Charities and Community Involvement

K&D: World Vision Ukrainian Refugee Support Response

World Vision is on the ground in Eastern Europe, meeting the needs of the vulnerable children and families who have been forcibly displaced due to the crisis in Ukraine – numbering almost 12 million by mid-April. 90% of these refugees are women and children. World Vision will continue to provide ongoing assistance as long as it is needed, including emergency assistance packages (water, food, hygiene and child-friendly kits, heaters, and medical supplies), and educational and psychological support.

K&D partnered with Word Vision during the month of March 2022 to raise funds to support Ukrainian refugees. K&D pledged to double-match all donations contributed by residents and employees and received a most generous and overwhelming response. The total amount raised with K&D’s double match was $19,404. Thank you to everyone who donated to support those most vulnerable in Ukraine.

K&D: World Vision Hurricane Response

World Vision is a first in, last out responder providing assistance during the relief, recovery and rebuilding phases of a disaster response. World Vision works with local organizations who know the communities they are in and can appropriately assist in distributing relief, recovery and rebuilding products.

Since 2017, K&D has partnered with World Vision to help our fellow Americans recover from the devastating hurricanes that have hit our country. K&D reaches out to all its employees and residents to support World Vision’s response efforts. In turn, K&D provides a double-match for every dollar donated by employees and residents. Thank you to everyone who contributed to these causes.

• October 2022: Hurricane Ian – total raised with K&D's triple-match: $14,960
• September 2021: Hurricane Ida – total raised with K&D’s double-match: $9,195
• September 2020: Hurricane Laura – total raised with K&D’s double-match: $2,201
• October-November 2018: Hurricanes Florence & Michael – total raised with K&D’s double-match: $2,470
• September-October 2017: Hurricanes Harvey & Irma – total raised with K&D’s double-match: $11,760

Village Tower: Logan’s Lunches

Logan Kuhn, a student from Lexington Elementary, decided to make a difference and become a hunger-fighter. With the help of his grandmother at the age of 6, Logan started a program called Logan’s Lunches. Why? To raise money, and also bring in food donations, to benefit the Stark County Hunger Task Force’s Backpack for Kids Program. He believes no kids should have to go hungry. In addition to raising funds and food, Logan’s Lunches is also an important awareness-building opportunity for our community when it comes to childhood hunger.

Village Tower Apartments, a senior community made up of residents on a fixed income, held food drives to donate to Logan’s Lunches. Through their generous donations, they were able to provide the following to support Logan’s Lunches:

June 2021: 920 pounds
July 2020: 1,227 pounds

Ellet Development: Hyre CLC School

The residents at Ellet Development saved their Acme receipts from August of 2019 through January of 2020 and were able to raise $2,250 through the Acme Cash Back Program to benefit the students at Hyre CLC School. The residents and staff also support the school by taking all their cardboard to the school for their recycling program.

Terminal Tower: WSCC Warm Hearts Winter Nights

Since 1977, the West Side Catholic Center has offered hot meals, hospitality, clothing and household goods, emergency services, advocacy, a family shelter, housing solutions, and workforce development training to those in need at no charge, regardless of religious affiliation. The West Side Catholic Center was established in 1977 by several area churches that saw a critical need within the community due to extreme poverty. We are a unique, private, not-for-profit agency with Catholic roots, independent of the Catholic Diocese and Catholic Charities.

Warm Hearts Winter Nights is WSCC’s premier social event and fundraiser in support of their mission. This annual gala benefit brings together members of the community for a night of fun and goodwill in celebration of WSCC’s mission and those who have helped them in their work to fulfill it. All Terminal Tower Observation Deck ticket sales during the month of December 2019 went towards this fundraiser, bringing in $4,870.

Gates Mills Place: Coats for Kids

In 1981, local radio station employees became aware of a large number of children missing school in the winter because they did not have warm coats. That November, Coats for Kids – Cleveland was founded when the radio station began soliciting donations of new or like-new winter coats. That first campaign filled the studio, and subsequent campaigns brought in even more coats, along with monetary donations used to purchase new coats. Since then, millions of dollars have been raised and hundreds of thousands of new and like-new coats have been distributed to children in need in northeast Ohio.

From November 18 through December 20, 2019, Gates Mills Place collected coats to donate to Coats for Kids Cleveland – and were able to fill 10 large bags to contribute to their cause!

The Residences at Hanna: Cleveland Food Bank

The Greater Cleveland Food Bank is the largest hunger relief organization in Northeast Ohio having served more than 350,000 people in Cuyahoga, Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake, Ashland and Richland counties in 2019. We do this through both food distribution and SNAP outreach efforts. The Food Bank operates a community food distribution center, providing food and other critical grocery products annually to more than 1,000 local food pantries, hot meal programs, shelters, mobile pantries, programs for the elderly and other nonprofit agencies. We also prepare nutritious meals in our Food Bank Kitchen and take hundreds of calls a day in our help center, where we refer low-income callers to local agencies and sign-up eligible Northeast Ohioans for the SNAP program and other benefits.

In fall of 2019, The Residences at Hanna put on a Thanksgiving/Christmas food drive to benefit the Cleveland food bank. The Property Raised almost 200 dollars in cash donations and a large box of food items.

Ellet Development: Wounded Warrior Project

Through generous donations, Wounded Warrior Project is transforming the way America’s injured veterans are empowered, employed, and engaged in our communities. Every warrior has unique challenges and goals. That’s why Wounded Warrior Project provides a variety of life-changing programs and services in mental health, career counseling, and long-term rehabilitative care. Warriors never pay a penny for WWP programs — because they paid their dues on the battlefield.

On July 26, 2019 the Ellet Development held their Annual Resident Appreciation Summer Barbecue. A 50-50 reverse raffle was held and we were able to raise $500 for the Wounded Warriors Project. On August 30, 2019, Cindy Parsons came to the Ellet Development to accept the $500 check on behalf of the Wounded Warrior Project.

Village Tower: SAM (Serving Area Military) Center

The SAM Center was founded in March 2015 to assist local heroes and their families - a community of veterans and military supporters helping each other, out of the belief that they can make the lives of service members, veterans and their widows better. The SAM Center collaborates with other community agencies to ensure programs are not being duplicated, while the gap in assistance is being filled. The SAM Center facility located in Massillon, Ohio was donated by American Legion Post 221 and remodeled by caring volunteers. Local businesses and volunteers donated all materials and services. The continued growth and operations of the SAM Center and other programs offered by Serving Area Military are financed through private donations from individuals, civic groups, businesses and private grants.

Village Tower organized efforts to support the SAM Center through various means and partnerships. Thank you to those who joined forces with us to accomplish the following:

• May 2019 in collaboration with Belden Village Healthcare: Through several events including two Dine-to-Donate at Texas Roadhouse and Blaze Pizza, an Ohio State Raffle Basket, we raised a total of $445.00, and gathered $600.33 in non-food items donated, and $721.04 in food items.

• December 2018 Food Drive: Village Tower residents came through with collecting 350 pounds of food and $1,500.00 in monetary donations for this Veterans organization which the staff of Village Tower took to SAM Center on December 19, 2018.

• April 2018 Food Drive in conjunction with Manor Care Nursing Home: We asked other area businesses to put boxes out to help us with the drive. We were able to collect 250 pounds of food and over $1,000.00 in monetary donations in a month and half to donate to the SAM Center on April 6, 2018.

Riverview Towers: Stark County Humane Society

The Stark County Humane Society is a private, charitable organization. They are not a county agency and do not receive funding from the United Way. Their continued existence and success depends upon the support of the community through membership fees, gifts, and contributions.

The shelter is open to the public every day except holidays and their service for the sick and injured stray dogs and cats remains available 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. In addition to caring for the homeless pets of Stark County, they also conduct investigations of cruelty to animals.

The residents and staff at Riverview Towers did an awesome job of donating items in the following collections:

May 2019: 1,506 pounds of dry cat and dog food
April 2017: 1,150 pounds of food

K&D: Alzheimer's Association / The Longest Day

The Longest Day is all about love. Love for all those affected by Alzheimer's disease. On the summer solstice (or any date that they choose), companies team up with the Alzheimer’s Association and select any activity they love — or an activity loved by those affected — to help end Alzheimer’s. Together, we will raise funds and awareness for care and support while advancing research toward the first survivor of Alzheimer’s.

The past 2 years, the K&D Corporate Office went “Casual for a Cause” – and K&D double-matched every donation made. The combined total raised by the staff and K&D’s double match are as follows:

Wednesday, May 15, 2019: $465
Wednesday, May 9, 2018: $510

K&D provides information on Alzheimer’s Disease and research at the K&D Wellness Fair each year.

The Residences at Hanna: Easterseals

In 2019, Easterseals celebrated 100 years of impact in the lives of individuals with disabilities or other special needs, their families and communities throughout America as a powerful advocate and leading provider of innovative services. In marking this milestone, Easterseals reflects on its legacy of delivering equality, dignity and independence to people with disabilities while embracing a future where every one of us is 100% included and 100% empowered.

Since its founding in 1919, Easterseals has remained committed to ensuring that the needs of children and adults with disabilities, veterans and older adults are met with services and supports to help them live, learn, work and play in their communities. By combining on-the-ground presence, deep expertise and diverse programs, 69 Easterseals affiliates nationwide are advancing change to assure that people with disabilities and other special needs can thrive in their communities.

In the spring of 2019, The Residences at Hanna sponsored a clothing drive to benefit Easter Seals Ohio. We received a large amount of gently used clothing that were given to the foundation to be sold at thrift stores around the state of Ohio.

Terminal Tower: A Kid Again

A Kid Again’s mission is to foster hope, happiness and healing for local families raising children with life threatening illnesses. They do so by taking them out on fun-filled, cost-free, group activities that they call Adventures. These Adventures occur throughout the year to great destinations such as Cedar Point, Monsters and Indians games, the Zoo and trips aboard the Good Time III to name a few. The Adventures are designed so critically ill children can get the much-needed healthy breaks from illness throughout the year. Siblings and parents are included because everyone is affected by illness in their own way.

A Kid Again is an Ohio based nonprofit with three chapters: Central, Southwest, and Northern Ohio. Approximately 1800 families across the state benefit from the hard work of dedicated volunteers and generous donors.

From February 9 through February 14, 2018, all Terminal Tower Observation Deck tickets sales went towards the fundraiser, bringing in $1,920. Through generous vendor contributions and raffles held at the end of the event, adding another $1,640 for a total of $3,560 was donated to A Kid Again.

Thank you to the following vendors who contributed donations to the fundraiser and raffle prizes: ABM Parking, Tower City Supreme Car Detail, ABM Housekeeping, First Choice Coffee, Brewer-Garrett, G.L.A. Water, Kone Corporation, Clearview, Interfinish, Relmec Mechanical, Boak & Sons, Inc., Securitas.

K&D: End 68 Hours of Hunger, Lake County

The mission of End 68 Hours of Hunger, Lake County is to confront the 68 hours of hunger experienced by some local school children between the free lunch they receive on Friday and the free breakfast they receive on Monday at school. They provide bags of non-perishable food for the children to take home and eat over the weekend. During the 2016-2017 school year, they helped over 300 students on a weekly basis.

On August 18, 2017, K&D held its annual Wellness Fair at their corporate campus and employees were asked to bring in a non-perishable food item in support of this cause. We were overwhelmed by the response of all staff (corporate and site) and ended up with 10 boxes of food and almost $300 in donations! The monetary donations that we received were used to purchase additional food for the children. Thank you to all who generously donated to this cause!

Terminal Tower: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

At St. Jude, treatment, travel, housing and food are provided at no cost - because all a family should worry about is helping their child live." At St. Jude, a family never sees a bill at all, not one bill. It's like the world has been lifted off of your shoulders, and now your focus is supporting this child," says patient Jordyn's dad, Joel.

On May 3, 2017, K&D staff and Owner Karen Paganini met with St. Jude Representative Ashley Green on the Observation Deck to present a check for $12,752.00.

This was an incredible experience for the team at Terminal Tower. The tickets sold out within days of the local media announcement. The phones rang off the hook with people desperate for tickets.

K&D: Cleveland Animal Protective League

The Cleveland Animal Protective League offers many life-saving programs and services for Northeast Ohio’s homeless animals including Humane Investigations, Animal Admissions, Animal Welfare Clinic, Trap-Neuter-Return Program, Foster Care Program, and much more! Since they receive no government funding, they rely on generous financial supporters to make a difference in the lives of the animals for which we care for.

K&D came together at our Annual Holiday Party in December 2016 to raise money for the Cleveland Animal Protective League. A variety of baskets and prizes were raffled off for a Chinese Auction and all proceeds went to the CAPL. In December of 2016, K&D presented a check in the amount of $1,448.00 to the Cleveland Animal Protective League.

K&D Corporate: The Ronald McDonald House

Every night, The Ronald McDonald House provides families whose children are undergoing medical treatment at local hospitals with a private room and bathroom, community living areas, laundry facilities, large kitchen area and use of a fully stocked pantry. Each evening they provide a complete dinner for all the families. Their services are provided with a minimal request of a $10 per night donation, but no one is turned away due to the inability to pay. They are privately funded and supported by a generous community.

In 2014, the K&D Corporate Office had a drive to collect food and other necessities for The Ronald McDonald House in Cleveland and in Akron. Not only did the employees pitch in, but our wonderful vendors also made generous donations to the cause. Each department was assigned to a subcommittee to keep everything organized and running smoothly and at the end of the drive, everything was boxed up and divided to take to the two locations. A team of K&D employees personally delivered the donations to both locations. Included in the donations were non-perishable food items, toiletries, gift cards, cash donations, televisions and a washer and dryer just to name a few.

The vendors who contributed to the drive were: Kost Electric, LZ Custom Cabinets, Waste Management, Wilmar, Evolution, Vincent Painting, Bricklayers, Gene Ptacek, WCC, Roberts Mechanical, Vadakin, K-Kern, Portion Pac, Able Pest Control, CC Mitchell, ACE Business Solutions, Sherwin Williams, Ruple, Ruland Construction, Advanced Vending, Pre-ferd Maid Service.