Weekly News from LMM
Save the Date: Annual Charles R. See Forum on Reentry
We're less than a month away!

The 2022 Charles R. See Forum on Reentry will feature Ms. Susan Burton, the founder of Los Angeles-based A New Way of Life (ANWOL). ANWOL works to break the cycle of incarceration by providing housing, case management, employment, legal services, leadership development and community organization on behalf of, and along with people who struggle to rebuild their lives after incarceration. Ms. Burton is an advocate, activist, and author of Becoming Ms. Burton where she shares her own experiences with addiction, incarceration, and trauma. 

The Charles R. See Forum on Reentry, will take place on Friday, April 29, 2022 at 11:30AM at the City Club of Cleveland. The forum honors See’s 44 years at LMM by bringing attention to current issues in the field of criminal justice. Tickets will go on sale soon. The forum will also be broadcast starting at 12:00PM on www.cityclub.org and WKSU 89.7.
Becoming Ms. Burton Book Club
Please join LMM’s Advocacy Department for a series of discussions on the book Becoming Ms. Burton. The memoir, which was authored by the Annual Charles R. See Forum on Reentry's keynote speaker, Ms. Susan Burton, is a story of redemption and overcoming the odds. After the loss of her 5-year old son, addiction took hold of Ms. Burton sending her on a decades-long journey of incarceration and recidivism.

After six separate stints in prison, Ms. Burton found sobriety and started her own nonprofit, A New Way of Life, aimed at helping other women break the cycle of incarceration. Through this work, Ms. Burton also began to advocate to reform the system's failures that led to mass incarceration of African Americans, overcrowding in the state’s prisons, and the inability for those stuck in the cycle to truly get back on their feet.  

LMM's Becoming Ms. Burton Book Club will meet in person and/or virtually on:

  • April 5 at 12:00PM
  • April 26 at 12:00PM
  • May 3 at 12:00PM

You can RSVP here and books can be purchased here (select LMM as your organization of choice using Amazon Smile so our agency receives a small percentage of your purchase at no cost to you) or at a local bookseller.

Questions? Email LMM’s Community Engagement Coordinator, Gloria Craig, at [email protected].  
Congratulations, Nicole Braden Lewis!
Congratulations to LMM's Board of Directors Chair, Nicole Braden Lewis, for being named a partner at the law firm, Tucker Ellis LLP.

Nicole specializes in defending companies nationally and locally in asbestos litigation with Tucker Ellis. As local counsel in Ohio, Ms. Lewis represents product manufacturers and premises owners in their individual cases. Nicole also co-chairs the firm's Women's Initiative.

With LMM, Nicole guides the board and senior leadership team in establishing the agency's priorities and budget.

Read more on Nicole here.
The Metro45 Food Truck Offers Second Chances
Monica Hussing, photo by News 5 Cleveland
Metro45 is a social enterprise of Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry that provides life-changing services to those most in need through feeding people experiencing homeless and offering valuable culinary and workforce training to marginalized individuals. Read more on Metro45 in this story from News 5 Cleveland, which features Monica Hussing, Chopping for Change graduate and current LMM employee.

Want to try the food truck for yourself? Here are some upcoming dates that you can visit the truck in April:

  • April 6 - Lakewood Truck Park 4:00 PM - 10:00 PM
  • April 9 - Railroad Brewing in Avon 12:00 PM - 10:00 PM
  • April 16 - Lakewood Truck Park 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
  • April 21 - Lakewood Truck Park 4:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Want to have a private event catered, such as a graduation, wedding or corporate event, or even just treat your staff to a fun lunch? Contact VP of Workforce Development, Ian Marks, to learn more about how to bring the food truck to a venue near you. Check out Metro45 on social media or the website for the latest updates.
Voting Registration at the Men's Shelter
During the month of March, Community Engagement Coordinator Gloria Craig, held voter registration events at Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry’s Richard Sering Center and The Men's Shelter at 2100 Lakeside. During the events, LMM staff and residents of 2100 had the opportunity to check their registration status, register to vote and change their voting information. While a lot surrounding the upcoming May 3rd primary election remains uncertain, you must be registered by April 4, 2022 to be able to vote. That makes now a good time to check your status or make any edits or updates to your voting information. To check your voting status click here.
Men's Shelter Volunteer Appreciation Event
Earlier this week, the Men's Shelter hosted its annual Volunteer Appreciation Event, which offered volunteers and staff a chance to come together to and reflect on the Men's Shelter's work in the past year.

This event featured two poem readings from Men's Shelter Community Facilitator, Angelo Anderson, a word of gratitude from Men's Shelter employee Thomas Daniels, and the presentation of the Terry Vaughn Staff Compassion Award to Ms. Annie Holden.