The local non-profit Cleveland Central Promise Neighborhood presented awards to the 2023 Champions of Central on Nov. 30 at the Friendly Inn. This celebration, in its fifth year, is designed to honor esteemed community members and partners who go to great lengths to elevate the voices of the Central community.
Champions of Central are nominated by a community partner, resident stakeholder, and/or Promise Ambassador. A committee of past honorees, community partners, CCPN staff, and Promise Ambassadors reviewed the nominees and voted on who should win this year’s awards.
The stage of the Friendly Inn quickly filled up as all 18 honorees and their guests took their seats at tables decorated with white and green tablecloths.
2023 Champions of Central
This year’s honorees are:
- Angela Quinn
- Ariel Powell
- Brittany Jones
- Carol Malone
- Central Youth Leadership Council
- Danie White
- Dava Cansler
- Kareemah Rose
- Sister Miriam Era
- Morgan Taggart
- Jerome Baker Sr.
- Pamela Hubbard
- Richaun Bunton
- Sherece Brown-Gray
- Tamika Billips
- Tracy Patton
- Tyrone White
- Veneque Scott
- The Williams Family
Dawn Glasco, a former Champions of Central honoree thanks to her work with the Central Promise Ambassadors, opened the ceremony by welcoming all attendees and then led a prayer.
Kisha Nicole Foster offered a powerful spoken word piece that resonated in the room.
Event Emcee Sharon Glaspie called each honoree to the podium to receive a beautiful glass plaque. After a few photos and words of gratitude are expressed, chatter fills the room as dinner is served.
After the ceremony, Signal Cleveland got the chance to talk with several award winners.
Champions of Central devotion runs in the family
Carol Malone has had a long history of service in Central. Her parents owned and operated a soul food eatery in the neighborhood, Effie’s Cafe. Seeing her parents serve the community inspired her to follow in their footsteps.
“I was hired at the Friendly Inn in the 1980s. I was working with youth in the community,” Malone said. “While there, I created the college tour program that still exists at the Friendly Inn today.”
Her daughter was invited to sit on the very first Central Promise Ambassadors board.
Carol joined soon after.
“I got involved with Central Promise, which then led me to Neighborhood Connections, where I am currently a grant maker, which I’ve been doing for nine years now,” Malone said.
Malone said she was honored to be named a Champion of Central and loves being able to connect with community stakeholders.
“I just think it’s a really wonderful opportunity to recognize residents in the community and those who do not live in the community but still contribute to the success of Central,” Malone said.
Love leads the way in Central
When asked what one word she would use to describe herself, Tamika Billips chose love. She is a lifelong Central resident, and her work with the Central Promise Ambassadors and a local Girl Scout chapter contributed to her being named a Champion of Central.
“I have a lot of knowledge about resources and what’s going on around us in the community,” Billups said. “I have two daughters, and I think that kind of motivated me to step out into the community. I got to meet a lot of children and their families. When some of the kids see me out and about, they always show me love. It’s just been a blessing for me in so many different ways.”
Billips understands that there is still a lot of work to be done in the Central neighborhood, and she plans to continue to invest into the place she calls home.
“There’s a proverb that says the person who plants the tree really doesn’t enjoy the shade because it takes years of cultivation for it to grow,” Billips said. “I just want to see this neighborhood and the people thriving, not just surviving. So that just makes me want to go harder.”
Growing young hearts and minds to love Central
Danie White has lived in Central for the past nine years. She has focused on educating the community on wellness as a member of the Central-Kinsman Wellness Collective, which seeks to improve the quality of food and accessibility to it in the neighborhood.
“For the past two years, I have been a part of the East 39th Community Garden,” White said. “I run a student program out of the garden for students that are a part of the horticulture program at East Tech. The program helps them continue their education while training them for horticulture jobs.”
In 2023, she took it upon herself to create a youth program for a unique skill set, beekeeping.
“I partnered with Just Like Home Learning Center to create a junior beekeeper program,” White said. “We had an amazing season this past summer. The students of that pilot program are now in kindergarten, and they absolutely loved it.”
White sees an abundance of potential in Central and wants to help unlock it.
“It was eye-opening to be recognized as a Champion of Central,” she added. “I’m the kind of person who just does the work. It was a gift [to realize] the community sees me the way I see the community.’”
“There’s an abundance of wealth in Central, in the green spaces and in the people,” White continued. “To watch the residents take their power back in the community is something I love to see.”
Signal Cleveland will be telling more of the stories of the Central Champions in 2024.
Editor’s note: Signal Cleveland Editor-in-Chief Lila Mills helps produce Carol Malone’s podcast, Neighbor Up Spotlight.