Earlier this week, an explosion and fire tore through the Rainbow Terrace Apartments on Garden Valley Avenue on Cleveland’s East Side. In seconds, families lost their homes, belongings, and the stability they had built over years. This was not an isolated incident – it happened in a neighborhood that has long been home to Cleveland Metropolitan School District and Say Yes Cleveland students and families. A place deeply woven into the fabric of this city.
The Garden Valley Community has always represented strength – resilience shaped by generations of community care and collective effort. But right now, it needs more than hope. It needs us.
If you or someone you know was impacted, our Family Support Specialists are here to help. Find yours here: https://sayyescleveland.org/support-services/my-support-team/
We encourage families to connect with the Family Support Specialist at your respective school. Please also see below for a list of businesses and organizations offering immediate support.
Burten, Bell, Carr Development, Incorporated and WOVU 95.9 FM BBC Community Radio are opening their doors to collect clothes, shoes, hygiene products and even toys. (7201 Kinsman Rd, Cleveland, OH 44104)
If you know of individuals who wish to donate to the Red Cross, which is also helping the displaced families at a temporary shelter at Zelma Watson George Recreation Center, visit redcross.org/donate.
What happens next – how we show up, how we listen, how we respond together – matters.
