Media

Author: WKYC Staff

CLEVELAND — The community is joining together again to lend a hand toward a good cause.

WTAM 1100 is hosting a “Stuff the Truck” charity drive for Providence House Tuesday and Wednesday from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m.

CLICK HERE to see the Providence House wish list.

Donations can be made at WTAM’s studios at 6200 Oak Tree Blvd. in Independence.

According to their Web site, Providence House protects at-risk children and supports families through crisis, strengthening communities to end child abuse and neglect.

Author: Marc Bona, cleveland.com

Author: Marc Bona

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Eighteen Northeast Ohio non-profit groups have been named beneficiaries of the Larry Doby Youth Fund, a program created just six months ago by Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona.

After its inception in October, the fund quickly drew $1 million in contributions from players, public and the organization. This year, team owner Paul Dolan credited Francona with being the driving force behind the project, which aims to curb youth violence.

The Cleveland Foundation administers the fund, which supports resources for non-profit community groups. The foundation helped review grant proposals with a committee composed of Indians management and team members.

“We are very fortunate to be a part of Major League Baseball,” Francona said in a news release, “and we accept the social responsibility that comes with that – to use our resources to directly make an impact on the underserved youth of our community, and to make our community better.”

Doby was the first African-American player in the American League and the second behind Jackie Robinson to break Major League Baseball’s color barrier.

2017 Larry Doby Youth Fund grant recipients

* America SCORES Cleveland: After-school soccer and journal writing.

* Negro League Baseball Legends Hall of Fame: League Park baseball history youth programming.

* Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Cleveland – Bigs in Blue: Mentoring relationships with 4th District police and youth.

* Boys & Girls Clubs of Cleveland: Building bridges between youth and law enforcement.

* Cleveland Peacemakers Inc.: Mentoring relationships for youth with police officers.

* Cleveland Police Athletic League: Activities that engage police officers and youth.

* College Now Greater Cleveland Inc.: College- and career-advising program for 600 John Adams High School students.

* East End Neighborhood House Association: My Brother, My Sister Cleveland chapter – after-school program for seventh- and eighth-graders.

* Esperanza Inc.: Mentoring programs.

* Friends of Breakthrough Schools: Support for 11 high-performing charter schools.

* Golden Ciphers: Out of school time programs.

* Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry: Health and crime-prevention education programs.

* Ohio Guidestone: Youth and police development programming.

* NewBridge Cleveland Center for Arts & Technology: After-school youth-arts programming.

* Partnership For A Safer Cleveland: IMPACT 25 Youth Commission.

* Providence House Inc.: Emergency shelter for children in crisis.

* University Settlement Inc.: SmartY’s program.

* Youth Opportunities Unlimited: Summer job program for youth.

Author: Jim McIntyre, CBS Radio

The ribbon has been cut for phase one of the “Protect the Promise” expansion at Providence House.

The crisis nursery opened its doors 31 years ago, providing a safe haven for babies and children in imminent danger. It gives the children a place to be loved and cared for while their parents are getting the help they need.

President and CEO Natalie Leek-Nelson was joined by Mayor Frank Jackson, Councilman Joe Cimperman and Santa Claus at the ribbon cutting.

Sister Hope Greener, who founded Providence House in 1981 was also at the ribbon cutting.

The first phase of the project included renovating Leo’s House and adding a new wing. The expansion will allow older siblings of the children being cared for at Providence House stay under the same roof with their younger brothers and sisters.

Author: Regina Brett, The Plain Dealer

Babies need your help.

Living, breathing, crying babies.

I thought of them when I read that Ohio Senate Republicans are moving forward with yet another anti-abortion bill, this time “heartbeat” legislation that would ban abortions once a fetal heartbeat is heard.

When it comes to helping babies, let’s do more to help the ones who have already arrived in this world, who turn into homeless children who show up at Providence House with all their belongings in a blue plastic bag.

Sometimes they arrive with no shoes.

The motto of the crisis nursery for newborns to 6-year-olds is this:

Every child is your child.

What would happen if we all believed that?

We’d break out our checkbooks and credit cards and tackle the Wish list at provhouse.org/

It broke my heart to see this item listed: Child-sized rolling suitcases.

I asked the CEO of Providence House, Natalie Leeks-Nelson, about that need.

“A lot of our children arrive with just the clothes on their back,” she said. “We give them each five new sets of clothes to take with them when they leave. We don’t want to send them out with another blue grocery bag.”

The first days the children are at Providence House, they pack that suitcase every night with their new clothes. Their little lives have been disrupted from evictions and violence and parent hospitalizations so many times, they’re afraid they’ll have to pack up and leave at any minute.

Two little girls who are 2 and 3 stay here when their mom is in the hospital. She’s dying of leukemia. A third of the children who come here are homeless; nearly a fourth of them have a parent with a medical need; the rest come from violent homes or have parents with mental health problems.

While you’re out doing holiday shopping, shop for them. They could use:

Tennis shoes, sizes 5 to 13. Boys and girls clothing, sizes 6, 7, and 8.

Size 5 and 6 diapers. Educational toys. Floor puzzles with large pieces. The shelter also needs things to care for the children.

“Bleach and paper towels are like gold,” Natalie said.

Donate event passes for the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo & Rainforest, Lake Metroparks Farmpark, Children’s Museum and PlayhouseSquare so they can go to children’s plays.

If it’s easier, just send a gift card from Giant Eagle, Dave’s supermarket, Target or Babies R Us. If you can be especially generous, get twin bed mattresses, or toddler/ crib mattress or help cover the addition they’re building to house more children and help children up to 10 years old

“Every, every, every gift matters,” Natalie said.

So does every baby.

Drop the gifts off at Providence House at 2037 W. 32nd St. in Cleveland from 9 to 5 weekdays and from 9 to 1 p.m. on weekends. For information, call 216-651-5982 or email info@provhouse.org

If you want to help pregnant women who choose not to have an abortion, support Maggie’s Place. For information on this home for expectant moms in Parma, check out maggiesplace.org/ or call 440-886-2620.

There’s also Laura’s Home, a crisis shelter for women and children run by the City Mission. They need diapers, pull-ups, baby wipes and baby formula. They could also use twin sheets, pillowcases, towels and washcloths.

They have a registry online where you can buy pink boots for a little girl, Cars underwear for a little boy, strollers and car seats. Call 216-472-5500 or go to thecitymission.org/lauras-home

Birthright centers all over Ohio need clothes and items for newborns. You can locate them online at birthright.org or in the phone book.

Cleveland Pregnancy Center at 2038 West 29th St. in Cleveland and 50 N. Rocky River Dr. in Berea could use help. Call 216-631-0964 or 440-243-2520 or go to clevelandpregnancyhelp.org/

They need infant formula, diapers, wipes, baby clothing, bottles, new cribs and mattresses, strollers, swings and bassinets.

Babies all over the area are crying out for help.

It doesn’t take a fetal monitor to detect their need.

To reach Regina Brett: rbrett@plaind.com, 216-999-6328

reginabrett.com

Facebook: facebook.com/ReginaBrettFans

Twitter: @ReginaBrett