The City Behind the Park

Where collaboration creates a legacy

Fostering just and inclusive communities of choice

The Irishtown Bend Park project will have an extensive impact on our community. The Mandel Foundation believes in the growth and vitality of Cleveland’s neighborhoods, which ultimately spurred our decision to invest in this project through a significant challenge grant. The efforts to increase leadership through the involvement of all residents bordering the location of the park closely aligns with the Foundation’s mission and commitment to investing in community leaders and fostering just and inclusive communities of choice.

— Jehuda Reinharz Mandel Foundation President & CEO

The vision for Irishtown Bend Park is made possible by a unique collaboration of community partners from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors working together to transform vacant land into publicly accessible green space, preserve maritime operations vital to Northeast Ohio, ensure continued water quality improvements, and spur economic development and recreational opportunities along the Cuyahoga River.

Project partners have spent more than a decade assembling over a dozen parcels, enabling a massive, 23-acre green space that will transform the Irishtown Bend hillside, near west neighborhoods, the city of Cleveland, and the entire Northeast Ohio region.

Thanks to partner collaboration, funds have been raised and work is underway to stabilize the Irishtown Bend hillside, but significant additional support is needed to capitalize on the generational opportunity to make Irishtown Bend Park a reality — creating a spectacular community asset and a legacy for future generations.

PARTNERS INCLUDE:

Strategy & Campaign Committee

Partner organizations have gone above and beyond to make Irishtown Bend Park come to life. However, there is a core set of individuals who serve as partners and strategic advisors to the project. The members of the Irishtown Bend Park Strategy & Campaign Committee work as one to advocate for the project, to finalize Park plans, raise funds toward the $45 million capital

Committee of Champions

goal, and ensure long-term programming, maintenance, and operations.

This group assists in making connections to key partners, potential donors, civic organizations, government agencies, and elected officials. The group also advises, supports, and participates in the development and implementation of the project team’s fundraising strategy.

The Committee of Champions is a team of community members that help ensure diverse stakeholder perspectives are equitably and inclusively heard, acknowledged, and acted upon throughout the development process for Irishtown Bend Park. The Committee of Champions supports and promotes engagement by:

● Advising on how best to connect with the community

● Identifying stakeholders to participate in events and activities

● Promoting opportunities that encourage participation

● Sharing feedback from the community with the project team

● Communicating with the residents about the design process

● Coordinating engagement activities

● Participating in regular committee meetings

A long-term goal for the Committee of Champions is to develop a framework for other regions to incorporate community engagement into development projects, giving community members a stake in decision making.

Equality and accessibility are top priorities

Equality and accessibility have been top priorities as we design and develop Irishtown Bend Park. We want it to be as culturally inviting to as many people as possible. We formed the Committee of Champions, comprised of residents of Riverview Tower and Lakeview Terrace — public housing connected to this Park—to provide a voice that often goes unheard in development projects. They are speaking on behalf of 3,000 public housing residents that are just now gaining access to healthy green space. It’s a powerful group, and they have contributed greatly to this Park already.

— Whitnye Long Jones Director of Community Engagement, Ohio City Incorporated