NOAH is Northeast Ohio’s Alliance for Hope. We are a broad-based, non-profit organization that provides hope for Northeastern Ohio residents by empowering them to use community organizing to improve the quality of their lives. NOAH serves as a sounding board for individual citizens and an umbrella organization for other non-profits in the area. As a group of diverse organizations we work together to create systemic changes to inequitable practices in our local and regional communities. We empower citizens to impact local legislature and other decisions being made in their communities so that those decisions reflect their values and concerns. We work with sister organizations throughout Ohio to address statewide issues through the Ohio Organizing Collaborative. NOAH is affiliated with National People’s Action (NPA), a direct action organizing network that provides training and coordination on a national scale. Our strength lies in our ability to bring together diverse urban and suburban communities and congregations to work to end systemic causes of poverty in our regions and live out our values of social justice.

Each year NOAH continues to advance its mission of empowering northeast Ohio residents to improve the quality of their lives through grassroots efforts. Through concentrating our organizing efforts in one of the most economically disenfranchised communities in Northeast Ohio, East Cleveland, we have been able to use civic engagement as a means for bringing hope to the hopeless.

In 2011 NOAH will be expanding our work to include more members of the greater Cleveland community. We are working hard to form intergenerational grassroots leadership teams to address county and statewide issues such as the upcoming state budget and fair and equitable hiring practices for re-entrants. Through NPA, we will be involved in national corporate accountability and housing justice campaigns, with a focus on moving legislation that will financially benefit older industrial cities.

NOAH is working with local pastors to design a custom faith based organizing model that addresses the specific challenges our communities face throughout Cuyahoga County. We envision people of faith coming together to carry out the mission of Nehemiah: the rebuilding and revitalization of our respective cities. We encourage you and any interested members of your congregation to contact the NOAH office at 216.834.2324 to find out how to play an active role in our work this year.

• NOAH hosted a countywide forum with 250 residents from across Cuyahoga County with the candidates for County Council and County Executive, including current County Executive Ed FitzGerald, to respond to questions about neighborhood reinvestment, racial equity, and employment.

• NOAH won the expansion of the Cuyahoga County Land Reutilization Corporation (land bank) to cover the impoverished city of East Cleveland. As a result of NOAH’s two year vacant properties organizing campaign that included residents circulating petitions, holding a mayoral forum that made the issue a deciding factor, and hosting multiple community public meetings, the City of East Cleveland was formally added to the land bank in February of 2010. This year (2011) the land bank will tear down more than a hundred dilapidated homes in East Cleveland.

• NOAH organized hundreds of residents in response to the closing of Huron Hospital, a community hospital in East Cleveland that housed a Level 2 Trauma Center. One of the city’s largest employers, Huron Hospital also served as one of the main centers of care for African Americans living on the East side of Cleveland. NOAH organized and participated in multiple joint actions against the Cleveland Clinic, winning negotiations with top officials. As a result of the campaign, NOAH won a commitment worth $20 million to the City of East Cleveland to address the issues of lost revenue and redevelopment of the land on which the hospital sits.

• Hosted signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between East Cleveland City Council and the Cuyahoga County Land Bank to maximize the amount of resources available to address Abandoned and Vacant properties in East Cleveland.
• Established a round the table discussion where East Cleveland residents voices can be heard, thereby impacting key decisions the effect their community.
• Spearheaded and framed the Vacant and Abandoned Housing issue that became a campaign issue in East Cleveland Mayoral race.

NOAH's work has impacted over 25,000 lives in the past year alone. We are now more determined than ever to double that number by this time next year. However, we cannot do this alone. NOAH is a non-profit organization that depends upon the collaboration and generosity of its members to thrive. Your Donation Can Make a Difference: Volunteers and sponsors are needed to help us continue our work. All finacial donations are tax deductible and will go towards community action efforts we have planned for next year. Please help foster Hope in your community by supporting NOAH. For more information please contact Trevelle Harp, NOAH's Executive Director at 216-834-2324.

The 10^th Annual NOAH Banquet

Over 170 participating members and friends of NOAH enjoyed the fellowship, good food and informative program on Saturday, October 22^nd at the 10^th Annual NOAH Banquet at the McGregor Home Community Room. President Robyn Hales presented the Ally of the Year Award to Dr. Rhonda Williams who is an Associate Professor of History at CWRU and directs CWRU’s Post Doctoral Fellowship in African American Studies. Dr. Williams works closely with NOAH to support its mission and organizing efforts that champion community empowerment, and has facilitated forums and co-sponsored events. Dr. Williams began her sojourn into East Cleveland in 2010 as founding director of the Social Justice Institute at CWRU.

Board Member Mae Harris presented the Rev. Neal Wilds Leadership Award to Hank Smith for his dedicated service to NOAH as an activist in the East Cleveland Community. He has attended week-long leadership training with the Ohio Organizing Collaborative and Hank has used this training and knowledge to organize residents to assert their collective voice to seek justice and equity in their community.

The Keynote Speaker for the evening, State Senator Nina Turner (25^th Senate District), was introduced by Gary Norton. Jr., Mayor of the City of East Cleveland. Senator Turner gave an inspiring message and began by describing the chaos all around the world in such places as Iraq, Afghanistan, Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. She defined chaos as the re-ordering of things. The re-ordering of things is occurring right now in East Cleveland and NOAH is on the righteous side of chaos.  In reflecting on what the Creator asked us to do, she said that God works through people, people like those in NOAH. She cited the 99% protesting against Wall Street; the people affected by the foreclosure crisis; the unemployed and the underemployed; and people not receiving a high quality education. Senator Turner said “Brothers and Sisters we have work to do. We need to motivate our young people to be the very best they can be. Mediocrity is no longer the order of the day.” “So NOAH, your Mission is to uplift our communities and families, never doubting what you are accomplishing. NOAH, continue to make a difference in the lives of people. Don’t let what we can’t do, get in the way of what we can do and don’t let race and ethnicity get in the way of what we do.”

Senator Turner then said  “I want you to remember three things.”

1. The Creator has given us two arms, one to reach back and one to reach forward.
2. We cannot expect others to do more for us, than we are willing to do for ourselves.
3. Her Grandmother told her that we just need 3 bones.

1. The Wish Bone (hopes and desires)
2. The Jaw Bone (to ask questions and get answers about life) and
3. The Back Bone (the will to accomplish and achieve).

“NOAH, continue to answer the call of Service, Rebuild, Renew, Revive, Rejoice.”

To conclude the evenings program our Executive Director, Trevelle Harp helped us Look Forward. Trevelle said that we have to be active participants in our own deliverance. He asked residents to get behind us on our abandoned and vacant properties actions. He concluded by inviting everyone to join a Rally, being held at Forest Hill Church, Presbyterian on 3031 Monticello Blvd., Cleveland Heights. On Tuesday Oct.25^th at 6:00 p.m. The Rally is being sponsored by NOAH, ESOP and We Are Ohio. The Rally is to support a VOTE  No on Issue 2, Introduce a Jobs Platform for Ohio that will, Create 70,000 new jobs; Give A Second Chance to Ohioans with criminal records, and Make Wall Street Pay for the economic crisis they created.

Overall it was an inspiring, thoughtful and challenging evening.

Respectfully,

Bob Ault

Board Member

October 24, 2011