Building Wealth for Residents of Greater University CircleNational conference focuses on work being done here By Lila Mills

Inspired to LeadIn May’s Neighborhood Voice, Rechelle Wil-liams read about a soon-to-be leaderless Girl Scout troop. The troop’s 12 girls, who meet at the Cleveland Public Library’s Sterling branch in Central, needed a new leader. So Williams — a government employee and the mother of a five-year-old son and two young adult daugh-ters — stepped in.

When she and I recently met over coffee, I asked her why she decided to take on the troop leader role.

“I wanted to impact others,” Williams said. “It was just calling me.”

Williams isn’t new to Girl Scout leadership. About ten years ago, when her girls were in

Greater University Circle was in the spotlight last month during the Inner City Economic Summit held downtown at the Global Center for Health Innovation.

The summit drew 250 civic, business and non-profit leaders from across the country to hear about innovative ways to build wealth in eco-nomically distressed areas of U.S. cities. Nearly 1,000 more joined the conference via a live on-line broadcast.

The annual summit is organized by The Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit research and strategy organi-zation founded in 1994 by Harvard Business School professor Michael Porter. The Initiative is a leading authority on American inner-city economies and the businesses that thrive there. It works to “drive economic prosperity in Amer-ica’s inner cities through private sector invest-ment” with the goal of creating jobs, income

and wealth for local residents, according to its mission statement.

Mary Duggan, a senior analyst with the Initiative, said the organization believes creating “jobs anywhere” is not enough. Instead, it is concen-trated efforts to develop America’s urban cores that are needed.

“More and more, economic developers are re-alizing that developing their own community or own city is not enough — that regions and surrounding areas impact one another economi-cally,” Duggan said in an email. “A city’s econ-omy, or even a region’s economy, cannot reach its full potential if its urban core is economically distressed.”

On Oct. 24, the summit’s opening day, attendees took a tour of Cleveland with a focus on Greater University Circle where institutions, like Case Western Reserve University, University Hospi-

tals and Cleveland Clinic, have collaborated to revitalize surrounding neighborhoods by buying goods locally and hiring area residents.

Later, Porter said in a keynote address that every city needs to have an “anchor strategy” to get institutions — such as hospitals and universities — engaged in revitalizing the neighborhoods that surround them through innovative, inclusive partnerships that support good and improving wages for workers.

University Hospitals’ Heidi Gartland spoke on a panel about the work the hospital is doing in col-laboration with Neighborhood Connections and other organizations to build wealth in Greater University Circle. Neighborhood Connections, the community-building program of the Cleve-land Foundation, publishes Neighborhood Voice.

Gartland noted the importance of nurturing “small support systems” between neighbors.

November 2013 • ne ighborhood-vo ice .com

Buckeye-Shaker • Central • East Cleveland • Fairfax • Glenville • Hough • Little Italy • University CircleNews from

h o U G h

The Farm on East 72nd Street Page 8

F a I R F a x

St. adalbert SchoolPage 8

G L E n v I L L E

Residents Celebrate in Circle northPage 4

Check out our new & improved website right from your phone!

Homebuying Made

Easy! Page 6

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PERRy’S PERSPECTIvECommentary by East Cleveland’s M. LaVora Perry

You could win a $50 gift card

by filling out a Neighborhood

Connections survey!

Find it online at www.

neighborhood-voice.com/

neighborhood-news/use-your-voice/

Or fill out a hard copy of the

survey for a chance to win a

$25 gift card.

Pick up a hard copy of the survey at

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University Circle office or call

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in the mail.

The office is located at:

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1988 Ford DriveCleveland, OH 44106

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A resident unrolls a sign for Neighbor Up at community gathering at Kossuth Park in the Larchmere-Buckeye-Shaker neighborhood. Neighbor Up is a diverse group of people working together on issues they care about and making change in their communities. More than 350 people are members. Find out more at www.neighborhood-voice.com/get-involved. Photo by Jessica Kayse.

People Power

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Publisher Neighborhood Connections

EditorLila Millslmills@neighborhood-voice.com

Writers/PhotographersM. LaVora Perrymlavoraperry@mlavoraperry.com

Justin Rutledgejrutledge@neighborhood-voice.com

Graphic Design ConsultantJulie Heckman

Copy EditorLindsy Neer

ContributorsLori Ingram, Jessica Kayse, Calvin Marshall, Katie Montgomery, Natalie Rudd, Elaine Siggers, Jan Thrope, Milton Ward

a d d r e s s1990 Ford DriveCleveland, OH 44106

Phone216-229-8769

Emailinfo@neighborhood-voice.com

Advertisingadvertising@neighborhood-voice.com

a b o u t U s Neighborhood Voice is a monthly community newspaper written by citizen journalists who live, work and play in Greater University Circle.

It’s easy to share your story. Just send a text or picture message from your phone to neighborhood_voice@vojo.co Or call 1-888-821-7563 ext. 6036 to record your audio story. Or go online to http://vojo.co/en/groups/neighborhood-voiceto submit your story. Thanks to Vojo it’s easy for people to share stories with Neighborhood Voice from any mobile phone. You don’t need a smartphone or Internet access to post stories – any phone will do!

Deadline for submissions: Nov. 20

Landscape of Greater University Circle atop the W.O. Walker Building at 9500 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, Ohio. PHOTO BY STEPHEN TRAVARCA

Printed on recycled paper

We want to hear from you. Write to us at 1990 Ford Dr., Cleveland, oh 44106 or email us at info@neighborhood-voice.com.

Neighborhood Voice is part of a courageous and innovative movement happening in Greater University Circle — an area that includes parts of East Cleveland and the Buckeye-Shaker, Central, Fairfax, Glenville, Hough, Little Italy and University Circle neighborhoods of Cleveland. We are part of a wide network of people committed to making our communities stronger. Neighborhood Voice tells the stories of everyday people doing extraordinary things. We tell stories of transformation, authentic relationships and people using their talents to do good work and help others. We tell these stories to inspire and inform.

We all have something to give and we need each other to thrive. Come join us. Find out more at www.neighborhood-voice.com/category/get-involved or call 216-229-8769.

“I’d always thought I was waiting for someone to come and change things — but what I really learned was that I was waiting for myself.”

~ Bevelynn Bravo, resident

Neighborhood Voice is a program of Neighborhood Connections.

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Fifteen-year-old Deja Wilson grew up in the Fairfax community. Driven by her passion for technology, she enjoys Media & Technology Training, taking pictures, fi lming and video editing at the PNC Fairfax Connection, and participates in programs like Kids in the Kitchen and RapArt Youth Program with her family.

Now, East Siders of all ages have the opportunity to achieve through free classes, workshops, events and programs at the PNC Fairfax Connection—a free resource center dedicated to help the community learn and grow. CHANGE BEGINS HERE

8220 Carnegie Avenue between 82nd & 83rd Streets | 216-391-4677 216-391-4677 216-391-4677 | pncfairfaxconnection.com

“I love seeing people watchthe videos I make.

Even better when they like it.”

Future Videographer – FAIRFAX ALL-STAR

DEJAWILSON

This is the true testimonial of Deja Wilson, a regular visitor to the PNC Fairfax Connection. ©2013 The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

T:9.875”T:12.25”

Celebrate! Circle North neighbors celebrated Sept. 28 after working together since April to improve their community just north of University Circle. The neighborhood runs from East 116th to 120th streets between Ashbury and Kelton avenues. The Pride of Glenville Marching Band kicked off the afternoon by parading through the neighborhood playing drums to let people know the cel-ebration was starting. There was face painting, an inflatable bounce house for kids and hotdogs and more for lunch.

Neighbors partnered with Charter One Bank, the community development corporation Famicos, the Cleveland Foundation and the grassroots grantmaker Neighborhood Connections to improve the neighborhood. Residents and folks from each of the partner organizations attended the cel-ebration. Even Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson stopped by. He played a game of cornhole with children and spoke during a ceremony before neighbors unveiled the neighborhood logo they created. Later everyone gathered to cut the ribbon on the revamped community park.

“We’ve done so much,” neighbor Latricia Motley said. “It’s brought everybody back out.”

~ Photos by Milton Ward and Lila Mills

4 www.ne ighborhood-vo ice.com November 2013

NEIGHBORHOOD CONNECTING NeIghborhood VoIce

NEIGHBORHOOD FAITH

www.ne ighborhood-vo ice.com November 2013 5

WANT TO ShArE YOur ThOuGhTS ON FAiTh?

Email them to submissions@neighborhood-voice.com, send them to Neighborhood Voice, 1990 Ford Dr., Cleveland, 44106

or call us at 216-229-8769.

A regular column by Natalie Rudd

L o o k I n G U P

on WaitingI recently drove to Washington, D.C., for a busi-ness trip. The drive there was perfect. I felt re-laxed. The weather was good, and there was very little traffic.

However, once I got into the city, everything changed. There was bumper-to-bumper traffic, people weaving from lane to lane, and the traffic stood at a standstill for 10 minutes at a time. My GPS said I was three minutes away from my destination. Yet, 45 minutes later, I was still three minutes away! I couldn’t do anything but wait and slowly inch my way through the traffic.

I don’t know about you, but I am not good with waiting. I tend to become impatient and frus-trated and act like a 2-year-old saying, “I want what I want when I want it!”’

The reality is that waiting is something we all have to do.• We wait in line at the grocery store.• We wait for the traffic light to turn green.• We reluctantly wait for the school bus to retract the stop sign.

In these examples, we have a problem with waiting because we feel like we are being incon-venienced. That isn’t real waiting. Real waiting has to do with matters of the heart and having our everyday needs met.

Just ask a newly diagnosed breast cancer pa-tient who is waiting on healing. Or, consider the parents who just buried their teenage son due to a violent, senseless crime as they pray and wait for acceptance, peace and forgiveness. What about the person who has been looking for a job for the past 18 months with no prospects in sight? They also want the waiting to be over.

Waiting on a need to be met is challenging. Wait-ing on healing from an unwanted diagnosis is painful. Waiting for a broken relationship to be mended is heartbreaking. And let’s not forget waiting to hear the words, “I love you. You are important to me.” or “I am sorry.” That is real

waiting and, for many of us, it makes life a little unbearable at times.

I am sure you are familiar with the saying, “Good things come to those who wait.” I believe that is true, depending on what we do while we wait. Oftentimes, while we are waiting on something, whatever that something may be, we tend to complain, get distracted and if we are not care-ful, we can become discouraged. It appears that in our waiting, nothing is happening to help or change our situation. So we wait grudgingly with a sour attitude and run the risk of becoming en-vious of others because they seem to have the very thing we are waiting for.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Good things can come our way if we learn how to work while we wait. Here are 10 things we can do while we wait to make certain that our waiting is not in vain:1. Speak positively about your situation instead of complaining2. Keep believing that what you are in need of will come right on time3. Stay focused on what you are trying to achieve4. Help someone else who is in need and be an encouragement5. Be forgiving of others6. Learn a new skill7. Get rid of a bad habit8. Journal your feelings and experiences9. Always see the blessings that you have right now10. Trust that God is working all things out according to his perfect timing

Whatever you do, please don’t look at waiting as a bad thing; instead, live in trust that things are being worked out on your behalf behind the scenes. And understand that while we wait on God, he, too, is waiting on us. You see, often-times in our waiting, God is beckoning us unto him. He is pursuing us and drawing us closer to him. Do not allow your waiting to push you further away; rather, pull in closer to him. Then your waiting will not be in vain.

Final thought: God is the giver of every good and perfect gift. You have everything you need to live for him today. I am a living witness that he will provide for your needs in his perfect timing. Will you wait on him? Will you trust him today?

Natalie Rudd is on the ministerial staff at An-tioch Baptist Church in Fairfax. Reach her at mindfuldiva@gmail.com.

Express Yourself

Let’s Keep Our Eyes on the PrizeI’ve learned a lot these past few weeks. And I do know this: While this scurrying back and forth every day to work in our quest to achieve the American dream may indeed be a necessary evil so to speak, it cannot, nor can we allow it, to take the place of our very lives. Our humanity.

We must continue to live, love, laugh, be happy and enjoy our “God-given lives.” We are all awesome and incredible individuals, with some beautiful smiles that can quite literally light up a room, who have all been given the opportunity to breathe the breath of life one more day. And we all deserve respect for who we are.

We must understand that a little common courtesy goes a very long way. So, we may not be able to come to a complete stop in our incessant quest for greatness, or cease from catering to our unremitting responsi-bilities, but we can surely allow just a little kindness for our fellow-man.

We are fearfully and wonderfully made, and so is the next person, and we must remember that. And I believe that if for just a moment, just one moment, we slow down, even stop, and just breathe in the very essence of what life is, God’s life, then we will suddenly remember that we are here for only a moment, an important moment, and that we must learn to value one another, to respect one another, to enjoy life and one another. And then, we will stop and smell the roses, while we still have time.

Buckeye-Shaker’s Elaine Siggers posted this on her blog http://wordsthatlastalifetime.wordpress.com. Check it out to comment or go to www.facebook.com/neighborhoodvoice. See videos of Greater University Circle residents responding to her blog at www.youtube.com/neighborhoodvoice.

For information, call 216-229-2975 or email Indigo Bishop at ibishop@neighborhoodgrants.org

Come for dinner, fun and possibility!

JOIn tHE nExt

network night6 - 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5

University Circle United Methodist Church, 1919 E. 107th St.

NEIGHBORHOOD PROFILE NeIghborhood VoIce

6 www.ne ighborhood-vo ice.com November 2013

Christin Farmer went from living in a rented apartment in Hough to owning her own home — with three bedrooms, 2 1/2 bathrooms, a first-floor laundry and a two-car garage — all for about $2,000 out of pocket. And her month-ly mortgage payment is some $250 less than the rent on her old apartment.

“You can get a house for next to nothing,” Farmer said.

Farmer bought her home in the Wade Park neighborhood through the Opportunity Homes program.

Ann Fox bought an Opportunity Home in Wade Park, too. She moved from an 800-square-foot rental off of St. Clair Avenue to a 3,500-square-foot house with five bedrooms and 3 1/2 bath-rooms. Her mortgage payment is almost $100 less than she paid in rent.

Roger Thomas is the sales manager at Cleve-land Housing Network, which administers the Opportunity Homes program in partnership with Cleveland Neighborhood Progress. He said the goal of the program is to develop afford-able home ownership opportunities for low- to moderate-income families in partnership with local community development corporations.

To purchase an Opportunity Home, Thomas added, buyers must meet income guidelines and be able to quality for a traditional home loan through a bank just as any other buyer would. Opportunity Homes are for sale in six

Cleveland neighborhoods — including Buck-eye-Shaker, Fairfax and Glenville-Wade Park in Greater University Circle.

Opportunity Homes are totally renovated, Thom-as said, calling it a “total gut renovation” mean-ing contractors rebuild almost the entire interior of the home. Each home also comes with appli-ances, central air and an alarm system.

Fox said staff at Cleveland Housing Network really helped her throughout the entire home buying process.

“They guided me through the whole thing,” Fox said. “I’d always wanted to be a homeowner, but I didn’t know how many programs were available” to help.

Farmer agreed.

“People can get overwhelmed by the home buying process, but there are so many pro-grams (to help finance a home) out there,” she said. “You could be paying a lot more in rent. The best advice I can give (to people consider-ing buying a home) is to weigh your options. Research and look into it.”

Cleveland Housing Network helps home buy-ers look into various options. Farmer was able to receive a $5,000 grant from Dollar Bank, a $10,000 forgivable loan through the Greater Circle Living program and 20-percent down payment assistance through the city of Cleve-land for her home.

Opportunity Knocks

Program sells inexpensive, fully renovated homes

By Lila Mills

Learn more about the Opportunity Homes program at www.opphomes.com or call the Cleveland Housing Network at 216-774-2400.

The Best MedicineWhen it comes to a common diabetes complication, prevention education is key

Benjamin Franklin once said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” This is especially true when it comes to the nearly 26 million people in the United States with diabetes. They are at risk for many serious health problems but, with the correct treatment and lifestyle changes, it is possible to prevent or delay the onset of complications.One common diabetes-related complication is neuropathy, or nerve damage. This can result in the loss of feeling in the extremities, particularly the feet. Due to this nerve damage, a diabetic may have a foot wound or injury and not even realize it.

“In addition, when a person’s blood sugar is elevated, the body’s ability to fight off infection or heal a wound is diminished,” says Susan Cotey, RN, a certified diabetes educator at the Cleveland Clinic Stephanie Tubbs Jones Health Center’s Lennon Diabetes Center in East Cleveland. “That’s why it is so important to control your diabetes 100 percent of the time, and why we teach prevention in all of our diabetes education classes.”

What Can I Do?If you have diabetes, there are several things you can do to prevent or minimize foot injuries, including:

• Maintain well-controlled blood sugar levels.

• Conduct daily skin checks. Touch and inspect all of your skin, especially your feet.

• Practice good skin hygiene.

• Never go barefoot. Keep a pair of slippers at your bedside—even a simple injury like a stubbed toe can lead to a foot ulcer and other complications.

• Enlist family members to help monitor your skin’s condition.

If you do have a foot wound, Ms. Cotey says that early intervention is key.

“If a cut or sore hasn’t gotten any better in one day, you should have it checked by your physician,” she says. “Don’t try to self-treat, and be careful of what you buy over the counter. Always ask your doctor or pharmacist first, as many treatments can be caustic to people with diabetes.”

For more information about the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Health Center’s diabetes education program, call 216.767.4221.

For information on other Cleveland Clinic diabetes education programs, call toll-free 866.721.0070 or go to clevelandclinic.org/diabetesclasses.

Susan Cotey, RN Certified diabetes educator, Lennon Diabetes Center, Cleveland Clinic Stephanie Tubbs Jones Health Center

ADvERTISEMENT

131299_CC_STJHC_Cotey_advertorial_NV.indd 1 10/15/13 9:58 AM

NEIGHBORHOOD PROFILE NeIghborhood VoIce

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Farmer Growing Quality Food in the CityBy Justin Rutledge

hoUGh - With his long gray hair and dirt-stained hands, Carl Skalak Jr. looks like a farmer. His farm, though, stands out.

Skalak’s farm sits on one acre on East 72nd Street, just south of Gordon Park, in the heart of the city. Skalak tends to this property daily, trying to pull a profit from his patch of Cleve-land soil.

Skalak wasn’t always a farmer. He made the switch to farm life out of necessity seven years ago.

“I plowed the property in 2006,” Skalak said. “I got into urban farming because I needed something to generate some income because the job I had (was) eliminated due to some cutbacks.”

Before turning to the land and opening Blue Pike Farm, Skalak worked on the western campus of Cuyahoga Community College.

Skalak’s farm grows produce and other goods he makes available to residents of Cleveland.

“We have chickens and we have beehives,” Skalak said. “We grow some fruit and sea-sonal vegetables. On Wednesdays during the summer, I go to First Baptist Church of Cleve-land for a farmers market there. On Thursdays, we have a market at the farm. It just depends on the day of the week and what part of the season we’re in.”

Skalak’s farm isn’t just a one-man show, though. He gets help from time to time in tending the land.

St. Adalbert School has a history of being a pos-itive presence in the Fairfax neighborhood. The Catholic school for grades pre-kindergarten through eight has been providing a well-round-ed education that extends beyond the walls of the school since 1962.

Principal James D. Smith is going into his third year of overseeing operations at the school and intends to keep that trend going while improv-ing on what the school already offers. Every student has access to state-of-the-art tech-nology. Teachers can use tools like projectors, ELMO machines and SMART boards in their classrooms. There are also intervention spe-cialists at the school to help students who are struggling.

Smith stressed that interactions between stu-dents, teachers and the community are a cor-nerstone of the St. Adalbert experience.

“We try to do more than just academics,” Smith said. “This year we actually have 15 different clubs. We try to do a lot of different things to keep (the students) active. The kids pick what’s best suited for them and they go with it.”

These activities range from CYO sports to a Jap-anese club. There are also clubs for art, drama and poetry. Blackjack Community Time brings students and teachers together in mixed-age groups so they can talk with each other about issues relating to their lives. Teachers run every club St. Adalbert offers, providing a unique op-

portunity for students to interact with teachers outside of the classroom.

The school also uses the Fairfax Recreation Center right across the street for gym classes, intramural flag football and pep rallies.

“When you have the (Fairfax Recreation Cen-ter), it does help tremendously, especially with the sports,” Smith said.

Service is also a hallmark of a St. Adalbert edu-cation. Eighth-grade students take a class that requires them to go out into other classrooms and help teachers tutor students. They also go

out into the city and serve their community. Ac-cording to Smith, this is in an effort to build a sense of community and engrain in them the importance of helping others.

“I want them to know what it’s like to serve others,” Smith said. “I want them to have a good Christian foundation ... not just something that looks good on a résumé, but a foundation for what they will do with their lives.”

Justin Rutledge is a Benedictine High School graduate with a journalism degree from Bowl-ing Green State University.

G R E a T S C h o o L S I n G R E a T E R U n I v E R S I T y C I R C L E

School of the Month: St. adalbert SchoolAddress: 2345 E. 83rd St. Contact: 216-881-6250; http://saintadalbertschool.webplus.net

Hough farmer and beekeeper Carl Skalak Jr. pitches his idea at a micro-funding event in February. Skalak wanted to buy equipment for his beekeeping operation at Blue Pike Farm, 900 E. 72nd St. Photo by Chris Smith.

continued on Page 10

CWRU Social Justice Institute

Educating for StruggleJoin us for this Intergenerational Think Tank

FRIday NIghT KeyNoTeThE STrugglE: YESTErdaY, TodaY & TomorrowFeaturing Sonia Sanchez & Maytha alhassen-Sawaha

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S aV E T h E daT E S fridaY, noVEmbEr 15 and SaTurdaY, noVEmbEr 16, 2013

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call: 216.368.7568 case.edu/socialjustice

Marc GoodmanBy Katie Montgomery

Marc Goodman has spent a lifetime with an-tiques. For him, it’s been more of a calling than a career.

“I feel lucky to be in a business that deals with things I love,” he said. “I never tire of looking at antiques — because rarely do you see the same item twice.”

His interest in antiques began early.

“When I was 13 or so, my mom would drop me off near Severance and I would spend the afternoon knocking on doors, asking people if they had any old items to spare,” he said.

“People would give me tons of things,” he re-called with amazement.

His mom would return to find him surrounded by treasures.

“From the start,” he said with a smile, “I was a collector.”

Today, you can see things through his practiced eye at Marc Goodman’s Antique Mall, 12721 Larchmere Blvd. In the late 1990s, he moved his Wonderful Things on Bellflower store from University Circle to Larchmere. His business has since grown to include six tenants — re-sulting in the only antique mall on Cleveland’s East Side.

“In a very small way, my work gives me the chance to become a bit of an archaeologist,” he said. “I’ll take something from the dust of an attic where it’s been hiding for 50 years and it suddenly has a new life — like an archaeologist opening a tomb and sharing those discoveries.”

“We’re selling items that are getting their sec-ond, third, even 10th lease on life,” Goodman added. “It’s ... intriguing. There is a peculiar metaphysical thing that happens over and over again in the antique world. A person will come in and say ‘I’m looking for a small van-ity.’ Two days later I’ll get a call that someone has just found a small art deco vanity, and it turns out to be just what that first customer was looking for.”

About Larchmere? “There’s not a single chain store, which makes it an attractive draw and unique in Cleveland. It’s kind of a piece of a mostly vanished world.”

Goodman hopes everyone finds a moment to stop by during the upcoming Larchmere Holi-day Stroll.

“It should be a very jolly time, with lots of people strolling the street. Of course, when you shop local, that keeps money in the community, and a healthy Larchmere merchant makes for a healthy neighborhood.”

Call Goodman at 216-229-8919 for help with everything from clearing a relative’s house to looking at individual pieces. Pre-1970 items are preferred.

His best piece of advice?

“If you’re clearing out great-grandma’s house, don’t throw anything away. Someone may want that 1927 Victrola catalog.”

When the “Draft Day” movie crew filmed in Cleveland, they found some things they wanted for their movie set at Goodman’s store. Visit the past and make your own discoveries there from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.

Larchmere Holiday Stroll — An offer for Neigh-borhood Voice readers: Everyone’s invited to the annual Larchmere Holiday Stroll, a Thanks-giving tradition for three decades, taking place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Nov. 29 and 30. You’ll find local shop owners offering festive treats, music, gift items and more on this kick-off to the holiday shopping season. Plus, Goodman is offering 10 percent off in his shop during the Stroll to anyone who mentions Neighborhood Voice!

Katie Montgomery is an active member of the Larchmere neighborhood. Larchmere is located one block north of Shaker Square, bordered by Shaker Boulevard, Kemper/N. Moreland, Fairhill Road, and E. 116th/MLK.

NEIGHBORHOOD ARTS & SOCIETY NeIghborhood VoIce

www.ne ighborhood-vo ice.com November 2013 9

A regular column by Lori Ingram

I n G R a M ’ S C I R C L E

new Theater attracts Crowds in CentralThe Garden Valley neighborhood has a great new gem in the form of an intimate theater located in Garden Valley Neighborhood House.

New African Theater has already performed two pieces to great acclaim. The first piece was “Meat” written by Mary Weems about the Sowell murders, and this past week, to a sold-out crowd, August Wilson’s “Jitney” was performed.

The theater is the brainchild of Michael Oat-man, former playwright-in-residence at Karamu House. Oatman held that position for several years, the only person to be honored with the title since the venerable Langston Hughes. I interviewed him in a question-and-answer format hoping to allow readers to un-derstand how important the theater is to the neighborhood and to Oatman.

Ingram: Why did you open the theater espe-cially in the Garden Valley area?

Oatman: I always dreamed of having my own theater. After meeting Jan Ridgeway (the ex-ecutive director of Garden Valley Neighbor-hood House), we decided to bring arts-related programming to Garden Valley because many people there have never had a chance to see live theater. Because of this, everyone is wel-come at the New African Theater. We charge $10 for a ticket, but no one is turned away, so the entire neighborhood shows up.

Ingram: Do you have a large audience for your shows?

Oatman: Oh yes. We had to find extra chairs to find places for people to sit. We were filled to capacity each day for “Meat” and for “Jitney.”

Ingram: Garden Valley is very receptive, then, to live theater?

Oatman: Yes, they are. The Neighborhood House has always had food banks. They feed the bellies and we feed the soul. We are open to outreach to the community, too. If schools or churches want us to perform, we will travel and perform in any other venue.

Ingram: So youth groups or churches can ask for what types of services?

n E I G h B o R h o o D S P oT L I G h TP o E T ’ S C o R n E RNeighborhood Voice regularly features local poets. Submit your poem to submissions@neighborhood-voice.com.

No Stones Unturned She is so beautiful; the sun greeted her with a smile.

And the dew kissed her with a lovely kiss,Escorted by the wind.

The birds sang good morn-ing to her, while the day embraced her.

Even the flowers gazed at her conventionally,then said hello.

Men showered her with praises,

And the leaves on the trees clapped their hands.

The bees let her be, and the rain held up. God put rhythm in her walk,

And the traffic parted like the Red Sea.

What a woman. WOW! Hair stood up on the mountain’s back,

as she pierced it with her eyes.

Time beckoned her on a platform. The ocean roared! What’s your name?

“I am woman!!” she said.

I need love too. ~By Calvin Marshall, a University Circle resident.

continued on Page 10

NEIGHBORHOOD EDUCATION NeIghborhood VoIce

10 www.ne ighborhood-vo ice.com November 2013

Those kind of support systems allow neighbors to come together to work on issues they care about; more engaged residents are more em-powered and active. She also noted Neighbor-hood Connections’ small-grants program, which provides funding to groups of neighbors to sup-port their community work.

Porter has written that inner city vitality depends not just on the success of industry, but also on the strength of the connections between resi-dents, businesses and policymakers.

In his keynote address at the summit, Porter said when he founded the Initiative 20 years ago, he

thought its work would be done in 10 years. But, he said, “it’s actually getting more complicated” as inner cities are disproportionately affected by the overall weak U.S. economy.

Inner cities make up 0.2 percent of the country’s land area, but are home to 10 percent of the U.S. population, Porter said. Inner city residents ac-count for 15 percent of those who are unem-ployed in America and 25 percent of those living in poverty, he added.

Learn more about the wealth-building work going on in Greater University Circle at www.neighborhood-voice.com/get-involved.

Building Wealth for Residents of GreaterUniversity Circle continued from Page 1

According to Skalak, he has volunteers who come in and help him do everything from feed-ing the chickens to harvesting and transplant-ing crops. Sometimes volunteers just drop in. Children from schools come to the farm and help a bit, as well.

“I like to think they get an appreciation for how food is grown, how difficult it can be some-times,” he said.

Though Skalak’s farm has been in operation for seven years, he is always looking to improve.

Currently, Skalak leases the land from an area

business. In the future, he would like to own his property so he can make some improvements and control who has access to it.

No matter the season or who is helping, Ska-lak’s food provides a tasty experience for those who purchase his products.

“Sometimes people are just surprised how much good, quality food you can grow in the (city),” he said.

Justin Rutledge is a Benedictine High School graduate with a journalism degree from Bowl-ing Green State University.

Farmer Growing Quality Food in the CIty ontinued from Page 8

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson with civic leaders and residents at the Oct. 22 groundbreaking for the new Little Italy-University Circle rapid station at the corner of Mayfield and Random roads. The Initiative’s Mary Duggan said, “public transit development is driving Cleveland toward a denser, more prosperous future.” Photo by M. LaVora Perry

Oatman: We do writing workshops. We can custom make plays about subject matter that is important to a church or community group. We do storytelling for children and all for af-fordable prices.

Ingram: What about local businesses? Do you have anything to offer them?

Oatman: Yes, we can do fundraisers and tour-ing productions — especially if the business is honoring someone or focusing on a social problem like an illness like heart disease. We can make a production that is evidence based. We opened “Jitney” with a 10-minute sketch that was about male breast cancer awareness in the African-American community.

Ingram: Well, in Neighbor Up (a diverse group of people working to make change in Cleve-land), we do a practice called the marketplace and I want you and I to do the first newspa-per marketplace in Neighborhood Voice. In the marketplace, we ask people for one of three things: ask for help, offer a service or make a declaration about something they are deter-mined to accomplish. Since this is a newspaper marketplace, I am going to ask you to do all three. First, what kind of help do you need from the community?

Oatman: We need lights, we need two light trees and tracks. We need a light board and cord for theater lighting. We need six blackout curtains

for the windows and rods to hang them. We have been renting chairs, so we need chairs. We need roadies, people that will help us set up and move sets. And we need an experienced administra-tive manager, maybe a senior who knows how to call around and get things done.

Ingram: What gift do you have to share with the readers and the community?

Oatman: We will give free teen boot camps in writing and acting. We will do outreach in schools. We will do customized programming for businesses. We will give cheap rental space for other engagements, perhaps if a stage is needed for open mic poetry reading, as long as the project is community based. And, new play writers can have a 10-minute opening spot to perform before larger shows.

Ingram: What is your declaration?

Oatman: Not having is not an excuse for not do-ing and come rain, sleet or snow. New African Theater is gonna make it do what it do, baby.

Ingram: Do I spell theater with an r-e like the-atre?

Oatman: Not yet. We can’t afford the r-e so just good, old plain theater, t-h-e-a-t-e-r, will have to do.

Lori Ingram is an actress living in University Circle.

new Theater attracts Crowds in Central continued from Page 9

high school, she was their troop leader.

Members of the Sterling branch troop range in age from five to 17. Williams’ plans for them to work on attaining Girls Scout awards.

Williams said winning Girl Scout awards, and taking all the steps to bring a project to life, can lead to college scholarships and help girls learn valuable skills. These include community service and project planning, project manage-ment and leadership. The Gold Award, the high-est award in the Girl Scouts, is for high school students, while silver and bronze awards are for scouts in middle and elementary school.

Williams not only has her vision for her troop, she asked members what they’d like to do.

“They want to go camping,” she said. “So that’s one thing we’re going to work on, to get pre-pared to do that.”

Williams hopes to have two camping trips — winter and spring.

The girls also expressed the desire to have “an outing where there’s food involved,” said Wil-liams, and to “go to the movies.”

Williams plans to make sure the girls do “badge work” when they go on field trips. That’s work

that teaches skills and enables troop members to earn Girl Scout badges. For instance, one of the field trip destinations the members re-quested was the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. So when Williams took them to “Boo in the Zoo” the Sunday before Halloween, she used the trip as an opportunity for the scouts to earn badges related to animals.

Williams’ 21 year-old daughter recently signed on as her assistant and there are two parent volunteers as well. However, Williams said, the troop still needs support. Experts — such as car mechanics — can share their talents. In addition, supplies for activities like camping, and transportation provided by a car service would be helpful.

The Sterling Girl Scout troop meets 4 to 6 p.m. Thursdays at the library.

For more information, contact Williams at 216-644-0288 or rechelle.williams@yahoo.com.

There was an error in my article “Hollywood Comes to Glenville – Again” published in last month’s issue. Trotter’s

Dry Cleaners is one of five green cleaners in Cuyahoga County, not Ohio.

M. LaVora Perry is a writer, wife, mother and 20-year East Cleveland resident. Her children have attended East Cleveland and CMSD schools. Visit her website at mlavoraperry.com.

Inspired to Lead continued from Page 1

ChECk uS OuT ONliNE! Read new articles, watch videos, see more

community photos every day at www.neighborhood-voice.com

Obama Care & Affordable health Care Act

Nov. 7, 14, & 215 to 7 p.m.

November 12, 19, & 2610 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

November 8 & 22 2 to 4 p.m.

East Cleveland Public Library in collaboration the Affordable Health Care Act (Obama Care) will host several informational seminars on the Marketplace for Healthcare. We’re here to help you on your journey to get covered. We’ll connect you to Ohio’s Health Insurance Marketplace and let you know what to expect once you get there. The Health Insurance Marketplace is open! You can now enroll in a health insurance plan that covers essential benefits, pre-existing conditions, and preventive services. Most people who apply for coverage will qualify for lower costs of some kind in the Marketplace.

Call 216-541-4128 for more information.

Dairy Alternatives for lactose intolerance Nutrition Class

Nov. 121 to 2 p.m.

Nutrition Class, Dairy Alternatives for Lactose Intolerance at the Cleveland Clinic Health & Education Center, located in the Langston Hughes Center, 2390 E. 79th St., 2nd floor.

America SCOrES Cleveland’s 2013 Poetry SlAM!

Nov. 155:30 to 8:30 p.m.

You’re invited to witness the creativity of America SCORES Cleveland’s 270 students, grades 3-5, from nine Cleveland Metropolitan Schools as they perform their original poetry onstage. Join us for a reception, with appetizers and beverages, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. followed by the SLAM from 6:30-8:30 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.

At Waetjen Auditorium at Cleveland State University, 2001 Euclid Ave.

Community holistic Fair

Nov. 1610 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Drum Circles, musicians, kids’ activities. $5 admission includes all speakers and activities. Bring a friend and a canned food item and your friend will get in for free.

All canned food items will be donated to the local food bank.

For a complete schedule visit http://harmonicjourneys.net/holistic_fairs or call 216-221-8076.

At West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church, 20401 Hilliard Boulevard, Rocky River

Family Open Studio

Nov. 16 & 171 to 3 p.m.

Art House Studio, 3119 Denison Ave.

Great American Smokeout Day

Nov. 211 to 2 p.m.

Quit smoking support group. Talk with others and get support from those who are in the quit process.

Call 216.361.1773 for more information.

At Cleveland Clinic Health & Education Center, located in the Langston Hughes Center in the Fairfax neighborhood, 2390 E. 79th St., 2nd floor

Cut Flowers at karamu

Through Nov. 17

Within the confines of an upscale Washington D.C. flower shop, six men and one courageous woman come to terms with being African American in the new millennium.

Directed by Terrence Spivey. Call 216-795-7077 for ticket information. At Karamu, 2355 E. 89th St.

To place an event, call 216-229-8769 or go to www.neighborhood-voice.com/events

Advertise with Neighborhood VoiceEight communities, One Voice. Call us at 216-229-8769 or send an email to advertising@neighborhood-voice.com.

www.ne ighborhood-vo ice.com November 2013 11

Open 8 a.m. - 1 p.m. on Saturdays

10 a.m. - 1 p.m. on Wednesdays

15000 Woodworth Rd. east Cleveland

NEIGHBORHOOD ANNOUNCEMENTS NeIghborhood VoIce

frEE room and board for Live-in Caregiver and Office Support

Please contact 216-224-6882 or lady.red4u@yahoo.com

J o b o p p o r t u n i t y a v a i l a b l ePosition DescriptionNetwork Builder, Project Liaison to Health Engagement InitiativeNeighborhood Connections – Greater University Circle (NC-GUC)

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:This is a full-time, 1-year temporary position with the potential for renewal. The position will report to the Program Coordinator of Neighborhood Connections-Greater University Circle (NC-GUC). The employee will work in partnership with the GUC Community Health team, mainly serving as a liaison between CWRU, Neighborhood Connections and the Neighbor-Up Network for an institutional-residential health engagement strategy and in other areas as needed.

Go to www.neighborhood-voice.com/get-involved/job-opportunity-available for more information.

“My husband Ben and I moved here from Baltimore, which is a very liveable city. We weren’t ready for the suburbs and never being able to walk anywhere again. I love being able to walk to restaurants and not be dependent on driving. I walk to work as long as the weather permits.”

Meg, Case Western Reserve University

“I live 2.9 miles from work. I like to say I roll out of bed and into

work. I’ve ridden my bike to work and I could walk to work. It ’s convenient and it saves on gas, too.”

Gary, Cleveland ClinicAn Employer Assisted Housing Program created to encourage employees of Greater University Circle nonprofit institutions to live where they work.

Looking to buy a home?Receive up to $30,000 to buy a home in Greater University Circle.

Own a home in the area but need repairs?Receive up to $8,000 for exterior repairs.

Looking to rent an apartment?Receive up to $1,400 in rental assistance on approved units.

Eligible Greater University Circle Neighborhoods:Buckeye/Shaker Fairfax University Circle East ClevelandGlenville Hough Little Italy

To Learn More:Fairfax Renaissance Development Corporation 216.361.8400 or www.fairfaxrenaissance.org*

University Circle Inc.216.707.5019 or www.universitycircle.org/live-here/housing

You must be an employee of a non-profit institution located in a Greater University Circle neighborhood.

*Visit the website for complete program guidelines, eligibility and participating employers.

Improvingquality of l ife. . .While buildingGreater University Circle.

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(216) 341-1455bbcdevelopment.org

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