The Power Lunch, Community Shares' annual meeting and celebration of social justice on June 19, buzzed with over 400 people in attendance. Every turn brought about a face of social justice and a voice of change. Member organizations and friends came together to honor the past year's accomplishments. A raffle was held with 21 baskets of Cleveland goodies, including a $150 value dinner at Table 45 in the Intercontinental Hotel, free rounds of golf at the Metroparks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Indians gear, gift certificates to neighborhood shops and much more. Click here to view the video welcome and message from WKYC 3's Ramona Robinson that was enjoyed by the Power Lunch audience.

 

Mike Brickner received the Volunteer of the Year Award for his extraordinary dedication to Community Shares in several capacities. The Reverend George Hrbek was named Distinguished Activist for his lifetime achievements, including co-founding Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry. Councilman Anthony Brancatelli was awarded the 11th Annual Eleanor R. Gerson Leadership in Social Justice Award. As a representative of Cleveland's 12th Ward, Brancatelli has worked diligently on the revitalization of his community, with a focus on the foreclosure epidemic. Policy Matters Ohio received recognition as Member Organization of the Year for outstanding research, policy and advocacy work. The Social Justice Reporting Award went to Dan Harkins of Cleveland Scene for his article Disparate Times. A new award, The Power of Participation: Making History, was given to both the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland and the NAACP. The award signified the two organizations' equal rights collaboration in support of the Domestic Partner Registry. Sue Doerfer, Executive Director of the Center, and George Forbes, President of the NAACP, accepted warmly and delivered thanks to the audience, with emphasis on the many years of struggles and successes they have both experienced.

Following the Power Lunch, three new board members were elected (see following story). Also recognized were outgoing board members Mark Robinson, Angel Rucker and Mark Seifert. By bringing together all 36 Community Shares members and many community supporters, the power of real people making real change is truly felt and duly acknowledged.

Three new members were elected to Shares' Board of Directors at the Annual Meeting of Members immediately following the Power Lunch on June 19:

 

Gary Benjamin, North East Ohio Advocacy Coordinator at UHCAN Ohio, is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and holds a law degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. An activist attorney for 30 years in Detroit handling civil rights cases, he battled race, age and gender discrimination. Gary began universal health care advocacy full time in 2002 for Michigan Legal Services and helped draft a Constitutional Amendment that would have made health care a right in Michigan. At UHCAN Ohio Gary works on health care reform on the local, state and national levels.

Darlene Norwood English joined Housing Research & Advocacy Center in January 2008 as Education & Outreach Coordinator. She is responsible for developing workshops, conferences, speaker series and other special events as well as desiging and coordinating the agency's marketing materials. Prior to joining the Housing Center, Darlene served as marketing generalist for team member relations at Lake Hospital System and spent four years promoting homeownership with the Living in Cleveland Center. She earned a B.A. in Communications from Cleveland State University. In 2006, she was named Community Shares' Volunteer of the Year and currently serves on its PR Committee.
 
Linda Johanek, Executive Director at Domestic Violence Center, has had a career of outstanding service to women and children through her work at Transitional Housing, Inc. and Health Care for the Homeless as well as in a variety of positions at Domestic Violence Center, including Therapist, Group Facilitator and Development Director in which she coordinated a successful capital campaign for DVC's Shelter. Linda is not only a strong advocate for non-violence but spent many years as a mediator and trainer of mediators. Graduating from Cleveland State University with a B.A. in Social Work in 1991, Linda went on to receive a Master's of Social Science Administration from Case Western Reserve University MSASS in 1992.