Social Change
The foundation's Summer Internship Program provides a limited number of college students or recent graduates an opportunity to work in Cleveland-area nonprofit organizations or governmental agencies during the summer months. All interns are required to work full-time as designated by their host organization. In addition, interns attend a weekly seminar highlighting key organizations and programs being conducted in the local nonprofit and public sectors. The Foundation provides funding to the organizations to host the interns.
For more info click here, or contact Nelson Beckford, Program Officer at The Cleveland Foundation.
“The purpose of the money is to improve the economic development system in Ohio,” says Team NEO CEO Tom Waltermire. “We have been spending quite a bit of time working with the board of trustees on how to spend the $4.1 million. We decided to make it into a proposal process, extending it to organizations that represent the 18 counties.”
Waltermire says they are encouraging the organizations to work together on ideas that will attract business to Northeast Ohio and create jobs. “We’re looking for proposals that will have broad regional benefits,” he says. “Ultimately, we want proposals that result in job creation, attraction, retention and expansion of business.”
Team NEO has received 15 letters of intent. Proposals are due by November 11 and will then be reviewed by a Team NEO task force. The board of trustees will make decisions on December 6. “We’re not just handing out money and hoping for the best,” says Waltermire of the selection process. “We’re going to have some very rigorous reporting requirements from the grantees. We’re holding people accountable and asking them to explain the results they are getting.”
Waltermire is optimistic that the proposed plans will have a positive impact on job creation in the area. “The result should be some fresh thinking and new ideas for ways to help the economy in Northeast Ohio,” he says.
Source: Tom Waltermire
Writer: Karin Connelly
"This gift will help us to continue to provide quality education to kids that don't otherwise have access to it," says Sister Maureen Doyle, Director of Urban Community School, which is located in Ohio City and serves mostly low-income students who live in the immediate area. "We're focused on the children who need us most."
Urban plans to construct a two-story addition off W. 50th Street, in the rear of the school's campus. Doyle says the new classroom space, which will add a state-of-the-art middle school that will complement the existing building completed in 2005, will "meet the needs of city kids for the 21st century."
"We're redesigning not only the facility but also the program to meet the needs of our students," explains Doyle. "We're looking at things like writing and science labs, meeting space, expandable walls and state-of-the-art technology. We want to make sure what we're providing kids helps them to be successful in high school."
Other options under consideration include extending the school day for middle school students, creating a leadership program to involve them in the community, and promoting shared teaching responsibilities to ensure an integrated curriculum.
Fortunately, Urban need not develop new designs for the facility since it had planned the expansion when it originally broke ground on the existing building.
Although Urban does not have a specific timeline for its expansion plans, Doyle expects the school to complete the project within the next three years.
Source: Sister Maureen Doyle
Writer: Lee Chilcote
“These organizations are extremely important because they integrate young professionals with the community,” says Andrew Bennett, president of the Cleveland Professional 20/30 Club. “But think about the full-time resources and coordinating all of the work they are doing. What would it look like if young professionals were fully integrated into the community?”
Engage! Cleveland grew out of Cleveland ConneXion, which sought to provide a unified voice for Cleveland’s YP organizations. It has continued to evolve over the past year as a forum to engage the area’s young professionals, make them want to stay in Cleveland and work at creating a thriving, vibrant business community that people actually want to be in.
“The private sector employers are interested in attraction and retention issues, the public and the non-profit sectors need a better understanding of what young people want. What do they really think? What do they really want?” says Bennett. “Right now there is no go-to central location to tap into the community.”
That’s where Engage! Cleveland comes in.
“I’m constantly asked, ‘How do I get tapped in to the community,’” says Bennett. “We’re trying to make Engage! Cleveland that hub to better enable and capitalize on all the great things happening here.”
Source: Andrew Bennett
Writer: Karin Connelly
The foundation, a non-profit dedicated to improving, maintaining and celebrating the vitality of our regional freshwater resources, has issued a Request for Proposals for its Fresh Ideas for Freshwater Grant Program. Recipients might be eligible to receive grants in amounts ranging from $1,000 to $20,000.
Projects must be located in the Northeast Ohio region, demonstrate ecological conservation and environmental protection, provide educational outreach, support the local community, and be completed by June 30, 2012.
Applications must be received no later than November 30, 2011.
For more info click here.
The greenhouse, which is being constructed on a scruffy, 10-acre patch of land at Kinsman and Ensign in the city's Central neighborhood, will grow fresh lettuce and herbs that will then be sold to large University Circle institutions, grocery store chains, and food service companies in Northeast Ohio.
"Cleveland is one of the leaders in the nation in terms of local food initiatives, and this project fits perfectly with where Cleveland is and where it's going," says Mary Donnell, CEO of Green City Growers Cooperative. "This greenhouse project will allow us to provide local food year-round to residents of Northeast Ohio."
A recent study by the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Food Policy Coalition found that while 37 percent of Cleveland residents say it is important that their food is grown locally, only two percent of the food purchased in the region is grown here.
In addition to selling the freshest heads of lettuce and cutting the region's carbon footprint, Green City Growers aims to employ Cleveland residents -- especially those living in Central.
"We're creating good jobs and distributing the profits back to worker-owners," says Donnell. "People are looking at Cleveland and Evergreen Coops from all over the country -- they're calling it 'The Cleveland Model.'"
Source: Mary Donnell
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The gift establishes the Barbara and A. Malachi Mixon III Institute Chair in Ophthalmology. Daniel F. Martin, MD, Chairman of Cole Eye Institute, is being honored as the first physician to hold the newly established chair. As chair holder, Dr. Martin will continue his research initiatives to better understand eye diseases and to pioneer new treatments.
“We are grateful for the generosity of the Mixon family,” Dr. Martin said. “This gift will provide resources to advance our research efforts, including increasing involvement in clinical trials and serving as a catalyst for cutting-edge research programs.”
Read the rest of the good news here.
"We wanted to take something that is spoiled, raise it onto the wall and transform it into something beautiful," says Katherine Chilcote, Executive Director of Building Bridges, who created the mural based on photographs of water in everyday life such as car windshields, sewer grates and oily puddles in parking lots. "We focused on this site because it needed beautification."
The former BP gas station was tagged with graffiti, littered with trash and poorly maintained when it was selected as the site for the Waterworks mural. Chilcote, local youth and volunteers from St. Paul's Community Church removed 10 bags of trash and painted over the graffiti. Provenzale Construction at 4529 Detroit donated labor to install the mural on their building and the former BP.
The mural project started in 2010, when Chilcote began working with the Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization and the Cleveland Police Department to map locations where crime, graffiti and abandoned buildings were most prevalent. The corner of Detroit and West 45th naturally stood out.
"The building was constantly being tagged," says Chilcote. "There's also a bus stop there, so we knew it was a high-traffic area that needed to be improved."
Waterworks was inspired by 19th-century maps of local watersheds. After researching the area's buried creek beds, Chilcote dreamed of ways to artistically 'free' these waterways. Waterworks uses images of water runoff shaped by its urban environment to explore the beauty and degradation of water in Cleveland.
Although not quite as flashy as the 300-foot cranes that now hover over downtown, thanks to the Flats East Bank and Med Mart projects, Chilcote says her program provides paid internships and job training for youth.
"It's really another form of economic development," she says. "The kids that worked on this mural are saying, 'We're taking this corner back.' Through the process, they learn to see their community in a new way."
Source: Katherine Chilcote
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Disclosure: Katherine Chilcote is the writer's sister.
To be housed in an attractive brick building that long housed a transformer station, the 3,500-square-foot gallery is expected to open in late 2012.
"The boxy brick station, located in a blue-collar neighborhood across the Cuyahoga River from downtown Cleveland, was built in 1924 to provide power for streetcars. It was used as a transformer station until 1949 and later housed an art foundry.
The museum said it expects to present at least two shows per year at the location."
David Franklin, the museum's director, is quoted as saying, "The project would enhance CMA's reputation for contemporary art and community involvement "in creative, unexpected ways."
Read the rest here.
On September 16, 2011, Maurice Small will receive such an honor when he receives a Rodale Institute Organic Pioneer Awards. Held annually in Kutztown, Penn., the awards recognize the farmers, scientists and activists who lead the organic movement in America.
Honored for work as youth organizer, Maurice Small was co-director and youth program advisor for Cuyahoga County's City Fresh Project.
“The organic movement has come a long way, and it is largely in thanks to pioneers like Dr. Harwood, Drew and Joan Norman, and Maurice Small, who believed in the power of organic from the beginning and weren't afraid to take a stand early on. They are an inspiration for all of us, especially for the next generation of organic leaders," notes Maria Rodale, chairman and CEO of Rodale Inc.
"Regarded as a visionary, a food broker, an educator, and a friend of worms, Maurice Small has more than twenty years of experience in creating excellent soil, growing delicious food and cultivating young leaders in Northeast Ohio. Deservedly distinguished as an “Urban Action Hero,” Maurice saves lives each day through his mission and work."
Rodale Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to pioneering organic farming through research and outreach. It celebrates its 30th anniversary this fall.
Reap the rest of the awards right here.
Last January, a group of religious and community leaders got together under one common goal: To make Cleveland a better place to work and live. The Greater Cleveland Congregations (GCC) was born. A united front of 40 religious and community organizations began collecting input on what the city needed to do to improve.
“Between January and March we asked participating organizations, ‘What makes life better for you and your family in Cleveland?’” explains Ari Lipman, GCC lead organizer. Four hundred participants came up with five areas to focus on: education, healthcare, jobs, criminal justice and sustainable food.
GCC officially kicked off its mission in June with a founding assembly. More than 2,000 Clevelanders attended to put their heads together and come up with a collective bargaining of sorts to improve the living standard.
“Each of the five areas has started action teams,” notes Lipman. “For jobs, we’re looking at job training -- jobs that exist that you can support a family on and primarily on jobs creation.”
The GCC is part of the Industrial Areas Foundation, the nation’s first and largest network of multi-faith coalitions. Lipman cites success stories in other chapters around the nation as proof that the same kind of team power can work in Cleveland.
"In Washington state, the group figured out a way of expanding the number of green jobs,” says Lipman. “They signed up people to get their houses winterized, got 1,000 people signed up and created over 100 jobs.”
While the group is still in the research phase, they plan to unveil their action plan this winter. “By 2012 we’re going to have interesting and exciting ideas,” says Lipman. “We’re going to need some people to help implement them.”
Source: Ari Lipman
Writer: Karin Connelly
The Cuyahoga Land Bank, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to reduce urban blight and improve property values by acquiring foreclosed properties and either returning them to productive use or tearing them down, is getting some help from two new partners. Bank of America and Wells Fargo began donating vacant and foreclosed properties to the Land Bank along with a $3,500 to $7,500 contribution towards demolition in July.
Wells Fargo and Bank of America are not the only partners to contribute to this program; others include Fannie Mae, HUD and J.P. Morgan Chase.
"Each partnership we establish provides us with more resources to tackle the issues of blight created by foreclosure and abandonment in our communities," Gus Frangos, President of the Land Bank, stated in a release.
Such collaborative approaches can also lead to solutions on a national scale, stated Russ Cross, Midwest Regional Servicing Director for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. Recently, Wells Fargo announced an alliance with the National Conference of Mayors on addressing similar issues in cities across the country. Cross plans to share the Cuyahoga Land Bank model with mayors in other cities.
Many of these same lenders have also stepped up efforts to keep delinquent or at-risk homeowners in their homes. Bank of America recently launched a homeownership retention and foreclosure prevention initiative in Cleveland, including a recent mortgage modification outreach event where customers met with homeowner retention specialists over a three-day period to receive face-to-face counseling and underwriting of mortgage modification requests.
Source: Cuyahoga Land Bank
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The Cleveland Foodbank in association with the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks and Charter One, have launched the Nothing Campaign to bring awareness about the growing issue of Hunger in Ohio. Cans of Nothing can be purchased for $3.00 and will provide at least 12 meals to help feed our hungry friends and neighbors.
To learn more and to make a donation, visit this site.
Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge hosted a For the People job fair and town hall meeting at Cleveland State University on Monday, August 8 to help combat Ohio's rising unemployment rate. The job fair featured nearly 100 employers were on hand, offering more than 1,200 jobs in healthcare, banking, sales, retail, hospitality, education, manufacturing, nonprofits, and government affairs. Thousands of eager job seekers showed up at the event.
"By hosting a job fair, I want to do my part to connect people in our community who are ready to work with employers who are ready to hire," said Congresswoman Fudge.
The day-long job fair included job readiness workshops and technical assistance seminars including resume writing, interview skills and salary negotiations. Cleveland was the first stop on a five-city For the People Jobs Initiative sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus. The fair was followed by a town meeting at which Fudge asked for input from residents and organizations in Northeast Ohio about how to solve the nation's unemployment crisis.
The fair was followed by a town hall meeting. Nine members of the caucus joined Fudge to discuss the initiative.
Source: Marcia L. Fudge
Writer: Karin Connell
On August 30th, dozens of new fruit trees will be planted near W. 85th and Franklin Boulevard on vacant land that was recently home to dilapidated row houses.
According to Jeanette Toms, Special Programs Coordinator with the nonprofit Cudell Improvement Inc., the neighborhood secured the gift after winning enough votes in an online competition to place among the top five entries in the country. Facing stiff competition from entries around the country, Cudell solicited votes from as far away as Florida, Italy and Portugal in order to land the win.
"My dad lives in Florida, so when he came to visit, we asked him to help spread the word among his friends," says Toms. "You could vote once per day."
The competition is sponsored by Edy's Fruit Bars and the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation, an international foundation that is "dedicated to planting fruit-bearing trees in places that best benefit the community -- public schools, city parks and low-income neighborhoods," according to the program's website.
Cudell Improvement plans to install an irrigation system to ensure the trees are properly watered. In three to five years, when the trees begin bearing fruit, the group plans to give the fruit away to neighborhood residents and food pantries.
Source: Jeanette Toms
Writer: Lee Chilcote
More than 200 people in various industries donated their time and talent last weekend at the second annual Cleveland GiveCamp at LeanDog Software in Cleveland to help area non-profits.
Software and database developers, graphic designers, marketing professionals, copy writers, video producers, photographers, social media experts and food service volunteers donated more than 4,500 hours to 22 non-profit organizations, coming away with new technology applications valued at nearly $500,000 to help them in their efforts to help others.
"I think people want to be a part of a good thing," says GiveCamp spokesperson Amy Wong, adding that the 187 media volunteers is an exponential increase from the 100 people who helped out last year. "Thirty other cities participate, and we think we are one of the biggest."
Sponsors donated more than $14,000 in goods and services to make the event possible. Top sponsors included LeanDog, Burke Lakefront Airport,, Explorys, Hyland Software, OneCommunity, Rosetta, Saint Luke's Foundation and Sollie Rosen Memorial Foundation.
The volunteers worked long hours, often late into the night and early in the mornings to complete the projects. Organizations benefitting from the services were 501(c)3 groups in Northeast Ohio that had projects that could be completed over the duration of camp.
GiveCamp is an international initiative started in 2007 to bring together technology talent to help local nonprofits in need.
Source: Amy Wong
Writer: Karin Connelly
MedWorks' first-ever vision-only clinic at Quicken Loans Arena last Wednesday proved to be quite successful. So much so that it also illustrated the need for more free or affordable vision care in the area.
"We served over 900 people with exams or glasses," says MedWorks office manager Alyson Andrassy. "We anticipated up to 800 people. We had to turn away 500 people."
Optometrists, opticians and ophthalmologists from all over Ohio volunteered their time, while the equipment for the eye exams was donated by Optics Inc. as well as Onesight. Patients had more than 2,000 donated frames from which to choose. Roughly 180 volunteers, from students to doctors, made the event happen.
MedWorks has been trying to accommodate the people who were turned away last week, as well as re-assure those who were seen by doctors but did not get their glasses that their specs will be delivered to them soon. "The phone has been ringing off the hook," says Andrassy. "For those who were not able to be seen, we're setting them up with our partner organizations to be seen as soon as possible."
For now, Andrassy is referring people to Vision USA, an organization run by the American Optometric Association that provides vision care to those who do not qualify for government aid or private insurance.
Given the success of the vision clinic, MedWorks hopes to organize future clinics, perhaps on a yearly basis.
Source: Alyson Andrassy
Writer: Karin Connelly