Mandy Kraynak

Dec 20, 2023 | thelandcle.org | Mandy Kraynak

Cleveland City Council’s 2020 declaration of racism as a public health crisis created a working group to come up with solutions to address racism. This year, the group shared its work at a community town hall in late April and, on Nov. 28, it gave a presentation to about 60 community leaders. After postponing two community meetings originally scheduled for this month, the Racism as a Public Health Crisis Coalition (RAPHC-C) is now planning several community events for January and February.

Dec 8, 2023 | thelandcle.org | Mandy Kraynak

Alex Balmer is a second-generation service worker, so he knows what it’s like trying to get by on tips and restaurant wages. His mother worked in the service industry full time, then part time while working a full-time job in the school system, and is now working as a bartender/server. “No one makes enough money in the service industry at all. We are all passing around the same 20 bucks,” he said.

Nov 17, 2023 | thelandcle.org | Mandy Kraynak

Several Tower City Center tenants have fond childhood memories of the mall where they now run their businesses. They recall taking the Rapid to Tower City and going to the movies, tossing coins in the dancing fountain, and seeing the holiday decorations there. Jason Russell, the vice president of operations and leasing at Bedrock, the real estate company that bought Tower City Center in 2016, enjoyed the Disney Store and Warner Brothers Store.

Nov 10, 2023 | thelandcle.org | Mandy Kraynak

Karyna Lohvynenko, a 19-year-old Ukrainian student studying law at Cardiff Metropolitan University in Wales, has dreamed of going to the U.S. since childhood. A few years ago, she applied to study in the U.S. for a year through the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program, and was accepted. Then there was a pandemic and a war. The exchange program canceled its trips due to COVID-19 in 2020. On Feb. 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Nov 3, 2023 | thelandcle.org | Mandy Kraynak

Since 2017, 100 graduates of Cleveland and East Cleveland schools have gone to Case Western Reserve University with full tuition scholarships through the university’s Cleveland Scholars program. The scholarship for Cleveland and East Cleveland residents is expanding to cover the full cost of attendance, including room and board, books, fees, and supplies, following CWRU President Eric Kaler’s goal of increasing the university’s engagement with the community.