Business Tuesday

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The big news in our region today was of course the announcement that the 2016 Republican Convention will be held in Cleveland. Tentative start dates are reportedly either June 27 or July 18, depending — get this! — on whether Quicken Loans Arena will be needed as a site for the NBA Finals. That might seem ludicrous except for the possibility, no longer entirely incredible that free agent LeBron James might return home as the prodigal son.

IF he did, well, then we would have to consider that in his first eleven years, his teams have made the NBA Finals five times. So, just maybe the Repubs will have to wait until July to have the run of the Q.

Meanwhile, the question of the day is who will step forward to negotiate one of those Community Benefit Agreements with the Republican National Committee?

We of course will have much more to say about the Republican Convention but for now, we simply offer our congratulations to Mayor Jackson, County Executive FitzGerald, and those folk who will be ponying up some $65 million or so to make this happen.

PC Scholar Graduation Reception canceled

We reported in last week’s Nonprofit Thursday post that The Presidents’ Council reception for this year’s graduates of its PC Scholars program would be held this Thursday, July 10.

This event has been canceled for the best of reasons: the honorees are so busy this summer with internships, gainful summer employment and the like, that it seems about half of them are unable to attend the planned festivities in their honor.

We are pleased to share the roster of 2014 PC Scholar Graduates below. Their names are followed by the schools they will enter this fall and their high schools. Each will receive a scholarship from the program once their fall schedules have been certified.

2014 PC Scholar Graduates

Ronisha Buckhanon, University of Akron, Collinwood HS

Elexsus Collins, Cuyahoga Community College, Max Hayes HS

Zalina Harp, Cuyahoga Community College, James Ford Rhodes HS

Diva Jones, University of Akron, John Adams HS

Tatiana Meadows, Cleveland State University, John F. Kennedy HS

Joshua Minor, Cuyahoga Community College, New Tech East HS

Danielle Quarles, Cuyahoga Community College, John Hay A & D HS

Erica Vanzant, Sierra Nevada College, Cleveland School of the Arts

Alexis Wiggins, United States Air Force, John Hay A & D HS

Nonprofit Thursday | BPA, TPC, Nigerians, One World Festival; East Cleveland Primary

BPA to hold annual gala at new convention center

The Black Professionals Association Charitable Foundation will hold one of the first civic events at Cleveland’s New Convention Center on October 19. That’s the date of BPACF’s annual fundraising scholarship gala, which this year will recognize Pastor R. A. Vernon of The Word Church as its Black Professional of the Year. For more information, visit www.bpacf.org or call 216.229.7110.

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Presidents Council Foundation seeking volunteers for golf outing fundraiser

The Presidents Council has put out a call for volunteers to assist in its 5th Annual Golf Outing Fundraiser, which is set for Monday, August 19th at Barrington Country Club. The Council is looking for volunteers to help with registration, raffle and auction sales, golf side games, as well as assorted other odds and ends around the course.

Morning and afternoon shifts are available.

TPC program and operations manager Athena Nimmer will be happy to answer your questions about volunteering. For more information, call or write her at 216.771.8702 x224 or Athena@thepresidentscouncil.com.

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Concerned Partners in Education host scholarship luncheon in Lee-Harvard this Saturday

Retired educator and CPE founder Gwendolyn Norfleet-Rogers has announced the 7th Annual Scholarship Fundraiser Luncheon twill be this Saturday, starting at 11AM,  at the Harvard Community Services Center, 18240 Harvard Ave.

For more information call 216.921.5130.

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Nigerian cultural festival and dinner at the Civic this Saturday

Northeast Ohioans of Nigerian heritage are inviting you to feast, dance and party with them this Saturday night at the Sixth Annual Iri-ji & Igbo Cultural Festival Dinner. The event will be held from 7PM until 1AM at the Civic, 3130 Mayfield Road in Cleveland Heights [just east of Lee Road].

The event sponsor is the group Nzuko Ndi Igbo of Northeast Ohio [NNINO] whose webpage says they were established in 2009 to promote and foster love, unity and progress among Ndi Igbo in Northeast, Ohio.

Well-known area businessman Michael Obi was elected the group’s president earlier this year. He emailed The Real Deal to say cultural dances and performances, a buffet style dinner [8PM], a dramatization of the Iri-ji Festival, and much dancing will be among the evening’s highlights.

Tickets are $30 for adults, and $20 for children 13-17; children under 13 may attend free of charge.

For more information: mobi@spectrum-global.com or 440.212.2567.

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Cleveland One World Festival debuts Aug. 25

Attending the Nigerian cultural festival and dinner sounds like a good way to get warmed up for Cleveland’s inaugural One World Festival, billed as a way to “celebrate the world’s diversity with a one day cornucopia of music, art, sports, and food”

Cleveland’s first One World Festival will take place Sunday, August 25 in the Cultural Gardens of Rockefeller Park, on either side of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

This free community event will offer a wide array of arts and activities for folks of all ages and ethnicities, and will feature continuous programming at a half dozen stages, dozens of artisans displaying their crafts, and various sports.

The one-day event will run from noon to 9PM along a strip stretching from the Irish Garden to the African American Garden. Ethnic food offerings will be available, as well as ethnic beer, wine and national specialty drinks.

The event will honor One World Day, the 66^th annual event celebrating the city’s diversity and will include the naturalization ceremony honoring new immigrants to the United States. Free shuttles will take attendees from Wade Oval and Gordon Park to the festival location throughout the day.

Visitors to the festival will be able to park for free at a large, secure new facility at East 105^th St & Magnolia Dr. Once parked, visitors can board one of the free UCI shuttles that will circle the gardens for the duration of the festival, dropping them off at a number of convenient locations along MLK Jr. Drive and East Boulevard.

A Parade of Nations down the main thoroughfare of Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, starting at 1PM, will feature a diverse range of participants, from flag-bearers and stilt-walkers to bagpipers and belly dancers. Highlights include the Shaw High School Marching Band, giant Follow the Fish sculptures, and accordionists from the Polka Hall of Fame. The parade will begin at the Irish Garden and conclude at the African American Garden, where the annual naturalization ceremony for newly minted United States citizens will occur.

Organizers of the One World Festival envision growing the event through 2016 — the 100th anniversary of the Cleveland Cultural Gardens — culminating in a spectacular weekend-long festival covering the entire 276 acres of Rockefeller Park from Lake Erie to Wade Lagoon.

For more information, call James Levin at 216-347-3499, email james@levinventures.com, or visit OWF’s website or Facebook page.

PUBLIC NOTICE FOR EAST CLEVELAND VOTERS

FOR OCTOBER 1, 2013 PRIMARY ELECTION

A viewing of ballots for the October 1, 2013 Primary Election, to be held in the City of East Cleveland, will be available for the public on Friday, August 9, 2013 (comments welcome). Ballots will be posted at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections at 2925 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115 and on the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections website, boe.cuyahogacounty.us.

Comment by phone, (216) 443-3298 or e-mail, ElectionInfo@cuyahogacounty.us.