Building Healthy Communities

With profoundly heavy hearts, we ask you to please join us in praying for the repose of the soul of Sharon Glaspie, dedicated project manager for the Cleveland Central Promise program, who passed into the Lord’s embrace on Monday, August 11, 2025. Her dynamic spirit and inspiring heart have touched countless young people in the Central neighborhood - especially through her work with the Garden Boyz Program and Building Healthy Communities. Sharon’s spirit will live on in every garden bed she helped plant, every recipe she shared and every life she touched.

Save the date for the 19th annual FREE Fatherhood Conference: A Celebration of Fatherhood on Friday, June 13 from 8am-4pm at the Crowne Plaza Cleveland at Playhouse Square, 1260 Euclid Avenue. All events are free with registration (see link below). This celebration of fatherhood promotes healthy father-child relationships, addresses social barriers and mobilize as a community to ensure that every child has a dad in their life. There will be a resource fair, awards luncheon, town hall meeting and informational workshops. Call 216-348-3967 for more information. Register at: hhs.cuyahogacounty.gov/fatherhood

Free, nutritious meals for seniors and disabled adults! Through its Congregate Meal Program, the Phillis Wheatley Association offers free meals to the community for seniors and disabled adults, aged 60 and older, in conjunction with the Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging. Serving starts at noon and ends at 1 pm. 4500 CEDAR AVENUE, CLEVELAND. For more information, contact the Phillis Wheatley Association at 216.391.4443

The Garden Boyz program - part of Building Healthy Communities - makes it possible for community wellness leaders like Cheryl from Collaboration Station to access an assortment of fresh herbs including thyme, rosemary, chives, oregano, and sage. The herbs are used for her meals on wheels program, which prepares hundreds of healthy meals for seniors. It’s wonderful to see the fruits of the Garden Boyz’ labor spread far and wide to support health and healing across communities.

Every month, we take our Youth Outdoors/Adventure Club group out for an activity. The most recent adventure had participants hitting the ice at the Halloran Skating Rink on W. 117th Street in Cleveland.

Last-minute gift idea. Our Crochet Club will be showing off and selling its wares in the cafeteria located in St. Vincent Charity Community Health Center today (December 20) for 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

If you weren't able to make it to Saturday's craft show with our Cleveland Crochet Club, good news! The Crochet Club will have winter hats, scarfs and other crocheted items at the Holiday Shop at Market Square Crocker Park, Sat, Dec. 16, from 11 am - 7 pm. Stop by to pickup some great gifts for the holidays. Find out more about the holiday shop here: https://bit.ly/4aaY1RY

Looking for some great gifts (for giving or for you and your home)? Our Cleveland Crochet Club has you covered with lovely hand crocheted winter hats, scarfs and other items. You can buy them at either of these upcoming craft shows with Hometown Vendors LLC. First one is the ‘‘Tis the Season Craft & Vendor Show
Sat., Dec. 2 from 9 am - 2 pm at Lorain Community College
Spitzer Center in Elyria. Second craft show is the Holiday Shop at Market Square Crocker Park, Sat, Dec. 16, 11 am - 7 pm.

Our Youth Outdoors group recently hit a bullseye with their latest outdoor adventure - receiving archery lessons from the Cleveland Metroparks. Here are some pics from this archery adventure.

The newest Garden Boyz beekeepers are all dressed up in their bee suits, ready to go into a hive full of bees and honey. The Garden Boyz will be selling honey and their homegrown produce this summer at various senior centers. More details to come.

An activity as seemingly simple as creating something from nothing using yarn and a hooked needle can offer many benefits. That something simple is crochet, which has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety, relax the mind, relieve depression, offer a sense of community when done in a group and even build a business. For several years, Building Healthy Communities has offered crochet classes at locations around Cleveland’s Central neighborhood. The crochet classes have taught dozens of residents how to crochet, with some even going on to earn an income from their work or crocheted works used as donations to the community. Read more here:

Building Health Communities crochet classes have participants hooked An activity as seemingly simple as creating something from nothing using yarn and a hooked needle can offer many benefits. That something simple is crochet, which has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety, relax the mind, relieve depression, offer a sense of community when done in a group and even...