Mayor Summers Supports YOU
From left are Patricia Chittock, the assistant finance director for the city’s Division of Tax; YOU intern Ethan Burney, who is a junior at Lakewood High School; and Joseph Dix from the city’s Division of Tax.
This summer, Lakewood City Hall participated in the county’s Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU) program, designed to place students in meaningful work experiences around Cuyahoga County each summer.
Youth Opportunities Unlimited services are provided free of charge to youth and employers. The program is funded by various government and foundation grants, corporate and individual gifts, and the United Way of Greater Cleveland.
This year, the YOU program placed more than 3,300 students — aged 14 to 18 — around Cuyahoga County.
Nearly 50 of those students were from Lakewood, the first year the program was offered in our city. Two of those students — Ty’saun Blevins and Ethan Burney, who both attend Lakewood High School — worked at Lakewood City Hall.
“It was a pleasure having these two fine young men working at City Hall,” said Lakewood Mayor Michael Summers.
Blevins and Burney performed a variety of tasks, including helping in the Law Department, Mayor’s office, Finance Department, as well as the Tax and Water Departments. In addition, they each took a ride-along with the Lakewood Fire Department.
“This program lived up to its billing,” said Summers. “The mission of YOU is to empower youth to succeed in school, in the workplace, and in life. I am certain that our students got a good head start on their way to achieving their full potential.”