Community Services

You Did it!  85+ Blankets to Homeless StandDown!!

/ jinnyn

Thank you to all our blanket donators and to Ridge Cleaners.  Rotarians and friends transported almost 90 blankets to the Homeless Stand Down last week.  This was a 30% increase over last year’s donation, and it was much appreciated by the Stand Down organizers and the recipients.  

The Blanket drive will continue and be more important as the temperatures drop.  We have recently received many blankets from donors to the Good Neighbor Thrift Shop and donations from the French Creek Family Y.  Thanks again for your help in keeping others warm.

Medical Equipment & Supplies Collection and EMPTY BOWLS By the Lake

/ northcoastrotary

Rotarians supported two events on Saturday October 19th.  Sprenger Towne Center made available storage and a pick-up location for used but usable medical equipment.  Thanks to Sprenger and many donations from our communities, we were able to fill a truck with walkers, bath chairs, wheelchairs, a hospital bed, dental equipment and more. Big Frog donated a box of scrubs and several boxes of shirts which are always needed. At this time, Rotary is seeking a location to store future collections.  Once identified we will again accept used but usable medical equipment for this initiative.

Also on Saturday, several Rotarians picked-up soup and served soup with many other volunteers at the successful EMPTY BOWLS by the Lake fundraiser where all proceeds benefited Second Harvest Food Bank, Avon/Avon Lake CRS, Commodore Cupboard & other local food banks.

Blankets needed for Homeless StandDown

/ northcoastrotary

North Coast Rotary will be supplying blankets to the Homeless Stand Down on October 24th. A huge THANK YOU to those who have already donated!

If you have not yet donated your used but usable blankets or wish to donate new blankets, please take advantage of our collection boxes at: French Creek Family Y, Domonkas Library, Braeden Friss State Farm Agency, First Federal Lakewood Avon Lake Branch, GenFed Financial, Avon Lake Public Library and Ridge Cleaners. Thank you in advance for your support!

Supporting Maternal and Child Health

/ northcoastrotary

Past President Joe Matuscak took advantage of an opportunity to support maternal and child health when boxes of new baby safety and health supplies including thermometers, newborn nasal aspirators and more were made available to him.  Through our connections, we were able to donate to University Hospitals St. John & Westshore Childbirth Educators, Neighborhood Alliance, El Centro and the United Way who will be distributing them in our communities!

Ace Hardware Donates Seeds

/ northcoastrotary

A big Thank You to Tom Nekoloff,  Manager of the Ace Hardware Avon Lake Store, who donated 400+ packets of vegetable, flowers and herb seeds to North Coast Rotary Foundation.  We distributed them to our community partners:  Community Resource Services (CRS), the Avon Lake Public Library, the Domonkas Library (Sheffield Lake) and the French Creek Family Y for their Youth Summer Camp.

Pictured are half of the seed packets donated! Check with your local libraries!

School Supplies for Families in Need

/ northcoastrotary

Community supported fundraisers and personal donations from Rotarians allowed North Coast Rotary Foundation to donate 80+ boxes of gallon Ziplock bags (value $500) for Students’ school supply needs in Avon and Avon Lake. The project is coordinated by Community Resource Services (CRS). 

Thank you to our many supporters and to CRS for their impactful projects.

Pictured is CRS Executive Director (and Rotarian) Pam Ohradzansky.

Blankets for Beds Recognition

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North Coast Rotary thanks  ALCC President Marty O’Donnell and the Avon Lake Community Council (ALCC) for its recent award of Project of the Year in partnership with Ridge Cleaners.  Marty presented the award to Rotarian Cathy Pugh.  Cathy accepted on behalf of Joe Matuscak who developed the idea of cleaning and sanitizing gently used blankets for those in need.  Ridge Cleaners Owner Lisa Sebastian immediately volunteered to clean and sanitize them absorbing the cost.  

Cathy Pugh and Lisa Sebastian also received Congratulations from Representative Joe Miller on behalf of the members of the House of Representatives, and a Proclamation of Recognition and Congratulations from Avon Lake Mayor Mark A. Spaetzel. The Blankets for Beds project is ongoing. Our thanks to our most recent donors from Good Neighbors Thrift Shop, Vermilion Schools Interact group and the Sheffield Lake and Lorain Offices GenFed Financial Credit Union.

Rotary supports CRS Easter Brunch Bags

/ jinnyn

Mindy Penn at CRS accepted North Coast Rotary’s donation of 60 dozen eggs for the Community Resource Services’ Easter brunch bags for families in need. 

Volunteers from New Westsiders supplied an additional 30 dozen eggs for a successful Easter Brunch Bag project. 

On May 14th, Rotarians will help CRS sort and stock donations from the “Stamp Out Hunger” campaign.

Community Support is important to us; thank you to CRS for providing these opportunities to help!