Let your creativity shine! A sense of community is the ultimate work of art. LakewoodAlive will host Loving Lakewood: Let's Make History! on Saturday, May 21, 2022 outdoors at The Sanctuary Museum Courtyard. Guests are cordially invited to socialize with statues, explore artifacts, drink with docents and relish displays all while learning of the cultural and impactful work of LakewoodAlive at this outdoor venue turned museum in Lakewood's historic Birdtown neighborhood.
LakewoodAlive proudly announces Tom Fraser as the 2022 Founders Award recipient and fellow community members Carol Barrett, Bill Craighead, Matt Fish, Judy Gryzbowski, and John Turner as the 2022 Community Leaders award honorees to be recognized during Loving Lakewood: Let's Make History. Each will be honored as part of the evening's festivities in recognition of their exemplary service to LakewoodAlive and the Lakewood community.
This outdoor venue turned museum is expected to sell out, so be sure to act quickly, tickets will go faster than Amelia Earhart’s plane at 10 a.m. on April 5. For more information and to buy tickets visit, LakewoodAlive.org/LovingLakewood.
The Founders Award
Tom Fraser - Founders Award
Tom is the CEO of First Mutual Holding Co., the largest member-owned mutual holding company of its kind in the Midwest, with affiliates that include First Federal Lakewood and First Mutual Bank. A former LakewoodAlive board member, Tom has been central to our incredible partnership with First Federal Lakewood for more than a decade. In 2012, Tom saw the value that LakewoodAlive brought to the community's housing stock and its residents and made a commitment to invest in the Housing Outreach program. When COVID-19 struck, Tom was a key member of a city-wide response that included members of government, institutions, non-profits and schools. The creation of an emergency small business loan - in a matter of days – is a testament to the commitment Tom has to Lakewood, and the ability for this community to rally together.
"I love Lakewood as it is my hometown, an original streetcar suburb that continues to evolve and reinvent itself. Over the past century, it has been the gateway for success for immigrants, small business owners and families to launch themselves to success. It seems everyone in Northeast Ohio was born here, lived here, dines here or speaks glowingly of my hometown," said Fraser.
Community Leader Award Honorees:
Carol Barrett – Community Leader Award
Carol is the owner of Carol Lynn Salon Plus (15516 Madison Avenue). A Lakewood graduate and resident, Carol opened her own salon in 2007. In no time, she became a pillar in the community as a board member for the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River Rotary Sunrise. Carol led the Uptown Lakewood Business Alliance for 4 years including through the COVID-19 pandemic. Quick with a smile, Carol's passion is for her clients and her community. Most recently, Carol joined the LakewoodAlive board in 2021.
"I volunteer and support LakewoodAlive because they provide support to small businesses including my own. They are a solid source of information such as loans, grants, and many opportunities for business-to-business networking. LakewoodAlive truly led the business community through the Covid-19 pandemic," Barrett said.