The People in Your Neighborhood

“They’re the people that you meet, as you’re walking down the street. They’re the people that you meet each day.”

One of the recurring Muppets sketches on Sesame Street was a song written by Bob McGrath about “the people in your neighborhood.” A revolving cast of characters—the grocer, a doctor, the mail carrier, a firefighter—would be introduced. There are dozens of verses on video. The People in Your Neighborhood is a children’s song that celebrates neighbors and community (and thankfully, isn’t Baby Shark.)

One of the things I love about Cleveland is that it is a city of neighborhoods. A frontier town and port city, Cleveland was built on waves of industry and immigration by people who came here looking for work and a better life. They brought pieces of their past lives with them. The settled in areas defined by the geography of the Cuyahoga River, Lake Erie, the Heights and the canal systems. The evidence of it is everywhere: in the architecture of its churches, in the variety of its cuisine and in the names of communities. Neighborhoods are the building blocks of thriving cities.

Cleveland’s neighborhoods are living things. Rising, as Lewis Mumford noted, “in some annoying, inchoate fashion. . . wherever human beings congregate, in permanent family dwellings; and many of the functions of the city tend to be distributed naturally—that is, without any theoretical preoccupation or political direction—into neighborhoods.”

Neighborhoods provide a sense of place and connection. You can name a community without having to describe its boundaries. Modern suburban “lifestyle centers” attempt to create this dynamic with retail, rental housing and offices located in a “Park” or a “Commons.” Places like Slavic Village, Little Italy and Kamm’s’ Corners grew organically with the population. School districts, council wards and municipalities followed, knitting together northeast Ohio.

I’m excited about two new initiatives at Benjamin Rose that leverage the strength of our neighborhoods.

Old Brooklyn was originally settled in 1814 as the hamlet of Brighton. In the years following the Civil War, the area was one of the first in the nation to develop commercial greenhouse gardening, providing fresh produce year-round. The Brooklyn townships were annexed by the City of Cleveland in the early twentieth century. And the area is known as the site of the Cleveland Zoo and Drew Carey’s childhood home.

On July 1, Senior Citizens Resources will merge with our Rose Centers for Aging Well. SCR has served residents of Old Brooklyn since 1971, offering a variety of programs and activities that promote health, independence and quality of life for older adults. SCR’s long history of services and its strong partnerships with other community organizations. Joining forces with Benjamin Rose will help leverage our resources and expertise to ensure that high quality programs will continue to be available for SCR members. We look forward to the Rose Center for Aging Well in Old Brooklyn being “in the neighborhood” for many years to come.

This summer, we are also proud to partner with Burton Bell Carr Development, Fairhill Partners, the Larchmere Community Association and Shaker Area Development (SHAD) to launch the Larchmere Village Coalition. Villages are “are community-based, nonprofit, grassroots organizations formed by caring neighbors who want to change the paradigm of aging.” Village membership is open to older adults and volunteers who live or work in the 44120 zip code, taking in Larchmere, Shaker Square, Buckeye and Kinsman. The Village will help connect older adults with community resources and activities and promote volunteer opportunities that help residents age-in-place.

Larchmere and the Buckeye-Shaker planning district have been “home” for Benjamin
Rose since 1989, when Benjamin Rose and University Hospitals acquired the former US Marine Hospital on Fairhill Road and established Fairhill Partners. Our headquarters building opened in 2013, further cementing our commitment to this community.

These two initiatives are examples of the power of neighborhoods and neighborhood organizations. Both areas are blessed with effective community development corporations (CDCs). Both have strong community organizations supported by local residents. They are communities with vibrant residential and commercial sectors, rich civil life and strong local identities. They are neighborhoods. And we are proud and honored to be among the people in the neighborhood. The people that you meet, each day.

Want to explore more Cleveland neighborhoods and their histories? Cleveland State University has research guides on its website. And, the Western Reserve Historical Society has many resources in its collection on local history.

Learn more about the Village Movement, including how to find Village programs in Ohio. https://www.vtvnetwork.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=691012&module_id=248578