For someone who doesn’t like to be in the spotlight, Maelene Myers has been nothing short of a lighthouse in the East End community for more than two decades. And for Sojourner House MOMS, Myers has played a pivotal decision-making role forming and developing Sojourner House MOMS since it opened in 2004. As a matter of fact, Myers, who is Executive Director of East Liberty Development, Inc. has sat at the helm of the Sojourner House MOMS board as its president for a decade. She plans to step down from that role after next week’s MOMS board meeting adjourns.
When asked why she has taken on Sojourner House MOMS as a decades-long project she holds close to her heart, Highland Park resident Myers said the following:
“Providing safe and stable housing is very important during recovery. The fact that this is permanent housing, which creates even more stability, allows the family to heal on their timeline and not with those restrictions set by other programs, due to short-term funding criteria,” said Myers.
Myers, a Cleveland native, has worked at ELDI for 22 years, and her stellar reputation often proceeds her, as an article commemorating her time at ELDI exhibits. Accolade after accolade for her many projects – from low-profile to very high-profile — to improve Sojourner House MOMS, East Liberty and the surrounding areas made choosing Myers as Sojourner House’s 2019 Pearl of Hope recipient an easy decision to make.
“Maelene Myers has been a vital instrument in creating and sustaining Sojourner House MOMS, a program that provides housing and services to families in recovery. Without her commitment and gifts of her time, 42 families would not have the beautiful apartments that we call “MOMS” – Motivation, Opportunity, Mentoring and Spirituality,” said Sojourner House Executive Director Joann Cyganovich. “She has served for many years and our community is so grateful for the lives she has changed. The opportunity to succeed has been provided for future generations to come through her work.”