I moved to Cleveland Heights from Chicago in 2006 with my husband and two young sons. We immediately loved it – it was beautiful and comfortable and looked just like us – black and white. Not long after we settled in, I met Chessie Bleick at the Friends of Cain Park booth at the Arts Festival. The small tent bustled with activity and Chessie was at the center of it all. Chessie was full of light. Her bright blue eyes and open heart made you feel like an instant friend. How prophetic. I told her of my history selling jewelry at Arts Festivals around the country. How I rarely did it anymore, but loved the vibe of artists and creativity and selling. Without skipping a beat she “summoned” me to take a shift selling water and raffle tickets at the Friends booth. Those were the days when you could win the coveted chain saw from Seitz-Agan, gift cards from restaurants on Lee Road or coupons to milkshakes from Tommy’s. So how could I say no?
I couldn’t?
For thirteen I’ve been a Board Member of Friends of Cain Park, selling water, memberships, and planning annual fundraisers under the promenade – for the past five (check) years, I’ve been missing Chessie whose vibrant life was taken by cancer in 2015.
In February 2012, my husband and I celebrated our birthdays with a big party and invited Chessie. Her gift to us was a brick to be placed outside the box office at Cain Park. It is one of the most beautiful gifts I have every received. It is thoughtful. It is unique. It is permanent.
Every time I go to a concert, or the Arts Fest or sell memberships on Residents Day, I find my brick and think of Chessie, who found Friends of Cain Park nearly 30 years ago – to keep Cain Park strong and vibrant. In those moments in the Park I love, I recommit to keep Friends of Cain Park going and growing, because that’s what Chessie would summon us all to do for the community she loved so dearly.
Lisa Manzari
