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HAPPY NEW YEAR to you and yours.  May your year be filled with peace, happiness and prosperity, as we enter the “20’s.” 

#GivingTuesdayCLE nonprofit partners and volunteers take the stage 

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#GivingTuesdayCLE is Cleveland’s grassroots, hyper-local response to a global movement that started in New York in 2012. Now celebrated around the world annually, on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, the driving belief of Giving Tuesday is that one small act of kindness can inspire another, collectively making our neighborhoods, cities, and the world a better place to live. And thanks to WISH Cleveland’s second-annual #GivingTuesdayCLE city-wide giving campaign, local nonprofits are feeling the love.

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Cleveland Plogs is all about inspiring our community to discover the joy of plogging, from Waterloo to East 152nd, Lakeshore Blvd. to East 185th!  In fact, we had such a great time plogging our way through Collinwood in 2019 that we’re taking plogging into the next decade!  

Team Toy Give-Away

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Fresh off of their special Thanksgiving and Christmas meal ministry, providing hundreds of roast chickens and even turkeys to needy families, the Hunger Center focused on its Annual Toy Give-Away hosted by St. John Nottingham Church. The church’s Fellowship Hall was filled with toys, games, projects, hats, scarves, mittens and more.. hundreds and hundreds of gifts to help bring a little more Christmas joy to parents who may not have been able to give a gift to their children.

The culinary team at Fat Cats served a delicious holiday meal to residents and family members at David Simpson Hospice House.

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Once each month, Meal to Remember brings a different Cleveland-area restaurant to Hospice of the Western Reserve’s in-patient care center, David Simpson Hospice House on E. 185th St. Residents of the hospice house and their families are treated to a restaurant dining experience, complete with fine china and linens, wine and live musical entertainment. All of the food, time and talent are donated by the restaurant. Photography, centerpieces and live musical entertainment for the dinners are provided by Hospice of the Western Reserve volunteers, who also assist the culinary teams with serving.

Where can apartment residents recycle their plastics?

Cleveland should consider opting out of the plastic bag ban, initiated by Sunny Simon and Dale Miller of Cuyahoga County Council, because Simon and Miller have not proven that the majority of plastic pollution in Lake Erie is predominately from plastic bags.  

Meet Marie Gerald-Murry, St. John Nottingham’s Student of the Month!

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On Thursday, December 19, the students of St. John Nottingham helped to lead a special Christmas worship service centered on Lessons and Carols. A packed Sanctuary joined in in praising and hearing the Word of God presented by the students and Senior Pastor Marcis.

Little Casey, Addie and Cooper heard all about baby Jesus from their mom's Bridget and Molly who posed for Christmas pictures with their mothers here when they were little. 

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The traditions of Christmas have been passed down from each generation to the next and this is true at St. Jerome.  We are especially reminded of this at Christmas as families gather to celebrate the day and honor those traditions and memories, while at the same time creating new ones.  
 

Pastor Will Robinson

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Pastor Will Robinson: "I believe that God has called men to be the Head of the household. To be the foundation for the family. I pray that this coming year men would assume the position that God intended them [to have] and to be responsible for raising their children--and those that are married being good husbands--faithful men to their families and most importantly to Go! That 2020 be a year of clear---laser vision. That men will see God's will for their lives and see themselves as God sees them. That they will be faithful to His call."
"I pray for men everywhere: free, incarcerated, old, young, black, white, strong, weak..May God have a blessing for them and I believe He does... and may they receive Him...in...deed."
"I've seen men rededicate themselves to the Lord...lost...and found and reconnected to God and..to their families...Repent and renew your walk with Him. Turn from sin and turn to God."
To contact Pastor Will Robinson: Believer's Bible Church, American Legion Post 343, 20750 Arbor Ave, Euclid, OH 44123, Phone: (216) 285 - 0122, james122.org.
"You have to love yourself first. Love your Mom, Dad, siblings and try to do the rigbt thing. When you mess up take responsibility for it.
Fathers should tell their daughters what boys are about.
"I learned to take responsibility when I was real young. My mother raised me but she didn't baby me. When you do something wrong own up to it...accept the consequences of your actions...My Mom told me that if I acted up and got put in jail she would bring me cookies.
Be responsible. Try to stay on the right side of the law. Be disciplined. Learn to say , "No!". Once you learn how to respect yourself, you can learn how to respect others... Giving someone their space is a way of showing respect...if you love yourself your not gonna let somebody else mistreat you, abuse you."
Leaston Chase, Martial Arts Instructor

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PROGRAMS, EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

Angel Candle sets the Candlelight Worship theme

A partially-darkened sanctuary illuminated by candlelight, Christmas carols echoing in the nave, the sharing of the Christmas story from the pastors, choir music lifted up, the message of salvation announced at the coming of the Savior of the world, culminating in the room darkened as the people hold their individual candles while singing ‘Silent Night’. This is the tradition of St. John Nottingham and this year was no exception with scores of people attending its Christmas Eve Candlelight Worship Service.

Cleveland Mini Jayme Salter

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This month we spotlight two of our Elementary School Students.

Who will be the big winner this year?  Maybe you?

Our 2019 St. Jerome School Reverse Raffle will be held at Tizzano's Party Center on Friday, February 14th at 6pm.  Always a fun event, this year's raffle offers a grand prize of $2,500 along with side boards, an amazing basket raffle, and a delicious dinner.  Get your tickets now by calling the school office at (216) 486-3587 or the church office at (216) 481-8200.  

The ladies of the St. Jerome Altar & Rosary Society add so much to the life of the church! They regularly pray the Rosary together as well as providing the hosts and wine for Mass and maintaining the altar cloths.  Every year during Lent they sponsor special events and services.  Members raise funds for all of this through bake sales and by selling wonderful frozen strudel!  This year they again got together at Shorby Club in Bratenahl to enjoy each others company.  

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As we begin our second hundred years, we wish to recognize ant thank some of the people who keep St. Jerome moving forward. Two groups especially form the core of our community and do so very much behind the scenes to keep St. Jerome thriving. They are the St. Jerome Holy Name Society and St. Jerome Altar & Rosary Society.  Their members are such a huge paart of the community, the family of St. Jerome, that is the heart of our Parish.  

Euclid Mayor Kirsten Holzheimer Gail and guests

On December 6, 2019, 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Shore Cultural Centre/Triangle Park held a community and family focuse event, filled with fun and exciting activities as follows:

Having faith when you can't see it, can only mean that you believe that whatever you're going through can be fixed. Sometimes in these types of situations you still have to encourage yourself as well as others. When I say "Speak Life" I mean speak life into those dead situations. Life can be hard on anybody at any time. It is in those times that we must communicate and share our feelings and issues that we are having in life. It's is very important that we communicate with one another because we learn from each other's experiences and trials and tribulation. Only if we can stand together when are going through the issues of life I honestly believe it wouldn't be that hard to get through. We've lost so many innocent lives over the years that it seems impossible to draw strength from anywhere. I speak from experience when I tell you the storm don't last forever but while you're in this storm we must speak life into these situations and help uplift other people who are less stronger and less unfortunate than us. So no matter what you're going through or if you see someone else going through please "Speak Life" into their situations as well as your own.

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On Thursday, December 19th, the students at St. Jerome performed their annual Christmas Program for their families, friends, and the St. Jerome community. This year’s theme was “Walk in the Light”, and it was a great reminder to have faith and spread love during the Christmas season. The show consisted of a variety of Christmas songs and the students told the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. With the help of our music teacher, Harmon Hill, each grade was able to put together and perform a song of their own, while the 6th grade class was responsible for the narration. The students and teachers work very hard to put this show together and begin practicing well before the program date. This program is something the St. Jerome community looks forward to each year, and this year was no exception as the students spread joy and Christmas cheer before starting off their holiday break. It was a wonderful show and we are already looking forward to next year!

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CLEVELAND, OH, December 11, 2019– The Cleveland Chain Reaction partners have delivered on their promise to bring major investment to the city’s Collinwood neighborhood. The Greater Cleveland Partnership’s small business division COSE, Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, JumpStart, and Fox 8 have worked to usher the third season of this economic development project into the city of Cleveland.
In this process, the Cleveland Chain Reaction partners coordinated a neighborhood competition, seeded an investment fund for the winning 2019 Chain Reaction businesses, attracted interest from more than 60 local businesses looking to grow, hosted a business pitch showcase for 19 semi-finalist businesses and named ten business finalists.
“Collinwood was an ideal location for Chain Reaction, as it has two very unique and active commercial corridors, E. 185th Street and Waterloo Road, both flanked by vibrant residential areas. This project has successfully introduced new companies and seeded the growth and expansion of existing companies in a city neighborhood full of amenities. We’re looking forward to watching these businesses thrive in Collinwood,” states Kandis Williams, Vice President of Economic Opportunity for Cleveland Neighborhood Progress.

IN THIS ISSUE

Playwrights Local Radio Plays: Hear them on SoundCloud.

AT PRAXIS    Praxis (#Praxis)

AT THE BEACHLAND   Beachland (#Beachland)

Gene Schwartz Trio, The Tufted Puffins, Grateful Dead Revival Brunch with new menu! on Sunday, with DJ Ken Dixon.

AT POP LIFE: Two Ways to Get Grounded for 2020: PopLife (#PopLife) Last Mondays Chanting Chant (#Chant) Aquarian Age Sadhana Sadhana (#Sadhana) In the Juicery AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD  Neighborhood (#Neighborhood) At Kumbaya and Lady Bug  Kumbaya (#Kumbaya) Social-justice discussion series Intimate evening with Reggie Kelly

At The Market   Market (#Market)

Fruit, veg, cheese and cooking demos

Community Greenhouse Partners Interns

Playwrights Local Radio Plays

Hear them on SoundCloud:

Entanglement, A Historical Fantasy of Almost-Love and Almost-Loss, Art History and Entry-Level Quantum Physics  Written by Les Hunter. Directed by Christine McBurney.

Every Play Is a Radio Play When You're Blind, Layers of privilege collide when a naïve bridesmaid meets a semi-famous blind artist on a public bus. It’s Julia’s first time on the RTA and Jason offers to guide her across town. On the way, the unlikely pair discovers an unusual connection that is central to Jason’s art and career, making Julia the perfect subject for his next book. Written by Meghan Louise Wagner. Directed by Constance Thackaberry. Recorded live at The 5th Annual Cleveland Playwrights Festival at the Creative Space at Waterloo Arts on October 12, 2019.

Flame Puppy, a Play for Voices, A beatnik finds peace through visions of a mythic turkey. A legless lout survives a ruthless drug dealer and rises to fame by manufacturing trailer hitches. The origin of the human body is recounted by two friendly anthropologists. And to bring them all together – a house-sized puppy made entirely of flame. Written and directed by Mike Geither.

 AT PRAXIS

Councilman Mike Polensek, Ward 8 and Councilman Anthony Hairston, Ward 10 dedicating the Little Free Library.

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Collinwood Neighborhood Catholic Ministries Dedicates
Second Free Little Library at Annual Community Christmas Party

On Saturday, December 7, 2019 CNCM (Collinwood Neighborhood Catholic Ministries) hosted their Annual Community Christmas Party at the Five Pointe Community Center. This collaborative event served more than 60 residents with lunch, visits with Santa, gifts, and take-a-ways.

Many thanks to Captain Keith Sulzer from the Community Policing Unit for donating children’s toys and coats, Church of the Gesu for donating and wrapping gifts, and for decorating for us on their Annual Day of Service, NEORSD (Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District) for their contribution of bags, water bottles, and activity books, and to CNCM’s wonderful volunteers for donating winter scarves, Euclid Beach Popcorn
Balls, and their tireless efforts for pulling everything together!

CNCM would like to give a special shout out to Kenny Kulesza, Supervisor at The Home Depot on Berea Road and Chris Gibson for building the second Little Free Library (LFL), and The Home Depot for supplying the materials and transportation to get it to us! We dedicated the LFL with Councilman Polensek, Councilman Hairston, and friends of CNCM at the event. We are excited to distribute over 3,000 books to residents in the New Year from our two LFLs. CNCM receives books from the Kids Book Bank and recently held a book drive in partnership with St. Gabriel’s Church and St. Anslem School to provide books that represent the diversity of the
neighborhood we serve.

CNCM also hosts Creative Painting Classes twice a year, is a partner in the IDCC (Identity Crisis Collaborative), and our Crochet Group works all year to donate hats and scarves to children and blankets to those in need. We are pleased to announce we are partnering with The Cuyahoga EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit) Coalition and are hosting a FREE
TAX SITE at the Euclid Library starting in February 2020. To schedule an appointment, call the United Way’s First
Call for Help at 2-1-1 or visit refundohio.org.

CNCM is committed to being a presence of listening, learning, and responding to unmet needs in the Collinwood neighborhood.

What would New Year’s Day be like in Heaven? Would there even be one? Now, the Bible says in Revelation 21:23 that “[Heaven] does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.” So I guess there won’t be a New Year’s “day” at all. No sun; no day, no year. But in Isaiah 65: 17-20, the prophet talks about how in the new creation being a century old won’t be that old at all, so maybe years in Heaven are a thing after all.

One of my favorite hymns, “Amazing Grace,” talks about how, after singing His praises for 10,000 years, we will still have as many years to go as we did when we started, so time in Heaven again doesn’t really seem to be a thing, but time here on Earth? That’s a thing of which we never have enough.

New Year’s Day is a good time to stop and think about that time. The time we have here as well as the time we will have in Heaven. We can be assured that God will bless us in the coming year, even if the thought of the coming year is causing us stress and worry. I try to live my life by Philippians 4:6 at this time of year: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Probably the hardest thing to do, right there. To let go of anxiety and worry and pray. January is the best time to get back into this habit.

SJN Students at the aquarium.

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I’ve been at SJN for two decades now, first as a teacher, and now as Principal. I’ve seen the school go through many transformations, and I’m proud of where we are and where we are going. The most common question I get as Principal is “Why should we go to Nottingham?” Well, here we are: the Top Ten Reasons to Attend St. John Nottingham Lutheran School.

1. HISTORY. St John Nottingham is one of the oldest continually-operating parochial schools in Ohio, having opened in 1892 when the area wasn’t even part of Cleveland. It was a small farming village named Nottingham. Over the last 120+ years, SJN has continued to be a central figure in the East Cleveland area, heavily involved in education, community service, and worship. Coming to SJN, you would be joining that long history.

2.  FAITH. St. John Nottingham is, first and foremost, a school based on faith in Jesus Christ, His teachings, and the Word of God. Coming to SJN, you will be joining that faith community.

3. EXPERIENCE. St. John Nottingham may be traditional, but it’s a tradition based on more than 12 decades of experience. More than half of the teaching staff at SJN have 20+ years of direct classroom experience. The Senior Pastor has been serving the school for more than half a century. Coming to SJN, you will be benefitting from that experience.

4.DEDICATION. St. John Nottingham faculty and staff are some of the most dedicated and committed educators I have ever worked with. They consistently put in the extra mile to help every student and family that needs it. Coming to SJN, you will be on the receiving end of that dedication.

Friday, Jan. 10

VASJ fell to visiting Benedictine, 89-66, on Dec. 12.

CASA of Cuyahoga County, a program of Child and Family Advocates of Cuyahoga County (CFACC), is a nation-wide network of 1000 programs that recruit, train and support citizen-volunteers to advocate for the best interests of children in courtrooms and communities.  Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs), appointed directly by the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court​, ​provide the Court with information it needs to make critical decisions in the child’s life. CASAs advocate for each child’s best interests in Court. To be effective, CASAs get to know the child, work with family members and other significant individuals in the child’s life, doctors, therapists, teachers, social workers, and attorney Guardians ad Litem (GALs). CASAs review records, attend court hearings and make recommendations to the Court in the child’s best interests. These special community volunteers advocate for the child throughout the life of the case.

The VASJ Vikings continued to wrestle hard as a very young team capable of scoring plenty of points took sixth place out of 17 teams at the Hawken Invitational Tournament.

(Cleveland) – The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections is inviting the public to attend a job fair as part of our effort to hire over 4,000 individuals to assist voters on Election Day as Precinct Election Officials (PEOs).  In addition, there are openings for Ride Along Officials, Drop-off Assistants, Rovers and over 300 openings for

The Women in Transition Program at Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) will launch a new session at Metropolitan Campus on Jan. 14 to empower women in their pursuit of education, training and a career.

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Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School hosted a breakfast the morning of Thursday, Dec. 5 in recognition of the school’s legacy families. About 80 people attended the Legacy Breakfast, including current VASJ students and their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents.

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School exceeded its goal of raising $10,000 during #WeGiveCatholic on Tuesday, Dec. 3.

Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School welcomed 82 local first-grade students on Tuesday, Dec. 10 for the school’s annual Christmas on Campus event. 

Saturday, Jan. 11

Thursday, Jan. 9

Saturday, Jan. 4

Thursday, Jan. 9

Friday, Jan. 10