Welcome to FutureHeights, Lydia!

We are delighted to welcome our 2022 incoming board members:
Kimberlee Jones –Born and raised in Southern California, Kimberlee and her wife, Lisa, moved to Cleveland Heights from Los Angeles in January 2021. She is an experienced fundraiser who couldn’t wait to be involved in her new community, which strives to be an equitable and thriving area for people of diverse backgrounds.
Tonya Horn – A resident of the Noble Neighborhood of Cleveland Heights, Tonya has served as a member of the FutureHeights Neighborhood Mini-Grants Committee. She looks forward to bringing the DEI experience gained from her role at Avery Dennison to help FutureHeights “become more diverse as an organization and ensure equity across all communities.”
Karen Malone Wright –The owner and chief strategist of Odyssey Creative Group, a marketing and communications company, Karen is a longtime resident of University Heights. Through her online community The NotMom, she is also an advocate for women without children by choice or by chance. Karen loves the Heights and wants to give back.
Ron Wynne – A lifelong resident of Cleveland Heights, Ron is a 2021 graduate of the FutureHeights Neighborhood Leadership Workshop Series and has volunteered on the FutureHeights Community and Civic Engagement Committee. “As a young, black renter in Cleveland Heights, I want to use my perspective and experience in Cleveland Heights to advocate for underrepresented groups in the city.”
Many thanks to our outgoing board members:
Craig Cobb, Josefita (Achy) Fehn, Micah Kirman, and Anthony Mattox – They have been outstanding contributors, who have given of their time and expertise to help us connect with the community, think strategically and approach our work with compassion for others. Special thanks to Achy for her incredible work in helping us secure the venue for our spectacular 2021 Annual Benefit! We look forward to each of our outgoing board member’s continued involvement in the organization and are excited to work with Craig and Anthony in their new roles as Cleveland Heights Council Members.
And, last but certainly not least, welcome to our newest team member:
We are excited to welcome Belle Espinal to the FutureHeights team in the role of Business Outreach Manager. Originally from NYC, Belle received her B.A. from Oberlin College in comparative American studies and lives in Cleveland Heights. Her diverse experiences include teaching English-language learners, working with entrepreneurs of color on community events, and starting her own wellness business.
Learn about the impact FutureHeights is having in our community by watching our new video.
FutureHeights hosted a virtual celebration of our 2021 Neighborhood Mini-Grant award recipients on Wednesday, December 8. The mini-grant program started in 2015 and has supported 61 projects with almost $41,000 invested in Cleveland Heights and University Heights resident-lead projects. This celebration featured our 2021 recipients sharing about their projects and provided information about how you can get involved in this inspiring and uplifting program, currently available to all Cleveland Heights and University Heights residents.
HUGE THANKS to our outstanding panelists, the FutureHeights Mini-Grant Committee, the Cedars Legacy Fund, and the McGinty Family Foundation 1989 — and to all of the community members who joined us virtually to celebrate our 2021 grant recipients!
For more information about the program, email info@futureheights.org or visit https://www.futureheights.org/programs/community-building-programs/
View the celebration on YouTube:
FutureHeights is seeking dedicated Heights residents to serve on one of our committees or board of directors.
FutureHeights committees include the Heights Observer Advisory, Civic Engagement, Planning & Development, FutureHomes, Heights Music Hop, and Fundraising/Marketing/Membership.
Each committee typically meets once per month at the discretion of the chair. Board terms are for three years beginning Jan. 1. The board meets on the third Wednesday every other month, and board members serve on at least one committee.
We are particularly looking for residents who have talents in law, financial services and fundraising, and who reflect the diversity of our community with respect to race, age, gender identification, income, disabilities and neighborhood location.
To learn more, send an e-mail to info@futureheights.org.
WE DID IT! WE REACHED OUR GOAL!
Thanks to everyone who contributed to the ioby campaign for the Noble-ity Bench Project. We are so thrilled to see this project move forward and your donations help make that possible. This campaign remains open until November 12th if you’d like to show additional support.
FutureHeights is excited to announce that Sarah Wolf has joined our team in the capacity of Community-Building Programs Manager where she will manage several community-building programs, including the Neighborhood Mini-Grants, Neighborhood Leadership Workshop Series and Heights Music Hop, as well as provide communication and grant-writing support for FutureHeights programs and one-on-one assistance to neighborhood leaders. A Cleveland Heights resident, Sarah is a recent graduate of the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences graduate program at Case Western Reserve University. She completed her field placement with FutureHeights in 2019-20, was our Americorps Summer VISTA, managed our Neighborhood Mini-Grant program in early 2021, and has continued to volunteer on our Civic Engagement Committee. We are delighted welcome her back!
The Mayoral Candidates’ Forum hosted by the League of Women Voters and FutureHeights is available to on YouTube at https://youtu.be/yecXN8e9quc or on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/102981531903226/videos/516602742977900. Here all three candidates for Cleveland Heights mayor answer questions from the public.
Many thanks for joining us at the FutureHeights annual meeting on June 9. It was great to see so many people and reconnect. We were pleased to share what’s been happening at FutureHeights. We were also pleased to welcome Professor J. Mark Southern to speak about the history of civic engagement in the Heights. See a video of the meeting here.
Congratulations to Jason and Danielle Tilk of Wizbang Circus Theatre for winning an additional $250 for their FutureHeights Neighborhood Mini-Grants project, a summer camp for youth!
Heights Music Hop is back! The event will take place on Saturday, Sept. 18, on outdoor stages in the Cedar Lee Business District.
We are looking for musicians to perform original music at the event. Submit an application before July 1 at www.heightsmusichop.com.
Want to volunteer at the event? Let us know at http://www.heightsmusichop.com/volunteer-2/.