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

Area Nonprofits Offering Enrichment Programs for Youth; Party Time!

CALLING FOR YOUTH PROGRAM INFO

Does your church, club, sorority, fraternity, social, auxiliary, civic or other nonprofit organization provide resources [scholarships, mentoring, field trips, college tours, etc.] to area African American boys and girls? If so, drop us a line at nonprofitnews@cuyahoganews.net. We are building a comprehensive listing of such services as a community resource.

Two upcoming programs for area youth:

The Consortium of African American Organizations is hosting an orientation meeting this Saturday at the Urban League of Greater Cleveland, 2930 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland OH 44115 for CAAO’s three-month Youth Innovation Forum. During the Forum’s weekly Saturday morning sessions, students nine and a half to sixteen absorb critical thinking skills while working on product development that offers real life solutions. The orientation is free. All youth must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

For more information on Saturday’s orientation or the Forum, visit here.

For an application, go here.

Another outstanding program for area youth is the PC Scholars Program, operated by The Presidents' Council Foundation. The program works with Cleveland high school students on four key areas: [1] academic achievement, [2] career preparedness, [3] Leadership and [4] life skills. This program is designed for African-American high school students who have a grade point average of 2.5 – 3.0 and are ready to enter a program that will set them up for future success.  Students enter the program as a sophomore in high school and stay until graduation. 

The Foundation is currently recruiting applicants now for the program year that begins in November. Contact Athena Nimmer at the Foundation for more information. [Athena@thepresidentscouncil.com • 216.771.8702 • www.thepresidentscouncil.com ]

POP UP PARTY TODAY AT THE PLAZA

Great weather appears to be on tap for the Society of Urban Professionals Pop Up Party at Perk Plaza at Chester Commons, on the northwest corner of East 12 Street and Chester Avenue. The event, from 5-8p, will feature live music, food trucks, and a beer garden. More info: atinker@thesoupnetwork.com.