For years, staff at the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center (CRCC) have watched as rape crisis programs throughout the state have either closed or downsized. The combination of a poor economy and lack of dedicated funding have put many of these programs out of existence -- and left sexual assault victims in less populated counties without services.

A new partnership between the CRCC and the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence (OAESV) hopes to change that by serving as a voice for services in Ohio. The two groups recently signed a support and services agreement to work together on building a statewide voice for sexual assault survivors. 

"What we realized in working with our sister organizations across the state is that many counties are unequipped to handle the problem of sexual assault, and it's difficult to organize for more resources without a unified voice," says Megan O'Bryan, Executive Director of the CRCC. "Our goal is to bring rape crisis organizations around the state together to work on policy advocacy."

In addition to sharing information and programming ideas across its statewide network, the OAESV is working to create a pool of statewide funding for rape crisis programs. About half of the states in the U.S. have such dedicated funding, but Ohio does not. The Ohio Rape Crisis Fund bill, or H.B. 48, would increase court costs for both felony and misdemeanor cases involving a sexually oriented offense, and deposit fees into a Rape Crisis Program Trust Fund administered by the Office of the Attorney General.. The group is also working at the federal level to advocate for the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).

Since the creation of the OAESV several years ago, the group has received a growing number of calls from sexual assault survivors throughout the state. O'Bryan says that this is a sign that the organization is not only doing important work, but also that more survivors feel comfortable telling their stories.

"The more we talk about this issue, the more people come forward. We need more programs that support survivors and make the environment safer for others."


Source: Megan O'Bryan
Writer: Lee Chilcote

The Cleveland Plus Marketing Alliance is celebrating its fifth birthday promoting Northeast Ohio as a vigorous regional entity. Like any proud parent, Cleveland Plus executive director Rick Batyko is eager to show off the campaign's accomplishments over its first five years of life. Fresh Water writer Douglas J. Guth spoke with Batyko about the campaign's successful past as well as the Wadsworth native's hopes for the region's future.

Just moments before they took the dais for the Lockwood Thompson Dialogues, presented by the Cleveland Public Library in partnership with LAND studio, local author Michael Ruhlman and award-winning photographer Penny De Los Santos sat down with Fresh Water. The free-flowing conversation touched upon topics ranging from the local food movement to the Cleveland dining scene to food photography. Have a listen.

The Cleveland Clinic hopes to hire 600 registered nurses at an upcoming career fair, held March 28-30 at Cleveland Browns Stadium. The Stanley Shalom Zielony Institute for Nursing Excellence organized the event, “Nursing Now at Cleveland Clinic,” to fill vacant positions and prepare for increased demand for nurses as baby boomers retire.
 
It is projected that one million nurses will be needed nationwide by 2020. The Clinic currently employs about 11,000 nurses at its various locations. “One of the goals of the job fair is to recruit wonderful, qualified nurses from all over Northeast Ohio,” says Sarah Sinclair, the Clinic’s executive chief nursing officer.
 
The Clinic is looking to fill 200 new positions as well as 400 existing openings. All nursing levels are open, but applicants must be registered nurses or graduate from nursing school by May.
 
The job fair is a one-stop hiring experience, consisting of every phase of the new-hire process, from lab work and background checks to physicals. Candidates can apply for up to three different positions. “They can walk away with offers, pending the results,” says Sinclair. “They can get all things done in one day. And I will make every effort to welcome and introduce myself to everyone.”
 
The event also serves as a continuing education event. Two classes will provide continuing education credits, as well as food and entertainment. Sinclair expects a large turnout. “We have 748 attendees pre-registered,” she says. “We also expect a lot of people to show up, so I expect we will have over 1,000 people.”
 
The fair runs from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. March 28 and 29, and from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 30.

 
Source: Sarah Sinclair
Writer: Karin Connelly

Thanks to roadway improvements and striking new signage, University Circle is becoming easier to navigate all the time. Yet it's a grim joke among cyclists that navigating the spaghetti intersection at Stokes, Martin Luther King Jr. and Cedar is akin to taking your life into your hands.

This issue affects more than a small, insignificant sliver of the population: According to City of Cleveland Bike Planner Marty Cader, the number of bike commuters continues to rise each year. In fact, he says, the parking garages at the Cleveland Clinic are filled with bikes these days, many of which originate from points further east.

The City of Cleveland recently broke ground on a new trail which is expected to ease this life-threatening commute. The so-called Lake to Lakes Trail consists of a new 10-foot-wide trail and improved intersections that should be complete by the end of summer. The trail will better connect the Harrison Dillard Bikeway in Rockefeller Park with the bike paths at Shaker Lakes in Shaker Heights.

The project overcame huge design challenges by funneling bike traffic through existing public land in University Circle. The City of Cleveland is reconstructing several traffic islands and adding ADA ramps and pedestrian signals to help make road crossings safer. The trail will meander through the hidden gem of Rudy Rogers Park, where Doan Brook flows into a culvert before emerging in Rockefeller Park, and then head up Fairhill Boulevard into the Heights.

The project is being funded by the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Department of Energy through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The trail also adds another leg to the city's Bikeway Master Plan, which is beginning to form vital connections between city neighborhoods. With the help of the Lake to Lakes Trail, cyclists will be able to easily and safely bike from Shaker Heights to downtown Cleveland along Euclid Ave., or out to the lakefront.


Source: Marty Cader
Writer: Lee Chilcote

A newly unveiled school facilities plan in the Cleveland Heights-University Heights School District (CH-UH) has the potential to blend historic preservation and neighborhood schools with cutting edge, 21st century learning environments, school leaders say.

The plan calls for eliminating several schools, tearing down 70s-era additions to older, historic buildings that will be preserved, and creating new interiors and additions to facilitate a technology-oriented, interest-based curriculum. Additionally, Wiley Middle School will be torn down and rebuilt.

The plan also retains neighborhood-based schools that are highly valued by the community. It calls for converting several primary schools to K-3rd grade buildings and converting three middle schools to 4th-8th grade buildings.

School leaders arrived at the new plan after presenting an earlier plan that was harshly received at community meetings. The earlier plan called for closing a larger number of buildings and effectively eliminating neighborhood schools. It would have created several large K-8 campuses in addition to the high school.

To gain additional input, CH-UH school leaders will host a series of community meetings at elementary schools in the coming weeks. Then the final plan is expected to be rolled out at a meeting at the high school on April 18th.

“As we move forward in the master facilities planning process, we want to assure our community that we are hearing and respecting all of the input we are receiving,” said Superintendent Doug Heuer in a news release. Heuer also noted that the plan is not yet final and additional refinements can still be made.


Source: Doug Heuer, CH-UH School District
Writer: Lee Chilcote

What makes a neighborhood thrive? Is it a coffee shop? A fistful of chef-owned bistros? What about a grocery store and dry cleaners? When it comes to Cleveland's various neighborhoods, some seem to have all the pieces in place. Ohio City, Tremont, Detroit Shoreway… these budding burgs appear to have everything a resident could want and need. But do they?

Against a backdrop of vacant, foreclosed homes and empty lots, U.S. Representatives Steve LaTourette and Marcia Fudge this week unveiled the bipartisan Restore Our Neighborhoods Act of 2012. The new legislation seeks to provide $4 billion to states and land banks to issue 30-year demolition bonds to demolish vacant, blighted homes across the country.

"This country needs to come to the realization that sometimes you just need to tear it down and start over," LaTourette told an audience of city leaders and community development professionals outside of a vacant home on E. 69th Street in Slavic Village. LaTourette stressed that the foreclosure crisis is not just an urban problem; it affects the Lake County communities he represents, too. "Vacant homes drag down property values and can lead to crime."

Congresswoman Marcia Fudge noted that more than 40 percent of the homes on E. 69th Street off Union Avenue were either vacant or foreclosed. A block away, a woman was recently dragged into a vacant property and raped.

Currently, only 10 percent of funds from the federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) can be used for demolition. The bill would change that by allowing greater flexibility in how NSP funds can be used. It would also provide more than $40 million in Qualified Urban Demolition Bonds to every state, with additional funding flowing to states like Ohio that are considered "hardest hit" by the foreclosure crisis. Any unused allocation would be redistributed by the Secretary of the Treasury after two years to "qualified" states (including Ohio).

Fudge and LaTourette stressed that the legislation would be budget neutral, as there are at least two possible offsets under consideration for the $4 billion cost.

City and county leaders said the legislation is not only about removing blight, but also clearing the way for future redevelopment of neighborhoods. "We want to see a city that's thriving and bustling," said Gus Frangos, President of the Cuyahoga Land Bank. "This is about creating a new vision for our neighborhoods."

Although more than 6,000 vacant homes in Cleveland have been demolished in the past five to seven years, there are still more than 12,000 condemned or blighted homes throughout the city. Throughout Cuyahoga County, there are estimated to be 25,000 to 30,000 blighted or condemned properties in need of demolition.

"This is a $250-million problem," said Frangos. "That number is much greater than we can handle, no matter how strategic we are with our resources."


Source: Steve LaTourette, Marcia Fudge, Gus Frangos
Writer: Lee Chilcote

It's the "Year of Local Food" in Cleveland, say the organizers of Sustainable Cleveland 2019. It's also the year that Congress is set to reauthorize the farm bill, the largest piece of food and farm legislation that determines how food reaches our plate.

These two events may seem disconnected, but they really are not, says Tia Lebherz, an organizer with Food and Water Watch, whose job is to energize the Cleveland Fair Farm Bill Campaign. In fact, the bill plays a big role in whether or not small local farmers, including urban farmers, can survive and thrive.

This Saturday, local urban farmers and advocates of a better, healthier farm bill are linking the two issues together with an event that they're calling "Green Your St. Patty's Day." Food and Water Watch, Green Triangle, City Rising Farm and Blaine Community Garden organizers are rallying locavores to volunteer on a farm in Hough and participate in a day of action urging their Congressional leaders to support a fair farm bill using letters, phone calls, art projects and petitions.

"Every day, more and more power is shifted to Monsanto and other large corporations, undercutting small farmers so they can't compete," says Lebherz. "We want to see sustainably produced, local food, and one way to do that is to support competition provisions ensuring a level playing field for small farmers."

Lebherz says that Saturday's event will show that Cleveland residents are engaged in their local food system and want to see change. Federal reauthorization of the farm bill only comes up every four to five years, she says, making the Year of Local Food a golden opportunity to organize around this issue in Northeast Ohio.

The "Green Your St. Patty's Day" event takes place this Saturday, March 17 from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at City Rising Farm, 8814 Blaine Avenue in Cleveland.


Source: Tia Lebherz
Writer: Lee Chilcote

A new business in South Euclid aims to take advantage of Cleveland's growing reputation as a healthcare leader while also capitalizing on rising consumer interest in alternative medicine. The Heights Wellness Center, which is located at Cedar and Warrensville roads, employs chiropractors, herbalists, acupuncturists, Reiki healers and yoga instructors to create customized wellness programs for its customers.

Founder Sandy Lawrence points to the fact that the Center is located in a former internist's office as a sign of the changing times. Although she gutted the interior of the building during the custom build-out, she was able to reuse patient rooms for massage.

"Holistic medicine and wellness are in a growth spurt," Lawrence says. "This is something to help, not replace, traditional medicine."

The Center aims to create a wellness-focused community in the Heights area, a part of Cleveland's east side that is already rich in healthcare amenities. Lawrence, who previously ran her husband's medical practice for more than two decades, chose the Heights because of its rich diversity and interest in wellness.

Lawrence describes the Center's intake process as one that seeks to build a comprehensive program to help patients become well. The RN on staff can refer patients to doctors and hospitals for issues requiring medical attention.

The Center's practitioners believe that alternative and traditional forms of medicine can complement and aid one another. For instance, alternative medicine can help patients to heal after a traumatic event, and it can also keep patients from getting sick in the first place. The Center's ultimate goal is to empower clients to seek true health through nurturing their mind, body, spirit and emotions.

As insurance companies have become more accepting of alternative medicine, clients can often submit for reimbursement to their healthcare providers, too.


Source: Sandy Lawrence
Writer: Lee Chilcote

MedWish International, a Cleveland company that recycles medical supplies and equipment discarded by local hospitals, medical device companies and individuals by redistributing them to developing nations in desperate need of such items, won the $100,000 technology upgrade grand prize in Toshiba’s Helping the Helpers Technology Makeover.

MedWish beat out 150 U.S. non-profit charities by submitting a two-minute video to Toshiba for Good Facebook page, explaining how they would benefit from a technology makeover. Finalists and the winner were decided by a nationwide vote of Facebook users who watched the videos.

“All of the Helping the Helpers contest finalists were worthy organizations that we felt were deserving of the technology makeover,” says Bill Melo, vice president of marketing, services and solutions, Toshiba America Business Solutions. “MedWish’s video excelled at meeting the criteria we established for the contest, but it was our 10,000-plus fans on Facebook who ultimately decided on MedWish as the grand prize winner.”
 
MedWish will receive Toshiba products and services that include new color multifunction copiers, desktop computers, laptops, televisions, camcorders, telephone systems and energy-saving LED light bulbs. Also included is the Encompass fleet optimization program -- an analysis that will help uncover hidden cost savings throughout the workplace.
 
“Honestly, this prize will allow MedWish to focus more on our work of saving lives and conserving our environment, and less on unjamming printers and dealing with ancient computers,” says Matthew Fieldman, MedWish director of development. “Even the little details can make a big difference; like now we can show our orientation video, which is seen by over 2,000 volunteers annually, on an HD television instead of a TV from the 1980s.”

MedWish recruited its network of the 5,300 people on its email list, including over 3,500 past volunteers, to vote for them and ultimately win the contest.


Source: Matthew Feldman, Bill Melo
Writer: Karin Connelly

Throughout its 20 year history, Eden Inc., a nonprofit developer of affordable housing, has "flown under the radar," says David Fearn, Manager of Grants Development and Community Relations. If so, then one might say that Eden's recently launched sustainability efforts constitute a coming out party -- one to which all of its neighbors are invited.

Eden has always been a community-minded agency; its housing developments serve low-income and often mentally ill Cleveland residents, providing them with supportive housing and wrap-around services that help them to become more self-sufficient and better integrate with society.

In the past, Eden's low profile was largely due to the fact that affordable housing can be subject to the kind of reactionary NIMBY-ism (Not In My Backyard) that also pushes Cleveland's most vulnerable residents to the margins of society. Neighbors may oppose affordable housing because they are afraid of negative community impacts, yet such fears are typically unfounded, says Fearn.

To bridge the wide gap between Eden's low-income residents and their neighbors, the nonprofit is launching a series of sustainability efforts that have community benefits, says Fearn. Within the next few months, Eden will create a large-scale community garden at its Liberty Building at E. 105th Street and St. Clair Avenue, and a new development along Madison Avenue will probably receive rain cisterns. Eden is also integrating gardening and sustainability into other properties it owns.

"The benefits of these sustainability projects are that they engage the community around us, provide fresh produce and beautify the area," says Fearn. "We plan to source as much labor as possible from the neighborhood or city residents."

Such innovative sustainability efforts dovetail with Eden's existing focus on green building. All of Eden's projects now meet Enterprise Green Communities standards and often incorporate repurposed materials, as well.


Source: David Fearn
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Local jobs in the biomedical field are plenty and area companies are having trouble finding qualified people to fill them. To help remedy that, Global Cleveland and BioEnterprise have teamed up to host a virtual biomedical job fair March 26-30 to attract talented people in the field to the region.
 
“One of the consistent complaints we hear is that small and large biomedical companies in the region are not getting enough talent to meet their growth desires,” says Baiju Shah, president and CEO of BioEnterprise. “There are many, many open positions.”
 
Interested candidates from around the country can register for the job fair and create a profile. Participants can then log in during the fair to search available openings. The fair is free for attendees. Twenty four employers will be participating.
 
“What we have designed here is an attempt to attract people from around the country,” says Shah. "We thought it was an incredibly important to present a holistic picture of the industry.”
 
Global Cleveland plans to host similar events in the IT software, financial services and healthcare fields.

"The region is rife with opportunity,” says Shah. “We want to create a momentum, if not a stampede, of individuals returning to Cleveland to take these positions.”

 
Source: Baiju Shah
Writer: Karin Connelly

The Northeast Ohio Sustainable Communities Consortium, a major public initiative to help move Northeast Ohio towards a more sustainable, resilient future, will launch a public engagement process in the next few months. Young professionals are among the first constituencies being targeted in this effort to create a sustainability plan for the region.

"We're looking at how we are using land through the lens of sustainability," explains Jeff Anderle, Communications and Engagement Manager for the NEOSCC, which received a $4.25 million grant from the Obama administration's Partnership for Sustainable Communities initiative and launched in January 2011. "We want to make Northeast Ohio more resilient to change, help our governments to be more collaborative and provide the tools for communities to engage in more sustainable planning."

The NEOSCC has five different work study areas: economic development, environment, communities, connections, and quality, connected places. Consortium members include city governments, planning agencies and other public entities throughout the 12-county planning area. According to Anderle, NEOSCC's members are working together because they realize it is in their self-interest to help ensure that the region's resources are used more sustainably.

"We're starting to see collaboration happening in government because resources are getting tight, and moving forward, we believe collaboration will become essential," he says. "People are waking up and coming to the table."

Over the next few months, the NEOSCC will publish an existing conditions report and begin public engagement. "We're partnering with the Civic Commons," says Anderle. "We want to empower people to become a part of the process."


Source: Jeff Anderle
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Freshbag, which offers corporate wellness programs and an online fresh foods-shopping and delivery service, is growing faster than founders Ian Wong and Max Wilberding anticipated. The company is adding to its current six pickup locations and forming new partnerships.
 
Later this month, Freshbag will add 1-2-1 Fitness, on the Case campus, as a new pick up location. Wong says more locations are in the works. Furthermore, the company is expanding its chef repertoire with Scott Groth of the Chubby Cook and his network of chefs. Freshbag hosts events that illustrate how healthy foods can also taste good, and wellness nutrition events that bring dietitians and chefs on site with tips and cooking classes.

Wong is thrilled with how their concept has taken off. "We certainly weren't expecting to grow this rapidly,” he says. “But the way we see it: it takes a long time to reach a critical mass, but once we get there, things start running faster and faster.”

Freshbag is also looking for an operations and logistics specialist to handle acquisitions operations (finding ways to become more efficient), and deliveries.


Source: Ian Wong
Writer: Karin Connelly