Stories: Fundholder Stories

David and Cheryl Venarge are Akron success stories, but their success didn't come easy. Now, through the David R. and Cheryl L. Venarge Fund, they're keeping a family tradition of giving alive with both their children and grandchildren. Each was raised by...

For art enthusiast Ron Allan, Akron is a fantastic place to live. It was this community where he cultivated his love for the arts and began immersing himself in organizations that promote both art and music. "Akron is so culturally rich," he said. "It is a...

Lou Albertson was just a child when she started giving back to her community. Each Sunday during Lent, she would put her pennies, nickels and dimes into the collection plate at church. As she grew older, those coins turned into dollars and she continued to...

For David and Cheryl Venarge, there is no place quite like Akron. Both were born and raised here by hard-working families that struggled to make ends meet.  Today, as successful business owners and volunteers, they are passionate about giving back to the...

In July 2005, while people were prepping their barbeques for Independence Day, Larry Soper, enslaved by drugs, was planning his suicide.   "I Googled the least painful ways," he said. "There were chat rooms even. It was a very dark place." For years, the...

Losing a child is every parent's worst fear.  For Steve Comunale, it became a reality in February 2006 when his 27-year-old son, Stephen A. Comunale Jr., died after a year-long battle with cancer. Although grief-stricken, Steve was determined to...

For Marilyn Meyers Buckey, success is the product of smart succession, both in business and philanthropy.  Through her family's funds at Akron Community Foundation, Marilyn and her daughters have assumed their forefathers' tradition of working hard,...

Steve Shechter, son of a grocer and third-generation Akronite, never considered himself a philanthropist.  That all changed in 2013 when he sold his business and established a fund at Akron Community Foundation. Now, Steve and his family can give to the...

Everett Shumate had a heart for Hudson. In the 1930s, he grew up as one of the few African Americans in the small town.  After graduating from Hudson High School, Everett joined his father as an employee of the Peterson Nut Company, and for five years,...

Conservation of nature has been an important focus of the Allard family for many generations, both in general and also specifically to Allardale Park in the Medina County Park District. Before the park became the go-to place for Medina County residents to...