood Beautiful is looking for individuals and groups to register for the Great American Clean-Up in Lakewood. Church groups, scout troops, block groups and community groups and individuals are needed to assist with picking up litter and sprucing up our public areas of Lakewood. KLB will provide supplies to registered groups before the event. Groups can inform us of a park, business district, or parking lot that they would like to clean or we can suggest one for them. The Clean-Up is Saturday, April 30 from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. All clean up groups are then invited back to the Woman’s Pavilion in Lakewood Park for lunch provided by Keep Lakewood Beautiful. If interested in helping with this event please call 529- 6602 or email Holly.Lauch@lakewoodoh.net. Help us and do your part to Keep Lakewood Beautiful by joining us April 30 for this Spring Clean-Up.

 

Last time I mentioned that donut-sale money is used for community service projects. What are these projects? Let’s look at some that might be funded by the donut-sale projects, and for how much.

The Hens in Lakewood Committee has featured several Lakewood families who support the notion of responsible hen keeping in Lakewood. Several businesses have come out to support this issue as well. The first business we interviewed was Glenn from Lakewood Hardware.

Name of Business: Lakewood Hardware.

Please describe your business: It is a hardware store of the type you remember before the hardware super stores came to town. When you go into our store and say, "How do I -----?" there is someone there who will tell you and show you exactly what you need.

Where are you located? 16608 Madison Ave.

Why did you decide to open a business in Lakewood? After 4 years of working outside the hardware trade and the huge void left by the 3 remaining hardware stores closing their doors within a very short period of time it was painfully obvious to my wife and I that this town was in need and would support a hardware store.

It started as a project to celebrate “Make a Difference Day” and has become a treasured favorite event for Lakewood families: PUMPKIN PALOOZA is coming up! On Saturday, October 29, the east end of Lakewood High School will be transformed into a Halloween funland, with games, prizes, activities, food and of course…pumpkins! The best part of all is that the entire event is a fundraiser to benefit the Lakewood Community Services Center and the Lakewood Charitable Assistance Corporation. In addition to donating the proceeds to these local agencies, attendees are asked to bring a non-perishable food item that will be donated as well. Pumpkin Palooza is brought to you by H2O “Help to Others,” The City of Lakewood, Lakewood City Schools, Lakewood Hospital, Lakewood Public Library, Lakewood Non-Profit & Civic Organizations, LHS Student Organizations, Lakewood Early Childhood Professionals, and the generosity of Pumpkin Palooza sponsors.

This is the final story in a three-part series featuring special people and organizations that have a unique relationship with Help to Others, H2O, a Lakewood institution that is celebrating its 20th year of teaching and inspiring middle- and high-school students to volunteer and do what they can to make the world a better place.

Thousands of people have been touched by H2O’s service learning program during the past two decades. Here is just one of those stories.

For close to 19 years, Celia Dorsch and H2O were synonymous. The two remain inextricably linked.

As H2O’s founding coordinator, Dorsch has often been described as the heart and soul of the nationally recognized youth volunteer program. But if you ask her, she’ll argue that she was one of many who made it successful and that H20 benefited from a little help from the universe.

The stars aligned at its inception when the City's Division of Youth proposed to create and staff a unique new program that would provide a framework for students to volunteer and make a difference in their community. The idea was embraced by Lakewood City Schools and a partnership was formed, allowing H2O staff to launch its initial program at Lakewood High School.

The second annual Welcome to Lakewood event is planned for Wednesday, April 24th, 7 – 9 p.m. at Garfield Middle School. Last year’s event was very well attended, and had such an enthusiastic response, that it was decided to make this an annual event. Lakewood is a great community, and by coming to Welcome to Lakewood, new residents (old ones are welcome, too) can find out about local civic organizations and services, and ways to get involved in the community. In a friendly, informal atmosphere, come and get great information, enjoy delicious treats, find fun activities for the kids, and leave feeling a greater connection to the people and place where you live. Save the date and watch for more information.  Welcome to Lakewood is being sponsored by Lakewood Community Relations Advisory Commission and the Lakewood Family Collaborative.

Again this year, the Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River purchased dictionaries for all 776 third grade students in Lakewood and Rocky River.

On a recent blustery January day, a group of eight Lakewood High School (LHS) students met to prepare for a community discussion about what it’s like to be a teenager growing up in Lakewood. The “Youth Conversation” will take place February 16th from 7:00-8:30 pm at the Lakewood City Hall Auditorium.

Hosted by the Lakewood Community Relations Advisory Commission, the “Youth Conversation” will provide an opportunity for city leaders and residents to listen to our youth describe both the positives and the negatives of their experiences of being teenagers in Lakewood.

The students who volunteered to lead the discussion are an eclectic mix of Lakewood teens spanning ethnic, racial, and economic differences. Despite these distinctions, their shared vision is of teenagers who want to make a positive impact on their community. The purpose of the preparatory session was to get everybody thinking and talking. Joe Lobozzo, LHS teacher and co-chair of the “Youth Conversation” asked, “How do you respond to the phrase, ‘There’s nothing to do for teenagers in Lakewood?’”

One of the well-known quotes by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. asks: "Life's most persistent and urgent question is: 'What are you doing for others?'" H2O volunteers answered that reflective question by committing their time to volunteering in their community on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. In doing so, they have become part of a movement to turn the national holiday into a “day on, not a day off.” This call to action reminds us to make service part of our daily lives and to generate kindness at every opportunity. The work done by these Lakewood kids exemplifies that concept.

Student leaders played a large role in the event by brainstorming service site potentials, advertising the event to their peers, planning activities, following up with registrants, and extra responsibilities on the day of the event. There were 40 students who went to six different sites. One group went to the Westerly and helped residents there sort donated pet food with My Best Friend’s Bowl, a local organization dedicated to providing a temporary supply of food to the people in our community and their pets, with the goal of keeping pets and their owners together. Another inter-generational event took place at Crestmont North Nursing Home, where volunteers played games with elderly residents. Others had the chance to interact with small children when they went to Lakewood Child Care Center to help with flu-season disinfection of play areas. Eighteen students who participate in Asian Services in Action (ASIA)’s tutoring program joined our volunteers for a morning of enriching crafts and games (and had a great time!). Another group had the opportunity to set up an apartment for a newly-arriving refugee family, through a partnership with Catholic Charities Migration and Refugee Services.

That “The World Lives in Lakewood” was the idea celebrated at the third annual Diversity Potluck, held at the Lakewood Women’s Pavilion Thursday evening, January 24th. The evening was sponsored by the Lakewood Community Relations Advisory Commission (LCRAC) and Lakewood High School’s Race and Diversity (RAD) and Identity Clubs. With snow all around, the Pavilion was a warm and welcoming place for individuals and families of Lakewood to talk and get acquainted, and to enjoy an abundance of home-cooked food representing family and cultural traditions, along with the generous donations of food from Lakewood businesses including Italian Creations, Deagan’s, Create-a-Cake, Giant Eagle, and St. Peter & Paul Russian Orthodox Church.

Before dinner, Kathy Curran, President of The Goddess Temple, was asked to give a blessing. After dinner, the RAD and Identity Club students were asked to share the goals and activities of their organizations so we could all understand the issues that they face. The RAD students: Dominique Lee, Rokeishia Smith, Bilal Shah, and Darnelle Crenshaw-El said that the group has encouraged conversation and advocacy, and tries to learn from what has happened in the past in order to change the future. They have had a spoken-word night with an open mic, along with H2O participated in a Day of Service for Martin Luther King Day, and assisted in the Community Conversation on "The Other Wes Moore." They have been very involved with Facing History and Ourselves, learning how to combat discrimination and prejudice through responsible actions. All are graduating seniors, and all had a great deal of praise for the support and encouragement of their faculty advisor, Mr. Joe Lobozzo.

We’ve been hearing recently about the upcoming celebration this year of the centennial of the chartering of Lakewood as a city and the 100th anniversary of the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce. This year the Kiwanis Club of Lakewood will also be celebrating its 90th year of service to the children and citizens of our community.

The very first Kiwanis Club was chartered in Detroit, Michigan in January 1915 , and the second club was Cleveland, Ohio which celebrated its 95th birthday in November 2010. Lakewood Kiwanis was sponsored by Cleveland in 1921, one of the many clubs that were initiated by the Kiwanis Club of Cleveland, including the first club outside of North America in Vienna, Austria in 1965.

Former long-time Lakewood resident, Douglas Cooper, has received one of Rotary International's most prestigious awards, the Paul Harris Fellowship. Named after the founder of Rotary, it recognizes Rotary members who have made substantial contributions to the Rotary International Foundation. Doug is the immediate past President of the Sunrise Rotary Club of Lakewood/Rocky River. He was a long time member of the Lakewood/Rocky River Rotary before joining the Sunrise Club. Doug was an Attorney with the firm of Thompson, Hine, LLP for 30 years. Most recently he was the President of the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.

Lakewood students honored the legacy of Dr. King on Monday, January 17th by volunteering time on their day off of school and sharing lunch and reflections about the meaning of the holiday. The service sites were arranged in advance by H2O coordinator Celia Dorsh and the wonderfully accommodating organizations who provided meaningful work and background information for the kids.

In addition, several adult volunteers made the community service part of the day a success by accompanying student volunteers to their sites. Lynn Foran and Nora Steele took a group of students to the Ronald McDonald House (RMH) and toured the facility. They helped organize the pop-tab collection (a fundraiser for RMH), cleaned toys, and helped serve food to the guests.

The November 2nd election ballot for District 2 (Brook Park, Lakewood, and Cleveland Wards 18 and 19) will have five candidates for Council and six candidate for Council Executive. The League of Women voters has organized two separate nonpartisan forums so that voters can meet their candidates and learn more about their positions before voting.

Were you prepared for Superstorm Sandy? Be part of the solution for yourself, your family, and your neighbors. Community preparedness starts with you, whether it’s preparing for a hurricane, an extended power outage, a pandemic, or a severe winter storm. The Westshore Regional Community Emergency Response Team (WSC) is offering free classes on topics such as disaster preparedness, basic injury assessment and medical treatment, search and rescue procedures, fire suppression, disaster psychology, and much more. The 20-hour FEMA course is conducted by local safety professionals. Westshore residents who are over 18 years of age, successfully complete training, and pass a background check are eligible for team membership.

Remember the Northeast Blackout of 2003? No lights, refrigeration, gas pumps or computers, jammed cell phone lines – until the towers fail, along with weakening water pumps. In an extended power outage there would eventually be no way besides radio to communicate across town or across the region. We hope and pray this or a more serious scenario never occurs just like we hope not to be in a traffic accident. But we buy insurance for motor vehicle accidents anyway, don’t we? Should we not then establish communication insurance for our families, businesses, government assistance, and supply chains? If you are a CB radio or Ham radio operator, please consider becoming part of a civilian team of communicators that will be ready to serve the community when needed.