What We Do
At the Lorain County Urban League, we are dedicated to a multifaceted approach aimed at fostering economic empowerment, expanding educational opportunities, and safeguarding civil rights for the underserved populations in our community.
Our comprehensive programs are crafted to offer tangible, effective, and tailored solutions that empower individuals and families with the resources, skills, and access necessary to thrive.
Through targeted initiatives, strategic partnerships, and unwavering advocacy, we strive to break down barriers and create pathways to success for all members of our community.
Our Programs and Services
Road to Success College Tour
We take forty plus students in grades 10 and 11 from Lorain County on the Road to Success College Tour. Our mission is to prepare our youth for college, career and life. We believe in exposing youth to an array of colleges and universities: urban, rural public, private, and historically black institutions.
Rising Star Medical Internship Program
This program exposes high school juniors and seniors to the expansive field of medicine while enhancing their skills in teamwork, leadership, and professionalism. Throughout the program, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of a clinical setting and also gain insight on underlying concepts such as patient-provider interactions and the health care system. Partnered with Bon Secours Mercy Health.
Youth Development Workshops
Our children are part of the next generation of leaders – and as they grow into adults, they will need the necessary tools to thrive and succeed. To help them on their journey, we provided workshops in several areas from college readiness to career speakers.
Project Ready Mentor
Project Ready Mentor helps students progress academically, socially and intellectually through enrichment opportunities, and develop important skills and attitudes with guidance of a trained mentor. The program specifically targets 10th grade high school African Americans, and other underserved youth, who are particularly vulnerable to disengagement from school, community, and the workforce. To learn more information email
Financial Empowerment
When you’re on top of your money, life is good. Workshops help participants increase their financial well-being, receive easy to use budgeting tools, and tips on improving your credit. Personalized free credit consultations available on request.
Emergency Assistance Programs
Rental/Mortgage Assistance Program (RMAP). These programs are specifically for those affected by the coronavirus. Contact intake@lcul.org to schedule an intake appointment. We currently DO NOT have any funding for EAP.
Home Ownership Program
We are a HUD Certified agency. Our Home Ownership Program helps community members achieve and sustain successful home ownership through a variety of classes, workshops, one-to-one coaching and support.
Project Wellness
Our goal is to increase health literacy, health access, and understaning of the social determinants of health for people of color in Lorain County.
Voter & Civic Engagement
Voter registration, voter education and community forums on topics that impact African American and low income communities.
Equity and Excellence Project
Creating opportunities for meaningful student, parent, and stakeholder engagement to build a sense of agency and efficacy that can drive local education reform/innovation by building a more robust set of stakeholders and developing effective advocates, including both parents and students, for our areas of emphasis.
Advocacy
The need for community-based advocacy has become more urgent as state and local governments assert a more direct role in such critical issues as workforce development, healthcare, and education. We work with The Washington Bureau to focus on policy and advocacy that push for greater resources and more effective policies to advance economic and social equality.
On The Same Page, Lorain County
On The Same Page, Lorain County is the Urban League's signature racial equity program. While reading Robin DiAngelo's White Fragility and participating in small discussion groups participants learn to recognize how the system of racism shapes our lives, how we uphold that system, and how we might interrupt it.
Entrepreneurship
We host the Minority Business Assistance Center (MBAC). Supporting aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners to launch and grow a small business enterprise through training and coaching resources. Please email our Small Business Advisor rbrown@ulcleveland.org to schedule an appointment
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Serving Our Streets
The SOS Violence Intervention initiative aims to reduce violence using disease control and behavior change methods through detecting and interrupting potentially violent situations, identify and change the thinking and behavior of the highest risk transmitters, and changing group norms that support and perpetuate the use of violence. For more information email alee@lcul.org.
Read and Rise Family Literacy
The Read and Rise program provides families, with children 0-8 year olds, hands-on strategies for building literacy at home, reinforces the fact that caregivers are their child's first and most important teacher, and builds text-rich environments at home by providing take-home books and other caregiver resources for families who participate in the program. The Urban League will provide FREE dinner and FREE childcare for 2+ during the six-week workshop series. For more information email coach@lcul.org.
Fighting Back Against COVID-19
The past year has been hard on all of us. Between living day-to-day not knowing how to protect ourselves from COVID-19, being isolated from friends and family, and not knowing when life would return to normal – it felt like we lost a year of our lives.
What if we told you that the end is in sight and there's a way to get your life back on track. Researchers from around the globe, including many who look like us, spent months developing and testing a vaccine to protect us from COVID-19 and spreading it on to others. Learn more about what's possible through getting vaccinated and the options available to you.
Fighting Back Against COVID-19
The past year has been hard on all of us. Between living day-to-day not knowing how to protect ourselves from COVID-19, being isolated from friends and family, and not knowing when life would return to normal – it felt like we lost a year of our lives.
What if we told you that the end is in sight and there's a way to get your life back on track. Researchers from around the globe, including many who look like us, spent months developing and testing a vaccine to protect us from COVID-19 and spreading it on to others. Learn more about what's possible through getting vaccinated and the options available to you.
What's in the Vaccine?
If you're worried about the COVID-19 vaccine giving you COVID, you don't have to. The vaccine was developed without using the live virus to avoid causing serious illness and reactions. In fact, the most common side effects of this vaccine are pain where patients receive an injection, fatigue, and headaches. Prior to receiving a vaccine, you are asked about your allergies to avoid serious reactions and each person is monitored closely for 15 to 20 minutes after each dose.
For more information on what's in each individual vaccine read more below.
More About the Vaccine
We've developed this list of FAQs to help you learn more about the vaccine.
What is the COVID-19 vaccine?
COVID-19 is a novel coronavirus that has claimed the lives of over half a million Americans. To prevent the spread of the virus, public health officials began to invest in developing a vaccine. Today there are plenty of options to protect yourself and your loved ones from the virus.
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