Chickenfest? Are you ready to cluck?

United Way of Summit County is hosting the return of ‘Chickenfest!TM’ to Barberton’s Lake Anna Park, Friday September 7, from 5:00 to 10:00 pm and Saturday, September 8, from 12:00 noon to 10:00 pm.

Local restaurants participating include DeVore’s Hopocan Gardens, Belgrade Garden, Milich’s Village Inn, and Hodge’s Café along with concessionaires Destefano’s and Byers.

Entertainment will include the local band ‘Accent’ on Friday night from 7:00 to 10:00 pm in the Gazebo. Accent is a local, high-energy top 40 dance band playing hits from the 60s to the present. They were the winning band at United Way’s Docs Who RockTM physician talent show in 2006.

On Saturday night from 7:00 to 10:00 pm, the Gazebo will rock to the sounds of ‘The New Flames Band’ from Barberton. These crowd-pleasers play the hits from the 50s and 60s.
There will also be vendors on hand with home-made crafts and other business people displaying and selling their wares. Our media partners for Chickenfest are WAKR, WONE & WQMX radio stations.

United Way of Summit County President Bob Kulinski said, “We are pleased to be returning this tradition to the people of Barberton. We hope this will be just another reminder of the many ways the people of Barberton and surrounding communities are being served by United Way of Summit County.”

United Way of Summit County improves lives by mobilizing community assets for health and human services. For more information, call 330-762-7601, visit our website at www.uwsummit.org, or write to us at United Way of Summit County, 90 N. Prospect St., P.O. Box 1260, Akron, Ohio 44309-1260.

Pacesetters are off and running

Thanks so much to all the companies running pacesetter campaigns, getting our 2007 Campaign off to a great start.

Acme Fresh Markets
Albrecht, Incorporated
The ARC of Summit & Portage Counties
Battered Women's Shelter
Bober, Markey, Fedorovich & Company
Boys & Girls Clubs of Summit County
Brennan Management Group, LLC
Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire
CBIZ/Mayer Hoffman McCann
Charter One Bank
City of Akron
City Scrap & Salvage Company
Cohen & Company
Coleman Data Solutions
ComDoc, Inc.
Community Legal Aid Services, Inc.
CYO & Community Services
FirstEnergy Corp.
Greenleaf Family Center
Hitchcock Fleming & Associates
Humility of Mary Housing, Inc.
Ikon Office Solutions
Mobile Meals, Inc.
OMNOVA Solutions Inc.
Sam's Club #4750
Sam's Club #6404
Stark & Knoll
State and Federal Communications, Inc.
Sterling Jewelers Inc.
United Way of Summit County
UPS
Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease, LLP
Wal-Mart #1895
Wal-Mart #1911
Wal-Mart #1927
Wal-Mart #2323
YMCA - Akron Area

Pacesetters receive unique recognition opportunities through media and our website and will be invited to our campaign kick-off event as a special thank you. Pacesetter campaigns should be completed by September 14, 2007. If your company would like to run a Pacesetter Campaign, contact Katie Rennard, Vice President Resource Development at 330.643.5517 or email krennard@uwsummit.org.

National Association of Letter Carriers Says Thanks

The following letter was sent to United Way of America President Brian Gallagher:

Dear Brian:

With the tremendous support of United Way of America and local United Ways, we once again had a successful food drive this year - increasing to 70.7 million pounds of donations to help stock our nation's food banks and pantries.

I thank you for your personal support of the drive and the premendous amount of work and dedication by United Way officials such as Bud Biscardo and Judy Parkins and I am sure many, many others. With this kind of support, the NALC was again able to encourage our postal customers to help needy families in their communities.

We are especially appreciative of your request to United Way chief volunteers and executive officers to support the drive.

On behalf of our 300,000 members, and I am sure the millions of needy children and adults who will benefit from the food drive, we are very appreciative of your generosity. Please pass on our thanks to all at United Way who were involved in this effort.

Sincerely,

William H. Young

President

National Association of Letter Carriers

On a local note, Letter Carriers Branch #148 collected 47,000 pounds of food in Akron this year, and during the 15 years since this program began, have collected nearly 1 million pounds for our local food bank. Way to go!

Thanks to our friends at Main Street Gourmet

This uniquely Akron company celebrated their 20th anniversary with a wonderful celebration at Lock 3 on July 17, and all the proceeds are being donated to United Way of Summit County.

Our sincere thanks to owners Steve Marks and Harvey Nelson, and event co-chairs Melissa Mayberry and Nate Searls.

Enjoy some of the pictures from the event above.

Rockin' Out at Lock 3 Live

Spend your July Fourth rockin’ downtown Akron's Lock 3 Live stage with Accent, 2006 Docs Who RockTM Champion.

This gig was made available to the band through the City of Akron as a prize for their winning performance.

The one-hour set begins at 3:00 pm on the Lock 3 Live stage (on Main Street, next to the Civic Theatre). Your $5 admission gets you into the Akron Family Barbeque and all the ‘Star Spangled Fourth of July’ festivities, including performances by ‘Classic Albums Live – Fleetwood Mac, and Survivor, as well as fireworks at 9:45 p.m.

For more information on all Lock 3 Live events, visit http://www.lock3live.com/.

For more information on Accent, visit http://www.accentlive.com/

United Way of Summit County improves lives by mobilizing community assets for health and human services. For more information on any program or to volunteer, call the office at (330) 762-7601, visit our Web site at www.uwsummit.org, or write to us at United Way of Summit County, 90 N. Prospect St., P.O. Box 1260, Akron, Ohio 44309-1260.

To donate to United Way of Summit County, click on: https://ipledge.uwsummit.org/Personal.aspx

Day of Caring

For the twelfth consecutive year, United Way of Summit County is hosting ‘Day of Caring’ on Friday, June 15, 2007. This year, 1,267 volunteers from 59 area businesses and corporations will take the day off from work and volunteer on 97 projects at 73 nonprofit organizations. FirstEnergy Foundation is the sponsor of the 2007 United Way of Summit County Day of Caring.

The Day of Caring allows individuals hands-on experience with non-profit agencies and the opportunity to see the important ways they serve the community. Many of these agencies rely on United Way donations for a portion of their funding. “After seeing first-hand the real difference these non-profit agencies make in peoples lives, the generous people who volunteer their time on Day of Caring gain a greater understanding of community needs and resources.
Thanks to the coordination of our Volunteer Center and the time commitment of these community-minded individuals, more than $100,000 in volunteer services is provided to these organizations,” said United Way of Summit County President Bob Kulinski.

In addition to those participating in Day of Caring on June 15, approximately 160 Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. employees provided two days of volunteer service at Camp Y-Noah on June 7 and 8.

Among the sites where volunteer work will be done are: United Disability Services, 701 S. Main Street (volunteering will be employees from FirstEnergy); Jerry Shaw Jewish Community Center, 750 White Pond Drive (volunteering will be employees from SummaHealth System); and Community AIDS Network (Harmony House) 1950 McTaggart Drive, Suite 105, (volunteering will be employees from WAKR/WONE/WQMX).

A Kickoff Rally/Celebration will be hosted by the Jerry Shaw Jewish Community Center, 750 White Pond Drive, beginning at 8:00 am on Friday, June 15. United Way of Summit County Board of Trustees Chair Thom Mandel, President of the Rubber City Radio Group, will welcome and thank the participants at the Rally. January Paint & Wallpaper has made a significant contribution of paint and painting supplies to help in the ‘Day of Caring’ effort.

United Way of Summit County improves lives by mobilizing community assets for health and human services. For more information, call 330-762-7601, visit our website at www.uwsummit.org, or write to us at United Way of Summit County, 90 N. Prospect St., P.O. Box 1260, Akron, Ohio 44309-1260.

UW/Labor Community Service Dinner

Akron/Medina County Labor Council, AFL-CIO and United Way of Summit County served as co-hosts for the annual Community Service Awards Dinner last night, Wednesday, June 6th, at the Hilton Akron/Fairlawn. United Way of Summit County and Organized Labor have a long history of working together to make our community a better place to live, work and raise a family.

As always, the event ran flawlessly, thanks to the coordination of United Way's Labor Liason, Beth Curley. (pictured at left)

A crowd of more than 200 was on hand to recognized the honorees, Rose Juriga, who received the Peter Bommarito Award, and Don Bingman, who was presented the Leo E. Dugan Award.

Rose Juriga is the executive director of the Tri-County Independent Living Center, Inc. Since joining the organization in 1990, she had grown the Tri-County ILC from its grassroots beginnings to the progressive, vital advocacy and service agency it is today.

From the offices in Akron, Rose (pictured at right) provides leadership, vision and guidance in directing the organization in its mission to serve people with disabilities in Summit, Stark and Portage County. During her 17 years at the helm, she has increased the organization’s funding base from $75,000 to more than $400,000.

In fact, Rose had dedicated her life to serving those in need. She has served as Director of the Training and Employment Institute in Washington D.C., and held a variety of positions with the Akron Urban League, Goodwill Industries of Akron and the Vocational Development Center. She is a past member of the Mayor’s Commission on Children, the Tuff Stuff Committee, the Bishop’s Task Force on Church in the City, and Christmas in April, and has served as chair of the Catholic Commission, and president of the Community Welfare Forum. Rose has been listed three times in Marquis’ Who’s Who in America. She lives in Tallmadge, Ohio.

The 2007 Leo E. Dugan Award is presented to Don Bingman. Don is a 39-year member of the National Association of Letter Carriers, Branch 148. Although he retired in 2003, he is still active in the Union.

He has served terms as Steward at North Hill Station for 10 years, Trustee for 2 three-year terms, and currently is the Treasurer of Branch 148, a position he has held from 1991 to the present. Don is active in the NALC Food Drive, which has collected over one million pounds of food, locally, since its existence in 1993.

He is a graduate of the Tri-County Regional Labor Council, AFL-CIO Union Counselor class, jointly sponsored by the United Way. Like his mentor and friend, Julian O’Neill the 1996 Leo Dugan Award winner, Don (pictured at left) was coordinator of the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon from 1990 to 2001, Jerry’s Kids Labor Day annual event. Don is responsible for the Letter Carriers appearing in the Barberton Labor Day Parade for the last five years.

Don and his wife Cathy are the proud parents of three children, Ann, Donald & Rebecca, and the proud grandparents of Nicole.

United Way of Summit County improves lives by mobilizing community assets for health and human services. For more information on any program or to volunteer, call the office at (330) 762-7601, visit our Web site at www.uwsummit.org, or write to us at United Way of Summit County, 90 N. Prospect St., P.O. Box 1260, Akron, Ohio 44309-1260.

To donate to United Way of Summit County, click on: https://ipledge.uwsummit.org/Personal.aspx