The University of Akron's "Pay it Forward" service-learning/philanthropy project – funded by United Way of Summit County – was used in the Legal Minefields of Entrepreneurism, a class offered jointly for students in Akron's law school and MBA school. 



Six student groups competed for the $2,000 grant. The student group who delivered the best presentation (advocating for the nonprofit they represent) won the grant. Judging the student projects were Judge Eve Belfance, Paul Perantinides (attorney), and Roger Read (philanthropist).



After hearing all the presentations, the judges made the difficult decision to award the $2,000 to Child Guidance and Family Solutions, a United Way affiliated agency. This team was led by School of Law students Lewis Bennett, Christian Gruner-Vazquez, Kenneth Bailey, and CBA student Kelly Loebick-Frasella. The winning team highlighted Child Guidance's "sandplay therapy" room at their new building.

They came, they saw and they ate.  Parents, families and community members were out in big numbers to enjoy themselves and become politically educated at Pancake Day at Buchtel High School CLRC (Community Learning Resource Center) on Saturday. The event was open to the public as many community organizations and several political candidates came out to engage the citizens.

Among the VIP's were Vernon Sykes, (D) House of Representatives 44th district since 2007, Senator Tom Sawyer (D) who represents the 28th Senate District, judge Elinore Marsh Stormer, mayor Don Plusquellic, and City Council President  Marco Sommerville.  Several issues on this year's ballot were discussed such as Summit County Issue no. 73 is a 2.25 million renewal of a levy that cost homeowners of $100K or more about $69 a year, and is not a new tax.  The tax provides 60 percent of Summit County Children's Services operating funds.  Akron Municipal ballot issue 3 brings a six year old proposal that was rejected by voters, increasing the terms of ward council members from two to four years.

North Akron Life Skills will present a Back to School Bash this Thursday, offering a free festival for the community.

The Oct. 4 celebration takes place noon to 3 p.m. at 1458 Brittain Road in Akron, and includes free food and drinks, raffles for gift cards and other prizes, as well as a sticky wall and video game truck. Additionally, DJ Smoov will provide entertainment.

"We are inviting all students, their families, and anyone else in the community to come and participate – free of charge," said Steve Garton, administrator of Life Skills Center of North Akron. "We are trying to build connections to our neighborhoods and be more active than we have ever been in our community."

A recent youth violence forum at Buchtel High School began with video clips from a popular website that featured young people in various stages of fighting. And the images were met with laughs and cheers from the students, which spoke volumes about the role that the media plays in glorifying teen violence.

But by the end of the event, the students' raucous behavior transitioned to polite applause, as the panelists pointed out just how detrimental media depictions are to them, especially urban youth.

"There are executives basing shows off of our misery and our issues," said Dr. Zachery Williams, an associate professor of history at The University of Akron and one of the guests of the Youth Violence Forum, hosted by Keepers of the Art. While media like TV shows and websites make money off of these violent images, the profits are typically not funneled back into the community, said Williams, who added that urban youth are getting the worst part of this deal. "Instead of laughing at (our problems), we have to face them and deal with them, because they won't go away."