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Cleveland Central Promise Neighborhood honors 24 Champions of Central

Tags: Promise Neighborhood , St. Vincent Charity Community Health Center
Cleveland Central Promise Neighborhood honors 24 Champions of Central

Cleveland Central Promise Neighborhood recently hosted the sixth annual Champions of Central awards ceremony at the Friendly Inn Settlement House, recognizing community members, partners and stakeholders. At the ceremony, 24 Champions of Central were celebrated for making significant contributions to the Central Community through volunteerism, collaboration and neighborly compassion.

Signal Cleveland was there covering the ceremony. The full text of the article is below or available here.

Champions of Central honored

24 honorees were recognized during the sixth annual Champions of Central awards ceremony.

Signal Cleveland
by Najee Hall

Cleveland Central Promise Neighborhood (CCPN) hosted the sixth annual Champions of Central awards ceremony on Thursday at the Friendly Inn. The awards were created to recognize and celebrate community members, partners and stakeholders who have done outstanding work in Central.

To become a Champion of Central, individuals must be nominated by a Promise Ambassador, community partner or stakeholder. After nominations are received, a committee of Promise Ambassadors, former honorees, community partners and CCPN staff review the nominations and vote.

Dawn Glasco, manager of Engagement and Social Innovation for CCPN, told Signal Cleveland that she is pleased the organization was able to host the ceremony for yet another year.

“This ceremony is important for the Central community because it demonstrates what can be possible for all communities,” Glasco said. “I’m most proud of our awareness and willingness to recognize the light in each of us and the work we do to foster deeper connections and strengthen community.”

The Ceremony
[In the Signal Cleveland, multiple photos and captions provided information about several of the recipients. The text below is from captions that have been edited. Click here to see all the photos]

  • Sharie Renee, founder of Cleveland Sews. Cleveland Sews is an education and workforce sewing program that brings communities together through sewn trades, circular manufacturing and regenerative agriculture.
  • Cerenity Palmer, CEO of Cerenity’s Lemonade, and her mom, Christina Collins. The lemonade stand has been a central in Central since the summer of 2020.
  • The Purnell Family: Tiffany Purnell, Christopher Purnell, Zamir Purnell and Darrie’l Ahmad. They are major supporters of the East 39th Street Community Garden, always willing to lend their time to make sure the garden stays in top condition.
  • Jerry Rugley, MyCom regional director, serves as a mentor. Rugley also serves as an advisor to the Central Youth Leadership Council.
  • Grace Wright is the Community Resource manager at University Settlement, a neighborhood center that provides social services to residents.
  • Anthony Hubbard poses with his mom, Pamela Hubbard, during the awards ceremony. Pamela was honored as a champion last year and Anthony was honored this year. The mother/son duo oversees Golden Ciphers, a grassroots organization that focuses on empowering the African American community.

Pictured are (left to right) Sharon Spruill, Frederica Mayes-Gates, Bridgette Smith-Jackson and Jessica Williams, who are members of the Civic Engagement Collaboration. The group created Karaoke & Conversations, a way for residents to get connected while exchanging civic information.

The other 2024 Champions of Central are:

  • Faruq K. Abdul-Khalik
  • Jennifer Arbogast
  • Arbor Park Village
  • Laura Brown
  • Yvonne Deal
  • Angel Drane
  • Andrea Flowers
  • Felicia Grant
  • Mikeya & Makala Howard
  • Valerie James
  • Taymiyyah Mack
  • Aja Pope
  • Charron & Braylon Rose
  • Joan Spoerl
  • The Garden Boyz
  • Valerie Thorpe-Baldwin
  • Paul Walker

 

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