Happy Holidays from your favorite leadership programs! From all of us at NLDP & CDCLP, we wish you and your families a joyous holiday season.

Our Year in Review...

22 community and nonprofit leaders in Cleveland attended our first-ever NLDP Leader's Breakfast, designed to educate more leaders about the work we do.

39 unique, direct engagements with NLDP's graduates, from visits with our Graduate Support Manager to graduate coaching sessions.

16 participants in NLDP's Cohort XV and 22 participants in CDCLP's Cohort II graduated from our programs.

22 (NLDP) and 19 (CDCLP) leaders in Cleveland's neighborhoods and Community Development Corporations were accepted into our programs, making up NLDP's sixteenth cohort and CDCLP's third cohort.

$87,500 in grant funds were awarded to 13 different graduates through NLDP's Graduate Grant Program, directly impacting the work they do in Cleveland's neighborhoods.

Shout-out to Our Favorite Ballroom Dancers

Meet Cleveland Tango's own Alberto Ramos Cordero and Micaela Barrett. Alberto and Micaela are passionate about what they do, passionate about Cleveland and, most of all, they are incredible dancers. Through group classes, seminars, workshops and performances all over the Greater Cleveland area, Cleveland Tango's goal is to inspire a whole new generation of dancers.

Cleveland Tango has worked with both NLDP and CDCLP over the past few years. Their dedication and passion for Cleveland shines through their dancing... we appreciate you, Alberto & Micaela!

Learn more about Cleveland Tango here.

ATTN: All NLDP Graduates – Do you currently serve on a nonprofit's Board of Directors? Update Marcia Shepherd today by email (mshepherd@nldpcleveland.com) or phone (216-875-6521).

NLDP Graduate Spotlight: Brandy Smith, Cohort XIII

Brandy Smith is a humanitarian by heart. Brandy currently lives in East Cleveland and believes NLDP prepared her for greater community leadership by teaching her that she does not always have to be the lead, or the lone wolf leading the charge. She is gifted with the ability to recognize leaders within her community who she can share her knowledge with to accomplish a shared goal and vision.

Collaborating with fellow NLDP graduates is extremely valuable to Brandy. She encourages all graduates to connect with each other, but especially their own cohorts who completed the leadership program alongside them because she feels they provide an invaluable level of support. “The universe has rewarded me with keeping me in the community, collaborating with NLDP graduates, but it is with intention that I stay connected to Cohort XIII.” Brandy was even certified as a mental health first aid responder by fellow Cohort XIII Graduate Laylah Allen.

Brandy’s advice for fellow NLDP graduates is to be mindful of who and where you give your time, energy and resources and to use your NLDP “toolbox” with intention so that you do not experience burnout while working in your community.

NLDP Cohort VIII Graduate, Dennis Knowles, Launches "Hooked"

The Fishing Foundation, founded by longtime angler Dennis Knowles, NLDP Cohort VIII, is a non-profit organization with a mission to enrich people’s lives through the sport of fishing. The Fishing Foundation program includes classroom-style instruction and training in four specific areas: aquatic education, casting, water safety and identifying local fish species, all while fishing from shore in a safe and secure environment. Most importantly, The Fishing Foundation provides teens and youth residing in underserved areas of Greater Cleveland a unique opportunity to connect with others and experience something new while being exposed to green and blue spaces.  

“Hooked” is a new comic strip based on characters taken from their book “Learn To Fish, A Step-By-Step Guide For Beginning Anglers.” It features a multicultural cast of teens who love to fish and decide to form a fishing club in Cleveland. Learn more about “Hooked” on the Signal Cleveland website, produced in partnership with Dennis James Knowles and Gail Ann Grizzell of Cleveland’s The Fishing Foundation.

The Land is Recruiting for its Community Journalism Program

To increase awareness and civic engagement around neighborhood stories in Cleveland, The Land operates a community journalism program that trains people to be journalists for their neighborhoods and communities. The Land’s community journalism program is a free, 12-week training and mentoring program that begins with a series of training sessions, includes support from a professional editor, and concludes with a community journalist’s published article in The Land along with a $300 stipend for doing the work. 

Applications are open through the end of the year, and classes begin in January. Learn more here, and apply here.

St. Clair Superior Development Corporation Announces Leadership Transition

About three years ago, the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation entered into a partnership with St. Clair Superior Development Corporation (SCSDC), simultaneously creating our CDC Learning Lab initiative. As it stands today, SCSDC is experiencing a leadership transition. The SCSDC Board of Directors voted to approve Terri Hamilton Brown as Interim Director beginning December 18th.

Terri's unique leadership and executive experience across the public, corporate and nonprofit sectors will guide the organization through a seamless transition in the forthcoming 3 to 6 months. "I look forward to working with the SCSDC Board of Directors and staff members to serve the community and prepare for future catalytic investments planned for the neighborhood," said Terri Hamilton Brown.

Learn more about St. Clair Superior, one of Cleveland's most diverse lakefront communities.

Video of the Month: St. Clair Superior

This edition's feature is St. Clair Superior Development Corporation's neighborhood video. This video was produced out of the CDC Learning Lab partnership between St. Clair Superior CDC & the Mandel Foundation. Watch here!