It is always enriching when my personal and professional worlds collide.?At Greater Cleveland Partnership, my work is focused on building a positive business environment that spurs economic growth and in my role as Chair of the Catholic Charities Board, my goal is to provide support for those who need our help the most.
This week, we had the opportunity to share with the Catholic Charities Board the collaborative approach that GCP, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Cleveland, Global Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, City of Cleveland - City Hall, Jewish Federation of Cleveland, Cleveland Foundation, and many other organizations have developed to support and welcome migrants and refugees.
My GCP colleague Megan Wilson shared that Cleveland is a region built by immigrants.?Today, more than 156,800 immigrants live in Northeast Ohio representing 5.7% of the total population.?While our region’s population declined between 2014 and 2019, its immigrant community grew by 7.3% and the immigrant community is helping to save our population level by driving growth in region. We are a welcoming community and we have the opportunity to make a real impact.
Per Heath Rosenberger of Catholic Charities, there are 117 million people who have been displaced from their homes, 43 million have been registered as refugees (often spending 10+ years in refugee camps), and only 3 percent are settled in a country like the United States. In 2024, 1,300 of those refugees have resettled in our country.
This is further proof that a shared vision and a collaborative approach result in a greater impact.?I am grateful to Catholic Charities President & CEO Patrick Gareau and my fellow Executive Committee Members Eric German, Anthony Searcy, and Pete Malizia for their leadership in driving real change.
#AllIn #GreaterCLE #Collaboration #ChangeMakers
