Effective Leadership Academy ffective Leadership Academy (ELA) exists to help young people develop their most valuable asset – themselves. They believe leaders are made, not born; and with that concept in mind, are committed to supporting and developing the leaders of tomorrow. Founded in 2008, ELA serves the needs of students from 5th grade to young adulthood by providing essential life-skills development during these most formative years. Executive director Flo Brett strongly believes that your thoughts, values and beliefs create your reality; they form the attitudes that drive your behavior. “If you want better results, you have to change the behavior that drives them,” she says. “ELA challenges young people to take an internal look at themselves and strive on a daily basis to become a little better than the day before.” ELA equips students with an essential 21st century toolkit that assists them on a self-led journey toward success in college, in the workplace and in everyday life. Its experientiallybased programs cultivate the skills experts deem essential for life-long success: moral and ethical leadership and self-leadership; self-regulation and individual accountability; higher level and creative thinking; self-empowerment; goal setting and attainment; healthy behaviors and life balance; interpersonal and communication skills; work ethic, grit and perseverance; team dynamics and team roles; competitive and collaborative behaviors; networking and self-presentation skills; and project management. ELA started in the Beachwood incubator program in 2008 with 30 students and has grown to include more than 7,500 student alumni, and has partnered with 72 schools and community organizations in northeast Ohio. E Menorah Park Center for Senior Living or more than a century and within a framework of Jewish values, Menorah Park Center for Senior Living has remained steadfast in its tradition of providing vital, quality services to help people stay healthy, safe and happy throughout the aging process. They are dedicated to personalized care and a standard of excellence with a strong national reputation of innovation, and act as a model for care facilities and programs around the country. Continuous forward thinking helps assure they will be able to meet the needs of the community’s seniors long into the future. Menorah Park provides senior care and advocacy by helping persons in need and by giving back to the community. The Aging Resources Center (ARC), developed four years ago, extends Menorah Park’s values and mission of promoting healthy aging with up-to-date research, helpful tips, open lines of communication and easy access to information and services. Its Quarterly Dinner Conversations provide valuable information to seniors and the general community through education, opportunities for involvement and collaboration with experts and community professionals. Through Observation Stay, Menorah Park’s advocacy efforts ensure that seniors’ best interests are represented in policy and in practice. For more than 100 years, Menorah Park has seen first-hand what their elderly need, and they continue to be there for them and help them remain engaged in their own health and wellness. Both initiatives, Aging Resources and Observation Stay, were recently awarded by LeadingAge Ohio for Excellence in Communication and Social Commitment respectively. F CITIZEN OF THE YEAR / Gayle Hochheiser ayle Hochheiser has been a proud resident of Beachwood for 20 years. When her eldest daughter, now 32, was young, she made a lifetime commitment to do as much as possible to support our schools and community. In doing so, she became a role model for her girls and recognized that that Beachwood provided the foundation for them to become successful, strong, philanthropic young women. Hochheiser’s civic involvement includes: Member of the Beachwood Arts Council, Beachwood 100 and Fairmount Temple Sisterhood; past member of Beachwood Boosters, Friends of the Beachwood Library and multiple Beachwood Schools’ committees, including Beachwood Boosters (track, cheerleading, volleyball, Drama Club, Beachwood Elementary, Middle School and High School PTOs, Bryden Publishing Center, school levy support and After Proms. Hochheiser was also chair of the following committees: Elementary PTO, Kids Care; multiple bake sales; Innisbrook fundraiser; Community PTO, Membership committee; and Beachwood Schools Foundation Scholarship, 2009-2014. G She also served on the board at Fairmount Temple, as Community PTO president (2005-2009), and as trustee (2008-14) and president (2013-14) on the Beachwood Schools Foundation. Hochheiser’s favorite and most meaningful contribution to our community has been taking charge of the Beachwood Community PTO Garage Sale, which is by far the district’s largest fundraiser, raising between $15,000 and $20,000 each year. She was part of the initial development committee in 1999 and chaired the sale from 2003-2010. Each year, the garage sale is a massive, community-wide effort that draws thousands of people to Beachwood. “Chairing the event has been one of the most meaningful parts of my life – meeting and working with so many dedicated citizens and students and being able to present gifts to our schools that would not otherwise have been possible,” Hochheiser said. “The garage sale also afforded me the opportunity to meet shoppers from outside of Beachwood. Seeing the same families from year to year, watching their children grow, and meeting the newest family members were particularly special to me. I also believe that the Garage Sale gave those from outside the area an opportunity to see Beachwood and its residents in a way that they never had before.” Hochheiser always pledged to give as much back to our community in an effort to express her appreciation. Furthermore, she cherished this time and felt that by involving her daughters every step of the way, her dedication to our community was passed along to the next generation of Hochheisers. Hochheiser and her husband, Al, have two daughters, Lesli and Morgan, both Beachwood High School graduates. Lesli is now 32 and Morgan is 24. C ongratulations to all finalists and winners, all who make contributions, making Beachwood stronger. Fitness Challenge Winners from Sports & Spine Physical Therapy and DDR: Leon Anderson III, Kristin Camp, Excel McClain, Phil Smith (DDR) and Andre Russell. 10 Beachwood Buzz n June 2015