Weekly Feature: Hidden Gems

I'd like to take a stroll down memory lane with updates on a number of past Hidden Gems!

Good news to share one and all!

First and foremost, please tune into the 4th annual Q-104 Pledge for Pets Radiothon to raise money for the APL! All the money stays right here in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Radiothon kicks off Friday, May 8th and goes thru Saturday.

For background on last year's Pledge for Pets, please CLICK HERE and CLICK HERE!!!

My very first Hidden Gem was about Our Lady of Peace Church and their Run for Peace.

Well, this year's Run for Peace was the biggest yet. Over two hundred and twenty four runners took to the streets in the Buckeye-Woodland-Larchmere neighborhoods raising nearly thirteen thousand dollars in scholarship funds for the children of the city of Cleveland who attend Our Lady of Peace Catholic School. A big thank you for all the generous participants and sponsors who pounded the pavement and made this event come to life. Words can not describe the gratitude expressed by these children, their families and teachers. Please keep your eyes and ears open next year for the annual Run for Peace which usually falls in the middle of March.

Another update on an event at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church. The Night of A Thousand Dinners exceeded all expectations ever imagined. This event, aimed at raising money for the elementary school over one weekend, expanded to the entire month and is a true testament that even in hard economic times, caring people open their purse strings. The school's pastor envisioned raising maybe five thousand dollars. To this day, the money is still rolling in but at last tally, a Night of a Thousand Dinners was 'the most successful fund raising effort in the long history of Our Lady of Peace School' raising almost thirty thousand dollars!

Pastor Chmura was speechless (and that's hard to believe if you know him, just kidding!). If I may read an excerpt from his thank you letter:

'I don't even know how to begin to thank you. I only wish that each of you could spend a day in our school to pray with our children and watch them grow in faith and wisdom and grace. You may not realize it, but in touching the life of a needy child you have touched the very face of God...'

This Sunday is Mother's Day. Malley's Chocolate covered Strawberries and Raspberries go on sale Friday at NOON until they sell out. Remember Mom, Gramma, Auntie or a loved one with a delicious gift from locally owned Malley's Chocolates!!

This year's International Film Festival was a smashing success--the largest ever! The Development Director at the Cleveland Film Society says 66,476 people attended the festival --figures up 27 percent from last year and up 89 percent from 2003.

The House of Swing will be celebrating their 32nd anniversary on May 30th, 2009. They are located at 4490 Mayfield Road in South Euclid. Owner Linda Kallie puts on a great party every year thanking all her patrons for their support. Pop in for Linda's delicious buffet, giveaways, live music, and a toast to Linda's husband, Lou, who got the whole thing rolling 32 years ago! This year Allan Greene with Mr. Stress will dazzle you as they rock the joint all night long! Stop in and dance the night away.

The 2nd World Alpaca Conference is being held right here in Cleveland, Ohio from June 3rd thru the 7th at the I-X Center. Believe it or not, Northeast Ohio has a number of Alpaca Farms. Last year I featured Alpha Omega Alpacas. I learned some interesting tidbits about the Alpaca world! I can only imagine how exciting and amazing the upcoming conference will be!

And last, but certainly not least, our very own Iron Chef, Michael Symon received a tremendous honor this week: The James Beard Award. It is the "Oscar" of the cooking world. He was named best chef in the Great Lakes Region. Something we ALREADY knew!!! Congratulations Michael!!!!

I hope you enjoyed my trip down memory lane highlighting and updating some of my more memorable Hidden Gems of the past...which keep making history in the here and now!!! THAT is why these are Hidden Gems near and dear to my heart! Hopefully yours too!!!!!

Pledge for Pets UPDATE!

Our friends at the Cleveland APL would like to thank all of the generous Clevelanders who participated in and made donations during last week's radiothon. They would also like to thank everyone at Q104 for all their support during the two-day radiothon.

There were 60 pets adopted while the radiothon was in progress...and one-hundred seventy thousand dollars was raised during the Pledge for Pets Radiothon for the Cleveland APL! The dedicated folks at the Cleveland APL say this outpouring shows that Clevelanders believe that 'animals do matter!'

Weekly Feature: Hidden Gems

Today's Hidden Gem: Cleveland APL!

Cleveland has a plethora of local organizations which help those in our area who can not help themselves. It's also proven and on record that whenever there is a national or natural disaster, Clevelanders gladly open their pocket books, volunteer their time, or even travel to whichever locale needs help!

The Cleveland Animal Protective League helps man's best friend and so many other animals who just can't speak for themselves!

The APL was incorporated back in 1913 and has been providing assistance to our local pets ever since. Their mantra: Adopt, Protect, Love! Being a non-profit humane society, the APL relies heavily on generous community assistance and the help & sponsorship of individuals and organizations to keep their hopes and dreams alive!

Many may think of the APL as a place where abandoned or stray pets wind up, and though that is true, the APL does so much more!

1. Adopt out pets they receive--in 2007, they placed almost 6,000 animals with new owners! They never give up and when space is limited, use their foster families to hold animals while they continue looking for a good owner.



2. Treat sick and injured animals. Contributors to the Second Chance Fund assist with this program.



3. Spay and Neuter--they have a new spay and neuter clinic which offers low-cost spay and neuter surgery to low-income owners as well as surgery for animal welfare groups, rescue groups, shelters, and others in need.



4. Screen dogs for heartworm



5. Screen cats for feline leukemia and FIV



6. Vaccinate all animals over 3 months old for rabies

The APL gets their need and their story out to the local media on a regular basis. Every Friday at 6am on Channel 3 News Today, Hollie Strano highlights adoptable dogs in her Doggone Weather segment. Every Friday on Good Company, Amy Hafner is LIVE with adoptable dogs. The APL also appears periodically on the Channel 3 weekend morning show with pets needing a good home.


The APL holds various events throughout the year to raise funds for their cause, their programs. One such event is HERE! The annual Pledge for Pets Radiothon on Q104 kicks off Friday, May 9th at 6am. It goes until 6pm and then starts up again Saturday, May 10th from 10am until 4pm.

The Q104 morning show team of Wilde and Fee will broadcast LIVE from the APL. I have tuned in every year and have heard absolutely heart wrenching, unbelievable stories of situations these animals have endured. Stories about abused, mistreated animals who have overcome as well as the heroes who rescued and nursed them back to life.

Last year's radiothon raised more than $126,000 and placed 125 animals.

If you are an animal lover or love helping out with good causes in your hometown, tune in for the 3rd annual Pledge for Pets Radiothon 2008 and you will see why the Cleveland APL is this week's Hidden Gem!

You can certainly get more details about the APL, their animals, the animals you have seen in this story on this blog, their programs, and upcoming events by logging onto http://www.clevelandapl.org/ or calling 216.377.1628.

Pictures and Information Courtesy and with Permission of the Cleveland APL.