Community Service

Girl Scout Brownie Troop 70278 would like to announce our Stuffed Animals For Emergencies donation drive. We will be collecting used stuffed animals, cleaning them up and delivering them to Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services.  

Children in crisis situations receive these stuffed animals when they come into the center for visitations or to receive services and the toys provide warmth and security. They get to keep the stuffed animals too, which is very special during a difficult time in their lives. We take some of our toys for granted and we just thought all kids should have their own lovable bear to make them feel better.

We are making BBQ dog bones to make a difference! Making dog bones is part of our economics class in Mrs. Thomas' room. For almost seven years, Mrs. Thomas' classes have been making dog bones as part of their economics lesson. Our class is learning to be entrepreneurs (one who starts a business). Mrs. Thomas and Mrs. Davis' classes are making the dog bones this year at Westerly School in Bay Village.

When people buy the dog bones they will be helping make a difference. We will donate our profit to the Island Safe Harbor Animal Sanctuary in Port Clinton. A sanctuary is a place where something lives. It is a safe, no kill shelter. We learned all about it from Mr. Glasmire, our head custodian. At school, he collected dog and cat things because the sanctuary just rescued 36 puppies from a puppy mill. We wanted to help too.

It rained and rained on our beach cleanup day but that didn’t stop over 100 people coming to help us clean up the beach on April 28. We spent over an hour picking up the trash from the beach. 

We found so much trash and even two tires in the lake! We sorted our trash and tallied up what we collected and also weighed the trash. When I have those results, I will write them in my column for the Observer.

As we were leaving, our community partners told us it was their most successful beach clean up ever.

Students and families throughout the Westlake City School District collected more than 3,500 food items – valued at approximately $10,000 – to benefit May Dugan Center and Westlake Assistance during the annual PTA Council Food Drive. The collection effort was moved from the spring to fall this year.

Westlake High School partnered with Giant Eagle to stage a fill-the-carts "Food Fight" between the classes, with the Class of 2014 coming out on top. Giant Eagle kicked in an additional cartload of food to increase the Juniors' winning donation. Elementary schools collected cereal and students and families in the middle grades donated peanut butter and jelly.

The starting line for the holiday shopping season is in view! We are making our lists and scouting the advertised sales starting the Friday after Thanksgiving. We struggle with the challenge of matching the perfect gift to each person on our holiday gift-giving list. Some people with talent and skills are creating gifts for the people you hold in high regard. We are all trying to make sure that we convey to our loved ones how much we value them as part of our lives.

In 2009, Rob Hendricks, an eighth-grader at Rocky River Middle School, wanted to find a way to get fellow classmates – and neighboring rival Bay Village – to help the less fortunate in their community. It was from this that Hoops for Hunger was born.

This student-led mission comes together every winter for three weeks to donate food and funds that benefits the Cleveland Foodbank’s Harvest for Hunger campaign.

The culmination of the three-week project is a boys basketball game between Bay Village and Rocky River high schools. In order to get some real exposure, Rob presented his idea to SportsTime Ohio who loved the idea and televises the game annually.

The Rusty Barrel, a popular neighborhood sports bar and restaurant on Center Ridge Road owned by Rusty Jesset, has begun a new community outreach program as a way to thank the community for its support. During the month of October, Westlake Meals on Wheels will receive 10% of Monday food sales between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m.

For more than 30 years, Westlake Meals on Wheels has provided continuous service to our community. It is a non-profit, non-governmentally funded service whose purpose is to help people who are unable to prepare meals for themselves due to health or age related problems. Meals on Wheels provides two well-balanced meals a day, one hot and one cold, five days a week.

The Village Food Project, an endeavor spearheaded by Executive Director Barb Harrell, held an informational meeting at Bay Presbyterian Church on Jan. 9. The evening included an overview of the project, as well as prayer, videos and performances by the Bay High Choraleers. The many attendees were also treated to a sampling of a few VFP dishes.

The project, which was born on Sept. 24, 2010, and modeled after a similar program in Sebastopol, Calif., will provide three meals per week to Bay families who are facing a cancer crisis. The meals will be offered for up to 12 weeks – an average cancer treatment duration – after which clients will be asked to provide a donation to continue in the program.

Students in 9th-12th grades who reside in Bay, with guidance from volunteer adult chefs, will prepare the meals on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons in the Bay Presbyterian kitchen. Trained adults will deliver a week’s worth of meals on Wednesday evenings. Adult volunteers are also needed for grocery shopping, fundraising, planting and harvesting produce, composting and administrative tasks.

Sammy Brenneman from Bay Village celebrated his 9th birthday party with 24 friends. Sammy asked that they bring food items to be donated to Bay Village Community Services Department's Feed-A-Family Program for the holidays. The party guests brought 100 food items for donation!

The Community Services Department is accepting donations of non-perishable food, paper products, cleaning products and toiletries through December 18. Community Services is open Monday-Friday, 8:30-4:30 p.m. They are located next to the Bay Pool on Bryson Lane.

For the 49th year, the Bay Village Kiwanis Club has sent outstanding Bay High School seniors out into the world with money for school in their pockets.

On July 27, Kiwanians handed out $16,500 in academic achievement awards to 18 members of the class of 2010 in supper ceremonies at Bay Lodge. Students and parents applauded as Bay School Superintendent Clint Keener read their achievements as the students came to the podium one by one to receive their checks.

Department awards in technology, English, drama, music and business went to students whose teachers feel they are outstanding in their fields. They include Michael Washington, Sarah Chen, Jacob Faile, Erin Stevens, Rebecca Fyffe, Andy Meyer and Meredith Horrigan. An award for the most inspirational students went to Nicole Craft.

Kiwanis and Key Club awards went to Nate Campbell, Elizabeth DiFiore, Meredith Liedtke, Rachel Stone, MaryKate McHugh, Sarah Lipperman and Alexandra Puntel. The Ronald L. Dezember Memorial Music Award, named for a club founder, went to Katelyn Waddle.

A new honor this year, the Randy N. Stang Good Neighbor Award, was awarded to Andrew Brandt and Jessica Kuh. The award is named for the late Randy N. Stang, a beloved Kiwanian and community leader who exemplified the Kiwanis commitment to serving children. It was co-sponsored by the Bay Village Education Foundation and the Kiwanis Club.

The Bay Village Community Services Office offered its thanks and tribute to the volunteers who have given of their time and talents at the Dwyer Center. A patriotic picnic lunch on July 6 was hosted by Chef Jim from Avon Lake’s Towne Center, hot dogs provided by Hot Dog Heaven.

Entertainment was sponsored by Right At Home In Home Care and Assistance and featured Frank and Dean and More. Swooning was evident as these fellows delighted the audience with their amazing renditions of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin songs. So delighted were the audience, that many plan on listening to the duo sing on Monday nights at the Savannah Bar and Grille in Westlake.

The main focus of the day was, of course, the volunteers. Many found it difficult to sit still and be waited on since they are the ones who always take care of everyone else. It takes 25 volunteers a week just to run the Meals on Wheels Program that delivers meals to shut-ins residing in Bay.

The Bay Men’s Club has established a project to provide, erect and maintain American flags throughout the city’s business districts, at no cost to the recipients, and is seeking locations and donations for the project.

It is anticipated that some 36 flags would be erected at the city’s main shopping plazas, participating offices and stores, and anywhere else an American flag would be appropriate. They would be set out by Memorial Day and would remain flying through Labor Day, when club members will take them down and store them.

At the annual West Shore Chamber of Commerce December meeting/holiday party, Andrew Mangels was presented with the Hugh L. Dawson Service Award. Andrew is the Director of Westlake Porter Public Library and has been a member of the Chamber since moving to Westlake six years ago.

He also serves as co-chair of the Chamber’s Education Committee which is responsible for giving out scholarships to Westlake and Bay high schools students, bestowing an annual Student Achievement Award to an employee or volunteer of a Chamber business, and coordinating people from the business community to speak to high school students and share their career stories.

The Bay Village Community Council is now accepting nominations for the 2013 Bay Village Citizen of the Year and Project of the Year.

Nominations will be accepted until Jan. 11, 2013. Selections will be announced by the Community Council shortly thereafter.

After holding the emergency communications seminar on July 30, I realize that there are some “perceptions” that I need to adjust, so that residents understand just what it is I am trying to accomplish with this CB radio group, BayComm. First of all, I would like to thank those that did attend, but the attendance was very light.

After listening to some of the questions and concerns from residents, the one thing that comes to mind is that many people think of this as being strictly a “radio club,” and something that will take time and effort to participate in. I realize that the majority of people are not familiar with “citizens band radio” and therefore think “this probably isn’t for me.”

Westlake took part in National Volunteer Week (April 15-21) by honoring local volunteers at a recognition reception held at City Hall on April 19. The ceremony paid tribute to over 50 volunteers for their service to the city of Westlake throughout the past year.

President Richard Nixon created the first National Volunteer Week in 1974 to recognize, inspire and encourage people of all ages to seek out creative ways to get involved in their communities. The Westlake honorees were among the 63 million people who volunteered this year throughout the nation that embodied the energy and power that citizens can bring to their communities.

The students, faculty, parents and visitors to Lee Burneson Middle School on Dover Center Road know that something exciting is going on in the vivarium. The glass-enclosed room is being transformed into a winter wonderland by Don Bowman. 

Don is a familiar sight around the school because he goes there at least once a week to water and care for the plants in the vivarium. Don started planting flowers around the three trees on Dover Center Road in front of the Red Brick School in 2010. It was a problem getting water to the plants, so he asked if he could get water from the vivarium at Lee Burneson and in exchange, he would water the plants in the vivarium. Of course the school said yes, and Don has been at it since.

The actions of one area boy scout have benefitted the citizens of Bay Village and the Bay Village Historical Society twice.

A few years ago, young Bill Wolf was walking near the remains of the old electric railway bridge in Bay Village, when he found a ticket dropped by a passenger on the train many years before. Wolf donated that ticket to the Bay Village Historical Society, to be framed and displayed at the Reuben Osborn Learning Center and museum.

This past summer, when considering projects for his Eagle Scout designation, Wolf crossed paths with the historical society once again. Wolf and his mother were driving past the Reuben Osborn Learning Center on Lake Road, when they noticed that the building was badly in need of painting. Wolf called Bay Village Historical Society President Carole Roske to discuss his idea of painting the museum.

In honor of Mother’s Day, I’d like to introduce our group of military moms to those in the community who may not be familiar with us. We are the Blue Star Mothers of America and our chapter is called the Ohio Buckeye Chapter #26.  

BSMA is a tax-exempt organization that has been around since 1942. We meet on the fourth Monday of every month at 6:00 p.m. at the American Legion Hall (Clifton Post 421) located at 22001 Brookpark Rd., Fairview Park.  

Our organization participates in many activities to support our troops and support each other, which includes letter writing and care packages to our soldiers, family socials, speakers, knitting and sewing projects and community fundraisers.

The Westlake Kiwanis Aktion Club won the Tom E. Crawford Award at the Ohio Aktion Club Convention in Ashley, Ohio, on August 28, 2010. This award is presented to the Ohio Aktion Club which performed the best service project each year. The Westlake Aktion Club prepared and served a meal at Ronald McDonald House in Cleveland along with donating more than a hundred pounds of ring tabs to Ronald McDonald House to aid with their free care fund. The club received a plaque along with a $100 check.

Fourth-grade Girl Scout Troop 77140 of Westlake wanted to help make our soldiers overseas know that they are loved this Valentine's Day. The troop made 50 valentines with expressions of love and thanks to send to the troops.

"It's important to remember those fighting for our safety," said Girl Scout Alexis DeMonica, "especially when their families are so far away."

Each valentine had a small token gift attached of either a friendship bracelet that the girls made, or candy Pop Rocks. The girls hope that these small tokens of thanks will help make our soldiers' Valentine's Day a little brighter!

The Westlake Kiwanis Aktion Club delivered valentines to the residents of The Gardens of Westlake on Feb. 12. The Aktion Club delivered Valentines which they took part in making at Pat Catan's of Westlake. A yearly event, Pat Catan's provides materials for the public to make valentines for delivery to local nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

The Aktion Club is a community service group for adults who are disabled. Delivering the valentines is one of their many community service projects.

Students work together to pull garlic mustard plants at the third annual Bay Village Waterways Clean Up on May 15. Over 50 volunteers from Bay High, the Project Earth club and the city's Green Team removed the invasive species, as well as items of clothing, tires, lawn furniture, golf balls and other trash from green spaces around the city. The event, coordinated by Bay High teacher Eryn Whistler, was hosted by Project Earth and The Village Foundation. The city provided trash bags and gloves, and picked up the full bags at the end of the day.

Click to see more pictures of the clean up.

The Community Services Department has been dedicated to caring for Bay Village’s most vulnerable members for over 26 years. One hundred percent of the funding for the care provided comes from donations from generous individuals, foundations and groups throughout the community. 

Each year food, gifts, cleaning products, paper products and personal hygiene products are provided to residents who are struggling whether to due to illness, loss of income or a variety of other reasons.

The Westlake Kiwanis Club is very active in serving the community. On Nov. 9, ten members of the club spent the morning at the newly opened Ames Family Hospice House off Crocker Road doing a clean up project. On Saturday, Nov. 10, Kiwanis, in cooperation with high school Key Club members, raked yards of seniors and other residents who requested help getting ready for winter. 

As the holidays approach the club will be involved in helping pass out food baskets at the Westlake Community Center. These are just a few of the activities the club is involved in during the year. Recently the club helped the Westlake Fire Department by purchasing equipment for each rescue squad to adapt the stretchers for small children and infants.

I am happy to report that BayComm, a radio group started this year, is now active. We are still looking for additional members, however, to make it truly valuable to the community. The concept is to have a state-of-the-art, battery-operated CB radio on hand when the power goes out and other forms of communication go down. This will provide a link (or “lifeline”) to family members, and others in the community.

No one likes to think about what life would be like if this were to occur, and extend for a month or more, but the reality is...it could very well happen. Being prepared, mentally and physically, is what could save your life. This group is for the benefit of all residents of Bay and the Westshore suburbs, and it requires little or no experience to become an active member.

The Westlake Assistance Program, through Westlake Community Services, will offer food baskets to Westlake families in need this holiday season and would appreciate donations of non-perishable food items, household goods and toiletries. Please check expiration dates on food products. Volunteers are needed to sort donated food from the food drive. Call 440-899-3544 if you'd like to help.

Drop-off locations:
Westlake Recreation Center, 28955 Hilliard Blvd.
Westlake Police Department, 27300 Hilliard Blvd.
Westlake Community Services, 29694 Center Ridge Rd.
Westlake Porter Public Library, 27333 Center Ridge Rd.

For the past two years, The Village Food Project has brought nourishment and care to individuals and their families who have been touched by cancer. The response to this service has been remarkable, demonstrating an overwhelming opportunity to support those with cancer and a strong desire to come together as a community in service.

In order to continue growth, and clearly reflect its purpose, on Feb. 21 The Village Food Project reestablished and incorporated as the Village Project. The mission: “To come together as a community of all ages to provide nourishing meals and extended care and service to our neighbors experiencing cancer,” will be the driving force of this newly formed endeavor.

Veterans Day reminded me of my son Justin’s Eagle Scout project, and I thought it would be nice to make others aware of Operation Gratitude and their mission. At this time last year, we were trying to beat the holiday deadline as Justin wanted to collect items for care packages for soldiers. 

He did some research and found that Operation Gratitude had a very organized and extensive program with a number of ways to show soldiers, their families, wounded warriors and veterans our gratitude for their service. They collect the items and are able to distribute them appropriately and to those in most need. Many times an officer will identify a particular person who is not receiving communication from home or is in an especially difficult situation, and those requests can be filled by Operation Gratitude and their wonderful staff and volunteers through donations collected from across the country.

Between Armed Forces Day and Memorial Day, the St. Raphael Youth Group helped a widowed World War II and Korean War veteran. His Bay Village lawns, trees and hedges needed a lot of hard work.

The teenagers voluntarily cut the three-foot-high grass, raked it into piles and bagged it. Others trimmed hedges with hand and power tools; others hauled fallen limbs to the street and then cut down many "volunteer" trees around the property.

The best part of it all was the chance for the youth to hear firsthand the stories of a 90-year-old who experienced the battles for freedom; the vet also had the chance to hear a few of the youths' stories and to "supervise" how he used to do that work.

It is with great excitement that I introduce to the community the Friends From The Start Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to providing information, services and resources to individuals and their loved ones facing extreme medical challenges. Our initial focus will be Bay Village, Westlake and surrounding suburbs, with an eye to expanding throughout the region as time progresses.

I'd like to explain why my wife, Bev, my family, some dear friends and I are establishing this foundation.

On Aug. 2, 2010, I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. In mid-2011, I was in the hospital for approximately a month for a bone marrow transplant. It has now been seven months since my transplant, and I am thankfully cancer free.

We’re off and running! And doing well, thanks to an amazing group of 150 volunteers who willingly share their time and talents with us. Because of our team, The Village Food Project (VFP) is living its mission of coming together as a community of all ages, to love neighbors who are experiencing a cancer crisis by providing nourishing meal deliveries.

After only eight weeks of operation, the VFP kitchen, manned by over 36 teen volunteers and 24 adult supervisors, has served over 375 delicious and nutritious meals. The food is excellent and a true blessing.

One client who receives meals had this to share: "That was five-star, quality food. You have no idea how that meal helped us. I had an extra couple of quality hours to spend with my wife last night since I did not have to deal with cooking, and then cleaning the kitchen."

Cleveland MetroParks' Nature Tracks mobile classroom will be presenting "Year of the Pollinator" at Bay's Dwyer Senior Center on Friday, Sept. 7, at 1 p.m. Nature Tracks, designed to expand visitors' knowledge of nature, utilizes SMARTboard technology to foster an understanding and appreciation for our natural environment.  

The program is in two parts and lasts about 1 1/2 hours. The first part of the presentation will be held in the Dwyer Center and the remainder will be held in the Nature Tracks mobile classroom. RSVP to 440-835-6565.

Now in it sixth year, the Bay Village Waterways Clean-up on May 19 saw the best attendance ever. The weather was picture perfect for more than 100 adults and children that turned out to help clean up Bay waterways.

Mrs. Eryn Sutterlin, Bay High School teacher and sponsor of Project Earth Club, announced that the participants covered four areas of Bay Village including Cahoon Creek, Bay Boat Club, Columbia Park and the Lake Erie shoreline east of Porter Creek, where each group collected bottles, scrap metal, tires, plastic, Styrofoam and more.The city provided trash bags and gloves for use in picking up debris.

"Flip-Flops for Haiti," an idea conceived by Fairview Park's Josie Katzbach following a trip to help the people in Haiti, has grown into a community effort. 

Katzbach's goal is to collect 2,000 pairs of new flip-flops in a variety of sizes to provide for the men, women and children in the mountains of Haiti, many of whom have only hand-me-down shoes or are barefoot.

The students and staff at Dover Elementary School in Westlake are participating and have already donated 150 pairs of flip-flops to the cause.

Bay High School senior Elisabeth Rudge has been selected to receive the Bay Village Historical Society’s $1,000 scholarship for 2013.

Rudge, the daughter of Antoinette and Scott, will be attending Cleveland State University, where she will be majoring in business and marketing.

Rudge was active on the softball team and soccer team, participated in HUDDLE (a tutoring program where younger Bay Village students are taught leadership qualities), Rachel’s Challenge (an anti-bullying program) and the Key Club.

Rudge was selected by Bay High School Social Studies Department teachers for her love of history.

Each year John O’Neill, owner of Bradley Bay Health Center, awards a $500 nursing scholarship to graduating high school seniors who are pursing a career in nursing. The applicant must meet certain requirements including a written essay, and teacher recommendations.

This year’s recipients are Meghan Kevesdy, Bay High School; Kayla Smith, Westlake High School; Kelly Sfiligoj, Magnificat High School; and Casey Wilcox, Avon Lake High School.

 Congratulations to all the recipients as they pursue their nursing careers.

On July 23, Barb Harrell and The Village Food Project took the opportunity to express their gratitude for the teenage volunteers who are the vital engine for this community service organization. On that evening, a Teen Appreciation Celebration was held at Bay Lanes where the teens had the opportunity to bowl, eat pizza and receive thanks from speakers, including several clients.

The teen volunteers of The Village Food Project help to lighten the load for local families with loved ones battling cancer by preparing organic, nutritious and delicious meals every Tuesday and Wednesday. These meals are then delivered to clients and their families by adult volunteers. The Village Food Project currently serves families in Bay Village and Avon Lake and has been in operation since January 2011.

Westerly School fourth-graders in Barbara Woodburn and MaryJo Mahall’s classroom have put their artistic talents to work. Under the guidance of art teacher Debbie Sanson, they have created beautiful note cards with the theme “Bay in Bloom.” The teachers are proud that last year’s class launched this idea using the theme of Bay’s Bicentennial and were able to donate over $300 to Relay For Life.

Packs of note cards will include four original student designs and will be sold for $5.00 beginning at the Westerly Carnival, March 11. They make a perfect hostess gift or to write a note to a special friend. Proceeds go to Bay’s Relay For Life campaign and the student artists know that they have a part in finding a cure for cancer.

Anyone interested in supporting these fourth-graders by purchasing cards may contact their teachers at 440-871-1322 or 440-871-4412.

The Compeer Program at Far West Center in Westlake needs adult volunteers that can give one hour per week to offer friendship and encouragement to an adult in recovery from mental illness. The Compeer Program is a branch of Compeer Inc., an international nonprofit organization (www.compeer.org). Compeer has been serving the Cuyahoga County community from Far West Center (www.farwestcenter.com), a nonprofit community mental health services agency, for almost twenty-one years.

Being a Compeer Volunteer is very rewarding and can easily fit into anyone's busy schedule. Compeer Volunteers are trained about issues regarding mental illness, isolation, and mental health services. Volunteers are matched one to one with a same gender adult who is in recovery from mental illness and is ready to get back out into his or her community.