Stories: Grantee Stories

Losing a baby can devastate an entire family. Local nonprofit Forget-Me-Not Baskets provides items of grief support, comfort and remembrance to families who have experienced a loss during pregnancy or childbirth, working directly with hospitals and obstetric...

Community Legal Aid (CLA) believes that everyone should have access to fairness, equity, and justice. The nonprofit provides free legal advocacy in several areas, from housing and health to immigration rights and tax issues. One example is the HEAL program, a...

When Ben and Candace Curtis decided to help tackle food insecurity, they focused on some of our community's most precious assets: elementary school students. Since 2013, the Ben Curtis Family Foundation's Birdie Bag program has ensured that thousands of local...

Grace House Akron, located in the city's North Hill neighborhood, follows a simple tenet: "No one should die alone." The organization helps people who are enrolled in a hospice program, without an able caregiver, or alone or unable to afford a private...

Let's Grow Akron is a true grassroots organization in every context. For 35 years, the nonprofit has helped improve neighborhoods and alleviate hunger by working alongside residents to create healthy food systems using community gardening and education. Not...

Victim Assistance Program director expresses gratitude to David R. and Cheryl L. Venarge Fund David and Cheryl Venarge established a donor-advised fund at Akron Community Foundation in 1999 to allow their entire family to give back to the community they love....

Freedom House for Women has served the Summit County community for 16 years, offering substance use treatment and supportive services to help decrease the barriers of addiction and homelessness. Founded by Eva Hartwell in 2004, Freedom House for Women fights...

The Law and Leadership Institute (LLI) works with bright and talented high school students to close the educational opportunity gap. The nonprofit prepares and educates young people who hope to get a career in the legal profession by creating a supportive...

Ending of emergency benefits, inflation place squeeze on healthy food access On a sunny April afternoon, dozens of cars line up in single file at Summit Lake Community Center in South Akron. Volunteers adorned in orange fill the trunks of the vehicles with...

By Olivia Eastly, Marketing & Communications Coordinator Small nonprofits find new opportunities for growth amid the pandemic Over the past few years, everyone has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, but younger, more grassroots organizations were...