Residents will be able to celebrate next week’s reopening of the Huntington Bank Buckeye branch at a community resource fair this Saturday.
When the branch closed last winter, there was a good chance that the closing would have been permanent. But residents continued to organize and fought back. The bank will reopen Monday.
The fair will be held from noon to 2 p.m at the branch, 11623 Buckeye Rd. About 20 organizations or programs that provide housing, health and other services will have representatives there.
Through this event, we hope to give the community an opportunity to celebrate the reopening, connect with community resources, learn about Huntington’s commitment to the neighborhood and its residents and have a great time.”
Sean Richardson, Huntington’s regional president in Northeast Ohio
They include:
- Benjamin Rose ESOP, which provides financial wellness counseling and education programs for seniors.
- The Home Repair Resource Center, which offers financial assistance for home repairs and conducts home buyer workshops.
- The Urban League of Greater Cleveland’s UBIZ Venture Capital, which is a small business lending program.
Buckeye neighbors rallied to keep the bank branch open
Huntington announced last year that it would permanently shutter its Buckeye location because of violent crime in the area. Keep Huntington on Buckeye, a committee of residents and bank customers, waged a multi-month effort to keep the branch open. Their first victory was getting Huntington officials to reverse the bank’s decision to permanently close the branch. When it closed last winter, officials said there was a chance that the branch would reopen if crime decreased.
Residents continued lobbying bank officials, city officials, bank regulators and local members of Congress. Cleveland police instituted a plan, which included increased patrols. Monthly reports the police department shared with bank officials and residents showed that implementing the plan had reduced crime near the branch.
It is rare for a bank to reverse its decision to permanently close a branch. Because of this, the branch’s reopening is worthy of celebration, said Robert L. Render III, a bank customer, who was among the residents who fought to save the branch.
“It was a confluence of all the right things that eventually fell into place that led to the success of this,” Render said of the bank’s reopening.
Residents and bank officials planned Saturday’s event, he said.
“We needed an event that celebrates the reopening, celebrates the community, celebrates the public officials, celebrates the police department, etc.,” he said.
Games, candy, music and more at celebration
Huntington officials and Mayor Justin Bibb, whom residents say played a valuable role in keeping the branch, are scheduled to attend. Council President Blaine Griffin, one of the first public officials to become involved in residents’ efforts to save the branch and Councilwoman Deborah Gray, who became part of the effort to save the bank, are also scheduled to attend.
Sean Richardson, Huntington’s regional president in Northeast Ohio, said the bank is excited to host Saturday’s event, which will serve a few purposes.
“Through this event, we hope to give the community an opportunity to celebrate the reopening, connect with community resources, learn about Huntington’s commitment to the neighborhood and its residents and have a great time,” he wrote in an email to Signal Cleveland. “We look forward to seeing our neighbors this Saturday and continuing to serve the Buckeye community as we have for the last 20 years.”
There will be opportunities to have a good time. Cleveland’s Parks and Recreation department will lead activities for children, including face painting and games. Attendees can receive Halloween candy in plastic pumpkins. Musician Vince Robinson, who owns nearby Larchmere Arts, will perform. Restaurant Yum Village will have a food truck at the event.
Like others in Keep Huntington on Buckeye, Render was ecstatic when bank officials announced in August that the branch would be re-opening. Saturday’s event will only serve to rekindle such feelings.
“Everybody thought it was a done deal,” he said, recounting when the bank closed last winter. “This is a celebration of the mobilization effort by the community, a celebration of the fact that the bank is going to reopen and provide additional resources that are badly needed in a neighborhood.”