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Summit County Opioid Healing Fund awards $260K in second round of grants

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Local nonprofits working on the front lines of the opioid epidemic will receive $260,000 in funding, thanks to recent grants awarded from the Summit County Opioid Healing Fund. This is the second round of funding for the partnership between Akron Community Foundation and Summit County, bringing total funding to $600,000.

The fund was established last year by the Opiate Abatement Advisory Council using settlement funds from Summit County's federal opioid trial. Last week, County Executive Ilene Shapiro and County Council approved adding an additional $250,000 to the fund.

"The pandemic has had devastating effects on addiction in our community," said John Garofalo, vice president of community investment for Akron Community Foundation. "We're incredibly thankful to Summit County for making this investment in the health of our community and entrusting the community foundation to administer grants to the nonprofits who work closely with affected residents and families."

Grants from this fund support nonprofits or programs that are not currently funded by the Summit County ADM Board, along with those programs that offer peer support services, recovery-oriented services and community-based recovery events.

"Since receiving our settlement funds, we have been intentional about collaborating with those on the front lines of the fight against the opioid epidemic. The groups we are funding with these grants may be small, but they provide essential resources to those impacted by addiction," said County Executive Shapiro. "We are so thankful to have ACF as a partner in this important work."

One such program is Sarah's House, which will receive a $15,000 grant to focus on youth prevention in Akron's Ward 4. "Although our target age group (10-17-year-olds) is not yet in crisis with opioids, we know the chances of drugs finding their way to this community is real," said Linda Brown, treasurer of Sarah's House. The nonprofit will partner with a number of organizations, like Akron Urban Minority Alcoholism Drug Abuse Outreach Program of Ohio (UMADEOP) and Project Ujima, as part of Akron Community Collaborative (ACC). "With the help of the ACC, we hope to take initiative in local education and prevention of youth abuse of opioids."

Also receiving funding is 3R Foundation, which will be awarded $15,000 for the Reentry, Reconnect, Restoration project. This project will bring together small and mid-size organizations that work with individuals struggling with opioid addiction to help them understand the real-world implications of addiction.

The next grant application process for the Summit County Opioid Healing Fund will be open from July 1 to Aug. 1, with grants being announced in late September.

The following grants were approved during the second round of distributions from the fund:

  • 3R Foundation, for the Reentry, Reconnect, Restoration (3R) project, which educates both youth and adults about the dangers of opioid use, $15,000
  • ARC Recovery Services, for addiction recovery treatment services, $25,000
  • Community Oriented Recovery, for peer recovery support services for Summit County residents, $25,000
  • Compass North Church, to support a Walk in Their Shoes and Celebrate Recovery program, $12,500
  • Friends of 91.3 (The Summit), to support Rock+Recovery™ Radio, $25,000
  • Hope United, to support education & recovery events to individuals in recovery and their families, $15,000
  • H.M. Life Opportunity Services, to support homeless mothers recovering from opiate addiction, $15,000
  • Keys to Serenity, for the Keys to the Heart Family Program, a 12-month program that provides events, as well as educational and assistance programs, to families and children affected by substance abuse in their home, $20,000
  • Let's Get Healthy Cleveland, for opioid community awareness, including education and outreach programs, $10,000
  • MODE – Miracles Occur, Days Enriched, to support outpatient and partial hospitalization programming, including addiction counseling and peer support services, $20,000
  • OhioCan Change Addiction Now, for the "OhioCAN Summit: Come, Learn and Remember," which will include national speakers, games and activities for children, and education, support and empowerment for adults, $12,500
  • Ohio Domestic Violence Network, to improve services to domestic violence survivors with substance use issues and mental health needs, $10,000
  • The Packard Institute, for peer-recovery for families impacted by addiction, $20,000
  • Safe Harbor Norton, for continuing education, vocational job training and housing scholarships for residents in treatment, $20,000
  • Sarah's House Inc., for My Family-My People, a project focused on Akron's Ward 4 that provides prevention meetings for 10- to 17-year-olds, $15,000

About Akron Community Foundation
Celebrating 66 years of building community philanthropy, Akron Community Foundation embraces and enhances the work of charitable people who make a permanent commitment to the good of the community. In 1955, a $1 million bequest from the estate of Edwin Shaw established the community foundation. It is a philanthropic endowment of nearly $300 million with a growing family of more than 780 funds established by charitable people and organizations from all walks of life. The community foundation and its funds welcome gifts of all kinds, including cash, bequests, stock, real estate, life insurance and retirement assets, just to name a few. To date, the community foundation's funds have awarded nearly $206 million in grants to qualified nonprofit organizations. For more information about Akron Community Foundation or to learn more about creating your own charitable fund, call 330-376-8522 or visit www.akroncf.org.

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