NONPROFIT THURSDAY | Cleveland Neighborhood Progress • Cleveland Foundation • United Way Summit and Medina • Cuyahoga County Library

Joel Ratner stepping down at Cleveland Neighborhood Progress

Tells board “right time to make a change”

 By R. T. Andrews

Joel Ratner

Joel Ratner, Cleveland Neighborhood Progress (CNP) president & CEO since 2011, will be leaving the organization on December 31 of this year. Ratner told the board, “After 10 years, this is the right time to make a change.”

In a statement announcing Ratner’s departure, Board Chair Grace Gallucci said CNP staff grew to 28 professionals during his tenure and moved to new headquarters in the rehabilitated Saint Luke’s Hospital. Other major achievements this past decade include establishing local Community Financial Centers, initiatives to build awareness for racial equity and inclusion, and support for neighborhoods affected by redlining and disinvestment including significant reinvestment in the Buckeye neighborhood.  The statement also credited Ratner for strong fundraising and advocacy work in Columbus and Washington.

Gallucci said that Ratner would be working with government, the non-profit sector and private business as a consultant to Vibrant NEO, to help Northeast Ohio grow faster and smarter, with a focus on sustainable economic development. He is also expected to help that organization as it turn its recently developed plans into practical action and implementation.

Galluci is chair of Vibrant NEO’s executive committee in addition to her full-time employment as executive director of NOACA, the Northeast Ohio Area Coordinating Agency.

Looking ahead, Gallucci said that CNP intends to focus tightly on its commitments to Cleveland’s neighborhoods through programs such as facilitating small business loans to address economic challenges related to COVID-19. “During this time of national civil unrest, we especially want to build on our efforts to address racial inequity.” 

The board has hired Sally Sterling Executive Search, the Washington-based firm that recently completed the search for the new president and CEO of the St. Luke’s Foundation. Candidate recommendations may be submitted to Sally Sterling at CNP@sallysterlingexecutivesearch.com.

One candidate could be Stephanie McHenry, who joined CNP as vice president of government relations and strategy a few months ago after serving for several years as vice president for business and financial affairs at Cleveland State University.

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Cleveland Foundation announces $26.2 million in Q2 2020 grantmaking

The Cleveland Foundation board of directors this week announced $26.2 million in grants approved in the second quarter of 2020, bringing its year to date community grantmaking in Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga counties to more than $58 million in the community year-to-date.

India Pierce Lee

“This has been an unprecedented time for all of us,” said India Pierce Lee, Cleveland Foundation senior vice president for program. “It has been heartening to see the community respond, first to the pandemic, and now to the national reckoning with racism. It’s more important than ever for the foundation to continue to fund across all of our priority areas, identifying opportunities where philanthropy can disrupt systems that have created barriers to equitable prosperity for all who call Greater Cleveland home.”

In addition to the board of directors authorizing a significant grant to help launch the Greater Cleveland COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund alongside corporate, civic and philanthropic partners across the region, the start of the COVID-19 pandemic led to a surge in dollars granted from donor advised funds at the Cleveland Foundation. In the weeks after COVID-19 cases were first identified in Ohio, giving from donor advised funds jumped 70% from the same period last year, reflecting a nationwide trend.

Highlights of grants approved in the first six months of 2020 by the foundation’s board of directors include:

Youth, Health & Human Services

·  Sinai Health Care Foundation ($1,000,000) – Funding to the fiscal agent for the Lead Safe Cleveland Home Fund for a first-of-its kind, public-private partnership that will provide families and property owners the resources they need to make homes lead safe. This, along with investments from the City of Cleveland, State of Ohio, and philanthropic partners, brings the total pool of funds to more than $19 million.

· Famicos Foundation ($2,946,000) – Funding to the fiscal agent for My Commitment to My Community (MyCom) for full-time staffing to meet the increased needs of the Say Yes Cleveland partnership, in addition to MyCom’s regular out-of-school-time programming and employment assistance for more than 8,000 youth across Cuyahoga County.

·  Cleveland Rape Crisis Center ($200,000) – To support an expanded service footprint – new offices in Shaker Square and Clark-Fulton – as well as ongoing outreach efforts supporting the African American and Latinx communities in order to become more accessible, both geographically and to individuals from underserved populations.

·  Kinnect ($105,250) – To continue to provide individual and group counseling to LGBTQ youth in the child welfare system via the Chosen Affirming Family Program, which also engages adult caregivers, providing outreach, education and counseling regarding LGBTQ issues.

Arts & Culture

·  SPACES ($50,000) – To expand the emergency relief grant program so that working artists in all disciplines may apply for a grant of up to $1,000 to replace income lost due to the COVID-19 crisis.

·  Rainey Institute ($300,000) – To continue to provide El Sistema (“The System”) youth classical music education training to 240 students at four different sites, with the goal to expand to more than 320 students by 2022.

·  Twelve Literary Arts ($175,000) – To expand the organization’s programmatic reach in the literary community through its various offerings, including in-school writer-in-residence programs at 12 partner schools, the after school youth poetry fellowship and poetry slam competitions.

Neighborhood Revitalization

· MidTown Cleveland, Inc. ($600,000) – Two-year funding to help accelerate growth focused on equity and inclusion via a new master plan that will include catalyzing innovation, cultivating a mixed-income residential community, placemaking projects and strengthening AsiaTown.

·  Neighborhood Connections ($3,792,000) – Three-year funding to continue to invest in the people and neighborhoods of Cleveland and East Cleveland via its small grants program and community building work.

· Fairfax Renaissance Development Corporation ($1,183,737) – Two-year funding for the continued implementation of the Greater Circle Living initiative, which provides assistance to the employees of participating Greater University Circle non-profits and anchor institutions who wish to buy, rent, and/or rehabilitate housing in the surrounding neighborhoods.

·       Downtown Cleveland Alliance ($500,000) – To support the Downtown Cleveland Recovery Fund, which was established to provide grants and business support services to small independent businesses in danger of closing following the property damages suffered after peaceful protests turned violent on May 30, with a focus on vulnerable and minority owned small businesses.

· Group Plan Commission ($200,000) – To provide funding for the Group Plan Commission to continue to adapt and retool its operations, programming and maintenance in response to COVID-19 in Public Square and on downtown Malls A, B & C, including staff training, visitor education and awareness, installation of handwashing stations and virtual programming.

Environment

·  Alliance for Climate Education (ACE) ($100,000) – To support the organization as it expands into Ohio, with the goal of educating young people on the science, impacts, and solutions of climate change, while also creating a cohort of Action Fellows from area high schools.

·  Cleveland Water Alliance ($300,000) – Two-year funding to help strengthen and expand clean water innovation and research, to foster “blue economy” business attraction and to position Cleveland as a center of freshwater innovation.

Workforce & Economic Development

· Manufacturing Advocacy & Growth Network (MAGNET) ($415,000) – For continued development of the Early College Early Career (ECEC) program, with the goals of increasing the number of students in internships across the 10 participating schools, growing the number of participating employers, and expanding the educational options by offering additional industry certifications.

· NewBridge ($850,000) – To help the organization expand its no-cost workforce training in phlebotomy and patient care, while growing its school-based offerings at John Adams High School and New Tech West.

Education

·  Cleveland Metropolitan School District ($989,700) – To support the start-up and phase-in of nine new innovative high schools, including Campus International High School (Year 4); Davis Aerospace and Maritime High School (Year 4); Garrett Morgan School of Engineering and Innovation (Year 1); Garrett Morgan School of Leadership and Innovation (Year 1); John Adams College and Career Academy (Year 4); Lincoln-West School of Global Studies (Year 5); Lincoln West School of Science and Health (Year 5); Rhodes College and Career Academy (Year 3); and Rhodes School of Environmental Studies (Year 3).

·  College Now Greater Cleveland ($950,000) – To address postsecondary enrollment, persistence, and completion in Cleveland via the organization’s Say Yes advising program within Cleveland Metropolitan School District, as well as programs, services and scholarships for the more than 424,000 adults (aged 25+) in Cuyahoga County who are eligible to start or continue their postsecondary education; additional funding will support the Say Yes Scholars Program that provides coaching, comprehensive services and financial assistance for Say Yes-eligible Cleveland Metropolitan School District graduates who enroll as full-time students at Tri-C.

· Friends of Breakthrough Schools ($500,000) – To enable the continued phase-in of grade levels at Citizens Leadership Academy Southeast in the Lee-Harvard neighborhood, as well as the expansion of the E Prep & Village Prep Woodland Hills campus in Union Miles by 50 additional seats.

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Summit and Medina County United Ways merge to form United Way of Summit & Medina

The local United Ways of Summit County and Medina counties today announced that they had merged to become United Way of Summit and Medina. The merger, which took effect on July 1, follows extended discussions between the boards of the Summit County and Medina County United Ways, which began late last year.

Drew Liebrecht, former board chair-elect of United Way of Medina and newly appointed board member of United Way of Summit and Medina, said in a press release that the  “merger will allow us to better leverage our resources to benefit the children and families of Summit and Medina counties.”

Before the merger, United Way of Summit County was the largest single-county United Way in the country in terms of revenue.

“United Way remains committed to serving the residents of both Summit and Medina counties, especially as we respond to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” said Jim Mullen, president and CEO of United Way of Summit and Medina. “Summit and Medina share deep economic ties, and once we get through this crisis together, we will continue to ensure we build thriving communities.”

The newly merged nonprofit will maintain a physical presence in both counties, with headquarters in Downtown Akron and in Downtown Medina. The merger will allow the new organization to coordinate a regional strategy for community impact.

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Cuyahoga County Library branches will 

reopen next week

Cuyahoga County Public Library re-opens its branches to the public on Monday, July 6. Patrons should expect more physical distancing, more frequent cleaning, and the continuation of the county system’s 72-hour quarantine on returned materials.

All Library users and staff members will be required to wear a face covering. More details about the re-opening can be found here. 

COVID Quarantine sparks birth of new Gospel Radio station

Longtime area journalist James Wade starts 24 hour internet radio station

Takes advantage of quarantine to start labor of love

By R. T. Andrews

Church music pulses through the blood of James W. Wade III.

Confined to his Willoughby Hills for most of the past four months, unable even to visit his ailing father across town, Wade had time to reflect, time to plan, time to act. He did all three and the result was the official launch two days ago of WJWW Radio, the Gospel According to James, and 24/7 gospel music designed to soothe the souls and rekindle the memories of those with an appreciation for gospel music the way the elders took it in before the influence of hip hop altered its sound.

Wade says you can point the browser of your mobile device or computer at wjww.airtime.pro any time of any day and be assured that you the gospel music you hear will be familiar to what your parents or grandparents remember from back in the day.

For many around the world, tuning into WJWW will bring comfort and inspiration, maybe even Unspeakable Joy. Wade describes his station’s offering as old traditional gospel. Listeners are unlikely to hear any music recorded in this century on the station. If gospel can be catalogued like other musical genres, then WJWW’s offerings are classical gospel.

Listeners will find the station’s programming to be reassuringly familiar. Programming segments will be consistent almost regardless of how the time blocks are divided for listing purposes. Two segments will be noted here. Precious Memories, airing daily from 10AM-11AM, concentrates its repertoire on music from 1950-1975. Here you are mostly to find Mahalia Jackson, Clara Ward, and the Rev. James Cleveland, among others.

The Gospel According to James airs daily from 11AM-3PM and is presently the only time block done live, personally hosted by Wade.

The station combines several themes that have run concurrently throughout Wade’s life. He grew up surrounded by religious music. His father, James W. Wade, Jr., was the longtime minister of music at Temple Baptist Church, 7500 Cedar Ave., where he was one of the city’s better known organists.

After his graduation from JFK HS in 1976, Wade the Third went off to Clark College, where he earned his bachelor’s degree. Later he earned a master’s degree in business from Tulane University. He soon found himself a community fixture, covering church and community events all over town as reporter/photographer for the Call-Post, sharing his talents with many nonprofit organizations.

Wade was also developing his technical chops as he was sought out to produce gospel records for local and national recording artists including Lucretia Bolden, Humbly Submitted, and the Rev. James Moore. Until he suffered a serious health setback, he was also producing some jazz artists.

The WJWW Internet Radio Studio in Willoughby Hills will play gospel music 24/7/365.

These threads have all come together at WJWW Radio, which he operates from his apartment in Willoughby Hills. With a low four-figure investment, Wade assembled the necessary equipment, including sound boards and microphones, navigated the requisite FCC filing requirements, and went on the air with a soft launch just ten days ago. One week in, and with the few kinks easily ironed out, WJWW is now going full steam ahead.

Ward speaks of his new enterprise with the faith, confidence of a man who knows what he’s doing and loves it. He has a few advertisers, mostly churches so far, but is more concerned about building a steady audience. He won’t have any analytics for a few weeks and is using social media to promote the station. He has listeners across the county already, including a proud J. W. Wade Jr. in Strongsville.

Wade is open to programming ideas and content, especially any gospel records from the 1960s or earlier. He can be reached at wjww7958ATgmail.com.

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Frost out as county GOP chair after long run. Two women, including an African American, elected to lead

CPT • Cuyahoga Politics Today

Donna Walker-Brown, Lisa Stickan elected to head County GOP

By R. T. Andrews

Donna Walker-Brown is the new
chairperson of the County
GOP Executive Committee

The Cuyahoga County Republican Party has been around for 165 years or so. It has always been led by white men. Starting tomorrow, the chairs of both its Central Committee and its Executive Committee will be women. And one of them, incoming Executive Committee chair Donna Walker-Brown, is African American.

Lisa Marie Stickan is the new chairperson
of the County GOP Central Committee

Lisa Stickan, president of the Highland Heights city council and an attorney in the county court system, routed long time party chair Rob Frost by a decisive 2-1 majority. Her entire “Cuyahoga First” slate was also elected.

The vote was originally scheduled to take place in late March shortly after the expected March 17 primary. But Primary Day voting was canceled because of the statewide coronavirus shutdown and then extended in a vote by mail process that concluded on April 28. Those primary results identified new Republican precinct officials who were eligible to vote for new party leaders.

That election was also a hybrid process, with mail ballots sent out June 3. The incoming votes were tallied and announced this afternoon at the Rockside Road offices of accounting firm REA and Associates in Independence.

Stickan’s victory was not a big surprise, although the decisiveness of her victory was eyebrow-raising. Frost had led the party for 15 years and his star had been on the decline. “Frost fatigue” was evident among some party insiders last year when he was forced to relinquish his executive party chairmanship, though he remained as head of the central committee.

Another factor in the Stickan-Frost result may have been their relationship with the re-election campaign of President Donald Trump. Stickan is an enthusiastic Trump loyalist, while Frost is considerably more lukewarm.

In contrast to the clear-cut race between Stickan and Frost, the contest for executive committee chair was full of intrigue. Peter Corrigan, who ran for county executive in 2017, was named interim executive committee chair last fall when Frost was pushed out. He had been expected to run unopposed for a full term. But after Strongsville mayor Tom Perciak was nominated for the position, Corrigan nominated Walker-Brown, a close ally, and then withdrew his own name from consideration.

It was a tight race, with Walker-Brown winning by four votes.

It is unclear the extent to which national and local unrest may have affected the Walker-Brown vs. Perciak contest. A large proportion of committee members voted as early as June 4, just days after protests got out of hand in downtown Cleveland. Party headquarters were among the casualties of the demonstration, and graffiti writers reportedly scrawled a direct message for GOP officials: “You should have listened earlier.”

Stacey Polk, whose family have long been proud Republicans, thinks the national turmoil likely aided Walker-Brown’s candidacy to some degree. Polk, an attorney who for the past year has led the party’s Minority Outreach Initiative Committee, said it’s hard to imagine that precinct committee people could have been oblivious to the winds of change.

Polk, who is African American, said she had supported Walker-Brown in her primary contest for a position on the state central committee. Though she did not win the seat, the name recognition may have helped Walker-Brown in the contest for chair.

Polk praised Walker-Brown for her work with the Inner City Republican Movement that Walker-Brown founded and leads. And she described Stickan as “high energy, smart, politically astute, and culturally competent”.

Walker-Brown said her election was evidence of “God’s mercy and grace” and proof that “He is still in the miracle business”. She said that she would be moving forward on a platform of unification and growth.

As executive committee chair, Walker-Brown will direct the party's endorsement process, as well as preside over the party's elections to the county elections board. Frost currently holds one of the two GOP seats.

Stickan’s victorious Central Committee slate included Chris Corrigan as vice chair, Amanda Billy as secretary, Robert Bodi as treasurer, and Tierra Morrison as assistant treasurer.

Stickan did not respond to a request for comment. 

The new chairs assume their new roles tomorrow, July 1. Each position pays somewhere between $54,000 and $57,000, according to a party official.

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