Phillis Wheatley Association
After moving to Cleveland in 1905, Jane Edna Hunter was rejected by the YWCA because of her race and struggled to find work. After finding her feet and working as a nurse, Hunter founded the Working Girls Home Association in 1911, which she renamed the Phillis Wheatley Association (PWA) in 1913. The PWA served as a resource for young black women relocating to Cleveland from the South for a better life in what is known as the Great Migration. It provided housing, employment, job training, social activities, and educational services. Hunter named her settlement house after the celebrated slave poet, Phillis Wheatley. Wheatley died at age 31 after a tumultuous life of loss, but also of love and resilience. It was her poetic justice that was the focus of the 100th Anniversary in 2011 and continues to inspire the organization today. From its original 23-room boarding house, the Phillis Wheatley Association has grown into a nine-story community hub. Programs such as the Josephine Kohler Day Care, Camp Mueller, and the Swinging Seniors serve the community with compassion.
United Black Fund
Eliza Bryant Village
Eliza Simmons Bryant created the Cleveland Home for Aged Colored People almost 122 years ago, making it the oldest long-term care facility founded by an African American in this country. Bryant recognized a need for senior care in post- Civil War Cleveland, and was finally able to incorporate the organization in 1896. In 1960, reorganization created the Eliza Bryant Home for the Aged (now Village). This work was made possible by philanthropic gifts from area organizations such as the Forest City Hospital Foundation and the United Black Fund. Over the decades, EBV has expanded facilities to accommodate more residents and offer amenities like meditation. physical fitness, a full kitchen, and games such as Wii bowling. Today, Eliza Bryant Village is working to open a Senior Justice Center with the State of Ohio that will support survivors of violence and abuse. A new facility will provide specialized care for these seniors and create a foundation and data source to assist similar organizations in fighting this growing issue. EBV is a community anchor. Together with roughly 300 volunteers, the over 260 employees serve more than 1200 residents on 17 acres in the heart of Cleveland, and the future is bright.
