​ACT (Answering the Call Together) is taking a truckload of volunteers and supplies to help victims of Hurricane Harvey.  The truck leaves from Norwalk at 5am on Wednesday, August 30th.

To support ACT's mission in Texas this week, volunteer soapmakers from Christie Lane Industries (CLI Inc.) donated $100 from the proceeds of local soap sales.  These CLI volunteers meet up each week to make handmade boutique bars of custom scented soaps that they sell at area businesses.  The volunteers donate 100% of the proceeds of these sales to local charitable initiatives.  They also donated a few bars of soap to travel with ACT to go to hurricane victims & will make a custom gift basket for ACT's September fundraiser.  On hand to accept the money for ACT was David Wallace.  

Anyone interested in more information about ACT can email David Wallace at dave@trustdavidwallace.com.  Anyone interested in helping or learning more about CLI's local volunteerism can contact Kerrie Close at Kerrie@christielane.com.

CLI (Community, Life, & Innovation) purchased its second uptown Norwalk property on Friday.
CLI​ will renovate the first floor of 38 W. Seminary St. to provide community-based services ​and activities. ​The second floor will be renovated as offices. CLI intends to devote the vacant lot at 36 W. Seminary St. to outdoor public events.

CLI is especially excited about partnering with ​the city and other local businesses to expand events at and around nearby Suhr Park, CEO John Schwartz said.

"Providing more and new community resources to the overall community benefits people with disabilities too — especially because it creates new networks," Schwartz said.

CLI's project budget is $225,000 (including $50,000 for the initial purchase) and ​is being ​financed through Civista Bank
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CLI previously purchased and renovated the storefront at 16 W. Main St. in Norwalk.

Both projects are part of CLI's strategic plan to expand the scope of its traditional mission to include community development.
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For more information or to find out how to partner with CLI on this or ​future projects, email community@christielane.com.​

​Article from the Norwalk Reflector

​Attached are a few pictures from Norwalk Furniture & Christie Lane Industries' Haunted House Food Drive from last Thursday, 10/27/16.
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​More than 700 kids and adults came through last Thursday night & donated 757 pounds of non-perishable food items!

Thanks to everyone who helped and who donated!

Our workers were recently featured on the Norwalk Reflector website.  See additional pictures HERE 

We are pleased to announce the launch of our brand new website! This site is the result of a team of internal staff members and several area residents working together over the past 3 months.  

The website design and development was completed by Jennifer Smith of Norwalk.  Keely Grant of Milan, volunteered her time to take many photos for the website. 

Our internal crew who assisted with ideas, content, photography and their time include:  Holly Binkley, Lisa Cossin, Rebekah Magee, Jaime Perry, John Schwartz, Jen Swicker, and Julie Tyler.  

Our goal with this new site is to provide our visitors an easy way to learn about our services,  our employees and highlight our busy life in the nonprofit sector.  We hope you find the new website is easy to use and is informative!  

As the saying goes, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”  The employees at Christie Lane Industries, the sheltered workshop operated by the Huron County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities in this northern Ohio community, have a different take on that adage. When the going got tough, the tough elected to make stylish ceramic tiles.

The economic downturn has been difficult for Christie Lane and other sheltered workshops around the state.  As industrial and manufacturing companies left Ohio, so did the jobs they supplied to the sheltered workshops. Many struggled to keep employees with disabilities busy.