St. Edward High School alumnus and substitute teacher Montorie Foster Jr. is headed to Super Bowl LX as a member of the Seattle Seahawks. His path from St. Edward to the NFL is one of persistence through injuries, academic excellence, and an unwavering commitment to his dreams.

Benjamin Colas, founder of Forest City Academy, is pitching his Stronger Together concept at the Cleveland Leadership Center's Accelerate competition. Stronger Together would offer free parent-child workout classes, held in local parks, and  designed to promote family bonding. As both an educator and parent, Colas envisions scalable classes as a solution for families seeking both physical health and quality time together.

FreshWater writer Jill Sell is inspired by one of the memorial benches established by the Toni Morrison Society's "Bench By The Road" project. Sitting in the winter cold, Sell reflects Morrison's powerful characters and themes while connecting them to personal memories of childhood discrimination.

The Cleveland Leadership Center's Accelerate pitch competition is coming up in February. Meanwhile, FreshWater Cleveland is talking to some of the entrepreneurs about their visions to make Cleveland a better place to live, work, play, and visit in hopes of winning funding. Today, we talk to two CWRU juniors, who are pitching their sustainability app uniSWAP.

The Cleveland Leadership Center's 12th annual Accelerate: Citizens Make Change pitch competition takes place on February 26 at the Huntington Convention Center, featuring 35 presenters pitching 26 innovative ideas.

The Gathering Place, celebrated the opening of its new fitness studio at its Beachwood headquarters on Monday, Jan. 5. The enhanced facility offers fitness programs for individuals and families affected by cancer. The expansion represents the organization's commitment to whole-person cancer care.

In 1854, Frederick Douglass delivered his only commencement address at Western Reserve College in Hudson, challenging scientific racism and calling for moral courage. Student filmmakers have revived this piece of history through the award-winning documentary "Just and Perfect," just in time for Douglass' great-great-great grandson to visit the campus where the original speech was delivered.

Rudy's Strudel and Bakery and Malley's Chocolates partnered up to create a paczki with chocolate fudge and toffee filling, adorned with Malley's signature green and pink powdered sugar. The collaboration combines Rudy's generations-old pastry expertise with Malley's 91-year chocolate-making tradition. The limited-edition paczkis are available exclusively at Rudy's until Fat Tuesday.

The 17-story1905 Rockefeller Building at West 6th Street and Superior Avenue stands on historic ground once occupied by the Weddell House, where Abraham Lincoln stayed during his 1861 inaugural trip. After a colorful history, the Rockefeller Building faces an uncertain future following years of neglect and vandalism.

Benjamin Rose built a thriving meatpacking empire in 1840 and, as business grew, commissioned architect George H. Smith to design the Rose Building—the city’s "New Center" in 1902. Upon his death, Rose's fortune established the Benjamin Rose Institute to support aging community members. The Rose building now begins a new chapter with Spark GHC’s "Project Scarlet," carrying forward Rose’s vision for a vibrant city center.

CWRU's Sears think[box] is the nation's largest free public makerspace, offering equipment, materials, and mentorship in a 50,000-square feet space to students, professionals, and the community. Think[box] levels the playing field so anyone can access typically expensive tools and transform their ideas into reality.

Nonprofit DigitalC has connected more than 7,500 households to high-speed internet and trained over 17,500 residents in digital skills since launching its citywide connectivity effort in January 2024. The organization completed Cleveland's next-generation broadband network in one of the fastest community-based deployments in the country, and has begun expanding its Cleveland Model to other cities.

Nonprofit workforce development services provider Towards Employment will host its annual Holiday Alumni Bash and Gift Giveaway this weekend to support current and former program participants and their families. The event has evolved from a small toy drive into a family event to spread holiday cheer.

Steve Presser has opened his beloved Big Fun store as a holiday pop-up for the third consecutive year, this time in the former Record Revolution space. Open through January 11, Big Fun features vintage posters, t-shirts, and memorabilia, while also serving this year as an incubator for four local entrepreneurs.

The Salvation Army in Greater Cleveland is coordinating a major toy collection and distribution effort to serve more than 6,000 children in Cuyahoga County this Christmas season.

Care Alliance Health Center and Breakthrough Schools are partnering to host the 2025 Holiday Toy Giveback this Saturday, Dec. 13, offering free toys for children up to age 12, health screenings, and community resources at Breakthrough MidTown. The event supports families facing barriers like housing instability and limited access to resources while providing a joyful holiday experience.

The Cavaliers and the Kids' Book Bank yesterday launched the Cavs Book Bus at Artemus Ward School, a mobile literacy initiative presented by KeyBank. The Book Bus, powered by a Ford F-250 truck from Valley Ford Truck, will be used to narrow literacy gaps by giving free books to students in under-resourced Cleveland neighborhoods.

Malley's Chocolates this week unveiled a refreshed look to its 1937 Lakewood flagship store. The new look has modern updates while preserving the nostalgic charm that has made it a Cleveland favorite for nearly 90 years. Local artist Lisa Quine contributed an enormous mural, while designers preserved, yet updated, Malley's signature pink and green colors.

Saint Luke's Foundation is inviting residents from the Buckeye-Shaker, Woodhill, and Mt. Pleasant neighborhoods to meet the four architectural finalists for its new headquarters this Wednesday, Nov.19 at Morningstar Baptist Church. Attendees can reviewthe proposals, ask questions, and vote for the preferred design team.