Community Service

The Westlake Kiwanis Aktion Club spent the afternoon of Sunday, Feb. 8, at the Michael's craft store in Westlake creating valentines to be delivered to local assisted living facilities. They were able to create 180 valentines which were delivered on Valentine's Day weekend.

Aktion Club is a Kiwanis Service Club for individuals living with disabilities 18 years of age or older. If you or someone you know meets this criteria and would like to join the club, contact Vic Rutkoski at 216-433-1759.

The Bay High School Key Club, along with the Bay Village Kiwanis Club, would like to thank everyone for supporting our most recent fundraiser. Six local vendors provided the pizza with the Key Club membership providing the desserts in an all-you-can-eat extravaganza whose proceeds help us continue our work of supporting those in need throughout our community.

The six vendors – Buca di Beppo, Domino’s, Gina’s, Marco’s, Jet’s and Whole Foods Market – generously served up their finest pies to help us raise funds and have a little fun in determining the winners in various categories of pizza construction. Each of the vendors provided several different varieties of pizza so there was a lot of required eating for the public to vote for what they considered to be the best Pepperoni, Specialty, and People’s Choice Overall.

The Village Bicycle Cooperative made a special donation of an adult tricycle to our armed services veterans at the independent living facility of the Ohio Veterans Home in Sandusky. VBC volunteers Bill Abbott and I loaded the trike on a crisp January morning and headed off on Route 2 to deliver the trike.

There we were greeted by Ashley Matus, OVH recreation coordinator. She told us that this adult tricycle will be "enlisted in service" for the OVH on-premise bicycle club. Adult trikes provide a bridge for those individuals with balance challenges. In these cases, three-wheel cycling transportation is a better and safer solution for recreational and exercise needs.(Cycling, by the way, is one of the best activities for supporting good cardiovascular health.)

The Westlake Kiwanis invited Marie Patten-Blatter, Meals on Wheels' executive director, to speak at their Jan. 28 meeting and presented her with a check for the organization. Kiwanis currently delivers meals on the holidays to relieve the regular drivers and even have a member volunteering in the kitchen helping prepare the meals.

Marie said they are always looking for volunteers and funding. Visit their website, westlakemealsonwheels.org, to see all the ways you can help. This is their 45th year serving meals to the homebound. They currently serve the communities of Westlake, North Olmsted, Olmsted Township, Olmsted Falls and Bay Village, providing two meals a day, Monday through Friday, which costs $9 a day. They are currently serving between 63 and 80 people a day. Last year they served over 31,000 meals.

It's time to register for Ohio's March 17 primary election! Remember: whenever you move, you must update your registration. If you're not sure whether your registration is current, check online at boe.cuyahogacounty.us or call 216-443-VOTE (8683).

If you are 17 years old but will turn 18 by General Election Day (Nov. 3), you are eligible to vote in the primary for candidates, but not on issues.

Many voters will have other plans on St. Patrick's Day, so the League of Women Voters encourages everyone to consider voting early. Vote-by-Mail ballot request forms are available at local libraries, as well as through the Board of Elections website and phone line.

The Bay Village Kiwanis Club would again like to encourage individuals and organizations in Bay Village and surrounding communities to join in efforts to aid burned children. When you have a party, fundraiser or event please set up a recycle bin specifically for aluminum cans and simply drop off at the Bay Village Fire Department.

In 2019 ACBC Ohio collected 55,000 pounds of aluminum cans earning $21,000 to assist child victims of burns and promote education. This non-profit is assisted by fire departments of 7 counties of northeast Ohio, including the BVFD. Everyone can help our firefighters be tops in this worthy cause by bringing your empty aluminum cans to the Can Corral, located on the east side of the fire department parking lot at 28100 Wolf Road.

Members of Bay Village Garden Club join together to increase their knowledge of gardening and to give of their time and efforts to share the beauty of nature with the community.

Interesting and informative programs are always on the calendar. We spent the fall learning how to create water-conserving rain gardens and, among other topics, how to grow herbs for teas and remedies.

This year, we’ll be visiting Monet’s Gardens of Giverny through a slide presentation by a local art historian. We’ll learn how to grow the modern perennial cutting garden with an OSU agriculture and natural resources educator. Then we'll find out about the plants that changed the world from a past vice president of horticulture at Cleveland Botanical Gardens. We’ll tour the historical English gardens through the insights of a third-generation nursery owner and we’ll take a field trip to Kingwood Gardens. Plus enjoy a workshop in container gardening. Finally, we’ll discover the new plants for 2020.

The  Bay Village Kiwanis Club's 2019 Christmas tree fundraiser was a huge success! A record 300 Christmas trees were sold between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Many thanks to the Bay High School Key Club, their families and the Bay Village firefighters for sacrificing their weekends to help Bay Kiwanis unload the delivery truck, set up the trees, sell and load the trees onto customer vehicles. Bay Kiwanis could not have accomplished our goal without their support.

Westlake Meals on Wheels is offering a way to warm your heart and satisfy your appetite, all while supporting the recently introduced "We Care About You" program.

During the first week of December, Meals on Wheels volunteers and community members delivered to recipients four bags of non-perishable food items and a bag of winter supplies and personal items collected and donated by area schools, fire departments, churches and the community at large. It was met with overwhelming appreciation from the recipients. 

“We received so many notes of thanks from our recipients for the items,” said Executive Director Marie Patten-Blatter. “Many of our recipients live alone, and the only person they will see is their Meals on Wheels driver. Our goal is to be able to provide a similar care package throughout the year. The mission of Meals on Wheels is not just delivering a meal, but serving our recipients in other ways as well."

Each year, the Bay Village Community Council honors a worthy Bay Village resident with the title of Citizen of the Year. The award recognizes an individual’s service and dedication to the community. Special projects are also considered for distinction based on community impact and the involvement of volunteers and organizations.

The deadline to nominate a citizen and/or project is Monday, Jan. 13. Forms are available at wbvobserver.com, City Hall, the Bay Village Branch Library, and from members of the Bay Village Community Council. Completed forms may be submitted via email to tara@wbvobserver.com or mailed to Bay Village Community Council, 350 Dover Center Road, Bay Village, OH 44140.

Village Bicycle Cooperative, located in the Community House in Bay Village, donated the biggest single one-time donation of reconditioned bicycles in its 8-year history. On Dec. 18, five VBC volunteers braved the winter cold and loaded 40 bicycles on a truck for donation to the Salvation Army from the VBC secondary storage location at BAYarts. Beth Milli, of BAYarts, was there to greet and launch the volunteers on their journey. The VBC volunteers were Susan Schneider, Eric Evanoff, Bob Piccirilli, Bill Abbott and Dave Kett.

The Salvation Army bike donations will serve two important purposes. Some of the bikes are gifts for needy children, bringing them joy during the holiday season. The rest are adult bikes, given to adult Salvation Army clients, that will be to used as transportation to their newfound places of work. In all cases, the bicycles were donated to those in real need who cannot afford them. VBC also included 50 bicycle helmets, acquired through a state grant, and 50 heavy duty bike locks, thanks to assistance from Fairview Cycle. To cap off the day, VBC volunteers assisted in unloading a toy truck delivering gifts for the kids of Salvation Army.

The Westlake Kiwanis Aktion Club recently decorated jelly jars to be given to Westlake Meals on Wheels recipients. The jars were delivered to the Meals on Wheels kitchen just in time to be handed out with the Christmas Eve meal delivery. Aktion Club President Jennifer Rutkoski presented the jars to Marie Patten-Blatter, executive director of Westlake Meals on Wheels.

Aktion Club is a community-service group that provides adults living with disabilities an opportunity to develop initiative and leadership skills. Members strive to return to their communities the benefits, help and caring they have received, as well as develop important skills in the process.

North Coast Rotary President Joe Matuscak recently presented the Paul Harris Fellowship award to fellow club member and Westlake resident Allen G. Porter Sr. during the club's regular meeting in Avon Lake.

The Paul Harris Award is special recognition for contribution of service. It also is awarded for financial gifts to the Rotary Foundation of $1,000 or more. This is the second time Allen has received this award.

Allen has led the cause for recycling medical equipment and supplies for the club.

The holidays are full of celebrations, but they can be stressful for family members who are caring for loved ones with an advanced illness. One local business is doing its part to make a difference. Helder Rosa, Vice President of Operations for Mercedes-Benz of North Olmsted, visited Ames Family Hospice House in Westlake recently with a gift to make the season a little warmer for one local family. The dealership donated $350 in gift cards to Giant Eagle and Target.

The gift cards will go to a "sandwich generation" caregiver who is not only taking caring of her children and grandchildren but serving as the primary caregiver for a dying family member.

"Because I said I would" is a social movement and nonprofit dedicated to the betterment of humanity through promises made and kept. Founded in 2012, we are changing lives through Promise Cards, chapters of volunteers, character education in schools, and awareness campaigns with global reach. Perhaps the world has forgotten the importance of a promise ... we have not.

We are looking for volunteers of all ages and experiences to serve with our organization in Rocky River. Volunteers are the backbone of our organization and help us maintain our daily operations. In addition, volunteers bring knowledge, experiences and talents beyond what our professional staff already bring to the organization and its work.

Cub Scout families from Pack 39 of Bay Village recently collected donations for the Village Project. On Dec. 10, the second-grade Wolf Dens worked with Village Project staff to sort donations and create greeting cards for clients.

The Christmas spirit is alive in Bay Village.

A charity drive at a local business has raised more than $1,700 for children’s toys, infant supplies, household needs and other goods during the holiday season.

While many of the donations came from loose change at Fragapane Bakery at Dover Junction, one man wrote a check for $250.

“I’ve had a good year and I want to pay it forward,” he said.

Organized 10 years ago by bakery employees Cindy Swartz and Ann Hauck, the fund drive provides money for a shopping trip shortly after Thanksgiving. The group scours advertising supplements for coupons and special prices.

The Holiday Caring & Sharing Program, a Bay Village tradition for more than 10 years, is seeking donations to benefit the community in the coming year. There are two ways to contribute to this program:

• Cash donations for emergency funds for residents in financial need. The City will pay up to $250 to a resident in financial crisis for:
• Utility bills
• Rent/mortgage
• Medical expenses
• Meals on Wheels subsidies

•  Gift cards for groceries, gas, drug stores or Target/Walmart are also appreciated

 Donations may be dropped off or mailed to the Bay Village Senior Center, 300 Bryson Lane. Holiday Caring & Sharing is sponsored by the Bay Village Department of Community Services.

The Burneson Builders Club spent a night of Christmas shopping for their adopted family at Target. The Builders Club raised money for their Christmas shopping spree through fundraising projects such as selling doughnuts in school and a Pie In The Face event.

The Builders Club is a sponsored youth group of the Westlake Kiwanis Club teaching young people leadership and values of community service by caring for others. Other recent projects were collecting candy for U.S. servicemembers overseas and food drives for the Westlake Community Assistance program.

The Bay basketball teams took their singing talents to the Knickerbocker Senior Center on Dec. 7 to spread holiday cheer. Christmas carols and holiday refreshments were shared with the residents. Nancy Plain, activities director, assisted in coordinating the event.

Varsity head coach Jared Shetzer encourages his athletes to participate in community service events throughout the season, including playing with the Empower Sports group to offer students with Down syndrome the opportunity to play basketball.

Westlake Meals on Wheels serves five communities in the area, and was overwhelmed with the generosity from multiple organizations and the general public that donated to a recent food drive. The goal was to provide Meals on Wheels recipients with a small supply of non-perishable, easy to prepare food items in the event Meals on Wheels cannot deliver because of inclement weather.

The fire departments in the five communities served by Meals on Wheels were collection points, and several departments accompanied “elves” that delivered the bags to recipients in their respective communities the first week of December.

Several schools and clubs participated as well. “We were extremely excited to get young people involved in this project,'' said Executive Marie Patten-Blatter. “Our recipients enjoy knowing young people took the time to help.”

VFW Post 9693 was established in 1985 by mostly WWII and Korean War veterans. We have lost many of these members.
 
Today we face a difficult challenge – we must keep our membership from slipping below 50. As of today, we have 69 members. However, demographics are not on our side. We still have many WWII and Korean vets, and our Vietnam-era vets are aging as well.
 
We have a good core of younger and youthful members but not 50!

The Bay United Methodist Church provides an annual Thanksgiving dinner for the residents of the Knickerbocker Apartments. Members of the church prepare the food and set up, serve, and clean up after the dinner is served.

The turkeys were carved by Paul Koomar, Bay Village mayor, with the assistance of Thom Kerka, Bay United Methodist Church member. The blessing was provided by Rev. Jonathan McCleery, of Bay UMC.

The congregation of the Bay United Methodist Church really look forward to this giving-back event and it is truly appreciated by the residents of the Knickerbocker.

The Westlake Kiwanis enlisted a large and diverse group of volunteers for their RePlay For Kids workshop on Tuesday, Nov. 5, at Westlake Porter Public Library. There were 25 volunteers present including Westlake Kiwanians, Lakewood Kiwanians, Key Clubbers, Westshore Young Leaders and several walk-ins from the library. They spent the evening adapting new and used toys for children with disabilities. The toys are adapted with switches, making them able to be operated by blowing into a tube or touched by the side of the head.

Volunteers from the Bay Men’s Club, including spouses and children, turned out on a recent Saturday morning to help their fellow residents by raking leaves and cleaning the yards of a number of deserving residents, many of them seniors and disabled.

“We are glad to help out our neighbors any way we can,” BMC President Iggy Gannon said. “It’s a great opportunity to assist those who can use our help.”

The final six weeks of the year are an opportune time for reflection and appreciation. The holidays bring friends and family together and give us a reason to celebrate. This season of good cheer also gives us a chance to look back on the year and acknowledge those who have influenced our lives.

The Bay Village Community Council has just opened the nomination period for the annual Bay Village Citizen of the Year and Project of the Year awards, to recognize those who have made a difference in the community.

The Community Council will accept nominations until Tuesday, Jan. 14, and selections will be announced soon afterward.

The Bay Village Kiwanis Club held their spaghetti dinner fundraiser on Nov. 9 at Bay Presbyterian Church. Bay Kiwanis is carrying on the spaghetti dinner tradition started over 40 years ago by Bay Village Boy Scout Troop 235. The troop disbanded several years ago and coordinators from the troop, who are also Bay Kiwanis members wanted to keep the tradition alive. The spaghetti dinner features chef Tony Dostal’s secret pasta sauce which has attracted pasta lovers to the event these past 40 years. Through the help of Kiwanis members, the Bay High School Key Club, and the support from Bay Presbyterian Church, the spaghetti dinner has successfully completed its second year.

Westlake Meals on Wheels is pleased to announce a new initiative to provide their recipients with a “We Care About You” bag filled with items to prepare them for the upcoming winter. Meals on Wheels prepares over 600 hot and cold meals Monday through Friday to homebound neighbors who cannot shop and cook for themselves. A majority live alone and may see only their Meals on Wheels driver during the day.

Community organizations in the five communities served by Westlake Meals on Wheels have agreed to assist in collecting non-perishable foods to provide to recipients in the event Meals on Wheels cannot deliver during the winter months ahead. In addition to non-perishable food items, the Westlake High School hockey team will be assembling hygiene kits, and several area churches will be donating blankets and shawls from their “Prayer Shawl” programs.

Every now and then, we have a chance to witness greatness. For this story, "greatness" can be defined as the effort of a small group of people providing happiness and reward for others that are less fortunate. At the Village Bicycle Cooperative (VBC) in Bay Village, we were given the opportunity to witness greatness at a Cleveland school.

In late summer, VBC was approached by assistant principal Dave Funk from Marion C. Seltzer School, a Cleveland public school on West 98th Street near Madison Avenue. We were told that an Earn-a-Bike program was created for kids from kindergarten through eighth grade. Here is how it works:

A StarBuck, a Marion C. Seltzer-exclusive dollar, has its principal's image along with its greatness motto: "We Believe in Our Greatness." Kids can earn StarBucks.

Oct. 1 ushers in a new Kiwanis year and the Westlake Kiwanis installed their new officers. Immediate Past President Suzanne Rusnak passed the gavel to incoming President Ray Budoi at their October meeting. Rusnak thanked the club for all their help during her term, helping making it a successful Kiwanis year. Budoi thanked Rusnak for her service.

Budoi laid out his agenda for the coming Kiwanis year, hoping to connect with the local community and to continue to serve the children of Westlake. Please consider joining the Westlake Kiwanis to help serve the youth of Westake.

The IRS-sponsored AARP Tax Aide Program is looking for volunteers for the 2020 tax filing season. AARP Foundation Tax Aides provide free personal income tax assistance and tax form preparation for low and moderate income taxpayers, with special attention to those age 50+.

During tax season, we set up tax preparation sites, many of them at public libraries and senior centers in the area. Last year, about 30,000 volunteers across the country helped prepare more than 1.5 million free federal tax returns at over 5,000 sites.

It has been a tough few months for a lot of people in our country, as the tragedies throughout our nation have affected many communities. But that doesn’t mean that each of us can’t make a positive difference in this world, or at least in our community.

I ran across a blog about kindness written by Chip Gaines of the television show "Fixer Upper." In the blog, Chip challenged his readers to spread kindness throughout their communities, and I thought this was perfect for Bay Village.

The Bay Village Kiwanis Club installed the officers for the coming year at a dinner meeting on Sept. 24. The dinner was held at Mahle’s Restaurant with outgoing President Rich Oldrieve serving as Master of Ceremonies, and former Ohio Division 15 Lt. Governor Matt Rawlings performing the installation of officers.

We would like to recognize and thank the outgoing officers for their help and support during the past year: President Rich Oldrieve, Past President Foster McMasters, President Elect Pat Mosier, Vice President Linda Cleary, Secretary Ed Colleran, and Treasurer Russ Bauknecht. Their work to carry on the mission of the Bay Village Kiwanis Club for another year is appreciated.

The Westlake Kiwanis gathered with the Bay Village Kiwanis at Buca di Beppo in Westlake on Tuesday, Aug. 27, for food, fellowship and competition.

Every year the Kiwanis clubs of Bay Village and Westlake hold a joint meeting of their members to highlight each club's past year's accomplishments and to plan for upcoming projects. The annual interclub meeting is also a friendly competition to see which organization can have the highest percentage of membership in attendance.

Nathan Cullinen was formally inducted to the Spirit of America Foundation Youth Boating Hall of Fame on Friday, July 5, at the Bay Village Boat Club. Nate was involved in the Spirit of America youth boating program as a youth and continued to help and teach until he left to attend the International Yacht Restoration School in Newport, Rhode Island, after graduating from Bay High in 2015. 

Nate was also involved in the Boy Scouts of America Sea Scouts Ship 41 in Bay Village. Nate earned the rank of Quartermaster, the highest rank in Sea Scouts, and was also an Eagle Scout in Troop 41. Participating in the induction was Ship 41's adult leader Richard Gash and Spirit of America's coordinator George Christ. Nate is the son of Tim and Heidi Cullinen of Bay Village.

Now there is a new Compeer program for youth, ages 14-17, offered by the Far West Center, a nonprofit community agency providing a variety of mental health services. 

Far West Center has a successful ongoing Compeer program, started in 1989, for adults in recovery. This year Compeer International was awarded a federal grant to promote nationwide mentoring for youth who receive counseling. Our agency, located in Building 4 on the UH St. John Medical Center health campus, became one of the 12 Compeer affiliates to receive funding for a youth mentoring program.

Lake Erie Nature & Science Center recognized Kirsten Wykowski and Paige Burns with volunteer-of-the-year awards at the organization’s annual Volunteer Appreciation Celebration on Aug. 13.

Each year, the Center celebrates its many volunteers who are vital in helping the Center to fulfill its mission to educate children, families and students and provide wildlife services. Volunteers help with animal care, docent education, family and youth programming, summer camps and more. The Center’s Volunteers of the Year are people who consistently demonstrate teamwork, reliability, responsibility and leadership within the Lake Erie Nature & Science Center Volunteer Program.

Westlake Kiwanis members were given a tour of the new Westlake Elementary School by Superintendent Scott Goggin. Scott, a Westlake Kiwanian, mentioned that Kiwanis and the Westlake schools work together on several projects for the benefit of the city's students.

One collaboration is the awarding of scholarships to Westlake High School graduating seniors. The Westlake Kiwanis hopes to expand these scholarships in the future.

This year's free All Veterans Picnic will be held on Saturday, Aug. 24, from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. The picnic is open to all West Shore veterans, active and reserve military, and your immediate family.

The picnic will be held at American Legion Post 385, 695 Cahoon Road, Westlake. The post is just south of the railroad tracks on Cahoon Road. Parking is available in the north gravel lot or the south grass lot. Please do not park in nearby restaurant parking.

Westlake-Bay Village Rotary congratulates this year’s Rotary Youth Leadership Award recipients: John Poole, Natalie Hazapis, Jake Collins (Westlake High School) and Ellie LaMotte (Bay High School). Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) is one of Rotary International’s structured programs designed to reach out to the community fostering fellowship and goodwill.

Camp RYLA is a five-day leadership training camp held in June, which focuses on personal and professional development of high school students. Rotary clubs throughout the world are committed to helping shape the leadership skills of today’s youth. RYLA is one way Rotarians achieve this goal. Strong leaders are made, not born. Leadership principles are learned, not inherited.