Community West Foundation
Maria Estes, Marketing and Communications Director
440-360-7356
Maria.Estes@cwfc.org
Blossom Hill, Inc.
Emily Dubyoski, Marketing Manager
440-666-6147
EmilyD@Blossom-Hill.org
For Immediate Release
Community West Foundation Grants $589,800 to Local Nonprofit Agencies
[Westlake, Ohio] – The Community West Foundation Board of Directors approved $589,800 in fourth quarter grants to nonprofit agencies that provide basic needs services to the community in Cleveland, Western Cuyahoga and Lorain Counties. This year Community West awarded grants to the largest number of organizations ever in their history: 70 total.
Community West Foundation is known for having long-standing relationships with their grantees and many of them have received funding for decades. This year Community West has expanded the criteria for grantmaking to include all six of the areas called out in The Gospel of Matthew 25:35-40. In addition, they are increasing their presence in Lorain County by awarding grants to organizations that align with their mission.
Board of Directors Grants Committee Chairman, Bill Oatey, commented, “We are well aware of the landscape right now in terms of increased need. We want to ensure we are doing everything we can to support the community.” In 2020, Community West funded 16 agencies for the first time.
Several of the agencies awarded this quarter are new to the Foundation including Blossom Hill, an organization that has provided compassionate care to individuals with profound physical and mental disabilities for more than fifty years. Blossom Hill operates four residences on the west side of Greater Cleveland including one in Westlake, two in North Royalton and one in Parma. The organization serves more than 100 individuals receiving long-term residential and short-term respite care as well as in-home supported living services.
Another agency new to Community West is Lorain County Safe Harbor, also known as Genesis House, the only domestic violence shelter in Lorain County. It is a social service and social change agency, providing emergency confidential shelter and a wide variety of community-based intervention and prevention services throughout Lorain County. Their programs include a 24-hour crisis hotline, legal advocacy, education groups, men’s anti-violence program and more.
The receiving organizations for fourth quarter grants include:
• Blossom Hill
• Church of the Open Door
• Cleveland Christian Home
• Cleveland Furniture Bank
• Connecting for Kids
• Denison Avenue UCC
• Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland
• Lakewood Community Services Center
• LifeAct
• Lorain County Safe Harbor
• Love, Inc.
• Malachi House
• Neighborhood Family Practice
• Rocky River Meals on Wheels Program
• Seeds of Literacy
• Stella Maris
• The Metanoia Project
• Village Project
• West Side Catholic Center
The mission of Community West Foundation is to advance the health and well being of our community. The staff and Board of Directors are guided by the words in Matthew 25:35-40: “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me… Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
For more information, contact Community West Foundation at 440-360-7370 or visit communitywestfoundation.org.
#