GCEF presents 2022 Paul Daum Award to Cindy Christman

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 2022, the Gay Community Endowment Fund presented the award to Cindy Christman, a former Akron Police Department lieutenant.

Cindy is an emeritus advisory board member and past chair of the Gay Community Endowment Fund. In addition to her leadership with the fund, she has been a champion for the LGBTQ+ community on many other projects, including serving on the Akron Pride Festival committee and bringing awareness to those who have died from HIV/AIDS by coordinating the AIDS Memorial Quilt display at the Summit County Courthouse in 2019. After retiring from the Akron Police Department, Cindy started a local business, Mercedes Tavern. She welcomes people from all walks of life and opens her doors to nonprofit organizations for hosting fundraisers.

Congratulations, Cindy! You truly honor the memory of Paul Daum by generously giving of yourself 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.