Mark Thursday, Sept. 17, on your calendar. That’s the day those who live, work and play in Lorain County come together to show unity, caring and support for more than 100 of the area’s nonprofit organizations.

Now in its seventh year, Connect to a Cause, a collective effort headed by the Community Foundation of Lorain County, has raised approximately $200 million to date. Cynthia H. Andrews, president and CEO of the Community Foundation, founded in 1980, is hoping donations total over $500,000 this year.

Connect to a Cause reflects the Community Foundation’s mission: “Connecting people who care with causes that matter.” Donors use a checklist to decide which nonprofits to support (up to 10), ranging from health and human services organizations to animal rights and protection groups to cultural and arts associations. The Community Foundation distributed about $7 million in grants and scholarships in 2025.

“Each nonprofit decides how much of their Connect to a Cause funds go into their endowments. One third puts everything into their endowment. Another third puts in 25%, the minimum requirement. A third may decide to put in half, or two-thirds,” explains Andrews. “We present the checks two weeks after Connect to a Cause and say, ‘Please deposit this.’”

The average donation to Connect to a Cause is $153, but people, organizations and businesses get creative when collecting money, says Andrews. Some sponsor $5 campaigns, others $20 challenges. And wouldn’t it be great, she says, if each of the more than 300,000 Lorain County residents just donated a dollar? In addition to the obvious monetary benefits, Andrews also says Connect to a Cause is a great catalyst for families to discuss which causes mean the most to them.    

Numerous donation options are available, including mailing a check postmarked by September 17, visiting the Community Foundation office leading up to or on September 17, arranging IRA or charitable distributions through an employer or donating online. (One check covers all nonprofits selected.) 

“It’s a lovefest here that day,” says Andrews. “There will be balloons and a food truck. We want to say thank you to everyone.”

Community Foundation of Lorain County, 9080 Leavitt Road, Elyria, 440-984-7390, peoplewhocare.org

 

Blessing House 

It wasn’t exactly a flood of Biblical proportions. But last February, when 5,000 gallons of water poured through Blessing House in Elyria, it was enough to close the safe refuge for children for four and a half months. By the end of June, however, damage from the massive water leak was nowhere evident and Sister Mary Berigan, co-founder and executive director of Blessing House, declared with her usual upbeat attitude, “All is good.” 

Sister Mary’s life’s work, handling crisis situations involving children, began when she was an advocate for children in the court system. She encountered many families who could have benefited from a crisis care center. Together with Blessing House co-founder Donna Humphrey, the good people of Lorain County and a little help from above, Sister Mary was able to welcome the first children to Blessing House in 2005. The nonprofit moved to its current building in 2021.

Since the beginning, Blessing House, a faith-based, non-denominational organization, has had more than 2,000 children stay at the center while families try to get back on track. Children stay for a variety of reasons, including homelessness or other housing issues, substance abuse, hospitalization and medical issues, domestic violence, incarceration and risk of abuse or neglect.  Children attend their home schools to lessen disruption in their lives.

Because Blessing House is classified as a children’s crisis center in Ohio, it does not need the signatures of a legal guardian to intervene and help children. For example, Blessing House sees children whose mothers leave them with grandparents for an extended period of time, often creating a difficult situation.

“The grandparents love those kids, but they are overwhelmed. They can send them to us, we’ll take care of them and find Mom to see what’s going on. It takes grandparents out of the middle,” explains Sister Mary.    

At the nonprofit facility, children from birth through age 12 benefit from a safe, nurturing environment, healthy meals and attention to individual needs. Families are assisted in finding additional help and resources. Of course, that care takes funding, and Sister Mary is grateful to the Community Foundation of Lorain County and Connect to a Cause for supporting children and her center.

“When we were first presented with the idea of Connect to a Cause, we loved the idea. It gave many nonprofits a chance to benefit from the great efforts of the Foundation. Not only was the word spread about the Foundation’s mission, but ours, too,” says Sister Mary, adding that for the past few years, half of Connect to a Cause funding had been earmarked for Blessing House’s endowment and half for emergencies.

“We had a family who was about to be evicted because they were two months behind in their utility bills,” says Sister Mary. “We paid the bills with Connect to a Cause funds and prevented that from happening. Also, sometimes a family is homeless, staying in their car. That is especially dangerous during winter or beastly hot summers. This year we placed a family in a hotel using our Connect to Cause emergency funds.”    

Having access to that money allows Blessing House to cover many needs without affecting the nonprofit’s regular operating budget, according to Sister Mary.

“We also meet and work with parents or caregivers. We make referrals they may need or help them address their next steps. A lot of agencies are helping families. But a lot of families don’t know about the agencies. And we don’t ever turn children away.”

6115 Olivet Ave., Elyria, 440-240-1851, blessinghouse.org

 

Lorain County Urban League 

The Lorain County Urban League (LCUL) is celebrating its 48th year. Some of the services of the organization have changed over the years, based on the “climate of the community and what it needs,” according to Parris Smith, president and CEO of the nonprofit. What hasn’t changed, she says, is its mission.

“We are the only civil rights agency that provides direct services. Advocacy is very important in making sure our constituents understand how democracy impacts them every day,” says Smith, who has been with the LCUL for 11 years. “If I am in a crisis and I can’t pay my rent or I don’t have groceries, I can’t focus on where I am going to vote. And a crisis can affect people on all economic scales.”

The National Urban League was founded in 1910 to “enable and empower African Americans and others in underserved communities to achieve their highest human potential and secure economic self-reliance, parity, power and civil rights,” according to its written mission. Goals include education and youth development; jobs and business development; housing and community development; health and quality of life; and justice and civic engagement.

“Every Urban League affiliate chooses which pillar make the most sense in their community. We are a certified HUD-Approved Housing Counseling Agency. We help people buy houses. We help them with home-buying classes, information about foreclosure and providing information about budgeting and financing. Our focus shifted last year from greater emergency assistance to helping with the purchase of homes. It happened organically, based on the housing shortage and what people needed,” says Smith, noting that in 2025, 274 clients completed the LCUL housing counseling program.

Smith credits Community Foundation of Lorain County and Connect to a Cause for helping to stabilize her own organization’s finances and future.

“We didn’t have an endowment a couple of years ago,” explains Smith. “But we knew there could come a time when we weren’t awarded grants or that the grants would no longer be available. How would we provide our services? Most of our programs are free, but there’s overhead and other expenses.”

The endowment that was established with the aid of Community Foundation of Lorain County and the funds raised by Connect to a Cause, have given the organization a nest egg and security. Smith calls the financial plan a legacy gift and will benefit the LCUL, its members and, ultimately, the community down the line.

“There are many ways you can give back through the Urban League, from just donating five dollars to volunteering for a few hours in the community garden we manage,” says Smith. “I think we have gotten away from doing things like that in our society. But you never know when you may be the person who needs the service. This is the perfect time, during a time of uncertainty, to call people together to be united and change the dynamics of Lorain County forever.”   

200 Middle Ave., Suite 200, Elyria, 440-323-3364, lcul.org

 

Riveon Mental Health and Recovery

The Lorain County Crisis Recovery Center (6130 S. Broadway, Lorain) opened October 2025 and already has had more than 2,400 visits and seen more than 1,400 unique clients. A collaboration and investment of many community sectors, the 24/7 walk-in center is operated by Riveon Mental Health and Recovery. 

The innovative center responds immediately to those with mental health and substance use disorders and is available to anyone regardless of ability to pay. For Lorain County, the center is a game changer — treating and supporting those who might otherwise have gone to an emergency room or jail. With calming sensory spaces and 14 recliner observation bays, the center is unique.

Don Schiffbauer, CEO of Riveon Mental Health and Recovery, says he is proud of the crisis center. But Schiffbauer also knows Riveon, the largest provider of services of this kind in the county, plays an on-going role.

“Sometimes we take care of people no one else wants to take care,” says Schiffbauer, a registered nurse who began his career as an orderly, working his way up to senior medical administrative positions before becoming Riveon CEO in 2020. “That’s a calling to us. The 350 employees here all have a vested interested in creating a space where people have access to care without bias.”

Riveon provides an impressive list of services, including those that treat mental and behavioral health, addiction and substance use disorders, crisis situations, sexual assault and problem gambling. About a year ago, primary care services were added.

“We know that 40% of people who walk through our door to receive addiction service or mental health services either don’t have a primary care provider or haven’t seen one in a couple years,” says Schiffbauer. “We also know that people with addiction or mental health issues live an average 25 fewer years than everyone else.”

A common belief is that the shorter lifespan is due to suicide or overdoses. But Schiffbauer said many people who cannot manage their mental health and addiction also aren’t able to handle their diabetes, coronary heart disease or high blood pressure.

“We don’t just give them a card and a number to call. We walk them down the hall to a general practitioner or nurse practitioner so they can receive the primary care services they need. We also have women’s healthcare services on site and our own pharmacy,” adds Schiffbauer.

“The medication needs of a lot of our clients are very complex. Some people struggle with being compliant with their medications. So, we have a pharmacy that just doesn’t fill pill bottles. It provides education and the mechanics to help clients keep track of the medicine they take each day,” says Schiffbauer.

Schiffbauer says he is grateful for Connect to a Cause funding and the opportunity to become better well known in the community.

“The Community Foundation also serves as a convener of community leaders and agencies that might not have gotten together. It’s not that we don’t want to, but because we are all busy,” explains Schiffbauer. “I appreciate (President and CEO) Cindy Andrews and her team not only because they see themselves as stewards of funds, but also as conveners.”

6140 S. Broadway, Lorain, 440-233-7232, riveonhealth.org

 

Lorain County Free Clinic

It was supposed to be temporary. In 1986 the Lorain County Free Clinic (LCFC) was established in the basement of a church to help provide medical care to the uninsured and underinsured. The county’s economy had taken a downturn, thousands of local jobs were lost and families found themselves having to choose between rent, food and medical care.

Forty years later and the need for the clinic, located in Lorain, is still with us. 

“People put off seeking medical care if they don’t have the money. Your own healthcare takes a lower priority when you have to keep children or grandchildren warm,” says Paul Baumgartner, the Free Clinic’s executive director who has been with the Clinic since 1995. “But from day one the mission here has always been to provide access to quality, dignified medical care for those in need. The organization has done that quite well. That’s not to say there have not been challenges, bumps in the road and scary times.”

The Free Clinic serves (in general) adults ages 19 to 65 with incomes at or below 250% of the Federal Poverty Level. In 2025, more than 1,200 individuals received primary care attention. New patients are always accepted.

“We don’t employ physicians and nurses. They volunteer on their own because it is the right thing to do,” says Baumgartner, noting that when counting medical and nonmedical personnel, administrative positions, advisory group members and special event helpers, the total is about 200 volunteers. “We also have doctors who never step foot in this clinic but who also care for patients in their own hospital systems. They provide an incredible value for those patients.”

The Clinic’s services include primary healthcare, preventative care, chronic disease management, medical tests, specialty referrals, prescription assistance, dermatology, vision care and women’s heath referrals. Baumgartner shares “many wonderful success stories about people whose lives changed” because their medical issues and wellness needs were addressed. But there is one condition the clinic sees in particular that stands out.

“People come to us with uncontrolled diabetes,” says Baumgartner. “These people have no medication or no knowledge of what is going on. That can spell disaster. They might not have had access to any medical care before and the diabetes went undetected. We can get them the care they need.”  

Baumgartner considers the Community Foundation of Lorain and its support a vital resource for the Free Clinic.

“Connect to a Cause is an amazing annual program that carries the power to elevate on a collective basis the missions of the nonprofits in our community,” says Baumgartner, whose organization does not receive any government funding. “Lorain County is very fortunate to have an assistance network that can connect the dots. If someone comes to the Free Clinic for medical care, we can say, ‘You need A, B and C. We can provide A, but you need additional help with the other things. Here’s where you need to go and who can help you with that.’” 

5040 Oberlin Ave., Lorain, 440-277-6641, lcfreeclinic.org

 

Imagination Library

The first book children enrolled in the Lorain County Imagination Library receive is The Little Engine That Could by Watt Piper. The 1930 children’s classic about positive thinking has remained a favorite with kids and adults all these years. It’s the perfect book for the nonprofit’s mission.

Founded in 1995 by legendary singer Dolly Parton to get books into the hands of children in her home state of Tennessee, Imagination Library now sends more than 2 million free books each month to children all over the world. Partnering with local nonprofits, Imagination Library strives to promote kindergarten readiness, literacy and emotional development.

Lorain County Imagination Library is supported by the Community Foundation of Lorain County, the United Way of Greater Lorain County, The Stocker Foundation and the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio. Those nonprofits coordinate registrations and enrollment, marketing, advocacy and connections to kindergarten-readiness programs.

Registered children ages birth to five years old receive 60 books — one each month. Books are age-appropriate and options include bilingual English/Spanish versions and braille. Parents have the option of registering their newborn at the time of filling out birth certificate information regardless of a hospital’s county location. Children in foster care in Lorain County are automatically enrolled in the initiative.

“About 12,000 children in Lorain County are enrolled,” says Britney Ware, community engagement associate for the Community Foundation of Lorain County and also the Lorain County Imagination Library coordinator. “That’s about 70% of the kids in the county. But there is about 30% of children who are eligible for the program who are not enrolled. There is no cost and no restrictions.”

Imagination Library’s 60 coalition volunteers who meet quarterly visit community groups, schools, health departments and business networking organizations to spread the word about the vital book program, according to Ware.

“It’s really fun to go through the pages with my daughter. And older children get excited just getting a package in the mail every month with their name on it,” says Ware, whose favorite book as a child was The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.

9080 Leavitt Road, Elyria, 440-984-7390, peoplewhocare.org