Kamm’s Corners Development Corporation (KCDC) and Bellaire Puritas Development Corporation along with The Cleveland Transformation Alliance and PRE4CLE will host the West Park School Choice Fair from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16, at the St. Mary Romanian Orthodox Cathedral Hall.
“Participating schools are K-8th grade, and from across both Wards 16 and 17” said KCDC Executive Director Steve Lorenz.
“It will bring together West Park’s private, parochial, and charter schools,” says JD Smith, who is the Neighborhood Engagement Coordinator at KCDC. “The idea is to connect local families to their local school options in one location, because there are a lot of good choices out there and going through all the choices can be overwhelming.”
According to Smith, he and other organizers want the event to give parents and school representatives a chance to talk one-on-one, offering a more personalized opportunity to connect. Lorenz mentioned that many of these schools fill up fast, noting “if you want to be sure to get your first choice, you really need to make your move now.”
There are currently more than a dozen schools expected to attend this event. There will also be prizes, giveaways, and activities for children. Attendance is free! Contact JD Smith at 216-252-6559, Ext 1300 with questions.
Director Eileen Wilson says this big orange board was at The Hope Center, located at 15135 Triskett Rd., when they first moved into the church in 2015. Someone wrote “It’s a Beautiful Day” at the top of the board, and so began a tradition. New members write the phrase in their native language when they begin their journey with The Hope Center.
A group of Congolese refugees were walking along West 30th Street one day and saw something that reminded them of home. It was the Trinity Lutheran Church with its rustic brick façade and three red doors. The church reminded them of the place they used to pray back home in Africa, so they decided to ask if they could worship there.
Inside, a non-profit called Building Hope in the City was working with Cleveland residents on issues such as literacy and inequality. The organization did outreach work with various groups of marginalized people but had yet to begin working with refugees. They met, and The Hope Center was born.
The Hope Center, 15135 Triskett Rd., is headed by director Eileen Wilson, a travel enthusiast and the daughter of two German immigrants who came to the United States in the 1950s.
“We didn’t go and find refugees,” Wilson said. “They found us.”
The Hope Center began its service in 2015, with a group of just 25 immigrants and refugees. At the end of February, it will celebrate its four-year anniversary, with over 200 people walking through the door each week.
Wilson, a former Information Technology professional, began her career of outreach after being laid off from her job. It prompted her to ask to help teach Bhutanese refugees to speak English.
“I, like many people, thought ‘Where is Bhutan?’ ‘What is a refugee?’ How did I not understand what was going on in the world?” Wilson said.
It was during this time that Wilson began to notice a gap in the assistance provided to immigrants and refugees as they integrated into their new communities. The main refugee resettlement agencies in Cleveland are funded to provide aid during the first 30 to 90 days after a refugee’s arrival in the country. After this window, they are expected to attain employment, have their children in school, and be self-sufficient.
Although these agencies will assist in any way they can beyond this window, there are always new refugees arriving and funding is limited.
Wilson noticed that a crucial time to help refugees move from a place of mere survival to becoming thriving members of the community was approximately one year after resettlement.
“Many of them would live their entire lives between work, their home, and confined to their native culture,” she said. “This doesn’t allow them or their families to move forward.”
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Virtually every refugee comes to America in situational poverty. They often arrive on our shores with only a suitcase and sometimes several children for whom they must provide. The Hope Center aims to ensure this situational poverty does not become generational poverty.
To accomplish this goal, The Hope Center provides a vast array of classes and services to help refugees thrive in Cleveland. One of the most important resources provided by The Hope Center are the mentors who are assigned to an individual or family and guide them through their journey of assimilation.
There are currently approximately 25 mentors each working with a family for about six months. The nature of the mentorship is completely dependent on the individual needs and goals of each family. In addition, The Hope Center offers English courses, preparation for the U.S. Citizenship exam and legal assistance from the full-time attorney on staff. There is even a small café from which to get snacks and refreshments between classes, along with a van providing transport for those residing within a two-mile radius of the center.
Next month, The Hope Center will begin a program for its members to prepare for and earn their GED — a monumental accomplishment which will alter the trajectory of their lives and the lives of their families.
Offering these life-changing services would not be possible without the love and generosity from the residents of West Park and greater Cleveland. Sixty-percent of The Hope Center’s funding comes in the form of donations from individuals and churches, while the rest is provided by grants and various foundations.
To assist in their own funding as well as provide work experience for its members, Building Hope in the City opened the Common Threads thrift store (22049 Lorain Rd) in June of 2016. There are approximately 20 immigrants and refugees from The Hope Center staffing the store at any given time.
It didn’t take very long for Common Threads to become a shining example of the contributions that can be made by our new neighbors. The upscale thrift store turned a profit after just two short years, as well as won Cleveland Scene’s best thrift store award in both 2017 and 2018.
While Wilson has been elated by the community’s support in reaching out to immigrants and refugees, she hopes people will hear their story and feel inspired to get involved.
“The Hope Center isn’t just a place for refugees,” she said. “It’s also a place for Americans to interact with the world around them.”
The Hope Center is always looking for any help they can get from generous Clevelanders. To get involved with refugees and their loved ones, you must complete a brief background check, child safety course and short seminars; such as “Building Hope 101” and “Refugee 101”. Altogether, these courses amount to approximately four hours of training.
Upon completion of these preliminary requirements, volunteers are then given a choice between becoming a mentor or assisting The Hope Center in some other way. For instance, assisting with tutoring sessions which are held at the center every Tuesday and Thursday or looking after children while their parents are in class. One neighbor shows his support for The Hope Center by
providing lawn care. Another generously donated playground equipment for the newcomer’s children.
Wilson attributes countless Hope Center success stories to the volunteers who take time out of their schedules to reach out and touch the lives of people who weren’t given the same chances in life.
“They don’t need us to save them and to hold their hands,” she said. “They just need to be given support and the tools to succeed.”
You can find further information about The Hope Center’s mission as well as upcoming events and ways to get involved at https://buildinghopeinthecity.org/cleveland/the-hope-center/.
On March 9th, The Hope Center will be screening ‘On Exile’ for the neighborhood at 1 p.m. The movie was produced by the Community Development Corporation at Kamm’s Corners and follows the stories of several refugees who are residing in Cleveland today.
Wilson hopes residents of West Park and beyond will join them for the screening and perhaps decide to get involved.
“I really want the neighbors to know that we want to be part of their community,” she said.
“There’s so much talent here and they can help us in ways we have yet to fully realize.”
Eileen Wilson pointed to her bulletin board and asked if I could guess what this meant. I thought for a moment and then told her I was stumped. She smiled from ear to ear and giggled to herself and said: “World Piece!”) Director of the Hope Center Eileen Wilson.
Students at CMSD’s Campus International K-8 School are collecting warm clothing and other items that they will leave outside the school for people in need to claim.
At 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 13, students will fasten plastic bags with basics such as hats, scarves, gloves and socks, along with tarps that the homeless can use to take shelter, to a fence behind the school.
Campus, located at 2160 Payne Ave. on the grounds of Cleveland State University, is erecting the “Wall of Love” in partnership with Holly Jackson, a Cleveland resident who began the practice after enduring her own hard times. Since November, she has put up about three dozen walls in the Cleveland area, including some that have been restocked.
Though previous projects have drawn volunteers, the Campus K-8 wall is her first partnership. Teacher Kate Grzelak contacted Jackson after seeing media coverage of her charitable endeavors.
The project aligns perfectly with the school’s International Baccalaureate model and its focus on making a difference in the world. Work on the “Wall of Love” has filtered across grade levels and into instruction.
“A big part of International Baccalaureate is the action and service component,” said Sheila O’Rourke, Campus International’s IB coordinator. “All learning you do should involve some kind of action or service.”
Kindergarten teacher Renee Hubeny’s class incorporated the list of new or gently used items sought in the drive into lessons comparing needs and wants. On Friday, they expanded to math, grouping donated items into sets of 10.
“They’re very excited about it,” Hubeny said. “They’re learning what needs are. They want to help others.”
An eighth-grader named Daivieon had planned to organize a fund-raiser for the homeless as a service project. Instead of competing with other appeals, he offered to help coordinate the “Wall of Love.”
His duties included overseeing the making of signs soliciting the donations of clothing and other items. He also gave sales pitches to younger students, encouraging them to bring in “anything you have laying around” to add to the goods piled in bins.
“I wanted to impact homeless people’s lives; I’ve always been interested in helping the homeless,” he said. “Whenever I see the homeless, if I have even a little bit of change, I ask my Mom, ‘Can I give it to them? They need it more than I do.’ ”
Jackson started putting up the walls to help people who do not know where to turn for help, are too embarrassed to ask or just flatly refuse to do so. She has strict rules: Don’t leave donations at a wall; contact her. Items should be placed in plastic zipped bags to prevent damage. Don’t leave a mess. Take only what you need from the wall and pay it forward when able.
Local and national media attention has fueled interest in her efforts and unleashed appreciation that she finds humbling.
“I never expected it to take off the way it did. I started doing another and another and another,” she said. “I just want to make the world a better place.”
See Photographer Dawn Tarka’s work now at 5 Points Coffee
& Tea, located at 3600 W. Park Rd.
Tarka is a local West Park resident, and her work will be on
display at the coffee shop from now until the end of February.
“As a child, I was given a camera as a Christmas gift, and
my interest in photography really started from there,” she says. “I started taking
a lot of snapshots and in high school, I was the editor of our school
yearbook.”
Tarka enrolled in the Sante Fe Photographic Workshop recently and participated in their program which taught about image composition and more.
Aside from taking photographs for the above-mentioned
workshop and during her other travels, Tarka says she still gets an
immeasurable amount of joy from taking photos around West Park.
“Some of my favorite places are the Metroparks and the
police and fire monument (Rocky River Drive),” she says. “Also, the downtown
business area. It really captures the essence of what it’s like to live in West
Park.”
Tarka has lived in West Park for 14 years and looks forward to continuing to document its beauty with her photographs. In addition to her photograph submissions to the West Park Times, Tarka also performs a variety of freelance work.
There will be a ‘Meet the Artist’ event at 5 Points Coffee & Tea from 2:30 until 4 p.m. on Sunday, February 17.
Questions? Contact the West Park Times at, westparktimes@gmail.com.
CLEVELAND – As New Year’s Eve approaches, the City of Cleveland reminds the public that not only is celebratory gunfire illegal, but also dangerous. The consequences and risks can be significant.
In any area, but especially in a densely populated urban area like Cleveland, the consequences of celebrating New Year’s Eve or any other occasion with a gun can be devastating. The intention may be a celebratory shot toward the sky, but the consequences of that moment can be disastrous for a neighbor or someone blocks away, causing injury or death.
The City of Cleveland also warns the public on the dangers of celebratory fireworks. Fireworks are not only illegal to possess and discharge without a permit, but they can be hazardous and ignite a fire that could quickly get out of control.
Safety forces will be on duty throughout the neighborhoods of the City of Cleveland on New Year’s Eve. Police, fire and emergency medical service personnel will be alert, patrolling and ready, but safety starts at home in the neighborhood.
About the City of Cleveland
The City of Cleveland is committed to improving the quality of life for its residents by strengthening neighborhoods, delivering superior services, embracing diversity and making Cleveland a desirable, safe city in which to live, work, play, and do business. For more information on the City of Cleveland, visit online at www.city.cleveland.oh.us, Twitter at @CityofCleveland or Facebook at www.facebook.com/cityofcleveland.
Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019 Dominion Energy Ohio Gas Pipeline Infrastructure Replacement Project – PIR 1203 Munn Road & Rocky River Drive
PRESS RELEASE (City of Cleveland – Ward 17)
CLEVELAND – On Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019 Dominion Energy Ohio’s gas pipeline infrastructure replacement project will begin on the following streets:
· Munn Road – From Rocky River Drive to Warren Road.
· Rocky River Drive – From Claire Avenue to Ogontz Avenue.
· Edgecliff Avenue – From Rocky River Drive to West 159th Street.
· Southland Avenue – From Rocky River Drive to Munn Road.
· West 165th Street – From Edgecliff Avenue to Munn Road.
· West 162nd Street – From Edgecliff Avenue to Munn Road.
The improvements include replacing the old steel mainline with a new plastic mainline in the sidewalk area. One lane of traffic will be maintained at all times within the project limits and traffic control personnel will direct traffic. A Law Enforcement Officer (L.E.O) will be present at all signalized intersections. Access to adjacent driveways will be maintained throughout construction.
All work zones will be removed at the end of each work day. Work will take place Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
This project is scheduled for completion in March 2019. If the weather prevents permanent restorations to the sidewalk, temporary sidewalk will be used until permanent restorations can be completed in the spring.
Questions? Contact Dennis Scheid – Hill International at 216-701-2319.
Editor’s Note: Road construction invariably presents hazards to the public. All travelers are urged to use caution in construction zones. Public safety and the safety of workers is a top priority.
About the City of Cleveland
The City of Cleveland is committed to improving the quality of life for its residents by strengthening neighborhoods, delivering superior services, embracing diversity and making Cleveland a desirable, safe city in which to live, work, play, and do business. For more information on the City of Cleveland, visit online at www.city.cleveland.oh.us, Twitter at @cityofcleveland or Facebook at www.facebook.com/cityofcleveland.
PHOTO CAPTION: New District 23 State Senator Nickie J. Antonio was sworn in Dec. 22 in a ceremony at the Brooklyn Senior Center. Her wife, Jean Kosmac, holds a copy of The Woman’s Bible. The ceremony was officiated by Judge Melody Stewart of the Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals, who joins the Ohio Supreme Court in January. About 100 people attended the ceremony.
The past week has been a roller coaster for District 13 State Representative Nickie J. Antonio.
On Saturday, she stood before 100 supporters, was sworn in for a new job, and talked with energy and enthusiasm about her plans for the future. On Tuesday, she celebrated the holidays with her wife, Jean Kosmac, and their two adult children, Ariel and Stacey. On Wednesday, she returned to Columbus to participate in a year-end flurry of legislation in the General Assembly.
On Jan. 7, when she returns to Columbus to begin work as the new District 23 State Senator, she will be the first woman to represent District 23, and the first member of the LGBT community ever elected to the State Senate.
District 23 includes West Park, Lakewood, Linndale, Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights, Brook Park, Parma, Parma Heights, Middleburg Heights, Cuyahoga Heights, Cleveland Wards 11, 13, 15, 16, 17, and parts of Wards 3, 12 and 14.
The Senate District is 3 times larger than House District 13, where Antonio served four terms (2011-2018) and was the Minority Whip for the last two-year term. As a State Senator, she is limited to two consecutive four-year terms.
Looking forward to 2019
Antonio said her legislative agenda includes several areas with special meaning for West Park taxpayers.
Jobs: Small businesses are “the backbone of the community,” Antonio said. She wants to help build “the right climate to bring good-paying jobs to the district.” This includes pushing for infrastructure repair funds to fix roads and bridges and create new jobs.
Education: Antonio, a former teacher, says “We need to reduce high-stakes testing for kids. The kids are stressing out over the tests. Instead, they should be happy and excited about going to school.” She also wants to make schools have “more fair and robust funding.”
Healthy communities: “I want to work on decreasing the infant mortality rate and the maternal mortality rate. We’re losing too many mothers in the first year after the birth of their child.”
Antonio is looking forward to working with another Democrat, Representative Bride Rose Sweeney of West Park. The Democrats are in a minority in both chambers of the General Assembly, and Antonio stresses bi-partisanship as a way to keep legislation moving on meaningful items.
Background
In May, Antonio defeated Martin Sweeney in the primary, and in November, she was elected to State Senate. Her past jobs prepared her well for that role.
From 2006-2010, Antonio served 5 years on Lakewood City Council, and then studied leadership in State and Local Government one summer at the JFK School of Government at Harvard University.
From 1996-2011, she served as President of StAr Communication Consulting, working with non-profit groups in a variety of areas. She stepped down to become a full-time State Legislator. She has also worked as a special education teacher, and during the 1990s, was a non-profit executive director of a women’s outpatient treatment drug/alcohol treatment program.
A graduate of Lutheran West High School, she has two degrees from Cleveland State University — a Bachelors in Special Education and Training, and a Masters of Public Administration, with a focus in Public Policy Analysis and Organizational Development.
She also serves on the Community Engagement Committee for the Beck Center for the Arts and is involved in a number of legislative leadership organizations.
How to contact Nickie Antonio, after Jan. 1, 2019:
Call 614-466-5123
Send e-mail to sd23@ohiosenate.gov
For overall Senate info, go to www.ohiosenate.gov
For more specific info, go to www.ohiosenate.gov/senators/antonio
During much of the year, legislators meet in Columbus on Tuesday through Thursday and spend long weekends in their home districts.
See the video below of local Girl Scout Troop #71101 and Brownie Troop #70857 ‘Caroling for Cans’ along Granton Ave. in West Park on Saturday, December 15th.
The large PNC Operations Center, 4100 W. 150th St., is growing. By the end of the year, PNC plans to move about 500 employees from its Pepper Pike and Highland Hills offices to Downtown and this West Side Operations Center. PNC would not say how many employees will move to each site.
The Wash House and Café at 15149 Lorain Ave., is expected to open March 1, 2019.
It is a laundromat/café with free WiFi and a kid’s play zone. The café will have fresh brewed coffee, pastries, and ice cream, according to owner Sophia Fernandez.
“Basically, there is going to be a big kids zone area with interactive learning video games,” says Fernandez. “A 3D projected video game they can play. There’s also going to be books and a TV- it’s going to be a pretty nice kids station.”
“It’s going to be a very different, very modern laundromat with all stainless steel and floors.”
In addition, the cafe will carry Caribou Coffee and Mitchel’s ice cream.
“The one service we are really excited about, is, our wash and fold,” says Fernandez. “You can drop off your clothes on the way to work and they will be washed, dried and folded.”
What are the perks of using this service? They boast being kid friendly and it is brand new. There is also an outside patio where guests can enjoy their coffee and pastries while they wait.
In addition, for those who would like to just purchase food and a drink, there is a walk-up-window for ordering items.
Currently, there is a ribbon cutting ceremony set for 9 a.m., with doors to open at 9:30 a.m.
Little Critters Too is now open at 13712 Bellaire Rd.
It is a day care center for children aged Kindergarten through 13.
One appealing thing about Little Critters Too is its full-sized gym.
“When the weather’s like this, it’s really nice that we have a big gym to play and run around in. We go to the gym daily and it gives them an indoor playground to use all year.” says Anna Vince, a director in training. In her role at the school, Vince also assists in transporting the children safely, using a pick-up program that is designed to send a message confirming when a child has been picked up or dropped off.
“I don’t leave a place until that child is with me or has gotten to where they need to go,” says Vince. “Safety is a real big thing with me and everyone at the school.”
The school also provides breakfast and a snack, and for longer days that include school breaks, they also serve a lunch.
“We have a nice kitchen here on site where we can prepared things,” says Vince.
Little Critters Too came following Little Critters Early Learning Center which is located at 12625 Lena Ave. This is for children aged 6 weeks through 5 years. Both facilities are owned and operated by mother and daughter, Brenda Dillingham and Zshavina Kennedy.
“We needed more space (while at the Lena facility),” says Vince. “We were getting bigger but we like to multiply,” she says, adding, “the more the merrier.”
To learn more or register your child for Little Critters Too, contact Anna Vince, at email, littlecritterselc@gmail.com.
