Thanks to a grant from the Cleveland Foundation, the Cleveland Public Library has plans to open six new learning centers that will serve patrons of all ages. A $162,000 grant from the Cleveland Foundation will help fund the learning centers, which will be established at the Fleet, Fulton, Sterling, Collinwood, Eastman and Langston Hughes library branches.
 
“I’m really excited about the learning centers,” says CPL executive director Felton Thomas. “We looked at two components: The mornings will be available for our youngest children and parents to help learn language, while adults looking for jobs and doing their resumes or getting their GEDs can use the centers in the afternoons.”
 
The centers will also offer homework help, tutoring and college prep classes. The learning center locations were chosen based on community involvement and interest. “We really looked for communities that had high participation in the homework help,” says Thomas.
 
To best meet the technology gap many patrons face, each center will provide new laptop computers for onsite use. CPL will team with key educational partners including Cleveland State University, Cleveland Institute of Music, and The Music Settlement to help provide tutoring and literacy focused programming.  
 
The new centers are modeled after the existing Rice Branch Learning Center, which served nearly 1,200 students in the homework lab in 2011. The new centers will serve over 5,000 children and young people across the city.

 
Source: Felton Thomas
Writer: Karin Connelly

When asked if she has a dream project she'd like to fund, Cleveland Carbon Fund Fellow Joanne Neuberger rattles off the top of her list. "I'd love to see a project that capitalizes on the 'Year of Local Food' and helps ramp up Cleveland's local food system while reducing our carbon footprint," she says.

These are the kinds of big ideas which organizers of the Fund hope to spur through their grant making, which supports carbon reduction projects with community benefits. The Carbon Fund recently announced that is it seeking applications for projects up to $10,000. The deadline is March 16th.

The Cleveland Carbon Fund was created in 2009 by the City of Cleveland, Green City Blue Lake Institute at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Gund Foundation, Cleveland Foundation and Cleveland Clinic. Its goal, as Neuberger puts it, is to "think globally, green locally." While there are plenty of other carbon funds, ours is the first community-based, open-access fund in the U.S.

The Carbon Fund has supported two past projects whose goal was to install 10,000 compact fluorescent light bulbs in the Slavic Village and Detroit Shoreway neighborhoods of Cleveland (organizers installed nearly 5,000 in the end).

As the Carbon Fund continues to grow, Neuberger says that its leaders will seek additional donations from individuals and businesses. She hopes it will become a popular way to reduce our region's carbon footprint and support local initiatives.


Source: Joanne Neuberger
Writer: Lee Chilcote

While the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority has no direct involvement in the sexy new downtown development taking place, the independently run agency's emphasis on vital infrastructure improvements is no less important to the region's bottom line, says president and CEO William Friedman.

Major corporations have long conducted sophisticated research to figure out what kind of consumer you are. Now, a new initiative that is being launched by two young city residents aims to find out what kind of Clevelander you are -- and use the results to engage citizens and drive policy change in the region.

By surveying residents' attitudes towards living in Northeast Ohio, as well as our preferences for urban amenities, the creators of the Clevelander Report hope to place useful information in the hands of policymakers shaping our region's future.

"For all of the studies that have been done on our city, very few of them focus on citizens," explains Hallie Bram, a Detroit Shoreway resident who co-founded the Cleveland Report with Eric Kogelschatz. "Our goal is to create the most comprehensive study of Clevelanders that's ever been completed. We want to use that information to bridge the gap between organizations, government and citizens, and help our policymakers to make informed decisions."

The Clevelander Report surveys residents on such topics as whether or not they are natives, boomerangs, expatriates or have relocated from another city; where they currently live; which cultural institutions and businesses they have visited; their level of interest in urban living; and their attitudes towards the city.

Bram says that the survey has been well-received so far, garnering over 500 responses since it launched one week ago. She and Kogelschatz plan to continue the Clevelander Report through the summer, and then compile an Executive Summary that can be provided to residents as well as policy makers.

Bram and Kogelschatz are the founders of TEDxCLE, a popular annual event that features curated talks by some of Northeast Ohio's biggest thinkers. This year's event will take place at the Cleveland Museum of Art on Friday, April 20th.

Take the survey here.


Source: Hallie Bram
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Global Cleveland officially opened its Welcome Hub doors in February with the goal of attracting new residents to town over the next 10 years. The center opened on February 7 with a ribbon cutting ceremony at its home on 200 Public Square.
 
"The opening of the Welcome Hub is an important milestone for Global Cleveland. Our objective is to attract 100,000 newcomers in the next 10 years," says Global Cleveland president Larry Miller. "It is important to us that there be a place where we can meet newcomers face-to-face and say 'Welcome, you've come to the right place.' We will use the space to help newcomers find resources that can help them as they look for employment and a place to live in our region."
 
Global Cleveland has seven full-time employees and four part-time consultants. The number of volunteers will fluctuate depending on programming. A partnership has been reached with Cleveland Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) to staff the Welcome Hub during strategic business hours. 
 
Hopes are the Welcome Hub will serve as the gateway to new business and growth in the area.

"Strong and growing companies in the region are drawing talent to the area," says Miller. "We want to work with our employers to help make the region attractive to the candidates they need to hire. Cleveland is becoming very attractive, especially to people who live in large urban areas in the East, such as New York.  As these people start to learn more and visit the area, it is important that we are ready to reach out to them, provide them with information and resources, and help them connect with Cleveland."

 
Source: Larry Miller
Writer: Karin Connelly

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) has seen increases in bus and transit ridership for nine months straight, and the number of riders on the Red Line in January was the highest since 1988.

Yet this month, the U.S. House of Representatives is considering a surface transportation bill known as H.R. 7 that would eliminate dedicated federal funds for public transit across the country.

RTA is advocating against the cuts by working with Representative Steven LaTourette and other members of Congress to promote an amendment that would restore federally guaranteed funding.

"If you leave it up to chance that public transit gets funded, that's a big chance to take," says Mary McCahon, RTA's Media Relations Manager. The change would require agencies to lobby for federal funding each year, she says. "We provide 200,000 rides per day, and federal funding is our third biggest revenue source."

McCahon says that while the bill has been tabled, it is scheduled to come back to the floor of the House of Representatives for further discussion this week.

RTA's increased ridership is due in part to higher gas prices and ongoing Innerbelt construction, McCahon says. Improved marketing efforts, partnerships with businesses and the popularity of the Health Line are also factors.

For more information about H.R. 7 and the ongoing federal transportation bill debate, visit the RTA newsroom or American Public Transit Association website.


Source: Mary McCahon
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Rock the Catwalk, a new fundraiser being introduced by the Women's Leadership Council in support of United Way of Greater Cleveland, will highlight Cleveland's trendiest local fashion boutiques.

Yet it will also put a face on the real human need that unfortunately exists among formerly homeless, unemployed women in our region. The event will highlight the nonprofit agencies that help these women dress for success while also engaging the female clients themselves as runway models.

"Rock the Catwalk will feature all local boutiques and models, including Sandy Pianalto from the Federal Reserve Bank and Erin Kennedy, the new co-anchor of WKYC's morning show," says Jenna Snyder, Marketing Director for United Way. "It will also feature two clients from Transitional Housing Inc., a United Way member organization that helps women transferring out of homelessness."

Local boutiques which are participating in the first-ever Rock the Catwalk event include Amy's Shoes, Anne van H., Cindy Halle, Dredgers Union, Evie Lou, Girl Next Door, Kilgore Trout, Marta Glazen and Saks Fifth Avenue. The event takes place on Thurs., March 29th at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.

The Women's Leadership Council inspires, educates and engages women to become actively involved in supporting United Way of Greater Cleveland.

Tickets start at $75 and include hors d'ouevres, cocktails and museum access.


Source: Jenna Snyder
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Nearly 60 percent of newly-created jobs require a postsecondary degree, yet only six percent of Cleveland residents hold an associate's degree and just eight percent hold a bachelor's degree.

This stark statistic is one of the driving forces behind the fledgling Higher Education Compact of Greater Cleveland, an unprecedented collaboration among 15 colleges and universities, 25 nonprofit organizations, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and Cuyahoga County. This new effort seeks to boost the number of college graduates in Northeast Ohio.

"Every day, there are 3,000 jobs that the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals and Summa Health Center can't fill," explains Lee Friedman, CEO of College Now Greater Cleveland, a member organization of the Compact. "If you can't increase educational attainment, then you can't fill jobs. At some point, if these organizations can't find talent, then they can't grow."

While this lofty goal is hardly unusual or unique, what makes the Compact stand out is its regional approach towards addressing the higher education gap. Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson is increasingly touting the benefits of addressing such problems on a regional level. Cuyahoga County has not historically been involved in education, yet Executive Ed Fitzgerald has joined the Compact. Until now, the colleges and universities involved in the Compact also have not worked together to seek a comprehensive solution to the problem.

"It truly takes a village to help students get to school and graduate from school," says Friedman. "Many of the young people we're helping are first generation college students who don't have anyone to help them get on that path. The commitment of these university presidents is truly best in class."

The goal of the Higher Education Compact is to ensure that students are ready for, have access to and graduate from college. To achieve this goal, leaders will create student-focused action plans, educate the community on why college is important, help students become college ready, link them with scholarship and financial aid opportunities and create a College Success Dashboard that measures results.


Source: Higher Education Compact of Greater Cleveland, Lee Friedman
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Last month, staff from the Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) played matchmaker. They held meetings throughout the region in an effort to match the 36th annual festival's most compelling, topical titles with nonprofit organizations whose mission and work relate directly to the content of the film.

When the 2012 festival kicks off on March 22, 125 nonprofit partners will join with CIFF to help market the festival and engage the community in discussions and education about the films. According to CIFF Associate Director Patrick Shepherd, it's a community-based strategy that's really paid off over time.

"We try to take our content and push it beyond just the screen, and one of the ways to do that is to partner with the region's nonprofit organizations," he says. "This targeted marketing has really begun to pay dividends over time, and we believe it's been one of the reasons for our annual increases in attendance."

For example, this year CIFF will screen a film called Brooklyn Castle about an inner-city youth chess program in New York City. Progress with Chess, a local nonprofit that promotes chess as a way to help students develop critical thinking skills, is its community partner. Progress with Chess will hold dozens of chess matches in the Tower City Skylight Concourse to coincide with the film. There will also be a FilmForum to discuss the issues presented in the documentary.

"These kinds of community partnerships are rare among film festivals, and we're really being seen as a national model," says Shepherd, who cites the partnerships as a key part of CIFF's "After the Credits Roll" program that seeks to educate, inform and mobilize the community. "We're very fortunate for that."


Source: Patrick Shepherd
Writer: Lee Chilcote

How would you spend three days on a bus with strangers? If reading, watching movies or sleeping are among your top choices, then the Startup Bus is not for you.
 
The destination is the South By Southwest (SXSW) technology conference in Austin, Texas, but that's almost beside the point. Startup Bus is all about the journey -- three days on the road, brainstorming and launching new companies with fellow hackers (programmers), hipsters (designers) and hustlers (entrepreneurs). What started as a lark in 2010 is now a growing movement that's spread from San Francisco to other American cities, and even Europe.
 
“It's not about the companies that come out,” says Greg Svitak of Hyland Software, who rode the Cleveland Startup Bus last year and is serving as the “conductor” of this year's Ohio trip, which leaves from Columbus on March 6. It's really about the relationships that emerge as the 30 bus riders pitch their ideas, then coalesce into small teams around the best few. Svitak knows of three startups in the works in Cleveland right now that resulted from friendships formed on last year's ride. And that's the larger goal, Svitak says -- building an international community of tech-savvy entrepreneurs, a few local connections at a time.
 
As conductor, Svitak chooses the riders, but based on their resumes, not their ideas. Even he won't know who's pitching what until the wheels are rolling. He'll then choose the two best startup ideas that emerge on the way to Texas. And at SXSW, the finalists from the 10 buses expected this year will present their concepts to venture capitalists. Last year, seven were offered funding, including Mom and Pop Co-ops, which reduces costs for small retailers by combining their buying power. Two of its three founders are from Northeast Ohio.
 
To apply for this year's Ohio Startup Bus, register at the website. From March 6 through 9, you can follow the progress at StartupBus.tv.
 

Source: Greg Svitak
Writer: Frank Lewis

The Rock Hall is raising the curtain on two multi-million dollar initiatives that are bound to amp up this city’s appeal to rock-and-roll fans. First is the Rock Hall’s recently completed $7 million-plus renovation of its museum. Also, the Rock Hall’s new Library and Archives opened its doors in the new Center for Creative Arts building on the campus of Cuyahoga Community College.

To grow Ohio’s considerable clout in the aerospace industry, the state’s leaders are looking north to Canada as an important source of trade partnerships.

The Canada-Ohio Aerospace Summit held last month in Cleveland attracted a large number of Canadian and Ohioan aerospace business leaders and government representatives. It was initiated by the Ohio Aerospace Institute to help industry leaders get to know each other better with the hope of nourishing business relationships.

The two countries appear to be a good match for international aerospace trade, which is a $382 billion industry. Canada is the world’s fifth largest aerospace market with sales of roughly $22 billion annually. Ohio is the nation’s leader in propulsion and power technology with more than 1,200 companies 100,000 workers in the field.

“The event gave us the opportunity to highlight the potential for partnerships that could take place between businesses in Ohio and Canada in the aerospace trade,” says Patricia Grospiron, Director of Technology and Innovation Partnerships with OAI.

Grospiron also pointed to up-and-coming companies in Canada such as Bombardier in Montreal, an airplane manufacturer that is growing rapidly and challenging established leaders such as Boeing and France’s Airbus for international aircraft orders.

“Ohio is already a leader in supplying parts to airplane manufacturers such as Airbus,” says Grospiron. “Opportunities with companies such as Bombardier could help expand our businesses here.”

During the one and half day summit, at least 130 one-on-one business meetings took place between companies with synergistic profiles, says Grospiron.


Source: Patricia Grospiron
Writer: Val Prevish

As the number of local bike commuters continues to increase, so too does the number of savvy entrepreneurs who serve and service them. In recent years, a mini boom of bike-based businesses has developed across Northeast Ohio, including frame builders, messenger bag makers, rickshaw drivers and an indoor bike park that attracts visitors from throughout the Midwest.

When Will Friedman took the helm of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority in June 2010, he soon learned about Dike 14, an outcropping of land on Cleveland's east side that had been a dredging facility from 1979 until 1999. Friedman quickly realized that the Port could do more to transform this burgeoning wildlife paradise -- which was closed to the public due to environmental concerns -- into a world-class nature preserve.

"I saw it as a potentially great addition to the lakefront," says Friedman. "Previously, the Port had not been all that interested in retaining it, but I didn't see it that way. I told our board this was an asset we'd inherited, there was nothing preventing us from opening it, and that we should get on with it."

So get on with it he did. Working in collaboration with environmental groups that had lobbied for a park, the Port spearheaded efforts to move the project forward. A year and a half later, the Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve is now open to the public.

That kind of leadership and gumption not only has earned Friedman high marks from environmental groups, it also has set the Port sailing in a new direction -- creating new waterfront parks and green space. Although that might sound like an unusual role for a Port Authority to play, it's actually not, Friedman says.

"I came from the Port of Seattle, which has 15 parks and green spaces," he says. "Port authorities are typically front and center in environmental projects, and helping to plan for and create green spaces is definitely in our wheelhouse."

Friedman also led the creation of the Port Authority's new strategic plan, which makes creating public green spaces a part of the organization's ongoing work.

Next, Friedman and his staff are working on the future of the Preserve, including enhancing habitat value, creating additional trails and adding an observation deck to maximize the stunning views of downtown Cleveland and Lake Erie.

The Port also is working closely with partners to plan the future of the Flats, including creating better riverfront access for city residents and visitors.


Source: Will Friedman
Writer: Lee Chilcote

A partnership between two Ohio medical device companies could make getting a good night's sleep easier for people who suffer from sleep apnea.
 
The new SleepView portable sleep monitor and web portal lets doctors monitor patients’ breathing and other sleep patterns at home. The device meets American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s diagnostic standards, and offers quicker, more efficient and cost-effective diagnosis and treatment.
 
Midmark, a Versailles-based giant in medical equipment manufacturing and distribution, licensed the device technology from Cleveland Medical Devices, a leader in sleep diagnostics technology.
 
"SleepView enables patients to be tested in the comfort of their own bed and convenience of their own home for a more natural night of sleep, instead of going to a sleep lab," says Midmark PR Manager Susan Kaiser.
 
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), is marked by sudden and frequent interruption of normal breathing during sleep. It's caused by a collapse of the upper airway and is estimated to affect as many people as diabetes. Still, most who suffer from it go undiagnosed and untreated.

Numerous studies link OSA to major chronic diseases such as stroke, heart failure, diabetes, obesity, hypertension and increased odds of serious car crash injuries, according to Midmark.
 
“We want to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of care for patients with OSA by providing another diagnostic option, which enables patients to be tested in the comfort of their own bed and convenience of their own home for a more natural night of sleep,” explains said Tom Treon, senior product manager for Midmark.
 
The system is available through prescription only. Patients use the SleepView self-test kit at home during their normal sleep time. In addition, the prescribing doctor has online access to registered technologists and sleep physicians who can interpret the monitor results and offer treatment recommendations, while protecting patient privacy as required by federal law.


Source: Tom Treon
Writer: Feoshia Henderson