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Hello friends and partners,
As we step into 2025, we want to take a moment to celebrate the incredible impact we made together in 2024. For the first time in years, we are starting to see overdose fatality rates declining in many areas of Ohio and across the US, but this doesn't mean it is time to lose focus. We need to build on this momentum. Rates are still incredibly high and we must continue implementing harm reduction efforts that are proven to save lives.
Looking ahead, we're excited to grow our reach even further, expand our dedicated team, and continue advocating for health, hope, and healing in every corner of our community. Thank you for being an essential part of our journey—your support fuels the life-changing work we do. Together, let’s make 2025 our most impactful year yet!
Sincerely,
Bethany Roebuck
Executive Director
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2024 Impact By The Numbers: | |
Great news! Thrive for Change has been awarded $50,000 through The Cuyahoga Count Board of Health's Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) initiative, a nationwide effort to significantly reduce new HIV infections by 75% by 2025 and 90% by 2030.
This funding will enable us to expand HIV testing services for 150 individuals, distribute essential supplies, and strengthen our prevention, education, and care services. With these resources, we can deepen our outreach, build stronger partnerships, and continue to combat stigma surrounding HIV.
| We're expanding our team! | | |
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We're currently hiring for a Grants Administrator to help Thrive for Change in our work to save lives in Cuyahoga County.
Core responsibilities would include:
- Identify new grant opportunities aligned with Thrive for Change’s mission.
- Collaborate with the Executive Director on proposals, budgets, and inquiries.
- Track deadlines, prepare reports, and ensure compliance with requirements.
- Gather data with program staff for applications and reports.
- Build and sustain funder relationships through updates and site visits.
- Maintain a detailed grant database to track progress and communication.
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Holiday Magic - Open House Recap | |
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Thank you to everyone who joined us for our 2nd Annual Holiday Open House on Wednesday, December 11th! We’re excited to share some updates and highlights from the day Here’s a quick recap of what made it so memorable.
There was at least 65 of you who joined us in celebrating our 2nd annual holiday open house, $350 raised through our raffle baskets, and 9 awards were given out to show appreciation to volunteers & partners who have truly gone above & beyond this last year.
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Help us welcome Shay Bradford
to the team!
HIV Outreach Specialist
Shay (she/they), originally from Detroit, MI, has been living in Cleveland since 2022. With a Bachelor’s in Public Health from Wayne State University (2016), Shay brings extensive experience in harm reduction, health education, and prevention from their time with the Wayne State University Prevention Team (W’SUP). Passionate about advocating for Greater Cleveland communities, Shay joined Thrive for Change to raise awareness and foster hope and healing through harm reduction initiatives.
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Expanding Harm Reduction Access - The Manic Pixie Dream Market! | |
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The Manic Pixie Dream Market was first created as a vending and shopping oasis for the queer community. The founder began her career as a full time vintage vendor, but noticed a lack of spaces for queers. Furthermore, facing challenges as a neurodivergent and disabled vendor, event days lacked support, so she sought out to change that. Thus, MPDM was born and we're now in 3 cities throughout California & 1 in Ohio!
Ali (pictured to the right) ran the booth alongside Pat on Saturday, January 4th. It was a wonderful opportunity to engage with attendees, discuss substance safety, and share tips on how to stay safe.
At this event, We successfully distributed 45 Narcan kits and 206 fentanyl testing strips, making a significant
impact on our community's health and safety.
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Our Kit Building Days just got a refresh! Join us every other Friday from 12:00–4:30pm to help make a difference.
Don't miss the last kit-building party of January. We can’t wait to see you there and make an impact, one kit at a time!
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| RSVP! Kit-Building w/ Thrive For Change |
| 11002 Detroit Ave. Cleveland OH, 44102 |
| 01/31/25 12:00pm - 01/31/25 4:30pm US/Eastern |
| Help us assemble Narcan and Safe-user kits to give out at street outreach and resource fairs. | | | |
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About Thrive for Change:
Our mission is to promote health, hope, and healing for individuals at risk of overdose & their loved ones through education, collaboration, advocacy, and direct service.
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