Joan Lauck joined Akron Roundtable as the Administrative Director in May of 2009. In January 2020 she was named Executive Director.
At Akron Roundtable, she manages the overall organizational operations and works collaboratively with the Board of Directors and board committees to advance the mission of the organization. Previously, Joan held the position of Director of Development at the Akron Art Museum where she successfully conducted a $42 million capital campaign.
Joan’s career has also included positions as Director of Community Relations and Director of Communications for GenCorp where she oversaw the annual report process and managed the GenCorp Foundation providing guidance and counsel to GenCorp’s 35 plant locations across the country.
Joan is a graduate of Leadership Akron and serves on the boards of Akron Children’s Hospital Women’s Board, Summit County Sports Hall of Fame and Woodridge Foundation.
At the recent Foundation Gala, The Rotary Club of Akron was presented a certificate of appreciation for its financial support of End Polio Now.
Past President Knauer could not be in two places at the same time (his daughter was receiving an award the same night) so President Elect Katy Miller accepted on his behalf and then presented it to Tom at our weekly meeting.
Thank you to all who contributed to this endeavor.
Winter is fast approaching, so it is time for Akron Rotary to kick off event preparations for our 35th annual Chili Open Golf Classic benefiting Rotary Camp for Children with Special Needs, Inc. The event will be held on Saturday, February 1, 2025, at Hale Farm & Village, Bath, Ohio.
Join us next Tuesday, November 19 at our weekly Club luncheon meeting, to become part of our annual fundraising event. Proceeds from the Chili Open helps to ensure no camper is ever turned away from attending Rotary Camp due to their family’s inability to pay.
For 100 years, Rotary Camp has been the main project of the Akron Rotary Club. We need 100% involvement of our Rotarians to ensure that our Camp continues to be a major resource in the Akron community in providing campers with special needs the opportunities to experience traditional campaign activities, develop friendships, learn life skills, and create memories to last a lifetime!
Learn from our Chili Open leadership on ways to get involved to help us meet our event goal, We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday!
Nathaniel Billow and Katy Miller Chili Open 2025 Event Chairs
Father Dean has asked for our help with a very important Service Project in just over two weeks.
The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church will be serving 300-400 boxed Thanksgiving Dinners through their Food Pantry.
It is estimated that they will feed between 1200-1600 people. Each dinner will include turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, and side dishes to serve a family of four. Each catered meal will be served in nice plastic containers to ensure an added measure of dignity for those being served.
We need all hands on deck! If you can find time in your schedule and in your heart to help make a difference for these families, please do so! Sign up now!
Michael and I will be there, and we would love to work with you!
Akron Rotary's Open M has resumed their Food Backpack Program for food insecure students at Innes Middle School. Akron Rotary is continuing its support of the supplemental food service through a 2024 Akron Rotary Foundation grant.
Click on the link below to sign up for packing on Wednesdays from 3-4 pm and pickup/delivering on Thursdays at 9:30 am.
We've had Dr. Gerry almost single-handedly doing deliveries but she can't do it in Oct-Dec so we need some new helpers!
Our Rotary Club will be ringing the bell for the Salvation Army at ACME #1 and ACME #10 in December. This is an opportunity to share an hour with one of your fellow Rotarians, family members or friends in support of a very worthy cause for our community. Below are the dates/times we will be participating.
You can sign-up to participate using the following links. We will need two Rotarians (or guests) for each hour during these two days.
The Salvation Army Meets Human Need Wherever, Whenever, However We Can!
The donations we collect by our Bell Ringing efforts will be used to support hard-working families stay in their homes, and provide food, shelter, and utilities to those in need in your community.
The Rotary Club of Akron had the pleasure of listening to Ron Paydo, Market President of the Huntington National Bank Akron/Canton. Ron Paydo serves as Market President for the Akron-Canton area, having previously worked as Dedicated Business Banking Group Director and Community President in Medina, Ohio. Ron has been with Huntington or previous banks since 1987, when he began his banking career as a Management Trainee with FirstMerit Bank.
Ron began his presentation recalling his years as a Rotarian in Wadsworth and Medina. He still feels he is a Rotarian at heart. Over the years he and his wife have sponsored 6 Rotary Youth Exchange students.
Ron stated that he and his wife have been foster parents for 30 years. Over the years, he and his wife have fostered 200 children. Currently he works a lot with the Summit County Children Services Board. Currently Summit County has 900 children in Foster Care. There are many other children in need of foster care, but homes are not available. Ron stated that the need has never been greater.
Children stay in foster care from a few months to 2 years. The ultimate goal is to reunite the children with their families if possible or after two years, attempt to have the children adopted. Ron feels very strongly that children from the same family being placed in foster care should not be separated. It is traumatic enough that they are being removed from their home, yet alone being separated from their siblings.
Individuals wishing to consider being foster parents have several options. In addition to what Ron and his wife have done for 30 years, individuals interested in being a foster care provider can be a respite foster care provider which gives foster parents a break, or they can become a Guardian ad Litem. A guardian ad litem is an individual appointed by the court to represent the best interest of a minor child in legal proceedings.
Rotarians who might be interested in either fostering a child or serving as a guardian ad litem can contact the Summit County Children Services Board by calling 330.379.1990. Check out their website at www.summitkids.org.
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previously worked as Dedicated Business Banking Group Director and Community President in Medina, Ohio. Ron has been with Huntington or previous banks since 1987, when he began his banking career as a Management Trainee with FirstMerit Bank.
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