Community Service

The Westlake Kiwanis has joined in to support the Westlake High School Team Hope in their quest to become Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Student Visionaries of the Year while raising funds to fight childhood blood cancers.

Westlake is competing against other Cleveland-area schools to win this prestigious award while helping defeat cancer. Westlake High School junior Kaovya Vel became dedicated to this campaign while shadowing Dr. Zahler, a Pediatric Hematology doctor at the Cleveland Clinc, and observing a 1-year-old child being treated for a tumor. She said what we are doing could make a difference for this child and his family. She returned to Westlake and formed Team Hope and has thus far raised $20,000.

Grief is a universal experience, yet for school-aged children and their families coping with the death of a loved one can be an especially challenging journey. Founded in 2003, Joel's Place for Children is a compassionate organization dedicated to providing grief support for children aged 5 to 18 and their families. Joel's Place offers peer-based grief support groups for children, teens and their families after the death of someone special. 

Groups meet every other Tuesday during the school year for a pizza dinner and peer-based grief support groups at Bay Presbyterian Church, and a Butterfly Release is held every summer at Cahoon Park.

On Tuesday, Dec. 12, members of the Westshore Lions Club delivered gifts to needy families in support of the Adopt A Family for the Holidays efforts at Westlake Community Services and the North Olmsted Oxcart Food Pantry's Adopt A Family effort.

Lions members purchased and wrapped gifts for one family from each program. Lions are all about community service and helping those in need. The Westshore club is part of Lions Clubs International which is the largest community service organization in the world.

If you have a desire to help others and make the community a better place the Lions would be an effective way to do so. For more information please contact us at 440 250-5564 or email westshorelions1997@gmail.com.

The Bay Village Community Council has opened the nomination period for the 2024 Citizen and Project of the Year honors. The deadline for submissions is Friday, Jan. 19, 2024.

Download a nomination form at wbvobserver.com, or pick up a hard copy from City Hall, the Bay Village Branch Library or the Dwyer Memorial Senior Center. 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.

Looking for a memorable holiday gift for your child?

Make this season enchanting with discounted princess visits for your little ones from the nonprofit Fairytale Foundation! Choose from 30 magical characters, each ready to bring joy to your home.

Get 25% off a one-hour visit with the characters of your choosing!

Every year Kiwanis donates to the City of Bay Village's Holiday Caring & Sharing program to help Bay residents in need of a hand. This fund administered, by the Community Services Department, helps with utility payments, food and expenses a family cannot cover. We are proud to donate each year to help.

Every service the Kiwanis Club of Bay Village performs or helps to pay for is to support community and children. Our tagline is "Improving the world one community and one child at a time."

Can you help? Please donate cash or check to the Holiday Caring & Sharing program. Donations may be dropped off before Dec. 15 at the Bay Village Senior Center, 300 Bryson Lane. If you are in need of assistance or have any questions, please call the Senior Center at 440-899-3442.

Some 18 volunteers from the Bay Men's Club, the city's oldest and largest civic organization, took time recently to rake leaves and clean the yards of 15 needy and worthy Bay Village residents. The club has done this "leaf rake out" for more than 25 years.

"It's a great way to help those who might need a helping hand," President Dan Rettig said, "and we are more than happy to assist. This is what Bay Village is all about."

Grace Baker and Gwynn Miller, members of Scouts BSA Troop 40, earned the honor of Eagle Scout, the highest rank that Scouts BSA offers. Only 3 to 4 percent of scouts ever attain this prestigious honor. Their Court of Honor ceremony was held at Bethesda on the Bay Lutheran Church, their charter organization, on Oct. 8.

Grace Baker earned 33 merit badges, more than the 21 required, and demonstrated leadership and community service by organizing and carrying out an Eagle project. For her project she made mission packs for children living at Laura’s Home women’s crisis center.

The holiday season brings happiness and cheer, but also brings financial stress to many families in our community. The Holiday Caring & Sharing Programis an annual Bay Village tradition to help families in need by providing gift cards or financial assistance.

How YOU Can Help:

By Dec. 15, please donate cash or check to the Emergency Fund, which provides limited assistance for Bay residents experiencing an emergency (critical need for medical care, food, shelter, protection, special counseling, and under some circumstances, assistance with utilities). Or, donate gift cards for a family in need (Heinen’s, Giant Eagle, Walmart, Target and Amazon are recommended) that will help them purchase holiday gifts for children in their household under age 18.

Westlake Elementary School students and families hit the pavement at the school for the WES PTA’s inaugural Fun Run on Sept. 28 and 29. The event raised $48,880, with proceeds supporting an entire year of WES PTA activities including literacy programs, staff grants, STEM Fest, and Field Day.

“There was such a strong sense of community and collaboration driving the Fun Run,” said WES PTA President Sarah Hughes. “Everybody had the same goal of making it fun and memorable for the students: our Westlake Police Department School Resource Officers out there flying a drone, our high school volunteers showing Westlake pride and our wonderful parent volunteers.”

Oct. 1 brings in the new Kiwanis year and Westlake Kiwanis installed Nan Baker as their president for 2023-2024 year. Doing the installation was Tim Cornelius, former Ohio District Kiwanis Governor. Nan takes over for outgoing President Robert Clancy. Tim Cornelius also installed Vice President Jennifer Weinberg, Secretary Victor Rutkoski, Recording Secretary Norm Resko and Treasurer Maria Thomas.

Anne Cornelius, Past Kiwanis Division Governor installed other officers and board members and trustees of the Westlake Kiwanis: 2023-2024 Board of Directors Rick Grane, Hal Paul, Norm Resko, Bob Root and Alan Hendricks; 2024-2025 Board of Directors Ray Budoi, John Lehlbach and Bruce Zyrkowski. Youth Foundation trustees are Craig Baker, Joe Anthony and Norm Resko.

Bay Village Troop 41 Eagle Scout candidate, Drew McMaken, led a team of Scouts to rework landscaping outside of the Bethesda on the Bay Lutheran Church office. His Eagle service project included removal of bushes, excavation, and weed prevention. 

The area now features a pebble walkway and seating area. Troop 41 meets on Thursday evenings at the church. Learn more about Scouts BSA at beascout.org.

Village Project (VP) was able to grant four $1,000 scholarships to Bay High School graduating seniors. “We’re so proud of all of our student volunteers and they are all so involved in the VP community and their academics and extracurricular activities, it really was a difficult choice,” says VP Executive Director Meredith La Vecchia.

The Harrell Family Village Project Scholarship - Charlotte Reising

The Harrell Family Scholarship honors the Harrell family for their support of VP and Bay Schools. Barb Harrell is the founder of VP and served as the first executive director from 2010-2021. Her husband, Jeff Harrell, a huge VP supporter, was president of Bay Booster Club from 2006-2009. Their sons Josh ’07 and Brian ‘09 were leaders at BHS in the classroom, playing fields and halls.

The Bay Village Senior Center will host their annual rummage sale on Saturday, July 29, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Located at 300 Bryson Lane, the Dwyer Memorial Senior Center will have treasures for all ages.

If you’d like to sell your own goods and keep your profits, 6-foot table rentals are available for $20 each. Registration with payment is due July 24. To inquire about table rentals, call 440-835-6565.

Donations of gently used, sellable items are greatly appreciated and can be dropped off to the senior center July 26 and 27 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.

All proceeds go to the Bay Village Senior Center and Community Services to help provide a variety of activities and safe transportation for seniors. Please consider supporting these efforts in any way you can.

On March 25, 2023, Village Project hosted our annual fundraising gala Nourish and recognized our 2023 award honorees. These awards are given to those that go above and beyond and show an incredible dedication for Village Project and supporting our mission of working together as a community to provide nourishing meals and support for families fighting cancer.

“We have so many amazing people who touch this organization daily and I wish we could honor each and every one of them,” says Executive Director Meredith La Vecchia. “However, this year, we are pleased to honor Holly Colleran as Adult Volunteer of the Year, Liz Lis as Student Volunteer of the Year, and the Bay Village Foundation for the Community Partnership Award.” 

Adult Volunteer of the Year - Holly Colleran

Holly Colleran has been a Village Project volunteer pretty much since our beginning and has logged over 900 volunteer hours! “I remember hearing about a nonprofit that provided healthy meals to our neighbors experiencing cancer and going to the first informational meeting at Bay Presbyterian in 2011. I love to cook and I love the community feeling, so it was a great fit,” says Holly.

Joel's Place for Children provides peer-based grief support groups for children, teens and their families who have experienced the death of someone special. The non-denominational groups meet twice monthly on Tuesday evenings during the school year at Bay Presbyterian Church in Bay Village. This is the organization's 20th year providing these services free-of-charge to grieving families in Northeast Ohio.

When families attend, they can expect to meet others with similar experiences. The evening always begins with a pizza dinner from 6:30-7 p.m. where families can arrive, settle in and enjoy dinner together. At 7 p.m. groups separate based on age/developmental level. Currently, the organization has three groups for children (littles, middles and teens) and a group for the caregivers who bring their children to Joel's Place.

The American Legion's Buckeye Boys State was held June 11-18 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

Buckeye Boys State is an eight-day hands-on experience in the operation of the democratic form of government. At Boys State, young men between their junior and senior years in high school learn about city, county and state government through a non-partisan objective education approach.

They form city governments and run for mock offices, then learn how the various levels of government operate by performing the functions of the various elected and civil positions. They also then campaign for mock county and state offices. During the week they will also hear from actual Ohio state government officials.

Students in Mrs. Cathy Bogart's second-grade class at Normandy School in Bay Village, aided by a few moms, held a cookie sale recently to raise money for the Bay Village Historical Society. As part of the unit on Bay Village history, all second-grade students tour the Rose Hill Museum in Cahoon Memorial Park, and this fundraiser was part of that curriculum.

Historical society president Cathy Flament and treasurer Eric Eakin recently visited the class to gratefully accept their $150 donation.

"We cannot thank you enough for this wonderful donation," Eakin told the class. "We sincerely appreciate your efforts, and look forward to having you visit our museum soon and learning more about local history.”

The Bay Village Women's Club Foundation has awarded scholarships to 7 Bay High School 2023 graduates of $2,500 each. The Club raises funds for scholarships and community projects while also enjoying social activities. If interested in helping, call or text 440-334-7539 or visit Facebook.com/BayVillageWomensclub.

Club members wish the best to our 2023 scholar recipients:

Catalina Cartwright will major in Fine Arts & Illustration at Columbus College of Art and Design. A National Honor Society member, Catalina was active in theatre, the Creative Arts Club and Choraleers.

Renee Duffy is preparing for a career in biology at The Ohio State University after serving as class president and keeping fit in girls cross country, girls varsity and lacrosse.

Caitlyn Hartzell is destined for The Ohio State University but has not chosen a major yet. She was vice president of her class, swim team captain and in the marching band.

The Bay Men's Club, the city's oldest and largest civic organization, has awarded scholarships to four very deserving Bay High graduates. Pictured are president Dan Rettig, scholarship recipients Jason Houk, Kristina Larraway, Omar Campbell, Jennifer Kasunick (with Rowdy), scholarship committee chairperson Peter Gierosky, and vice president Doug Gertz. "The Bay Men's Club provides scholarships based upon exceptional academic achievement and financial need, with the goal of seeding the oak trees of tomorrow," Gierosky said.

Continuing an annual tradition, the Lakewood Elks Lodge #1350 in Westlake raised $3,125 for Connecting for Kids through its bowling fundraiser. Lodge members took part in all aspects of the event, which included hosting an open bowling night and two tournaments, donating food and having volunteers run the alleys, bartend and perform cooking duties. In addition, Lodge members provided raffle baskets and even sold tickets and sideboards during the weekend.

All funds raised will allow Connecting for Kids to further its mission of educating and supporting local families.

The Westshore Lions Club and community partners Church of The Redeemer UCC, The Lake Erie Huddle and the City of Westlake Service Department teamed up on Saturday, April 15, to clean up litter in various locations in Westlake to kick off the observances of Earth Day and to serve in an important area of Lions' concern about the environment.

Westshore Lion Linda Krasienko organized and chaired the project which began with a welcome from Westlake City Council President David Greenspan who thanked the volunteers for their efforts as the volunteers then spent the next two hours fanning out to pick up litter in seven different locations in Westlake.

The weather was perfect and the Lions and our partners hope to make this an annual effort.

The Westlake Kiwanis held a RePlay for Kids project on Tuesday, March 28, at Westlake Porter Public Library. Kiwanis and teachers from the Westlake Elementary School worked together adapting toys. There is nothing that makes a person smile more than making life better for a child with a disability. 

They adapted the toys so they can be used by children with disabilities. It involves taking the toys apart and installing switches which can be used to make the toys operate in various ways, such as blowing into a tube or touching with the side of a head. They managed to complete 25 various types of trucks. Leading the group were Kendal Duncan and Amy Davarpanah from RePlay for Kids.

For nearly 8 years, The Fairytale Foundation has brought smiles to thousands of kids across Northeast Ohio all while raising money for local charities. The company has donated nearly $26,000 and 12,000 hours of service between over 150 volunteers. All of this has been done through attending local events such as birthday parties, fundraisers, and so much more!

The Fairytale Foundation was founded in 2015 by the company’s current president Stephanie Jordan. It started small with a few hand-made gowns and a few friends from school volunteering at Bay Days. As the years progressed, the group began attending a handful of events such as city parades, birthday parties, and small community events.

The Fairytale Foundation has grown beyond expectations over the past 8 years. There are currently 60 active volunteers, over 20 characters to choose from, and have raised thousands of dollars for local charities.

Over 900 girls from around the state of Ohio will meet in Bowling Green June 11-17 for Buckeye Girls State. Two girls from Bay High School chosen to be representatives and supported by Bay Kiwanis are Evelyn Ray and Margaret Buttrick. Three additional girls from Bay High will be sponsored by The American Legion Auxiliary or other organizations including Emma Lindway, Sophia Heinrich and Delaney Carter.

The Kiwanis Club of Bay Village has supported Buckeye Girls State through the American Legion Auxiliary for several years. This year again the Bay Kiwanis Club will donate the funds to pay expenses for meals and accommodations for two representatives. A Kiwanis committee, including Foster McMasters, Ed Colleran and co-chairmen Aaron Ereditario and Jim Potter, met with five junior class students and selected these girls to attend the week-long program at Bowling Green State University.

St. Bernadette art teacher, Mrs. Sarah Butler, put together artwork to send to Arts for Little Hearts, a non-profit that brings hope and to the world's children. Volunteers, organizations, schools, and others create handicraft donations which are then distributed to hospitalized children worldwide. 

The creator as well as the recipient child, even though they will never meet, will share a special bond of compassion, love, confidence, courage and optimism that crosses all cultures and countries.

Westlake resident Carly Millis Jalowiec looks and acts like your typical 30-something. With long blond hair and big eyes, she is both engaged and engaging as she talks a mile a minute, smiling and laughing. The average person would likely never label her as autistic. But she is.

“I’ve always known that I was different, even from when I was little,” Carly says, “and a lot of my struggles were more internal and misunderstood.”

Carly is part of a rapidly-growing population of adults seeking an autism diagnosis. The interest is often spurred after a diagnosed family member, or increased awareness of the signs of autism.

The Westlake Town Criers crowned Harry and Nancy Applegate as Mr. & Mrs. Westlake 2023 during the Dec. 4 tree-lighting ceremony at Westlake City Hall. The Applegates were recognized for their enthusiastic support and involvement in various activities and organization within our community.  

Harry is a longtime member of the Westlake Kiwanis Club and the Westlake Town Criers. He has been actively involved with Westlake City Schools and was a high school softball coach for many years. Nancy was an elementary school teacher for 22 years and volunteered at Westlake City Schools in countless ways including field trips, lunch room volunteer, team potlucks, room mother and PTA.

For more than 35 years the Westlake Town Criers have selected a Mr. and Mrs. Westlake from nominations submitted by the community. Nominees are selected based on their dedication to service of the Westlake community.

The Bay Village Community Council reminds residents that the nomination deadline for Bay Village Citizen and Project of the Year honors is Monday, Jan. 16.

Download a nomination form for Citizen of the Year or Project of the Year, or pick up a hard copy from City Hall or the Bay Village Branch Library. 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.

In the spirit of the season, the Westshore Lions Club will be accepting new and gently used winter coats for Coats For Kids. Please join us on Wednesday, Dec. 21, at 7 p.m. in the Dover Room at Westlake Porter Public Library, 27333 Center Ridge Road, for some holiday treats and a presentation on services for homeless youth.

Carey Gibbons, Youth Engagement Manager of the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, who works with gay homeless and the wider community, will discuss the array of services available to a diverse population of homeless youth in need.

The Westshore Lions Club welcomed Mrs. Allison Martzolf to their Nov. 16 meeting to discuss the importance of reading for youth. A fifth-grade teacher at Horace Mann Elementary School in Lakewood, Mrs. Martzolf discussed her efforts in assembling a classroom library with age-appropriate books for her students so as to engage them in reading on a regular basis.

Many students who are less fortunate may not have access to good reading material outside of school. In quoting Neuman's research, Allison noted that "when students are able to read more frequently they are more likely to become more competent, fully engaged readers." She also said that the research shows "that classrooms with libraries are correlated with gains in statewide reading, writing and science assessments."

Volunteers from the Bay Men's Club, the city's oldest and largest civic organization, took time recently to clean the yards of some 20 needy and worthy Bay Village residents. The club has done this "leaf rake out" for more than 25 years.

"It's a great way to help those who might need a helping hand," President Ed Robertson said, "and we are more than happy to assist. This is what Bay Village is all about."

St. Paul Lutheran Church and School are collecting new toys for underprivileged children in the inner city of Cleveland. New, unwrapped toys may be dropped off in the front parking lot of the church located at 27993 Detroit Road in Westlake on Nov. 25, 26 and 27 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Donations will help Build Hope in the City and make it a blessed Christmas for many children living in today's difficult times.

The Women’s Board of Lake Erie Nature & Science Center held a fundraising event, “Fly Me to the Moon,” on Oct. 9 with proceeds benefiting the Center’s astronomy internship. Guests enjoyed a program about Humans in Space in Schuele Planetarium presented by Planetarium and Program Coordinator Katy Downing, and a bountiful post-program reception.

The Women’s Board has a long history of supporting and advocating for the Center’s mission through service, community awareness, and fundraising. Funds from the “Fly Me to the Moon” fundraiser will support a stipend for a future astronomy intern.

The Center’s Astronomy and Space Science Education Internship offers a unique opportunity for college students to gain career experience in one of two public-access planetariums in Cuyahoga County. Working alongside program staff, interns assist with public astronomy education, learn about current mission news and astronomical research, and become familiar with planetarium technology. The combination of an opti-mechanical star projector and digital projector in Schuele Planetarium provides an immersive learning experience through high-resolution, 360-degree images and a realistic, breathtaking display of over 3,000 stars.

The Westlake Kiwanis held a RePlay for Kids project on Tuesday, Oct. 25, at Westlake Porter Public Library. Eight members and five guests volunteered their time to work on the toys. There is nothing that makes a Kiwanian smile more than making life better for a child with a disability. 

They adapted the toys so they can be used by children with disabilities. It involves taking the toys apart and installing switches which can be used to make the toys operate in various ways, such as blowing into a tube or touching with the side of a head. They managed to complete 25 various types of trucks. Leading the group were Edie Dale and Kendal Duncan from RePlay for Kids.

The Bay Village Community Council has opened the nomination period for the annual Bay Village Citizen of the Year and Project of the Year awards, to recognize those who have offered their time and talents in the service of others.

Citizen of the Year nominees, either individual or couple, must be Bay Village residents that have provided significant community service without monetary reward. Although not necessarily an annual designation, special projects will be considered for Project of the Year based on community impact and the involvement of volunteers and organizations.

Download a nomination form for Citizen of the Year or Project of the Year, or pick up a hard copy from City Hall or the Bay Village Branch Library. 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.

Worried about the security of elections in Ohio?

Questioning the results of recent elections?

Afraid that we are losing a critical component of our 225-year-old democracy?

If so, turn off the TV, power down your phone, and lend a hand in running free and fair elections here in Cuyahoga County. The County Board of Elections (BOE) is always looking for poll workers to work election day at voting locations and for temporary workers to assist full-time staff members at the BOE headquarters in the weeks before and after voting.

The IRS-sponsored AARP Tax-Aide program is looking for volunteers for the upcoming 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+. 

You need not have any prior tax experience. As an AARP Tax-Aide volunteer, you will be provided with free training through IRS designed classes. The initial meeting for prospective volunteers is in early December. Tax preparation season runs from mid-January to mid-April.  We are looking for volunteers for Fairview Park, Westlake, and Bay Village.

This year, Village Project (VP) was able to award three graduates from Bay Village High School each with a $1,000 scholarship. These student volunteers were chosen based on merit, past experiences at VP, and their essay responses describing the importance of VP to the community and to them personally. The scholarships were awarded to Jennie Koomar, Aden Bergstresser and Emily Terrell.

The Harrell Family Scholarship was awarded to Jennie, one of VP’s long-standing volunteers. She’s been involved with VP since third grade after her girl scout troop began a card-making competition at Westerly, which led her to start making cards regularly. Because Jennie started so young, she commented that the multi-generational aspect is a highlight of working at VP. “No matter what age or ability you have, there’s always a place for you here. In third grade, I would come after school and walk Ernie,” she recalled. “I’ve also worked with someone in the kitchen who has special needs.”

The Westlake Kiwanis presented Mason Kruse with the William E. Sifritt Community Service Award on July 11 at Westlake City Hall. Mason had over 400 hours of community service to others in the Westlake community. The award is named for longtime Westlake Kiwanian William Sifritt. 

In addition to a $100 award Mason's name will be added to a plaque in the rotunda of Westlake City Hall. Mason will be attending Ohio Northern University in the fall, majoring in mechanical engineering.