Charitable Projects Voting
Carol Provan and Sandy Holmes
At the February 26 Charitable Projects meeting on Zoom, discussion centered around the 13 proposals submitted for consideration. There is currently approximately $16,000 to distribute, although additional gifts are still welcome. The Committee appreciates the generous support of members whose names are listed on the SLGC website.
The following 3 summaries describe the top proposals recommended by the committee for the top award. All members are invited to vote for their choice to receive the $5,000 grant. Then in May, checks in varying amounts will be sent for proposals the committee endorses.
Doan Brook Watershed Partnership with Friends of Lower Lake
This four-year-old volunteer organization, dedicated to restoring the paths and plantings surrounding the Lower Lake in Shaker Heights and Cleveland Heights, received grants from SLGC in 2019 and 2020 for earlier phases of their project. Their work to remove invasive species and restore the neglected area around the Lower Lake is performed by a small group of volunteers, occasionally aided by stipend-paid summer help when donations permit. In 2020 alone, 18 volunteers contributed 1,730 hours to this effort. They are now at a point where the removal of unwanted plants will allow replacement with durable native plantings in the cleared section. Their proposal requests funding for planting 255 native trees and shrubs of 30 species. This grant would purchase the plantings, hire help to plant the trees and shrubs, and place protective fencing around the trees.
EDWINS
This proposal seeks to enhance the existing tuition-free education in culinary arts for formerly incarcerated adults, along with supports for successful reentry (housing, life skills, healthcare, financial literacy, and more). Demonstrably effective, they have a recidivism rate of less than 1% compared to the national average of 43%. Having in the past few years opened EDWINS Butcher Shop and Training Center and EDWINS Bakery, as well as establishing nearby housing for participants, this request for support seeks to transform one of two adjacent properties into an herb and vegetable garden. This will provide horticultural education, as well as promote nutrition and healthy eating habits in an underserved neighborhood, and be an urban oasis. The budget and timeline carefully demonstrate the educational aspect of the project: plants, seeds, gardening equipment, soil/mulch, building materials, site prep, and educational materials.
Western Reserve Land Conservancy
WRLC requests support for its ongoing “Ground Work” project, a strategy to address neighborhood blight in vacant residential parcels within the City of Cleveland through three key strategies: removing vacant and dilapidated homes, reforesting neighborhoods to improve the tree canopy, and creating public parks and new green spaces in urban areas. SLGC supported this program with a grant in 2020 that focused on four sites in the city. There are five additional sites in 2021 and the funding would be used for clearing, site prep, topsoil, trees, container plants, mulch, seeds, ground cover plants, and outdoor seating. We are asked for a portion of the $50,000 project; other funding beyond the request to SLGC (foundation, corporate and private) is being sought, and more than half has been received. Ultimately, this is a long-term effort to expand in-neighborhood work every year to make declining city neighborhoods more livable and stable and to improve the city’s tree canopy from its current state of 18% to 30% by 2040.