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Nine nonprofit organizations in Ohio will receive much needed funds to help those they serve make informed financial decisions through a set of grants announced by Citizens today. Under the bank’s Citizens Helping Citizens Manage Money program, these nonprofits will receive a total of more than $138,000 to support work in this critical area across the state.  This years’ funding recipients in Ohio include: 

• Cleveland Neighborhood Progress for Community Financial Centers 
• Empowering and Strengthening Ohio’s People for the Affordable Homeownership Initiative 
• Enterprise Community Partners for the Earned Income Tax Credit Coalition 
• HFLA of Northeast Ohio for Financial Empowerment through Interest-Free Lending 
• Junior Achievement chapters in Greater Cleveland, North Central Ohio and Mahoning County for financial education for youth
• United Way of Summit & Medina County for Financial Empowerment for Akron’s Low- to Moderate-Income Residents 
• University Circle Inc. for Financial Essentials for Small Business Owners & Greater Circle Business Alliance

As part of the Citizens Helping Citizens Manage Money program, the bank this year will provide $1.5 million in contributions to more than 105 nonprofits in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and New York. The initiative helps the community by supporting programs that give people the confidence and tools they need to budget, save, invest, be financially healthy and inspire them to pursue their goals.   

As recent research suggests, many Americans are worried about achieving their economic and financial goals. Annually, Citizens and Junior Achievement USA host a national survey to identify the financial challenges facing teens. This years’ results showed that COVID-19 has significantly impacted how teens are thinking about their financial futures, prompting 25 percent of them to delay their college plans in the face of reduced financial support from parents and guardians because of the pandemic. The findings, which indicate broad-based concern among teens regarding how they will pay for higher education, highlight an increased need for financial literacy educational resources to assist them in making  financial decisions that impact them over the long term. 

“We believe that having strong financial knowledge is essential in achieving your goals and reaching financial security,” said Jim Malz, President, Citizens, Ohio. “Through Citizens Helping Citizens Manage Money we provide members of our communities with the knowledge, confidence and resources they need to make smart financial decisions that will put them on a path forward.”   

For additional information on Citizens Helping Citizens Manage Money, visit Citizens’ website.

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According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, total household debt in the United States topped $14.5 trillion at the end of 2020, which represents a nearly 20% increase in debt over the course of the last decade. The average adult has more than $90,000 of debt, according to CNBC.

If you are struggling with debt, help is available. Thanks to a grant from the Ohio Supreme Court’s Civil Justice Grant program, the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court created a partnership with Legal Aid. This collaboration – called the Consumer Debt Defense Program – is designed to help those who are experiencing economic hardship and are being sued on a consumer debt. If you are being sued on a consumer debt in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, learn more about the Consumer Debt Defense Program by calling 216-443-8204 or by emailing courtinfo@cuyahogacounty.us.

Beyond the stress of owing money, debt comes with a number of collateral consequences. For instance, failing to pay your debts impacts your credit score. And a poor credit score may:
- Limit your ability to qualify for a loan
- Prevent you from leasing an apartment
- Increase your insurance premiums

Attorneys, like the ones available through the new Consumer Debt Defense Program, can help people reduce or even remove the burden of debt and move on with their lives.
For example, when Alexandra (name changed for privacy), an assistant manager of a call center, took out a $7,000 loan in November of 2017, she was confident she could pay the full amount back.

However, Alexandra fell ill in March of 2018 and could no longer work. She began receiving Social Security income. In February of 2020, Alexandra received a summons from her local municipal court because a creditor claimed she owed over $7,400 from the loan. The creditor was threatening to garnish the little money she had to her name.

Alexandra called Legal Aid for assistance and was connected with an attorney who began working on her case. The attorney sent letters to the creditor demonstrating that Alexandra’s debt was uncollectable. He notified the creditor that Social Security is a protected income source, and the creditor can’t garnish that income. Thanks to the attorney’s skilled advocacy, the creditor dropped the case, and Alexandra was free from the burden of that considerable debt. If you are struggling with civil legal issues related to finances, please contact Legal Aid. You can call 888-817-3777 (toll-free) during business hours or visit www.lasclev.org/contact any time.

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Class of 2020 Significantly Impacted by COVID-19, concerned about financing college and financial future

COVID-19 has significantly impacted how teens are thinking about their financial futures, prompting 25% of 2020 high school graduates to delay their college plans in the face of reduced financial support from parents and guardians because of the pandemic, according to a new survey from Junior Achievement (JA) and Citizens. The findings, which indicate broad-based concern among teens regarding how they will pay for higher education, highlight an increased need for financial literacy educational resources to assist them in making financial decisions that impact them over the long term.

In addition to prompting increased concern among teens generally, the survey indicated that the pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on teens of color, with 60% of Black and 59% of Hispanic teens* reporting that COVID-19 has affected how they will pay for college, compared to under half (45%) of their White peers. 

The survey was conducted among 2,000 American teens ages 13 to 19 not yet graduated from high school and 500 teens who graduated high school in 2020.“The past year has brought unprecedented challenges and uncertainty to everyone, and high school students are feeling this as they navigate the transition to the next phase of their lives post high-school,” said Christine Roberts, Head of Student Lending at Citizens. “Equipping students with the skills and knowledge they need to make important financial decisions is critical to easing uncertainty and ensuring teenagers are able to make sound financial decisions.” 

Despite showing greater uncertainty and anxiety among young people amid the challenges created by the pandemic, the survey revealed an overall sense of optimism among respondents, with a majority (74%) of teens who have not yet graduated high school remaining bullish about their financial future. This is in contrast to last year’s survey, which showed just 31% of respondents not concerned about the financial impact of COVID-19. Even with many delaying post-high school plans, most of the Class of 2020 (65%) remains optimistic overall about their financial future. Many of those surveyed reported that COVID has prompted their families to pare back financial support for college, with nearly three in four (72%) Class of 2020 high school graduates and 79% of high school-aged teens indicating that they will need to rethink how to finance some or all of their higher education. 
 

“Last spring there was concern about how the pandemic would impact the Class of 2020, and this survey reinforces those concerns,” said said Jack E. Kosakowski, President and CEO of Junior Achievement USA. “After the financial crisis of 2008, we saw a doubling of student loan debt and young adults impacted by that situation delaying major life decisions, such as purchasing a home, starting families and planning for the future. It is important that we offer support for today’s teens experiencing the economic fallout from COVID. For Junior Achievement, that means providing education about critical life skills to help them navigate uncertain times.” 

Additional survey findings include:

• More than half (55%) of Class of 2020 high school graduates have discussed their families’ finances more as a result of COVID, compared to just 44% for teens as a whole.
• Two-thirds of Class of 2020 high school graduates (69%) are somewhat or very concerned about the financial impact of COVID-19 on their families, compared to just over half (55%) of teens who have not yet graduated high school.

More information and an executive summary is available at this link.

*In 11^th or 12^th grade

Survey Methodology: The JA COVID-19 Graduation Survey 2021 was conducted by Wakefield Research (www.wakefieldresearch.com) among 2,000 nationally representative U.S. teens ages 13-19 who are not currently enrolled in college, with an oversample of 500 students who graduated high school in 2020, between February 26th and March 8th, 2021, using an email invitation and an online survey. 
Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. For the interviews conducted in this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 2.2 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample.

By Jerry Masek

More than 150 persons attended a meeting tonight to learn about plans to redevelop a 10-acre vacant site of a former Kmart at West 150th Street. The meeting was hosted by the West Park Kamm’s Neighborhood Development and Ward 17 Councilman Charles Slife. The project could be the catalyst for more redevelopment on Lorain Avenue between the site and the nearby RTA West Park Rapid Station.

Residents asked about 100 questions during 90 minutes. Here are some highlights.

Estimated Timetable:
* Spring 2021, Move the design drawings through the Planning Commission process.
* Summer 2021, Finalize project plans.
* Fall 2021, Demolish two buildings and start construction work.
* Summer 2022, Work should be complete.

Estimated Project Cost: $5 million-$10 million.

Estimate of Job Creation: Up to 140 permanent jobs, and “dozens and dozens” of construction-related jobs.

Tenants will be announced after the project is approved by the City Planning Commission. Developers have signed a “pre-lease” with three national retailers for the Kmart building, as well as a grocer for the building on the site of the current Rubin’s Restaurant.

Negotiations continue for:
* A tenant in the drive-thru coffee bar and restaurant building on NE corner of the site. 
* Multiple tenants, local or national, for a stand-alone building where Dollar General used to be. The current building will be demolished. One of those tenants could be a sit-down restaurant, with outside patio seating.

The historic Marquard Building is still slated for demolition, but some elements from that building may be worked into the site elsewhere, the developer said.

Rubin’s Deli plans to move across the street, into a new building.

More details from the meeting may be posted later.

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New installation celebrates women artists and artists of color

The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) today announced the reinstallation of its contemporary art galleries. The reimagined galleries stage fresh conversations among works in the museum’s contemporary collection, celebrating in particular work by women and artists of color. The reinstallation is made possible with principal support provided by the Sandy and Sally Cutler Strategic Opportunities Fund. The redesigned contemporary art galleries open Tuesday, April 20, in the S. Mueller Family Galleries of Contemporary Art including the Betty and Max Ratner Gallery (224A), Toby’s Gallery for Contemporary Art (229A, 229C) and the Paula and Eugene Stevens Gallery (229B).

“By prioritizing the work of diverse artists from around the world, this new installation demonstrates the wide range of perspectives, backgrounds and identities that animate contemporary art,” said William M. Griswold, director of the Cleveland Museum of Art. “These galleries are the first to be reimagined in 2021 and are part of an exciting initiative undertaken in connection with our strategic plan, which calls for us to reinstall several galleries each year, enriching our visitors’ experience with new works, themes and interpretive approaches.”

“This installation carries forward in time stories whose beginnings are told throughout the museum’s historic collections,” said Emily Liebert, curator of contemporary art. “Creating connections across time and place is one of the great opportunities of presenting contemporary art in an encyclopedic museum.”

Through four major themes, this installation explores the ways contemporary artists reimagine topics that endure throughout art history. The Figure features artists rethinking the possibilities of portraiture and representation of the body. Simone Leigh, whose Las Meninas (2019.175) is on view, describes her work as “auto-ethnographic”; she combines self-focused narratives with forms and materials typically found in African art. This interest in fusing histories and visual traditions is characteristic of other works in this section. 

In Found and Made, some of the works are created with ready-made everyday objects like a light bulb or a chain-link fence, while others celebrate the quality of touch in the handcrafted. Still others bring these interests together: Vija Celmins’ Blackboard Tableau #12 features a pair of seemingly identical blackboards; however, one was found and the other was made by the artist. Through her observation of detail, Celmins generates an accord between the mass-produced commonplace object and the uniquely crafted one.

“Visitors will find that the new display includes conversations between longtime favorites and exciting recent acquisitions,” said Nadiah Rivera Fellah, associate curator of contemporary art.

Living Abstraction features works that are animated by associations with living matter. While Zilia Sánchez’s Troyanas (de la serie Módulos Infinitos) (Trojan Women [of the Infinite Module series])(2020.262), on view for the first time since its 2020 acquisition, juts off the wall in three biomorphic peaks, the openings in Lee Bontecou’s untitled structure (1967.77) look like bodily orifices and lunar craters. The latter is a nod to Bontecou’s self-declared “joy and excitement about outer space.” 

The artists included in Color, Shape, and Line use these foundational art elements to create dynamic compositions. As Al Loving expressed in 1969, “The wall must be pierced, brought forward, pushed back.” In his geometric abstractions, such as Blue Rational/Irrational (2019.58), Loving evokes three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional surface through strategic layers of cubic forms and carefully calibrated juxtapositions of color. Innovations by the artists here created important legacies that have influenced generations of younger artists.

 A map of the proposed West Park Plaza, as presented to the Far West Design Review Committee building on April 7.    The red lines show proposed lanes for pedestrian traffic. Walkability will be important to customers.    A community meeting to discuss the project will be hosted at 6:30 p.m. by the West Park Kamm’s Neighborhood Development. Register at http://westparkkamms.org/

The brown building on Lorain Ave. — Popeye’s — is not part of the project. It will remain as is. 

STRAIGHT FROM CITY HALL NEWSLETTER

Mayor Jackson, Director of Public Safety Karrie D. Howard and Police Chief Calvin D. Williams announce that Cleveland Police Acting Deputy Chief Deirdre Jones is retiring after serving with the Cleveland Division of Police for over 30 years. Commander Jones currently serves as the Acting Deputy Chief of Administrative Operations, overseeing the Bureau of Communications and Property Control and the Bureau of Support Services, including the Communications Control Section, Logistics, Property, Personnel, Records and the Training Section.

“I congratulate Acting Deputy Chief and Commander Deirdre Jones on her appointment as Chief of Police/Director of Security at the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA). Deputy Chief Jones has served the Division of Police in several key leadership roles,” said Mayor Jackson. “Additionally, she was the first female to supervise the Division’s Homicide Unit. Acting Deputy Chief Jones is also the first-ever LGBTQ Liaison to the Department of Public Safety, Divisions of Police, Fire and Emergency Medical Service, promoting equity and inclusion within public safety. It is for these reasons and more that I ask the citizens to join me in congratulating Acting Deputy Chief Jones, whom I know will serve GCRTA well in her new role. I wish her well in her new position.”

Jones was appointed to the rank of Commander of the Bureau of Support Services in 2016 and to Acting Deputy Chief of Administrative Operations in 2021.  She was the first female to supervise the Division’s Homicide Unit. Commander Jones is also the first-ever LGBTQ Liaison to the Department of Public Safety, Divisions of Police, Fire and Emergency Medical Service, promoting equity and inclusion within public safety.

“I am proud to have worked alongside Commander Deirdre Jones, and am happy to know that she will continue to serve the citizens of the City of Cleveland in her new role,” said Cleveland Director of Public Safety, Karrie D. Howard. 

Jones will officially retire from the Cleveland Division of Police in the coming weeks. She will continue to serve the citizens of the City of Cleveland as the next Chief of Police of the GCRTA Police Department. An Acting Deputy Chief of Administration will be appointed until a new member of the Cleveland Division of Police Command Staff is selected.

“Commander Dierdre Jones has been a dedicated member of the Cleveland Division of Police, bringing many new and forward thinking ideas to the table during her career,” said Cleveland Police Chief Calvin D. Williams. “I look forward to continuing to work with her in her new role as Chief, and know she will do well.”

STRAIGHT FROM CITY HALL NEWSLETTER

In partnership with the Northeast Ohio Area Coordinating Agency (NOACA), the City of Cleveland applied for and received grant funding for two electric vehicle charging stations through the Ohio EPA’s disbursement of the Volkswagen Mitigation Trust Fund. These publicly accessible stations will be located at the City of Cleveland’s new Ward 1 Neighborhood Resource & Recreation Center and at the Red Lot at Cleveland Hopkins Airport. Both will be 240-V, Level 2 charging stations, which allow for 25 miles of range per hour of charging – or full charge in about 4-5 hours. Across Cuyahoga County, 22 charging stations received funding through the OEPA grant program and will be implemented over the next two years. Along with a $3 million allocation toward regional EV charging stations from NOACA, Sustainable Cleveland is hopeful that residents, employees, and visitors to the City will continue to see accelerated development in robust EV infrastructure.

Follow this link for a full list of OEPA grant recipients.  

A new mural is underway in West Park at Puritas Avenue and W. 161st St. 

Celebrating inclusivity, particularly concerning those with disabilities, the title and theme of the mural is “More Alike Than Different” and will be painted by Garrett Weider with help from the community. 

Weider was approached by those with the Bellaire Puritas Development Corporation as well as those with the organization the Up Side of Downs. Other organizations involved include Hyland Software and non-profit organizations North Coast Community Homes, The Arc of Greater Cleveland, UCP of Greater Cleveland, ADA Cleveland, Koinonia, Youth Challenge, New Avenues to Independence, Inc., and the HELP Foundation. 

According to Weider, those involved with the project who requested he design it initially liked his work called Bridge Blooms on Bridge Avenue and W. 48th St. in Ohio City. It is “this building covered by flowers,” he describes, calling it a “neighborhood beautification project.”

He says the Ohio City project concept translates well for what he envisions for the new West Park mural at Puritas Avenue.

“Symbolically it totally works,” he says. “I’m switching the design up a little bit. It’s going to have all kinds of colors and flowers and mixing in some of the logos of the sponsors.”

“Having a whole bunch of these flowers that are all of these different colors and things is kind of representative of all of humanity to me.” 

According to Weider, the splash of color this mural will bring is going to breathe new life into the area. 

The mural kicked off March 21st, also World Down Syndrome Day. Weider says the activity drew the attention of onlookers, who appeared curious and even excited — some even beeping and smiling while driving past. 

“Hopefully people want to slow down and take pictures in front of it,” the artist says. “I really want to make it a destination spot… That’s what happened with the Bridge spot. It’s really become sort of like a landmark, and I really want that for this as well.” 

According to Weider’s Instagram page: “…’More Alike Than Different’ will bring awareness and celebrates those with down syndrome and other disabilities. I’ll be working with the community throughout the summer and will finish by the fall… “

In addition to this new mural, another mural by Weider can be found inside The Wash House & Cafe at 15149 Lorain Ave.