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Alexandros Georgussis, of Holy Name and Our Lady of Angels in West Park, was recently named a National Merit Commended Student. 

He has earned this honor after scoring exceptionally well on the 2021 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®). Of the 1.3 million students who took the PSAT/NMSQT, only 34,000 earned Commended Student status. 

Alexandros graduated from Our Lady of Angels and has been at Holy Name since August 2019. He is a member of the Class of 2023 (the senior class). For more information on Alexandros and his many accomplishments at Holy Name, please visit holynamehs.com/news/2022nationalmeritnews. 

Employees celebrate as the ribbon is cut at Ross Dress For Less in the West Park Shopping Center. (Photo by Jerry Masek)

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There will be free event providing health screenings and education across four Cleveland Clinic locations, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Sept. 22.

It will be at the Crile building lobby, Cleveland Clinic main campus,  2049 E 100th St A Bldg, Cleveland. (Attendees can park at the P2 parking garage located at 2101 East 100^th St.) 

Similar events will simultaneously take place at Akron General Hospital, Lutheran Hospital, and South Pointe Hospital.

Attendees are encouraged to register online at https://clevelandclinic.org/chf.  

The Cleveland Clinic Community Health Fair will be open to all genders with a focus on serving our underserved and minority communities. The Community Health Fair will provide various health screenings to help address the unique needs of our Black/African American, Latinx and LGBTQ communities. The event includes education on many health concerns and screenings for prostate cancer, diabetes, high cholesterol, hepatitis C and other conditions.  

In order to comply with public health precautions, masks will be required and social distancing will be encouraged. As the number of attendees will be limited, attendees are asked to please register ahead of time. Offerings may vary by location and are subject to change.  

About Cleveland Clinic 

Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, it was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the United States. U.S. News & World Report consistently names Cleveland Clinic as one of the nation’s best hospitals in its annual “America’s Best Hospitals” survey. Among Cleveland Clinic’s 72,500 employees worldwide are more than 5,050 salaried physicians and researchers, and 17,800 registered nurses and advanced practice providers, representing 140 medical specialties and subspecialties. Cleveland Clinic is a 6,500-bed health system that includes a 173-acre main campus near downtown Cleveland, 21 hospitals, more than 220 outpatient facilities, including locations in northeast Ohio; southeast Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; Toronto, Canada; Abu Dhabi, UAE; and London, England. In 2021, there were 10.2 million total outpatient visits, 304,000 hospital admissions and observations, and 259,000 surgical cases throughout Cleveland Clinic’s health system. Patients came for treatment from every state and 185 countries. Visit us at clevelandclinic.org. Follow us at twitter.com/ClevelandClinic. News and resources available at newsroom.clevelandclinic.org. 

Below, Senior Vice President of Student Lending at Citizens, Frederick Good, provides some navigational information for when student loan repayment begins:

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Q: How can borrowers prepare for repayment?
A: t’s important for borrowers to refamiliarize themselves with their current student loan situation before repayment starts- how many loans, under what terms, at what rates, and the total monthly payment that will resume.

It’s possible that refinancing could help borrowers simplify and save on monthly payments or interest rates (or both), but needs to be evaluated in the context of potential federal loan benefits, including whether or not they may be eligible for the recently announced forgiveness.

Q: What happens when you refinance a student loan?
A: When borrowers refinance a student loan, their underlying or original loans are paid off in full. The new refinance loan is originated as a single loan with terms and conditions presented to the borrower from their new lender.

Typically refinancing a loan can help the borrower to lower their interest rate or payment (or both) and simplify multiple loans into one, while potentially changing the loan term or possibly removing a co-signer. The underlying loans would be reported on the borrowers credit bureau as paid in full, and a new tradeline with the new refinance loan would be opened.

At Citizens, on average, we have seen our borrowers lower their payments by more than $3,000 annually with refinancing.

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The Ohio Department of Education announced Horizon  Education Centers and their partners were awarded seven Nita M. Lowey 21^st Century Community  Learning Center afterschool grants. The awards provide for five years of free before and after school  programming at selected schools across Western Cuyahoga and Lorain Counties, and together amount to  more than $5.9 million dollars over the next five years.  

The seven schools awarded the 21^st Century Community Learning Center Grants with Horizon Education  Centers are Clara E. Westropp (Cleveland Metropolitan School District), Constellation Schools – Lorain  Community, Constellation Schools – Old Brooklyn Community Middle, Constellation Schools – Westpark Community Middle, Hamilton Elementary (Elyria City School District), Maple Elementary  (North Olmsted City Schools), and Wilbur Wright (Cleveland Metropolitan School District). Horizon’s  community partners include Constellation Schools, West Park Kamm’s Neighborhood Development  (Clara E. Westropp), and Westown Community Development Corporation (Wilbur Wright).  

This year’s new grant cycle saw 52 grants awarded throughout the state, totaling $10.4 million in new  awards for the current school year. Horizon Education Centers’ 21^st Century Community Learning Center  programs feature extensions of school day learning, tutoring from schoolteachers, college and career  readiness programming, and social-emotional learning and development.  

“We’re very excited to bring Horizon’s 21^st Century afterschool to Maple Elementary,” says Tom  Herbster, Vice President of North Olmsted Board of Education. “The new grant will allow students at our  Maple Elementary school to not only have access to afterschool care, but high-quality support that will  improve learning outcomes, social-emotional development, and provide new opportunities for family and  community engagement. And at no cost to our families!”  

The new programs will begin in early October, and continue through the 2026-2027 school year. Horizon  Education Center’s community partners will support the programming with neighborhood and local  business engagement, service learning opportunities, and other community supports.  

About Horizon: 

Horizon Education Centers’ mission is to provide high-quality early childhood education, care, and youth  development programs to the youth and families of Lorain and Western Cuyahoga Counties in Northeast  Ohio. Founded in 1978 as an afterschool program in North Olmsted, Ohio, Horizon has since grown to  offer high-rated preschool programs, toddler and infant care, and 21st Century, Say Yes, and other high  quality OST programs through its 14 high quality licensed centers and 17 mixed funding school-based  sites.

There is a new donation resource available to those in the Cleveland area. Here, individuals can find where they can take their clothing, furniture, electronics, construction debris and more, throughout the year.

This resource and site was created by dumpsters.com.

“We take waste disposal seriously, and that includes finding waste diversion opportunities whenever possible,” says Jon Behm, who works for dumpsters.com.

Find the directory here. https://www.dumpsters.com/donation-directory/ohio/cleveland

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On August 23, 2022, The Cleveland Department of Public Health began distributing the JYNNEOS monkeypox vaccine. Approximately 75 doses were given out. The next clinic will take place on Friday 8/26/2022 from 3‐9pm at 1313 E. 26^th Street in Cleveland. Vaccines are free and confidential. No pre‐registration or appointment is necessary.   

Due to a limited supply of vaccine available, individuals must be 18+ years of age and also fall into one of the following categories in order to be eligible:    

∙ Having unprotected contact between a person’s skin or mucous membranes and the skin, lesions, or bodily fluids from a patient or contaminated materials (e.g., linens, clothing) 

∙ Individuals with attendance at events/venues linked to known monkeypox transmission 

∙ Any individual who has or is likely to have prolonged intimate contact that would put them at higher risk of being exposed to monkeypox virus   

∙ Have not previously been diagnosed with monkeypox or do not currently have signs/symptoms of monkey pox. 

∙ Individuals who currently or previously were sick with monkeypox are not eligible because vaccination given after the onset of signs/symptoms of monkeypox is not expected to provide benefit.   

People who get vaccinated should continue to take steps to protect themselves from infection by avoiding close, skin‐to‐skin contact, including intimate contact, with someone who has monkeypox. Fully vaccinated individuals are still recommended to protect themselves against monkeypox and to isolate at home 

Based on the limited supply received, we are committed to vaccinating as many people as possible to prevent disease. As more vaccine is allocated to Cleveland, we will be setting up more clinics to make it available to a larger group of at‐risk persons, as identified above. Please visit our website http://www.clevelandhealth.org for information on monkeypox, announcement for upcoming vaccine clinics, FAQ’s and to stay up to date on the current # of cases. Anyone with concerns or symptoms should talk to their healthcare provider. 

In collaboration with County Executive Armond Budish, and the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, CDPH will be participating in a virtual press briefing today, 8/24/22 at 2pm to provide information on new county initiatives and updates on COVID‐19 and monkeypox. Media are invited to listen (via https://youtu.be/2plDsmZiRE0) and share the following Facebook and YouTube links on their social media platforms and websites. 

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The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) recently announced the appointment of Gabriel (Gabe) Pollack as director of performing arts. In his new role at the CMA, Pollack  will be responsible for overseeing the internationally recognized performing arts program at the CMA and its satellite locations, including Transformer Station and Community Arts Center on Cleveland’s near  west side.

Pollack will join the CMA in October 2022. Under Pollack’s leadership, the performing arts program will continue to include concerts from classical to contemporary music, will feature global  music traditions as well as dance and will expand to include a wider range of offerings. The CMA looks  forward to sustaining local partnerships, which have become a feature of the performing arts program,  and to fostering new relationships.  

Since 2014, Pollack has been manager and director of Bop Stop at The Music Settlement, an  extraordinarily vibrant music venue that was voted Best Jazz Club in America by readers of All About Jazz in 2019. Under Pollack’s leadership, nearly 20 live albums have been recorded at Bop Stop, including Terence Blanchard’s Blue Note Records release, “Live,” which provides musical commentary on police  brutality in America. During the pandemic, Pollack launched the terrestrial radio program and podcast “Live at the Bop Stop.” Currently, the show airs on 25 stations nationwide and has two international affiliates, and it won “Best Innovation by a Club, Venue or Festival” from the National Independent Venue Association in 2022. 

“We are absolutely thrilled that Gabe Pollack is joining the staff at the Cleveland Museum of Art as the  director of performing arts,” said Director William M. Griswold. “In his work at Bop Stop, Gabe has shown extraordinary vision and leadership. In the past eight years, he has organized more than two thousand concerts on Cleveland’s near west side where he spotlit national and international artists— including more than 180 Grammy Award winners or nominees—as well as featured a broad swath of local talent. We are looking forward to the ways in which Gabe will augment the performing arts program at the CMA at our main campus and at Transformer Station to attract wider and more diverse  audiences to the museum and help us achieve the goals of our strategic plan.”  

A graduate of Oberlin College and Conservatory of Music, Pollack holds a bachelor of music in jazz entrepreneurship with a concentration in jazz trumpet performance. In addition to a degree in music, he  also holds a bachelor of arts in environmental studies, focusing on sustainable cities, enterprise and education. Serving as director of Bop Stop has allowed Pollack to assist with programming events  throughout Cleveland including the Ingenuity Festival, CAN Triennial and Concrete Concerts. Deeply committed to the future of the performing arts, Pollack is a CollegeNow Mentor and previously was an  adjunct professor in the arts management and entrepreneurship department at Baldwin Wallace  University. Prior to his role at Bop Stop, Pollack worked as an agent, administrator and sound technician  at Jim Wadsworth Production Agency. 

Pollack was the recipient of the Ida Mercer Community Impact Award in 2021, an honor that recognizes  an employee of The Music Settlement who demonstrates dedication, commitment and creativity in  advancing The Music Settlement’s mission and programming throughout the community. Additional  awards won by Bop Stop include Scene Magazine’s Best Jazz Club, Cleveland Hot List’s Best Jazz and  Blues, and Cleveland Magazine’s Best of the West “Live Music Venue.” 

“I’m looking forward to bringing my collaborative spirit to the Cleveland Museum of Art and working  with the community to program a diverse lineup up of multidisciplinary world-class talent,” said Pollack.  “The Cleveland Museum of Art is uniquely positioned to enhance Cleveland’s cultural landscape while  providing exceptional opportunities for performers. Reimagining and redefining what programming  looks like at a world-class institution is an amazing opportunity that I cannot wait to be a part of.” 

Pollack will begin his new responsibilities at the Cleveland Museum of Art on Monday, October 17, 2022.

City selected for Trust for Public Land’s 10-Minute Walk Park Equity Accelerator program 

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On Friday, the Bibb Administration released an RFP for a consultant to assist with a comprehensive Citywide Parks and Recreation Master Plan.   

The announcement comes on the heels of Cleveland’s selection in July as one of six inaugural cities chosen by the Trust for Public Land for the 10-Minute Walk Park Equity Accelerator program. Cleveland was selected based on commitment to advancing local park goals; readiness to explore, experiment with, and adopt new strategies or approaches; and potential to advance field understanding around a common issue or challenge. 

“Parks and recreation offerings, and the public spaces they inhabit, are a critical component of quality of life in any city,” said Mayor Justin M. Bibb. “Playgrounds, pools, and basketball courts, along with the many resources and programs provided through our Neighborhood Resource and Recreation Centers, are fundamental to healthy, connected and revitalized communities.” 

Led by the Mayor’s Office of Capital Projects (MOCAP), the 15-year master plan will create a roadmap that ensures just and fair capital investment in parks andrecreation, provides equitable connections to quality parks and rec activities, and meets the needs of City residents, community groups, and other stakeholders.  

The City is seeking a system-wide approach in order to develop goals, policies and guidelines and prioritize strategies based on current and future funding scenarios. This will include a robust community needs assessment, a long-range parks and recreation plan, and a strategic plan that identifies finding sources and implementation strategies.  

TPL and the accelerator program will be heavily involved with the Strategic Plan component of the master planning process, specifically on developing a framework for strategic and equitable resource allocation that benefits all residents and stakeholders. 

“We are grateful for the support coming from TPL and we look forward to working with them as we go through the planning process with our selected consultant,” said MOCAP Director James DeRosa. “This is an incredible opportunity to be forward thinking and comprehensive in our approach, to remove barriers to access, and to ensure that our public recreation spaces truly serve our residents in an intentional way.”  

The City of Cleveland currently owns, operates, or leases 177 parks and recreation sites that total nearly 1,843 acres. They include 172 parks, 23 Neighborhood Resource and Recreation Centers (NRRC), 106 playgrounds, 40 swimming pools and hundreds of other public spaces and programs.  

Proposals are due by Friday, September 16, 2022, at noon EST. The full RFP can be found here. 

MEDIA RELEASE

Today, Mayor Justin M. Bibb reaffirmed his unequivocal position that abortion is a form of reproductive health care and access to abortion is a human right. 

“With the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and the dangerous restrictions on abortion that have followed, the City is committed to protecting residents’ ability to seek the reproductive health care options that they choose for themselves,” Mayor Bibb said.  

Over the last few weeks, the administration has been hard at work—listening to community leaders, assessing our capabilities, working with City Council, and reaching out across the City and the country in the spirt of collaboration. 

“We must do everything in our power to defend a woman’s right to choose what happens with her own body – not allow government or activist judges that control,” said Council President Blaine A. Griffin.  

To that end, the Mayor and Cleveland City Council are pleased to make six major announcements on how we will protect reproductive rights in the City of Cleveland: 

 

1. Non-Prosecution 

Chief Prosecutor Aqueelah Jordan, in collaboration with Law Director Mark Griffin, have pledged that no City attorney will prosecute, refer for prosecution, or otherwise participate in charging any abortion-related crimes. 

2. De-Prioritizing Enforcement  

Any investigation into and enforcement of criminal abortion-related charges will now become the lowest priority for the use of City resources, including personnel, time, and funds. This applies to all employees in the City’s executive branch, including the police.
  

While employees have a duty to uphold the law, the Mayor must also make decisions about how the City spends its limited resources. For police, job number one is keeping Cleveland safe, not prioritizing enforcement of unjust restrictions against vulnerable people. This is even more important considering that both Cleveland and Cuyahoga County prosecutors have committed not to prosecute any abortion charges that reach their desk. 

3. Reproductive Freedom Fund  

The Mayor is working together with Cleveland City Council to introduce and pass legislation to create a $100,000 “Reproductive Freedom Fund” that would cover travel, logistics, and lodging expenses for Cleveland residents and City employees seeking a legal abortion in a nearby state. This will be an essential resource that ensures all Clevelanders can get the care that they choose for themselves, even when that care is not available locally. 

4. City Employee Insurance 

Human Resources is exploring the City’s options for its employees’ health insurance plans, to determine whether all health insurance plans offered could cover elective abortions if an employee seeks care out-of-state. 

5. Commitment to Not Keeping Pregnancy Information 

Under the Bibb Administration, information about individuals’ pregnancy status that would identify a doctor or patient will not be exchanged except in the case of a medical emergency to treat a patient or with the patient’s consent for the purpose of treatment, payment, or health care operations. This is to ensure that this information, inadvertently or purposely kept, is not used against those individuals in the future prosecution of an abortion-related crime or to stigmatize or retaliate against them.  

The City will do everything that can be done to refrain from keeping or disclosing this information unless medically necessary or otherwise required by law to disclose for the purpose of treatment, payment, or health care operations. 

6. Representing Clevelanders at the Ohio Supreme Court 

All people and families in Ohio have been under attack since Roe was overturned, but Clevelanders face unique challenges—not just because we are the only majority-minority big city in Ohio, but because of the unique disinvestment that has plagued the City relative to its peers. 

The Ohio Supreme Court is currently considering a challenge to the state law banning abortions after six weeks (S.B. 23). Ohioans’ reproductive rights are directly before the Court, and to elevate Clevelanders’ voices to the highest court in the state, the City is in the process of submitting an amicus brief (“friend of the court” brief) on its residents’ behalf in support of overturning Ohio’s six-week ban. 

“As we hear about more and more extreme measures being considered at the state level, my administration will continue to look at all possible options—executive, administrative, legislative, and from the bully pulpit,” Mayor Bibb added. “Reproductive rights are human rights, and I am committed to protecting those rights to the maximum extent that I can.” 
 
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Related:  
 
Councilwomen Stand United | Cleveland City Council 

Mayor Bibb Statement on Supreme Court Decision to Overturn Roe v. Wade | City of Cleveland Ohio – Mayor Justin M. Bibb