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Making Change: One Neighborhood at a Time April 17, 2003 @ 8-9:00 PM on WVIZ One person can make a difference. That's a message thousands of Northeast Ohioans are taking to heart. By joining with other community members to achieve common goals, individual citizens are helping to build strong neighborhoods, which in turn strengthen our entire region. Making Change: One Neighborhood at a Time shares the stories of three Northeast Ohio neighborhoods where residents banded together to implement diverse and exciting community projects, including a restored park and historical museum in Akron, a neighborhood arts center in Old Brooklyn, and a "green" housing development in the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood. In addition, program host Julie Henry invites viewers to speak live with some of the people who took these projects from idea to reality. Callers can discuss everything from asking how to get their own neighborhood projects off the ground to sharing information about grassroots organizations in which they're involved. What's more, Making Change: One Neighborhood at a Time will provide viewers with information about local resources available to help neighborhoods get organized and to train community leaders. Becoming involved in efforts to create healthy, vibrant neighborhoods in which to live and work is one way we can all begin making change to help reinvent our Northeast Ohio's economy. 
Good evening. I’m Julie Henry. You know, throughout our Making Change series, we’ve taken you from classrooms to boardrooms… from high-tech labs to high-energy networking events… to show you how people just like you are helping reinvent our regional economy. Well tonight, we’re sticking a little bit closer to home. In fact over the course of the next hour, we’ll show you how economic change can happen right in your own back yard. We’ll visit three local neighborhoods… where residents have banded together to implement diverse and exciting community projects… from a small arts center with a decidedly hands-on approach… to a renovated 19th century general store… to a “green” housing development in the heart of the city. What do neighborhood projects like this have to do with strengthening our regional economy? Well consider this. Quality of life issues are becoming more and more important as we work to attract and retain the kind of highly educated talent we need to help jumpstart Northeast Ohio’s economy. So by getting involved in projects that help create vibrant, attractive neighborhoods… we can all begin Making Change to reinvent our economy. Coming up a little later, we’ll tell you about some resources out there designed to help you make your own neighborhood a better place to live and work. And we’ll give you a chance to share your stories with us. Call and tell us about a grassroots project going on in your own neighborhood… or get some advice from the community leaders and activists who will be joining us in just a few minutes. For now, let’s get things started by meeting an artist whose neighborhood artwork was created not with paints and brushes… but with people. Ideastream’s Shula Neuman has the story. Pre-taped PackageNow remember... you don't have to initiate a big project like the Art House to have a real impact on our regional economy. Just getting involved at whatever level you can, helps strengthen our community. Whether that's spending an afternoon picking up trash at a local park... or coaching your daughter's soccer team. Every little bit of community involvement helps improve our quality of life... which in turn helps spur economic growth. Can't figure out how to get started? Well as I told you, there are local resources out there to help. Visit the Neighborhood/Community section of Take Action. Well now on Making Change, we meet a group of people who are creating a brighter future for an Akron neighborhood by helping to preserve its past. The members of the Cascade Locks Park Association recently finished renovating a 19th century store along the old Ohio and Erie Canal. Now they're turning their attention to establishing an educational heritage park. They're combining history, culture, and recreation in what they hope will be a winning formula for neighborhood revitalization. Ideastream's Cynthia Barnes has the story. Pre-taped PackageResidents of Cleveland's Detroit-Shoreway area are hopeful that some new homes built with "green" construction technology will help bring a few "greenbacks" into their neighborhood. A few years ago, these neighbors joined forces to stop the RTA from closing down a dilapidated rapid station on West 65th Street. Well the renovation of that rapid station became the driving force behind a new urban redevelopment project called EcoVillage. The goal of EcoVillage is to create a sustainable community that encourages neighborhood involvement and protects the environment. And the Cleveland program is being used as a national model for teaching architects, developers, and contractors how to "build green." Ideastream's Cynthia Barnes joins us once again with the story. Pre-taped PackageThat's all the time we have tonight. I want to thank all our guests for coming in… as well as all of you who called us to join our discussion. You know, we've learned tonight that leadership plays a crucial role in neighborhood redevelopment. And the leadership of our region is the focus of the next installment of A Quiet Crisis… our ongoing series in partnership with the Plain Dealer…. that looks at issues and opportunities concerning the reinvigoration of Northeast Ohio's economy. Tune into WVIZ/PBS or 90.3 WCPN Thursday, April 24 at 8 pm… that's one week from tonight… when we will discuss the future of our region's economy with a group of young, emerging leaders. What's their vision for Northeast Ohio? And how do they plan to help us tackle the economic and development challenges facing our region? Tune into A Quiet Crisis next Thursday night at 8 for some answers. For all of us here at ideastream, thanks for tuning in tonight. I hope we've given you some ideas about how you can get involved to make your neighborhood a better place to live. Be sure to take advantage of those resources we have for you on the Making Change website… at wviz.org. Remember, the more we all get involved, the sooner we'll begin Making Change. I'm Julie Henry. Good night. Resources:
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