United Way Services of Geauga County

10/23/2026

Need help choosing a Medicare plan for 2027? The Geauga County Aging & Disability Resource Center can help adults 60 and older and people living with disabilities review and compare plans, look for lower costs or better coverage, and set up a Medicare.gov account. Our counselor is trained through the State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) and offers free in-person and phone appointments.

Medicare Open Enrollment runs through December 7, and plans change every year, so it’s worth a fresh look even if you’re happy with your current coverage. November appointments are still available, but they’re filling up.

Call 216-436-2048 to schedule.

10/22/2026

Today, we hosted the Ohio United Way Northeast Ohio Regional Meeting. Thank you to everyone who joined us, and to our partners at United Way, United Way of Licking County, United Way of Greater Toledo, United Way of Summit & Medina, United Way of Greater Lorain County, and United Way Wayne and Holmes Counties for sharing what’s working across our region. When we learn from each other, more families move from crisis to stability to opportunity

10/15/2026

Our VP of Community Impact, Jenn Kons, joined 211 leaders from across the country at United Way Worldwide’s 211 Leadership Summit to dig into network strategy, policy, innovation, and new ways to meet community needs like housing and utility assistance.

It was a great opportunity to connect with other Ohio 211 leaders and strategize about how we can keep connecting Geauga county residents to the right help at the right time.

10/14/2026

Congratulations, Cleveland State University! 💚

The new Cleveland State Commitment will put a $0-tuition degree within reach for Ohio students under an AGI threshold of $125K. That includes the more than 1 million ALICE households (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed), who earn above the poverty line but not enough to afford the essentials. This is the kind of bridge from crisis to possibility we work toward every day at United Way of Greater Cleveland.

10/08/2026

United Way offers the right help at the right time to hardworking families as they build stability and work toward greater possibility. We do this in four ways:

• United Way 211 connects people to community resources
• Our partnerships and initiatives strengthen local solutions
• Employer-based solutions brings coaching and support to the workplace
• Our public policy advocacy addresses barriers like the Benefits Cliff

See how it all fits together in our impact strategy blog: https://www.unitedwaycleveland.org/from-crisis-to-possibility-understanding-united-ways-impact-strategy/

10/07/2026

There is still time to request a vote-by-mail ballot!
➡️ submit a request before Oct 27
📨 look for the absentee ballot application in your mail
📆 ballots must ARRIVE on or before election day, Nov 3
✅ everyone is eligible for a mail-in ballot
Learn more:

GEAUGA COUNTY Absentee Voting

09/24/2026

Please join us in congratulating Ira Kaplan on his election as the next Board Chair of United Way of Greater Cleveland.

Kaplan, Executive Chairman of Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP, brings nearly 30 years of United Way volunteer leadership to the role — from joining our Collaborative Action Fund in 1999, to co-chairing our Annual Campaign, to serving on five board committees today. His two-year term runs through September 2028.

He succeeds Vanessa Whiting, President and CEO of A.E.S. Management Corporation, whose three years of board leadership sharpened United Way's focus on upward mobility for working families.

Welcome, Ira! Join us in celebrating his leadership.

09/22/2026

Today we are celebrating Vanessa L. Whiting for three years of dedicated service as Board Chair of United Way of Greater Cleveland.

Under her leadership, we grounded our strategy in data — sharpening our understanding of the growing gap between wages and the cost of living — and helped focus our work on families who are working hard but still can't afford the basics. Vanessa also led development of our first strategic plan in six years, helped establish a new framework for when and how United Way speaks out on the issues that matter most, and built the strategy that's bringing Greater Cleveland's middle market companies into deeper partnership with United Way.

We're grateful for everything Vanessa brought to her term as Board Chair, and excited to announce she will be stepping into another leadership role, co-chairing our new Middle Market Task Force.

Join us in saying thank you to Vanessa for her work strengthening United Way and the Greater Cleveland community.

Read more about her legacy:
https://www.unitedwaycleveland.org/celebrating-the-leadership-of-vanessa-whiting-board-chair-2023-2026/

09/21/2026

We're thrilled to welcome four new interns to the United Way family: Kaycee, Kayce, Brianna, and Kelsea, all students at Saint Martin de Porres High School! 🎉

Here's to a great year of learning, growing, and making a difference together.

09/17/2026

In Geauga County, 55% of renters who can't afford the basics, even while working, spend a third or more of their income on rent.

These are people under the United For ALICE threshold, the income a household needs to cover basics like housing, food, and transportation.

A high rent burden leaves little room in the monthly budget for food, utilities, transportation, or health care, and even less room to absorb an unexpected expense or a reduced work schedule. For many households, that's the difference between weathering a setback and falling behind.

Learn more: https://www.unitedwaycleveland.org/why-so-many-working-households-struggle-to-keep-up-with-rent/