Artists in Stark and Summit counties have a new canvas on which to feature their works of art --- the walls of the Akron-Canton Airport. With a special grant from the GAR Foundation, “Art at the Airport” was created by ArtsinStark in collaboration with the Akron Area Arts Alliance.

Curated by Michele Waalkes, the objective is to showcase artists from both counties and to encourage regional cooperation.

“There is great art going on in Stark and Summit counties, and we need to work together in promoting it,” said Robb Hankins, president and CEO of ArtsinStark.

Summit County Children Services – the coordinating agency of Child & Family Awareness Month – recently announced the names of 29 local students from public, private, independent and charter schools within Summit County who were selected as winners in the 2012 Child & Family Awareness Month© Creative Contests from more than 250 combined entries.

The winners, each of whom was asked to create an artistic piece honoring the all-important concept of ‘family,’ were recognized at an awards reception held at the Akron Art Museum, through the support of the museum, Wendy's and the FirstMerit Foundation.

The work of the grand prize winner -- fifth-grader Brianna Frank, from Erwine Intermediate School in Coventry, will be the basis for all the promotional materials (such as brochures, buttons, etc.), which will be developed for next April's 2013 Child & Family Awareness Month celebration.

The Akron Symphony celebrates St. Patrick’s Day by welcoming two superstars of the American Musical scene to The University of Akron’s EJ Thomas Hall on Saturday, March 17^th. Guest conductor, John Morris Russell, is the newly appointed Music Director of the Cincinnati Pops and a popular former assistant conductor of the Akron Symphony. Teenage violin sensation, Chad Hoopes, calls Northeast Ohio home, even as he finds himself in demand as a soloist throughout the world. The program is a Romantic tour de force, featuring Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture, Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6.

Food drive benefits local shelters

In these rough economic times, pets go hungry too. Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic and County Executive Russ Pry are encouraging citizens of Akron and Summit County to consider making pet food and kitty litter donations during the month of March.

The pet food drive will benefit the Humane Society of Greater Akron, Summit County Animal Control and many animal rescue organizations countywide.

“The Akron–Canton Regional Food Bank just kicked off their annual Harvest for Hunger campaign,” Plusquellic said. “It’s important we also remember the needs of our pets as well.”

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 nationally recognized landscape designer from Akron has been selected to participate on a panel of experts called the “Ground Crew.” Sabrena Schweyer, APLD, co-owner of the Akron-based firm Salsbury-Schweyer, Inc, has joined six garden authorities to answer questions in a weekly Cleveland Plain Dealer column.

“Ask the Ground Crew” explores community questions about garden and landscape plants, pests and best practices for creating and maintaining outstanding outdoor spaces in the Northeast Ohio region. Schweyer, the Ground Crew’s only professional landscape designer, is a recognized expert in sustainable residential landscape design.

Putting fresh, local, sustainably grown vegetables on the table of everyone in our community is the aim of an organization called City Fresh.

City Fresh is a Cuyahoga County nonprofit program of the New Agrarian Center that supports the creation of a sustainable local food system in Northeast Ohio. Founded by Brad Masi, the program was meant to address the needs of those who are most at-risk within our community.

The New Agrarian Center is committed to building a stronger and more sustainable regional food system in Northeast Ohio: a food system that promotes health in the broadest sense of the word -- healthy land, healthy communities, healthy individuals and a healthy economy.

Navigating the legal system as a male offender can be overwhelming, but when child custody rights are added to the equation, the frustration can easily mount for the would-be parent. And some of these same men admit they may not even be incarcerated if they had positive male role models early in their lives.

In order to help them become better fathers and positive examples for their children and break the cycle of destructive behavior, residents of Summit County’s Community Based Correctional Facility were recently given a vital legal education regarding custody and parenting rights. The “Connected Conversation” took place in the East Crosier Street Oriana House facility, where residents spoke with Ron Cable, magistrate of the Summit County Domestic Relations Court, via a teleconferenced Skype conversation.

Three years ago, Akron Community Foundation prioritized its education grants to fund programs that prepare children to succeed in kindergarten.   
Since then, a steering committee led by Summit County Executive Russ Pry has combined efforts with many of Akron Community Foundation’s early learning grantees to develop the First Things First initiative.