Father Norm Douglas
2024 Bert A. Polsky Humanitarian Award Recipient
Father Norm Douglas, co-founder of Heart to Heart Leadership, is the 2024 recipient of Akron Community Foundation's Bert A. Polsky Humanitarian Award.
Ordained on June 8, 1974, Douglas recently celebrated 50 years of serving the Catholic Church. He has served multiple churches in the Greater Akron area during that time, including as an associate pastor at St. Barnabas Parish in Northfield and Holy Family Parish in Stow, before becoming the pastor of St. Martha Parish from 1985-99. Since 2016, Douglas has served as the pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Akron.
Douglas is perhaps even more well known for co-founding Heart to Heart Leadership, a nonprofit organization that partnered with individuals and organizations to cultivate purpose-driven, values-based, community-minded leadership. This past April, Heart to Heart merged with United Way of Summit & Medina.
In addition to his professional work, Douglas has served on numerous boards, including the Akron Bar Association Ethics Grievance Committee, Coming Together Akron, and Leadership Akron.
Douglas is a 1997 graduate of Leadership Akron, and in 2002, he received its Distinguished Leader Award alongside his Heart to Heart co-founder, Larry Vuillemin. Douglas has received numerous other awards, including the University of Akron Outstanding Alumni Award in 2005, the Betty Dalton Community Service Award from Greenleaf Family Center in 2009, the Community Medal Award from the Salvation Army of Summit County in 2014, and the Friend of Young Leaders Award from Torchbearers in 2015.
Born in Los Angeles but raised in Akron, Douglas is a graduate of The University of Akron and St. Mary Seminary.
2024 Award Dinner
Akron Community Foundation will honor Father Norm Douglas' lifetime of giving at the annual Bert A. Polsky Humanitarian Award dinner on Tuesday, Oct. 15, at the Hilton Akron/Fairlawn. We're grateful to the many generous sponsors and contributors who make this event possible.