On Tuesday, April 19 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Ariel International Center, 1163 East 40th St., the  Women's Business Center of Northern Ohio will host a launch party featuring cocktails and hors d'oeuvres provided by Half Moon Bakery and Fire and Ash Catering.

Representatives from Cuyahoga County, Key4Women Resource Center and the Small Business Administration will be in attendance.

Three ticket options are available for purchase: members ($40), non-members ($55), and new membership with ticket ($100). Registration and ticket purchase is available online. Members interested in having a table at the event please may contact  Carrie Rosenfelt.

Cleveland Neighborhood Progress (CNP) has announced 21 finalists for its 2016 Vibrant City Awards. Winners will be revealed on May 2 at the second annual Vibrant City Awards Lunch, hosted by CNP and presented by Key Bank and Community Blight Solutions.
 
“We are proud to convene community partners and stakeholders to celebrate city neighborhoods. These leading efforts in neighborhood revitalization are what help us all create a vibrant city,” says Joel Ratner, president and CEO of CNP. “The organizations and individuals being honored have displayed tremendous passion, dedication and collaboration. We’re excited to recognize them for their successful efforts in community development.”
 
CNP received more than 70 nominations for this year's awards.

Learn more about all 21 finalists and continue reading.

A young local entrepreneur is on the verge of introducing a unique portable studio to the world and giving everyone a chance to be a professional recording artist, wherever they may be.
 

The members of the Fund for Our Economic Future (the Fund), a philanthropic collaboration, have approved $3 million in funding to advance business development and job creation in Northeast Ohio, with the end goal of growing the regional economy so that all people benefit.

The recipients include:

Team NEO:  a one-year award of up to $650,000 to support the advancement of a shared, regional economic competitiveness strategy, business development and economic research.

BioEnterprise:  a two-year award of up to $800,000 to support its efforts to grow the bioscience cluster.

MAGNET:  a two-year award of up to $900,000 for its PRISM initiative to help mid-size manufacturers with high-growth potential innovate and prosper.

JumpStart:  a two-year award of up to $500,000 for its Scaleup Initiative to support high-growth potential companies; and a one-year award of up to $150,000 to support its startup network. 

Get all the details on this announcement here.

The colorful history of May Dugan and how she embodied West Side philanthropy shimmers with the emerald green of her family's heritage.

Vision Yoga and Wellness opened its doors on West 25^th Street in Ohio City in April 2011 – bringing to the neighborhood a source for yoga classes at all levels, workshops, massage therapy and acupuncture. The offerings have been so popular, the 800-square-foot single studio space was busting at the seams and owner Theresa Gorski couldn’t meet the needs of her growing clientele.

So in February, Gorski opened a second location, Vision Underground, in the basement of St. John’s Episcopal Church, 3600 Church Ave. The 2,300-square-foot space will allow Gorski to cater to a broader range of needs. She now offers chair yoga, yoga for children and community-based workshops and certification classes.
 
“I don’t call it an addition, I call it an expansion,” Gorski says of the new space. “When you have only one studio, you have to cater to your clients’ makeup and the majority of the population are able-bodied.”
 
The chair yoga will cater to those who cannot easily get up from or sit down on the floor, Gorski says. The new space also allows Gorski to focus on the wellness aspect of her practice.
 
“There’s a new wave of interest in focusing on wellness and prevention,” she explains, “where people want to take care of themselves.”
 
Gorski hired three additional yoga teachers to help with the 12 additional classes now on the weekly schedule, bringing the staff total for the two spaces to 15.
 
The church itself also has historic significance. Built in the 1800s, St. John’s is the oldest church in Cuyahoga County, Gorski says, and the Vision space was the last stop on the Underground Railroad. The place is also used for Cleveland Public Theatre’s annual Station Hope celebration of the site. Vision Underground will go on hiatus during Station Hope.
 
Vision Yoga hosted Vision Underground’s grand opening on Saturday, March 4 with donation yoga classes taught by Gorski, prizes, discounts on yoga packages and refreshments. Almost 100 people attended the open house and $1,000 was raised through a raffle and donations.

Liz Ferro, founder of Girls With Sole, is on a mission to help girls turn to fitness for healing in the long run.

Earlier this month, Burton D. Morgan Foundation Trustees approved more than $3.2 million in grants to organizations that promote entrepreneurship in Northeast Ohio. 
 
Beneficiaries include:

St. Clair Superior Development Corporation - $100,000 to develop youth entrepreneurship opportunities that integrate the unique maker culture of the St. Clair Superior neighborhood into Northeast Ohio’s rich entrepreneurship programming (2 years).

JumpStart - $1,000,000 to support the expansion of the Burton D. Morgan Mentoring Program to serve companies in new sectors (3 years).

Case Western Reserve University - $193,381 to support the publication of a book and the design and execution of data collection protocols associated with the Beyond Silicon Valley massive online open course (2 years).

Hawken School - $100,000 to support the development of a digital platform for the Hawken Educators Workshop, and provide scholarships for public school educators in Northeast Ohio to attend the workshop (2 years).

Notre Dame College - $100,000 to support entrepreneurship programming in 2016 and 2017 ($50,000) and to secure and improve program space on campus in 2016 ($50,000).
 
A complete list of grantees is available here.

The James Beard Foundation announced today its list of Restaurant and Chef Award semifinalists for the 26th annual James Beard Foundation Awards.

Selected from a list of more than 20,000 online entries, the prestigious group of semifinalists in 21 categories represents a wide range of culinary talent, from exceptional chefs and dining destinations in ten different regions across the U.S.

Bruell and his restaurant Parallax are named in the "Best Chef, Great Lakes" category. Read the entire release here.