Born and raised in Akron, Ohio, Congresswoman Emilia Strong Sykes grew up on the city’s west side and has dedicated her career to strengthening her community.
For 8 years, Emilia served as the State Representative for Ohio House District 34, otherwise known as the “Birthplace of Champions.” During that time, she served for four years in Democratic leadership, including three years as the House Minority Leader. In her first year as the leader of the House Democratic caucus, despite serving in the minority, the percentage of bipartisan bills passed in the Ohio House was nearly double each of the previous four years combined.
In 2022, Congresswoman Sykes became the first Black person elected to represent Ohio’s 13th Congressional District, where she has committed to fighting for economic opportunity, safer communities and affordable healthcare for Northeast Ohioans, bringing along a spirit of bipartisan cooperation to get things done for those she serves.
Congresswoman Sykes has received numerous awards for her advocacy, including the EMILY’s List national Rising Star award, Legislator of the Year from the Ohio Minority Business Enterprise, the Champion for Children award from Summit County Children’s Services, and 30 for the Future award from the Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce. Outside of elected office she engages her community as a lifelong member of her church, a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and a life member of the NAACP.
Congresswoman Sykes graduated with high honors from Kent State University with a B.A. in Psychology and later went on to the University of Florida, where she earned a Juris Doctor with a Certificate in Family Law and a Master of Public Health.
Congresswoman Sykes is a newlywed, married to Kevin Boyce and enjoys spending time with family, engaging in the arts, and enjoying the many blessings of life.
Location: Open M 941 Princeton Street, Akron, OH 44311
You can sign up directly on the Rotary Club of Akron website by clicking here. We appreciate your participation and look forward to making this a great event together!
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 <Click to Email us> to let us know of any news you would like placed here. Note that health related information is posted only with permission of the individual(s).
CONNOR JARVIS
Thoughts and prayers are with Connor. He gave us permission to share that he had a medical emergency recently but is now at home resting. We look forward to seeing him back at our meetings soon!
Notes can be sent to him (Rotarians have access to his contact information through our website) or you can snail mail them to the Rotary Camp address which is 4460 Rex Lake Drive, Akron, OH 44319.
CONGRATULATIONS AMANDA WARNER
Amanda is the Director of Volunteer Opportunities and Special Events for our Rotary Camp for Children with Special Needs.
She shared on Facebook "Grateful to be granted Citizenship to the USA. Hopeful for a better future. And blessed to have shared the moment with family and friends."
Eleni Pamboukis is the Marketing and Communications Coordinator at ACCESS Shelter for Women and Children. She works closely with the Director of Development to maintain brand standards, engage stakeholders, and promote philanthropic support. Eleni leads social media strategy, strengthens media relationships, and creates impactful marketing materials to amplify the agency’s mission. She also represents the shelter at public events, fostering community partnerships and enhancing visibility.
ACCESS is dedicated to serving women and children experiencing homelessness in our community.
ACCESS encourages women in the attainment of permanent housing by providing a supportive environment that includes programs of education, advocacy, and empowerment.
Here are few points Eleni discussed:
ACCESS is a low barrier shelter, so all that is required is to say “I need a place to stay”.
The average stay is 3 months but can be longer.
The goal is to get them into permanent housing and ACCESS has a 57% placement into permanent housing.
ACCESS served 313 households in 2024.
Within 48 hours of entering ACCESS, the women are paired with a case worker.
All wrap-around services are at no cost.
They serve a continental breakfast and two hot meals each day.
Their maximum capacity is currently 30-35 women in the shelter. Single women are housed separately from women with children.
They provide an on-site medical clinic and life skills programs.
There is a boutique filled with new items.
After ACCESS program is available for one year after leaving the shelter.
The #1 need is currently diapers.
Discover how ACCESS is making a difference by scheduling a tour (CLICK HERE) of the shelter. You'll see firsthand the impact of their programs and meet the dedicated team working to empower women and children in need. Schedule your tour and experience the heart of ACCESS in action!
Happy New Year! I hope that each of you and your families had a wonderful Christmas and holiday season overall!
It's that time of year again where I send out everyone's favorite email - plus, you will get to hear my voice even more than usual at club meetings (cue the eyerolls and groans - I know you can't wait!) as I announce the need for volunteers to assist with the following roles at our club meetings for the 1st half of 2025: Greeter (& "Daily Lotto" sales), Invocation Speaker, & Meeting/Technology Set-Up.
My most sincere appreciation and gratitude goes out to the faithful “regulars” I have been able to consistently count on to help fill the respective roles or jump in last minute to cover an empty slot (you know who you are). I also appreciate the handful of "newcomers" (both established and newer members) who helped throughout the course of last year or expressed a willingness to do so moving forward.
I would like to encourage anyone that has either never served as Greeter or Invocator (or who has only done so sparingly) to consider volunteering for a few slots during this 1st half of 2025 - I'd be immensely thankful to see my list of "regulars" grow. Not only are these roles a much appreciated and valued service to the club, but they also present an excellent opportunity to immerse oneself in the weekly meetings.
If you need help signing up, please let me know and I can direct you to the appropriate location on the Rotary Club of Akron website, or I will gladly fill in your name for whatever date(s) you are able and willing to volunteer. For convenience, here is the public URL to the relevant volunteer sign-up page:
For Greeters, please plan to arrive by 11:40ish (if possible) and be prepared to help sell Daily Lotto raffle tickets and have the speaker pull the winning ticket at the end of the meeting.
For Invocation Speakers, I have provided some links with sample invocations below. You are quite welcome to create your own invocation, of course, but please know that custom content is not a requirement! I am happy to assist with this too. In fact, I'll even provide an invocation for you to read if that's what it will take for you to sign up. I assure you, this need not be an intimidating volunteer role for the meeting!
For Meeting/Technology Set-Up, the duties currently require:
Ensuring the computer, projector, and microphones are all up and running smoothly before the start of the meeting. NOTE: Brian Kosarko, Michael Gladysz, or I can/will help train new volunteers - we would certainly appreciate expanding the rotation for this role.
If necessary, correcting the flag positioning so that when viewed from the audience, the U.S./American Flag is to the left of the speaker/podium and the Ohio Flag is on the right.
Thank you in advance for volunteering!
Yours in service,
CJ
Connor G. Jarvis, CFP®
Sergeant of Arms
Rotary Club of Akron
Some links with sample invocations (if needed/desired):
Sandy Naragon, Chair
Thoughts and prayers are with Connor. He gave us permission to share that he had a medical emergency recently but is now at home resting. We look forward to seeing him back at our meetings soon!
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