After a few years away due to COVID, on Friday December 16th our Club will again be ringing the bell for the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign. The Army is an important partner of the Club and for our community.
Below are details date, time and location. You can sign-up online to participate in this event. We need two Rotarians (or guests) to cover each hour of the day that we will be there. We also are seeking substitutes.
This is a great opportunity to get in the holiday spirit and spend some time with your loved ones, friends, and the local community.
The Akron Club had the pleasure of inducting Cynthia Snider on Tuesday, November 29, 2022. She was sponsored by Steve Buie.
She is well known in the community as a fundraiser, media relations professional, and advocate for the arts — has been the Executive Director of Tuesday Musical Association since March 2020. She served as interim director since September 2019.
Founded in 1887 and now an Akron anchor arts organization, Tuesday Musical presents concerts by internationally acclaimed musicians as well as education and community engagement programs throughout northeast Ohio Snider joined Tuesday Musical in September 2015 when, after 31 years, she retired from The University of Akron (UA) where she directed communications, community engagement, development, special events, and other initiatives for UA’s programs in the visual and performing arts. She also worked closely with UA’s EJ Thomas Performing Arts Hall.
Snider began her communications career in 1976 as a reporter and editor for several weekly newspapers in Northeast Ohio, and then joined The University of Akron’s communications department in 1984 as editor of UA’s newsletter for faculty and sta", assistant editor of UA's alumni magazine, and a public relations representative. She became the public relations director for the university in 1986, and served in that role until she joined the UA College of Fine and Applied Arts in 1995.
As an arts advocate and volunteer, Snider was a longtime board member of Neos Dance Theatre and the Autism Society of Greater Akron, as well as a member and vice president for the Akron Area Arts Alliance’s executive board until 2015. She has also served on the board of the Greater Akron Musical Association, Friends of Fashion at Kent State University, the City of Norton Charter Review Commission, Friends of the Norton Library Board, TV 45/49 Production Capacities Action Team, and Imagine Downtown Akron.
Snider holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Kent State University and a master's degree in higher education administration from The University of Akron. Her husband is Larry Snider, a distinguished professor of music at The University of Akron, longtime principal percussionist with the Akron Symphony, and founder of UA’s Steel Drum Band.
Photo L-R: President Lynda Farkas, Cynthia Snider, Past President Steve Buie
Thank you to all who have contributed to The Rotary Foundation.
Club Co-chairs, Nathanael Billow and Bill Manby, Jr. recognized those who gave through the prior Rotary year and thus far this year.
Your contributions continue to advancing the mission of The Rotary Foundation (TRF).
The Akron Club was by recognized by District 6630 for being a PolioPlus Club in the 2021-2022 Rotary Year under the leadership of President Steve Buie.
Akron was one of four clubs in the District that received this award. The others were Chardon, Cleveland and Northampton-Cuyahoga Valley.
Liv Pilon currently serves in the role of Senior District Executive at the Great Trail Council, Boy Scouts of America. Before joining the BSA, Liv graduated from Kent State University with a degree in Sociology and will be returning to KSU in January to begin her master’s in public administration.
In her role at GTC, she is responsible for the recruitment of new families to the program, the management of volunteers, and the fundraising efforts in the greater Akron Community. In addition to these responsibilities, Liv leads GTC’s Adaptation, Inclusion, and Diversity Committee, the Council’s annual food drive, and their recruitment event for girls known as “Her Next Adventure.” She is very excited to share the ways the BSA is shaking things up in the community!
The Great Trail Council (GTC) is the local branch of the Boy Scouts of America, and it serves over 6,000 families in Mahoning, Trumbull, Portage, Summit, and Medina Counties. The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.
At GTC, programs being offered to youth in the community include:
Cub Scouts (for girls & boys grades K-5) – where youth develop the foundations for leadership, citizenship, & personal fitness through fun activities.
Scouts BSA (formerly known as Boy Scouts – for boys & girls ages 11-17) – where youth develop outdoor survival skills, self-confidence, & ethics through youth planned activities with increased attention to service, community engagement, and leadership.
Venturing (for girls & boys ages 14-20) – high adventure program where Scouts experience positive mentorship and develop leadership skills in a fun, supportive environment.
Sea Scouting (for girls and boys ages 14-20) -- maritime program that provides a fun, safe environment for Scouts to learn, build friendships, & develop character.
Exploring (for girls & boys ages 10-20) -- connects boys and girls with mentors, businesses, and agencies within their communities to help them discover future career paths.
Ways the BSA is staying relevant in the Akron community even after 112 years:
EXPLORING: GTC partners with 8 of the 9 middle schools in Akron to provide an after school Exploring program to youth. Through this program, youth gain hands on experiences from professionals in an array of industries, ranging from engineering, police work, cosmetology, and performing arts.
HER NEXT ADVENTURE: In 2019, the national organization of the BSA welcomed girls into all five programs. In an effort to show women in Akron and surrounding communities that their doors were open, Great Trail hosted an event known as “Her Next Adventure” in 2021 and 2022. This event served as an introductory day for girls and their families to experience the Scouts BSA program. The event was led entirely by girls in the program to showcase the BSA’s emphasis on leadership development.
BUILD THE ADVENTURE: Through local partnerships with other community organizations, GTC and a team of dedicated volunteers will be piloting a program, known as Build the Adventure, in the Middlebury neighborhood to address one of their most under-served neighborhoods. This program will involve greater supports, both through financial and volunteer help, from the Council to families in Middlebury to ensure the program can succeed.
ADAPTATION, INCLUSION, & DIVERSITY COMMITTEE: At GTC, a team of volunteers lead the Adaptation, Inclusion, & Diversity (AID) Committee to take efforts to ensure every child can find a home in Scouting. The AID Committee partners with Summit DD to provide two Inclusion Specialists to assist with summer programs, to provide to job sites for students in the Summit DD program, and to teach staff and volunteers on ways to support youth with Autism.
To check out the programs available at GTC or to offer support, please visit their website at www.gtcbsa.org. For interests in collaboration with GTC, please contact Liv Pilon at Olivia.Pilon@Scouting.org or (234) 900-5894.
During our Tuesday, November 29, 2022, Rotary Club meeting, members had the opportunity to listen to Janis Worley as she spoke about the twists and turns her career has taken her. Ms. Worley discussed the various opportunities she has had as “one door closed, and another door opened.” She shared how different jobs were ones she never intended to pursue but provided her with some great opportunities and adventures.
If there were one or two take-aways from her presentation, it was that “Never say Never” and be open to all opportunities, you never know where they might lead. As you read some of her adventures below, I encourage you to also watch the recording as she shares some of her successes. View the presentation by clicking here.
Janis Worley was born in Mayfield Heights. She attended Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, receiving a BA in Business, and Pennsylvania State University, in State College, Pennsylvania, where she obtained her MBA. Janis has additionally attended the Executive Program, Strategic Marketing Management, at Darden Graduate School of Business Administration, University of Virginia and most recently, earned a Certificate of Excellence in Nonprofit Leadership and Management, from Michigan State University and the Society for Nonprofits.
Janis began her career working in Arlington, Texas, in the Budgets and Operating Systems department for Sky Chefs, a division of American Airlines. After spending three years in Texas, Janis returned to northeast Ohio to begin her career at Sherwin Williams. During her time at Sherwin Williams, Janis became Executive Producer of the HGTV home improvement series “Room by Room”, producing 9 seasons of the series before Sherwin Williams released its ownership.
At that time Janis started her own media business, Worleybird Productions. In addition to creating documentaries for PBS as a writer and associate producer, she also produced a local weekly business and economy program for PBS 45/49, NEOtropolis. Janis’ documentary work was recognized with a national Gracie Allen award for Best Documentary/Local Market, and with a Regional Emmy nomination.
Realizing that she wanted to do more than work in the large corporate world, Janis sought out opportunities in the Not-for-profit world. Janis joined One of A Kind Pet Rescue as Director of Advancement, and is now with First Congregational Church of Akron as its Finance and Operations Manager. Janis’ volunteer work is extensive, including involvement with the Junior League of Akron, the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northeast Ohio, Akron Pride Festival, the Woman’s Board of Akron Children’s Hospital, Alpha Delta Pi, Summit County Historical Society, Grace House Akron, Old Trail School, and WITAN, and is a member of Leadership Akron Signature Class 37. Janis was recently honored by the Summit County Historical Society and Woman’s History Project with their 2022 Woman of the Year Award for Integrity, and by Wittenberg University with their Servant Leader award.
Rotary Camp is collecting ACME receipts! Help us earn 5% Community Cashback by shopping store brands in Acme Fresh Market. Save your receipts from August 4, 2022 until December 24, 2022.
Receipts can either be mailed to Camp (4460 Rex Lake Dr., Akron OH 44319), or be turned in at the weekly Rotary Meetings.
Thank you ACME for your continued support to the community!
If you are shopping for the Holidays, please consider shopping on Smile.Amazon.com and choose Rotary Camp as your favorite charity.
You will receive the same products, same prices, same services as the Amazon you know. Amazon will donate a small percentage of all eligible purchases back to Camp.
During our Tuesday, November 29, 2022, Rotary Club meeting, members had the opportunity to listen to Janis Worley as she spoke about the twists and turns her career has taken her. Ms. Worley discussed the various opportunities she has had as “one door closed, and another door opened.” She shared how different jobs were ones she never intended to pursue but provided her with some great opportunities and adventures. 
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