Celebrating Connection, Creativity and Community Impact
YC had a lively September, engaging in many events in the Northeast Ohio community. Three highlights include the Walleye Regatta, the Berea Arts Fest, and the March for Access.
YC once again teamed up with the Lake Erie Grady White Club for the 6th Annual Walleye Regatta on Saturday, September 13 at the Huron Boat Basin. Twelve boats, captains and crew from the Lake Erie Grady White Club took 12 participants and staff out on Lake Erie for an afternoon of Walleye fishing. There was a friendly competition between boats to see which team could catch the largest Walleye and the largest non-Walleye.
Participant Blake and his team caught a winning 25-inch Walleye, which will be mounted for him to keep. Participant Deegan, with the team on the boat “Time Aweigh” caught a 23 ½ inch Sheepshead. Once everyone made it safely back on land, members of the Lake Erie Grady White Club and YC participants and staff shared a picnic lunch. Lunch was cooked and served by members of the Outreach Walleye Club and Walleye for Wounded Heroes. Special thanks to Mike & Michelle Manion for organizing the event.
YC enjoyed its third year at Berea Arts Fest on September 14 at Coe Lake. Always held on the second Sunday in September, The Berea Arts Fest is a one-day, invitational, multi-arts festival held in Berea, Ohio. YC sold pinch pots, press plates, and greeting cards all made with art from our participants and teen volunteers. Throughout the Fest, YC had a participant and an alum work the table to show YC’s mission. This year alumni participant and artist, TJ Sikora, sold prints and originals at the table. He also created live paintings all day so customers could see his process.
Youth Challenge joined other Northeast Ohio Coalition of Disability Coalition Organizations (NOCDO) for the fourth annual March for Access on September 20 on Public Square. This year, we marched for better transportation and commemorated the 40th anniversary of the 1985 Transportation Protests. During the rally, Mary Verdi-Fletcher, President of Dancing Wheels and one of the 1985 protestors, shared her story with the group. Next, Wilbert Turner from the National Federation of the Blind spoke on the present landscape of accessible transportation in Cleveland. Last but not least, two YC participants, Craig and Rosie, spoke on their dreams for the future of accessible transportation. After the March, protestors took a picture at the same spot where Mary Verdi-Fletcher and her peers blocked two buses 40 years ago.
From fishing with the Lake Erie Grady White Club to selling art at the Berea Arts Fest to standing up for disability rights at the March for Access, YC’s mission extends well beyond its Westlake headquarters. We look forward to continuing to be involved in our community in more ways in the future.
