Fairfax
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is known by all for his work in the Civil Rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s through nonviolence and civil disobedience. Many people in Cleveland, however, may not be aware of how often King came through Cleveland in the 1960s—and the lasting influence he had on the city. From civil rights and Christianity to politics and school sit-ins, King was a well-known presence in Cleveland.
The Cleveland Clinic's positive impact is felt far and wide, but how does it affect its immediate neighbors? Its new CEO is committed to finding out. Read on to learn what's in store, and get the scoop on a big FreshWater announcement!
Being a solo artist doesn’t have to be a struggle—especially with unprecedented support from organizations like Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC). In November and December, the CAC board approved $347,000 in grants for six nonprofit partners that will provide artists with professional development, flexible and project-based monetary support, and access to physical spaces in early 2019.
Refresh Collective has long been hanging out at the intersection of cool, creativity, and community, but now it has an actual brick-and-mortar storefront to call all its own.
.jpg?s=lf)
Just over a month after opening its new 855,000-square-foot North Randall fulfillment facility, Amazon is already making its presence known around the Greater Cleveland area—with officials demonstrating how happy they are to be here and their desire to be a good neighbor.
Amanda King graduated from Case Western Reserve University's law school last year and still lives in the Cleveland Heights apartment she rented as a student. But instead of practicing law, King has immersed herself in her true love—photography. Now King's six-part portrait series, "The Marigolds," will be showcased as the first of four installations in LAND studio's Inner City Hues project.
Yulonda Amey and her three children, Nayira, 16, Ni’Shawn, 13, and Richard, nine, will be moving in to one of five Buckeye neighborhood houses recently renovated by North Carolina-based Ply Gem, a leading manufacturer of exterior building products, and the Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity as part of Ply Gem’s Home for Good project.
More than 100 gatherings took place yesterday as part of Cleveland Foundation’s second annual Common Ground event—a series of meaningful community conversations across Cuyahoga, Lake, and Geauga counties. FreshWater Cleveland was honored to host its own installment: “Who are the people in your neighborhood?” Hosted at the Baseball Heritage Museum, the conversation was geared at connecting with neighborhood changemakers and helping bring their stories to the forefront.
Fresh Water's monthly "Free Stamp" feature rounds up the freshest free events in Cleveland.
This Tuesday, April 17, LAND studio will kick off Inner City Hues, a public art project in Cleveland’s Buckeye-Shaker and Mt. Pleasant neighborhoods designed to unite the community and bring some vibrancy into forgotten parts of the city. The project will pair four established artists with "blank canvases" on existing surfaces, buildings, vacant walls, and abandoned properties—with the goal of enlivening the neighborhood’s commercial district.
Three years in the making, Cleveland Neighborhood Progress (CNP) is ready to release its Progress Index to the public. Aimed at fostering inclusive Cleveland communities of choice and opportunity, the Index had previously been available to Cleveland’s 31 community development corporations (CDCs), who helped test and fine-tune the tool.
The transformation of the Buckeye-Woodhill neighborhood continues, thanks to a game-changing $350,000 Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant. The grant's recipient is the Woodhill Homes development, one of the first public housing projects in Cleveland built and managed by the Cleveland Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA).
The process of producing paintings, ceramics, and other art—as well as making music—isn’t just a creative skill. It’s a life skill. Cuyahoga Arts & Culture recognizes the importance of art and music therapy, supporting about 20 area organizations that offer such programming. FreshWater takes an inside look at their colorful and cathartic work.
At Karamu House, necessity has been the mother of reinvention. Several years ago, the renowned 103-year-old performing arts institute was struggling to sustain itself amid funding and administrative challenges, but thanks to a laser-focused strategic plan, Karamu House is starting off the next 100 years on the right note—branding its rebirth as “Karamu 2.0.”
Welcome to the latest edition of Fresh Water Cleveland's “Who’s Hiring” series, where we feature growing companies with open positions, what they’re looking for, and how to apply. This edition includes jobs from Sustainable Community Associates, Fairfax Renaissance Development Corporation, and Hard Rock Rocksino. Click here for the freshest opportunities fit to print.
Ever since the real estate housing crash in 2008, Cleveland communities have been faced with tackling the problem of vacant and blighted homes—pulling down property values and aesthetic appeal in neighborhoods already struggling.
According to Justin Fleming, director of real estate for Cleveland Neighborhood Progress (CNP), there are about 9,500 vacant homes in the City of Cleveland. “I’d estimate that approximately 4,500 of those are structurally capable of being rehabbed within a reasonable budget,” he says. “The other 5,000 are likely structurally too far gone to reasonably saved.”
But thanks to a three-year, $700,000 grant given to CNP by Detroit-based Quicken Loans, some of those homes that can be rehabbed will get that much-needed work. Read about how this grant will help blighted neighborhoods and rehab vacant homes here.
When the community talks, Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC) listens. As CAC enters its second decade of funding arts and cultural programming in Northeast Ohio, one of its top priorities will be working to achieve equity and diversity in programming—a focus identified as the result of a community listening project and in-depth assessments.
The Kinsman/Central neighborhood on Cleveland’s east side has long been regarded as one of the poorest areas in the city—perhaps even the state—with little direction or hope for revival. But with the help of Burten, Bell, Carr Development (BBC), this once-thriving neighborhood is rediscovering its potential.
Oversized chess and checkers boards, a concrete ping-pong table, and a figure-eight walking track are just a few features of Cleveland's newest playland for kids—and kids at heart. As of this Thursday, Oct. 19, a group of people spanning multiple generations will have a new place to play, learn, and socialize when Cleveland Neighborhood Progress (CNP) dedicates its Intergenerational Playscape and Garden on the front yard of St. Luke’s Pointe in the Buckeye-Shaker neighborhood.
The playscape is one of the final steps in the transformation of the historic St. Luke’s hospital building campus, which has truly become an intergenerational learning center. Read about the dedication ceremony here.
Founded by David "Dee Jay Doc" Harrill, Refresh Collective offers a plethora of programs designed to energize and empower local youth. The common thread? Hip-hop. Check out this video about Fresh Force, its workforce development program through which students learn design, screen printing, sales, and entrepreneurship via the Fresh Gear T-shirt line. (And don't miss our recent story about Freshtoberfest, where hip-hop meets horticulture.)