GARFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio — Fifteen months after first meeting the staff at St. John Lutheran Church in Garfield Heights and learning about their storied open gym basketball program, the church has seen one of its dreams come true.

In May 2024, Karen Dutton, Minister of Youth and Family Ministries at the church, told me about plans to one day spruce up the gym, which has served as a safe place for kids, 4th through 8th grade, to hoop it up and build connections for two decades. This gym at St. John Lutheran Church has been a blessing to Garfield Hts. Now it needs an assist.

My original story connected with many in the community, and help poured in.

On Sunday, the church hosted a gym rededication and blessing upon students as leaders prepare for a new season of its open gym basketball nigh

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