To read about past winners:
2009 Smart Living Award Winners
2008 Smart Living Award Winners
2007 Smart Living Award Winners
2006 Smart Living Award Winners

The 2009 Smart Living Awards

Judson at University Circle is pleased to announce its 2009 Smart Living Award winners.

The Smart Living Awards recognize individuals of all ages who are dedicated to the dynamic atmosphere of University Circle.  Winners are recognized in the categories of Arts, Education, Healthcare, Philanthropy, and Volunteerism.  Judson culled nominations from its fellow University Circle institutions and the public.

Be sure to look for 2010’s call for nominations in February 2010. For more information, contact Rob Lucarelli, (216) 791-2321, rlucarelli@judsonsmartliving.org.

Ann Albano, Arts

Sculpture is about so much more than public monuments or marble fixtures. For those who equate sculpture with chiseled faces of historical heroes, Ann Albano and The Sculpture Center deliver a refreshing surprise.
            “Much of the sculpture done today is constructed out of nontraditional materials and is created not to express the beauty of the form, but to convey contemporary ideas,” explains Ann Albano, executive director and curator.
            Similarly, Albano has taken the charge on introducing acclaimed sculptors to the region, including Richard Hunt, arguably one of the most prominent sculptors living today. Steven Litt, Plain Dealer art and architecture critic, called this exhibition one of the four most important of 2008.
            Albano is tickled. “It was quite a coup for us,” she says.
            Located in University Circle for the last 20 years, the Sculpture Center’s mission is to present exhibitions by contemporary early career Ohio artists and sculptors of the greater region, including border states and Ontario, Canada. Under Albano’s direction, the institution has experienced a renaissance of sorts—a “hip” revival thanks to her energy and passion for bringing breaking talent and accomplished sculpture to the Circle.
            In the time that the Cleveland Museum of Art was closed for renovations, The Sculpture Center played a key role in engaging visitors. “Having this confluence of arts institutions in this location is very beneficial,” Albano says, noting that out-of-town guests may stop at The Sculpture Center first, and then ask her, “Where next?”
            She helped forge a strong relationship with the Cleveland Institute of Art, providing learning and exhibition opportunities for students and faculty. The reputation of The Sculpture Center continues to escalate, and Albano recognizes the institution’s offerings. There simply aren’t many centers like it. “People are amazed by the different visual opportunities that occur when they are here,” she says.

David Brown, Arts

He’s got the beat. And for 40 years, David Brown has been teaching University Circle’s musicians and dancers to master problematic rhythms through eurhythmics, an integration of movement and music. He retires this year from the Dalcroze Eurhythmics Department at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he got hooked on the practice as a student.
            Before Brown even earned his degree, he was invited to teach a course in the department. “Some of my first students were older than me,” he remembers, a sophomore at the time. Brown majored in organ and eurhythmics, and has generously shared his talents through teaching and performance. For 25 years, he served as music director for the Euclid Avenue Christian Church (now Disciples Christian Church).
            Brown has left his mark on programs all over the country, traveling to teach workshops that impart rhythm, a critical sixth sense for musicians.
            “My ‘aha moments’ are when students awaken to rhythm,” he says, admitting that he inherently transcribes the rhythms imbedded in everyday life. “I’ll be driving and listening to [classic music station] WCLV and I’ll see someone walking, and maybe they are on the off-beat—they don’t know it,” he quips.
            What Brown imparts stays with students for life.
            Many return from other conservatory experiences and thank him for giving them a tool to understand and master difficult rhythms. “Rhythm is really a sensation or feeling—its not intellect or counting,” says Brown, whose prominent role in his field has highlighted University Circle as a progressive center for the arts.

William Jones, Arts

 As a backstage business brain at the Cleveland Play House, William Jones has served the theater’s board for more than 30 years. During that time, the Play House expanded its facility and evolved into the country’s largest regional theater complex under one roof.
            “I was intrigued with the idea of the Play House growing and needing some business help to form their plans and run the operation,” says Jones, whose activities until that point had centered on business. He was president of Junior Achievement and the Harvard Business School Club, and first chairman of the Council for Smaller Enterprises (COSE).
            Jones came to Cleveland in 1948, the year the Indians won the World Series and the city was alive with innovation. “I found it to be an exciting town ever since,” says Jones, who was attracted here from Chicago by the nationally recognized industrialist, Fred Crawford of Thompson Products.
            Today, Jones is president of DynaMotors, holds two electronic control patents and has directed new electronic product development and commercialization programs. He serves on the board of Case Western Reserve University’s Great Lakes Institute for Energy Innovation, promoting green technology.
            Jones continues to entertain his artistic side through involvement in a play reading group he started with his late wife, Betty. In its 50-plus years, the club has “produced” more than 400 plays at members’ homes. “We don’t just sit on a stool and read,” Jones says, animated. “People shoot each other, pour drinks, look out the window, fall down and so forth.”           
            In “real life,” Jones invests his time in talent in University Circle through his involvement at Case. “The University Circle area has so many premiere, world-class organizations,” he says.
            Jones is a charter member of South Franklin Circle, Judson’s new Chautauqua-inspired community in Chagrin Falls.

Roe Green, Philanthropy

Roe Green has five oranges. One she eats. One she saves. Three, she gives away.
            Those three “oranges” go a long way toward funding the arts by exposing students to theater opportunities and introducing world-class productions to Cleveland. “Everything I have given away I have gotten back ten-fold,” says Green, who is this year’s winner of the State of Ohio’s Governor Award for Philanthropy.
            Green credits students for her repeated funding “encores”—students she touches during her visiting professorships at Kent State University (KSU) or University of Colorado, where she graduated with a theater and communications degree. She gains energy from students who invite her to their Broadway performances and tell her things like, “this experience was life altering.”
            “Theater education is extremely important to me,” Green says, passionately. She proves this by her actions; Green is a major force behind the arts at KSU where her donation funded a brand new center for theater. Beyond theater, Green also funded the library at Case Western Reserve University, a University Circle landmark named for her father.
            Green is a world traveler and member of the Century Club—she has visited 148 countries because “the world is my classroom,” she says. Her philanthropic grace has touched every theater in Cleveland. “There is more theater in Cleveland than there are people,” she remarks, sobering as she addresses the seriousness of funding for an arts. She recalls when four productions were running in Cleveland at one time, all of them thanks to her “oranges.”
            Green is a champion of collaboration, a firm believer that arts organizations must band together. Embodying this mantra, she supports the Cleveland Play House’s innovative FusionFest, a multidisciplinary performing arts festival featuring new work. Green has served as honorary producer since its inception in 2006. This year, she sponsored playwright Lee Blessing and his project to adapt the Thornton Wilder novel, Heaven’s My Destiny. It will be produced as a world premiere at the Cleveland Play House.

Steve Hansler, Healthcare

The few steps leading to a home’s front door can be a painful obstacle for people with mobility issues. Housing that is affordable often is not accessible, but Steve Hansler has helped change that reality as CEO of Maximum Accessible Housing of Ohio (MAHO).
            “Someone may have all the abilities in the world, but if they don’t have the ability to get out of their house and go to work or school, they are stuck,” Hansler says.
            MAHO has built and managed five independent accessible living communities for individuals with mobility issues. Its first facility in University Circle houses 50 individuals. MAHO is in the process of finalizing funding to build a new building next door to its current location. Hansler interviews every person who applies to live in the facilities—he has watched residents move in and grow as individuals who work and participate in the community. 
            University Circle is a prime location for the MAHO building, Hansler says. Tenants take full advantage of the area’s cultural opportunities and world-class medical facilities.
            Concurrently, MAHO plays an equally important role in enriching the diversity of University Circle, Hansler says.            
            “When people talk about diversity, they often don’t think about including people with disabilities,” he relates. “But by providing a place in University Circle for people with disabilities to live, this population becomes part of the fabric of the community.

Lynne Wiseman, Healthcare

In the words of Joan Baez, “Every day is a new chance to get it right.” Lynne Wiseman lives these words as a volunteer counselor in the behavioral health department at The Cleveland Free Clinic.
            “I love giving back,” Wiseman says. “I love working with a population that doesn’t have the perfect days that some of us have. And I gain energy from working with selfless, giving people who feel the same way I do.”
            The Cleveland Free Clinic is a staple offering quality health care free of charge to those who lack appropriate alternatives. Wiseman sees her work at the clinic as a privilege. There, she provides psychotherapy to clients with an array of emotional disorders and mental illnesses.
            Her most gratifying moments are when patients recognize their own strength.
            Wiseman sets an example of resilience, and her positive attitude is contagious. “I think the world can get better. I really do believe that,” she says.
            Her dream of fusing together the Free Clinic’s mental health department and medical clinic is becoming a reality. “In this economic climate, the balance of health care needs have changed, and psychotherapy is really crucial to chronic disease management,” she says. Wiseman works in both departments now, calling on her skills as a nurse and counselor.
            Wiseman is on the national register for Red Cross disaster relief, and she is a PhD candidate in counseling psychology at the University of Akron.
            Humbly, Wiseman says of her colleagues at the Free Clinic, “We can’t manage without the team."

Barbara Stanczak, Education

Barbara Stanczak opens minds, introduces diversity and helps students at the Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA) find themselves. It’s not an easy task, to persistently push students’ limits, but its one that gives Stanczak great pleasure, knowing she can make a difference so early in an artist’s career.
            She does this by encouraging students to explore ideas through drawing, painting, sculpting and other disciplines. Eventually, a medium clicks.
            “I help them clarify the confusion in their minds and build the students’ work on who they are, what they really want, what comes easy, what is in their bloodstream,” says Stanczak, who has taught at CIA for 32 years.
            Stanczak was born in Germany in the middle of World War II, and moved to Cincinnati in 1960 to help her grandfather finish a fresco painting, and attend school.
            “There is something about America that is very catchy,” she muses. “The openness. The tolerance. The psychological freedom that liberates you to pursue what you want, as long as you work hard.”
            She moved to Northeast Ohio with her husband, Julian, in 1964 when he was appointed to CIA faculty. Then, she immersed herself in University Circle’s cultural offerings, taking German literature at Case Western Reserve University, and continuing her art. A lifelong learner, she earned a masters from Case, and from CIA in art education/art history.
            Stanczak herself has explored a variety of media before finding her true love: sculpture. Previously, she painted and worked with copper and in relief construction. “Then I freed myself from the wall and went to the floor and pedestal,” she says, noting her preference for involving her whole body in the creation of art.
            Stanczak has spent most of her learning life in University Circle. “The various institutions being so close reinforce one another and make a really wonderful world, a little geode,” she says.

Ruth Rubin, Volunteer

Ruth Rubin never misses a show and she always has a free ticket.
            That’s one benefit of volunteering for Severance Hall, the Cleveland Play House and Public Hall. She enjoys lectures and takes in the Cleveland Orchestra’s entire concert season. She watches the Cleveland Pops play, and sits in on play rehearsals.
            “I’m out of the house pretty much every day doing something,” says Rubin, 83, who came to this country in 1939 as a 14-year old refugee from Germany.
            Rubin gives generously of her time, choosing to volunteer her time at organizations where she will learn something new, or make an impact on others. “It’s not hard to find a place to put your head,” she says. “If I have free time, I want to put my energy where it matters.”
            She began by helping out close to home, in Cleveland Heights. She has been active in the Heights Hunger Center there for more than 30 years, serving as director at one time. When her daughter-in-law was diagnosed with cancer, Rubin began volunteering at The Gathering Place. Ten years later, she is still active there, helping out in its library.
            She serves on a patient advisory council at University Hospitals, and she talks to school children about the holocaust through a group called Face-to-Face. She tells stories and acts out plays. And weekly she sings with a group of 15 women who travel to nursing homes.
             “People are what it’s all about,” she says. “Volunteering puts you in touch with lots of wonderful people.”

Jean Sacatsh, Volunteer

Jean doesn’t miss a single morning of aqua aerobics at the Judson Wellness Center. You’ll see her there with her cornflower blue eyes and bright smile. Or, you may spot the avid gardener digging in the plant beds and caring for flowers at the Church of the Covenant. She also helps out at the Cleveland Botanical Garden’s children’s garden.
            “My involvement in University Circle is pretty complete,” she says, a humble underestimation of just how much she does to help others in the community.
            Setting a positive example is what Sacatsh does best. She has played a guiding role in the Eden Alternative Program at Judson by helping to create an intergenerational learning program with children and Judson residents. Sacatsh taught speech and language therapy for 30 years, so the program is a “perfect fit,” she says. “It expands children’s horizons.”
            Kindergarten and second-grade classes visit Judson twice weekly to participate in a story hour. “We choose a topic that children are curious about and Judson residents chime in to share their experiences,” says Sacatsh, who can tell children what it’s like to visit the North Pole or Africa. She has traveled extensively.
            Sacatsh also volunteers at the Shaker Heights Public Library and spends free time reading, helping out at church or assisting Judson residents.
            “I’ve had a wonderful life, and it’s important to share that kind of thing,” she says. “That’s what it’s all about.”

Ella Mae Johnson: Lifetime Achievement

She was the oldest attendee at President Barack Obama’s inauguration. She didn’t flinch at the possibility of tight security, unprecedented crowds, and the chaos of it all. She braved the cold, wrapped in a blue down sleeping bag with only her eyes and nose showing.
            Ella Mae Johnson, 105 years “young,” is a trailblazer who passionately pursued a career helping others in need. And she wasn’t going to miss this event.
            “I want my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren to be able to say, ‘She was there,” says Johnson, a graduate of Fisk University who holds a masters degree in social work from Case Western Reserve University.
            Johnson’s carefully planned trip was a success, thanks to support from Judson staff. Senator Sherrod Brown provided her tickets to watch the inauguration.
            Johnson has dedicated her life to social justice. Her first job after graduating from Fisk was as a social worker for a church in Raleigh, N.C. There, she met a friend who told her about Case’s School of Applied Social Sciences. She came to Cleveland in fall 1926 to pursue a social work degree here.
            Since that time, Johnson has worked with the Cuyahoga County Department of Welfare, where she counseled a woman named Louise Stokes, mother of Louis and Carl, now respected politicians. She has served on all levels of the board of the United Church of Christ, and is a member of the Mount Zion Congregational Church.
            In her 105 years, Johnson has achieved many milestones, including winning a book deal this year. She celebrated her 100th birthday by rallying friends and family to raise $3,000 for Kenya’s AIDS epidemic. She has felt a connection to the country since visiting there in 1973.
            All said, Johnson has visited 30 countries on five continents—and this trip to Washington D.C. proves her wanderlust and zest for life is still going strong.