Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve.... You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
Lakewood Community Services Center
Providing ongoing support to our neighbors in need
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SEPTEMBER 9, 2011
6pm - 10pm
The Community Garden at Madison Park
Local high school students extend LCSC's response to community need
Click here to read the full story
If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody.
~ Chinese Proverb
Lakewood Community Services Center (formerly known as Lakewood Christian Service Center) was founded in 1982 by 12 Lakewood churches as a cooperative response to the needs of Lakewood residents. The Center was originally located at Faith Presbyterian Church, was open four hours each week and was completely volunteer run. By 1984 the Center had relocated to a storefront space on Detroit Avenue and was open six hours each week and had recruited a part-time director. In addition to providing emergency food assistance, the Center worked to provide job assistance and referrals to agencies for rent and utility assistance. After two further storefront moves on Madison Avenue, the Center located to 1412 Marlowe where it was housed for 20 years. In February 2009 the Center relocated to its current 5,250 square foot space at 14230 Madison Avenue.
Today the Center is open five days and one evening each week, employs three full-time and four part-time staff, and is supported by over 50 volunteers.
LCSC provides unduplicated services in the following key areas:
• LCSC is the Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland's designated hunger center serving
Lakewood, Rocky River and Westlake;
• LCSC is the point of access for Lakewood residents who qualify for the City of Lakewood's
Emergency Shelter Grant funds for one-time rent and/or utility assistance to prevent homelessness;
• LCSC is the center for the HUD-funded Supportive Housing Program, which assists homeless
individuals referred by shelters, residential treatment programs and social service agencies
throughout the area to secure and maintain stable housing anywhere in western Cuyahoga County;
• LCSC is the point of access for the City of Lakewood's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
stimulus dollars that provide homeless prevention help to qualified Lakewood residents;
• LCSC refers clients to organizations and agencies for specific additional services, such as health care,
mental health and chemical dependency counseling, early childhood and youth services, educational
assistance and employment services.
Lakewood Community Services Center serves the community by providing basic needs assistance and personalized resource and referral services with the goal to empower each individual to move toward
greater self sufficiency.
To leave the world a better place - whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or an improved social condition - that is to have succeeded. That only one life breathed easier because you lived - that is success.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Chas D. Withers, President
Dix & Eaton
JB Silvers, PhD, Treasurer
Weatherhead School of Management
Karen Hill, Secretary
KeyBank
Marilyn Culley, MSN
ExactCare Pharmacy
Heather Holdsworth
Burkons-Brandt Insurance Agency, Inc.
Patrick Lenehan,
Proforma
Laura McBride
Calfee, Halter & Griswold
Dru Siley
City of Lakewood
Rev. Mark Thomas
Lakewood Congregational Church
Micki Tubbs
FIT Technologies
Trish Rooney, Executive Director
Trish Rooney
Executive Director
Ken Lipka, LSW, LCDC III
Senior Manager, Client Services
Jennifer Phillips, LSW
Supportive Housing Program Manager
Shelly Napolitan
Volunteer Coordinator
John Moran
Operations Manager
Colleen Timm
Office Manager
Lakewood Community Services Center is committed to the safety and security of our clients and the stability of our community. In these very uncertain times, an increasing number of individuals and families find themselves unable to meet their basic needs.
Stable housing and food security should be the right of every person. With funding from the federal government, Cuyahoga County and private foundations and with support from churches, businesses, organizations and individuals, LCSC works to find solutions to the complex barriers to security facing a growing number of our neighbors.
LCSC is one of 35 Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland partners and is the designated hunger center serving residents of Lakewood, Rocky River and Westlake who meet the income guidelines.
LCSC provides a four-day supply of food once every 30 days to individuals and families who come in for assistance. Each four-day supply comprises basic items including pasta, sauce, rice, cereal, milk, soup, stew, peanut butter, jelly, canned fruit and vegetables, mac and cheese and tuna. Every effort is made to also provide additional items such as fresh produce, bread, and extra protein. With the ongoing support of local retailers, LCSC also offers bakery items from Giant Eagle and Starbucks; artisan bread from Breadsmith and Blackbird Bakery; and rice, beans and meat from Chipotle when available.
Personal care items including toilet paper, shampoo, toothpaste and soap are often available thanks to the generous donations from local organizations, churches and individuals.
For five months each year (July through November), LCSC is the site of a monthly Famers Market made possible by the Cleveland Foodbank. Over 10,000 pounds of free fresh produce is available each month. Cooking demonstrations, live music and face painting add to the festive outdoor atmosphere!
LCSC is the center for the HUD-funded Supportive Housing Program, which assists homeless individuals referred by shelters, residential treatment programs and social service agencies throughout the area to secure and maintain stable housing anywhere in western Cuyahoga County. Each individual referred to the program is assessed for need and eligibility by the Supportive Housing Program Manager. If the HUD eligibility guidelines are not met, individuals are referred to other community resource providers for appropriate services and supports.
If eligible and enrolled into SHP, the client household will receive:
• Assistance in securing safe, affordable and appropriate housing
• Financial assistance with security deposit and first month's rent
• Assistance in securing employment and/or securing benefits to which the client is entitled such
as: SSI/SSDI; food stamps; emergency heat assistance; Section 8 or other housing subsidy
• Referrals and linkages to service providers that will assist each client to achieve his/her goals:
healthcare services; mental health agencies; drug and alcohol treatment programs; veteran
programs; income assistance such as TANF and Medicaid; and applications for federal assistance
• Assistance in securing employment-required uniforms or clothing
• Budgeting assistance to achieve an understanding of managing limited resources
Case management is the foundation of LCSC's Supportive Housing Program. The manager and client work together to develop an individualized case plan that addresses the program goals of securing and maintaining stable housing and increasing skills and income with the overall goal to achieve greater self determination. This is not simple for this vulnerable population that often faces mental health issues and/or a history of substance abuse. Remaining in stable housing can be overwhelming for individuals who have a history of residential instability, lack of education, lack of employment history and a lack of any support systems. Because of these multiple barriers to success, clients are encouraged to remain in the program for the maximum 24 months if ongoing case management and support services will help them meet the milestones to self sufficiency.
ESG
LCSC is the point of access for Lakewood residents who qualify for the City of Lakewood's Emergency Shelter Grant funds for one-time rent and/or utility assistance to prevent homelessness. Residents who have a utility shut-off notice and/or a rental eviction may apply once each year for assistance. Many households who have experienced a crisis due to an unexpected loss of income or medical expense or who might be waiting for unemployment benefits to begin, can often remain stably housed with one-time assistance. LCSC's licensed social workers will meet with Lakewood residents seeking help on a walk-in basis during Center open hours.
HPRP
LCSC is the point of access for the City of Lakewood's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP) stimulus dollars that provide homeless prevention help to qualified Lakewood residents. Because of our housing experience and the strength of our staff, the City of Lakewood designated LCSC as their sub-grantee of these homeless prevention funds. These funds provide assistance to Lakewood households who have received a court-ordered eviction or a utility shut off. To qualify for help using these federal funds, applicants must have income (salary or government benefits) to ensure that with this assistance they will be able to remain stable in the future. LCSCs licensed social workers will meet with Lakewood residents seeking help on a walk-in basis during Center open hours. Note: It is anticipated that these funds will be exhausted by the end of 2011.
With support from agencies and organizations throughout Cuyahoga County, Lakewood Community Services Center can provide referrals and linkages to help client families meet their often complex needs. LCSC licensed social workers provide information and referrals for specific additional services including health care, mental health and chemical dependency counseling, early childhood and youth services, educational assistance, furniture, clothing and diaper vouchers. We are grateful to all the agencies with whom we collaborate for their shared dedication to helping individuals and families in need.
The Center's 5,250 square foot facility provides ample space for additional client services offered by community partner agencies:
• Every Wednesday evening, an outreach worker from Cleveland Tenants Organization (CTO) is
available to assist with landlord/renter rights issues. This service is funded by the City of
Lakewood HUD Emergency Shelter Grant funding.
• Volunteer attorneys from the Cleveland Homeless Legal Assistance Program are on site one
Wednesday each month to provide free legal assistance for civil matters.
• An outreach worker from West Side Ecumenical Ministries (WSEM) is at LCSC each week to assist
clients with Food Stamp applications and to deliver these applications to the Ohio Works First
office. This service is available thanks to WSEM's United Way Funding for food stamp outreach
programming.
• During the months of October through March, an outreach worker from the Council for Economic
Opportunities for Greater Cleveland (CEOGC) is on site to enroll clients in its emergency home
energy assistance program.
• Beginning in the third quarter of 2011, an outreach worker from WECO Fund, Inc. will be onsite to
provide basic financial education and coaching to LCSC clients. This service is funded by the City
of Lakewood HUD Emergency Shelter Grant funding.
New in 2010, the LCSC Community Garden is located in 5,000 square feet of city-owned property at Madison Park. Over 50 client families entered their names into a drawing from which 10 were selected to have the opportunity to garden a 4' x 20' plot. The produce from their individual plots is for the exclusive use of each gardening family, although many gardeners chose to donate produce to LCSC and to friends and family members. With a grant from Ohio State University Extension, support from the City of Lakewood Department of Public Works, Lakewood High School, St. Edward High School, Urban Organics, J. Barker Landscaping Company, Lowe's Home Improvement Center and a legion of volunteers, the garden became a thriving space for our clients and their families.
The garden provides access to fresh local food to LCSC clients who otherwise could not benefit from this activity due to their housing constraints (100% of LCSC clients reside in rental apartments or double homes). Additional positive outcomes include: the opportunity for socialization by a population often isolated by poverty; client empowerment; the potential for a shared family experience; a demonstration to the community that LCSC clients are productive individuals who have a genuine interest in giving back.
The Lakewood Community Meals program is made possible by a network of volunteers at local churches and at St. Edward High School. Through the dedication of these volunteers, individuals are able to enjoy a free nutritious hot meal in a dignity-affirming setting on 20 days of every month.
Community meals are designed not only to offer food but also to provide fellowship and an opportunity for socialization. Many of the churches also offer a free supply of food for guests to take home with them after their meal.
For a complete list of the organizations providing community meals, hours of service and a map to assist in locating the meal sites, please click on the pdf icon
If you are interested in volunteering at a community meal or if you would like to donate to this important initiative, please contact the individual organizations and ask for the Community Meal Coordinator.
MEALS.map.pdf
The number of households coming to LCSC for assistance in 2010 rose 32% over 2009. The pattern is repeating itself in 2011. As the number of individuals and families seeking help continues to grow, LCSC relies, more than ever before, on your generous donations of time and talent and your monetary support. In 2010 alone we provided enough emergency food for over 250,000 meals, provided rental assistance to prevent 315 families from becoming homeless and kept utilities on in 250 households.
We could not provide this critical assistance to our clients in need without your support. Please join us in making an important difference in the lives of our neighbors.
There are many ways to support LCSC and our mission
Make an Online Donation
Making a cash donation is as simple as a click of the mouse! When you donate using PayPal, your gift will be deposited directly into LCSC's bank account. You will receive a confirmation that you can print and use for tax purposes all without leaving your home or office. Our buying power at the Cleveland Foodbank is pretty astounding! Gifts of cash help to extend our food allocation dollars and help us help everyone who comes to us for assistance.
Matching Gifts
Many companies committed to the well-being of their communities offer matching gift programs to their employees and sometimes their employees' spouses, retirees and directors. With these programs, a company will match individuals gifts to not-for-profit organizations like LCSC. Check with your company's Human Resources Department to see if this is an option for you.
Planned Gifts
A planned gift often allows you to provide a larger gift to Lakewood Community Services Center and can offer you some real financial advantages. Talk to your financial advisor for information on the type of planned gift that would work best to meet your own financial goals. There are many real advantage to making a planned gift, including maximizing your charitable contribution, getting valuable tax deductions under state and federal laws, and increasing your current income.
In-Kind Gifts
Gifts-in-kind are non financial contributions that help LCSC provide essential items to individuals and families who come to us in need of non-food products. The following items are always in great demand and always greatly appreciated:
• Bar soap
• Shampoo
• Toothbrushes/toothpaste
• Deodorant
• Shaving cream/razors
• Laundry soap
• Dishwashing soap
• Toilet paper
• Paper towels
• Female personal care products
• Diapers
• Formula
• Grocery store gift cards
• School supplies - all grades
• Small gardening tools
• Tomato cages
• Vegetable seeds/plants
• Garden hoses
From our beginning in 1982, volunteers have formed the heart and soul of Lakewood Community Services Center. In 2010 alone, volunteers donated over 6,500 hours of their time in support of LCSC's mission. You can volunteer every week during our open hours or give of your time to help with one of our many special projects. We count on our volunteers to help us improve the services we offer to our clients and to help us raise awareness of our mission throughout the community.
Weekly volunteer opportunities include greeting our clients and registering them for food, working in the food warehouse, packing client grocery bags, and answering the Center's phone.
Special projects that need volunteer assistance include the monthly Farmers Markets, the Community Garden, school supply distribution, holiday programs, website and Facebook updates, help on a committee for our annual fundraising event and we are open to all your great ideas!
Whether you can give an hour or a hundred hours, volunteering at LCSC is a rewarding experience and a wonderful opportunity to meet other generous individuals who share your desire to give back to the community. If you are interested in joining our volunteer team, please complete the Volunteer Application Form pdf to get started!
Volunteer Application.pdf
Lakewood Community Services Center employs a dedicated team of full- and part-time staff committed to improving the lives of the individuals and families in the community.
We are currently seeking a Part-Time Development Associate to join our team.
Part-Time Development Associate
Lakewood Community Services Center has an immediate opening for a Part-Time Development Associate to help secure new funding for the organization and to maintain and nurture existing supporters.
Essential Job Functions
• Researches prospective donors and maintains a donor database
• Assists with writing grant proposals; maintains calendars of grant progress, due dates and reports
• Records and responds to donations
• Assists with fund-raising events and mailings
• Writes and updates website and Facebook content
• Additional duties as assigned
Qualifications
• Bachelors degree
• Two years experience in a development position
• Experience with donor database software is highly desirable
Skills and Abilities
• Excellent communications skills, both written and oral
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to meet deadlines
• Proficient in Microsoft Office
• Ability to work independently
Lakewood Community Services Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
If you are interested in applying for this position, please send your resume and cover letter to trish_lcsclakewood.org
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To stay up to date with Lakewood Community Services Center news and upcoming special events, be sure to check these pages often!
With a three-year grant from United Way of Greater Cleveland , LCSC has extended its food service to include monthly door-to-door deliveries to eligible seniors living in Lakewood senior housing. The program launched in September 2011 with service to the Westerly Apartments. On the third Friday of each month a three-day supply of food is delivered to each resident who has signed up for the new service. Grocery bags are packed and assembled in LCSC's pantry with help from volunteers, then loaded into the United Way- funded van for two round trips to the atrium at the Westerly.
At the drop off area, literally dozens of Lakewood High School H2O club members are ready and waiting to head for the buildings' elevators to begin their door-to-door trips. With staggering efficiency, this group of student volunteers manages to complete delivery to 160 units in under two hours! Besides providing a critical service, the program is offering both residents and students an opportunity to socialize and to form important relationships. Since the first delivery in September, this service opportunity has gained popularity and momentum among the students,says H2O Coordinator Emmie Hutchison. The initial group of volunteers has returned each month, with the addition of their friends, members of LHSs Action Team, and other kids who have heard that the residents of the Westerly are wonderful. This has been a great partnership for H2O. One resident at the Westerly is so grateful to her team that she presented them with hand-knitted winter hats. You can see the proud models in the photo to the right.
On the third Tuesday of each month, the action shifts to Fedor Manor and to the Southwesterly Apartments. Here, student volunteers from St. Edward High School - accompanied by parent volunteers - hit the corridors and elevators of these two buildings to complete door-to-door delivery to 64 units at Fedor Manor and 36 at the Southwesterly, which was the most recent to join the program in December. "This has been a wonderful opportunity for St. Ed's to connect with our neighbors in the Lakewood Community, according to Liam Haggerty, Vice President of Mission Effectiveness. What began as a one-time service opportunity, has grown into a wonderful partnership, and has involved students from all four grade levels, as well as parent volunteers from our Fathers' Club." Without support from St. Edward students, it would be impossible to accomplish this service to one building, much less to two in one afternoon!
This new program is a pefect example of the power of partnerships so evident every day in Lakewood and reminds us how many of our city's high school students are committed to serving members of our community. Food delivery will be expanded to include Lakeshore Towers during the first quarter 2012.
Grants Update
In December 2011, LCSC received funding from the Eva L. and Joseph M. Bruening Foundation to help with short-term rental assistance for clients, either recently displaced or new to Lakewood, who need support in identifying, securing and maintaining suitable long-term housing.
In Oct 2011, LCSC received capacity-building support from the William J. and Dorothy K. O'Neill Foundation to engage a consultant in our organization's first formal strategic planning process. Community partners will participate with LCSC is this initiative, critical not only to LCSC but to the City of Lakewood.
Community West Foundation
LCSC has been funded for the third year by Community West Foundation. This support will provide salary relief for essential staff: our Food Services Coordinator and one Case Manager.
Deaconess Community Foundation awarded LCSC funding to hire a part-time Development Associate to assist us in identifying and securing funding to ensure that we continue to deliver our mission to those members in the community who need our support.
We are extremely grateful for this continuing support from our community partners.
Thank You to All Who Participated in Adopt a Family
The generosity of individuals, organizations and businesses enabled LCSC to match 54 client families with Adopt a Family sponsors this holiday season. Because of this outpouring of good will, literally hundreds of local children experienced the joy of Christmas morning.
In addition to our appreciation to all the individuals who partcipated, we would like to extend our special appreciation to the following groups:
Lakewood Catholic Academy
Lakewood/Fairview Hospitals
Lakewood/Rocky River Rotary Club
Lakewood United Methodist Church
Meridian Condominium Association
Rocky River United Methodist Church
In addition to the Adopt a Family program, community groups also provided special support to LCSC client families during the holiday season. Our thanks to:
Harding Middle School
Lakewood Charitable Assistance Corporation
Lakewood High School National Honor Society
Omni Property Management, Inc.
Steve Barry Buick
With funding from United Way, LCSC began delivery of a three-day supply of food to eligible seniors in Lakewood senior housing. In September we began the program by delivering to 154 residents at the Westerly Apartments. With the help of H2O club members from Lakewood High School, the first ever door to door deliveries were completed in just under two hours! Residents told us getting this assistance was just like Christmas.
The third Tuesday in October saw the program extended to 64 residents of Lakewoods Fedor Manor. This time students from St. Edward High School provided the door to door delivery service. In November we will add the South Westerly Apartment and Lakeshore Towers to the delivery routes.
Thank you to United Way, to H2O and to St. Edward High School for making this much needed service a reality for our senior citizens!
Five amazing works of art are now installed at the LCSC Community Garden at Madison Park. LHS art students transformed 55 gallon recycled rain barrels into public art now in use at the garden. Students of art teacher Amy Sedlak worked in pairs to create whimsical designs for barrels that are both functional and beautiful. Check out the story on Lakewood Patch. (click here)
LCSC has changed its name. Click on the pdf icon to read our press release.
Read about LCSC on Page 12 of the March 8, 2011 Lakewood Observer (click here)
LCSC Receives United Way Funding.
LCSC has the honor of being one of only four new agencies to receive funding for the first time this year. The United Way support will be used to purchase a van to extend our emergency food service. Once each month, LCSC will deliver a three-day supply of food to eligible seniors in Lakewood senior apartments the Westerly, the South Westerly, Fedor Manor and Lakeshore Towers. When the RTA Circulator was discontinued, it became difficult for seniors without their own transportation to get to LCSC and impossible to carry food back home. This new door-to-door service will ensure that all income qualified Lakewood seniors have a steady supply of easy to prepare food each month.
• In April LCSC received the news that we have been selected as the 2011-2013 grant recipient
of the Lakewood Women's Club (formerly the Junior Women's Club of Lakewood). This
two-year grant for operating support will be awarded in 2012 and 2013 following the LWC's
annual fundraising events held during 2011 and 2012.
LHS Supports the Community Garden for the Second Year
Students and teachers from Lakewood High School are again providing their time and talent at the LCSC Community Garden at Madison Park!
Science teacher Mark Rathge and his horticulture students are again propagating seeds for LCSC clients who have been selected as this years community gardeners. These healthy and robust tomato and pepper plants, carefully nurtured by the students, help our gardeners get a good start on the growing season.
For the first time this season, LHS art teacher Amy Sedlak and her students are converting rain barrels into community art projects. Five teams of students will each use their creative talents to add whimsy and color to the LCSC garden, proving you dont have to use green to be green!
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Each time a man stands up for an ideal or acts to improve the lot of others or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.
~ Robert F. Kennedy
It's simple to support our neighbors in need!
Click the Donate button now.
Lakewood Community Services Center:
• Distributes 25,000 pounds of
emergency food every month
• Provides services to over 7,000
individuals every year
• Provides enough food for over
300,000 meals each year
• Prevents 600 families from
becoming homeless each year
• Helps 30 formerly homeless
families secure stable housing
each year
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