Give Cleveland 200: 4 Causes You Can Support This Holiday Season

Though they can be hectic, the holidays are a time for giving. Throughout the Cleveland area, there’s no shortage of opportunities to do just that.

Whether it’s granting wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses, ensuring local families have a hot meal on Thanksgiving or donating gifts to children in foster care, nonprofit organizations around Northeast Ohio certainly know how to keep the spirit alive during the holiday season. 

Here’s a look at a few local organizations’ worthy causes and how Clevelanders can get involved and pay it forward this holiday season.

Pinecrest Wishing Tree

Pinecrest and A Special Wish Northeast Ohio are once again bringing the magic of the holiday season to life through the Pinecrest Wishing Tree, an interactive holiday tree that allows patrons to customize its music and lighting display by donating money through a kiosk set up near the tree. 

Donations typically range from $5 to $20, and proceeds benefit A Special Wish Northeast Ohio’s mission of granting wishes for children up to age 21 who have life-threatening illnesses. 

“Pinecrest was looking to do something whimsical while also raising money for a nonprofit,” says Eileen Lane, executive director of A Special Wish Northeast Ohio. “The tree is a really cool, fun thing for families to experience, and kids absolutely love the power of being the one to light up the tree.”

While Disney World has proven to be one of the most popular wishes for children benefiting from A Special Wish Northeast Ohio, other fulfilled wishes have included backyard playgrounds and therapy pools.

“Whatever the kids want, we try to make it happen for them,” Lane says.

The tree will be activated before the busy shopping season commences on Black Friday.

“It’s really awesome for a giant retail space to want to give back to us, especially with so many amazing local nonprofits in the area,” Lane says. “It’s all very impactful for what we do.” 

Hope for the Holidays

An annual gift program for children and teens in foster care, Hope for the Holidays spreads joy throughout the Cleveland area during the holiday season.

The program serves children and families who currently have an active case with the Cuyahoga County Division of Children and Family Services.

Donations from local entities and individuals allow the organization to give gifts to more than 1,000 recipients, who receive their presents through a drive-thru format in which the gifts are bagged and loaded into trunks.

Those interested in participating can visit Hope for the Holidays’ Target or Amazon gift registries; buy a toy, game or book and bring it to 4261 Fulton Parkway, Cleveland; or write a check payable to “DCFS Hope for the Holidays” and send it to the DCFS c/o Outreach
Department, 3955 Euclid Ave. JEH 350 E, Cleveland, OH 44115.

The deadline for donations is Dec. 8.

For more information, visit click here.

Thanksgiving Heroes

In Northeast Ohio, food insecurity hits home, with nearly 200,000 people not knowing where their next meal will come from, according to Thanksgiving Heroes. These types of problems become magnified during Thanksgiving.

That’s where Thanksgiving Heroes steps in to help save the day. The organization’s goal: No table is left empty when Thanksgiving rolls around.

The organization coordinates volunteers and gathers the resources to buy, assemble and deliver meals, and in doing so, provides Thanksgiving dinners to more than 2,000 local families in need. In 2025, the organization is increasing its goal to 2,250 families served on Thanksgiving. 

Menu items include food typical of a Thanksgiving spread: turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, mac and cheese, rolls and, of course, pumpkin pie. 

Those interested in participating can volunteer their time to assemble the meals or donate money or food products.

To learn more, click here.

HBA’s A Home for the Holidays benefiting Make-A-Wish

It’s all in the name of the Home Builders Association (HBA) of Greater Cleveland’s A Home for the Holidays Home Raffle.

The fundraiser gives participants a chance to win a newly built home or a cash prize.

Proceeds benefit Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana (OKI) and HBA’s Pre-Apprenticeship Certificate Training program, which provides educational opportunities for local students interested in the trades.

Since beginning the initiative in 2020, HBA of Greater Cleveland has raised just under a $1 million for Make A Wish OKI, says Brenda Callaghan, executive director of HBA Greater Cleveland. She adds that each wish typically costs around $10,000.

“We are making wishes come true for kids in our area, right in our own backyard,” says Callaghan. “Being able to grant a wish for these kids is so special. It’s remarkable how much the wish makes a difference in these children’s lives.”

Built by Petros Homes, the 2025 house is located in Richfield.

“This year’s home is a beautiful ranch-style house,”Callaghan says. “Each year, we try to have unique features in the home.”

The home includes the following features:

• Three bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and a spacious three-car garage

• 2,662 square feet of meticulously designed living space

• A tall, vaulted great room that extends out onto a covered, wood finished deck with beams and picturesque wooded views

• A screened-in covered deck featuring an exterior fireplace and porch heaters

• A grilling deck with steps to grade

• A mudroom that includes an extended bench, open lockers and a pet-wash station

• A walk-out basement that’s already prepped with rough-in drains for a future full bath and 9-foot poured concrete walls

• A walk-in pantry with a hidden door and extra cabinet storage

Public tours of the home are available Nov. 15 through Dec. 21 (closed Thanksgiving Day), and the winner will be announced Dec. 24.

Tickets, sold for $100 each, are available at AHomeForTheHolidays.org.