Christina Hodgkinson, Director of Resident Services, Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority
Resident Services provides various service coordination to over 20,000 low income residents of all ages living in AMHA housing or various subsidized housing within Summit County. The goals of the department are to help maintain stable communities, encourage economic independence and educational attainment, improve quality of life, and obtain adequate resources to support our efforts. Many of the programming support residents from birth to death.
This Friday and Saturday, May 15 and 16, we will be doing a Rotary drive to help a local non-profit organization with their COVID mask-making efforts. We will be collecting any used but clean/good condition 100% cotton fabric in the form of sheets, dress shirts, quilting fabric, or any other fabric (no polyester blends, only 100% cotton). These materials will be donated to a local non-profit based in North Hill that employs refugee seamstresses to make masks that will be distributed where needed. Please place your items in a plastic bag by 5:00 Friday, May 15. Bags will be picked up between 5:00 Friday evening and 3:00 PM Saturday.
Please call, text or email June the following information: Your name, address, and location of bag(s) (front porch, etc.)
If you are also interested in doing a few pickups from other Rotarians in your part of town, just let me know – would love to have help!
The purpose of Rotary Cares is to show our support for Akron Rotary members and their families when dealing with the loss of a loved one, the hardship of illness and also to celebrate the joy of a new baby, job, marriage or other events in their lives. Please be sure to email me (click here) with any news you would like placed here.
CONGRATULATIONS . . .
To the 2020 graduates ... we applaud each of you and all of your achievements!!
Best of luck in the next phase of your life.
BABIES ON THE WAY . . .
> In a few weeks, John Daily will become a great grandfather for the 6th time!!
> In about 6 months, Dr. Rob McGregor will be getting another grandchild added to the family!!
What a great Club meeting on May 12th. Joe Swiatkowski is the president of Hickory Harvest Foods and 2 subsidiary companies and gave us a wonderful virtual tour of his company. This company is truly a gem in our community!
The Swiatkowski family owns and operates food processing and manufacturing companies all in Akron, Ohio. Their breadth of products include nuts, dried fruits, organics, chocolate, and yogurts.
Thank you for the 'insiders view' of your operations and history!
It's NOT too late to keep collecting your change!! We have another month to save up for our “Coin Boxes” – even while we are not meeting – this will help ease the “overflow” in your home Piggy Banks! We can still collect through May 31st, 2020!
Hope you will join me and put forth the good deeds of our Akron Rotary Club.
Just let me know if you have change for me - I can arrange a safe way to pick it up from you!!
In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation which designated May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which that date falls as Police Week. Currently, tens of thousands of law enforcement officers from around the world converge on Washington, DC to participate in a number of planned events which honor those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice.
The Memorial Service began in 1982 as a gathering in Senate Park of approximately 120 survivors and supporters of law enforcement. Decades later, the event, more commonly known as National Police Week, has grown to a series of events which attracts thousands of survivors and law enforcement officers to our Nation's Capital each year.
The National Peace Officers Memorial Service, which is sponsored by the Grand Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police, is one in a series of events which includes the Candlelight Vigil, which is sponsored by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) and seminars sponsored by Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.)
National Police Week draws in between 25,000 to 40,000 attendees. The attendees come from departments throughout the United States as well as from agencies throughout the world. This provides a unique opportunity to meet others who work in law enforcement. In that spirit, the Fraternal Order of Police DC Lodge #1 sponsors receptions each afternoon and evening during Police Week. These events are open to all law enforcement personnel and are an experience unlike any other.
We met as a committee via Zoom in April, but cancelled our May meeting due to events dictated by Covid-19. Schools were not in session and both RYE Eastern trip (March) and Western trip (June) were cancelled. Susan agreed to write a final report for the Board of Directors meeting on May 12.
Last month’s activities -
Zoé Mayeur returned to her home in Brussels, Belgium, April 6. This return was requested by her parents.
Elin Na returned to her home in Yeoju-si (city), Gyeonggi-do (Province), South Korea on April 16. This return was requested by her parents.
On-line RYE District activities, set up by Shelia Hedrick, Inbound Chair, with Susan as District Trainer, Brian Chima as Animator. We met for the first two Saturdays with both the Inbound and Outbound groups for two hours with the goal of giving students 1) information they needed to deal with the Covid-19 crisis, 2) a chance to see one another, 3) ability to talk about their experiences and 4) opportunity to have some fun on -line. We changed meeting times. Brian Chima joined for the following two Thursdays and led fun interactive tasks. The number of students remaining in the district has dwindled to four (3 from Brazil; 1 from Thailand). They plan to remain in the U.S. until June 15.
Ohio-Erie, (Rotary’s governing body of 17 states consortium) cancelled the Short-Term (summer) Exchange and the 2020-2021 Long-Term Exchange as of April 29, 2020, given the risks, unknowns and worldwide effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. There is a slight possibility that U.S. students may be able to do a partial exchange in January 2021, but that is to be determined by Ohio-Erie later in the late summer or early fall.
As the Rotary Club of Akron, we specified our club’s concerns to the district and to Ohio-Erie in moving NOT to recommend going forward with the 2020-2021 exchange. Our committee concluded that given the unknowns of Covid-19, its cyclical nature, the difficulty of finding host families during such a crisis and finding schools willing to accept foreign students, there would be a negative impact of Covid-19 on normal RYE activities into the foreseeable future. We recommended not participating in a 2020-2021 exchange. No Outbound, No Inbound. If there were to be a sudden positive change in the behavior of Covid-19, the committee would be open to more discussion.
Lydia Olin Hitt, our Outbound Student, was assigned to France. Lydia was asked by the district chair, Bob Heydorn, if she would consider doing an exchange if the program was delayed. She said yes to a delay of a couple months; maybe to a semester delay. Given the option to do the exchange in 2021-2022, Lydia said it would not fin fit into her university plans. Given the option to do a virtual exchange in 2020-2021, she said it would be difficult because of the demands of senior year and getting into college, but she might consider it. However, she did not feel it would be a good choice for her.
Thank you’s. I sent Thank You’s to our host parents since we could not send a club-signed card this year.
Celebrating Rotary Club of Akron’s participation in the Rotary Youth Exchange.
We can be very pleased with the club’s participation this year. We had a HUGE level of Rotary members involved with welcoming, hosting, supporting and inviting this year’s exchange students.
Welcome Party. This started with June Ring’s who hosted the welcome party in August, and invited all host families, RYE committee members and the club’s executive committee.
Rotarian Host families. We had the highest level of Rotarian Host Families this year. Tom and Anita Gedelian were the primary hosts for Elin Na and they were exceptional hosts. Elin also became part of the family at Jill Flagg Lanzinger’s during winter break. Jacinto Nuñez’ family also hosted Elin for a couple of weeks at a time at various periods. Both families were prepared to do more!! Elin felt very welcomed by our club and left a souvenir (to be distributed) for every Rotarian who usually attends our luncheons. We were so lucky to have these great families on board.
Rotary Club. Other Rotary members were involved in a variety of different ways: personal invitations or just supporting our exchange students through Happy $$ for their holiday fund. Brian Kosarko was on call for transportation. Stew Buchanan’s sporting events provided so much American culture and just family fun for Zoé and Elin and all the district’s exchange students and their families. Reconnecting with other students living the same American experience is such a thrill. Both Zoé and Elin felt loved by the club. And they were both sad to leave early. Zoé and Elin were eager to share more about their own countries with club members, an event scheduled for May and disappointed when they realized they could not do this.
RYE Training at Akron Rotary Camp. Susan Colville-Hall and Brian Chima conducted the Overnight orientations and trainings that took place at Akron Rotary Camp in August, November or December and February. Claudine Schooley added her name to that list in February. Laura Fink, Doug Hausknecht, Rima Muakkassa and Jacinto Nuñez were generous with their time for food prep at least one or multiple Sunday mornings for these international campers.
Recruitment. Laura Fink interviewed our 2020-2021 candidate Lydia Olin-Hitt. Dan O’Connell, Stew Buchanan and Jack Harig investigated different levels of commitment (Green Rotary, Green High School principal) for future collaboration at Green High School. Potential new schools: Barberton (Jack Harig)
How to be Pro-Active!!!! In the future, we want to reach out to those students who have traveled abroad (Rotexs) and to those host families who have lived the experience and bring testimonials to our Rotary luncheons. It will be difficult to keep the momentum going for 2021-2022 but this committee with do its best to ensure that our Akron community young people have the opportunity to reach broader horizons through study aboard or by meeting Rotary exchange students in their own community. Chinese Proverb: To know the road ahead, ask those coming back!
Thanks to all committee members who have participated throughout the year: Claudine Schooley, Jan Ryan, Lynda Farkas, June Ring, Stew Buchanan, Jack Harig, Doug Housknecht, Jacinto Nuñez, Laura Fink, Brian Chima, Jon Hauerwas, Brian Kosarko and Dan O’Connell. Forgive me for what I may have omitted.
As part of our alliance with Toastmasters, we’re offering new communication courses to help you grow your networks, improve your skills, and increase your impact in the community. Visit Rotary’s Learning Center on a personal computer or iPad tablet to take the first two courses (Note: courses can't be accessed on mobile devices):
Develop a speech — Learn how to write compelling speeches that take into account your topic, audience, and goal.
Deliver a speech — Explore the effect your voice and body language can have on your audience.
These courses were developed by Toastmasters International; they include assignments to help you put your new skills into practice and peer evaluations to help you grow through collaboration. It may take a little longer to complete these courses than some of the courses in the Learning Center, but we believe it’s worth it. And as many of us are staying home due to the global COVID-19 epidemic, you can take the courses and complete assignments from home. To learn more, watch our new video.
These courses are just one of the many ways we’re investing in Rotary and Rotaract members. Practicing and improving your skills can help you succeed in your personal and professional endeavors. And using your skills within Rotary and Rotaract strengthens our clubs and increases our impact.
Please note that all Rotarians and Rotaractors with My Rotary accounts will have access to these courses. If you don’t have a My Rotary account, learn how to create one.
Share your feedback by completing the evaluation at the end of each course. Your input helps us develop new and better courses. And watch for more courses to be available later this year.
Together, we’ll still experience the spirit of Rotary, be inspired by innovation, celebrate our resilience, and explore how clubs are addressing COVID-19. Experience Rotary in action during our Flag Ceremony, witness the power of connection during our general sessions, learn new ways to engage with Rotary during our breakout sessions, find inspiration from our global speakers, and much more.
We have never needed Rotary — and we have never needed each other — more than we do now. We hope to see you online, because Now More Than Ever, Rotary Connects the World.
Since 2015, more than 4 million people have fled an economically devastated Venezuela. Tracking the stories of three who left puts faces on that staggering statistic.
A plainsman with a PhD, Bob Quinn uses his 4,000-acre Montana spread as a laboratory to revive an ancient grain, rethink agricultural practices, and reinvigorate rural communities
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The Memorial Service began in 1982 as a gathering in Senate Park of approximately 120 survivors and supporters of law enforcement. Decades later, the event, more commonly known as National Police Week, has grown to a series of events which attracts thousands of survivors and law enforcement officers to our Nation's Capital each year.
