Akron Public Schools Students Collect New Socks for Students Experiencing Homelessness

Students in the Rimer CLC NOW Program with teacher,
Ms. Kalil, and the socks they collected for Project RISE.

 

 

This fall, groups of students from three different APS schools participated in a sock collection project for Project RISE. This special project, called “Socktober” began in October of 2014 at Sam Salem Elementary School. The Project was started by Megan Kalil and her students in the N.O.W. Program (No Opportunity Wasted). This year, socks were collected at Sam Salem CLC, Rimer CLC and Litchfield Middle School.

Christmas for the Love of Children

OPEN M Ministry Spreads Christmas Cheer

Story by Aimee Juarez

 

As you may know, last week was our Christmas for the Love of Children food and gift distribution. In the days following the event, the entire staff here was beaming with Christmas spirit and joy. It seemed to touch each of us equally, but in different ways. For many of OPEN M staffers, the pure bewilderment of the parents and anticipation of each child’s excitement was the most impactful.

Preserving Farmland in Ohio

With sadness we mark the passing of Darwin Kelsey, the architect of the Cuyahoga Valley Conservancy.  In his honor we are rerunning from our archives the story on the Conservancy based largely on interviewing Darwin.

 

Story by Katie Sobiech

 

The policy produced by the Summit County Food Policy Coalition calls for two measurable action items:

1) eliminate food deserts in Summit County,
2) preserve farmland within Summit County.

We reported on efforts to identify and measure food deserts in our story from January 10th, 2014.

We investigated one very successful effort to preserve farm land.

Setting an Example

Story Courtesy of Summit Education Initiative

 

Photo Courtesy of International Institute of Akron

 

 

SEI guides 16 for Success kit training for community partner

While the bulk of Summit Education Initiative (SEI)’s work occurs behind-the-scenes, sometimes face-to-face conversation and in-person demonstrations best represent our support for community partners and their work.

In fall 2016, Dr. Matthew Deevers, senior research associate at SEI, joined the International Institute of Akron (IIA)’s education department for a series of 16 for Success kit training sessions with local families. While the dialogue and activity in each session helps teach parents how to use different aspects of the kit, the ultimate goal of the training is to help their children begin kindergarten on track for success.

Gary Wyatt shares his path of redemption, commitment and leadership

Gary Wyatt,
Photo Courtesy of Leadership Akron

 

Story by Laura Ofobike – Courtesy of Leadership Akron Class ’12

 

Gary Wyatt has been on both sides of the addiction divide. Speaking to a Leadership on Main audience, the co-founder of North Hill Community House told a compelling story of personal redemption and commitment, and surprisingly to himself, leadership.

As a child, he saw his parents’ struggles with alcoholism and poverty. When he was a student and an athlete at Garfield High School, he did a “little alcohol and a little pot” now and then, he said, but never anything that got him into trouble. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy after high school to see the world, served four years and returned to Akron in 1989.