Imagine for one moment being a teenager and having to get ready for your prom at a homeless shelter. Unfortunately this is a reality for some.

"A mom and her three teenage boys had been living in their car for about 17 days before they came to ACCESS. They weren't in a minivan, it was an average car," Joy Trachsel, PR and Volunteer Coordinator at ACCESS, said of the types of things their staff see on a daily basis.

"To see the mom come in with three teenage boys who were old enough to be aware of what was going on and see the anger in their eyes – they were mad at their mom – (thinking) 'why do I have to get ready for my prom in a homeless shelter?' and watching those boys really soften and when they left were in tears, stands out to me," Trachsel continued.

A movement beginning in Cleveland is now growing in Akron. On Feb. 8, citizens and strangers gathered at Musica for the E4S (Entrepreneurs for Sustainability) Local Food Initiative that is taking off.

The E4S: Putting Sustainability to Work is known for innovative workshops, roundtables and networking events for the purpose of connecting people and ideas that will help sustain work for our region. The network includes more than 8,000 business, government and nonprofit leaders working to grow a sustainable economy.

The purpose of this evening was to stir up discussions, network and provide information on the local food movement. Ideally, the initiative seeks to make locally grown, healthy food available to all. This means corner stores and places one would not normally find fresh food.

Job creation, financial stability, safety and building a thriving community is what most of us, if not all, hope for in our city. What boosts our confidence is having someone in office who cares and has a track record of making positive changes in the community.

"When you get articles like this," said County Executive Russ Pry, holding up a November copy of the Fiscal Times, "You look at the 10 different places and see Akron, Ohio, rated as number eight in the United States in the middle/coming out of the worst recession in our lifetime. You see that for tough times we've been able to do some pretty good things" he said proudly.

Pry has worked to keep the economy rolling in Summit County by doing things such as helping to keep Goodyear and Bridgestone facilities in the area, for instance.

As the globe turned on County Executive Russ Pry's desk and he spoke of the changes that have been made in the county since taking office, it's clear that he has no lack of vision for this community.

His office, overlooking the city and all of its people, roads and tall buildings, mirrors his job in a way, which is overseeing the operation of the county government. Pry oversees 10 different departments within Summit County, which has approximately 3,400 employees and at one point was the 17th largest employer in Northeast Ohio.

Since being in office, Pry has made some major, positive changes in the county. "We have been able to successfully manage our budget in such a way that we've been able to maintain high levels of service to the public," Pry shared.

A look at food donations from the ground level

Arlington Memorial Baptist Church recently gave away 18,000 pounds of food to residents in need, thanks to a donation given by the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank.

Every week, the Foodbank donates food to this church, as well as to many other agency members across the county. Mary Coppenger, 72, and her husband Jack, 75, have been giving out food at Arlington Baptist for four years now.

The happily married couple of 50 years arrives at the church at 5 a.m. every Tuesday morning to set up, staying until 1:30 p.m. "When we first started there was only about 15 people coming. We'd sit here, read the paper and have coffee," Mary said of their beginnings.
Now they average 100 to 150 people each time.

In just one week, six people were murdered in Akron. Between this and the Copley and Craigslist shootings, some in the faith community are saying "enough is enough" and taking a stand against crime in our area by gathering together in prayer.

Twenty-six murders were committed in the city this past year alone. "That's 26 mothers without sons," said Serita Terrel, who lost her 24-year-old son last May, due to a gunshot to the head.

Police officers, pastors and city officials were among those who arrived to pray at Mount Calvary Baptist Church on Bell Street and address the recent violence in the city.

Kathy, a 54-year-old woman staying at the Harvest Home shelter for women and children, has a smile that lights up a room. She wasn't always like this, though. It wasn't until going through the Harvest Home's program that she was able to find healing and blossom into the woman she is today. She found purpose and joy through their new program, Lydia's Purse.

Lydia's Purse is collaboration between the homeless shelter and Maryann Wohlwend, founder of MaryannDesigns and international director of Lydia's Purse. Her slogan, "Sewing Handbags while Sowing Hearts," defines this social entrepreneurship that empowers women from Northeast Ohio to the ends of the earth (all the way to Tanzania).

As the snowflakes begin to fall this winter, most of us will be blessed enough to have a roof over our head, sip a nice cup of hot cocoa if we'd like and even sit by a warm fireplace. For others, this won't an option. Instead of celebrating, they will worry where their next meal will come from and if they will stay warm enough and even make it through the winter.

Thanks to a local homeless shelter, The Haven of Rest, a huge burden is lifted off of the homeless.

The Haven of Rest began in 1943, as The Rev. and Mrs. Charles C. Thomas's burden for the poor led them to open their hearts and welcome the homeless to stay in their own home. Starting out as a small storefront rescue mission, it has blossomed into the largest homeless center in the Summit-Portage-Medina-Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne-Holmes county area --- and a valuable asset to our community. This year they will celebrate 68 years of ministry.

True North Ministry (TNM) has a big heart for troubled youth across Ohio. As a result of working one-on-one with teens through their mentoring program, activities, Bible studies and detention center/jail ministry, they've learned a lot about youth culture.

Throughout this time spent they've noticed a "unique" issue interfering with the lives of the youth that they see: gangs. They do exist, even here in Summit County. "We're seeing that the gangs are becoming more and more influential, and we want to launch a liberation initiative," Melissa Yovichin, development director of TNM, said of their goals in combatting this.

It's something most people may not normally think about, but many are born into gangs today and therefore aren't given much of a choice as to which direction they want to take with their lives. Those with family, friends, and/or many of the people on their block in a gang can be influenced to join.

We, meaning you and I, create the culture we live in. We play a part in the puzzle, or big picture, and our influence has either a positive, or negative, impact on the world around us.

"We're all affected by our culture, but it works the other way too. We can affect our culture, so ultimately, we are the culture. We decide what it's going to be like," said Cheryl Biddle, founder of Alliance for Healthy Youth. Biddle takes teens, part of the C.A.T.S. (Concerned about Teen Success) program, into middle and high schools to educate their peers on important topics relating to the issues they face.

Their purpose is to empower, encourage and educate youth to make and keep healthy lifestyle choices. They equip them with the knowledge and skills to make decisions and practice behaviors that enhance health and wellness.