FutureHeights is thrilled to share that our recent fundraiser on July 18 at the Heights Theater raised more than $25,000 to support our mission of building vibrant, engaged, and equitable communities in Cleveland Heights and University Heights.
We are deeply grateful to everyone who attended, donated, sponsored the event, bid in the auction, volunteered, or helped make the evening such a success. Your generosity demonstrates the tremendous commitment our community has to creating strong neighborhoods and a thriving local economy.
The funds raised will support FutureHeights’ work to engage residents, strengthen neighborhood leadership, support local businesses, expand housing opportunities, and publish the Heights Observer, our community-driven newspaper. Together, these programs help connect neighbors, foster civic participation, and create lasting positive change throughout our community.
This event was more than a fundraiser—it was a celebration of the people who care deeply about Cleveland Heights and University Heights and believe in working together to build an even stronger future.
Thank you for investing in our mission and for helping FutureHeights continue this important work. We look forward to seeing what we can accomplish together in the year ahead.
How does public school funding really work? Join FutureHeights for a crowdsourced conversation that will explore the mechanics of school funding, including property taxes, state aid, and other revenue sources. We’ll also discuss the vital role public schools play in strengthening our community and examine how perceptions of school quality influence where people choose to live.
The event will take place Thursday, July 30 from 6-7:30 at the Noble Road Library, 2800 Noble Rd., Cleve. Hts 44121.
Cleveland Heights is home to a rich mix of public, private, and parochial schools, giving families a range of educational options. But for those seeking strong public schools, how do perception and reality shape decisions about where to raise a family?
Leading the discussion will be Susie Kaeser, a public school advocate for more than 50 years, and Dan Heintz, who has served on the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Board of Education for more than nine years. Together, they will help demystify school funding and facilitate an important conversation about the future of public education in our community.
2026 Heights Music Hop
Please save the date for the 2026 Music Hop, scheduled for Aug. 28-30, 2026!
The Annual Heights Music Hop is a one-of-a-kind festival that brings together local musicians and businesses across Cleveland Heights. The event supports local shopping and entrepreneurship while showcasing the community’s vibrant music scene and promoting the Heights as a great place to live, work, and visit.
This event is FREE to attend!
If you have any questions about Heights Music Hop, please email info@futureheights.org.
Interested in performing? Fill out our artist application here.
Want to sign up as a venue? Fill out our venue application form here and make a payment here.
Uniting the Heights – 2026 FutureHeights Annual Benefit
This year’s FutureHeights benefit will take place Saturday, July 18 from 6-10 pm at the Heights Theater, 2781 Euclid Hts. Blvd. Cleve. Hts. OH 44118.
FutureHeights is an independent community development corporation (CDC) serving Cleveland Heights and University Heights. Your support allows us to provide programs such as community leadership development, Crowdsourced Conversations, grants for neighborhood projects, outreach and support for local business owners, housing revitalization projects, and more. We also produce and distribute The Heights Observer community newspaper and sponsor the annual Heights Music Hop festival.
Uniting the Heights Tickets & Sponsorships include cocktail hour with live music, food, two drink tickets per attendee plus a cash bar, and live music and dancing.
Celebrate FutureHeights Person of the Year
Destiny Burns, CLE Urban Winery
FutureHeights Young Person of the Year
Laila Edwards, Olympic medalist
Volunteer of the Year
Bob Landis
and Community Service Award
Keesha Allen, Home Repair Resource Center
The board and staff of FutureHeights welcomes all FutureHeights members to attend our member mixer on Thursday, June 4th from 6:30-8 pm at CLE Urban Winery, 2180 Lee Rd. Cleve. Hts. 44118. You will have a chance to mix and mingle with other supporters, talk with our board of directors and staff, and hear about our upcoming plans for infill housing with Seth Task from Rebuild Cleveland. There will be a cash bar. Light appetizers provided. Please RSVP here. Thanks, and we look forward to seeing you there!
Heights Observer internship
Summer/Fall 2026
The Heights Observer, a community news publication serving Cleveland Heights and University Heights, Ohio, is offering an internship. The focus of the internship is on reporting, writing and editing community news stories for publication.
The Heights Observer intern would be responsible for posting articles about news, activities or issues in Cleveland Heights and University Heights. The articles would be posted on the www.heightsobserver.org website and possibly featured in the monthly print issue.
Activities for the internship include:
Reporting and note taking
- Attending community events and meetings
- Attending city council and government meetings
- Developing ideas for community news stories
- Conducting and transcribing interviews
- Shaping multiple interviews into news stories
Writing
- Drafting community news stories
- Revising stories based on editorial feedback
- Fact checking stories for accuracy and completeness
Editing / content management
- Editing stories for publication
Posting / website updates
- Posting stories to Heights Observer website
- Making other website changes as needed
- Posting stories for the print edition
- Preparing email newsletter
Social media
- Posting stories to social media
This is a valuable, interesting opportunity to work with a community journalism publication serving the diverse, historic communities of Cleveland Heights and University Heights. The candidate will ideally have some reporting and writing experience, and an interest in the community and writing community news.
Time commitment: 8-12 hours per week (flexible).
Outcomes: Intern can earn course credit if applicable. Intern will complete a portfolio of work.
Deadline: Rolling
To apply, please send a cover letter, resume and 2-3 clips to FutureHeights executive director Lee Chilcote at lchilcote@futureheights.org.
The Block by Block program is a matching grant home repair program for homeowners who live in the Cain Park and Cedar Lee neighborhoods.
FutureHeights, Inc. is taking a strategic approach to neighborhood revitalization including the rehabilitation of existing homes as well as partnering with a local firm—Rebuild Cleveland, LLC—on the most significant infill housing program in the City’s history.
These efforts are currently underway in a specific Focus Area of the City, depicted on the map above and generally defined as the residential streets between Cedar Road (to the South), Lee Road (to the West), Mayfield Road (to the North), and South Taylor Road (to the East).
The Block by Block Grant Program builds upon the effort underway by catalyzing investments by qualifying individual property owners with the goal of maximizing the positive impacts of the overall revitalization effort. The Block by Block Grant Program is a matching grant of up to $3,000 for qualifying homeowners residing in the Focus Area that are interested in completing an exterior repair or enhancement of their home.
Our community’s charming residential neighborhoods are one of our greatest assets and preserving the distinct character and architectural features of historic homes throughout these neighborhoods is central to FutureHeights, Inc.’s mission.
Through the Block by Block Grant Program, we are eager to forge a connection with the neighborhood and partner with homeowners on revitalization efforts. We know that our community is strongest when we work together and we are confident that partnering with homeowners throughout the neighborhood will create positive, lasting impacts.
If you are a homeowner in the Focus Area, meet the income eligibility criteria, and have a project you’d like to pursue, we invite you to apply by emailing the application to Lee Chilcote at lchilcote@futureheights.org. Questions? Call 216/320-1423.
FutureHeights recently hired Cindie Pacheco as our new Operations Manager and Steve Presser as our new Community Engagement and Events Manager. Welcome Cindie and Steve! Check out the bios of both below.
Cindie Pacheco
A returning resident who was raised in the community, Cindie Pacheco is thrilled to return home and serve the neighborhood that shaped her as FutureHeights’ Operations Manager. Cindie’s journey began locally at Lopez Bar & Grille during high school, followed by a successful decade in commercial auto insurance. This background instilled a deep understanding of risk management, compliance, and operations. Cindie now channels these skills into supporting FutureHeights’ internal operations and fiscal functions. Since returning home last year, Cindie completed the Neighborhood Leadership Workshop Series with FutureHeights, gaining a firsthand look at the organization’s vital impact and inspiring a dedication to its long-term stability. Cindie is also an active community volunteer, serving on the board of the Friends of the Heights Library. In her new role, she focuses on ensuring the organization’s operational infrastructure remains reliable and continues to facilitate a vibrant and sustainable future for Cleveland Heights and University Heights.
Steve Presser
Steve Presser was born and raised in his family’s first and only home in University Heights, where they lived for nearly 50 years. Steve’s wife, Debbie Apple-Presser, also grew up in University Heights, where her family lived for nearly 60 years. Debbie and Steve were both legacy Cleveland Heights High graduates, as were their 3 children. Coventry Village has been their home for nearly 44 years. In 1990, Steve created Big Fun, a mom-and-pop nostalgia-based toy and gift store and operated it for nearly 28 years. Steve was a founding board member of the Coventry Village Special Improvement District. Nearly 30 years ago, he was part of the Cleveland Heights Visioning Committee, which led to the formation of the Heights Arts Collaborative, and he remains an active board member of Heights Arts and was a past board president. Steve is also a founding member of the Siegel and Shuster Society, which was established in 2007 with the mission to honor Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, two kids from Glenville who created Superman. Multiple other community and social action groups have been part of Steve’s life as well. He is proud to have created Wild Wacky Wednesday many years ago, where live local bands were featured. It was replaced by Wade Oval Wednesday, which became the place to be on Wednesday nights during the summer. Steve also created Movies in the Park at the Coventry Peace Park, along with Yoga in the Park and the Coventry Drum Circle, which still takes place on Sunday evenings all summer long. For a dozen years or so, Debbie and Steve have hosted backyard summer concerts and also living room concerts in their home. Steve looks forward to working with community members on the revered Heights Music Hop, community events, and other unique programs that Future Heights known for bringing to the community.
NOTE: THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED DUE TO A CONFLICT WITH THE STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS HOSTED BY MAYOR JIM PETRAS. STAY TUNED FOR MORE UPDATES!
The board and staff of FutureHeights welcomes all FutureHeights members to attend our member mixer on Thursday, April 30th from 6:30-8 pm at CLE Urban Winery, 2180 Lee Rd. Cleve. Hts. 44118. You will have a chance to mix and mingle with other supporters, talk with our board of directors and staff, and hear about our collaborative plans for new infill housing with special guest Seth Task from Rebuild Cleveland. There will be a cash bar. Light appetizers provided. Please RSVP here. Thanks, and we look forward to seeing you there!
Earth Day: Cleveland Heights Climate Forward
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2026, 6-7:30 pm
Cleveland Heights Community Center, 1 Monticello Blvd, Cleveland, OH 44118
FutureHeights is hosting our next Crowdsourced Conversation on Earth Day in partnership with the City of Cleveland Heights. The event will take place Wednesday, April 22 from 6:00-7:30 pm at the Cleveland Heights Community Center in the Multipurpose Room/ Senior Activity Space.
FutureHeights is hosting our next Crowdsourced Conversation on Earth Day in partnership with the City of Cleveland Heights. The event will take place Wednesday, April 22 from 6:00-7:30 pm at the Cleveland Heights Community Center in the Multipurpose Room / Senior Activity Space.
Please click here to take the survey.
This survey will close on Monday, April 20th at 11:59pm.
Your responses will help guide the discussion and inform future sustainability efforts advancing the Cleveland Heights Climate Forward: An Action and Resilience Plan in Cleveland Heights.
Read the Cleveland Heights Climate Forward: An Action and Resilience Plan in Cleveland Heights: City of Cleveland Heights Climate Action Plan
