1. SUMMER 2009
Lighthouse Inc. SUMMER AND FALL UPDATES
School is in session:
For the last 3 years Character Groups: To start, grade level to 6th grade year one
Lighthouse has been we are excited about a partnership and at grade level by graduation.
working on a youth that has started in our community The tutoring takes place during the
development framework with City Life and Youth for Christ day and is specialized to meet the
that will change forever to offer character education classes needs of each individual students
out approach and work. to all incoming freshman at East needs..
Tech. We teach 9 classes a week for
This summer has been filled the entire school year. As we take Basketball Expansion In
with many sleepless nights, heavy the time to invest in these students, addition to the in school programs,
work weeks, frustration, and huge in four years, we will have a we a re a l s o ex p a n d i n g o u r
answers to prayer. We have moved relationship with every student in basketball program to focus on the
into our new office, found almost the school. needs of 7th and 8th grade boys.
free office furniture,, expanded our There is a increased focus on skill
summer lunch program, and spent Sylvan Tutoring The second development and fitness of each
9 months planning for an in school step that marks a major step toward player while creating a team culture
tutoring and mentoring program. bringing transformation to the lives of discipline. We will also plan on
These two new projects mark a of our students is a partnership with adding both tutoring and
significant step towards our new Sylvan Learning Center. This is a mentoring components to support
youth development prog ram. critical step to change the 36% the development of our athletes.
While both programs were part of a graduation rate in Cleveland Our plan is to travel to at least 7
long term vision, the doors opened Schools. We are training 35 tournaments all over the U.S.
up much sooner than planned. It volunteer tutors to offer one on one
has been a mad dash to get things tutoring three hours a week for 30
together so that we could launch for students. We expect to move the
this school year. average ninth grader from a 4th

2. It has been Lighthouse hires two new
a crazy staff with a youth focus.
summer.
Lonnie Burton Locker Room
Thanks to many volunteers and
generous donors, we have been
able to rehab the locker rooms at
Lonnie Burton Rec. This allows
our community to secure their
belongings while at the center.
Lighthouse Office Furniture
Etreev, a DC area non profit
helped us equip our office with all
the furniture we needed to get our
new office up and running. This
was a $30,000 blessing. If we can
find a color copier, we will be set. Lighthouse Staff and students take a road trip to Washington D.C. to
spend some time together, and to pick up an entire office full of furniture.
Character Groups are
started. Jonnie Fine and Sellars at Lonnie Burton Recreation
Johnson bring a new Center.
We have hosted the first weeks of
Character classes at East Tech. flavor and focus to the Sellars Johnson: A former
The 270 students are getting Lighthouse Youth Heaventrain Kid, this up and
High School credit for the classes. Development plan. c o m i n g G o s p e l R a p p e r,
Jonnie Fine: Jonnie is one understands life on streets and is a
New Tutor Orientation
of the most successful urban l i v i n g t e s t i m o ny o f G o d ’s
Mrs. Tucker has organized a team faithfulness . He is a great
youth workers you will ever find.
of 35 tutors for this year. The example to our young men about
He is the City Life director for
school was blown away to see 35 how a man of Character lives.
YFC in Cleveland and has been
volunteers show up to the He will lead the
hired to help
orientation. Training gets started Character
Create a youth
the first of October. groups at East
development
Upcoming Visits to program for Tech and an
Heaventrain. Heaventrain after school
Kids that are Club at the rec
Lighthouse continues to host
growing up. He center. He is
introduction events on Saturdays.
is coaching looking for
This is a great way to learn more volun teer s to
Sellears to create
about what we do, and to see our
a strong program help staff these
team in action. Please schedule a activities.
at East Tech and
visit.

3. Look what happens when
we all work together.
Multiple groups, Just so happens: Funny
working together, make thing is that the man that he was
a big impact on the talking to was an executive for
Community. Hadrian, one of the largest
manufactures of lockers in the
It all started with a Soccer world. He made a couple of calls
camp last spring. T he and it was done.
Cleveland City Stars and
Lighthouse Inc. partnered with We had to hop to it, and get
CMHA and the cities Recreation some volunteers ready to tear our
department to host a soccer camp the old Lockers, the team from
for elementary students. During Cherry Valley CON and a few
the event, a gentleman asked, how volunteers from the community
can I help? The center manager worked with the Lonnie Burton
explained that he was frustrated Staff to tear out the old lockers. A
with the locker rooms, they were team of volunteers from Hadrian
old and in bad shape, kids and came for two days and made sure
adults did not want to come to the the lockers were installed. To top
center in fear their belongings it all off, Sherwin Williams donated
would be stolen. He felt if was a the paint, Dependable Painting
big barrier to making a deeper prepped and painted, and Lake
impact on the community and he Erie Electric donated the fixtures
felt fixing this simple problem and electrical work. Long story
would have long lasting results. short, the kids are using the new
lockers
Our office is now functioning.
A blessing can turn into a burden and often times a new
opportunity brings new challenges. That was the case this spring when
Lighthouse moved into our new office. What we found is that a new 2600
sq. ft office, takes a lot of furniture. And that if your staff does not have
the tools to work, the office does not function.
Huge answer to prayer came when an office in D.C. donated
everything we needed to get set up. We grabbed a board member, a few
staff, and a handful of kids and took a road trip. a 26 foot box truck later
and we had an office filled with very nice office furniture. We had a
chance to spend some quality time with a group a great young men and
We got some first class office furniture and had a our office was up and running. Special thanks to the Medina CON VBS
chance to build some memories with some young
men that are sure to last a lifetime. kids who raised the money for the trip, and BedNaz for moving us in.

4. On the Mic with Mike.
Some thoughts from the Blog of a Heaventrain Kid.
Have you ever just sat back and reflected on what your life has
been so far? Frequently i find myself doing this; wondering
what could’ve been if ida done things differently or better; but
the thing that really made me think was when my father
moved from Euclid. We’d moved there when i was 12, and i
lived there for the first two years. I remember my aunty nessa
whenever i was there
i mean, it brought back so many memories….have you ever
had a place make you sit down and reflect on everything? it
rekindles pain, resparks fire, relights light……but like that song
that i was listening to while helping my father pack, the old me
is dead and gone and its time to look forward.
1360 East 9th Street Suite 200
Cleveland, Ohio 44113