Civic Groups

The Lakewood Democratic Club is hosting a a free community picnic on Saturday, September 23, thanks to the generosity of Representative Marcy Kaptur.

“It’s incredibly thoughtful of Representative Kaptur to sponsor this picnic for Lakewood, on top of all the great work she does for our district,” says Democratic Club President Grant MacKay. “I hope people will bring along friends and family, and enjoy some good food with neighbors.”

The picnic will take place in the Kiwanis Pavilion in Lakewood Park. MacKay notes that “the Democratic Club always meets in Lakewood Park, but indoors. It seems like we ought to get outside and enjoy one of the best parks around, once in a while, so we decided to have a picnic.”

This event is purely casual, open to the entire community. Anyone interested in the club can take the opportunity to chat about it with members. But, “The only agenda item is to enjoy the park, and help eat the food so we don’t have to take it home” says MacKay.

Hot dogs, brats, hamburgers and black-bean burgers will be served at the picnic, along with juice, pop and water. Attendees are welcome to bring their favorite side dish or dessert to share.

The Lakewood Democratic Club’s picnic takes place from noon to 2 p.m. on September 23, at Lakewood Park. There is no cost to attend, but online RSVPs are requested; please visit tinyurl.com/lkwdpicnic to let the club know you’re coming.

Take a stand against voter suppression in future elections.

Three students from Lakewood and Rocky River high schools attended the District 6630 RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) conference at Baldwin Wallace University June 11-15.

The Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River recently awarded four college scholarships to graduating seniors Martina Blazevic, Ali Brugh and Aleksandra Dunjic from Rocky River High School and Joshua January from Lakewood High School.

State Rep. Kathleen Clyde (D-Kent) will headline the Lakewood Democratic Club’s Summer Supper, July 13 at VOSH. Clyde is a prominent voting-rights advocate, and candidate for Ohio Secretary of State.

“From gerrymandering to equal pay, Rep. Clyde is constantly fighting for ordinary people’s rights,” says club president Grant Mackay. “In both the Ohio House and in major court cases, she’s on the front line of battles for fairness and democracy. Her experiences should make for an inspiring evening.”

The Summer Supper takes place at VOSH Lakewood, 1414 Riverside Drive, from 6 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, July 13. Tickets for the evening begin at $50 per person, and include dinner and one drink ticket. 

The annual event helps fund the Democratic Club’s programs for the year, and is open to all. Tickets may be purchased at lakewooddemocrats.com/supper, or by mailing a check to the Lakewood Democratic Club at PO Box 771263, Lakewood, OH 44107.

For more information, contact lkwdohdemclub@gmail.com.

Please join your neighbors at the next meeting of Action Together Lakewood Area (ATLA) on Sunday, May 7, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. at Jammy Buggars, 15625 Detroit Ave, Lakewood. 

Over $59,000 in grants from the Lakewood-Rocky River Rotary Foundation will be used to provide scholarships, recognize student achievement, purchase dictionaries for third graders, and help fund worthy programs by community organizations.

The awards focused on three main areas – community health and wellness, food and nutrition, and programs that encourage and foster youth leadership.

The Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River will award $12,000 in scholarships to high school seniors, and presented $6,000 to student winners in the club’s annual speech, music and art competition at the Beck Center on March 27.

The Beck Center received $2,500 for arts scholarships, and $1,860 was used to continue the club’s commitment to provide a dictionary each year to every third grader in Lakewood and Rocky River.

Seed money grants went to North Coast Health Ministry ($5,000) for a diabetic retinopathy machine, and Girls with Sole ($2,500) to fund its summer camp initiative.

If you’re wondering what the national political news means to you, it’s time to connect with your neighbors at the next meeting of Action Together Lakewood Area (ATLA) on Sunday, April 9, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. at Jammy Buggars, 15625 Detroit Ave, Lakewood. 

Do you look at the news and feel misrepresented? Do you see Trump, Conway, Sessions, Bannon, DeVos, Tillerson, and not see your America? Do you want to show up for the most under-represented and disenfranchised in your community who need you during this troubling time? Since November 8th, have you noticed racism more and have you wondered what you can actually do about this growing racism? There is a growing organization of people devoted to tackling these issues head on-- the Showing Up For Racial Justice, Northeast Ohio Chapter. Showing Up For Racial Justice provides a space for us to build relationships, skills, and political analysis to act for change while supporting and collaborating with local and national racial justice organizing efforts.

Winners of Rotary’s annual Speech, Music, and Visual Arts Contest were honored at an awards ceremony March 27 at the Beck Center for the Arts.

Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River, the competition showcases the incredible talents of students attending one of five high schools – Lakewood, Lutheran West, Magnificat, Rocky River, and St. Edward.

Speech contest first place winner is Elizabeth Pearlman from Lakewood High School, who will compete at the Rotary District 6630 Speech Contest on April 8 in Aurora.

Also honored were Brian Donahoe, second place, and Zachary Howe, third place, both from Lakewood High School.

Speech contest semi-finals were March 18 at the Beck Center and the finals were at the Rotary club’s March 20 meeting. Speeches must be of original content and be based on “The Four-Way Test of Rotary” which asks, “Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships?" and "Will it be beneficial to all concerned?”

Lakewood Historical Society is excited to announce the Tabletops & Trifles Sale at the Nicholson House at 13335 Detroit Avenue, on Friday, April 7th, 1-7 p.m., and Saturday, April 8th, 10 a.m.- 3 p.m. A fine selection of everything exquisite will be artfully displayed for your shopping pleasure, including crystal, china, silver, jewelry, linen and many more decorative items.

Hosting Easter Dinner? Planning a wedding or shower? Shop this sale for the perfect party accents from serving to centerpieces we have everrything from shabby chic to Downton Abbey elegence.  We have something for all budgets and tastes.

Parking is available at St. Ed’s across the street. Tabletops and Trifles is a prelude to the annual Sale on the Grounds, which occurs on the first Saturday and Sunday in May.

All proceeds from this sale benefit the programs and properties of the Lakewood Historical Society. Come shop—you’re sure to find aspecial piece—or even many!

A crowd of approximately 300 people filled the sanctuary of Cleveland's St. James AME Church on February 23 where a town hall meeting with United States Senator Rob Portman was convened by Indivisible CLE. Senator Portman did not attend and did not respond to the request from Indivisible CLE to hold a town hall meeting during the current Congressional recess.

The holidays are such a busy time of the year that actually slowing down for family fun can be a hard thing to do.  Never fear, the Friends of St. James offer you and your family and friends, an opportunity for good food, crafts, stories with Mrs. Claus, visits with Santa and a photo for remembrance!

Where can such a good time be had? Mark your calendars for Saturday, December 3rd, 2016 at Brennan's Party Center, 13000 Triskett Road, on the Cleveland/Lakewood border. Please come and enjoy some family or just friends time starting at 9 a.m. continuing until 11:30 a.m.

The Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River is seeking grant applications from non-profit organizations that serve our youth and community within Lakewood and Rocky River.

Democrats do it. Republicans do it. Independents would do it if they could, but they seldom get the chance. In 1812, when Massachusetts Governor Gerry redrew state senate districts to benefit his party, one Boston-area district was dubbed a salamander. Since 2011, our Northwest Ohio district has been called "the snake by the lake." Either way, it's called gerrymandering.

On July 25, as an international service project, members of the Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River prepared 50 Rotary-branded layette bags filled with products commonly available to new mothers in the United States for expectant mothers in Chinandega, Nicaragua.

Greeting from the Hens in Lakewood Committee! Lakewood City Council passed an ordinance in May which allows for pilot hen keepers to re-new their permits and an additional 13 households to apply to keep hens in 2016.

The Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River has awarded four college scholarships to graduating seniors.

The League of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland will present a free forum on stormwater management on Monday May 2, 2016 at 7p.m., at Westlake Porter Library, 27333 Center Ridge Rd, Westlake. Ms. Kyle Dreyfuss-Wells, Deputy Director of Watershed Programs, Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NORSD), will speak on "Land and Water: Fixing Combined Sewers and Managing Stormwater for Clean and Abundant Fresh Water."

Over $56,000 in grants from the Lakewood-Rocky River Rotary Foundation will be used to provide scholarships, recognize student achievement, purchase dictionaries for third graders, and help fund worthy programs by community organizations.

The Lakewood/Rocky River Rotary Foundation is offering grants for study in any accredited post-high school educational institution. Four grants of $2,500 will be awarded toward the cost of one year’s tuition.

Girls with Sole and the Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River will be the beneficiaries of support from the sixth annual Swim-a-Thon on March 13 at the Rocky River Recreation Center pools from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.

I recently moved to Cranford Avenue, which is a few streets past downtown Lakewood and a few streets toward the Rocky River Loop. I moved there before November, and there were political signs a-plenty regarding the upcoming local election. A friend who has lived in Lakewood for a while said that come election season, Lakewood is known for having yard signs in the same way Parma, Ohio is known for pink flamingos. Lakewood is a political town with a politically-conscious community, which isn't bad and very reassuring. One of the first signs I noticed was a sign not too far from my apartment reading "Black Lives Matter" and a reference to a website for Showing Up For Racial Justice. 

Cub Scout Pack 68, sponsored by the Lakewood United Methodist Church, earned the prestigious Journey to Excellence Silver Award for 2015. The award recognizes Scout organizations that provide a high quality program for boys in the community. Pack leaders say they plan to earn the gold award in 2016.

The Lakewood Historical Society's annual Christmas Sale on the Grounds has everything you need for holiday decorating, entertaining and gift-giving.      

Edward P. Gallagher, director of education for the Beck Center, received a Paul Harris Fellowship from the Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River on November 15 in recognition of his 11 years running the club's speech, music and art awards program.

The Paul Harris Fellowship is named for Paul Harris, who founded Rotary in 1905. The Fellowship was established in his honor in 1957 and is usually reserved for individuals who contribute $1000 to the Rotary Foundation.

Each year, students from all Lakewood and Rocky River high schools are eligible to compete for scholarships that recognize their talents in speech, music and art.

"This annual event is a time to showcase our local schools, the students, and the power of speech and the arts. I am proud to work closely with Rotarians each year to make this event a way to bring students together as they strive to further develop skills that will serve them for a lifetime," Gallagher remarked.

"Personally, I enjoy being part of the process which turns the local spotlight on young talented musicians, outstanding artists and individuals who deliver speeches with passion under the framework of the Four-Way Test of Rotary."

Gallagher received the award at Rotary District 6630's Foundation Awards and Art Auction in Akron. Proceeds from the event support The Rotary Foundation's Annual Fund to help with local club grants and Rotary's End Polio Now campaign.

Once again this year, the Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River purchased dictionaries for all third grade students in Lakewood and Rocky River.

Club members take the dictionaries into the classrooms and deliver them personally to each student. They then spend time talking to the students about how Rotary is active in their communities and internationally.

Kauffman Park Friends will meet in January to elect officer. The roles of president and vice president will be open. Other positions will be filled as necessary.

Sunday, September 20th was a brilliant, sunny, afternoon and perfect weather for the Hens in Lakewood Coop Tour. Over 150 people showed up to see first-hand how the city of Lakewood's hen pilot project is working. Nine of the eleven families who are in the hens pilot had a great time educating the visitors who came to their yards about all things hens.

Lakewood/Rocky River Rotary Club is excited to celebrate the Employers that create positions and internships for our West Shore Career Tech students from Lakewood, Rocky River, Bay Village, and Westlake High Schools. On October 20th at 5:15 p.m. at La Centre in Westlake this special event will recognize these important employers and host a panel to discuss integrating and keeping talent in the modern workplace.

One of the original goals of the Lakewood Family Collaborative was to interconnect our community, linking social service agencies, schools, churches, mental health providers, treatment programs, citizens and any interested entities to one another. This vital connection helped increased the collaboration of participating organizations to better serve individuals and families throughout Lakewood and other western suburbs as well as parts of Cleveland.

State Rep. Nickie J. Antonio (D-Lakewood) will host a legislative update on August 24th from 3 pm to 5pm. The meeting will take place in the Multi-purpose room of the Lakewood Public Library-Main Branch.                              

The Lakewood Democratic Club is preparing for its Annual Summer Supper to be held at the Gardens at the Clifton Club, 17884 Lake Rd. in Lakewood. The event will be on Wednesday, July 22nd from 6-9 p.m. For over forty years, the Lakewood Democratic Club has supported the ideals of the Democratic Party by providing energizing speakers at every meeting including our elected leaders from State, Federal, County and City government, nonpartisan groups such as Policy Matters Ohio, NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio, AFL-CIO and Mr. PG Sittenfeld, Candidate for US Senate. The funds raised from this annual event supports the efforts for the upcoming election and club operations for 2016. 

The Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River awarded four college scholarships at its June 8 meeting. Graduating seniors Alexis Mod and Anthony Mod from Rocky River High School and Molly Schmidt and Mary Chudy from Magnificat High School each received $2,500 awards from the Lakewood-Rocky River Rotary Foundation.

Winners of Rotary’s annual Speech, Music, and Visual Arts Contest were honored at an awards ceremony March 30 at the Beck Center for the Arts.

The Lakewood Family Collaborative, serving Lakewood and it's neighbors, is looking for those people in our community who serve and have made an impact. The Leadership Team of the Collab is choosing one outstanding candidate – an individual or organization – whose helping hands have made a stellar difference in the lives of the people served in our community. The honoree last year was Jason Weiner of The Beck Center of the Arts.

West Shore Career-Technical District Outstanding Student Award recipients were honored by the Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River at its noon luncheon on March 16 at the Don Umerley Civic Center.

The Lakewood/Rocky River Rotary Foundation is offering grants for study in any accredited post-high school educational institution. Four grants of $2,500 will be awarded toward the cost of one year’s tuition.

Nearly $51,000 in grants from the Lakewood-Rocky River Rotary Foundation will be used to provide scholarships, recognize student achievement, purchase dictionaries for third graders, and help fund worthy programs by community organizations.

The Fifth Annual Lakewood Pizza Bake-Off will take place again at Lakewood High School on Thursday, January 22, 2015. This is a chance for all Lakewood residents to try all the pizza shops in Lakewood in one place. After having the chance to sample the different purveyors from around town, Lakewood Kiwanis is asking you to vote for the best pizza. There will be several different categories including: People's Choice, Best Pepperoini Pizza, Best Specialty Pizza, Best Franchise Pizza and Best Franchise Pepperioini Pizza.

Whether everyday emergencies like injuries, fires, and outages or large scale disasters, community preparedness starts with you. If you were there, would you be part of the problem or solution? The Westshore Regional Community Emergency Response Team (WSC) is offering free classes on topics such as disaster preparedness, emergency medical considerations, search and rescue procedures, fire suppression, disaster psychology, and more. The 20-hour FEMA course is conducted by local safety professionals. Teens welcome. Westshore residents who are over 18 years of age, successfully complete training, and pass a background check are eligible for team membership. Team membership is not required to participate in the free training. Visit www.westshorecert.org for more program and team information. 

The Friends of St. James,Inc. are sponsoring an evening of music, great food and fun at St. James (17514 Detroit, Lakewood) on September 26.

The combined western Cuyahoga County Democratic Clubs will join forces for a Tuesday, September 30, Candidates Night and early voting kickoff at 7 p.m., at the Rocky River Don Umerley Civic Center. The sponsoring Clubs include Bay Village, Fairview Park, Lakewood, North Olmsted, Rocky River, Westlake and Cleveland Stonewall. The Civic Center is located at 21016 Hilliard Boulevard.

The Hens in Lakewood group is a bunch of Lakewood neighbors who want to keep backyard hens as useful pets. The information in this article comes from several reputable scientific and governmental sources, such as the United States Department of Agriculture, The Ohio State University, Agriculture and Natural Resources, and others. We are hoping to inform our fellow neighbors who may not be too sure of this idea. Many of our neighbors say "of course, this is SO Lakewood" or 'Lakewood is behind the times by not allowing residents to keep hens". But others aren't too sure yet. To these neighbors we say thanks for reading, and thanks for keeping an open mind. Here are some answers to some questions the Hens in Lakewood group has received.

The Lakewood YMCA Adventure Guides is also known as Lake Trail Nation (LTN). We are a group of about 60 families with over 175 members. Our members include single and married parents, grandparents, and of course, the kids we care about. We provide opportunities for adults and boys and girls age 5-12 to spend enjoyable, constructive time together, fostering companionship and an understanding for a foundation to lifelong friendship.

Some of our recent activities have included Tent Camping at different Ohio State Parks, a Halloween Party, Moon Rock Bowling, a Holiday Party, Game Night at the Y, Induction Camp out in the Metroparks, the Pinewood Derby, Marching in the Lakewood July 4th Parade, Camp Y-Noah, Pool Parties, Hiking, Biking, Community Service, Camp Fitch (Winter campout!), Model Rockets, and Skiing. Smaller groups of children the same age and gender with their parents, called Circles, also plan monthly activities such as jewelry making parties, movie nights, pumpkin carving, spa day, and other activities.

In its 13th year, the Lakewood Heritage Advisory Board recently recognized 14 recipients annual Lakewood Historic Preservation Awards.

The Rotary Club of Lakewood & Rocky River, in conjunction with the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce and Pillars of Lakewood, will have its annual golf outing at Red Tail Golf Club on Monday, September 8, with a shotgun start at 11:30 a.m.

The three local Leagues of Women Voters, LWV-Cuyahoga Area, with LWV-Shaker Heights and LWV-Cleveland Area have voted to merge forming one single League of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland. The central League now encompasses all of Cuyahoga County, with nine chapters -- Bay Village, Fairview Park, Lakewood, Rocky River, Westlake/North Olmsted, Cleveland Heights/University Heights, Hillcrest, Shaker Heights, and Cleveland Area. This merger will help the organization better meet its mission of encouraging an informed and engaged electorate.

Just imagine, a beautiful summer evening, right on the lake, live music, food and refreshments, and lots of fancy cars, trucks, and motorcycles.

The Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River awarded four college scholarships at its weekly luncheon on Monday, June 9.

Singing Angels is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and 40 young people from Northeast Ohio are heading abroad to an international choral celebration in Geneva, Switzerland, July 3-9.

Winners of Rotary’s annual Speech, Music, and Visual Arts Contest were honored at an awards ceremony April 7 at the Beck Center for the Arts.

A Democratic Candidate's Night will be held April 3, 7 p.m., at 20777 Lorain Road, in Fairview Park City Hall's Dunson Room. The event will feature invited candidates running for Cuyahoga County Executive, Armond Budish, Bob Reid and Shirley Smith, along with candidates for various judicial races, and a Democratic write-in candidate for the Cuyahoga County Council from District 1, Mark Szabo. Additionally, speakers from both sides of the Sin Tax Issue 7 have been invited. This informative evening is sponsored by West Shore Democrats, a coalition of the following groups; Bay Village, Fairview Park, Lakewood, North Olmsted, Rocky River, Westlake, Westside and Stonewall Democratic Clubs.

A portable year-round greenhouse that will allow Magnificat High School students to expand on the school’s highly successful Seeds of Service project will be funded as the result of a $5,000 grant from the Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River and Rotary District 6630. With construction of a hoop house greenhouse on Magnificat’s property, the project is slated to involve over 150 students and deliver more than 200 pounds of fresh, organically-grown produce to the Rocky River and Lakewood Food Banks. In addition to the greenhouse, funds from Rotary will be used for heavy duty gardening equipment and a commercial-grade produce scale.

Over $46,000 from the Lakewood-Rocky River Rotary Foundation will be used to provide scholarships, recognize student achievement, purchase dictionaries, and fund grant requests made by Lakewood and Rocky River community organizations.

Once again this year, the Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River purchased dictionaries for all 769 third grade students in Lakewood and Rocky River.

The Lakewood/Rocky River Rotary Foundation is offering grants for study in any accredited post-high school educational institution. Three grants of $2,500 and one grant of $1,000 will be awarded toward the cost of one year’s tuition.

BayComm is a group of residents from the westshore suburbs who volunteer their time training to provide communications to their families and other residents within a 10 mile radius. We all know that power goes out frequently, and that standard forms of communications can go down as well. That can be a scary time for residents who need assistance, but can't reach their local police or fire department. Working in coordination with CERT, another volunteer first responder organization, under FEMA, BayComm is working to develop a network of wireless communications amongst residents from all of the westshore suburbs, and beyond. Formed in 2012, we have members from Bay Village, Westlake, Rocky River, and Olmsted Falls, but we would like to expand our coverage to cities such as Lakewood, Fairview Park, and North Olmsted.

Power outages, Superstorm Sandy, the Artic Vortex… “All disasters begin and end at the local level.” (FEMA) Community preparedness starts with you. The Westshore Regional Community Emergency Response Team (WSC) is offering free classes on topics such as disaster preparedness, emergency medical considerations, search and rescue procedures, fire suppression, disaster psychology, and more. The 20-hour FEMA course is conducted by local safety professionals. Westshore residents who are over 18 years of age, successfully complete training, and pass a background check are eligible for team membership. Visit www.westshorecert.org for more program and team information. 

Since Super Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines Nov. 7, Rotarians and ShelterBox USA have been responding to the disaster providing funds and tangible relief to assist the thousands left homeless. Called the most powerful storm ever to make landfall, with winds of 195 mph and gusts up to 235 mph, Haiyan is reported to also be the largest storm ever recorded. The storm was over 300 miles wide, roughly equal to the distance between Boston and Philadelphia.