Join Executive Director Heather Meeker at Summit Artspace for a deep dive into Akron's vibrant artist community, and a tour of its building in the heart of the Main-Market Historic District!
Summit Artspace is a nonprofit organization that supports local artists throughout every step of the creative process. It connects artists to the resources they need to thrive, including studios and rehearsal space, galleries and exhibitions, professional development workshops, and community events like the downtown Akron ArtWalk.
Summit Artspace’s historic building has been an Akron landmark since 1927 when it was constructed by publisher Charles Knight and his son, John S. Knight, as the new headquarters of the Akron Beacon Journal. Standing three stories tall and boasting a whopping 55,000 square feet, the building has been an epicenter of excitement and creativity for nearly a century. The Knight brothers relocated the Beacon Journal in 1938 and the Akron Public Library purchased the building in 1940; it served as the library’s downtown location until 1969. In 1976 Summit County preserved the building and leas leased portions to the Historical Society, the MRDD board, and the Akron Work Center. Today, Summit Artspace is its sole occupant. The building retains many of its original features, including a manually-operated freight elevator, John S. Knight’s safe, and of course, the ornate art-deco façade.
SCHEDULE
Noon - Assemble in 3rd Floor Classroom
12:15 - Lunch and program, (including Susie Lilley, resident artist)
12:45 - Tour - Phase I (Third Floor)
1:00 - Tour - Phase 2 (Second and First Floor)
Heather Meeker is a results-driven nonprofit leader with a passion for achieving organizational vision in the arts, culture, and education fields. Her expertise includes strategic planning, team-building, partnerships, project management, relationship-based fundraising, external affairs, and financial oversight. Heather specializes in creating artist-centered, artist-led initiatives as well as arts education partnerships. Before joining Summit Artspace as Executive Director in 2021, she was Executive Director of The Musical Theater Project for twelve years. Prior leadership positions include directorships at Hiram College, Young Audiences of Northeast Ohio, National Inventors Hall of Fame, and The Repertory Project (now VERB Ballets). Heather earned her B.A. at Hiram College and her M.F.A. in Theatre/Arts Administration at Virginia Tech.
After attending the Akron Canton Regional Foodbank Harvest for Hunger kickoff luncheon, Rotarian Katy Miller brought to Club President Tom the idea of collecting Happy Dollars for the month of April for the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank.
They are able to take $1 and turn that into 3 meals! That's right....One dollar = 3 meals. They can accomplish this with their bulk purchasing and agreements with their suppliers.
2023 proved to be the highest demand of all time, more than 3 million visits were made to the hunger relief network the Akron Canton Regional Food Bank is a part of.
Families should not have to choose between nourishing food and rent. Every little bit helps and Akron Rotarians are here to do what we can.
So let's make March HAPPY! You can also pay Venmo or PayPal payment to Katy Miller if you don't carry cash: @RadiantStylebyKaty
Every Tuesday this month, Happy Dollars collected will go to the Food Bank for their campaign!
President Tom also announced that the club will match total happy dollars collected this month!
We had a good turnout of 11 volunteers from rotary and friends. We broke down large bags of GoJo Soap and bottled them in smaller 12 ounce bottles for distribution to local food pantries. WE bottled 1008 pounds of soap in about an hour and half. Good times working and talking with our fellow Rotarians and volunteers was had by all.
Reading to children helps stimulate their imaginations, contributes to language development, and helps to encourage early literacy. Share your love of reading with students across Summit and Medina counties during Read to Me Day!
Volunteers are invited to visit Akron Public Schools and read stories to students and on March 12 at Cloverleaf Elementary.
Each sponsorship level provides the opportunity for one volunteer to read aloud to children in an elementary school classroom. Grab a book and join us for a celebration of the joy of reading.
SPONSORSHIP LEVELS:
Reader – $10 Supplies one book to one classroom for Read to Me Day
Classroom – $250 Supply a classroom set of a book to a classroom for Read to Me Day
Grade – $500 Supply an entire grade a class set of a book to a classroom for Read to Me Day
School – $2,500 Supply entire school with book for Read to Me Day
For more information about Read to Me Day contact Darion Karam and dkaram@uwsummitmedina.org
Join us for the Breakfast with the Bunny and Easter Egg Hunt at Queen of Heaven, hosted by the City of Green and Ohio's Parent Mentor Project. Tickets are required for the breakfast. The Easter Egg Hunt is free to attend. Thank you to Girl Scout Troop #90109 for stuffing the eggs!
WHERE: Queen of Heaven, 1800 Steese Rd WHEN: Saturday, March 23, 2024 TIME: See Schedule of Events Below COST: Breakfast tickets are pre-sale only -- Individual Ticket $6; Seniors and Youth (Ages 4-17) $4; Children 3 & under - Free
Inclusion Egg Hunt - 9:30 am (Free) Inclusion Breakfast - 10:00 am (Tickets Required) General Public Breakfast - 10:30 am (Tickets Required) General Public Egg Hunt - 12:00 pm (Free)
Everyone will gather at the Patriot Playground behind the John Torok Community Center at the start of the event for instructions; the hunt will then be in the surrounding area. The rules of the Easter Egg Hunt are as follows: There are two age groups - 5 years and under and 6 to 10 years old (parents can assist the 5 and under group); NO running; and, a limit of six eggs per child (verify your six eggs for a prize). Rain or shine (unless it is storming), no rain date. Please bring your own Easter basket.
Parker and the Easter Bunny will be on hand for pictures!
Join Executive Director Heather Meeker at Summit Artspace for a deep dive into Akron's vibrant artist community, and a tour of its building in the heart of the Main-Market Historic District!
Summit Artspace is a nonprofit organization that supports local artists throughout every step of the creative process. It connects artists to the resources they need to thrive, including studios and rehearsal space, galleries and exhibitions, professional development workshops, and community events like the downtown Akron ArtWalk.
Summit Artspace’s historic building has been an Akron landmark since 1927 when it was constructed by publisher Charles Knight and his son, John S. Knight, as the new headquarters of the Akron Beacon Journal. Standing three stories tall and boasting a whopping 55,000 square feet, the building has been an epicenter of excitement and creativity for nearly a century. The Knight brothers relocated the Beacon Journal in 1938 and the Akron Public Library purchased the building in 1940; it served as the library’s downtown location until 1969. In 1976 Summit County preserved the building and leas leased portions to the Historical Society, the MRDD board, and the Akron Work Center. Today, Summit Artspace is its sole occupant. The building retains many of its original features, including a manually-operated freight elevator, John S. Knight’s safe, and of course, the ornate art-deco façade.
SCHEDULE
Noon - Assemble in 3rd Floor Classroom
12:15 - Lunch and program, (including Susie Lilley, resident artist)
Resilient Minds: Artistry After Injury benefiting The Brain Injury Association of Ohio.
"Resilient Minds: Artistry After Injury" is a full day event designed to celebrate the abilities and talent of brain injury survivors through various forms of art including multi-media and movement. The Resilient Minds event will include a multi-media art gallery featuring art by survivors and artists, interactive artistry workshops (canvas painting projects, dance lessons, mindfulness/yoga) led by a local artist, and an evening event featuring various dance, music and other artistic performances.
Survivor Art Gallery
Refreshments
Performing Arts
Art Workshops for Brain Injury Survivors and Caregivers
Akron Youth Mentorship's K-3rd Grade Reading Program has a new location! Monday, February 26 we will be reading at The Vincent House located on East Exchange Street.
The State of Ohio has a 3rd Grade Reading Guarantee that ensures that students in grades K-3rd grade are provided with resources to get them to the appropriate reading level by the time they enter 4th grade and aren't falling behind. Akron Youth Mentorship's K-3rd Grade Reading Program puts a tutor in front of them to read books for one hour a week. This extra reading time gives our K-3rd grade mentees a little extra help making sure they are on track to meet state standards and be set up for success as they move into 4th grade.
One hour a week helps kids catch up! As a club, we have committed to support two kids per week on Monday evenings from 4:45 pm - 6:00 pm, October 2023 thru May 2024.
Thank you to all those who have already volunteered to support this initiative, I hope you have enjoyed this experience as much as I have!. If you have any questions, please reach out to me via e-mail or phone (440.813.6230).
Every week, 100 students at Innes Community Learning Center receive packs of non-perishable food on Fridays to ensure they have enough to eat over the weekend. The Feeding Kids Backpack Project is provided by Open M and is partially funded by a grant awarded by the Akron Rotary Foundation. Food insecurity negatively impacts a child's ability to learn and grow.
Packing is on Wednesdays from 3-4 pm at Open M. Delivery is at 9:00 am on Thursdays.
If you missed registering for our February 28th service night, we are seeking volunteers to help at the foodbank through October.
We go every other month on the 4th Wednesday - see dates below.
Please mark your calendars to join us for these service project dates and please be sure to pre-register with me I we know you are coming.
I need a head count the Friday before for each date as shown, so if you would please let me know by then if you plan on attending by sending me an email or text: dhall@preferredlegacy.com or 330-714-1044. I would greatly appreciate it!
The service project involves breaking down large containers of food into smaller portions for redistribution to area food pantries. The two hours flies by as we all have fun with the project and we get the opportunity to work with our fellow Rotarians and strengthen our friendships and maybe meet a few new people from other organizations/companies that are there volunteering as well.
IF YOU HAVE NOT VOLUNTEERED BEFORE AT THE FOOD BANK THEN I NEED YOU TO REGISTER. See volunteer application link below.
If you have any questions please call or text me at 330-714-1044.
I need a head count by noon Friday February 23rd, so if you would please let me know by then if you plan on attending by sending me an email or text: dhall@preferredlegacy.com or 330-714-1044. I would greatly appreciate it!
The Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank’s Main Campus is located at 350 Opportunity Parkway, Akron, OH 44307, at the corner of Dart Avenue and Opportunity Parkway off of OH-59 near Downtown Akron. Get Directions.
When you arrive, please park in the front of the building or in the Dart Avenue parking lot. Use the front glass doors to enter the building.
If the parking lot is full, please park in the grass lot or proceed to the Shipping and Receiving parking lot on the other side of the building.
If entering through Shipping and Receiving, enter through the RED visitor door and proceed to the front desk.
We also recommend carpooling when possible.
What to wear:
Face Masks are optional.
Safety is our priority! Please note that open-toed shoes are not permitted in the warehouse.Jewelry is not permitted in the clean- room and we recommend wearing limited jewelry when volunteering.
Comfortable shoes are recommended as you may be on your feet the entire time.
It is best to dress in layers. The weather outside may affect the temperature inside the warehouse.
Akron Family Restaurant on April 19, 2024, 7:30-9am
Please join us for fellowship with those Rotarians we may not be able to see at our Tuesday meetings. In January, we had more than 20 people in attendance and we really had a nice time!
President Knauer will provide an update on club happenings and Cyndi will update you and get input from you regarding our upcoming service projects. We hope that you are able to join us.
Hey there! Have you heard about the upcoming District 6630 Governor's Conference hosted by this year's Governor and Akron Rotarian, Julie Brandle? It's an annual gathering for all members and guests, and it's happening on April 26 & 27. Save the dates!
Why should you attend? Well, for starters, it's a fantastic opportunity to connect with fellow Rotarians. With our District boasting more than 2,000 members and 50 clubs, you're bound to make some new connections and renew old friendships.
Plus, there are breakout sessions to help your club thrive and make a bigger impact in your community.
And let's not forget the chance to celebrate our Rotary Youth - from exchange programs to speech winners!
Registrations will open soon, but you can secure your hotel room now. Don't miss out on the fun and learning - mark your calendars and join us!
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