Kairos gives inmates a religious foundation for life on the outside

Story by Lyndsey Schley

Kairos Prison Ministry is a volunteer group that uses Christian programming to teach inmates life lessons to help them become better members of the community.

Kairos is an international organization that has programs at 25 correctional institutions in the state of Ohio.

Prisoner involvement starts with a three and a half day weekend program and homemade cookies, Volunteer Ken Schley said.

YMCA offers Free Memberships for Drug Court Diversion Participants

Y-STRONG Helps Accompany Alternative Sentences through Summit County Courts

— The Akron Area YMCA announces “Y-STRONG” – a program developed to assist defendants battling addiction.

The program was the result of the YMCA’s collaboration with Judge Thomas A. Teodosio and Judge Joy Malek Oldfield, who preside over two Summit County drug courts.

“Y-STRONG” is a three-month complimentary YMCA membership available for participants of Summit County Common Pleas Court’s Turning Point Program and the Akron Municipal Court’s Recovery Court who have maintained six months of sobriety and are exhibiting positive life-style changes.

Project RISE Partners with the Cuyahoga Valley National Parks

Providing Educational Opportunities for
Families Experiencing Homelessness

 

This summer, Project RISE partnered with the Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP) to provide several educational and recreational programs for families served by Project RISE. Project RISE (Realizing Individual Strength Through Education), is a federally funded program that aims to remove educational barriers to students experiencing housing instability.

Education for Akron’s Bhutanese Refugees Part 3

Story by Tom Crain

Education beyond K-12

Educational requirements for Summit County refugees 18 years and older are serviced through Project Learn, an organization spearheading the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) instruction. Project Learn is part of Adult Basic and Literacy Education (ABLE) through the state of Ohio and is funded by the Ohio Board of Regents. It also receives support from United Way of Summit County, GAR and Akron Community Foundation.

Project Learn partners with local refugee resettlement organizations, including International Institute of Akron (IIA), Asian Services in Action (ASIA) and World Relief, to administer classes.  There are 64 different countries represented in Project Learn’s ESOL program, with over 40 languages spoken. At any one time, there are 20 classes held at various sites throughout the county, with a current enrollment of 550 students, many of whom are refugees.