GCEF presents Paul Daum Award to Jim King and Rafael Oletta

Each year, the Gay Community Endowment Fund recognizes an individual, business or organization that has actively supported the LGBTQ+ community with its Paul Daum Award.

The award, which is named for a founding donor of the fund and a professor of theater at the University of Akron, honors those who have demonstrated a significant commitment to LGBTQ+ causes and whose involvement has benefited the Greater Akron community at large.

In 2020, the Gay Community Endowment Fund presented the award to Jim King and Rafael Oletta, owners of Angel Falls Coffee Company.

Jim and Rafael are founding donors of the Gay Community Endowment Fund and annual supporters of the fund's Sugar Plum Tour of Holiday Homes. They have opened the doors of Angel Falls every year since 2002 for the tour, welcoming ticket purchasers and volunteers alike. In the tour's early years, Angel Falls also served as the location for planning meetings and provided coffee service for the Patron Party home.

Congratulations, Jim and Rafael! You truly honor the memory of Paul Daum by generously giving of yourselves and supporting the mission of GCEF in the Greater Akron community.

Created in 2016, the Paul Daum Award was first presented to Eric Jones of Jones Group Interiors, a cornerstone member of GCEF. The award pays tribute to Paul Daum's generous estate gift to the Gay Community Endowment Fund, which left a legacy that will forever meet the needs of Greater Akron's LGBTQ+ community. Learn how you can do the same.