Volunteer Celebration

United Way of Summit County Volunteer Center, in conjunction with National Volunteer Week, celebrated the spirit of volunteerism at its ninth annual Volunteer Celebration on Thursday, April 22, 2010 at St. Joseph Family Center, 610 W. Exchange Street, Akron. This year’s theme was Volunteers…United We Serve.

This event celebrated outstanding volunteer efforts of individuals and groups in our community.

As part of the Volunteer Celebration, four “Volunteer Stories” of individuals or groups who have displayed extraordinary volunteer services within their organization were presented in a profile video. Anthony Codispoti, Nick Haidet, Brandon Tarzis and Patrick VanAuker, all students from Professor Gabriel Giralt’s class at the University of Akron’s School of Communication, have developed the video stories for a class project.

The four representative stories are: Noah Allooh, Battered Women’s Shelter of Summit & Medina Counties; International Institute of Akron: Donna Early, Refugee Resettlement Program and the Teachers of the English Language; Junior Women’s Civic Club; and Char Kintz, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Ohio Buckeye Chapter.

Carolyn Lake, chair of the Volunteer Celebration Committee, said, "Over the history of this event, we’ve had the pleasure of learning about some of our community’s ‘hidden heroes.’ There are so many people who are quietly making a difference through their volunteer work. We’re pleased that the Volunteer Celebration shines the spotlight on them.”

Bob Kulinski, United Way of Summit County president, said, “One of our strategic imperatives is to champion and increase voluntarism in Summit County. This celebration recognizes these scores of volunteers who’ve been brought to our attention, and honors the all of the thousands of volunteers in our community whose efforts make life better for each of us. We appreciate, respect, and cherish the work of every volunteer in Summit County.”

United Way of Summit County encourages everyone to LIVE UNITED. Each of us has the power to improve lives and advance the common good when we give, advocate and volunteer. For more information on how to give now, on programs and services in our community, or to volunteer, call your United Way of Summit County at (330) 762-7601, explore our website at http://www.uwsummit.org/, or visit our offices at 90 N. Prospect St., Akron, Ohio.