With less than one week until election day, Community Development Corporations  are pulling out all the stops to get voters to the polls—from translating voting guides and hosting candidates forums, to voter registration and education drives and even free rides to the polls.

Russell Underwood's real estate expertise and personable nature make the Cleveland native a perfect choice to lead new development projects in the Buckeye, Central, and Kinsman neighborhoods as Burten, Bell, Carr's new real estate development manager. 

Community Development Corporations may be going virtual for much of their programming, but the pandemic isn't stopping these organizations from celebrating Black History Month through the entire month of February.

A steering committee in Euclid is exploring the potential formation of a new, independent community development corporation to empower residents to help develop their surroundings.

Cleveland community development corporations have adapted to change all year due to the pandemic. Now, they are using those lessons to help neighbors in need for the holiday season.

The Economic and Community Development Institute has teamed up with The Dealership to offer an array of programming, co-working and financial services to area businesses and the Shaker Heights community at large.
 

Fresh Water pulled into the funky co-working space on Lee Road and met up with four of the resident businesses to get their stories and hear about what motivates and excites them.

Three long-time area volunteers reveal what drives them to give so generously, how they've soldiered through the tough times and the ways in which their efforts pay back – and then some.

The executive director of the May Dugan Center chats about his passion for health and human services and what ignited his decades of work in the nonprofit sector.

The City of Shaker Heights turned to its residents for input on how the forthcoming Van Aken District development will take shape and appropriately reflect the rest of the iconic city.

Fresh Water contributor Brandon Baker uncovers compelling success stories from Clevelanders who have overcome untold challenges and crises.

With affordable housing stock, easy access to amenities and a friendly atmosphere for artists and entrepreneurs, the Moreland district in Shaker Heights is a tiny grid of streets that's poised to take off.

The colorful history of May Dugan and how she embodied West Side philanthropy shimmers with the emerald green of her family's heritage.

Social enterprises strive to not only raise money, but to also make a change in the communities and the people's lives they serve.

Whether they grew up here and left or are just experiencing Cleveland for the first time, five residents share why they came here and what they love about the city.

The expansion of early education in greater Cleveland received a $10 million boost last week when Cuyahoga County Council and executive Armond Budish reached a biennial budget agreement for 2016 and 2017.
 
The two-year investment creates the Cuyahoga Early Childhood Trust, a public-private partnership meant to attract private funds to continue the push for universal, high-quality pre-kindergarten education to children across the county.

It’s the kind of support partners of the PRE4CLE initiative say is necessary to achieve and surpass the original goal of enrolling 2,000 additional children into high-quality preschool seats at public and private schools in Greater Cleveland by 2016.
 
“We are so grateful to the county leadership for this new investment,” PRE4CLE director Katie Kelly says. “It’s going to make a big difference in the amount of kids served across the county. The impact on Cleveland will be significant in not just number of students served, but the quality of our early learning program.”
 
The investment will fund teacher education and retention programs, as well as social, emotional and behavioral support for low-income students. According to the council presentation supporting the investment, there are 20,800 preschool-aged children in the county, but only 4,700 are in high-quality programs.
 
“We know it’s one of the most important factors in providing high quality outcomes for students,” Kelly says of teacher education. “Those additional supports in staff coaching and training on how to help students experiencing those challenges is a big part of quality as well. It can make our already good programs even better.”

Not everyone's feeling the craft food boom in Ohio City. The nonprofit May Dugan Center has anchored the corner of Fulton and Bridge for 46 years, helping poor residents meet their basic needs.

The PRE4CLE program, which was recently recognized by the White House, is halfway to its goal of enrolling 2,000 additional four-year-olds in high-quality preschools in Cleveland.