Neighbors who know one another better tend to build safer overall neighborhoods, according to the city of Akron, which encourages each area to promote their own event for the fifth annual Neighbors Day. The celebration takes place May 28, Memorial Day weekend, and centers around residents getting to know their neighbors better.

This year's theme is Living Together Better: 5 Years of Strengthening Neighborhoods. Once residents decide their preferred activity,  city officials encourage organizers to choose a location, adding they may want to host it on their porch, front yard or driveway. Neighbors Day Akron is designed to help residents get to know one another, especially those in closest proximity.

A few short years ago, Gabrielle Blackshear was a single mom struggling to support her family. Like many young women, she had poor credit and did not understand how to live on a budget or manage her finances. All of that changed, however, when she came across Mustard Seed Development Center in Akron.

As a retired Akron police officer, John Bailey has seen his share of criminal activity. Much of this activity is the result of repeat offenders with tumultuous backgrounds, some stretching as far back as childhood. Now, as a part-time deputy with the Juvenile Diversion Program, Bailey spends his time working with teens that have put themselves on that same dangerous path, helping them turn their lives around.

If you walk the halls of any Akron Public School and hear the heartfelt melody of a violin, the singing of a flute or the bright burst from a trumpet, you might just be hearing one of the 200 instruments donated through the Music Alive program.

While the city focuses on job growth and creation, a recent study asserts that attention should be given to passion and love of place instead.

Social offerings, aesthetics and openness are more critical to residents than basic services and economy, according to a three-year Gallup study of Akron in coordination with the Knight Foundation.