The inaugural City Club in the City features Geoffrey Canada, president and CEO of Harlem Children’s Zone. An expert and leader on issues concerning violence, children, and community development, Canada believes it takes governmental, community, and personal innovation and bravery to turn around lives. His appearance is presented by the Cleveland Clinic.

The Geoffrey Canada City Club in the City will take place on Monday, December 3, 2007, 4:30 p.m., at Fatima Family Center, 6600 Lexington Avenue, Cleveland. More space is now available for this previously sold-out event. Tickets to the Forum are FREE and available on a first come, first served basis by calling The City Club at 216.621.0082.

“City Club in the City is a key component of our diversity initiative, which will bring the traditional City Club Forum to new communities,” says City Club immediate past president and Diversity Committee co-chair Courtney DeOreo. “Cleveland is a city in transition, and our community would greatly benefit from hearing different perspectives on the issues that we face as a region. With the recent loss of too many young people in our city, Geoffrey Canada comes at a time when we need to assess how best to address youth violence in our community.”

“We are thankful to KeyBank for providing the financial support to help launch this very important series,” says James Foster, executive director of The City Club. “We are looking forward to reaching new audiences and introducing our brand of civic dialogue to many more members of the community.”

A Platform for Resurgent

Chris Warren, chief of regional development for the City of Cleveland, will speak about the administration’s platform for development and how it will spark a resurgence for the region at noon on Tuesday, December 4, 2007, at The City Club of Cleveland. The program includes a special introduction by Mayor Frank Jackson.

As chief of regional development, Warren’s responsibilities include working to develop a regional approach that will help build the economy in the region and ensure the future of the City of Cleveland. He also overseas six City departments, ranging from Economic Development to Port Control.

Warren was previously president of ShoreBank Enterprise Group, a nonprofit affiliate of ShoreBank Corporation. He joined ShoreBank in 2002 after a 12-year stint with the City of Cleveland as the director of community development and the director of economic development. His work with Cleveland neighborhood organizations dates back 35 years during which time he worked as a community organizer and neighborhood housing professional. Warren was the founding director of Tremont West Development Corporation and one of the founders and first executive director of Cleveland Housing Network.

Warren serves on the boards of Community Housing Solutions, New Village Corporation, Cleveland Development Advisors, and Entrepreneurs for Sustainability.

This City Club Special Forum is sponsored by National City.

Tickets for this City Club Special Program are $15 for members and $25 for non-members. Lunch is included. They can be purchased by calling The City Club at 216.621.0082 or visiting the website at www.cityclub.org.