Get to Know - Sterling Library

The Cleveland Public Library’s Sterling Branch, located at the corner of E. 30th and Central Ave., is a staple in Cleveland’s Central neighborhood. Since its doors opened back in 1913, Sterling Library has served as much more than a place for residents to come and check out books; it’s served as a place to build community.

From the 1800s up until the early 1900s, the Central neighborhood was home to folks from many different backgrounds. The neighborhood once consisted mainly of African Americans alongside immigrants from Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Germany.

Sterling Library back lawn, Summer of 1915 (courtesy of Sterling Library)

The library, which once had skylight peeking in through its high windows and double doors that opened directly out into a back lawn, served as a meeting place for community groups, including the Society of the Blind’s Book Club. The back lawn, which has since been replaced by a parking lot, was a common place for children in the neighborhood to gather.

Fast forward to the present day and Sterling Library still offers this same community presence that it did back in the day, along with continuing to maintain its strong relationship with the children in the neighborhood.

Sterling dedicates a lot of its attention to the youth that spend time daily in the library. Sterling’s branch manager, Monica Rudzinski, notes that her and her staff’s daily mission is to “make sure the kids had a good day.” The library allows kids a place to study, have a meal, access computers, or simply just relax after school. This significant focus on youth has lead to some phenomenal programming being done, specifically in regard to food and the arts.

Society of the Blind Book Club 1952 (courtesy of Sterling Library)

In partnership with the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, Sterling is able to offer youth in the neighborhood free meals through their Kids Cafe and Summer Lunch Program. The library’s exceptional arts programming allows youth to express themselves through art therapy workshops, musical and dance performances, and take a yearly trip to the Morgan Conservancy to learn about paper and bookmaking. The library also has a strong partnership with Cleveland State University. CSU students are regularly available at the library for after school tutoring and occupational therapy students put together activities for youth in partnership with Sterling.

While it does operate like any other library with its access to public computers, book checkouts, and programs for the surrounding neighborhood, Sterling is quite unique in the strong community its built over the years. Rudzinski notes that many of the same children enjoy coming to the library every single day after school, folks from the neighborhood often come by and share personal stories with the staff, and a lot of residents and the staff know each other by name. In the words of Rudzinski and staff: “Sterling is like a family.”

(All historic photos courtesy of Sterling Library)

If you’re interested in learning more about Cleveland Public Library’s Sterling Branch and its history, check out these links:

https://cpl.org/locations/sterling/  

https://case.edu/ech/articles/c/central-neighborhood

Article by: Connor O’Brien

Get to Know - Across the Lines

The Norma Herr Women’s Center and the Campus International K-8 School are situated right across the street from one another on Payne Avenue, however, these two populations rarely ever interact. Local grassroots organization ‘Across the Lines’ is working to change that through the creation of art.

After launching in June of 2018 with grant funding from Neighborhood Connections and with partnership from Campus District, Inc. and Guy-Vincent Art, Across the Lines has been providing a collaborative, open art space with a goal of connecting community members that may otherwise never connect at all. Over the past 8 months, Jane Finley, creator of Across the Lines, has turned her studio in the ArtCraft building on Superior Avenue into a creative hub, housing a space for individuals to meet and create art.

Across the Lines’ Jane Finley

Across the Lines’ most recent efforts have been dedicated to hosting weekly art sessions with women experiencing homelessness at Norma Herr and 5th grade students at the Campus International School. These weekly sessions offer a space for the women and students to gather in the same room and create art, while also taking part in facilitated activities to get to know one another. The artwork they create during these sessions will directly inspire multiple murals that will go up on the outside of both the Women’s Center and the neighboring Campus International School in the Spring of this year.

Finley loves being able to see the students and women interact with one another, and, for her, the final product of the murals is just an added bonus. Finley started Across the Lines as a result of her passion for connecting people through art and creativity. She cherishes the opportunity of being able to work with the women and students and is adamant on the fact that they bring as much talent and creativity to the room that anyone else could. Finley, who comes from a background in healthcare and psychology, works in tangent with Cleveland-based fine artist, Guy-Vincent, who will be creating the final design for the murals using different elements drawn from the women and students’ work.

Artist, Guy-Vincent

Vincent is a full-time fine artist that has experience working as an art consultant, curator, freelance designer, and gallery owner. However, over recent years, Vincent has shifted some of his focus to art instructing. He began instructing art to individuals experiencing housing emergency at the Bishop William M. Cosgrove Center. At the Cosgrove Center, Vincent was able to help develop an arts program that explored many different avenues of art-making for these individuals, all while furthering his interest in instructing art.

Sitting in on a few of Vincent’s classes at Cosgrove greatly inspired Finley and helped her form the idea of Across the Lines. Her relationship with Campus District, Inc. allowed her to connect to different populations in the community, including the Campus International School. Fast forward a few years, and Vincent and Finley are now working together, facilitating weekly sessions with the women and students and planning future endeavors with the help of Campus District’s Director of Programming and Community Engagement, Rachel Oscar. With a recent victory in December of earning grant funding from the Fowler Family Foundation, Across the Lines, with ongoing collaboration from Guy-Vincent and Campus District Inc., will continue to be able to do this phenomenal work.

In the future, Finley hopes that Across the Lines can expand their reach to even more members of the community that may be divided and more artists like Vincent. As for Vincent, he plans on continuing to teach art to students in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and has an exhibition coming to Downtown Cleveland later this year. In the meantime, be on the lookout for the Payne Avenue murals in the Spring and even more projects to come from this group that work to connect individuals through art.

To learn more about Across the Lines, check out their website and social media:

www.acrossthelinescleveland.com

@acrossthelinescle

Learn more about Guy-Vincent here:

www.guyvincent.net

Donate and learn more about the mural project on Payne Avenue here:

https://www.ioby.org/project/payne-avenue-project-campus-district

Article by: Connor O’Brien

Meet Your Neighbor - Marc Ryan

Meet Marc Ryan; Executive Director of the Boy Scouts of America’s Lake Erie Council, Eagle Scout, and long-time New York Jets fan.

In early 2017, a reorganization of scouting in Northeast Ohio took place, in which the Boy Scouts of America’s Lake Erie Council was formed. Seven counties in Northeast Ohio, spanning between Sandusky and Conneaut, all combined to form this council. With over 20 years of working with the Boy Scouts of America in multiple states and being an Eagle Scout himself, Marc Ryan had the experience needed to direct the Lake Erie Council during this period of reorganization.

During this time, Ryan and his team at the Lake Erie Council made it a priority to reallocate programs, reallocate funding, and improve their social media presence to better reach Scouts and their families. According to Ryan, it’s more challenging than it has been in the past to position scouting, due to the fact that the world is rapidly changing and society is very sports-centric, which were both things that played a role in the need for reorganization.

As a result of this reorganization, The Lake Erie Council headquarters, known as their “Unit Service Center”, is now located in the Southern end of the Campus District at 2241 Woodland Ave. The Service Center houses a team of roughly 30 employees, a museum with an impressive collection of Boy Scout relics, a Scout Shop, and is the epicenter of planning and programming for the Boy Scouts of Northeast Ohio. The Lake Erie Council offers awesome programs, including different trips for scouts throughout the United States, tapping, making, and selling maple syrup, and opportunities to gain hands-on work experience by partnering with local police and fire departments, non-profits, and numerous other organizations.

While this reorganization was a tall task, Ryan’s passion for scouting kept him going. Scouting provided Ryan with a foundation for not only his own life, but for his family’s. All three of his kids are involved in scouting and Marc even met his wife through his time working with Boy Scouts of America in New York City. Ryan can’t speak highly enough of scouting and he loves having the opportunity to work with an organization that has made such a large impact on him and his family’s lives.

When he’s not working, Ryan loves spending time with his family. They enjoy fishing at Lake Erie, going to the zoo, and are season ticket holders at Playhouse Square. As a New York native, Ryan also enjoys watching football, specifically the New York Jets.

Learn more about the Boy Scout’s Lake Erie Council here. Also, a big thank you to the Lake Erie Council for hosting the Campus District’s South Side Task Force on January 29th!

Article by: Connor O’Brien

Get to Know - Joseph's Home

 Since its launch in April of 2000, Joseph’s Home has been doing the outstanding work of serving those experiencing homelessness in the Campus District. As a branch of the Sisters of Charity Health System, Joseph’s Home was initially created in order to provide transitional housing for homeless men, specifically those with acute illnesses that were recently discharged from the hospital.

In 2016, the organization implemented a medical respite program in order to better provide services for their clients. Joseph’s Home began to change their approach, one which was traditionally based around transitional housing, to an approach that is now more clinically focused. With a doctor, nurse, and psychologist now on site, Joseph’s Home is able to offer a better level of medical care to their clients that are acutely ill, which can range from anything from having a wound or ulcer to receiving cancer treatment.

Christine Horne, Executive Director

Men that stay at Joseph's Home are provided with one of the 11 private rooms on site with stays that can last around 2-3 months on average, but are always dependent on the individual’s condition and whether or not they are able to find housing. Executive Director, Christine Horne, loves being able to welcome in new clients and offering them a space of their own to simply just relax. Horne and her colleague, Madeline Wallace, both share a passion of being able to provide quality care to new clients that come in.

Madeline Wallace, Development Manager

Horne, after spending 22 years with Catholic Charities and earning her master’s degree at Cleveland State, wanted to continue her career in Catholic healthcare, which is how she found her match at Joseph’s Home. Wallace, Joseph’s Home’s Development Manager, is a West Virginia native who completed her undergraduate degree at Baldwin Wallace University. Cleveland’s strong non-profit market kept Wallace around after her undergraduate at BW. The two work together along with their medical and health care staff, peer recovery supporters, and resident support coordinators to provide the best possible care for their clients.

On top of their medical respite care, Joseph’s Home offers a multitude of programs and services for their clients, which include collaborations from local universities. Joseph’s Home partners with Tri-C students to offer occupational therapy to clients, Cleveland State students to offer music therapy, and Ursuline College Students to offer art therapy. Joseph’s Home also gives students at John Carroll University opportunities for summer fellowships and opportunities for students in their Human Resources courses to study volunteer training and management.

As for in-house programming and services, Joseph’s Home holds a variety of activities, including a weekly movie night, pastries and poetry, soap-making classes, and pizza and puppy days. During the holidays, Joseph's Home holds an event for alumni to return and share gifts and a meal.

 To learn more about Joseph’s Home, check them online or on social media:

Website: http://josephshome.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/josephshomeoh/

Instagram: @josephshomeoh

Article by: Connor O’Brien 

Meet Your Neighbor - Dave Kaufman

Meet Dave Kaufman; a small business owner, Campus District board member, and avid pickle-ball player.

Dave, alongside his brother and business partner, Jay, has been running a commercial printing business in the Campus District for roughly 30 years now. Brothers Printing, which was previously owned by Dave and Jay’s father, has been printing anything from signs to business cards in the Cleveland area since 1917.

Dave and Jay took over Brothers Printing in the 1970s, which was around the same time that the business moved their storefront to 2000 Euclid Avenue, right in the heart of the Campus District. Brothers prints a bit of everything-- as Dave likes to say, “We’ll print anything that’s legal!” The brothers pride themselves on their exceptional customer service, which is a lesson that was passed down to them from their father.

Since taking over the business in the 70’s, Dave has seen the printing business undergo drastic changes, mainly due to technology within the last decade. Brothers used to print with a letter press, but, nowadays, they almost always print digitally. Dave described this transition as the toughest challenge of owning a printing business, however, despite these changes, Brothers has managed to maintain its relevance in the printing world.

While running a business takes up a majority of his time, Dave stresses the importance of being involved in the community. He knows the Campus District well, and one of the ways he is able to share this knowledge to others is through his role of Vice President of the Campus District board. Dave says he is proud to be a member of the board and enjoys being able to do his civic part. He and Jay are always brainstorming ways in which they can bring more student foot traffic out onto Euclid Avenue and turn the corridor into a more vibrant college area. In the future, Dave would love to see a study done on ways to get more students out to the businesses and restaurants on Euclid and what new retail spaces could be brought to the area.

When he isn’t working or helping out in the community, you can probably find Dave playing pickle-ball with his friends in his hometown of Mayfield Heights. Although he refers to it as an “old man sport,” Dave enjoys being able to get out and stay in shape.

To learn more about Brothers Printing, check out their website:

www.brosprintcle.com

Article by: Connor O’Brien 

Holiday Shopping in the Superior Arts District

Let the Superior Arts District be your first stop for holiday shopping this season.  The first weekend in December is one of the few times of the year that our local artists open their studio doors to the public.  Explore local artwork at the ArtCraft Building, Tower Press, and Lake Affect Studios.  You might find the perfect gift for a friend, family member, or partner!

This year marks the ArtCraft’s 31st annual holiday show.  You can look forward to work from over 70 local artists as you weave your way through the historic, 101-year-old building that was once home to a clothing manufacturer.  Mixed-media, jewelry, clothing, candles, perfume, soap, clay, glass, painting, and more can all be found at this show.

ArtCraft Holiday Show Details:

When: Saturday, December 1, 2018, 10am to 7pm
             Sunday, December 2, 2018, 11am to 5pm

Where: 2570 Superior Avenue

Just around the corner from the ArtCraft Building on East 25th Street is Lake Affect Studios.  Lake Affect will be hosting the Cleveland Bazaar, Northeast Ohio’s longest-running, independent craft show.  You’ll be able to find makers and small local businesses from all over the region there.

Cleveland Bazaar at Lake Affect Studios Details:

When: Saturday, December 1, 2018, 10am to 6pm

Where: 1615 East 25th Street

The Tower Press Artists Group Holiday Sale and Open Studio is just down the street on Superior.  The Tower Press Building is Cleveland’s first live/work loft with 16 units on its first floor specifically for artists.  Visit those units and the artists that live and work there this weekend.  Tower Press will also feature a pop-up shop in the Wooltex Gallery and the Artefino Café will be open for sandwiches, coffee, and goodies!

Tower Press Artists Group Holiday Sale and Open Studios

When: Saturday, December 1, 2018 11am-7pm

Where: 1900 Superior Avenue

Winter Clothing Drive

The Campus District is home to two of the largest homeless shelters in the state of Ohio. With cold weather approaching quickly, it is important that those experiencing housing emergency have the proper attire to keep them warm for the winter. To combat this issue, Campus District, Inc., in collaboration with Resurrection Church on the Rock, will be holding a winter clothing drive beginning November 20th, lasting through December 21st. Lightly used coats, sweatshirts, gloves, hats, socks, and boots are all encouraged to be dropped off in the donation bin outside of room UR120 in the Levin Urban Affairs building, or at Resurrection Church on the Rock at 2202 Superior Ave. All items will be donated to Lutheran Metropolitan Ministries. Your donations are greatly appreciated!

Meet Your Neighbor - Pastor Marcus Taylor

Meet Marcus Taylor. A pastor, outreach worker, and mentor.

Resurrection Church on the Rock, formally “Greater Works Sanctuary of Prayer” moved into 2202 Superior Ave in 2012. In 2015, the church underwent a transformation, in which Marcus Taylor became the lead pastor and officially changed the name of the church to  During his time with the Church on the Rock, Pastor Taylor has seen major growth in the amount of people attending his services. With a strong presence on social media, namely Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, Taylor has been able to reach a large audience and bring in members of the church throughout Ohio and even outside of the state. 

If you’ve seen the videos on social media, or even been to a service at the Church on the Rock yourself, you know that it’s hard to ignore the energy from Pastor Taylor’s preaching and the church’s explosive praise band. Some of their services include a “Midweek FIRE” to refuel during the week, a Men’s Night once every four weeks, and Bible Study on Sunday’s. While Resurrection does offer these various services in the church, they are also active outside of the church, as they are committed to serving the community.

Pastor Taylor describes outreach work as playing a “paramount role” in the Resurrection Church on the Rock. Their congregation frequently gather clothing and food to donate to the men and women’s shelters that neighbor their church. For Taylor, serving others, whether it be those at the shelters or those that attend his services, has been the most rewarding part of being a pastor so far.

When he’s not at the church or doing outreach work, Pastor Taylor enjoys watching football, going to plays, and seeing movies. One of his favorite things to do is hang out with his wife and young daughter. Taylor also serves as a mentor for men of all ages, helping them live their best lives and working to find their purpose.

Moving forward, the Resurrection Church on the Rock is looking to open up new locations throughout Cleveland. One of their newest locations will open up on the west side at Lutheran West High School towards the end of this year. As for the church’s location in the Superior Arts District, Pastor Taylor hopes to find new ways to connect with neighboring businesses, to find more opportunities to get involved with the community, and to reach more students in the Campus District.

Find Resurrection Church on the Rock on the web:

https://rwochurch.com/

 https://www.facebook.com/ResurrectionChurchOnTheRock/

Article by: Connor O’Brien 

Campus District in San Antonio

Campus District Inc. recently attended the 64th Annual International Downtown Association (IDA) Conference in San Antonio, TX from October 21st through the 23rd.  This year’s event was the largest ever in IDA’s history, with over 950 urban management professionals in attendance.  The conference featured a wide range of topics from streetscape management to event planning, transportation and marketing. This year also featured small breakout sessions where attendees could talk about any topic they wished and gain insight from one another.

San Antonio celebrates is tricentennial this year

While the lesson’s learned will resonate in our work and conversations through the next year and beyond, we think it’s important to report back to the community on some key issues especially relevant to the Campus District.

Thoughts from Mark Lammon, Executive Director:

Quality of life issues are always major topics at every IDA conference I’ve attended. In the past the conversation has always been ‘what do we do about it?’ This year’s conference flipped that conversation upside-down; instead looking at solutions to some of the causes of these quality of life issues rather than just mitigating them.  I had the opportunity to tour Haven for Hope in San Antonio, a 12-acre one-stop-shop for all social services in the city.  The Haven for Hope complex has programming for anyone experiencing a housing crisis, including families who remain together.  The center hosts a daycare, so parents can search for housing and employment during the day.  Individuals can meet with any of their case workers, whether it be for substance abuse, mental health support, or job training right on site. 

The Courtyard area for Haven for Hope

Perhaps the most unique aspect to the center is the Courtyard.  This is an outdoor area (although it now features an extensive roof) where individuals can hang-out all day and at night receive a mat and sleep outdoors.  Public restrooms, showers, and lockers for weekly use are provided and individuals must be in the courtyard by 10pm each night.  What is most interesting about the Courtyard for me has been the way its bridged the gap between San Antonio’s most shelter resistant individuals allowing them to begin accessing the services of the community, while physically not having to go inside.

Over 1,700 adults and children are at Haven for Hope every night.  Not all of the programs would work in Cleveland and the directors for the center are the first to admit that San Antonio has a serious lack of Permanent Supportive Housing, something Cleveland got right. However, there are elements, like having a secured storage facility for belongings, that would provide significant support to our most in-need neighbors.

Dockless Scooters, Bikes, and E-bikes were all the rage this year.  It seems that every city is in some way grappling with how to properly manage the scooter craze.  Some, like Cleveland, have banned them, some have regulated them, some have issued RFPs.  Ashville, NC found out at the conference that scooters had shown up in their city that morning.  In Seattle, they’ve banned scooters but allowed dockless bikes, with over 75% of riders using them to connect into the transit system.  In Nashville, after having two scooter operators suddenly arrive, the city removed them and then instituted regulations that included limiting the number of scooters in certain neighborhoods and creating an exclusion zone around major pedestrian areas using a GPS Geofence.  Austin and Dallas now issue a permit and fees per vehicle, while Oakland is looking at placing fees on the use of scooters to pay for infrastructure like dedicated bike lanes.

What is clear is we’ll need regulations to deal with micro mobility, in general, as technology continues to advance at a rapid pace.  Today it’s dockless scooters and who knows what tomorrow will bring?  If you do know, feel free to flag me down as I cruise the Campus District on my E-bike.

Thoughts from Rachel Oscar, Director of Programming and Community Engagement:

Race, equity, and the role downtown organizations play in truly furthering those principles was a rallying cry at IDA this year.  I attended two sessions where practitioners shared strategies for creating public spaces that are welcoming to all, measuring displacement and advocating for affordable housing dollars, and speaking truth with authority when it comes to our most vulnerable populations like those experiencing housing emergency.  In Denver, increasing the marijuana tax will raise nine million dollars a year for affordable housing for those at 0-30% AMI. In Los Angeles, downtown leaders are researching international models of social recovery for individuals experiencing housing emergency and also suffer from mental illness.  Examples from Charlotte, Vancouver, and San Antonio all emphasize that a holistic approach to neighborhood change—expansion of transit lines, programmed community space, support of local businesses, increasing social service support—is the only path to lasting impact.

A session on place branding reminded attendees that putting people at the center of your brand is the key to success.  This method places a premium on people’s stories and ensures that the representation of your neighborhood is an authentic one.  Examples include everything from a light festival in Huntsville, Alabama that places a literal spotlight on innovation through digital lighting experiences throughout its downtown, to clever signs in Hartford that aim to mitigate the negative effects of construction on the street-level by encouraging visitors to “Shop. Hammer time.”.  Whatever the style of branding, the enduring lesson to community organizations was to learn the identity of your neighborhood and share what makes it special with others.  If you are interested in these types of conversations in the Campus District please join us for the Marketing Task Force meeting on November 27th!  We are exploring our collective identity and the ways we can elevate the amazing work that happens here everyday!   

Meet Your Neighbor-Devin Hinzo

Meet Devin Hinzo. An artist, oboist, and the creator of “fresh perspectives.”

“Why can’t we do this?”

That’s been Devin Hinzo’s mantra for the past few months as he’s been tirelessly working toward putting together his event series, fresh perspectives. Devin has been working alongside a wide array of artists and musicians to create an event series that reimagines how arts institutions program art galleries and classical music performances.

His fresh perspectives series will officially launch this Friday, November 2nd at 6:30pm. A pop-up art gallery, musicians performing with various different types of instruments including the cello, violin, and flute, along with a hip-hop dancer, will all fill the 5,000 square foot Lab Studios at 2460 Lakeside Avenue. Fresh perspectives will feature a melting pot of local and national artists performing and showcasing all different types of art and various genres of music.

This melting pot is exactly what Devin was aiming for when he began planning this series. With equity being a key piece in the framework of fresh perspectives, Hinzo strives to have artists from a variety of backgrounds not only come together to showcase their work, but to also have their voices heard in the programming of the event. Fresh perspectives gives power and more control to the artist by allowing them to get together with other artists during the programming stages to have a say in how the event unfolds.

Devin acknowledges that this method of programming is challenging at times, but he has really come to value it. Hinzo has been playing the oboe for roughly 17 years and has performed at numerous venues across the United States and even outside of the country. It was common for Hinzo and his peers to not have a ton of say in the process of planning their orchestral performances, and this is something Hinzo aspires to change through fresh perspectives.

With fresh perspectives being housed in the Campus District, Hinzo has gotten to spend a lot of time in the area. He appreciates the architecture and history of the buildings in the northern part of the district, which are things that played a role in choosing a location for this event. When he walks through the neighborhood, he enjoys conversing with and getting to know those who live and work in the district.

When he isn’t working or playing the oboe (which you can see him play this Friday!), Devin enjoys being able to explore the many parks that Northeast Ohio has to offer. A personal favorite of his is the Frohring Meadows in Chagrin Falls. A lot of Devin’s spare time is usually spent thinking of new ideas. He often takes walks through the city, wondering what can be done with empty buildings. Devin’s always daydreaming of new ways to make the community a better and more vibrant place.

You can come meet Devin and other awesome artists at fresh perspectives this Friday, November 2nd at 2460 Lakeside Ave. Doors are open at 6:30pm and all are welcome. Check out fresh perspectives on Facebook to learn more and be sure to look forward to more of these events in the future.

Article by: Connor O’Brien 

Volunteers Needed for FrontLine Service Twinkle Shop

The holidays are a difficult and stressful time for families who experience trauma, homelessness and poverty. In an effort to provide a more joyful season, FrontLine is providing a party and “Twinkle Shop” for families who were homeless, are experiencing poverty and receive support through FrontLine’s Young Adult, Family Housing and Veterans programs.

The party includes dinner, dessert and children’s crafts. Parents select new toys for their children in the holiday shop and children will select a new gift for their parent(s).  This year 70 families and 200 children are expected to attend! Please help to make sure this is a special evening for these families and their children!

You can help:

Provide a contribution to support the Twinkle Shop event.  We are halfway to our goal!!!

Hold a donation drive of new, unopened gifts at your company, church, group.  Contact Jordan Rush for more information

Buy items from our Amazon Wish List

Volunteer to help with the party.  Sign up HERE

Share the event to your family and friends on Facebook

Math Tutors Needed

Have you been hoping to become involved in a meaningful way at Marion-Sterling?  Do you want to really make a difference in the life of a student?  

Become a “Lunch Time Buddy”  - an easy and effective way to help our students master basic math skills. 

"Lunch-Time Math Buddies" 

• Tutors will help students build, develop and practice basic math skills, i.e. addition, subtraction  multiplication/division. 

• Monday  - Friday   11:30-12:10 (K-2nd Grade) and/or 12:20-1:00 (3rd-8th grade). 

• Tutors may volunteer 1-5 days weekly. 

Students will be matched to tutors with consideration for tutor's comfort level and abilities. Coaching and Direction will be provided by certified teachers.  

Contact Ashley Gulley 216-209-1859     Ashley.Gulley@ClevelandMetroSchools.org

Marketing Task Force Oct. 18

Meet Your Neighbor - Joe Mead

Joe Mead; CSU Urban Studies and Law Professor, Avid Bird Watcher, and Advocate for the Homeless.

Joe has been working in the Campus District for the past five years as a professor, teaching full time at Cleveland State University’s Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs and the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. He teaches mainly at the graduate and law levels with a focus in nonprofit law. Some of his courses include Civil Law, Fundamentals of Nonprofit Administration & Leadership and a Columbus Seminar, in which students have an opportunity of spending their spring break in Columbus examining state policy-making, legislative, and judicial processes.

Prior to his time at Cleveland State, Joe served as an Honors Program Trial Attorney for the United States Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. His time there consisted of defending the constitutionality of federal laws, along with advising and representing the White House and other federal agencies in constitutional and other complex litigation across the country. Mead also spent time working as a clerk for Judges Cornelia Kennedy and David Lawson in his home state of Michigan prior to working in D.C.

This valuable experience in the courtroom has played a part in allowing Joe to fulfill some of his passions. One of those passions includes his students. Joe enjoys working with his students loves being able to see them reach their full potential.

In 2016, Joe was named Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless’ ‘Advocate of the Year’ for his work representing the interests of homeless and low income people in Greater Cleveland and Akron. Joe was recognized for his work in protecting those sleeping outside in Akron, protecting domestic violence victims in the suburbs of Cleveland and protecting free speech on sidewalks in Youngstown, Akron and Cleveland.

Outside of his work, Joe enjoys hiking and birdwatching. One of his favorite spots for these activities is the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. As someone who has spent the past five years working in the Campus District, Joe has liked to see the new restaurants popping up throughout the area, including Bloom Bakery and Constantino’s Cafe on Euclid Avenue. Mead says he’d love to see more park space open up and more student housing come in throughout the Campus District in years to come.

Article by: Connor O’Brien 

Street Clean-Up October 20th

On Saturday, October 20th, Campus District, in collaboration with Cleveland Central Promise Neighborhood, will be hosting a Community Street Clean-Up on East 22nd Street. The clean-up will take place on the specific portion of E. 22nd between Cedar Ave. and Woodland Ave., which was rebuilt in 2011. Volunteers will assist with activities such as removing weeds, picking up litter, and applying anti-graffiti paint to the mural on the E. 22nd Street bridge. There will also be a segment of the clean-up in which volunteers will have the opportunity to discuss racial equity and learn more about the history of the community.

Meet Your Neighbor - Alyssa Osborne

Meet Alyssa Osborne; a student at Cleveland State University, the president of CSU’s Viking Expeditions and a lover of the outdoors.

Alyssa is currently a Junior at Cleveland State, majoring in Nonprofit Administration and minoring in Spanish. Viking Expeditions, a student-run service organization that came to fruition back in 2007, has played a formative part in Alyssa’s time on campus thus far. Her experiences of organizing and recruiting volunteers with VE cemented her major choice of Nonprofit Administration.

As a member of the organization for all of her three years on campus, Alyssa has not only had the opportunity of taking part in a multitude of different service trips, but has also been able to become the president of the organization. While she describes her role as challenging at times, Osborne is passionate about being the president of Viking Expeditions. It has taught her how to prioritize better, how to be a better team player and how improtant positive reinforcement can be in a team setting.
 
During her time with Viking Expeditions, Alyssa has traveled to Sacramento, Houston, New Orleans and the Shawnee National Forest with her classmates, all to serve others. Osborne and her fellow Vikings have done anything from building fences, to working in food pantries, to assisting with hurricane relief.
 
While she has enjoyed her out-of-state service trips, some of Alyssa’s favorite service experiences have occured right here in Cleveland. She has volunteered at the West Side Catholic Center, Ohio City Bike Co-op, the Great Lakes Science Center and at one of her favorite places, the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. At CVNP, Osborne and a few other students were able to spend the weekend building and restoring trails.
 
When Alyssa isn’t studying or serving the community, she likes to stay active and be outdoors. She especially enjoys running, camping, hiking and going to different national parks.
 
As a native of Kinsman, Ohio, a small town just outside of Youngstown, Osborne has appreciated the city life in Downtown Cleveland these past three years. After living in various different student housing locations throughout the Campus District, including the Euclid Commons, Fenn Tower and the Edge, Alyssa has come to appreciate the walkability of the area. She particularly likes being a short walk away from Heinen’s, CVS and the House of Blues.
 
With Viking Expeditions offering more upcoming service trips to Denver, New Orleans and Nashville, Alyssa looks forward to participating in more service experiences and watching her student organization grow even more. Alyssa plans to graduate in the Fall of 2019. She sees herself working in the nonprofit industry and would love to work for one of the national parks.
 
You can follow Viking Expeditions on Instragram: @CSUVE, Snapchat: @Csuserves and Facebook: Viking Expeditions.

Article by: Connor O’Brien 

Artist Selected for First Art Stop!

Campus District, Inc. is excited to announce photographer, Da’Shaunae Jackson, as ArtStop’s first featured artist. Jackson currently studies photography at Cuyahoga Community College. She was a finalist of the Photographer’s Forum 38th Annual College & High School Photography Contest and has had work published in Breakwall Literary Journal. She has also been shown in group exhibitions at the Cleveland Print Room, located in the Campus District.

The ArtStop Bus Shelter is a community driven project designed to transform a local bus shelter into a rotating art gallery. The shelter, located at E. 21st and Superior Avenue, is in the heart of the Superior Arts District and part of a larger effort to bring the art of the District to the street.

The piece featured is from Jackson’s 2017 monograph entitled “Waiting to Arrive”. The series takes the viewer along Jackson’s journey on the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority from the early morning hours to after sundown, as she commutes from home, to school, and to work.

Of her experience and her work, Jackson says,

"My daily commute is long and sometimes frustrating, but I have learned to develop patience. As I sit and wait for my destination to arrive, I cross paths with various strangers. All of them have a place to be but for a moment of time we share a space and are forced to enjoy the ride together. Taking the RTA for me is like being inside of a mobile community. You have the option to get to know the person sitting next to you. Even though neither person knows when the other will reach their destinations. It’s okay to strike up a conversation and learn something new about a complete stranger just to pass the time. This choice to engage, to interact, or just to be silent is what I am most interesting about public transportation. While the outside world is passing us by, we choose to sit still and wait. What others decide to do in this space and with their time is what I observe and capture."

Da’Shaunae Jackson’s work will go up at the end of September. Come visit the shelter to see the welcomed addition to the neighborhood!

You can also see new work by Jackson featured on GCRTA’s Red Line as a part of InterUrban. To connect with Jackson and view more of her work follow her on Instagram @_dashaunaemarisa

The Breaker of Chains

On behalf of Campus District, Inc. and MidTown Cleveland, Inc. we’re happy to announce the unveiling of our newest public art project on the Euclid Avenue bridge over the Innerbelt. The public art transforms a former barrier into an asset, connecting the Campus District and MidTown neighborhoods to create a safer, more beautiful walk for community members, faculty, and students. Local artist Darius Steward (FRONT, INTER|URBAN) selected the theme of international welcoming for this important project linking our two neighborhoods.

Darius’s artwork is called The Breaker of Chains. As you walk across the bridge the portraits of individuals deconstructs the chains of the fence, a symbol of the barriers many immigrants face. The art itself demonstrates Cleveland's interconnections with the world and features the portraits of CSU students, Tri-C students, Campus International students, Cleveland’d international students, refugees, and Dreamers (DACA Recipients).  Want to help keep the mural beautiful and take some of it home with you? Contact Campus District, Inc. to purchase a print.  A portion of the proceeds goes to long-term maintenance of the mural.

Ambassador Program Launch!

Friday, May 4th the Superior Arts District residents and stakeholders gathered to have lunch, play games, and meet their NEW Clean and Safe Ambassadors.  These Ambassadors are providing clean and safe services to the neighborhood like safety escorts, graffiti removal, business check-ins, and more! 

Thank you Brent Kirby, Sweet! Mobile Cupcakery, and Smokin' Rock n Roll for their awesome music and food!   

If you work or live in the Superior Arts District these services are available to you. If you see an Ambassador on the street be sure to give them a Campus District welcome and use the hashtag #superiorambassadors when sharing about their great work. To request service, please call 216-621-6000 from 7 AM to 8 PM seven days a week!