June 2026 CEO Blog

June ’26 CEO Blog

June has been one of those months that reminds me just how much is made possible when people choose to show up for one another.

It has been busy, certainly. Between our Annual Meeting, Scholarship Celebration, affiliate fund events, community gatherings, and partnerships taking new shape, this season has been full of movement. But in the middle of all that activity, I want to pause with gratitude. Because behind every meeting, every celebration, every announcement, and every event are people who care deeply about Lorain County and the future we are actively building together.

I am grateful for everyone who made this year’s Annual Meeting possible — It was an opportunity to reflect on the work of the past year, celebrate progress, and look ahead with renewed purpose. Thank you to Elyria City Schools’ Superintedent, Ann Schloss, for welcoming us to the Elyria Performing Arts Center for this year’s meeting. We congratulate her on her retirement after 34 years with the school district. We are grateful for scholarship maker Gary Stevenson, Deputy Commissioner of Major League Soccer and Elyria native, to take time out of his busy World Cup season to speak on the importance of being connected to his hometown of Elyria and the family who made his childhood dreams possible. You can watch his video to our community here.

We were also honored to welcome guest speaker Dr. Helen Bond of Howard University, whose perspective helped frame an important conversation around the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and what they can mean for communities like ours. I am also grateful to our incredible panelists — Development Associate, Grace Broome, African American Community Fund President, Kionna McIntosh-Pharms, Leadership Lorain County Intern at El Centro, Solomon Peterson, and Youth Fund President, Owen Bellamy — who helped bring these ideas home to Lorain County by connecting global goals with local action through lived experience and practical community impact.

That same sense of possibility was present at our Scholarship Celebration earlier this month. Gathering with students, families, donors, and scholarship evaluators is always one of the most meaningful parts of our year. This year, more than 300 scholarship awards and renewals, totaling $696,000 from 66 scholarship funds, will support local students as they pursue their next chapters. Each award represents more than financial support. It represents someone’s belief in a student’s future, a donor’s legacy of generosity, and a community’s commitment to opening doors for the next generation.

I am also grateful for the many opportunities this summer to celebrate with our affiliate funds, each of which reflects the power of community leadership. The African American Community Fund’s Annual Juneteenth Gala brought people together in celebration of legacy. The Women’s Fund will soon gather for Sheroes this August, honoring women whose leadership and vision are helping make Lorain County stronger for women and children around her. The Hispanic Fund will invite the community to connect through its summer COPA baseball games, celebrating Hispanic and Latino communities in Lorain County.

And this Pride weekend, we are grateful to stand alongside LGBTQ+ Lorain County as they host SafeZone training on Friday, June 26 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in our board room and continue creating spaces of learning, belonging, and connection. The recent launch of the LGBTQ+ Affiliate Fund of Lorain County is an important step in ensuring queer residents and families know they are seen, valued, and supported here at home.

When I look across all of these moments, I see the same through line: none of this work happens alone.

It takes students willing to dream boldly. Donors willing to invest in those dreams. Volunteers willing to read applications, plan events, serve on advisory boards, and welcome people into the work. It takes nonprofit partners, educators, civic leaders, neighbors, and families. It takes people who believe that a stronger Lorain County is not built by one organization or one event, but by many hands moving together. I would personally like to use this as an opportunity to encourage you to spread the word on our VolunteerConnect platform, bridging Lorain County citizens with opportunities to give back in capacities that best meet their needs. As SNAP benefits continue to change and a need for unpaid hours to fulfill ABA work requirements arises, this platform continues to be a tool and resource in the community for both the organizations looking for volunteers and the citizens looking to complete volunteer hours.

So, as we close June and move into the heart of summer, I want to simply say thank you. Thank you to those who attended, volunteered, donated, partnered, planned, spoke, listened, celebrated, and made room for others. Thank you for helping make more possible in Lorain County.

Together, we are building a community where gratitude becomes action, and action becomes lasting change.

With gratitude,

Cindy