LukeManginiHawkenProject2024

The following days, we headed to the Y around 7:00 AM. He toured me around the building and taught me its rich history. The YMCA we were at (Huntington Ave) was the first YMCA built in America. Europeans brought the concept of the YMCA over from Europe over a hundred years ago and established it for the first time in the states in Boston. He also taught me how the memberships work at the Y. He told me that it is a need-based system: if you can pay more for a membership, you pay more; if you can not pay at all or much, then you do not have to. The money they make from memberships goes right back into the work they do, and part of that is covering the memberships of those who do not have the ability to pay for the Y’s services. When he was touring me around, he taught me about all of the different things they have at the Y. He showed me classrooms where they hold sessions to teach people who need it, and actually, right now, those rooms and the teen center are being used to help newcomer...

Because of my lacrosse playoff schedule, my Boston trip got pushed back a few days, but on Thursday morning, I finally flew out. Before going, they tasked me with researching other YMCA’s work with the local police. I found articles, wrote summaries on how different YMCAs have done this work, and compiled them into a slideshow. For example, the Greater Cleveland YMCA partnered with the NBA to host basketball challenges with ten police officers and thirty residents. After creating this, I woke up at 4:45 AM, went to the airport, and hopped on a 6:30 flight to Boston. I was super excited for this trip because not only is Mr. Shapiro an amazing leader and mentor, but he is also my uncle. Since I was really little, I have seen him commit so much of his life to service and the world. He went from being the head of Mentor now to the head of the Greater Boston YMCA, and it has always been a goal of mine to learn from and be like him. So, I got to stay with my family in Boston and learn from h...

On my last day in Cleveland with Mrs. Thome, we started by reviewing an activity she had given me to try out and learn from. She tasked me with taking the description of the organizations that she had grant requests from, comparing them to the foundation’s mission, looking at how much they requested, and then allocating funds. I could also see last year’s grants given to those organizations. I then compared my list to hers. One thing I did not realize from the activity is that Emily told me they were lowering their typical grant amounts so they could sustain them over longer periods of time. So, in mine, I had some higher grants to organizations I thought really aligned with their mission and left a few out or didn’t allocate as much to some of the lower grants, whereas she had a more spread-out list that she explained to me and taught me the reasons for. This task was such an interesting and unique experience. Then she taught me how organizations must be transparent with their taxes a...

On the next day of my Hawken project, I went to an event hosted by First Tee, an organization in Slavic Village aiming to give lower-income kids access to the sport of golf and teach life lessons through the game. The event was made up of many organizations and people and centered around Slavic Village and how to improve the community. Among the speakers was Mrs. Emily Thome, who is the President and Executive Director of the Third Federal Foundation, and three other prominent community leaders. These leaders were Rebecca Maurer, Cleveland City Councilwoman, Ward 12; Shauna Sanders, Executive Director, Slavic Village Development; and Richaun Bunton, Executive Director for University Settlement. They talked about their new approach to the issues in Slavic Village and how now, as new leaders, they will be working together to combat issues as opposed to the old way of working only independently. They split us into four groups that talked about ways to start addressing issues in the commun...

On the second day of my senior project, I went with Emily Thome to the City Club in Cleveland. When we got to the event, I had the privilege of meeting Emily's team and learning about who they are. We traveled to City Club to hear Leah Rothstein talk. She has just released a new book called "Just Action: How to Challenge Segregation Enacted Under the Color of Law." Mrs. Thome told me that she and her team often go to events like these to hear from these amazing people about  how  to challenge injustice and serve the community. Mrs. Rothstein and her father, Richard Rothstein, are activists and work on public policy and community change. Rothstein talked about her book and strategies on how to combat systematic segregation. She said that all groups of people need specific remedies, and solutions that are too broad often fall through or may not be feasible. Rothstein also talked about things like "defacto segregation" that has happened through white people moving ...

     On my first day last week, I went with Emily Thome, who works at the Third Federal Foundation, to a meeting with a man who wanted to share about his non-profit and talk about potential funding. I went early and talked a lot with Mrs. Thome about Third Federal and the foundation. She explained to me the rich history of Third Federal, the bank, and her responsibilities as the person who runs the foundation. Every year, Third Federal devotes millions to helping their non-profit partners and serving their mission. They state, “Third Federal Foundation exists to strengthen communities and improve the conditions that make home ownership possible, supporting efforts centered on affordable housing, financial stability, accessible education, and thriving neighborhoods.” Mrs. Thome is responsible for finding amazing organizations that relate to this mission and making sure the foundation’s funding goes to the right places. She explained to me how difficult it can sometimes be ...