Stories: Fundholder Stories

A scholarship fund at Akron Community Foundation is carrying on the legacy of a local hero. Established in 2010, the Dante B. and Joy W. Lavelli Athletic Academic Scholarship Fund honors the career of the Browns football legend by helping athletes at Hudson...

Beneath a blanket of August sun and humidity, Rennick and Dee Andreoli uncovered a little piece of heaven – or, at the very least, a haven for a special group of children. Their afternoon at Akron Rotary Camp began with sounds of water splashing, counselors...

Martha Booth came to Akron Community Foundation on a mission: She wanted to find the most pressing needs in Summit County and support them with her family's donor-advised fund.   The whole Booth family is passionate about helping children, so when...

The first time Black Keys drummer Pat Carney heard of Alfred McMoore, it was via answering machine. "This is Alfred McMoore. Your black key is taking too long." The message was meant for Pat's father, Beacon Journal writer Jim Carney, who was writing an...

Lemonade stands are a rite of passage during childhood: The experience of selling homemade drinks goes a long way in teaching kids important lessons about hard work and the value of a dollar. But when Stow resident Eileen Burg encouraged her granddaughter...

On the outside, Marissa Norwood was like any other 12-year-old girl: She loved vanilla milkshakes, her dogs and her family. She was an ace at card games, and she never missed the opportunity to give a good hug. Unlike most seventh graders, though, Marissa was...

As Mark Mathews' mother, Barbara, neared the end of her two-and-a-half-year battle with cancer, she looked at him and said, "I've got a lot more stuff to do." "She wasn't accepting of the fact that maybe she had an illness that was going to shorten her life,"...

What began as one man's dream has snowballed into a community-wide effort to control Summit County's cat population. In 2007, Cecil Smith consulted his financial advisor about using a large part of his savings to spay and neuter local cats. His advisor,...

As the eldest child of two Italian immigrants, Rose Mary Picciotti grew up with a challenge before her: to learn English and set an example for her four siblings. The lifelong Akron resident met this challenge head on, becoming not only fluent in the language...

Lifelong Akron residents Mal and Sue Ames are acutely aware of the staggering need for food assistance in the greater Akron community.  Local residents seek out assistance an average of 52,012 times each month, which, "at times, is overlooked," Sue said....