10,000 Visions Catches Them Like Fireflies

When I saw the cards on tables along E. 6th Street during the Warehouse District's block party a few weeks ago, I was intrigued. "Cleveland... What's Your Vision?" the cards asked. Smiling faces of people just like us paired with quotes of visions shared. Andrielle Eaton of Cleveland wants "a vibrant, alive city -- a city that people are excited to live in."

What would you say? What vision do you have for Cleveland? How would you like Cleveland to look? What would get us excited about where we live? What makes other people excited? How do we get Cleveland ignited with possibility? Together. And the more we work together, the more we can make a difference.

"That's what this is all about, working together to get there," writes Susan Schaul, a volunteer with 10,000 Little (micro) Ideas, whose mission is believing in Cleveland and improving Northeast Ohio. Becoming ignited with excitement was the idea behind "10,000 Visions of Cleveland," an event showcasing positive visions for Cleveland. The event was held last Saturday, September 6 at the Galleria.

Hosted by the Greater Cleveland Partnership, an organization with close to 18,000 members who want Cleveland to thrive, and 10,000 Little (micro) Ideas, a grassroots organization that turns positive ideas into action, the event garnered corporate and community sponsorship.

At the event, some of the 40+ economic partners of the Greater Cleveland Partnership took us on a journey through three "vision corridors," representing sustainability, economic development, and lifestyle. Activities, including some designed for children, excited guests with the possibilities for our region.

Area colleges, nonprofit organizations, and businesses were represented, including Case Western Reserve, whose students ran a robot lawnmower around the floors of the Galleria. Positively Cleveland gave away key holders, NASA snapped pictures to make instant astronauts, and Bellaire-Puritas neighborhood gave away walking maps. Continental Airlines gifted heavy duty luggage tags, while Cleveland+ handed out purse-sized notebooks with paper and pen for taking notes.

We were encouraged to have our passports initialed or stamped. We exchanged the completed passports for wrist bands to ride on a new RTA Healthline bus sponsored by University Hospitals and Cleveland Clinic. We traveled to West 6th Street for the Block Party with $5 specials on food and drink. People enjoyed sidewalk seating while listening to the well-performed music of The Breakfast Club on the street or climbed the stairs to the Velvet Dog's rooftop to hear the reggae sound of Umojah Nation.

10,000 Little (micro) Ideas has been in the visioneering mode since organizers Erin Smith and Kiley Smith started brainstorming with others. As Kiley says, "A lot of people wanted to get engaged, and at our first event in 2007, we voted on top five visions to take action on and move Cleveland in a new direction." The group started with idea people who continue to make things happen with volunteers and community support. You can become a Friend for just $10 a year and help the organization make dreams (or visions) come true, one at a time.

Early brainstorming sessions gave birth to the Cleveland Apprenticeship Program, which is designed to combat brain drain and described by Kiley Smith as "a Donald Trump competition between Beachwood and Solon, to show why Cleveland is a cool place." Other not so micro ideas include the lighting up of Tremont and Rockefeller Park, which are proceeding with plan sketches, petitions signings, and grant writing.

The organization raised $850,000 in state money after organizing a wind rally that gained public consensus to make wind power a reality in the region.

In order to register for Saturday's event, every registrant had to share a vision. The group is determined to catch as many visions as it can and make a difference in our home town. Kiley Smith says, "the idea is to spread the word, be actively happy and impressed" with Cleveland.

Share your ideas for Cleveland’s future by going visiting http://www.10000littleideas.com, reading others' visions for Cleveland's future, and adding your own. Tell those who care how you'd like to see a lakefront parkway, windmills out in the water, homeless hubs, or gardens on rooftops. Your ideas might seem small, but many "micro" ideas add up to big vision, just like how we remember fireflies lighting up the night when we were kids. I can't wait to see some of the 10,000 ideas released to success.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Claudia J. Taller ctallerwritesATwowway.com

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