Downtown
If she could afford a car, Antaneshia Fletcher could drive to her job at Bloom Bakery in less than 20 minutes. Instead, she rises at 4:30 am every day so she can spend two hours taking the two bus routes necessary to travel from her home in Euclid to the store near the Cleveland State University campus by 6:30 am.
During a recent afternoon ceremony at the Halle Building, the mood was celebratory and inspiring as five local organizations received $5,000 grants in support of youth-geared initiatives. Even cooler? The benefactors are ambitious, civic-minded high school juniors and seniors who spent nine months serving on United Way of Greater Cleveland's John K. Mott Youth Fund Distribution Committee.
Mention Cleveland sports and the Browns, Cavs, or Indians probably spring to mind. But, if the weeks ahead are any indication, soccer might be ready to join that list. Everywhere you look, the beautiful game is taking off in Northeast Ohio.
Is it possible that the mere mention of free hot wings could alter one’s destiny? For RedHead wines founder Marisa Sergi, the answer to that question was a resounding “Yes.”
When the Cuyahoga River caught fire on June 22, 1969, a 23-year-old Frank G. Jackson had just returned home from his tour of duty in the Vietnam War, and he remembers the eco-catastrophe as being “probably the last thing on [his] mind” at that time. A lot has changed in 50 years, and the now-Mayor of Cleveland is squarely focused on not only the health of the Cuyahoga River, but the city’s sustainability as a whole.
When Lindsay Watson saw how many kids took to the streets to play Pokemon Go, it sparked an idea. In her 13 years working with children with conditions like Down’s Syndrome and cerebral palsy, the pediatric physical therapist often dealt with patients who resisted doing their repetitive and boring physical therapy exercises after leaving her office—but here was a game that inspired kids to ditch the PlayStation for the park without prodding from parents.
Many people think the tunnels under the Soldiers Sailors Monument are secret passageways that lead to other parts of Public Square, but “that’s an urban legend,” according to Tim Daley, the Monument’s executive director. What does lay beneath the Soldiers Sailors Monument—built in 1894 to commemorate the valor and patriotism of 9,000 Cuyahoga County soldiers and sailors who served in the Civil War—is a labyrinth of concentric circles made of unfinished sandstone that Daley likens to European cathedral crypts.
Timothy Gerber started using Percocet and Adderall when he was 15 years old. By the time he was 21, Gerber was addicted to heroin. When he was 24, in February 2015, his mother died of a heroin overdose—and so began Gerber’s own road to recovery at Stella Maris, a drug and alcohol treatment center in Tremont.
When Kent Whitley talks about environmental issues, he doesn’t start with words like “sustainability” or terms like “carbon footprint."
“It’s so hard to talk with these big words. You have to go to the dictionary,” he says with a laugh.
Instead he brings the issues down to earth, to air, and to water.
“I say, ‘The lake is dirty...and it’s affecting you.’”
That kind of bluntness is how Whitley and others plan to convince African Americans that they have a stake in environmental policy.
“It’s so hard to talk with these big words. You have to go to the dictionary,” he says with a laugh.
Instead he brings the issues down to earth, to air, and to water.
“I say, ‘The lake is dirty...and it’s affecting you.’”
That kind of bluntness is how Whitley and others plan to convince African Americans that they have a stake in environmental policy.
Running from March 27 through April 7, the 43rd installment of the Cleveland International Film Festival is in full swing. With a theme of “Welcome,” #CIFF43 is spotlighting 211 feature films and 237 short films representing 71 countries—but even with such a diverse cast of characters, there is no shortage of selections with Cleveland connections.
Most Clevelanders know Gabriella Kreuz as the in-game host for the Cleveland Indians, lighting up Progressive Field with her exuberant antics on the Jumbotron. Brimming with fun-loving spirit and boundless energy, it’s little wonder that she’s proven an instant hit with fans. Off-camera, though, Kreuz devotes those same talents to making the Northeast Ohio community a safer place with "Love Doesn't Shove."
Though minority business owners comprise just 29 percent of the overall economy, minority restaurateurs make up 40 percent of that sector—with that number steadily rising. Cleveland’s own culinary scene has also made strides in supporting minority food business owners, with Latino Restaurant Week and Quicken Loans Arena's Launch Test Kitchen. A new dinner series, Culture.CLE, is the newest local initiative aimed at bringing Cleveland’s ethnic restaurateurs to the forefront.
As part of our editorial calendar for FreshWater, we select a different theme to highlight each month in line with our 15 focus areas (which range from social change to technology). For March, we're turning our lens on Design + Build—find out what's on the FreshWater team's radar right now.
The "People's University" will enter its next era with an ambitious, library-wide revitalization project and a yearlong CPL150 celebration, along with the announcement that it will now be fine-free.
March is the season to sample new menus in Northeast Ohio as two Restaurant Weeks kick off.
Since the first event was held in 2015, the Accelerate: Citizens Make Change civic pitch competition has definitely made an indelible mark on Cleveland—from "give boxes" in the North Collinwood and Central neighborhoods to special needs toy libraries at Lake County libraries to a vibrant new mural in Slavic Village.
As Cleveland gears up for CIFF43—Ohio’s largest film festival—moviegoers have many other opportunities to see the work of Northeast Ohio filmmakers on the silver screen in March. From adrenaline-fueled adventure films to shorts by local artists to Oscar-winning documentaries on the Black experience, these three events will fuel Clevelanders’ creativity and inspiration over the coming weeks.
Who says Cleveland isn’t a tech hub, let alone a medical tech hub? Not Matt Buder Shapiro, Nate Spoden, and Jake Myers, co-founders of MedPilot. In fact, the team believes so much in the city’s potential for business growth that they relocated MedPilot from New York City to Cleveland last year, where they set up shop at 5500 S. Marginal Road.
With February drawing to a close and Cleveland weather set to warm up for a few days, there’s no excuse not to get out and enjoy the many Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC) activities that focus on the outdoors—from a Slovenian-inspired Mardi Gras to a one-of-a-kind music and art festival to close encounters with birds and owls. Check out these family-friendly events that are sure to seal the deal for an unforgettable winter weekend, Cleveland-style.
How can Cleveland get its entrepreneurial scene on par with places like Austin, Boulder, Chicago, and Silicon Valley? By encouraging startup founders to break bread together, naturally. And that’s exactly the point of StartInCLE, a growing collective of entrepreneurial types that meets monthly for informal group dinners and other events.