Non-profits

The Euclid Weed and Seed Committee hosted its first Youth Explosion June 12, designed to promote the many programs available to youth in our city. The event, held at Moore Counseling Center, 22639 Euclid Avenue, allowed a number of churches and social agencies to share information about their various youth programs. The kids, and their parents, had a great time eating great food and playing games, while gathering great information. Many thanks go out to the volunteers who helped in the event as well as the many churches and agencies who participated. We look forward to further activities to aid in promoting youth programs in Euclid. Stay tuned!

According to E. Kim Coontz from the University of California Davis, cooperative preschool programs are one of the best kept secrets in early childhood education today.  Cooperative preschool education began in 1916 in Chicago and continues to provide preschoolers with affordable, quality preschool programs.  Cooperative preschools are run by committed parents and qualified staff members who appreciate parents and welcome them as partners into the classroom.   Parental participation is geared to suit each family.  Parents can participate with a varied level of commitment as administrators, board members, committee heads, committee members and classroom participators.  At a time when parental involvement is being promoted as key to student academic achievement, cooperative preschools offer parents the opportunity to be actively involved in their child’s first educational experience.

Hospice of the Western Reserve plans to use the former St. Joseph Christian Life Center property, purchased by the agency in June 2009, as a green space which can be used as a place for reflection and healing for the community, and for patients and families from the neighboring Hospice House on E. 185th Street. The memorial Vista Walk and gardens will be expanded to connect the two properties.

After much consideration of the historical value and current condition of the St. Joseph Christian Life Center, the agency decided to demolish the building because of structural problems, a leaking roof, extensive water damage, black mold, asbestos, an antiquated electrical system, and internal and external vandalism.

The Euclid Democratic Club held its second annual picnic on June 26 by the lake on the grounds of the Bonneville Condominium complex on Lakeshore Boulevard. Of special interest to the Club was the upcoming County Council primary as candidates Jim Joyner, Nino Prodan and Sunny Simon spoke to the group about their candidacies.

The Euclid Family YMCA has been undergoing a face-lift, inside and out. Over the past six months, we have renovated our fitness room with a wood floor, new paint and a sound system. We also renovated the classroom downstairs into an additional exercise studio. The inside of the building, as well as the outside, have received a new coat of paint, and we are currently in the process of renovating our conference room into a cycling studio. 

Euclid Hunger Center (EHC) is once again hosting a wine-tasting event at Sims Park, but this time inside the Henn Mansion. The event will be Saturday, July17th. As many of you may recall, EHC hosted several wine-tasting events in collaboration with the annual Euclid LakeFest at Sims Park. We returned after taking a year off to regroup and have returned with a new twist... all California wines. While many of us are very familiar with the Lake Erie wines, there are still those that haven't yet had the pleasure of sampling the California wines. Tickets are available from EHC board members, as well as the Sts. Robert and William Parish House, located on East 260th, and the Shore Cultural Centre's main office. Tickets are priced at $35 (regular admission), $50 (friends of EHC) and $125 (corporate sponsor). Each ticket includes five sampling tickets, plus hor d'oeuvres. Additional sampling tickets will be available for purchase. Don Perry will be providing the cool jazz sound, which is perfect for such an event. Perry, a saxophone extraordinaire, is a regular on the winery circuit in Geneva, Madison and Harpersfield. You'll surely enjoy his horn playing!Please come join us for what promises to be a great evening on the lake. Everyone raise their glass... "Here's to a great sunset!"

Ask people in and around Euclid about Mary Mavec Opportunity School and many are not really sure what the school is all about. The school has always operated quietly, without a lot of fanfare. But if you ask Peter, one of the school’s clients, he will tell you that Mary Mavec Opportunity School is the place he goes every weekday to work, learn and hang out with his best friends.

Anyone who’s visited the Euclid Pet Pals website recently may have noticed that the organization, which supports the Euclid Animal Shelter, has been conducting a “cat sale.” For a limited time, the shelter has been offering adult cats to adoptive families for a fee of just $15. This is quite a bargain since these animals have been spayed or neutered. The normal adoption fee of $70 is still charged for kittens less than six months old. One reason for the special sale, Fay Miller, Euclid Pet Pals’ chairman, explained is that while many families want to adopt kittens, it is more difficult to place older cats, who often endure long waits before finding new families. “We’ve had a good response; we’ve found homes for about 20 adult cats in a relatively short time.”

The Euclid Animal Shelter, located at 25100 Lakeland Blvd., is a community asset that relatively few suburbs can boast. Last year, the shelter cared for more than 400 dogs and nearly 200 cats. Approximately 75 percent of the animals are eventually adopted out, while others are returned to their original owners. It is the shelter’s policy to keep the strays that Euclid Humane Officer Ann Mills brings in for at least three days before making the animal available for adoption. The three days gives their owners a chance to claim a lost pet. 

The Euclid Weed & Seed Steering Committee presents its first Youth Explosion!, June 12, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Moore Counseling Center, 22639 Euclid Ave., Euclid (near McDonalds). Several Euclid organizations and churches will highlight activities, church programs, and social services available to Euclid youth. Youth Explosion! is a day of information and fun for kids of all ages and their families including food, movies, games and a live animal show.

You can make a difference in a child's life by becoming a foster and adoptive parent. The need is great in our community for safe, loving homes where children can grow and develop. Our goal is to help place children in a stable setting as soon as possible. Every child deserves a family. There are many children, especially teens and sibling groups in the permanent custody of Cuyahoga County who need true heroes in their lives, who can provide guidance and stability. Foster and adoptive parents, who include relative caregivers and interested individuals, can help meet that need and become a true hero in a waiting child's life.

Currently, one of the most common misperceptions in the City of Euclid is the status of Shore Cultural Centre, located in the heart of the city’s downtown district. Over the last dozen or so years, Shore has led a murky and uncertain existence. Fortunately, the building’s destiny has made a 180-degree turn over the last year, with the management expertise of Coral Company driving the ship. Shore Cultural Centre is no longer dependent on the City of Euclid to run it.  Coral has transformed the building into a self-sustaining entity.

Under the leadership of building manager Laura Kidder and her staff, Coral has made an enormous impact over a brief amount of time. Most notably, the company drafted a Five-Year Strategic Plan for Shore. This plan provides not only a management, financial, capital, programming and marketing blueprint for the future, but a re-branding and community-centric approach, backed by comprehensive research and the input of many stakeholders City officials, Shore patrons, tenants and board members, local businesses, local school representatives and members of the community were all involved.

We’ve all been frustratedby a communications gap at one time or another. Just think of the last time you’ve struggled getting your point across to a customer service representative over the phone . . . or possibly when you were talking to your teenage daughter or son. Now, imagine how much more difficult it would be if you were deaf.   

St. Anthony Adult Day Center, located on the main campus of Rose-Mary Center on Euclid Avenue in Euclid has been serving the community since 1996. Originally operating from The Center for Pastoral Leadership in Wickliffe, St. Anthony’s moved to Rose-Mary in March 2009. 

Paradise Restaurant and Pub, that is! On May 20, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., The Euclid Hunger Center  (EHC) will host the First Annual Friend-Raiser, titled “Cheeseburgers @ Paradise”, a Parrothead event indeed.