Meet Your Neighbor: Edna Akrish

Edna T. Akrish is the President of Sole Business Systems (SBS), a business in the Superior Arts District that provides Point-of-Sale systems and integrated payment solutions mainly to the hospitality industry. They carry and service the latest cloud-based POS systems along with a variety of new and used Cash Registers, Scales, and Supplies with outstanding service and support. Centrally located on Rockwell Avenue off Superior Avenue and East 21st Street, SBS, run by Edna and her husband Jerry Akrish, meets the needs of local hospitality establishments as well as many clients in the surrounding cities. Edna contributes the ideal location along with her and her husband’s 30+ years of experience and keeps current with technology trends. With that, they constantly train and look for the latest trends in the hospitality technology field. Furthermore, SBS insists to not enter into any exclusive contracts with credit card processors, which as a result gives their clients the freedom to choose the best option while saving money in the long run. She has found that working with a broad range of clients, from startups to fully developed establishments, allows her to utilize her skills the most.

In 2004, Edna and her husband made a pivotal business decision to relocate Sole Business Systems Inc. Main Office and showroom from Beachwood to Cleveland, Ohio. On paper, owning a business in Downtown Cleveland at that time was not seen as a wise move, but Edna saw it as an opportunity to contribute to the growth of Cleveland. She says that the potential of the area is what kept her and her business in Downtown.  The risk of moving to Cleveland paid off, as Edna’s passion to invest here led her and her family to be active members in the community.

A great example of Edna’s passion is her active participation in the Superior Arts Improvement District. In 2016, Edna was one of the original advocates for a special improvement district (SID) to promote safety, growth, and vitality in our neighborhood.  Property owners within a SID pay an assessment that funds the Clean and Safe Ambassadors you see in the community today.  As a part of the Superior Arts Improvement District Steering Committee, Edna shared her passion for neighborhood improvement with fellow business owners and the importance of making change through collective investment.  Today, Edna serves as the Vice Chair of the Superior Arts Improvement Corporation—the body that manages the assessment dollars of the SID—where she and fellow board members have funded the District’s first Outreach Worker; contributed to neighborhood events like Avenue of the Arts; and sustained clean and safe efforts since 2017.

Edna started off as one of the only businesses on Rockwell in 2004 and today she is beginning to see the impact of her and neighboring businesses' investments, as the area keeps developing. Looking to the future, Edna takes inspiration from the turnaround of the art district in Wynwood, Miami to form her vision of what the Superior Arts District can be. In the spirit of supporting local hospitality businesses, and providing them the best that SBS has to offer she wanted to remind everyone of Downtown Cleveland Restaurant Week, an event celebrated from Monday, February 24th to Sunday, March 1st. This is one of the city's most anticipated events showcasing the world-class culinary scene of our region's top dining destinations (see Around Town below). We hope to see you Downtown to celebrate!

Edna can be reached by email at ednasbs@gmail.com or by phone at (216) 765-8050

New Decade, New Campus District

Mark Lammon

Campus District Executive Director

Rachel Oscar

Campus District Director of Programming and Community Engagement

Michael Collier

Campus District and Downtown Cleveland Alliance Business Development Manager

Loretta Wilson

Block by Block Outreach Specialist

Morgan Clark

AmeriCorps VISTA

Did you know that the organization that would eventually become Campus District was created as a police force?  Before each entity had their own safety forces, Cleveland State University, Saint Vincent Charity Medical Center, and Cuyahoga Community College formed the Saint Vincent Quadrangle in 1983.  Over those 37 years our neighborhood and organization has seen much change, however our governing documents remained essentially untouched until now. 

In December of last year, the Board of Directors of Campus District, after much deliberation, voted on a new Code of Regulations.  This change will enable the organization to seek out additional resources that allow us to provide more direct programming to our neighborhood.  As the only known Community Development Corporation that relies solely on private fundraising, this change is essential for us to continue to meet the needs of the community. As we enter this new decade, we’re eager to continue the momentum of last year, (click here for the review of 2019), but we’re even more excited about what possibilities lie ahead. 

With our new membership structure now in place, we’ll be providing more opportunities for community members to engage with one another with special events, tours, and gatherings.  This spring we plan to introduce more specialized cleaning equipment in the Superior Arts District, begin a lunchtime event along East 22nd Street, and continue our work of community development through public art. 

I invite you to be part of this next chapter in our evolving community.  If you’re not already a member of Campus District, please reach out to me for membership levels and benefits.  And I wish you and all members of the Campus District community and safe and happy 2020. 

Sincerely, 

Mark Lammon 

Executive Director

Thanks for a Great Year!

As 2019 comes to a close, we wanted to take a moment to highlight the past year’s accomplishments.  Thanks to the hard work of our neighbors who live, work, create, study, and heal in the Campus District, our community looks and feels even brighter than it did one year ago.

Here is a look back at what we have achieved together:

We added vibrant colors to our streets.  Community members painted over 20 light poles within the Superior Arts District, strong women from the Norma Herr Women’s Center and courageous fifth graders from Campus International School created and inspired Guy-Vincent’s designs of three beautiful murals at East 22nd Street and Payne Avenue, and artists and stakeholders took visitors on Superior Avenue’s journey from Cleveland’s historic garment district to thriving artist district at Avenue of the Arts.

We welcomed new staff members to the team.  Loretta Wilson joined us as the Superior Arts Improvement District’s outreach worker, connecting to individuals experiencing homelessness in our community.  Michael Collier came on board in the beginning of 2019 as a Business Development Manager for both CDI and Downtown Cleveland Alliance and Morgan Clark started in the summer as our AmeriCorps VISTA member. 

We connected.  We began Where are we Wednesdays?, spending our lunch hours around the District at St. Vincent Charity Hospital, Artefino, and Tri-C Metro’s Campus learning the needs and interests of our community members.  We hosted fall and spring clean-ups and conversations along East 22nd Street with Central Promise Ambassadors, Cleveland State University students, and Tri-C students. We continued our Superior Gatherings, Quarterly Business Meetings, and built new relationships with Downtown Cleveland Residents.

We rebranded. With the advice of Campus District’s Marketing Task Force and the hard work of Muse Content Group, we’ve rolled out an updated logo, mission, vision, and more!

We welcomed new projects to the District. Tri-C Metro Campus’s redesigned Campus Center is an amazing community asset that gives the Campus a warm, and open feeling.  New residential projects like Prospect Yard (opening this month!) and 2125 Superior that broke ground this year are adding new residential units to the neighborhood.       

Above all, Campus District takes pride in the connections it has made with our community members and we look forward to building those relationships in 2020. Our accomplishments are reflections of these relationships. As we move into the new year, we are proud to say we are Cleveland’s Community of Purpose.

New Campus District Branding

Did you know that the Campus District neighborhood contains one third of the land area of downtown? With such a diverse group of organizations and people represented in our neighborhood, it was important that the Campus District explore how we are represented in our broader Cleveland community. That’s why this spring we launched our Marketing and Branding Task Force.

Composed of marketing professionals, educators, businesses, students, and residents, the Marketing Task Force met five times during the spring and summer to discuss how Campus District would position itself and how we would market the broader neighborhood while still acknowledging our unique districts. Led by faculty from Cuyahoga Community College, task force participants were asked about the strengths and challenges of the neighborhood and what future we’d envision for the community.

Based on the feedback we received, Campus District contracted with Muse Content Group, a neighborhood business, to further refine our direction. Together with the Campus District and Superior Arts District Board of Directors, we focused on the identities of each of our neighborhoods. We concluded that the Campus District is made up of two distinct yet connected neighborhoods, the Superior Arts District and the Campus Communities.

Since its inception in the early 2000s, the Superior Arts District has not had its own logo or branding. The committee was tasked with developing a new logo for Campus District and Superior Arts, while being sure they acknowledged one another. The new logo for the Campus District is now part of the logo for the Superior Arts District as you can see below.

Finally, the group was asked what makes Campus District unique amongst all the other neighborhoods of Cleveland. As the passionate discussion occurred it became clear to everyone that what sets Campus District apart is that we are the neighborhood for everyone. Whether you’re finding your path at one of our educational institutions, healing your body or mind at one of our health care facilities, raising your family in one of the dozens of residential properties, or starting your life over in one of our shelters, the Campus District is welcoming to all. It all fits together in Cleveland’s Community of Purpose.

We’re excited about our new look and messaging and in the coming weeks and months we’ll have even more exciting news to announce as we restructure to meet the needs of our dynamic and changing neighborhood.

Meet Your Neighbor: Loretta Wilson

Two months ago, Loretta Wilson, Campus District’s first full-time outreach worker, was hired in our District, a neighborhood that includes many diverse populations. The duties and skills of an outreach worker are many. At the core, Loretta meets with individuals experiencing homelessness to connect them to services and benefits that may help improve their life. These tasks include helping folks receive birth certificates, apply for photo IDs, and look for apartment listings. Apart from that, she connects our business community with our social service community to better serve the Superior Arts District, an improvement district from East 18th to East 26th Street.

Loretta found this field after she worked in an office setting for Human Services at Catholic Charities. Although she was passionate about her work there, she felt like the desk held her back from engaging individuals one on one. In her new role, she is encouraged to engage with as many individuals as she can. To describe her job, Loretta shares that a vital part of her work is to listen. She says, “I give people the opportunity to speak, tell me things, and to not feel judged when doing so.” The stigma that surrounds homelessness may deter outsiders who want to enter downtown, but Loretta enters downtown in order to dismantle this.

To speak with Loretta and hear stories about the individuals she works with gives one a different outlook on the systems that perpetuate homelessness in our community. The increased amount of low-income resources and services available even stuns Loretta, and highlights that no matter how many resources there are, we will not fix the system without confronting the prejudices we have. Loretta’s compassion leads her to help those who have gotten down on their luck. She says, “We are all one paycheck away from being homeless. It can happen to anyone.” Loretta’s philosophy is not to judge or talk at people, but rather to them, and this is the biggest lesson we continue to learn from her. ­­

Loretta Wilson can be reached at Downtown Cleveland Alliance’s Dispatch number, 216-621-6000.

Meet Your Neighbor: Toni Mickey

In March 2018, Toni Mickey, Advocacy Coordinator of Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless (NEOCH), reached out to Campus District to create a new contact with a local nonprofit in the area she worked. Before working at NEOCH, Toni advocated for homeless individuals at her parish Saint Teresa Holiness Science Church where she led fundraisers for tents, blankets, and sanitary products that she would donate to NEOCH. Starting as a volunteer for the Coalition, she soon became a part-time employee and one of the first connections Campus District had with this local nonprofit. Little did she know this relationship would spark a connection between Campus District and the individuals who are experiencing housing emergencies, leading to many beautiful partnerships and projects. Toni works alongside Chris Knestrick, Executive Director of NEOCH, who has 10+ years of experience working on homelessness in Cleveland and has also directed advocacy efforts in the international and local community. NEOCH would not be the same without these two passionate people, not to mention the rest of the ardent staff, standing up for the rights of homeless individuals.

Since 2018, Toni’s two main roles have been to manage the sale of the Cleveland Street Chronicle—a quarterly newspaper predominantly written by the vendors with edits from the employees of NEOCH, and to coordinate with speakers for the West and East side’s Homeless Congress— monthly meetings for a diverse group of homeless people to come together, share ideas, make connections and push for changes. Toni’s role is crucial to the progress that NEOCH builds for individuals experiencing homelessness and we are fortunate to have her as an ally. For example, she and many other hard workers helped arrange for Care Alliance, a major service and health care provider and Campus District member, to provide transportation to appointments and fill prescriptions for individuals who are not able to make it back and forth between the shelters in our District. The dedication and passion she and her coworkers at NEOCH bring to our community leaves us feeling grateful and beyond lucky.

Toni left us with many ways to get involved this winter. One specific action we can take to support homeless individuals is to buy NEOCH’s first holiday edition of the Cleveland Street Chronicle. Papers are sold for $1.25, one dollar of which goes to the vendor. The Cleveland Street Chronicle can typically be found in Ohio City by the West Side Market. However, papers will also be in several stores such as Lion & Blue, The Root Café, Mac’s Back Books, Upcycle Parts Shop, Cleveland Candle Co., Oceanne, Sweet Moses, and Daily Press Juicery. Uniquely, the holiday edition contains four pages of art submissions, designed by the vendors and folks who attend Homeless Congress. Intentionally, these pages are made to be used as holiday wrapping paper! This year’s Cleveland Street Chronicle will go on sale the Monday before Thanksgiving so stay on the lookout! Secondly, NEOCH has a well-organized list, which can be found here, that displays the items of which they are most in need. Please join us in donating these items, especially throughout these next few months. A huge thank you from our District goes out to Toni and the rest of NEOCH who stand behind people currently facing the challenges of homelessness.

Thoughts from the Block by Block Summit in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Recently renovated Peavey Plaza in Downtown Minneapolis

After the close of Avenue of the Arts I packed my bags for Minneapolis, Minnesota for a three-day conference on social service outreach organized by Block by Block.  For most Clevelanders, Block by Block is best known by the Downtown Clean and Safe Ambassadors who wear yellow jackets and steward our public spaces.  Block by Block manages Ambassadors like Downtown Cleveland’s in cities all over the country.  Nationwide, Ambassadors are funded through a mechanism called a Business Improvement District (BID), a geographic area within which property owners pay an additional assessment on top of their property taxes for clean and safe services.  In Cleveland, you’ll find Clean and Safe Ambassadors in Downtown, Ohio City, Gordon Square, University Circle, Kamm’s Corner, and of course, the Superior Arts District.  While BIDs were originally developed to help meet the need left by shrinking City services, over time they adapted to include outreach, specifically with individuals experiencing housing emergency.

Mosaic work on Minnehaha Avenue

September’s conference was an opportunity for BIDs all over the country to come together and discuss homelessness and outreach in our neighborhoods.  The conference was facilitated by Kerry Morrison, the former director of the Hollywood Property Owners Alliance (HPOA). Throughout her 22 years as director, Kerry watched the number of cranes in the sky increase while the number of individuals on the street skyrocketed.  Coming face to face with homelessness, substance abuse disorder, severe and persistent mental illness, she began interrogating Los Angeles’s system of support for those who are chronically homeless, specifically those experiencing severe mental illness.  Her work finally led her to Trieste, Italy—a city recognized by the World Health Organization as one of the most advanced mental health care systems in the world.  In short, since 1980 the city of Trieste has closed psychiatric hospitals and set up a network of 24-hour community mental health centers capable of dealing with the most severe conditions and of supporting clients in their daily life, with a view towards recovery and social inclusion.  Today. Ms. Morrison is working to pilot these methods in Los Angeles.

Ms. Morrison charged each BID to describe the mission of their outreach and engagement function. Helena Miller, Downtown Cleveland’s Outreach Specialist for twelve years and counting, Steve Schultz, Block by Block’s Cleveland Operations Manager, and I discussed this together. Ms. Miller thoughtfully responded, “to meet people where they are, on their terms, and offer services to help shelter, house, and prevent homelessness”.  With that strong and purposeful foundation anchoring our outreach work, the next question on my mind was what is our broader organizational responsibility to addressing homelessness?

Session notes from a discussion on systemic challenges faced by BIDs and their outreach workers.

Addressing homelessness from the lens of a community development organization or a BID is to scrutinize our urban planning—public space design, public transportation systems, safety and security in public space, placement of shelter and resources, etc.  How can our role as an intermediary between business, educational institutions, service agencies, individuals and others be used to identify gaps that further harm individuals whose housing is insecure?  

So, I returned to Cleveland ruminating on powerful conversation, our current work, and ways in which we can improve.  One of our biggest growth areas is education—Helena, Steve, and I agreed that one of our responsibilities is educating our diverse stakeholders on homelessness, mental health, trauma, and the ways we can best support our neighbors struggling with housing insecurity. Below are the ways in which we are currently bringing the lens of homelessness to our work:

1.      Infrastructure: Determine gaps in the built environment that increase challenges for those who are experiencing housing emergency. A current project CDI’s AmeriCorps VISTA, Morgan Clark, is working on researching is a free storage locker facility for individuals to store their items safely.

2.      Transportation: Look for creative pathways to repair transportation gaps that limit mobility. The Fund for Our Economic Future’s Paradox Prize is a resource Campus District is currently exploring.   

3.      Programming: Program safe spaces where shelter guests, students, business owners, and others can work to build a more vibrant community that represents everyone. Campus District’s Payne Avenue Project is a current example.

4.      Advocacy: Advocate and encourage affordable housing development in our neighborhood and advocate for a shared vision across BIDs nationwide that can be presented at the International Downtown Association Conference or the United States Conference of Mayors

5.      Education: Work with our partners to develop a trauma informed community development training that speaks to a broad audience—from property owners to CDC partners—that brings clinical understanding into the mainstream, builds compassion, and is a tool that people can call upon in their day-to-day.

There is much work to do and tremendous work already being done in Cuyahoga County (see more in our news roundup below).  We look forward to taking steps forward in partnership with those around us and taking notes from our Block by Block counterparts in other cities like Minneapolis.

-Rachel

Lessons from Scandinavia – Campus District visits Finland & Sweden

As part of a fact-finding trip, I had the recent opportunity to visit Helsinki, Finland and Stockholm, Sweden.  The experience of visiting these two cities is a great lesson for Cleveland illustrating how green and complete streets can provide major cultural and health benefits.  Finland was recently ranked as having the happiest people on the planet and the recent articles about Helsinki’s approach to homelessness prompted this trip. 

For some context, the Helsinki metropolitan area is about the size of Greater Cleveland with 1.3 million in it.  It is also a cold weather city, colder than Cleveland, and is the world’s most northern metropolitan area with over a million people.  It also has its own version of the Guardians of Transportation outside of the Helsinki Central Rail Station. The city’s annual budget is $5,400,000,000.  Yes that’s 5.4 Billion.  It’s also considered the ‘Honest City.’  An experiment a few years ago placed eleven wallets full of cash around the city, ten were returned to their owners with nothing missing.  You’ll routinely see bicycles unlocked along the street. 

One of the first things you’ll notice when you arrive in the city is the number of unaccompanied children.  Boys and girls as young as five or six years old are on public transportation by themselves and walking to school.  One Finnish person stated, “We want our kids to be as independent as possible from a young age to teach them life skills.” 

Unlike Copenhagen, Helsinki didn’t have a very strong bicycle culture until a little over five years ago.   Now almost every street is a complete street, with dedicated bicycle lanes.  An abandoned freight rail line that used to go right through the central city now serves as the spine of a bicycle expressway network.  Even in the rain the system is heavily used.  Scooters were recently introduced and have been seamlessly integrated into the network.  Even what is considered Finnish sprawl has a multipurpose path everywhere. 

The Finnish people are considered to be quiet and while Helsinki’s urban noise isn’t anywhere close to an American city, there is still a strong desire to find quiet space.  Kamppi Chapel, opened in 2012, is considered the silent chapel.  Constructed right in the center square, similar to our Public Square, the inside of the church remains completely silent.  No talking is allowed.  Anyone can go in throughout the day and sit for as long as they like to reflect.  The outside of the chapel is staffed during the day in case anyone does need someone to talk to or is in a crisis. 

Finland, as an independent country, is only 101 years old.  As a gift to themselves, the Finnish people built the Oodi – The Helsinki Central Library.  Last year it was voted the best library in the world.  People of all walks of life use the library daily and features meeting spaces that can be requested free of charge.  The library is open until 10pm throughout the week. 

After four days in the city, I hopped on a train, one of 400 departures daily from the city, to Joensuu, a city about four hours north of Helsinki.  Joensuu is a university town with a population of 70,000, half of whom are student.  Even in this town, not too far from the Russian Border, bikes are king.  As you travel rural highways, you’ll also notice a multipurpose path along nearly stretch of the road. 

After hiking in Koli National Park and exploring more of Joensuu, I had the opportunity to meet with students at several of the local universities.  Most had never met an American before.  Even though Finnish college is paid for by the state and students actually receive a stipend for living expenses, college students are remarkably similar to those in the states and always trying to save money.  These students talked about on weekends they’ll often load their cars up with gas cans and drive to Russia to buy their very cheap gasoline. 

The next stop was Stockholm, Sweden.  When you arrive you’ll immediately notice how modern all of the infrastructure is.  From the airport you’ll board the Alanda Express, a high-speed train that will take you from the airport to the city center in 18 minutes at 125mph.   

Stockholm is a cyclist’s dream.  There are dedicated bike paths everywhere and its not uncommon to almost get hit by a bicycle rather than a car if you’re not paying attention.  There are more people on bikes and scooters at times than there are people walking. When talking with a Swedish friend of mine, she commented, “We’re very keen on how our daily activity affects our overall well-being.” Most Swedes prefer to ride a bike or walk because it allows them to be more in touch with nature.   

One major lesson that Cleveland could learn from Stockholm is security.  In 2017 a terrorist plowed a truck through long pedestrian market that in the middle of the city killing five people.  The city responded by taking the small public art lions used around the city as benches and recasting them as concrete barriers at each block of the pedestrian mall.  No jersey barriers. 

Taking this trip was both refreshing and eye opening about the possibilities of our own great city.  A few lessons learned: 

• Cold weather means nothing.  Both Helsinki, Joensuu, and Stockholm both have harsher and colder winters than Cleveland.  The only thing stopping us from being more active in the winter is the way we’ve physically made it impossible to get around. 

• Frame multi-modal transportation opens as a public health issue.  Both the Finns and the Swedes commented how the preferred mode of transportation is almost always not the car.  They feel better from both a physical and mental health aspect.  Children are all walking or riding their bikes to school because there is not a danger to their physically wellbeing, which encourages them to be more independent. 

• Its never too late.  While Stockholm’s cycling infrastructure is more mature, Helsinki just started its intensive program five years ago.  Its why the project like the Midway on Superior Avenue is so important because it will jumpstart many of our other complete street projects. 

Now, time to get back to work. 

-Mark Lammon 

Meet the Avenue of the Arts Planning Team!

Next Friday, September 13th, is Avenue of the Arts! This is an immersive art experience that takes you on Superior Avenue’s journey from historic garment district to thriving artist district. As an entirely grassroots event, Avenue of the Arts wouldn’t have come together without the dedicated work of the AOA Planning Team. Representing the diverse experiences of the neighborhood, the 11-person planning team designed the event from start to finish. We felt it important to take the time for our e-news readers to meet this talented group of individuals!

John Davis is a full-time artist in the Tower Press Building. He helped curate the Tower Press Artist Group Exhibition in the Wooltex Gallery and will light up the Avenue with paper lanterns on the night of the event! John believes, “Artists give the community its character. We must keep them in the mix of our community to keep it vibrant and full of texture.” John is a part of the fabric of this area and we are excited to showcase this!

Allison Forhan works for GBX Group whose headquarters is in the beautifully renovated former Daffy Dan Building at 21st and Superior. She and Rachael Price are important links between the arts and the business communities in the Superior Arts District. Allison states, “Cleveland is full of artists, but many only showcase their artwork in formal galleries. Avenue of the Arts pulls back the curtain and shows you what’s happening behind the scenes during the creation phase.” With inside looks to artist studios, we could not agree more with Allison!

Harriet Gould is a fixture of the Tower Press Artists Group. She’s a long-time supporter of Cleveland’s arts community and has worked, over the years, to make the City a place where artists can thrive (such as founding ArtSpace Cleveland). She was very involved in logistics planning for the event and contributed to the lovely Avenue of the Arts logo that we are very proud of! She states, “It’s important to maintain the flavor of the area and Avenue of the Arts is a beginning.”

Devin Hinzo works with his music organization, ​fp Creative​, which produces a concert series in the ArtCraft Building at Snap House Studios. With this background, Devin oversaw music curation with Superior Sound Recording Studios and helped plan street activation for the night. He shares, “With Avenue of the Arts, we expose the Greater Cleveland residents to the grassroots arts movement going on in this historic district. If it weren’t for artists, how would revitalization and beautification of our neighborhoods be possible? It’s easy to lose sight of this when art is seen as a commodity and not a necessity.” Devin has united this district in ways that many cannot, and we were thrilled to have him on the planning team!

Wally Kaplan is a visual artist whose studio is in the historic ArtCraft Building. She coordinated the main Art Exhibition in Gallery 403 by coordinating many creatives in the building. Being a cancer survivor, she shares, “I found that for me art does heal, and the art community is generous and welcoming.” Paulette Archer and Rita Schuenemann who share a studio with Wally were also instrumental in coordinating the open studios and gallery exhibition at the ArtCraft.

Amanda LaGuardia is the co-owner of Lake Affect Studios. She has been a part of the neighborhood since 2013 and has truly helped put the Superior Arts District on the map. Supporting local talents, she shares, “To the unfamiliar eye, this District may not look like much. But if you peel back some of the layers, you can find hidden gems and really talented artists and craftsmen here.” Amanda’s appreciation for these artists is clear we cannot wait for you to witness the positive energy at Lake Affect!

Dan Morgan is a photographer in the Tower Press Building. He has helped with overall planning, financial support, and promotion of the event! He highlights, “Our work and living environment, when adorned by fine art, especially local art, calms the people nearby, and allows the owner of the art to express themselves.” Because of these reasons, he worked toward preserving the artists’ voices and opinions throughout planning this event.

Jake Peacock is a resident in the Tower Press Building. He marketed Avenue of the Arts and planned the overall logistics from start to end. He adds, “Avenue of the Arts is offering the most diverse mediums of arts and creativity that I have ever seen in a community arts event.” His reliable presence confirms his love for art, and he shares, “Art is a form of human to human communication that surpasses words and conversation. Throughout history, art prominently defines the values, stories, and histories of its people.”

Chris Stofan has occupied a live/work studio in the Tower Press Building since 2003. Being the artist coordinator at Tower Press, he was a key communicator between the creative minds behind this event. Chris reveals, “Art asks important questions, and shows us different perspectives. It gets us out of our comfort zone and makes us think and feel. Art can save the world, if we let it.” There is something special about witnessing art in person, and we are enthused that Chris is letting the public into his space in Tower Press.

Meet Your Neighbor: Robert Banks

Robert Banks is a local film maker and photographer who lives and works in the Campus District and has for over a decade. Since 2003, he’s occupied a live-work studio in the Tower Press Building and defines what an artist space is in Cleveland—"20% live and 80% work.” Today, he is one of the 16 artists of the Tower Press Artists Group. Uniquely, Robert grew up along Superior Avenue and has strong roots within the Campus District. In fact, Superior Avenue was a central part of his childhood, so once he saw the renovation of the Tower Press Building into artist spaces, he could not help but apply for a studio. Since acquiring studio 102, his first choice, he has brought welcoming and charismatic energy to this neighborhood.

In short, he explains his space as, “an input for all the work that goes into this neighborhood.” Connecting the community to artists is a primary goal in Robert’s eyes and one can tell of his passion simply by witnessing his daily routine. CDI specifically knows him for hosting biweekly film nights (using traditional celluloid film) and welcoming the public into his studio during special events, both free of cost. These events unite local artists to tenants and neighbors who, otherwise, may not cross paths. Banks believes that an artist’s lifestyle revolves around lifting their neighborhood to a place of creativity, safety, and expression, which is often overlooked in Cleveland.

For the film nights, Robert welcomes the whole community to the courtyard of Tower Press (his backyard). He spearheads the connection between artists and non-artists by hosting unique movie nights in the way that he knows best—only showing movies from old school film reels! He shares a brief history of the movie before it starts, and believe me, it’s so captivating that it makes one believe that they are about to watch their new favorite movie. In the best way, he’ll spark your interest in film-making within a half of a conversation! Robert's talents and passions are unique, and we cannot wait for him to be spotlighted at SPARX City Hop this year on August 17th. During this event, Tower Press artists open their studios to the public from 11am-6pm!

Follow Robert’s Facebook page for details about the next film night, Dracula Has Risen from the Grave, showing on August 24th, weather permitting!

Get to Know: Downtown Cleveland Residents

Downtown Cleveland Residents (DCR) provides a structure which promotes communication and active participation between downtown residents, downtown businesses servicing residents, and the City of Cleveland within the boundaries of downtown. They do so by hosting 2 different monthly gatherings to give residents a chance to meet the people that make decisions that may impact their livelihood.

Josh Jones, the Chairperson for Community Outreach, and a Downtown Cleveland Resident himself, joined this group as an opportunity to bridge the gap between his neighbors and shareholders. From having just one conversation with Josh (pictured on the left, with President Alan O'Connell and VP Julianne Putano), one can tell how vital he is for fostering a connected and community-based downtown. He shares, “Government and nonprofits are responsive to groups of citizens, not the other way around.” In short, DCR’s main goal is to elevate the voice of residents to the city, making sure that their opinions are heard, while truly getting to know one another.

To help form these connections, they host monthly meetings at the Old Stone Church, a central meeting location for all downtown residents. These meetings have allowed Josh to exercise his community building skills which he learned through the Neighborhood Leadership Development Program (NLDP). The leadership training combined with advice from fellow members of DCR has empowered Josh to create an atmosphere best for Cleveland residents— welcoming and united. For example, members agreed that meetings could be friendlier and more accessible. This lead Josh and Julianne to choose new locations for their monthly mixers, which are held in different venues to reach a bigger audience, as residents are wide spread throughout downtown.

Their next monthly mixer will be held within the Campus District at Lake Affect Studios! This monthly mixer is a great time to meet other downtown Cleveland residents, shareholders, and community organizers, all while enjoying free appetizers and exploring the Superior Arts District. Not to mention, attendees of the mixer will get FREE access to Lake Affect's concert series right after the event! Come meet your neighbor at DCR's Resident Mixer on Thursday, August 1st, from 6pm-8pm at 1615 East 25th Street. Have we mentioned how welcoming everyone is?

Thank You, Campus District!

On June 20th, my year of service as an AmeriCorps VISTA with Campus District, Inc. comes to an end. I’ve met some phenomenal people from the Campus District’s many different local businesses, schools, artist studios, and social service agencies that are doing important work in this community and throughout Cleveland as a whole. The people in this community have been a blast to work with and learn from, and I’m grateful to have built connections with them that will last far beyond my AmeriCorps year with CDI.

The work that I've done with CDI has been a privilege, as it has not only taught me a lot, but was truly enjoyable. Leading biannual clean-ups on East 22nd Street gave me the opportunity to collaborate with the commendable organization, Cleveland Central Promise Neighborhood, Central's Resilient Youth Group, and many outstanding student groups at Cleveland State and Tri-C Metro. The 'Meet Your Neighbor' and 'Get to Know' series in the CDI e-newsletter gave me opportunities to sit down with a diverse array of people in the Campus District, allowing me a peek into these individuals' unique life experiences and informing me about some of the admirable work that they do. Monthly Homeless Congress and Homeless Bill of Rights meetings with the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless team, homeless advocates, and folks experiencing homelessness have informed me about the harsh realities of homelessness, but have also introduced me to dedicated and truly inspiring individuals. These are valuable experiences that I'll continue to hold with me not only in my professional pursuits, but in my personal life as well.

Lastly, it’s been a wonderful experience working alongside the small, but mighty staff of Mark, Rachel, and Michael. They have served as great role models to me and I’m excited to take what I’ve learned from them into my future endeavors. I’m looking forward to seeing what this staff will continue to do for the community in coming years and it was a privilege to have been a part of it. Thank you, Campus District!

- Connor O'Brien

Get to Know: Girl Scouts of Northeast Ohio

The Girl Scouts of Northeast Ohio have had troops located in the Central neighborhood for over 15 years now, with the troops adding up to over 110 girls, all ages kindergarten through 12th grade. These 110+ scouts, along with funding providers, Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority and the Sisters of Charity Foundation, as well as many different community partners, have allowed the Girl Scouts of Northeast Ohio (GSNEO) to build out a great family of scouts and stakeholders in the Central neighborhood.

Kareemah Rose, the Program Coordinator for Grants and Funding Initiatives with GSNEO, has played a key role in building out this family. As a Grants and Funding Coordinator, Rose oversees GSNEO’s grant-funded programs and implements different events for scouts living in CMHA housing. Rose gets the girls together at regular meetings, finds ways for the girls to obtain different badges for things such as health and safety, and gets them involved with a variety of activities and group events.

Rose has helped in setting the Girl Scouts in Central up with opportunities to volunteer with Mayor Frank Jackson, volunteering at St. Andrew’s Church, read to students at the Outhwaite Elementary School, and spend time at NASA Research Center in Brook Park. A few scouts even had the opportunity to see Michele Obama speak at Playhouse Square earlier this year after she gifted the girls and a few staff members 10 tickets, with one scout, Darriel, being able to go on stage right before the First Lady.

Outside of the different activities and group events the scouts take part in, they also work towards obtaining their bronze, silver, and gold awards. These awards allow the girls to choose an issue they are interested in and find innovative ways to help solve it. These projects can be centered around anything from homelessness to bringing more life to a local park. When a scout reaches her gold award, she can then be given a chance to obtain scholarship money for college.

For Rose, building connections with the girls, their families, funders, and different stakeholders is a big reason why she has stuck with the organization for over 18 years. “We’ve developed a sisterhood,” Rose says, “The Girl Scouts are girls of courageous confidence and they make the world a better place.” Moving forward, Rose hopes to see the girls be able to grow up and become stakeholders in their own neighborhood.

To learn more about the Girl Scouts of Northeast Ohio, click here.

For those interested, reach out to krose@gsneo.org to learn more about the upcoming Day Camp for girls entering kindergarten- 1st grade at the Outhwaite Community Center on July 29- August 2 from 10 am-2 pm (for CMHA residents only).

Article by: Connor O’Brien

Get to Know: ZippityPrint.com

ZippityPrint.com is a union print shop headquartered in the Campus District that offers a plethora of printing services to customers on a nationwide scale, including to many industries such as the financial sector, union trade companies, not-for-profits, political affiliations, and many more. Through eco-friendly, full and two-color offset and digital printing, ZippityPrint specializes in printing a variety of marketing and promotional materials, political campaign materials, as well as offering graphic design services. While they do offer these print services, Zippity takes the extra step by providing an unwavering devotion to their customers along with holding fun, in-house events like their summertime Food Truck Thursdays.

Christine Cirigliano, ZippityPrint.com Director of Creative Services

               “You have to care about the people you work with,” says ZippityPrint.com’s Director of Creative Services, Christine Cirigliano, “You put yourself in their position and you think about where their passion comes from.” Cirigliano, who comes from a background in marketing and creative services, was brought on to the ZippityPrint team back in September of last year. She, along with the rest of the staff, carries the same mentality as ZippityPrint.com owner Joseph Dell’Aquila, which is that “people are the priority”.

Due to this strong commitment to the customer, ZippityPrint sees a lot of repeat business, especially from those running for political positions. By the nature of being a union print shop, ZippityPrint works with a lot of political candidates across the country. Cirigliano mentions that often times when candidates or other businesses that want to work with Zippity are local, she likes to be able to go meet with clients and really get a feel for what their brand is all about to provide them with the best possible prints.

When asked about what sets them apart from other print shops, Cirigliano says, “It’s the expertise that the people have in our jobs here. We hire people who have the same passion and vision as ZippityPrint.” ZippityPrint staffs 15-20 people in their shop, a majority of which are full-time and a few that join the team seasonally to help during election periods. While Cirilgliano highlights staff expertise at the shop as something that sets them apart, ZippityPrint also holds an event call Food Truck Thursdays, something that is quite unique for a print shop.

Beginning in the summer of last year, ZippityPrint began holding these Food Truck Thursdays right outside of their shop on East 23rd Street. With music, cornhole, and local food trucks, folks that work at local businesses in the Campus District have better access to a quick lunch within walking distance, along with a chance to get to know other people working in the area. Zippity has already began their Food Truck Thursdays this year, which are hosted every other Thursday from 11:30am-1:30pm until August 30th. Check out the flyer below to learn more.

               Moving forward, ZippityPrint.com looks to keep expanding their reach to new clientele as well as add new staff members. They’re currently beginning to step up their staff, mainly in the sales department, and those that are interested in joining the team are encouraged to reach out to joe@zippityprint.com to learn more. In the meantime, come by a Food Truck Thursday to enjoy some great, local food and a chance to get to network with your neighbors!

If you’re interested in learning more about ZippityPrint.com and their services, check out their website.

If you’d like to receive Zippity’s e-newsletter, reach out to Takisha Jackson at Support@zippityprint.com

Meet Your Neighbor: Bill Jean

Back in 2015, full-time artist William Martin Jean, began his “Art for the Homeless” program in collaboration with FrontLine Service, offering a safe space to create and express ideas freely for individuals experiencing homelessness and trauma.

After spending most of his life teaching art at different institutions throughout Cleveland, including the Cleveland Institute of Art, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and many different public schools, William (who mainly goes by Bill) decided to start utilizing his studio in the Tower Press building as a headquarters for these bi-monthly “Art for the Homeless” sessions. Working in collaboration with FrontLine and receiving grant funding from Neighborhood Connections has allowed for these art sessions to consistently take place over the years and give individuals experiencing trauma a space to relax and make art.

Superior Ave. banner design sessions in Bill’s studio

The idea for these workshops sparked from a project Bill worked on with men staying at the 2100 Lakeside shelter. Back in 2014, these men, alongside other members of the community, worked together in Bill’s studio to design artwork for banners along Superior Avenue. Bill quickly realized that the men really enjoyed these art sessions and that they helped give them a sense of self worth, so he worked to raise money to continue doing them.

With over 40 years of teaching experience under his belt, Bill still feels just as passionate about his work to this day. “I love working with people. I find that the biggest reward. People are interesting.” Bill takes pride in the fact that he stays in touch with his students, not only from his current workshops, but even from when he taught at different public schools throughout the Cleveland area.

In his spare time when he’s not creating or instructing art, Bill still finds a way to be involved in the arts. He has a background theatre and stage work and enjoys playing the cello. To learn more about Bill Jean and see his own artwork, feel free to check out his website.

Coming up on May 14th lasting through May 16th, you can have the opportunity to see the artwork Bill and his class have been working on. From 11:00am-1:00pm on the 14th-16th, the Wooltex Gallery in the Tower Press building will be hosting an exhibition featuring some of the artwork made in these art sessions. Check out a sneak peek of some of the artwork above!

Article by Connor O’Brien

2018 Annual Meeting

Thank you to those who made it out to the 2018 Annual Meeting! It’s always a special experience having the opportunity to have all of our stakeholders together in the same room, while being able to honor the hard work that they do every single day to make the Campus District a great place to live, work, play, and heal. We greatly appreciate your dedication to the neighborhood.

CDI Executive Director, Mark Lammon

Mark Lammon presenting the Partnership Award to Joe Marinucci of Downtown Cleveland Alliance.

Michael Collier presenting the Leadership award.

GBX Group accepting the Leadership Award.

Rachel Oscar and Connor O’Brien presenting the Volunteer Award

Guy-Vincent and Jane Finley accepting the Volunteer Award.

Thom Olmstead, Director of University Partner Collaborations at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center presenting the Investment Award.

Dr. Michael Schoop, President of Tri-C’s Metro Campus, accepting the Investment Award.

Dr. Michael Schoop, President of Tri-C’s Metro Campus, delivering the keynote speech.

Guy-Vincent, Jane Finley, Mark Lammon.

GBX Group and Mark Lammon.

Joe Marinucci and Mark Lammon.

Kaela Geschke, Amanda LaGuardia, and Jazmyn Blockson.

Dr. Michael Schoop and Mark Lammon.

Letter from Campus District, Inc. Executive Director, Mark Lammon:

It’s been a whole year; I still have a hard time believing it because it feels like just yesterday I became Executive Director of the Campus District.  In that time I’ve had the opportunity and privilege to get to know the diverse group of people and organizations that call this neighborhood home.  This year’s annual meeting theme is ‘Patchwork’.  What better way to describe our neighborhood than the patches of a quilt strengthened in their bind to one another.

It was an exciting year for the organization.  None of which would have been possible if not for the strong foundation built by my predecessor, Bobbi Reichtell, who retired after over five years at the helm of this organization.  When I took the wheel in February 2018, we launched our Superior Arts District Ambassador Service.  The Ambassadors have been out on the streets ever since ensuring that the northern part of the Campus District remains as clean and safe as possible.  We also completed the Bridge that Bridges project on the East 22nd Street overpass of I-90 which brought together stakeholders from all walks of life to discuss race and equity.  And we are continuing those same conversations through our Task Force process by empowering the community to develop our future priorities.

I want to thank the entire community, the Board of Directors, and the staff of the Campus District for being such a welcoming community.  Your passion for this neighborhood is felt every day.

Mark Lammon
Executive Director

Meet Your Neighbor: Delores Gray

Care Alliance is a nonprofit health clinic mainly geared toward serving folks that are experiencing homelessness or that are low-income, but is open to anyone and everyone. The clinic has four locations throughout the Cleveland area, including in the Central neighborhood, right outside of the Campus District. Care Alliance offers a multitude of services ranging from dental care, behavioral health counseling, general adult and child care, and homeless outreach just to name a few.

As a Community Engagement Coordinator for the Care Alliance Health Center located in Central, Delores Gray is constantly out in the community educating residents on the array of health services the clinic offers. Delores spends a lot of her work time tabling at a variety of events throughout Central and beyond, including libraries, rec centers, CMHA complexes, churches, schools, and prisons. She’s often times the first face residents come in contact with from Care Alliance and offers a strong knowledge not only of the services the clinic offers, but of what other services are available in the community.

Delores has spent a good chunk of her life living in the Central neighborhood and she knows a lot about what the area has to offer through her heavy involvement in the community. She grew up in the neighborhood and graduated from East Tech High School, then moved away for a bit, but eventually found her way back to the neighborhood to where she lives now in the Cedar High Rise building.

While living in Central, Delores has found countless ways to be active in the area, whether it be through different boards, clubs, and organizations. Gray is the president of the Local Advisory Council for her housing complex, the treasurer for East Tech’s Alumni Board, sits on numerous boards for multiple organizations, and works closely with Councilwoman Phyllis Cleveland and Ward 5. Delores has also won multiple resident awards, including a Resident of the Year award from Campus District back in 2011.

For Gray, being involved and serving the community has come as natural. “I love being able to give people the answer they need with heart and compassion,” Gray says. Being so in tune with the community and residents, Delores feels that she serves as a voice for everybody and that she needs to speak up to get residents what they need.

Moving forward, Gray hopes that folks living in the Central neighborhood can have better access to information and resources to positively benefit their lives. Gray believes that the Central community deserves more access to healthcare and clinics like Care Alliance and believes the children in the area deserve to really feel like they learn.

You can learn more about Care Alliance and Delores’ work here: https://www.carealliance.org/

Article written by Connor O’Brien

Spring Clean-Up Report

Despite rain and cloudy skies on Saturday, 40 awesome volunteers were able to make it out to our Spring Clean-Up & Planting. Volunteers spent the morning picking up litter, clearing debris, pruning plants, and planting seeds along both East 22nd and East 30th street. When the rain got a bit too heavy, volunteers gathered inside the Sisters of Charity Foundation building and participated in a facilitated activity over lunch to discuss ways in which we can better unite as a community. A big thank you goes out to Cleveland Central Promise Neighborhood for helping us lead this effort. Thank you to those from Cleveland State’s Student Environmental Movement, CSU’s Key Bank Scholars, CSU’s Viking Expeditions, Tri-C students, Central’s Resilient Youth group, and many more that volunteered their time and perspectives this past weekend!

Get to Know: Zygote Press

Since opening up its doors over two decades ago, the nonprofit artist workshop Zygote Press has dedicated their mission to promoting the practice of printmaking in an inclusive, collaborative, and professional manner. With access to an abundance of printmaking machines and equipment, gallery space, educational outreach programs, and even in-house artist residency opportunities, Zygote is able to fulfill this impressive mission.

Zygote Press was founded in 1996 by Liz Maugans, Joe Sroka, Bellamy Printz, and Kelly Novak, who all were interested in opening an affordable printmaking space during a time when printing was beginning to mainly be done digitally. Universities and print businesses were starting to discard of their printing presses and other printmaking equipment, which allowed Zygote to acquire a robust collection of the necessary printmaking tools for their workshop.

Stephanie Kluk, Zygote Press Co-Director

Over the past two decades of building out a network of artists and implementing tons of different programming, Zygote has also underwent a few big changes, including moving their headquarters in 2006 from their original location on Chester Ave. into 1410 East 30th St., right on the edge of the Campus District. Along with the move, in 2016, Zygote Press’ board decided on hiring two co-directors, Stephanie Kluk and Kate Snow, which was a model they hadn’t tried before.

According to Kluk, the co-director model works really well in their favor, as both her and Snow have similar work ethic and values, and they’re both able to combine their knowledge in the arts and nonprofit worlds. Kluk comes from a background in fine art photography, as well as over 15 years in arts administration, including directing Cleveland-based arts center, Art House. Snow has a lot of experience in printmaking and painting, while she also brings extensive nonprofit experience to the table after working with numerous art-based nonprofits throughout Cleveland.

The duo, along with the rest of their 7-woman staff, have been able to bring a variety of different programming to the workshop. Zygote offers 8 different exhibitions in their gallery throughout the year, which includes a spot dedicated to a solo show for a local artist, one-on-one classes to teach silk screening, group tours of the workshop, and even an in-house artist residency.

Kluk, who greatly appreciates being able to work alongside a community of diverse artists, spoke highly of the residency program. “We get to meet new people and introduce them to other artists.”

Through this program, Zygote is able to host multiple artists across the U.S. and abroad to stay in their apartment space attached to the workshop. Artists have been hosted from Greece, Taiwan, Germany, New York, Virgina, and Philadelphia, to name a few. Resident artists, who mainly specialize in printmaking, are not only able to access the workshop 24/7, but are able to work alongside the diverse network of other artists that Zygote has built over the years. On top of that, resident artists from overseas have the opportunity to showcase their work in the gallery for their own exhibits.

Moving forward, Zygote looks to keep making printmaking affordable, accessible, and fun. With outreach programs to educate local elementary schools students about the art of  printmaking and efforts to make their printing processes more environmentally friendly, Zygote continues to be able to reach even more folks in the community. If you’d like to learn more about Zygote Press, click here to check out their website. To learn more about their next exhibition coming up on May 10th, click here.

Article by Connor O’Brien

Join the Campus District Team

Americorps VISTA is a ONE YEAR commitment beginning June 10, 2019

Overview

Campus District, Inc. (CDI) is a non-profit community development corporation serving the eastern half of downtown Cleveland. It is home to the Superior Arts District and our three anchor institutions: Cleveland State University, Cuyahoga Community College Metro Campus and St. Vincent Charity Medical Center. The Campus District is a very diverse neighborhood with over 1,500 student residents, 100+ artists, two large homeless shelters, and low income families in concentrated public housing. CDI works to connect people to resources and to one another to make positive change at the personal and neighborhood level.

The VISTA Position during its year of service will:

• Research national best practices in the areas of homelessness and social service delivery in mixed used, dynamic neighborhoods

• Develop a recommended plan to address the safe and proper storage of belongs for individuals experiencing homelessness

• Assist the Campus District in developing an operating and capital plan for a system to store belongs

• Research food delivery occurring in the neighborhood and develop a report addressing any gaps and duplication

• Contribute to the overall mission of Campus District to enhance the lives of all of our stakeholders

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent work experience) in social work, urban studies, human services, non-profit administration, communications or related field

• Excellent written and oral communication skills

• Possess an entrepreneurial, creative, and solution-oriented approach to issues

• Strong planning and organizational skills and the ability to think strategically in the design and execution of projects

• Proficiency in computer and web-based information technologies and in preparing written reports and business correspondence

• Ability to communicate and work with people of all racial, ethnic and income backgrounds and engage in critical conversations around racial equity and inclusion

• Self-motivation and an ability to work toward objectives and work independently

What is an AmeriCorps VISTA?

AmeriCorps VISTA members are passionate and committed to their mission to bring individuals and communities out of poverty. Members make a year-long, full-time commitment to serve on a specific project at a nonprofit organization or public agency.

VISTA BENEFITS

For more detailed information on Americorps VISTA service visit www.vistacampus.gov/in-service/benefits-service

• Monthly Living Allowance: Vistas will receive the cost of living in their area. This works out to be around $1120 per month dollars before taxes. Federal taxes are taken out, but State taxes are not.

• Time Off: 10 holidays, 10 personal leave days, 10 medical leave days

• End of Service Award: VISTA members who successfully complete a term of service are eligible to receive either a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $5,815 to pay for college or to pay off student loans, or an end-of-service cash stipend of $1,500.

• Relocation: Members serving a 12-month term moving more than 50 mi. are eligible for $500

• Health Care Support: VISTAs are eligible for reimbursements through VISTA Health Care Allowance

• Child Care: May be eligible for $400/mo/child under age of 13

Please e-mail a cover letter and resume to info@campusdistrict.org. No phone calls please.