neighborhood voice november issue

CENTRAL - Foluke Cultural Arts Center, led by Dava Cansler, is a force to be reckoned with in the Central community.

Cansler founded the center years ago as a dance faith-based ministry with a focus on the community. The organization expanded after Cansler conducted a survey in the community to see if the residents would be interested in an arts program. The results showed a hunger for an artistic outlet, Cansler said.

“I saw the arts as an outlet (growing up),” Cansler said. “I attended Phillis Wheatley Asso-ciation’s Sutphen School of Music as a child. By the time I completed the program, I ended up playing eight instruments, dancing and partici-pating in visual arts. I also attended a six-week summer arts program at John Hay. When my parents split, it became a safe space, a place to vent feelings. I wanted to share that experience with the children in Central.”

November 2012 • ne ighborhood-vo ice .com

Paying Student Loans is Easier Now I have a friend I’ll call Morgan Rachelle Jones. She goes by Rachelle. For years, there was a certain ritual that went on between her and her land-line phone.

If the caller, a stranger, asked for “Morgan,” she would say, “He’s not home.”

This usually confused the caller, who would ask, “Huh? Is Morgan a man or a woman?” And suddenly, Ms. Morgan Rachelle Jones turned into Mr. Jones. It was a game. Only Rachelle didn’t like playing it that much.

See, she was dodging the company that services her student loan debt. She told me bill collectors

Buckeye-Shaker • Central • East Cleveland • Fairfax • Glenville • Hough • Little Italy • University Circle

People Power in UC Page 4

Buying a Home in Fairfax Page 6

Book Fair in Little Italy 0

MOCA Debut Shines Spotlight on Neighborhood

News from

Apts. for R

ent

Page 10

PERRy’S PERSPECTIvECommentary By East Cleveland’s M. LaVora Perry

Unique Art in Buckeye-Shaker

The new Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland, better known as MOCA, opened in University Circle last month. Cleveland artist Barry Underwood took this photograph from inside the museum with the Commodore apartment building shown through the window. Photo courtesy of the artist. Commissioned by MOCA Cleveland.

Charter One Bank recently awarded a

$25,000 grant to Neighborhood Connections,

a program of Suite 1300 Services, Inc.,

and Evergreen Energy Solutions (E2S) to

do exterior home repairs this spring in

conjunction with a community engagement

effort in Glenville. In honor of the award,

Neighborhood Connections is offering a

$250 grant for the purchase of hardware

supplies to one person who correctly

answers this trivia question:

Who wrote the song “If I Had a Hammer?”

Call Neighborhood Voice at 216-229-8769 or

email [email protected].

Congratulations to last month’s contest

winner, who won two pumpkins from

Constantino’s Market in University Circle.

The winner said the market is “something

special in the neighborhood.”

continued on Page 8

Arts Group Committed to Community:‘No one rises to low expectations’ By Sharde` Lackey

continued on Page 4 Foluke dancers rehearse. Photo courtesy of Dava Cansler.

Scan this to like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter, connect on LinkedIn and watch our videos on YouTube.

2 www.ne ighborhood-vo ice.com November 2012

Publisher Neighborhood Connections

EditorLila [email protected]

Writers/PhotographersM. LaVora [email protected]

Justin [email protected]

Graphic Design ConsultantJulie Heckman

Copy EditorLindsy Neer

ContributorsTim Goler, Lori Ingram, Sharde Lackey, Katie Montgomery, Tom O’Brien, Natalie Rudd, Elaine Siggers, Zachary Siler, Mark Silverberg, Rob Stevenson, Barry Underwood

A d d r e s s1990 Ford DriveCleveland, OH 44106

Phone216-229-8769

[email protected]

[email protected]

M i s s i o n Neighborhood Voice is a monthly community newspaper written by citizen journalists who live, work and play in Greater University Circle.

Submit your news, photos or announcements to [email protected]. All submissions must include your name, address and contact information. Not all submissions can be published.

Deadline for submissions: Nov. 21

Landscape of Greater University Circle atop the W.O. Walker Building at 9500 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, Ohio. PHOTO BY STEPHEN TRAVARCA

Printed on recycled paper

We want to hear from you. Write to us at 1990 Ford Dr., Cleveland, OH 44106 or email us at [email protected].

‘Be the change you want to see’

If you want to see something become a reality sometimes you have

to do it yourself! You can’t always wait for someone else to do it. The

help you are looking for is at the end of your own arm! If you want

a garden, grow it. If you want a cleaner neighborhood, clean up the

trash around your neighborhood. You can do some things yourself.

Mrs. Cunningham, Hough

Neighborhood Voice is a program of Neighborhood Connections.

L e t t e r t o t h e E d i t o r

Get Neighborhood Voice delivered to your home. Paid subscriptions available.

Call 216-229-8769.


NEIGHBORHOOD CONNECTING Neighborhood Voice

We Are All in This TogetherIf you’ve driven down Euclid Avenue lately through University Circle, you’ve seen major changes. New buildings, new housing, new retail and improved transit have been or are being built. Massive financial investments are being made. Yet the question remains for resi-dents in the surrounding neighborhoods: How do these changes benefit my family, my com-munity and me?

A regular column by Neighborhood Connections staff

P E O P L E P O W E R

Last month I went to a phenomenal meeting led by Lisa-Jean Sylvia of Neighborhood Connec-tions. It was the first in a series of community meetings simply named Network Nights.

Network Nights will take place once a month in the Greater University Circle area. The purpose of the meetings is to bring residents together from the neighborhoods in Greater Univer-sity Circle. It is not just for those who live in these areas, but also for those who work in them. The diversity of the group is what makes things happen: people from different back-grounds all participate in one big room.

The overall theme, Sylvia said, is to “connect with each other and share resources so that we can co-create a better community.”

Anyone in Greater University Circle may attend Network Night. It is free and open to the public and food is always served. If you attend a Net-work Night, you should expect to have dinner, expect to have fun and expect to meet other people who are invested in making our neigh-borhoods wonderful places to live and work. Also, you should expect to give into the neigh-borhood. Not money, but personal knowledge,

skills and talents. As you meet people with similar goals and aspirations, you may be in-spired to do more in the community with others than you would have been able to do yourself.

One of the highlights at Network Nights is The Marketplace. This is where each person can make announcements and requests of the group. The requests can be for goods or ser-vices that may be available to them by some-one who is present. Requests can be made for neighborhood needs or personal needs. At the very first Marketplace last month, there were 20 requests made and each one had a matched offer or a lead. The requests consisted of any-thing from a ride home to a recommendation for a new primary care physician.

“The Marketplace is a chance to have unique match-ups,” Sylvia said.

When a person leaves Network Night, they will definitely meet someone new, possibly learn something new, and become a part of what’s new in the communities of Greater University Circle.

Lori Ingram is an actress living in University Circle.

Practicing People Power:Come Join the Fun! By Lori Ingram

These changes can — and will — be a place of opportunity and prosperity for everyone if we come together across neighborhood and institutional lines to create a more intercon-nected community. But this can only come about through the creation of a new network of both residents and people who work in the hospitals and cultural institutions of University Circle. This network must have a diversity of views; a multiplicity of talents and skills; and a genuine recognition of interdependency.

For the past nine months, Neighborhood Con-nections has been working on building this resi-dent/institutional network. Join residents and folks from University Circle institutions at our next Network Night. Or, give us a call at 216-229-0555 to learn more about other ways you can become a member of this growing network.

Tom O’Brien is the program director at Neigh-borhood Connections, a grassroots grants pro-gram and publisher of Neighborhood Voice.

Foluke prides itself on its record of serving an estimated 90 students per year. Foluke was one of the first organizations funded by Neigh-borhood Connections, the grassroots grants program and publisher of Neighborhood Voice, which celebrates its 10th anniversary next year.

Some of Foluke’s contributions to Central have been: the summer arts camp at Lane; Outhwaite Homes program showcase; and the after- school programs at Arbor Park and Outhwaite.

“We have to get the students to think beyond where they are,” Cansler said. “No one rises to low expectations! Participation in the arts helps with academic achievement. For example, the students in drum courses [are] learning rhythm; students in dance are learning chore-

ography. Music is an exact science — [these are] life skills that are helping them.”

Foluke’s future goal is to become a commu-nity arts institution for not only youth, but also adults. In February the organization, with the help of Mrs. Margret Ford Taylor, plans to put on a production called, “And the Children Spoke: Civil Rights Movement Play.”

Cansler ended with: “My commitment is here. This is a path that I have not chosen for myself, but [it comes] from God and I will be obedient, ‘by any means necessary.’”

Sharde` Lackey is a graduate student at Case Western Reserve University and a former intern at Neighborhood Connections.

Arts Group Committed to Community: continued from Page 1

Network Nights will be held from 6 – 7:30 p.m. the first Thursday of every month.

Our December gathering is at Senior Outreach Services in the Langston Hughes building, 2390 E. 79th St. at Quincy Ave.

Come for dinner and join the fun!

For more information, contact Lisa-Jean at 216-229-0555 or email her at [email protected].

Folks connecting at a recent Neighborhood Connections event. Photo by Mark Silverberg.

Neighborhood VoiceNEIGHBORHOOD FAITH

www.ne ighborhood-vo ice.com November 2012 5

It is Time to Take Off your MaskHalloween just passed and all of the children were excited about getting lots of candy and wearing their favorite costumes and masks. Many of the children dressed up as their favorite superhero or fairytale princess. But now it’s time to take off the costumes, put the masks down and go back to reality.

Easier said than done? Perhaps our reality is wearing masks, hiding our true selves behind them every day. Perhaps we have grown so ac-customed to wearing them that we don’t even realize we have them on.

What exactly do I mean by wearing masks?

• Pretending all is well when it really isn’t.

• Pretending we are handling the circumstances of our lives without needing help.

• Pretending we aren’t overwhelmed with all that is around is when, really, we are barely holding on.

• Pretending we have forgiven someone while harboring a heart of bitterness and anger.

We wear masks to protect ourselves, to hide our true feelings. Oftentimes we have worn them for so long that they become a part of who we are. Sometimes masks are needed to help us get through a difficult day or a difficult season in our lives.

But they become a problem when we put them on every day instead of dealing with the issues that overwhelm our minds and hearts. Wearing masks becomes an issue when we are not being real with our loved ones or ourselves. They start to hurt us rather than help when we never take them off, let our guard down and just be real.

Here are a few types of masks that we wear:

1. “All is well” mask: our world is crumbling but we are too embarrassed to share.

2. “Got it going on” mask: we have the house, the job, the car, the material things and the re-lationship, but we continue to feel empty and unfulfilled inside.

3. “Nothing bothers me” mask: pretend as if we are not hurting, as if we have thick skin, yet we harbor bitterness and resentment every day.

Express Yourself

A regular column by Natalie Rudd

L O O k I N G U P 4. “Happy-go-lucky” mask: pretending to be happy all of the time, yet struggling with depres-sion or an anxiety disorder.

When we wear our masks pretending that all is well, we miss out on the support and love we need to deal with our issues. We then put our-selves on an island. We keep ourselves from growing and become stagnant, bitter and dis-tracted by living in a vicious cycle of regret and blame.

We were not meant to walk this journey alone nor were we meant to suffer alone.

We have to get off of the treadmill of life and take time to reflect on our feelings, the motives be-hind our actions and ask ourselves: Is this the real me? Is this the best me that I can be?

Just like children are exhausted when they come back from trick-or-treating, we get exhausted carrying unnecessary baggage. Just like some children don’t want to take off their costumes and masks at the end of the day, we too can get so comfortable wearing our masks that we want to sleep in them and wear them the next day. We end up feeling completely worn out.

As people of faith, we do not have to walk around wearing masks, pretending that all is well when it is not. We can be overwhelmed with life cir-cumstances and still have joy. Everything around us can be falling apart and we can still have peace and hold onto hope for a better day.

But how, you may ask? We always have to look at our relationship with God, His son Jesus, the Holy Spirit and ultimately, we have to look to the Word of God.

God says come to Him as you are and take off your masks and be real. He already knows what burdens you carry. He already knows what bag-gage you bring and what hurts your heart. You see, man looks on the outside, but God looks on the inside to our hearts. He knows it all. And His word says, “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” Matthew 11:28 (NIV). He says come and seek whatever it is that you need to find peace and rest while living in this world.

I want to share with you three practical steps we can take to start taking off our masks:

1. Pour your heart out in prayer. In your conver-sation with God, be real about your feelings and what you are experiencing. God already knows, but He wants you to let go and trust Him with all that concerns you. If you read any chapter in the book of Psalms in the Bible, what you will find is that all of the authors literally poured their hearts out to God and ended with praise, as they trusted Him to work out their circumstances. We have to do the same. Pour your heart out and trust God.

2. Pour your heart out to a confidant. Talk with someone you can trust completely; someone who will be a sounding board for you like a prayer partner. It is vital that we have at least one person that we can just pour our hearts out to

without shame or fear of judgment. I stress that this person should be a trusted confidant who will not gossip or share your business with oth-ers. If you have deep emotional issues or bag-gage, seek a counselor for help. There isn’t any shame in needing help, but there is shame in resisting it.

Perhaps you don’t feel comfortable talking to someone else? Then follow step three.

3. Pour your heart out in a journal. Writing in a journal is a great way to release your feelings without sharing with someone else. It’s a good place to start if you are not ready to open up. Writing in a journal can help you sort through some of your emotions and be able to reflect back on what you are experiencing. I use jour-naling as a way to record my prayers and con-versations with God. Many times, as I read back over my entries, I am reminded about how God has answered my prayers or changed my heart.

The bottom line is to deal with the issues that are hindering you from living the abundant life that Jesus gives to all who believe in Him. Today, start trusting Him to accept you right where you are and to give you peace beyond all understanding no matter what life is throwing your way.

What mask are you wearing? Is it time to take it off?

Special note: Thank you to all of you that have sent me letters and emails expressing your con-cerns during my illness. I am blessed by your prayers and words of encouragement. God bless you all.

Natalie Rudd is on the ministerial staff at An-tioch Baptist Church, 8869 Cedar Ave. in Fairfax. Reach her at [email protected].

Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People? Dark and lonely places often become a part of our lives even though we don’t desire them. They still come and we try to bargain with God so we won’t have to go through them. But, we go through them nonetheless. So why does God allow us to go through these desolate places? Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?

Buckeye-Shaker’s Elaine Sigger’s asked this question on her blog www.truelifeexpressions.blogspot.com. Neighborhood Voice took to the streets with a video camera and asked folks to respond to Elaine’s post. See what people had to say at www.neighborhood-voice.com or on our YouTube channel.

Local Book Club Expands Understanding Through DiscussionBy Justin Rutledge

FAIRFAX - Book clubs aren’t a new phenom-enon, but having the members explore an issue rather than the plot of a story is a new use for the old gathering. That is what’s been happen-ing in a unique community book club started by folks at a variety of local institutions.

Ministers from Olivet Institutional Baptist Church, professors from Case Western Reserve University, like G. Regina Nixon, and people from organizations around Cleveland, like Mike Walker, the director of Partnership for a Safer Cleveland, came together with concerned citi-zens to form the book club. They read books that cover important issues concerning not only the black community, but also the Cleveland community overall.

There was a general consensus in the com-munity that the group should start by reading “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness” by Michelle Alexander, Walker said.

continued on Page 8

NEIGHBORHOOD PROFILE Neighborhood Voice


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By Lila Mills

GLENvILLE - Ron Jones, CEO of the Ever-green Cooperatives based on East 105th Street, knew he had a problem and it was affecting his business.

Evergreen, which includes solar energy, laundry and greenhouse businesses, hires folks from the surrounding neighborhoods and teaches them to become worker-own-ers. The worker-owners end up with a stake in the business and voting power about hir-ing new workers.

But Jones said he and other managers knew that one of the company’s biggest challeng-es was housing.

“Without stable housing,” Jones said, “we can’t be productive workers.”

Jones said a worker-owner living in an over-crowded apartment might arrive at work tired, or someone with a leaky roof may ask to leave early to deal with the problem.

“Housing was having an impact on our busi-ness,” Jones said.

Worker-owner Keith Parkham told Jones a housing program was needed to help work-er-owners buy their first homes, and Jones agreed. But only one Evergreen worker-own-er qualified for an existing housing program because of prior felony convictions.

“We’re challenging the system in a number of different ways already to build wealth in these communities,” Jones said. “All of us are entrepreneurs so we thought, ‘If one (housing program) doesn’t exist today, we can create one.’”

The Evergreen Housing Program was born, seeded with a grant from the Cleveland Foundation and managed by the Cleveland Housing Network. Worker-owners review a list of available houses through the Cleve-land Housing Network. Once they see one they would like to buy, they fill out an Ever-green Housing application.

Average homes have a $500 monthly mortgage and a sticker price of about $10,000. So far, about five worker-owners have applied to buy homes through the program.

In order to be part of the program, worker-owners also must fill out a “human capital asset evaluation,” Jones said. The evaluation is a list of one’s talents and skills so those buying houses can tap into the skills of their co-workers for free labor on the houses they buy. Some worker-owners are also painters and electricians.

Loretta Bey is one of the first worker-owners to move into a home through the program. Bey left a third-floor apartment in Glenville to move into a 2,100-square-foot single family, three-bedroom home in Fairfax.

“I’d forgotten what it was like to just have your own space,” she said. “The street is really, re-ally nice and it’s close to the Cleveland Clinic.”

Bey also needed the home to be close to public transportation, which she uses to get to work. Before buying the home, she got help from co-workers, including Jonathon Rogers, who walked through the house and pointed out repairs that needed to be done.

Bey took note and negotiated with Cleveland Housing Network to get the repairs completed, including replacing roof shingles and installing a new window on the second floor landing.

The folks at the Housing Network told Bey, “You drive a hard bargain,” she said.

The total cost of the house? About $14,000.

Now Bey is getting to know her neighbors, one a landscaper and another a police of-ficer, and finding folks are interested in start-ing a street club. She expects to be able to pay for the house within four years and the Evergreen Housing loan is zero interest.

“I love my house,” Bey said. “To me, there’s nothing like having your own. Nothing like having your own.”

Interested in buying a home in Greater University Circle, but don’t work at Evergreen?

Check out another innovative housing program called Greater Circle Living. See its ad on Page 11.

Building Generational Wealth: Innovative Housing Program Helps Workers Buy Homes Here


Ask Your LocAL doctor

Leann Olansky, MDEndocrinologyStephanie Tubbs Jones Health Center

Dr. Olansky specializes in endocrinology and practices at Stephanie Tubbs Jones Health Center. To schedule an appointment with her or

Stephanie Tubbs Jones physicians, please call 216.767.4250

Q: My father has type 2 diabetes, and i’m afraid i’m going to get it. is there anything a person can do to keep from getting diabetes?

A: Yes. A healthy lifestyle can help you prevent developing type 2 diabetes – even though your family history of diabetes puts you at greater risk for the disease. Your healthy choices should include:Eating a good diet. enjoy plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains and avoid foods that are high in fat and calories.

Exercising. try to get 30 minutes of moderate physical activity daily. Moderate exercise includes such activities as riding a bike or taking a brisk walk.

Losing weight, if you have excess pounds. by losing just 5% of your body weight, you can reduce your risk of diabetes.

Getting a checkup. during a physical exam, your physician can gauge your risk for diabetes and recommend a plan of action to help you avoid the disease. if you are at very high risk or have pre-diabetes, the doctor may prescribe a medication to help prevent diabetes.

According to the American college of endocrinology, anyone who has a family history of type 2 diabetes should undergo pre-diabetes testing. in addition, pre-diabetes testing is recommended for individuals who are obese or who have metabolic syndrome (high blood pressure, high triglycerides and increased waistline), as well as for women with a personal history of gestational diabetes. Pre-diabetes and diabetes are diagnosed by taking a blood sample that is tested in a laboratory for blood sugar levels or hemoglobin A1c, just recognized as a test for screening.

in addition, you should be aware of the signs and symptoms of diabetes, which may include increased thirst, frequent urination, excessive hunger, unexplained weight loss, fatigue, blurred vision, slow-healing sores and frequent infections, such as skin or gum infections and bladder or vaginal infections. it is important to note that symptoms can vary from person to person and depend on the type of diabetes. Someone with pre-diabetes or gestational diabetes may have no symptoms at all.

if you have any suspicion that you may have diabetes, please see your doctor. Undiagnosed pre-diabetes and diabetes can lead to complications, and the sooner you treat it, the better.

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MAkING THE GRADE

A regular column by Timothy D. Goler

For Best Results, The TRIPOD ModelChances are, everyone reading this article has gone to a Home Depot or similar big-box out-let for supplies to complete a “do-it-yourself” project. In the process, you have probably purchased varnish, paint, etc., to complete the job. If you are an instruction reader, you remember a special three-word caution that generally appears on most products, i.e. “for best results…” This phrase is the manufac-turer’s recommendation for achieving the best possible result. In the end, it is up to you, the user, to determine whether to or not to fol-low the recommendation. Now, for those who decide to take a different approach, comedian Chris Rock puts it this way, “Just because you can drive your car with your feet don’t make it a good idea!

How, you ask, does this apply to education? Education today, unlike in the past, is a very rigorous, sophisticated, data-driven process. These developments have created what I characterize as the educational TRIPOD. For best (or optimal) results, a child’s education must be supported by a special collabora-tion between the school, family and student. This is true because each has a different and critically important role in producing the concerned, competent, caring and compas-

sionate adult we seek to develop and which society needs.

What are the different roles and how do they work best together? Parents are a child’s first teacher. The parent’s role is to provide struc-ture, discipline, a foundation for good work habits, a sense of responsibility, a positive sense of who they are, appropriate conflict management abilities, basic survival skills and the overall school readiness that will en-able the child to follow directions, share, ask questions and learn a sense of patience in the community environment of a school.

The school’s role is to provide a nurturing, safe and caring environment wherein its com-prehensive curriculum can be implemented. This curriculum must reflect the total devel-opment of the student in academic, social, emotional, cultural, inter-personal and devel-opmental areas alike. It is not sufficient for a curriculum to just focus on academic growth to the exclusion of these important areas of human development.

The student’s role is to report to school (the “work place”) in a positive state of mind ready to apply his or her best effort to the ongoing acquisition of the knowledge, skills, abilities and attitudes necessary to optimize his or her growth and development.

Obviously, there are a myriad of factors – too numerous to discuss here – that affect, re-strict, enhance, advance, retard, benefit, hurt, etc., this collaboration and its ultimate ef-fectiveness. For now, suffice it to say, that there truly exists an educational TRIPOD and the function and strength of each leg of the TRIPOD must be appreciated, evaluated and strengthened if we desire “the best results” for the education of our children.

Timothy Goler is a doctoral candidate studying sociology at Case Western Reserve University and co-founder of PolicyBridge. Contact him at [email protected].

were the only people who called her Morgan. So she always knew when they were on the line, and she threw them off track by pretending to be a guy.

Rachelle started racking up student loan debt after she graduated from college. Like President Barack Obama, her student loans were still not paid as she entered her 40s. Reportedly, the president and Michelle Obama paid theirs off in 2004. He was in his early 40s at the time.

In Rachelle’s case, she didn’t want to be a deadbeat. Her parents had raised her to pay her bills. And for years, she did, until illness knocked her flat and prevented her from working. Then, as interest accrued, her student loan debt ballooned out of control.

Last year, at age 45, Rachelle tried to get on a repayment schedule with the company that handles her big, fat loan. But when she told the representative what she could pay, he said he needed four times that amount.

“Shoot,” she said to me at the time, “if I could afford to pay that, I would have paid off my loan a long time ago.”

So Rachelle was stuck. She wanted to pay what she could, but her debtor refused to accept that measly amount of money.

Then a little while ago, Rachelle started getting a different kind of phone call. The debt collectors sounded urgent. There was a “new” plan for people like “him” they said, talking about Mr. Jones.

“Tell him to call us back right away,” they said.

But Rachelle didn’t believe it. Last time she heard about a “new” plan she had filled out a stack of paperwork just to be told the bill collector wouldn’t accept her measly payment.

However, when the phone rang again, she decided to see what all the fuss was about. She answered it as herself, MS. Jones. The caller

promised her that this time was different. He said that with the new plan, she could make payments based on what she earns, not based on what she owes, which was how her payments had always been calculated in the past. Rachelle perked up her ears.

By the time the caller finished asking Rachelle what she describes as “50-11 questions,” her monthly payment was down to just $10 more than she’d originally said she could pay. She squealed over the phone when she told me that she is repaying her loan again “at last, at last!”

Not only that, but if she continues to make payments for 25 years straight, the balance of her loan will be forgiven. Yes, she’ll be 25 years older, but she says, “I’d rather be debt-free at that age than in debt.”

Does Rachelle’s situation sounds like yours? Then see if you can get a lowered monthly payment on your student loan debt. Check out the Income Based Repayment Plan (IBR) on the Department of Education’s website at http://studentaid.ed.gov/repay-loans/understand/plans/income-based or call 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243).

If it turns out you qualify for the plan, thank Obama. He’s the one who saw to it that student loans became easier for people like you and Morgan to repay.

Rachelle told her twin teenage boys about her breakthrough right away. She wanted them to know she’s paying her debt.

“It feels great to know I can set a responsible example for them,” she said.

Now, she can quit pretending to be Mr. Jones for good.

M. LaVora Perry wrote the new children’s book “A History of the Civil Rights Movement” (Mason Crest Publishers). Learn more at www.mlavoraperry.com/books.

NEIGHBORHOOD EDUCATION Neighborhood Voice


Paying Student Loans is Easier Now continued from Page 1

Folks collect information about college at the Jamocha Arts Center college fair and workshop at East Cleveland’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Civic Center last month. Jamocha Arts, a grassroots arts group teaching in Glenville, Hough and East Cleveland, plans to hold another college fair soon. For information call 216-659-1614 or 216-577-7499. Photo by M. LaVora Perry.

College Fair in East Cleveland

“I think it’s a wonderful process because it’s like community education,” Walker said.

The discussion group allows people with varying opinions to discuss their experience with a text and come to an agreement, or at least disagree peacefully.

“It gives you the opportunity to read it and take your own personal experience and dis-cuss it with other folks,” Walker said.

This group is more than an educational pro-cess, though. On top of that, it reveals some-thing about each member who participates.

“I am encouraged by the fact that we have

people who read again,” Walker said. “[It shows] we haven’t lost the ability to engage.”

Discussions like the ones going on between the professors, church members and Cleve-land residents have little point if the interest and action stop once the circle disperses. The hope is that once the talking stops, some ac-tion will start.

“The reason you put [information] in print is that you want to inform people with informa-tion they can do something with,” Walker said.

Justin Rutledge is a Benedictine High School graduate with a degree in journalism from Bowling Green State University.

Local Book Club Expands Understanding Through Discussion continued from Page 5

NEIGHBORHOOD ARTS Neighborhood Voice


Neighborhood Spotlight: Bob and Linda yanega - New residents enjoy the neighborhoodJust two months after moving to Larchmere, new residents Bob and Linda Yanega already feel like they’ve found a home.

“We knew we’d like Larchmere,” Bob said. “We just didn’t realize we’d fall in love with it.”

Bob and Linda arrived here under unusual cir-cumstances.

“We had 28 days to move 27 years of marriage from our Solon home of 20 years,” Bob said.

A chance conversation with Stephanie Fall-Creek opened the door.

“When we discovered Larchmere, we felt God provided a place to land,” Linda adds with a smile.

“Die-hard” Clevelanders, they were happy to start a move back to the city.

“We always talked about living in Cleveland again,” noted Linda, who grew up in Old Brook-lyn. “We love being in a livable, walkable neigh-borhood.”

While first viewing Larchmere as a step toward a move downtown, Bob and Linda are now hoping to find a home to buy and renovate here.

Bob, an author, public speaker and enduring entrepreneur, is founder of The 1990 Project –better known as Choosing Success Programs.

“We speak in [area] high schools trying to con-nect students with the tools needed to stay, suc-ceed and build great lives in Northeast Ohio,” he explained. “Mostly, we want to equip them to make dreams come true, right in their own backyard.” (Learn more at www.1990project.com)

Linda, a happy wife and mother to their two girls – Elisa and Hannah, now grown–turned her energy to a new path as a personal assis-tant to those with life care needs.

“It’s been a very fulfilling turn of events,” she noted.

Bob and Linda have been delighted to find friends and family want to come visit and dis-cover the neighborhood, too.

“People are so friendly and the area is so invit-ing,” Linda said. “We bike to Little Italy, take the

‘Trouble in Mind’As a member of the Innovation Team at Neighborhood Connections, I must say we go through rigorous training on the process of helping communities gain access to new ways of communication and empowerment. We look at oppression and racism, privilege and power and try to understand and eradicate a lack of equity in our local communities. We try to develop practices that encourage diverse cultures and socio-economic backgrounds in our communities. We endeavor to use new language in order to promote tolerance and fairness. But however forward-moving things seem, sometimes we find ourselves strug-gling within a recurring conundrum.

Hence, after watching a few well-per-formed rehearsals of playwright Alice Childress’ “Trouble In Mind,” produced by Cuyahoga Community College at the Met-ropolitan Campus and directed by Michael Oatman, this columnist wonders how long some things will remain the same.

The play originally debuted in 1955, and it centers on an experienced black actress, Wiletta Mayer. She is cast in a sympathetic but naive play about post-slavery Ameri-ca. The director of this play within a play is white and although tolerant of blacks in the-ater, he still harbors racial prejudice. He sees himself as a freethinker; yet none of his black cast members can rise above the glass ceil-ing he has set in his mind.

Ashley Aquilla deftly portrays actress Wiletta Mayer and John Lynch plays director Al Man-ners with aplomb. The cast is racially mixed and representative of real American society before and during the Civil Rights Move-ment. The plot centers on a hideous crime. “Trouble In Mind” was written in the 1950s, but the chilling fact is that if the plot’s crime were changed to a modern-day occurrence, say ... police brutality ... the conversation to-day would remain the same. Please witness that conversation.

“Trouble In Mind” shows on Saturday, Nov. 10 at the

Tri-C Metropolitan Campus Theatre, 2900 Community College Ave., in Central.

General Admission is $10 and reservations can be made by calling 216-987-4211.

Lori Ingram is an actress living in Cleveland.

A regular column by Lori Ingram

I N G R A M ’ S C I R C L E

P O E T ’ S C O R N E R

Neighborhood Voice regularly features local poets. Submit your poem to [email protected].

FallLeave a[n]griculture for the dinosaurs, per-maculture for soaring Birds they became according to wisdom, my friend (Paul) saysdinosaurs figured it all out! War below so

Above dis... figured it a waste O time, energy lumbering around too big to fail bodies large as the Terminal Tower (it is terminal, was terminal) beating to a pulp, so...

Back they came (he says),lighter, closer to heaven and chirping for all (mornings) glory as a

dove, thrush, lapwing, peacock pretty...swifts nesting, chanting, singing, below

Angels are birds too

Dancing alight wing a wing a wing coo crow coo who cooks for you, who cooks for you trill whistle war-ble whip-poor-will tweet from a bird’s eye view:

What’s in the watershed...what’s in the air?And what on earth?

~ Poem by Djoulie P., a poet and visual artist who lives in New York City and Glenville.

Rapid downtown and walk to the restaurants on Larchmere and Shaker Square. In terms of sustainability and livability – it’s ideal!”

Bob added, “You’ll often find us kicking back on the couches at Bon Vivant’s outdoor patio. This is just such a great place to be.”

We couldn’t agree more. Welcome!

Fun FaCT - Area bookstores now carry a book, “The Lit-tlest Lamppost,” that Bob once wrote for Linda as an anniversary gift. It’s based on an actual Cleveland lamppost, was the subject of family stories for a long time and is used as an in-spiration on their own journeys. “It’s basically about finding your purpose in life,” Bob shared. “And it’s probably my favorite gift ever,” Linda added. (Find out more at www.bobsense.com)

Story by Katie Montgomery, a member of the Larchmere Community Association. Bob and Linda Yanega.

Photo courtesy of Larchmere Life newsletter.

Holiday Craft BazaarFriends of the East Cleveland Public Library host the Holiday Craft Bazaar from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 10 at the East Cleve-land Public Library, Lower Auditorium, 14101 Euclid Ave. Many talented vendors, jewelry, ethnic dolls and beautiful crafts Contact 216-371-8506, 216-851-6770 or 216-541-4128 for more information.

JOBSHOP Open HousePlease join the East Cleveland Public Library for our JOBSHOP Open House from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Nov. 12-15 at the library, 14101 Euclid Ave. Meet the staff, guest speak-ers, and employment recruiters. There will be giveaways and more. Please contact the ECPL for more information 216-541-4128 ext.256.

Rally Day Praise & Worship ServiceSunday, Nov. 18 come for guest speakers, choirs and the Williams Temple Praise Dancers. Reasonably priced food available at 2 p.m.; and praise and worship service at 4 p.m. Williams Temple Church of God in Christ, 6812 Woodland Ave. Elder Gerald L. Gray Sr., Ph.D., pastor. Call 216-431-4540 for more information.

Book FairThe Montessori School at Holy Rosary is holding a children’s book fair. Tuesday and Wednesday Nov. 15-16, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. in the Holy Rosary Church Hall, 12021 Mayfield Road in Little Italy. Call 421-0700 for more information.

Support a Local Teen Headed to National CompetitionFaith Green was Ohio’s first runner-up in the Volunteer Award category at the National American Miss Beauty Pageant in Columbus this summer. Your financial support is neces-sary for her to achieve her dream of competing at the National American Miss Pageant for the National Volunteer Award ay Disneyland in Cali-fornia this month. Please consider a donation. Contact Jodi Green at 216-224-9677.

For RentCommodore Place Apartments is now renting studios and one - and two-bedroom apart-ments. Contact Malinda Matlock, property manager, at 216-421-3900 or email her at [email protected]. Looking forward to meeting you!

NEIGHBORHOOD ANNOUNCEMENTS

To place a community announcement, contact 216-229-8769 or go to www.neighborhood-voice.com/calendar.

Delicious Sandwiches and Pies

Find our sandwiches and pies at

The Lancer and Whitmore’s or call us and place your

personal order.

Breakfast sandwiches delivered.

Call Toni White at 440-479-4801 or email [email protected].

Open 8 a.m. - 1 p.m. on Saturdays

10 a.m. - 1 p.m. on Wednesdays

15000 Woodworth Rd.east Cleveland

PIANO LESSONSA certified teacher, PhD candidate from the Cleveland Institute of Music welcomes new students to his studio, located in the 44120 zip code of Cleveland. Professional and friendly environment; students will have an opportunity to perform for their families and friends at the end of the semester. The studio is equipped with a full-size Steinway grand piano.

For more information please email Alex at [email protected].

Two units available for rent near University Circle.

Five rooms with two bedroomsFour rooms with two bedrooms with light and gas included

Call Rita at 216-854-9234 or just stop by 1508 E. 118th St.

7201 Kinsman Road, Suite 103BCleveland, Ohio 44104

(216) 341-1455bbcdevelopment.org

FRESH FOOD & NUTRITION EDUCATIONare cropping up in the Kinsman neighborhood

7201 Kinsman Road, Suite 103A | Cleveland, Ohio 44104(216) 266-0140 | bridgeportcafe.com

Open Mon - Fri: 7:00am-6:00pm and Sat: 10:00am-6:00pm

NOW OPEN!A healthy, fresh restaurant for Cleveland’s East Side Neighborhoods, located in the heart of Kinsman

Breakfast Lunch Coffee Tea Smoothies Sandwiches Soups Salads Fresh Produce Dairy Wi-Fi

New state-of-the-art kitchen & multi-purpose community space

Centrally located in the Kinsman neighborhood

Hands-on cooking classes, nutrition education courses, and much more

Rent CornUcopia Place today for your meeting/private event


REGISTER NOW!

SaturdayNovember 17th

John Adams High School9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Workshops on:• College and career readiness• Naviance• Supporting student learning• Cooking, health & nutrition• Parent Leadership• Special education • Zumba and more

• Free activities for school-age children

• Giveaways & raffl es• Breakfast & lunch

provided

Workshops November 12 – December 13East Tech James Ford RhodesJohn Adams

Lincoln-WestThomas Jeff erson

InternationalNewcomers Academy

To Register or get more information call: 216.858.0112Register online at cmsdnet.net

In partnership with the Neighborhood Leadership Institute

neighborhood voice november issue

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