SUBMITTED — The association representing city leaders throughout Cuyahoga County has endorsed the county’s Health and Human Services Levy, which will appear on March ballots as Issue 33. The vote to support the levy was unanimous.

Richard Bain, secretary of the Cuyahoga County Mayors & City Managers Association and mayor of Pepper Pike, said: “The Health and Human Services levy will provide the critical funds necessary to support vital services for our county’s kids, seniors, healthcare and family services. Supporting the levy will address the gap in funding caused by growing needs and expenses. This is an essential levy we can – and the county mayors have – all agreed upon.”

Parma Mayor Tim DeGeeter encouraged residents to “please vote for Issue 33” on the March 17^th ballot.

“There’s a social obligation to help those in need but there’s also compelling economic reasons to do so,” Mayor DeGeeter said. “If we don’t invest now in the county’s wide-ranging services paid for by this levy, then we’re going to pay for it later in higher public expenses related to the court system, first responders, opioids epidemic, and much more.”

Lakewood Mayor Meghan F. George agreed, saying “I see the need for this funding every day in our city. It makes good sense to help people who are the most vulnerable. By doing so, we help elevate the economic health of our entire community.’’

 Levy leaders attribute the need for additional health and human services funding to four primary factors:

•  Protracted Poverty: One out of five Cuyahoga County residents live in poverty, which for a family of three is an annual income of $21,330 or less.

•  The Opioid Epidemic: The rate of opioid-induced deaths in the county is 2.5 times the national average. Opioid addiction among parents has caused the number of children in Cuyahoga County who are in foster care or under protective supervision to grow by nearly 70% since 2016.

•  Demographic Challenges and Needs: Several age groups of county residents—including infants, working-age adults and older adults 65-74—have mortality rates higher than the state average. In 2017, neonatal infant mortality for all children born in Cuyahoga County was worse than it was in many impoverished countries.

•  Insufficient Federal and State Support: Successive federal and state administrations have reduced their contributions to the Health and Human Services safety net.

Cuyahoga County’s Health and Human Services system provides vital lifelines for more than 400,000 residents facing critical needs.  It’s a small cost that has a huge impact, costing property owners less than $3.50 per month more (about $1 a year more) for every $100,000 in property value.  It would generate an additional $35 million in annual health and human services funding.

Brad Sellers, Mayor of Warrensville Heights said: “Issue 33 is needed to help our community’s most vulnerable through programs including care for abused and neglected children and home services so that our seniors can live independently at home. In light of recent cuts in state and federal support, we need to protect our safety net system for tens of thousands of citizens in every community in the county.”

Submitted by the Bellaire-Puritas Development Corporation

It’s time to start thinking about summer jobs.
Local agencies seek young adults, ages 14 through 20, adult volunteers to help them with mock interviews, and companies that offer jobs.
It all comes together at the West Park Youth Job Jam, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., Saturday March 14, at the Gunning Recreation Center, 16700 Puritas Ave. Check-in at 9:30 a.m. Lunch is provided.
The annual event is hosted by the Bellaire Puritas Development Corporation, the lead-agency for West Park’s MyCom youth development initiative. Businesses with locations in West Park, nearby neighborhoods, or on major public transit routes, will attend to talk with applicants and take resumes and applications. A variety of positions in food service, retail, and customer service will be available.
During the morning, young adults will practice their interview skills with volunteers and learn how to make the best possible impression on potential employers.
Later, youths age 14 to 15 will practice speaking with employers and sign up for summer activities and volunteer opportunities.
Those age 16 through 20 should come “dressed to impress” with copies of their resume to talk with employers, submit applications, and potentially land a job.

Y.O.U.

    The event is co-sponsored by Youth Opportunities Unlimited (Y.O.U.), a non-profit workforce development organization that serves persons age 14 to 24. Their Summer Youth Employment Program, open to youths age 14 to 18, provides six weeks of paid-work experience. Registration opens Feb. 1 at youthopportunities.org. Y.O.U. will be on-site at the Job Jam to help youths register and  answer questions.

Register for the Job Jam
Young adults can register today. Send your name, age, school, phone number and e-mail address to Vanessa Lange.
E: v.lange@bpdc.org
T: 216-671-2710
Adult volunteers and employers who have jobs should also contact Lange.
Read more at westparktimes.com.

CONTENT SUBMITTED

The theme is a nod to exploring new and different places, ideas, and conventions. The Festival enthusiastically challenges its audience to do this through the remarkable on-screen stories brought to Cleveland each year by exceptionally talented filmmakers from around the world. 
The theme, designed by the team at Type Twenty Seven is also a celebration of the Festival’s home in Tower City Cinemas for the last 30 years. During that time, the Festival’s growth exceeded all expectations by screening more than 7,000 films and welcoming over 1.6 million film fans.  

“See Beyond resonated with our design team as a way to showcase elements of Tower City Center that are not normally recognized,” said Brittyn DeWerth, Creative Director and Owner of Type Twenty Seven. “By looking beyond the basics, our goal was to illustrate the exquisite architectural details—revealing the beauty it holds. In addition, the choice of color allows for a visual pop of information, and subtle tone-on-tone in the background begs to be explored.” 

The Festival is once again working with Fusion Filmworks to produce the CIFF trailer, which will be released on Opening Night at Playhouse Square on Wednesday, March 25, 2020.   

The 44th Cleveland International Film Festival will be held March 25 – April 5, 2020 at Tower City Cinemas. More than 600 screenings will take place during the 12 days of the Festival, with over 400 guest filmmakers from around the world who will be on-hand for Q&As. CIFF44 program details will be available at clevelandfilm.org on Friday, February 28, with Program Guides hitting the streets the week of March 2. Tickets will go on sale to CIFF Members on Friday, March 6th and to the general public on Friday, March 13. For more information, please visit clevelandfilm.org. 

PHOTOS AND CONTENT SUBMITTED

Voting FOR Issue 33 Will Help Save Lives, Protect Children, Treat Addictions and Illnesses, and Support Seniors

CLEVELAND, JANUARY 29, 2020—Cuyahoga County’s Health and Human Services system, which provides vital lifelines for more than 400,000 residents facing critical needs, is itself in critical need of more funding, and today community leaders kicked off their campaign to pass Issue 33, the Health and Human Services Levy.
“Health and Human Services help keep people alive, healthy and functioning, and are the most critical and direct local investment that we make in each other,” said Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish. “More than one out of three Cuyahoga County residents rely on our Health and Human Services system every year, and the need for these services is growing.”
“Issue 33 is a small increase that will have a HUGE impact,” said Cuyahoga County Council President Dan Brady. “Issue 33 will help save lives, protect children, treat illnesses and addictions, and protect seniors. It is VITAL to our future.”
Voters are being asked to consider Issue 33, a replacement Health and Human Services property tax levy of 4.7 mills that will appear on the 2020 Primary Election ballot. If passed, Issue 33 would increase the current millage rate of 3.9 mills by 0.8 mill and would be effective from 2021-2028. Under Issue 33, property owners would pay an additional $41 a year for every $100,000 in property value— a little less than $3.50 per month.
Issue 33’s leaders attributed the need for additional health and human services funding to four primary factors:

• Protracted Poverty: Cleveland is now the second-poorest major city in the country, and one out of five Cuyahoga County residents live in poverty, which for a family of three is an annual income of $21,330 or less. And unlike much of the U.S., poverty in Cuyahoga County has increased since the Great Recession.
• The Opioid Epidemic: The rate of opioid-induced deaths in the county is 2.5 times the national average; in the City of Cleveland, it is five times the national average. Since 2016, opioid addiction among parents has caused the number of children in Cuyahoga County who are in foster care or under protective supervision to grow by nearly 70%—nearly 1,500 additional children.
• Demographic Challenges and Needs: Cuyahoga County is now home to more residents who are over 60 than are under 20. Several age groups of county residents—including infants, working-age adults and older adults 65-74—have mortality rates higher than the state average. In 2017, neonatal infant mortality for all children born in Cuyahoga County was worse than it was in many impoverished countries.
• Insufficient Federal and State Support: Successive federal and state administrations have reduced their contributions to the Health and Human Services safety net. Ohio’s funding for children’s services remains the lowest in the nation, even as the number of children in government custody has skyrocketed.

Five goals for Issue 33 that campaign leaders outlined included:

• Ensuring current critical HHS services continue
• Reducing infant mortality and saving babies’ lives
• Protecting thousands of children whose families have been destroyed by the opioid crisis
• Getting more people into mental health and addiction treatment
• Helping older residents stay strong, independent and in their homes

A complete list of proposed investments from Issue 33 is available at https://voteforhhs.org/.  

 The Rev. Dr. Larry Macon Sr., Pastor of the Mt. Zion Church of Oakwood Village, and President of United Pastors in Mission, called on members of faith communities throughout Cuyahoga County to support the levy.
“The Cuyahoga County Health and Human Services levy makes manifest an ancient tradition that affirms we should love our neighbors as we love ourselves,” Macon said. “HHS means certainty to provide for those in need, it means safer neighborhoods, stronger families and an abundance of joy for our children.  We must support this effort to build a more perfect community.”
Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson summed up why passing Issue 33 is so urgent.
“Diseases don’t discriminate. Traumatic injuries and economic setbacks can happen to anyone. Issue 33 is an investment in helping people bounce back from these challenges and build better lives for themselves and their families.” Jackson said.
Semanthie Brooks, long-time advocate for seniors in Cuyahoga County and throughout Ohio, said passage of the levy is very much needed.
“This levy is critical because county dollars have been impacted by cuts from both state and federal funding that supports safety net programs,’’ said Brooks. “While we are appreciative of state and federal allocated dollars, current funding does not address food insecurity among older adults age 60 and over, which is a problem because in Ohio more than 1 in 6 older adults face the threat of hunger. HHS dollars help to fight social isolation of seniors, offer support for victims of abuse, neglect and exploitation and help support older and disabled adults with homemaking services and transportation, ultimately saving millions of public dollars because it helps keep these people in their own homes.’’

Dr. Akram Boutros, CEO of the MetroHealth System, pledged to work with the Center for Community Solutions to develop metrics that will track the effectiveness of HHS expenditures. 
“We see a growing demand for numerous types of vital health and human services at MetroHealth,” Boutros said. “I’m looking forward to working with Cuyahoga County, the Center for Community Solutions, and other stakeholders to ensure investments from Issue 33 have the broadest possible impact.”

PHOTOS & STORY COURTESY OF CMSD NEWS BUREAU

12/13/2019

The percentage of CMSD graduates enrolling in college is up for the first time in five years.

According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, 44 percent of the District’s 2019 graduates enrolled in college for the fall. That was up 4 points from the previous year, and the figure could rise if additional students enroll for spring.

The rate declined from 49 percent in 2014 to 40 percent in 2016 and had stayed flat until now, even as CMSD’s graduation rate, currently at 78.2 percent, continued to set new record highs for the District. Many attributed the trend to the rising cost of higher education.

CMSD graduates received a boost this year from new Say Yes to Education scholarships that pay up to the full value of tuition, minus federal and state aid. The scholarships may be used at all public colleges and universities and Pell-eligible training programs in Ohio and more than 100 private colleges and universities across the country.

Say Yes Cleveland provided $635,000 for scholarships to the Class of 2019 for the fall semester.

“We’re pleased to see that in this first semester, we’ve had a larger increase in enrollment than projected, while at the same time our scholarship payouts came in below projections,” said Diane Downing, executive director of Say Yes Cleveland. “Students are enrolled in college now, thanks to Say Yes scholarships, and we look forward to more and more students taking advantage of the scholarship each year.”

Say Yes scholarship payouts for fall semester have been approximately 40 percent less than projections, due largely to an increase in grant money that Ohio gives to students with high financial need. Many of those students received enough federal and state aid to cover all tuition at their chosen institutions.

The increase in college enrollment was primarily at two-year community colleges, according to the data.

About 28 percent of the class enrolled at four-year institutions, but that number essentially remained flat. One reason could be that many four-year colleges and universities cut off fall admissions before or shortly after Say Yes was announced on Jan. 18.

The largest numbers of students enrolled at Cuyahoga Community College and Cleveland State University, followed by Kent State University and the University of Akron.

Say Yes scholarships are available to graduates of CMSD or eligible partnering charter high schools. Starting this year, students must be continuously enrolled in one of those schools and live in Cleveland or the District from ninth grade until graduation to qualify.

Community leaders have raised $92 million for the Say Yes endowment fund, which is intended to last for 25 years.

For more information on Say Yes, go to sayyescleveland.org

*Every Third Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at 5 Points Coffee and Tea, located at 3600 W. Park Rd.

2/19/2020  The Great Unexpected, by Dan Mooney

3/18/2020  Room, by Emma Donoghue

4/15/2020   Educated, by Tara Westover

5/20/2020   A Dirt Road  to Somewhere: A Dirt Road to Somewhere, by Ramona Robinson

6/17/2020  The Giver of Stars, by JoJo Moyes

7/15/2020 Reading Behind Bars: A Memoir of Literature, Law, and Life as a Prison Librarian, by Jill Grunenwald

Please  consider joining us!!!

Like us on Facebook : Westpark Book Club

CMSD NEWS BUREAU

12/23/2019

Seven CMSD schools have received state Momentum Awards for achieving academic growth that exceeded expectations last school year. 

It is the largest number of District schools to earn the award since it was started in 2015.

Glenville High School won its third Momentum Award and Paul L. Dunbar PreK-8 School received the award for a second time.

First-time winners included three PreK-8 schools — Clara Westropp, George Washington Carver and Miles – and two high schools – Cleveland High School for Digital Arts and Rhodes College and Career Academy.

To qualify, schools must earn straight A’s in applicable measures of value-added, a measure of whether groups reach the level of growth forecast for them. Measures include growth by students with disabilities, students in the lowest 20 percent of achievement and gifted students.

Statewide, 173 schools received Momentum Awards.

Photo & content submitted

CIFF and Playhouse Square are elated to announce that in 2021 the Festival will permanently move to Playhouse Square. This move marks a new chapter for two of the region’s most beloved cultural gems.

By moving to Playhouse Square, CIFF will remain in downtown Cleveland and under one phenomenal roof. Festival attendees will have the opportunity to screen films in historic and stunning venues, including the Allen Theatre, KeyBank State Theatre, Mimi Ohio Theatre, and Connor Palace. Plus, movie-goers will be steps away from dining and nightlife spots in the Playhouse Square District.

“It will be thrilling for us to create a different audience experience, from intimate to grand, as we honor Playhouse Square’s past, which was built on cinema. We cannot wait for our future to begin!” says CIFF Executive Director Marcie Goodman. 

With more than 100,000 guests each year, CIFF brings the world to Cleveland — through the films it programs and the filmmakers (and film lovers) who attend. What better destination than one of the nation’s most renowned performing arts centers?

The move to Playhouse Square in 2021 follows a 14-year run at Cedar Lee Theatre and 30 years at Tower City Cinemas. Playhouse Square will only be the third home in the Festival’s history.

Find #CIFF44 at Tower City Cinemas, March 25-April 5, 2020

As it has for the past several years, Opening Night for #CIFF44 will take place at Playhouse Square. The Festival, as a whole, will remain at Tower City Cinemas in 2020. 

Find program details for the 44th Cleveland International Film Festival at clevelandfilm.org on February 28. Program guides hit the streets the week of March 2. 

Tickets to #CIFF44 go on sale to members on Friday, March 6, and to the public on Friday, March 13. Stay tuned to clevelandfilm.org and our social profiles for details.

By Jerry Masek
If you ask Rosemary Mudry, “So, where are you from?”, please be patient. The answer could take a while.    She has lived, worked, or been educated in Shaker Heights, CSU Downtown, Old Brooklyn, West Park, Ohio City, Oberlin and Glenville. Each place taught her sometime new about urban living. Along the way, she earned a Masters in Urban Planning, Design and Development.    Now, she can utilize those skills and experience to help West Park prosper and grow. She started work Nov. 18 as Executive Director of the West Park Kamm’s Neighborhood Development, formerly known as the Kamm’s Corners Neighborhood Development Corp., or KCDC.    She replaces Steve Lorenz, who retired after 18 years. The group’s new name was introduced last year to reflect an expanded mission and serve all of Ward 17.
Well qualified
    Mudry spent the last 5 years as Director of Neighborhood Development at the Old Brooklyn Community Development Corp., a large neighborhood just south of the Metroparks Zoo.    “I was responsible for economic development, business relationships, housing and planning,” she said. “Those skills should translate well to our work in West Park.”    Mudry is comfortable in her new role.
    “I was born at Fairview General Hospital, and as a young adult, lived near Jefferson Park. There’s great nightlife here. Many of my friends and relatives have lived and worked in this area.”

Why is this job attractive?
    “I am interested in making an impact, growing my skill set and challenging myself. Our goal is serve ALL of Ward 17, and for residents to know they have a voice at the table.”    Her first goal — work with the staff and Board to evaluate past activities “with a critical eye. We want to take what’s great and make them even greater.”    That evaluation may continue until mid-year.    “We want to start the decade as strong as possible, and improve events so they attract and serve a broader community.”    Planning continues for the June 20 Hooley event, and the award-winning Farmers Market, which runs June-October.
A full calendar
    Mudry’s office window gives her a great view of Kamm’s Plaza, and she keeps active in the community. Her first weeks here have been full and fruitful.    “Everyone has been warm, inviting and overwhelmingly gracious,” she said. “They seem eager and happy to meet me.”    She has already met folks at West Park Holiday Cheer, a West Park Neighbor Night, a Celebrity Bartender event at Working Class Brewery, the Indoor Farmers Market, and the West Park Holiday Passport celebration.
Define success
    “Success is a trait of an organization, not a single person,” Mudry says. “In neighborhood development, success takes time. It may take 3 years to open a high-quality business, or renovate a building. We want Ward 17 residents to feel hopeful and optimistic about their future here.”
With sidebar: how to contact WPKND, and staff list

An estimated 500 persons attended a fundraiser, the West Park Pizza Bake-off, held at St. Patrick’s gym on Monday, January 20.

Judges selected Brothers Pizza #1, and Happy’s Pizza #2. The People’s Choice winner was Brothers Pizza, with Athens PIzza the runner-up.

Paxton Karnavas, age 8, of West Park, certainly ate his fill. (Photos by Jerry Masek for The West Park Times).