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Feel the Horsepower of 10,000 Little (micro) Ideas

10,000 Little (micro) Ideas to Keep You Believing in Cleveland is the name of a new non-profit organization shaking Cleveland up. To keep the momentum going forward from their February 5 brainstorming event, 10,000 has now scheduled a series of smaller decision-making meetings for people to take action on the distilled ideas of specific initiatives. All meetings will be held at the Bratenahl Community Center, in the Landis Room, 10300 Brighton Rd., Bratenahl, Ohio, 44108, from 6 - 8PM. Everyone is invited to attend – these programs need the help and support of the community to succeed.

“Every success story begins with a simple idea” – that’s the tagline for 10,000 Little (micro) Ideas to Keep You Believing in Cleveland and how the group got started. This new non-profit organization is creating a BUZZ in greater Cleveland. Here’s the story. Two sisters, Kiley (34) and Erin Smith (29) started the organization after college graduation and coming back here to live. Talking to their peers, they heard how friends were moving to Chicago, New York, and the West Coast. But what about Cleveland they asked. Rumors and stories circulated about the city, all adding up to Cleveland having serious problems. So Kiley visited Cleveland business development meetings and heard distant speakers from large organizations present the samo-samo.

These sisters had a different idea. Kiley works for Huntington Bank as a sales executive, a mid-market lender, and Erin has her MBA and works in process engineering for Avery Dennison. They wanted to create a new group where appreciative inquiry principles, a philosophy originated at Case, would be included, and where the voices of the community would be heard. And they knew it was important to partner with already existing organizations in town. Now these emerging leaders have built up 10,000 Little (micro) Ideas to include a 12-member board along with countless corporate partnerships and volunteers.

The 10,000 Lights Team will meet today, Wed 2/27. This team will work on steps for making Cleveland the lighting capital of the world and build on the heritage of lighting in this city. They want to create an appealing spin to lighting and to get people involved. Energy efficient light bulbs will be part of this strategy.

The 10,000 Technology Entrepreneurs Team will meet on Wed 3/5. They will work on steps to create an Internet site that will be a “one stop shop” for technology professionals in our region. The site will focus on providing resources to assist entrepreneurs seeking to start or grow IT related businesses, as well as a resource for consultants and those seeking to be employed/hire individuals in the field. All public and private resources will be utilized to create awareness and drive traffic to the site.

The 10,000 Wind Team will meet on Wed 3/12. They will work on steps to turn Cleveland into the Wind Turbine Capital of the United States. They will make arrangements for a wind study and assess our region’s manufacturing capabilities to produce wind turbine components. They will work on seeking a means to bring wind friendly businesses to Ohio by offering tax credits and preferred financing.

The 10,000 Future Emerging Leaders Team will meet on Wed 3/19. They will work on steps to retain high school talent, to have them consider returning here after college by introducing them to the positive activities happening in this region. High school students will be engaged in designing an apprentice program at area companies to introduce them to what this area has to offer. The high school students will be reached through Facebook/Myspace and other fun activities.

The 10,000 Non-Profit Team' will meet on Wed 3/26. They will work on steps to match all individuals in the community with a non-profit organization whose mission is compatible with their own interests and passions. They will use social networking sites to keep existing members informed. They will work to engage high school and college students to join in and become active in making positive contributions.

“People here are ready to do this,” said Kiley, “they want to improve things in Cleveland. With everyone’s help, we raised over $21,000 with 130 sponsoring companies and speakers for special events like this. Over 600 people attended the February 5th event to show their support for Cleveland, there’s tremendous energy for these projects,” she added.

These scheduled idea-initiative meetings are the preliminary steps to drawing up the final draft of the action plan. Input is welcomed. There is a strategic planning session scheduled for Monday 4/21, at the Crop Bistro & Bar, 1400 West 6th Street, from 6-8PM. Become part of 10,000 Little (micro) Ideas and become part of the solution. For more information and event registration, visit http://www.10000littleideas.com/index.html.
From Cool Cleveland contributor Susan Schaul susn1ATatt.net

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