Hundreds of Tickets Sold For Effective Leadership Academy’s 2017 Alley Rally Nordson Foundation, Cleveland Clinic and MMI Textiles Sponsor Non-Profit Youth Leadership Development Fundraiser WARRENSVILLE HEIGHTS, OH. October 31, 2017 — Doors will open this Saturday at 5 p.m. at Corner Alley- Uptown at University Circle for Effective Leadership Academy’s (ELA) 3rd Annual Alley Rally. This event is an effort to raise dollars for the ELA Scholarship Fund, providing leadership and life skills programming to undeserved students and school districts. Join 200 educators, alumni, community and philanthropic partners while enjoying a night of bowling, catered buffet, and refreshments. Many thanks goes to this year’s top Alley Rally sponsors: Nordson Foundation, MMi Textiles, and the Cleveland Clinic. Over summer, ELA was honored to have impacted 70 students through the 2017 Cleveland Clinic Louis Stokes Workplace Readiness Internship Leadership Bootcamp, preparing them for the huge transition from high school setting into career setting. At this year’s Alley Rally, ELA will honor its 2017 Education Partner of the Year, Mr. George Golden, Director of Closing the Achievement Gap (CTAG) for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. He will join ELA’s 2016 Philanthropic Partner of the Year, Cecilia Render of the Nordson Foundation as ELA prepares for its 10-year anniversary celebration in 2018. “What’s truly great about this fundraiser is that ii brings ELA’s funders together with the students they are investing in,” said Flo Brett, Founder and Executive Director of ELA. “Our alumni get the chance to have one-on-one conversations with the high level executives that believed in their potential. The best part is seeing those students be able to give those possible employers a firm handshake, look them in the eye and present themselves professionally. We are so proud of our students and are gracious for the generosity of all of our Alley Rally sponsors.” Alley Rally will feature a silent auction with more than $2000 in prizes including, two tickets to see Wicked at Playhouse Square, 4 tickets to a Cavaliers vs Orlando Magic game in January, and a special Caribbean getaway. There will also be a special “Wine Pull” where you could win hundreds of dollars worth of wine with only a $10 donation. Tickets to the event and sponsorship opportunities are still available. Becoming a 2017 Alley Rally sponsor can impact the lives of up to 25 students by providing them with financial assistance to attend ELA programming, as well as other benefits. Tickets and sponsorships can be purchased at effectivela.org/2017alleyrally. For more information, contact Director of Operations Sue Zawacki at sue@effectivela.org. About Effective Leadership Academy | 17,000+ Alumni Can’t Be Wrong ELA is a youth leadership and personal growth organization that helps young people turn potential into performance by developing their most valuable assets – themselves. ELA promotes positive leadership by teaching students to think outside the box, have an open mind, and embrace change. ELA will also work with students on professional skills, such as making a good first impression, communicating effectively, learning how to network, along with other essential 21st Century leadership skills. ELA has 17,000+ student alumni and more than 120 school and community partners. Lane sponsors include EMC Precision, Fine Line Communications, Thompson Hine LLP, MAC's Performance Coaching, LTD, Huntington, CoVest Sourcing Network and Yopko Penhallurick LLC. Learn more about ELA by visiting www.effectivela.org