Summit County Children Services, with support of its Citizen’s Advisory Committee (CAC), recently hosted the 8th Annual Community Appreciation Breakfast to recognize and thank volunteers, businesses, organizations and community leaders for their support of Summit County Children Services and the children and families in Summit County. The slogan for this year’s Child and Family Awareness Month was “A Family is the Sunshine in My Day.”
The 2017 “Champions for Children” included:
Public Service Award Recipient:
Rep. Emilia Sykes, Ohio House District
Community Partner Award Recipient:
OhioGuidestone
Corporate Support Award Recipient:
Summit Federal Credit Union
Community Support Award Recipients:
· Darrell & Sandy Coontz
· Holy Trinity Lutheran Church
· Temple Israel
· Bike Lady, Inc.
· Grafton Correctional Institution
Scott Rubes and Jennie Shuki
Lt. John ‘Ed’ Duvall, Jr. Awards included:
Detective of the Year
Det. Scott Rubes, Akron Police Department
Outstanding Service
Jennie Shuki, Summit County Prosecutor’s Office
In addition to the awards listed above, two local families were presented with “Family Achievement Awards” for their commitment to caring for children and for exhibiting a positive family life. One family provided kinship care for a child for several years through Summit County Children Services until receiving legal custody earlier this year, and the other worked with agency staff to achieve successful reunification amidst both parents battling an opiate addiction.
And, a “Youth Achievement Award” was also given to a youth in custody for being a positive role model for other youth and receiving a full ride scholarship for college.
The 8th Annual Community Appreciation Breakfast was the official conclusion to this year’s Child & Family Awareness Month© celebration which has been observed throughout Summit County for the past 30 years. Under the leadership of Summit County Children Services, numerous agencies and organizations have formed a unique network committed to strengthening family life using community education as a vehicle for child abuse prevention. This network plans and implements a broad range of activities and educational initiatives during the month designed to build a solid foundation of community support for children and families.
