Stories

Growing up as a young boy in a single-parent home, Donald Lykes lacked a strong father figure. Without a male role model, Lykes said he grew up not knowing how to be a father - or more accurately, a "dad" - and was unprepared for the responsibilities of...

StoryCorps

The history of Summit County got a little richer as hundreds of people came to the Akron-Summit County Public Library in downtown Akron to record oral histories of their lives. With the help of a $20,000 grant from Akron Community Foundation, the...

Case Study: A Story of Partnership

"Are you happy doing your charitable giving over a 1-800 number?" A rather unconventional question from a financial manager, it was one of the first Dale Koblenzer of Merrill Lynch asked of his client, a local executive. The man had a donor-advised fund at a...

Robertson-Hoyt Orthopaedic Fund

An astounding one in three people will suffer from arthritis or joint deterioration in their lifetime, according to Dr. Scott Weiner, director of the orthopaedic surgery department at Summa Health System in Akron. The department sees thousands of patients in...

Philanthropy multiplied: the John A. McAlonan Fund

The quest to be bigger and better: it's what John A. McAlonan was all about. Born in Cuyahoga Falls in 1880, he earned a living moving from place to place across the country, holding a variety of occupations in the process. But he found his greatest...

Suzanne C. and Charles L. Bond Family Fund

Chuck Bond's philosophy in life is simple: "Love God, serve people." These four words have been a constant refrain throughout his life, winding their way through his career at Goodrich, his family and his marriage. Now, they've become the driving force behind...

Couple shares holiday cheer with community

Like many Akron natives, Mark Allio's fondest Christmas memories include trips to his grandparents' house. There, he, his parents and his four siblings joined 10 aunts and uncles and many more cousins for an Italian feast in his grandparents' basement. "It...

Kathy Booth funds women forever in her mother's name

One of the purposes of the Women's Endowment Fund is to enrich the lives of women in our community – all of the mothers, daughters, sisters, grandmothers, aunts, nieces and friends who are woven into the fabric of our families. By improving life for...

International Institute of Akron

When Uzbek refugee Bahrom Abdurasulov fled his war-torn country in 2005, he knew re-establishing his life in the United States would be a formidable challenge. He had limited English skills, no local support system, and very few resources. What he never...

Trails Forever Legacy Fund

During his 21 years as superintendent, John Debo had a looming frustration about the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. It wasn't the staff; they were top notch. And it wasn't the numbers; the park attracted millions every year. Ironically, the common element...

A Common Theme

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