For Strata’s December community service initiative, Strata made a donation to Out of Darkness, as part of the 8^th annual “Our Hand to Homeless” campaign organized by Anna Rosier.  Anna is a Sophomore in high school and lives in Dublin, OH.  She was a third grader when she first started collecting items for the homeless.  This year she collected 1,263 total hats, gloves, scarves, socks, and hygiene items. These donations were provided to the following organizations:

• Out of Darkness – battered women’s shelter
• Star House – homeless shelter for teens and young adults
• Volunteers of America – supporting 70+ veterans

This is the third year in a row Strata has been able to contribute to “Our Hand to Homeless.”  A huge “thank you” goes out to Anna and her friends and family for all of their time and effort spent putting this together for such a worthy cause.

For our October community service initiative, Mitchell A. Romeo, CPWA®, CPFA, was invited to be a guest speaker at the Cleveland State University Beta Alpha Psi International Honor Organization for Financial Information Students and Professionals. This student-led organization consists of CSU students who are interested in pursuing a career in the finance industry.

Mitchell gave a similar presentation at Eastern Michigan University earlier this year for the Financial Management Association.  Mitchell really enjoys mentoring and providing professional guidance to students interested in the finance field.  A big thanks to Mitchell for taking the time to talk to the students and hopefully help them along their professional journey.

Our August community service initiative featured our second 5K race of the year, this time as participants rather than volunteers.  Kyle and Lauren, along with their kids, Will and Lucy, ran (and rolled) in the Fat Head’s Brewery 5K in North Olmsted, benefitting the North Olmsted Kiwanis Club.  Over 400 people participated in the race and enjoyed some delicious refreshments afterwards on the patio.

A little bit about the North Olmsted Kiwanis Club – they provide educational scholarships to high school students, sponsor boy scouts, assist elderly and disabled citizens with repairs, and provide funds and supplies to local food pantries, among other things in the community.

Unfortunately, other Strata team members were unable to make the race so Strata made an additional donation.

We are always looking for ways to help and give back to our community.  Let us know if we can help an organization or a cause that is near and dear to you!

For Strata’s June community service initiative, Kyle and Mitch volunteered as route marshals for the “Race for Kids,” a 5K race and 1-mile walk benefitting Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio.  The race took place on Saturday, June 25^th at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.  Triston McKenzie, starting pitcher for the Cleveland Guardians, was the race ambassador and spoke to all the participants and volunteers after the race.  All proceeds will go towards helping to provide safe, fun places for kids, ages 6-18, to go after school throughout Northeast Ohio.

Boys & Girls Clubs are able to offer programming that focuses on healthy lifestyles, academic success, and character development.  The CEO of the Northeast Ohio division, Jeff Scott, announced at the race that they are planning to open eight new clubs across the region this summer, including sites in Euclid, Lorain, and Elyria.  This is the first phase of a strategic plan to double the number of kids served by 2025.

Strata Financial Group is proud to support such an impactful and influential organization in our community.

The unprovoked war in Ukraine has caused so many innocent lives to be lost and families to be broken.  To do our small part, Strata made a donation to Save the Children for our April community service initiative.  Save the Children is a worldwide organization that works “to ensure children have healthcare, food and shelter, as well as learning and child protection services when children need it most.”  Currently, their focus is, of course, on Ukraine – working to support children and their families in the country, as well as those that have been displaced by the war.  We hope and pray for a quick and peaceful resolution to this awful tragedy happening overseas.

Over the past couple months, Kyle has been volunteering at the May Dugan Center in Cleveland.  The Center is a lifeline for 6,500 individuals and families who rely on a multitude of services to improve their lives and communities.  Services include food and clothing distributions, educational resources, behavioral health resources, support programs for teenage mothers, trauma recovery services, and social programs for senior citizens.  Kyle has been helping with the food distribution program by preparing food pantry bags for needy individuals and families in the Cleveland area.  Bags include canned vegetables and fruit, milk, cereal, peanut butter, macaroni and cheese, rice, spaghetti, and a few other miscellaneous items.  Distributions are handed out (via drive-through) and delivered to over 800 families, twice a month, and this is only one of the many services the May Dugan Center provides.  They are always looking for volunteers so feel free to visit their website to see if there are any opportunities that might sound interesting to you!