(Editor's note: The Fairlawn Heights Crime Trends Report is part of the Akronist's new Digital Block Watch program, a free resource for residents to schedule meetings and discuss community safety. To enroll your neighborhood in the program, contact Diane Evans at .)

Although break-ins in Fairlawn Heights increased in the first half of 2011, Akron police say the neighborhood’s burglary rate has been low in the second half of the year and they emphasize that this neighborhood is among the safest places in the city.

Akron police Detective Steven Null said that in the second half of 2011, there were few burglaries in Fairlawn Heights, with no reports in July, August or October.

In late November, a dirt bike was taken from a home on Ridgewood Road where a garage door had been left open. A 20-year-old suspect was arrested on Miller Road with the dirt bike and charged with theft and burglary.

A number of medical advances have arisen from clinical trials. Sometimes, they can even revolutionize medicine. For example, a clinical study in Pittsburgh determined that the lumpectomy (known as a “breast-conserving” procedure) is as effective in breast cancer treatment as a mastectomy, or full breast removal, said Karen Snyder, a manager at Akron’s Austen BioInnovation Institute.

A series of informational meetings about the benefits of medical health research kicked off last week at the Akron-Summit County Public Library’s main library in downtown Akron.

Although there sometimes are risks involved with medical studies, it’s a chance to make a difference and help discover new treatments. “We want to increase the amount of research in the area, but to do that we need volunteers, and we need informed volunteers,” she added.

(Editor's note: The Fairlawn Heights Crime Trends Report is part of the Akronist's new Digital Block Watch program, a free resource for residents to schedule meetings and discuss community safety. To enroll your neighborhood in the program, contact Diane Evans at .)

Is crime getting worse in the Fairlawn Heights area? Because anecdotal reports suggest an increased problem, the Akronist set out to see if police reports bear out that suspicion.

The short answer: yes.

 Because several police jurisdictions cover the area, getting complete numbers can be challenging. For this story, we’re focusing on Akron police reports in the category of “burglary/breaking & entering.”

Nearly 200 people gathered at the Hilton Akron/Fairlawn for Akron Community Foundation’s 56th annual meeting, which featured stories of growth, grants and personal philanthropy.

Outgoing Treasurer Mark Allio announced that as of March 31, the community foundation held more than $135 million in philanthropic capital, a 7.45 percent growth over the previous year. The foundation’s investment returns of more than 12 percent continued to outperform the market average, he said.

Navigating the sea of concrete at Summit Mall to find the closest parking spot may have just become easier with the addition of valet parking at the mall's main entrance. For $3, locally owned valet service Park For You will do just that: park for you.

The service just started and is offered only on weekends, Fridays and Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and on Sundays, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

A recent food drive at Chick-fil-A restaurants helped feed those who donated food to the hungry.

During this year's event, held June 16, if someone donated two cans of fruits or vegetables to Haven of Rest, they received a coupon for a Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich. Locations in Chapel Hill (Cuyahoga Falls), Fairlawn, Macedonia, Belden Village Mall and Dressler Road in N. Canton all participated. Their combined efforts raised 3,677 pounds of much needed food for this ministry.

Akron Community Foundation will honor one of northeast Ohio’s most revered leaders in health care and philanthropy this year at the Bert A. Polsky Humanitarian Award celebration. William H. Considine will be the 42nd recipient of the award, which is named for the former president of Polsky’s Department Store and founding trustee of Akron Community Foundation.

Considine, a longtime resident and native of Akron, was selected to receive the Polsky Award by a committee of past honorees. The foundation presents the award each year to the individual or couple who best exemplify Bert Polsky’s selfless dedication to humanitarian causes in Akron. Recent recipients include Kathryn Hunter, Madeline Bozzelli, Bud and Susie Rogers and Philip Maynard.

Considine will be honored at the annual Bert A. Polsky Humanitarian Award Dinner Oct. 18 at the Hilton Akron/Fairlawn.

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.

Pulitzer Prize-winning Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist Connie Schultz will share her experiences as an acclaimed journalist, mother and senator’s wife this spring at the Women’s Endowment Fund’s “For Women, Forever” celebration. The annual dinner event, which draws more than 300 people, takes place March 23 at the Hilton Akron/Fairlawn.

As a nationally syndicated columnist for the Plain Dealer, Schultz has written her way into households across the country. Her pitch-perfect commentary highlights issues ranging from coat-check gratuities to women’s reproductive health. In 2005, Schultz won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary, with judges calling her “a voice for the underdog and underprivileged.”

One of a Kind Pet Rescue recently hosted a “Sneak Peek” Open House for its new 9,000 square foot, state-of-the-art adoption center and retail outlet at 1929 W. Market St. For the past five years, One of a Kind Pets has operated its adoption and retail center out of a retail store front located on one side of a gas station at the intersection of West Market Street and Hawkins Avenue in Akron.