Elyria Charities Inc. gifts $500,000 to Neighborhood Alliance's capital campaign

The Speidel family, the driving force behind Elyria Charities Inc., has pledged $500,000 to Neighborhood Alliance Inc.'s capital campaign. Elyria Charities Inc.'s board, which includes Bill, Rachel and Teri Speidel, Chris Kelly, Russ Miller, Monica Heath and Detania Jackson, selected Neighborhood Alliance for the charity's largest investment-level grant to date, the organization announced Wednesday. As a result of the gift, four areas of Neighborhood Alliance's recent capital projects will be named for Elyria Charities. They include: Elyria Charities Child Enrichment Center, 3835 Clifton Ave., Lorain; Elyria Charities Community Center, the gymnasium in the former Elyria YMCA at 265 Washington Ave. in Elyria; Elyria Charities Courtyard, at the Haven Center Emergency Shelter, 1536 E. 30thStreet in Lorain; and Elyria Charities Home Visiting Suite, also in the former YMCA at 265 Washington Ave. in Elyria. Elyria Charities Inc.'s purpose "is to support, encourage and advance education in the State of Ohio thereby educating and developing the capabilities of individuals through instruction and recreation; supporting schools and other educational institutions by cultivating clean, wholesome school spirit; wellness; promoting good sportsmanship; and developing high ideals of character," according to its website. It has recently supported multiple programs in Elyria Schools, the Murray Ridge School, Boy Scouts of America, local Kiwanis Clubs, Operation Open Heart, Main Street Elyria, the Elyria Police Department Scholarship Fund and multiple other local and regional efforts. Teri Speidel, executive director of Elyria Charities, said her father Bill "always wanted to start a nonprofit for educational purposes." The Speidel family has been in Elyria for four generations. Bill Speidel's parents moved to town in 1941, and both Bill Speidel (Class of 1961) and his wife Rachel Speidel (Class of 1964) graduated from Elyria High School. So too did Teri, her brother William and sister Wendy. Bill and Rachel Speidel now have 11 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, most of whom are Elyria Schools graduates or current students, according to Elyria Charities. Bill and Rachel Speidel started Elyria Charities Inc. in 2006 with pull tabs. The bingo game allows licensed 501(c)(3) nonprofits to raise charity funds. Bill Speidel has "done very well" ever since, his daughter said, going from hosting bingo events at the Elyria Roll-a-Rink from 2006-2010 and making the first charity donation to Elyria Schools to now gifting $500,000 to Neighborhood Alliance. "Our philanthropy has always been about creating opportunities for children who might otherwise be overlooked," Bill and Rachel Speidel said in statement announcing the Elyria Charities Inc. gift. "Every bicycle, every educational resource we've provided is a chance to spark curiosity and potential in young lives." Neighborhood Alliance caught Elyria Charities Inc.'s eye as its most-recent beneficiary for how closely linked its mission is to helping children and educating them. Teri Speidel said the charity board toured Neighborhood Alliance's facilities and was impressed. The former YMCA in particular "had a lot of potential. It was kind of a significant place for us, we grew up there as children, and they had quite a few programs we had interest in funding," she said. "The decision was easy after that," Teri Speidel said. Neighborhood Alliance is in the midst of a six-phase capital campaign to repair, renovate "and reimagine" three separate locations. The work includes a 9,000 square-foot, $3.2 million expansion of the Haven Center Emergency Shelter in Lorain, which first opened in 1992. Meanwhile, at the former Elyria YMCA, the agency is renovating renovate the gymnasium to create a community center that will serve multiple needs. The investment puts Neighborhood Alliance just $150,000 away from its Match Campaign goal This year, an anonymous donor pledged to match $1 for every $3 donated through Dec. 31, with the goal of hitting $1 million. With $500,000 from Elyria Charities and more from other donors, Neighborhood Alliance needs just $150,000 to unlock an additional $250,000, the organization said in a news release. Donations may be made at MyNeighborhoodAlliance.org/Million-Dollar-Match. Neighborhood Alliance and its predecessors have provided emergency shelter, homeless outreach, daily meal delivery for seniors, nutrition services, family services like Help Me Grow and child enrichment programs in Lorain County since 1927. "We are honored that Elyria Charities has chosen to invest significantly in the future of Neighborhood Alliance," CEO Alicia Foss said in the news release. "Their support extends beyond Elyria, including notable projects like the courtyard at the Haven Shelter and our child care center in Lorain, which directly impact children in our community."Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com.