Dennis VanFossen Jr. is an experienced Marketing, Events, and Operations professional from Akron, Ohio, who resides in Canton, Ohio. Currently, he’s the Interim Executive Director of the International Soap Box Derby, where he will utilize his over 25 years of Derby Experience and knowledge to grow the Soap Box Derby into its 100th Anniversary.
Prior to this role, Dennis expanded his leadership, storytelling, and sales skills through roles as an Independent Sales Consultant and the Minister of Culture at a local brewery, where he shaped culture initiatives, marketing, and events programming.
Dennis’s deep expertise was honed during his tenure with the Pro Football Hall of Fame, where he created and sold high-profile private, public, and special events, activated sponsorships, developed relationships and cultivated Gold Jacket Relations.
Early in his career, he was a graduate of the University of Akron and gained training through his time at Walt Disney World in the Disney College Program. He continues to leverage his academic background, coupled with hands-on experience, to deliver engaging experiences, drive sales performance, and cultivate community relationships.
At our August 5th meeting, Sierra Oden, the President of Akron Torchbearers, enlightened the audience about the Torchbearers organization, its collaboration, and leadership development in the Greater Akron community.
Torchbearers and Rotary are similar in several meaningful ways such as prioritizing service and making a positive impact on our community.
Their members have volunteered with us in the past and we are excited to partner on more projects moving forward. We appreciate all they do in our community!
What we learned
Torchbearers ignites the aspirations of members through leadership and development, community engagement, and service.
They are young leaders, between 25 and 39 years old, that are powerful, vibrant, and have a passion for impacting the Greater Akron community.
Sierra also talked about how their members are change-makers who believe in possibility and participate in creating a shared vision for evolving our community.
Its members are encouraged to be a part of shaping Akron through leading initiatives and programs that have a concrete positive impact.
They have provided over 2,500 services hours per year serving over 300 organizations. Over 125 members have been recipients of '30 For The Future'.
Volunteers are needed for the One Hot Meal and Food Pantry at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church.
We began helping the folks at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church with their One Hot Meal Program the week of Thanksgiving in 2024 and had a wonderful Rotarian turnout to help serve.
The Rotarians involved loved the project and the the Church now does this once a month, on a smaller scale.
We have scheduled volunteer opportunities to serve once a month through the end of the calendar year.
Time: 4:45 pm - 6:30 pm
Location: Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, 129 S. Union Street, Akron, OH 44304
Click on the respective Tuesday below to view available time slots and book yourself to volunteer directly online.
We are honored to welcome District 6630 District Governor Bob Oborn to our Club on Tuesday, August 26, 2025. This is a very important and exciting event for our Club and a great opportunity to connect directly with District leadership.
During his visit, DG Bob will share insights about District 6630, including his initiatives and goals for the year that impact all clubs. Bob is known for being personable, engaging, and full of energy, so you won’t want to miss this!
We encourage all members to attend either in person or via Zoom.
