Lakewood Collab Newsletter March 2023

Hello Lakewood,

Our Collab meeting will be held Thursday, March 23rd, from 1:00-2:30pm at Cove Community Center (12525 Lake Avenue; parking in the lot on the corner of Cove and Clifton). We have two presentations this month: Jessie Manning of Safe Families for Children & Haley Martinelli and Mike Russell of the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland.

The Lakewood Area Collaborative would like to thank Judy Payne of Goods Bank NEO for presenting at the Collab meeting in January. If you missed the January meeting, visit their website at www.goodsbankneo.org. Additionally, thank you to Kate Ingersoll of Healthy Lakewood Foundation for coordinating a tour of the Goods Bank NEO.

Also, thank you to our February presenter, Lynnesha “Nesha” Hamilton, NE Region Outreach Specialist for Bright Beginnings /Help Me Grow. If you or someone you know would like to make a referral to Help Me Grow, visit www.helpmegrow.org and click on “Refer or Sign Up”.

A light lunch will be available or you are welcome to bring in your own food or enjoy something from The Bistro (run by the Help Foundation and open 8am-2pm Monday through Friday).

Remaining Collab meeting dates for 2022-2023:

April 27

May 25

As many know, Marjorie Korcheck’s last day with the Lakewood Area Collaborative was Friday March 3^rd, 2023. The Lakewood Area Collaborative would like to recognize Marjorie for her hard work and dedication over the last decade to the program, clients, and colleagues. Marjorie played an important role at the Lakewood Area Collaborative, often being the most senior Case Manager that the other staff members could turn to for advice. While Marjorie’s role was Case Manager, she was also tasked with running the monthly Collaborative meeting, sending out the monthly newsletter, several administrative tasks, and filling the role of interim manager when needed. Marjorie will be missed by colleagues as she was a very important member of the team. We wish Marjorie well in her future endeavors and hope our paths will cross again.

In April, the Lakewood Area Collaborative will be holding a Financial Literacy Seminar Series. This series will take place Wednesday evenings, 6:00 pm-7:30 pm at Cove Community Center. The program runs April 5^th, 2023 – May 31^st, 2023. The Seminar Series will cover topics such as opening a bank account, making a budget, avoiding scams, building credit, and much more. Please feel free to share the flyer with your clients as this is a FREE program open to the public. Attendees are not required to be clients of the Lakewood Area Collaborative. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Suzanne Shell ([email protected]) or Felicia Densmore ([email protected]).

The Lakewood Area Collaborative will be starting another session of Active Parenting at Cove Community Center. There are three program options: First Five Years, School Age, and Teen. Lunch and Child Care are provided during each class. This is a FREE program open to anyone who would like to attend. Clients can register by scanning the QR code on the flyer or emailing [email protected] for the registration link.

The Lakewood Area Collaborative continues to offer the Kinship Caregiver Support Group two times per month. The dates/times for March include: Tuesday 3/16/23 at 10:00 am & Thursday 3/21/23 at 5:00 pm. RSVP for this group is required to Suzanne Shell.

The Lakewood Area Collaborative is in the early stages of planning a Summer Resource Fair. This resource fair would not be possible without you, our partner! We are taking inquiries from agencies that would like to staff a table during the resource fair and share program information. We are also planning to give out school supplies (while supplies lasts) to attendees for back-to-school. Additionally, the Lakewood Area Collaborative will be providing a picnic lunch to everyone in attendance. If you are interested in staffing a table or want more information regarding the event, please contact Felicia Densmore at [email protected]. There will also be a sign-up sheet available at the March Collaborative Meeting.

Lakewood Family Room programs are held at Cove Community Center, 12525 Lake Avenue. The Family Room schedule is updated monthly. For more details visit the Lakewood Family Room on Facebook!

Colors+ continues to bring programming to Cove Community Center, hosting drop-ins for youth and parents/caregivers. See flyer below for more details!

Connecting For Kids and the Healthy Lakewood Foundation will be starting a new program in the Spring, Inclusive Lakewood in partnership with the Lakewood Family Room and Lakewood Public Library

Join H2O on Saturday, April 1st for Breakfast with the Bunny! Click HERE to RSVP for the event by Tuesday, March 28th.

Are you or someone you know interested in recycling, composting, and green living? The City of Lakewood Human Services will be presenting the Cove Cares program in partnership with Healthy Lakewood Foundation, Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District, and Keep Lakewood Beautiful. The program runs from March through June 2023. The topics are Recycle Right, Less Waste and Plastic Free: Reduce 101, Reduce Food Waste, and Backyard Composting 101. This program is FREE and open to the public. See the flyer for more information!

On the topic of green living, Cove Community Center has partnered with Rustbelt Riders to bring composting to the center on a large scale. With the help of Rustbelt Riders, Cove Community Center is able to compost more items than in a typical home compost. The rule at Cove Community Center is “anything you can eat, you can compost”. While at Cove, if you don’t finish the food you are consuming, there are green waste bins labeled “compost” to discard these uneaten items. Help us reduce our waste by participating!