Gina Yonko

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Browns players will be participating in the NFL’s annual My Cause, My Cleats campaign Sunday before and during the game against the Titans. The collaboration between the league and players started in 2016 to show players’ passion beyond the game, using footwear decorated with artwork to highlight the causes they support.

Here’s a look at the shoes Browns players will wear Sunday:

Author: Cleveland Browns

Ashley, a native of Westlake, is the Director of Programming and Clinical Operations at Providence House. At the start of the pandemic, Providence House made the difficult, but necessary decision to temporarily suspend its on-site crisis nursery children’s emergency shelter services. Stock worked quickly to mobilize the Social Work team for the transition to a new method of service delivery that would allow Providence House to continue to support families while adhering to new state health and safety protocols. Through her leadership, Providence House’s team of Licensed Social Workers was able to safely discharge all children we were caring for in our crisis nursery children’s shelter program and transition all families to phone-based and virtual case management, counseling, referral, and support services within the course of one week. Throughout the course of this pandemic, Ashley has only emphasized her expertise and dedication to the families and children Providence House serves.

As a winner of the Browns’ Hats Off To Our Heroes Gameday Experience, Stock received two custom jerseys and a number of other Browns merchandise items. Sugardale also provided a hot dog themed prize pack. She’ll also serve as the Dawg Pound Captain for today’s game.

In April, the Browns proudly launched the “Hats Off to Our Heroes” Fund — an extension of the team’s celebration of national heroes during all Browns home games — to support those who are valiantly serving as role models in the face of significant adversity due to COVID-19. The “Hats off to Our Heroes” Fund has focused on aiding health care professionals, first responders, educational professionals and other groups who are pivotal in our community year-round and are valiantly persisting as role models in the face of significant adversity. The “Hats Off to Our Heroes” Honor Row program, which will continue in 2020 and beyond, was created following the 9/11 tragedy to salute service members and first responders in the local community.

Funding is part of UnitedHealthcare’s $12.3 million in Empowering Health grants focused on expanding access to care and addressing the social determinants of health for people in underserved communities

July 09, 2020 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

COLUMBUS, Ohio–(BUSINESS WIRE)–UnitedHealthcare, a UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) company, is awarding $595,000 in Empowering Health grants to seven community-based organizations in Ohio to expand access to care and address the social determinants of health for uninsured individuals and underserved communities.

“Our support of these organizations in Ohio through this UnitedHealthcare Empowering Health commitment will help provide critical aid and resources to the communities in Ohio that need it the most.”

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In total, UnitedHealthcare is donating $12.3 million through Empowering Health grants across 21 states. UnitedHealthcare launched its Empowering Health commitment in 2018.

More than half of the Empowering Health grants will help organizations increase their capacity to fight COVID-19 and support impacted communities. These grants will assist individuals and families experiencing challenges from social distancing, food insecurity, social isolation and behavioral health issues, which are among the most urgent needs resulting from the pandemic.

Grant recipients in Ohio include:

Better Health Partnership in Northeast Ohio — $115,000 to standardize screenings and referrals to improve outcomes for vulnerable children experiencing challenging mental/behavioral health and social needs through a collaboration with pediatric health systems and Federally Qualified Health Centers.
Ohio Children’s Alliance, statewide — $100,000 to supply nonprofit behavioral health providers and other agencies with equipment to deliver tele-behavioral health services to uninsured, underinsured and vulnerable youth.
Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation, statewide — $100,000 to provide virtual and in-person mental health first aid training and signs-of-suicide training for youth and staff at youth-serving organizations.
Cleveland Foundation in Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga Counties — $95,000 to support the Greater Cleveland COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund — an effort of more than 76 different corporate, civic and philanthropic partners. The funds will support local nonprofit organizations working on the front lines to address immediate needs of the most vulnerable and disproportionately impacted communities and populations due to the pandemic.
Ohio Association of Foodbanks, statewide — $85,000 for emergency to-go food and food boxes for people experiencing food insecurity.
Providence House in Cleveland — $75,000 to support a bus pass program for families served through its Crisis Nurseries and Community Education and Resiliency Program and provide case management, parent education and trauma services to parents served by community-based partners.
Senior Citizens Resources in Cleveland — $25,000to fund home-delivered meals and emergency food boxes for vulnerable seniors.
“This unprecedented environment has compounded challenges faced by Ohio’s most vulnerable residents and created further barriers to accessing the health care and services they need,” said Mike Roaldi, CEO, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Ohio. “Our support of these organizations in Ohio through this UnitedHealthcare Empowering Health commitment will help provide critical aid and resources to the communities in Ohio that need it the most.”

Providing access to better health in high-risk and high-need local communities is a profound challenge. According to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, nearly 80% of what influences a person’s health relates to nonmedical issues, such as food, housing, transportation and the financial means to pay for basic daily needs.

The Empowering Health grants bring to more than $100 million UnitedHealth Group’s efforts to fight COVID-19 and assist impacted communities by supporting vulnerable populations, protecting the health care workforce and advancing breakthrough innovations in testing and treatment.

In addition to UnitedHealthcare’s support in Ohio, the company has launched similar community initiatives and public-private collaborations nationwide focused on addressing social determinants of health. UnitedHealthcare has invested more than $500 million in affordable-housing communities since 2011, partnered with food banks and meal-delivery services, and last year joined with the American Medical Association to standardize how social determinants of health data is collected and used to create more holistic care plans.

About UnitedHealthcare

UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people live healthier lives and making the health system work better for everyone by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. In the United States, UnitedHealthcare offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with more than 1.3 million physicians and care professionals, and 6,500 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. The company also provides health benefits and delivers care to people through owned and operated health care facilities in South America. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified health care company. For more information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com or follow @UHC on Twitter.

Contacts
Tony Marusic
UnitedHealthcare
312-348-3825
tony_marusic@uhc.com

Author: Lydia Coutré

In its fifth round of weekly grants, the Greater Cleveland COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund distributed $498,308 to 11 organizations and groups serving Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga counties.

Since the fund was created in mid-March, it has awarded $3.3 million to more than 50 nonprofit organizations facing unprecedented challenges during the ongoing pandemic.

To date, more than 65 different corporate, civic and philanthropic partners have contributed more than $8 million, alongside individuals and families across the region. They urge other foundations, corporate entities, individuals and organizations to contribute to the fund with donations of any amount, all of which are tax deductible, according to a release.

According to the release, this week’s grants are:

$30,000 to Family Promise of Greater Cleveland to continue providing supplies, food, beds and other resources for unsheltered and recently housed families in Cuyahoga County.

$16,000 to West Side Catholic Center to continue offering takeout meals, shower facilities, emergency shelter and remote case management and one-on-one social work for low-income and unsheltered clients in Cuyahoga County.

$50,000 to the Salvation Army of Greater Cleveland to purchase additional food and sanitation products needed to meet the increase to weekly service deliveries (from twice monthly) to those in need in Cuyahoga County.

$56,000 to Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization to compensate small businesses for no-cost meals provided to children and low-income individuals on Cleveland’s Near West Side.

$80,000 to Famicos Foundation to purchase and deliver food, toiletries and cleaning supplies to seniors and disabled residents in Cleveland’s Hough, Glenville and St. Clair-Superior neighborhoods.

$20,500 to Joseph’s Home to purchase medical and disinfecting supplies for the medical respite shelter, help transition to mobile capabilities for staff and to expedite the relocation of medically at-risk clients in Cuyahoga County to permanent housing.

$90,000 to Malachi House to continue to serve low-income, terminally ill patients free of charge in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood.

$55,808 to Providence House to maintain phone-based family support services and provide delivery of basic needs items for at-risk, vulnerable and low-income families in Cuyahoga County.

$20,000 to True Freedom Enterprises to continue to provide transportation services to places of employment for formerly incarcerated citizens in Cleveland.

$30,000 to West Side Community House to continue providing meals and support services for seniors and disabled adults on Cleveland’s Near West Side, through weekly meals to-go and home delivered meals to housebound seniors.

$50,000 WomenSafe, Inc. to maintain the emergency domestic violence shelter, while providing tele-counseling services, case management and basic needs items for adult and child survivors of domestic violence throughout Northeast Ohio.

Author: FRESHWATER STAFF

A fifth round of weekly grants totaling $498,308 for 11 Cleveland-area nonprofit groups was announced Friday, April 24, by the Greater Cleveland COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund coalition.

The community has now raised more than $8 million since the fund was created in March and grantmaking totals now reach nearly $3.3 million to groups in Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga counties. The latest recipients are:

Family Promise of Greater Cleveland: $30,000 for supplies, food, beds and other resources for unsheltered families and recently housed families in Cuyahoga County.

West Side Catholic Center: $16,000 to offer takeout meals, shower facilities, emergency shelter, as well as remote case management and one-on-one social work for low-income and unsheltered clients in Cuyahoga County.

The Salvation Army of Greater Cleveland: $50,000 to purchase food and sanitation products that will be needed to make weekly service deliveries, an increase from twice monthly, to those in need in Cuyahoga County.

Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization: $56,000 to compensate small businesses for no-cost meals provided to children and low-income individuals on Cleveland’s near west side.

Famicos Foundation: $80,000 to purchase and deliver food, toiletries and cleaning supplies to seniors and disabled residents in Cleveland’s Hough, Glenville, and St. Clair-Superior neighborhoods.

Joseph’s Home: $20,500 to purchase medical and disinfecting supplies for the medical respite shelter, help transition to mobile capabilities for staff, and to expedite the relocation of medically at-risk clients in Cuyahoga County to permanent housing.

Malachi House: $90,000 to serve low-income, terminally ill patients free of charge in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood.

Providence House: $55,808 to maintain phone-based family support services and provide delivery of basic needs items for at-risk, vulnerable, and low-income families in Cuyahoga County.

True Freedom Enterprises: $20,000 to provide transportation services to places of employment for formerly incarcerated citizens in Cleveland.

West Side Community House: $30,000 to provide weekly meals to-go and delivery, as well as support services, for homebound seniors and disabled adults on Cleveland’s near west side.

WomenSafe, Inc.: $50,000 to maintain the emergency domestic violence shelter, while providing tele-counseling services, case management and basic needs items for adult and child survivors of domestic violence throughout Northeast Ohio.

Overall contributions to the Rapid Response Fund now total more than $8 million from 65 different corporate, civic, and philanthropic partners, including individuals and families across the region. Four new funding partners joined the group in the last week.

Weekly grants are expected to continue through at least June. Frontline nonprofits that have pressing needs related to the COVID-19 crisis response should email the coalition to receive more information about the streamlined funding process.

Donations of any amount are still being accepted and are tax deductible.

By: Kevin Barry

CLEVELAND — The boarded up Moreland Theater and nearby storefronts along Buckeye Road try to cover up some of the deeper problems in the neighborhood.

“I would say there’s a lot of trauma just from a history of violence and drug use in that area,” said Antoine Tolber, who has lived in the Buckeye neighborhood nearly all his life.

The old Moreland Theater entrance was most recently covered with public art until the building can be rehabilitated.

That’s what makes Tolber one of the best people to serve as a Buckeye Ambassador in the neighborhood, working with Burten, Bell, Carr Development corporation to help shape, then implement the corporation’s vision for Buckeye.

“Success looks like thriving businesses along the Buckeye Corridor,” said Burten, Bell, Carr Executive Director Tim Tramble.

Right now, Tramble says the people who live around Buckeye don’t have the money to revitalize it themselves.

“[New development] creates an environment that attracts others to the community,” said Tramble. “We have to be not only a consumer neighborhood, we have to be a producer neighborhood.”

“People that can choose to invest elsewhere,” said Tramble.

So Burten, Bell, Carr does the work no one else can or will do.

Tramble says 10’s of millions of dollars and input from the community will go towards buying land, rehabbing old buildings, and building new ones, trying to jump start local businesses to help build local wealth.

Boarded up and empty buildings line some of Buckeye Road. Burten, Bell, Carr is trying to change that.

The goal is to eventually have someone who is from Buckeye, living in Buckeye, be able to fund the next big Buckeye project.

Ambassadors like Tolber and Audrianna Rodriguez help connect residents they have personal relationships with to Burten, Bell, Carr so those residents can be part of the process.

“There are residents that have seen me grow up,” said Rodriguez. “There’s a certain level of trust.”

“We have residents that really care, they are looking to get involved,” said Rodriguez. “No organization or no group of people can do everything by themselves.”

Rodriguez says that trust gives her the ability to gather input but also explain the project to residents. That level of communication can make sure residents don’t lose touch or interest in the work Burten, Bell, Carr is doing.

“People support what they helped create,” said Tramble.

The goal is to turn abandoned storefronts into thriving businesses owned by local residents. The space above can become new apartments, bringing vibrancy to what is now a fairly dead Buckeye Road.

The Moreland Theater offers a lot of space that could be converted into new businesses and living spaces along Buckeye Road.

The first big organization to be part of the project is Providence House, a non-profit that provides emergency nursery care for families in need.

“Seventy percent of our kids are five and under,” said Providence House President and CEO Natalie Leek.

Providence House cares for about 350 children a year out of its Ohio City location while parents get the help they need.

Leek shows News 5 through the nearly-finished office space. Much of it is in tight quarters because the building was built in the early 1900’s so moving walls wasn’t an easy option.

Last year, Leek says the program had to turn away 450 children because there wasn’t enough space.

“Seventy percent of the children who were not coming into our program lived in east side neighborhoods,” said Leek.

That’s why Providence House is investing $8 million to rehab the Weizer Building on the corner of Buckeye Road and East 118th Street and, eventually, expand with a residental space for children in what is now the parking lot.

“The property that we are in is perfect for our type of service model and in one of the highest risk communities in Cleveland,” said Leek about Providence House’s new location in Buckeye.

“The message to this neighborhood is: You are worthy of investment. We care about you. We care about everyone in Cleveland,” said Leek.

Coronavirus Impact

The coronavirus pandemic is impacting the project in at least two big ways.

Providence House will be able to renovate the existing building and move into it in the next few days and weeks, but Phase 2 of the project, building residential space for additional children will likely be delayed at least for a year because Leek expects it will be harder to raise the necessary money.

But it’s also identifying another facet to the work that needs to be done.

Leek says the interior panes of glass are meant to protect people and children inside the building from bullets.

“One of the things the coronavirus has done, I think, for all of the funders, the philanthropic community, the City of Cleveland and even [Burten, Bell, Carr] is to show that it is necessary to bridge the digital divide,” said Tramble.

He realized while working on the Buckeye project that getting buy-in from residents means reaching them. But while much of Cleveland is being advised to stay at home, it quickly became clear how many people in low-income communities don’t have access to the internet or technology and can easily be left out of the discussion.

“We have to take a strong look at the infrastructure to connect low-income individuals to the internet,” said Tramble.

The Future

Tramble says Burten, Bell, Carr has already acquired some land and buildings and is in the process of acquiring more right now. He didn’t want to talk about specific plots of land or areas of development out of fears of endangering the acquisition process.

He says the project will start to show results in the next three years, with much more widespread success hopefully coming in about eight years.

Tolber doesn’t even try to hide his excitement about what’s possible.

“It’s not an impossible task, it just takes people that want to get it done,” said Tolber.

“Ten years from now, I see it being one of the premier neighborhoods in Cleveland,” said Tolber. “I think it would be nice to go outside your house and you have a smoothie shop versus a liquor store.”

He envisions a time when it will be safe for children to go to the store or check the mail.

“Even now as an adult, I still, to this day, I don’t feel safe doing something as simple as going to the gas station to get gas,” said Tolber.

Providence House intends to be a cornerstone of new development up and down the Buckeye Corridor, driven at first by Burten, Bell, Carr.

“What do you say to the people on the outside who say, ‘Are you kidding me? In ten years people are going to seek out a smoothie shop in Buckeye,” asked News 5 Reporter Kevin Barry.

“Watch,” said Tolber with a smile creeping across his face. “Just wait. You’ll see.”

Social media and the internet have affected almost everything in our lives. But for philanthropic endeavors, that isn’t always a bad thing.

According to Natalie Leek, CEO and president of Providence House in Cleveland, social media and the internet allow for new ways to reach donors.

Providence House uses social media to bolster and mirror current direct mail endeavors, as a majority of the organization’s donors are over 40 years old and don’t use the internet as their primary means of communication.

“Whatever we produce in print, we also deploy digitally,” she explained. “That print message, whether a newsletter or direct mail, also goes into our social media platform so there is a presence. We make sure as we’re developing materials, we have a social media strategy behind everything produced.”

Leek added social media is also used for “in-the-moment” requests, where they post a message to ask for items needed for immediate donation.

“People respond well to that,” she said. “We also know we have to figure out who we’re communicating with on all platforms, like Facebook is for the older donors and younger millennials are on Instagram and Twitter. It’s all about tone shifting.”

With that in mind, Leek reiterated social media and the internet as a whole have an effect on fundraising that can’t be ignored.

“Everything we do with mobile responses, no matter where you open it like your phone, computer or tablet, you’re getting the full experience,” she stated.

With how short attention spans are now, Leek said organizations “have to grab people.”

“Donors want to get your content, understand what they have to do and take action,” she explained. “It’s about making everything digestible. It’s also the ease. People know what they want to give to, so get to them quickly so they can act quickly. Social media is perfectly tuned to that strategy.”

As the use of social media and the internet have evolved, Leek said the approach fundraisers use has also shifted.

“Many organizations still have a lengthy grant process that hasn’t streamlined or gone social,” she said. “They’re very institutionally based. Social media at the individual donor level is where you’re seeing the traction. One of the areas that it is challenging is planned giving. Most planned gifts are from older donors, so they aren’t communicating the same way online.”

But as fundraising continues, social media and the internet will continue to complement it.

“It is the wave of the future,” Leek said. “So, while person to person is always going to be important, the competition is already fierce and it’ll continue to grow. At the touch of a button, people will be able to donate where they want to. … People give to people. The more we get donors to leverage their social media to talk about the causes they believe in, the better. Though digital, the people to people piece is still critical.”

CLEVELAND — The United Way of Greater Cleveland has announced major changes are coming to are coming to the organization both in how it distributes charitable contributions as well as what primary issue the organization aims to address. Beginning in 2022, the United Way will opt to fund a smaller, more concentrated group of non-profits solely focused on addressing the issue of poverty in the city.

At this point, it is unclear how many of the more than 70 non-profits the United Way currently contributes money to will be affected. However, organizations that will no longer receive United Way funding moving forward will continue to have their grant contracts honored through July 1. Additionally, those organizations will receive transitional funding through October 2021.

The UWGC detailed its plan Wednesday morning that intends to specifically help people living in the deepest levels of poverty across Cleveland. The creation of the so-called Hub, a concentrated network of public, private and non-profit organizations, is the final leg in the United Way’s three-year plan to fully maximize the organization’s impact.

“United Way started here in Cleveland. That’s 107 years ago,” said United Way of Greater Cleveland’s CEO and President Augie Napoli. “It was a brilliant idea to serve a community but it is an idea that did not keep pace with the changes in our community.”

United Way officials said the decision to focus on a more concentrated group of non-profits is not related to a drop in workplace contributions in recent years. In 2015, the United Way of Greater Cleveland reported more than $40 million in contributions, according to tax documents. In 2019, that number had dropped to $33 million. Of that total, more than $6 million is split up into grants to dozens of area non-profits of varying amounts.

The Providence House, Ohio’s first crisis nursery, received more than $90,000 from United Way this fiscal year. The non-profit’s annual budget is around $3.8 million, CEO and President Natalie Leek said.

“We provide emergency shelter to children newborn to 12-years-old whose families are living in deep poverty and placing them in situations where there could be risks of abuse or neglect,” Leek said. “We talk a lot about mental health, substance abuse, domestic violence and even child abuse. A lot of those are symptoms or even the outcome of poverty at the core.”

Last year, The Providence House provided shelter to more than 350 children but was forced to wait list more than 450 children. Leek said the United Way’s focus on poverty is a novel endeavor but she is empathetic to non-profits that might worry if funding will be cut.

“I think for any non-profit it’s always a white-knuckle ride when you hear a funder is going to make a change. What does this mean? Is it good? Is it bad?” Leek said. “What impacts one can impact a lot of us if somebody drops a service or closes or has to reduce service.”

With this new structure and focus on poverty, Napoli said the organization will be able to achieve a greater impact on individuals at the deepest level.

According to data from the nonpartisan think tank Center for Community Solutions, more than half of Cleveland’s children live in poverty, the highest rate in the nation. Additionally, Cleveland has the second highest number of working adults living in poverty and the third highest figure of seniors in poverty.

The sobering statistics are reason for alarm, Napoli said, and necessitated United Way’s internal changes.

“Let me very clear about this: The United Way of Greater Cleveland — or the United Way of anywhere — is not going to solve the issues of poverty alone,” Napoli said. “What we are going to do is our part in that. Part of our part is to deepen the understanding of the effects of this on people’s lives.”

The United Way will also be deepening its involvement in which organizations it elects to fund. Instead of being a pass-through for funding, the United Way of Greater Cleveland will be at the top of the network.

“We’re going to roll up our sleeves and get much more involved in the work itself. That’s going to be the biggest difference,” said Nancy Mendez, the vice president of community impact. “The old system really wasn’t addressing the person in need…they really needed wraparound services, services that were thoughtful, strategic and were really trying to get that long-term impact. That really is what the hub is looking to do.”

The non-profit will also reduce the number of organizations it will fund through its request for proposals process (RFP), instead opting for a smaller, more concentrated array of non-profits who will solely be focused on addressing poverty in Cleveland. By having fewer organizations but with larger donations, the United Way believes a greater impact can be achieved.

“Under the old system, people were served but we’re really not making an impact,” Napoli said. “While we have — for over 107 years — been doing good things together with the delivery system in Northeast Ohio and people have been helped, we know we can do better if we focus.”

The organization will set and later hold itself accountable to realistic but meaningful goals, Napoli said. Non-profits that receive funding from the United Way will continue to receive that funding through July. Organizations that will no longer receive funding under the new system will receive transitional assistance through October 2021.

Leek said there is still much to be concerned about.

“We just don’t know and I think that’s just the reality of the non-profit space, particularly the human service space,” Leek said. “We’re constantly on our toes. Constantly.”