Stories: Grantee Stories

Do you know where your next meal is coming from? For thousands of people in Summit County, the answer is no. Now more than ever, families need help putting food on the table, and Akron Community Foundation is stepping up to the plate through grants to...

Growing up as a young boy in a single-parent home, Donald Lykes lacked a strong father figure. Without a male role model, Lykes said he grew up not knowing how to be a father - or more accurately, a "dad" - and was unprepared for the responsibilities of...

The history of Summit County got a little richer as hundreds of people came to the Akron-Summit County Public Library in downtown Akron to record oral histories of their lives.  With the help of a $20,000 grant from Akron Community Foundation, the...

When Uzbek refugee Bahrom Abdurasulov fled his war-torn country in 2005, he knew re-establishing his life in the United States would be a formidable challenge.  He had limited English skills, no local support system, and very few resources. What he never...

Modern hip-hop music often gets a bad rap for encouraging violence. But do a little digging and its roots reveal quite the opposite. "The hip-hop culture was (based on) peace, love, unity and having fun," said Ismail Al-Amin, executive director of Keepers of...

Believe it or not, preschool isn't all fun and games. A nationwide study by Yale researchers found that preschoolers in state-funded programs are expelled at least three times more often than students in grades kindergarten through 12th combined. Most of...

Just a few short years ago, Frankie Betancourt was wandering through life. His mother was battling a drug addiction, forcing Frankie and his brother Donni to fend for themselves. "I didn't have a foundation. I was living house to house, day by day," Frankie...

Linda was living the American dream. She had a stable job and owned a home, but disaster struck. An injury on the job forced her out of work and onto disability. But the checks ran out, and her injury limited her work prospects. Soon, she couldn't afford her...

Every year, teachers must dig deep into their own pockets to purchase extra materials for their classroom.   Bulletin boards, puppet materials and laminating fees can quickly add up to an additional $500 over the course of a school year,...

Anyone with a pet knows the enrichment they bring to daily life. Pets offer unconditional love and understanding to the people who care for them - something that is particularly true when the person has developmental disabilities, said Hattie Larlham...