Events

The Hot Meal Program & Food Pantry has been established for 3 years now and is entirely funded by members and friends of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church (from donations to The Greek Festival). 

The Hot Meal Program & Food Pantry is held the last Tuesday of the month with food service between 5pm and 6:30pm. 

Set up starts same day at 3pm.  Set up consists of setting up groceries and rolling out our clothing donations. 

IMPACT

205 to go meals

100 meals eaten in house

133 people enter the hall to shop for groceries.

150 visitors in total (approximately) 

Meals are served sit down and not a buffet out of respect for the client.   

These events are like the Thanksgiving Event with fewer visitors.  At Thanksgiving, 5x the meals are served. 

Ideal Rotary participation would be 3-6 people. 

Set up Banners, Table Tops, Technology for our weekly meetings.

Greet Fellow Rotarians and Guests and sell tickets for the weekly lotto.  

Deliver the invocation at our weekly meeting. 

Terri Speck has been a Rotarian in District 6630 since 1989. She spent the first 29 years in the Nordonia Hills Rotary Club and currently is a member of the Westlake-Bay Village Rotary Club. She served as President of Nordonia Hills club from 2002-2004 and President of the Westlake-Bay Village club from 2022-2023.

She was introduced to Rotary at an early age by her father, Howard Etchell, a charter member of the Nordonia Hills club. Growing up, her family hosted several Rotary youth exchange students, and she participated in Rotary’s youth exchange program, spending a year in a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland in Australia.

At the club level, Terri has held most chair positions. However, she is passionate about youth, and spends most of her time on youth activities, especially youth exchange. She has been a youth exchange officer for most of her time in Rotary, hosting several students herself and maintaining these friendships to this day.

At the district level, Terri has been involved in a variety of committees and activities, including participating in the Inaugural Leadership 6630 class. She also was a member of the Youth Exchange committee for several years, hosted Group Study Exchange team members from Taiwan, India, and Germany, participated on the Rotary Peace Scholar interview committee, and served as the Treasurer of the District Grant Committee.

Terri is a lifelong resident of Ohio. She attended High School in Nordonia Hills and graduated from Miami University with a bachelor’s degree in computer science. She has had a career in IT in Northeast Ohio, working at Progressive Insurance, American Greetings, and currently as an IT Manager at Sherwin Williams. Terri is also a member of the Sherwin Williams Women’s Club where she volunteers with the Philanthropy Committee.

Terri and her husband, Dave, reside in Brecksville and have two grown children. Their daughter Jamie works in marketing and lives in Northern Virginia, where Terri’s parents, two sisters, and their families have migrated. Their son, Matthew is a project manager for a commercial construction firm currently residing in Kansas City, MO. In her spare time, Terri enjoys running with her running group, cycling, and many other outdoor and indoor activities Northeast Ohio has to offer.

Jane Christyson has more than 45 years of nonprofit administration and management experience with a concentration in strategic planning, partnerships and corporate sponsorships. She is currently Chief Executive Officer for Girl Scouts of North East Ohio (GSNEO) which serves almost 19,000 girl members and over 8,000 adult volunteers in 18 counties. With a budget of more than $14 million, GSNEO is focused on building girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place through unique programs and opportunities. Three Council-run camps of almost 1,000 acres serve as the anchors for outdoor adventures and leadership learning. Jane also served as Director of Marketing and Golf Clubhouse Services for Cleveland Metroparks and began her career at United Way Services of Cleveland.  She was also executive director of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. As a volunteer, she is currently a board member for the Beck Center for the Arts and is the Board President for North Pointe Ballet.

Akron Rotary volunteers for Open M's Feed Kids Backpack Program which provides supplemental food for students attending Innes Middle School.  On Wednesdays from 3-4 pm, four (4) Rotarians will pack food sacks at Open M.

This project last throughout the school year (September 2026 to June 2027.)

Megan Kleidon is the President & CEO of Red Oak Behavioral Health, a non-profit community mental health center that has served children and families throughout the Greater Akron area since 1963. A seasoned executive across the healthcare sector, Megan is known for her innovative leadership strategies and her ability to successfully guide organizations through change. Prior to her tenure at Red Oak, Megan spent much of her career working in the Greater Cleveland market, driving programs and services designed to meet the core needs of some of the city’s most vulnerable and marginalized populations. Megan is a strategic problem-solver, idea generator, and perpetual optimist who loves transforming people and the world they live in. She sits on the Board of Directors for Grace House, the Ohio Council of Behavioral Health and Family Service Providers, and the Mental Health and Addiction Advocacy Coalition, and loves spending time exploring our local parks, catching performances in our local theaters, and cheering on her two kids on from bleachers and sidelines across the region.

Ryan Gensler is in his third campaign as Akron's head women's basketball coach for the 2025-26 campaign after being named the 11th coach in the program's 50-year history on March 29, 2023.  Gensler came to Akron with more than a decade of coaching experience at the NCAA Division I level. 

A native of Syracuse, N.Y., Gensler, earned his bachelor's degree in political science with a minor in business from Saint Joseph's University in 2009. In 2011, he completed his master's degree in education, guidance, and counseling from Providence.

Gensler and his wife, Leanna, have sons, Jackson and Nolan, and a dog, Benny.

Dr. Hans R. Dorfi is Executive Director and Chief Innovation Officer of the Polymer Industry Cluster (PIC), a global polymer industry consortium and innovation ecosystem.

He brings more than two decades of U.S. and European leadership experience in innovation, technology, and transformation.

As Senior Vice President at Bridgestone Americas, he advanced digital innovation, sustainability, and next-generation materials.

A champion of open innovation, Hans serves on the board of Bounce Innovation Hub and has held roles across startups, academia, and nonprofits.

He holds advanced engineering degrees from The Ohio State University and Vienna University of Technology.

We are thrilled to invite you to our upcoming Rotary Night Out, a fantastic opportunity to connect, relax, and support those that support us.

Mark your calendars for October 8, 2026, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM at Hoppin' Frog Brewery, located at 1680 E Waterloo Rd, Akron, OH 44306.

This event is more than just a social gathering; it's a chance to show appreciation. Hoppin' Frog has been a generous supporter of our Annual Chili Open, and this evening is a perfect way to give back to them and celebrate the new ownership team. Plus, it's a relaxed setting to meet fellow members and enjoy great company.

Remember, there is no cost to attend, and all food and drinks will be purchased individually. We encourage everyone to bring friends and family to make this event even more special. Your participation helps us build a stronger, more engaged Rotary community.

We look forward to seeing you there and sharing a memorable evening together. Don't miss out on this great opportunity to connect and support our local business!

Warm regards,
Dave Miller
Social Chair

Jeff Mlakar serves on the Board of Directors of the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps, a three-time Drum Corps International world champion. In this role, he works to support the organization's mission of pushing the boundaries of the drum corps activity and providing a transformative experience for its members.

By day, Jeff works at the intersection of technology and human connection as Assistant Director of Visualization at Case Western Reserve University's Interactive Commons, where he has helped push the boundaries of what's possible in education - from executing the university's first fully holographic anatomy class to presenting the department's work at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

He lives in the Shaker Heights area with his wife and two daughters.