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We hope you enjoy our eBulletin.
OUR MEETING LOCATION IS CHANGING!
Our Club meeting location is permanently changing
effective October 4, 2022.
Watch your mail!
Details about this change
are forthcoming from President Farkas.
The Akrotarian
eBulletin
Our Mission:
An inclusive, action oriented service organization, Akron Rotary improves our community
and the world while having fun and building friendships.
Our Vision:
Together, we aspire to make a lasting, positive impact in the lives of those
in our Akron community and beyond.
September 27th Meeting: If you did not pre-register but wish to attend,
we cannot guarantee a meal but please
contact Cheryl Warren at 330-495-9814.
Arnold Tunstallis Director, University Galleries at Myers School of Art, at The University of Akron.
He is also currently the Interim Coordinator of the Arts Administration graduate program at The University of Akron. Previously, Tunstall worked for the Akron Art Museum in various curatorial positions since 1985 and served as the Collections Manager and Registrar from 1994 - 2016.
Tunstall has also been an active volunteer within the arts community for many years. His volunteer work includes projects with Waterloo Arts Center, Ohio Arts Council, ArtsNOW, Summit Art Space, and NCCAkron as well as service on the board of SPACES Gallery (2006-2020), and as a founding and current board member of Akron Soul Train.
He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from The University of Akron majoring in Graphic Design and Photography, he received his Master of Fine Arts in Photography from The Ohio University. He has been an adjunct instructor at the Myers School of Art since 1995. Tunstall is active throughout the region with curatorial projects and continues to create and exhibit his own photographic artwork.
On September 13, 2022 Stew Buchanan arranged for the RYE students from District #6630 and #6600 to attend a Cleveland Guardians game. Host families, siblings, and club counselors were also present.
Welcome to Ja, Yara, Cristiano, Loris, Chihiro, Jose, Dani, and Madeline ( a potential outbound). It is nice to have exchange students back this year.
The Rotary Club of Akron had an amazing presentation by Doug Piekarz, CEO of the Akron Zoo during our Tuesday, September 20, 2022, weekly meeting.
I encourage anyone reading this article who couldn’t attend the meeting in person, or on Zoom to follow the link (click here) to the recording for a great presentation. Some of the highlights of Mr. Piekarz presentation is included below.
Akron Zoo mission:
Connecting your life to wildlife while inspiring lifelong learning and conservation action: Mission triangle: Community, Education and Conservation - any decision we make must connect with the three elements of the mission triangle.
Humble Beginnings: Opened May 17, 1953, as the Akron Children’s Zoo with 12 nursery rhyme themed exhibits covering one acre. Originally was known as Perkins Woods, and the Akron Natural History Museum. The nursery themed exhibits were built to encourage attendance at the Natural History Museum. The Akron Zoo was incorporated in 1953, 70 years celebration next year.
1979 – First in the nation of a public/private partnership. The Zoo became a private not for profit charity and changed its name to the Akron Zoological Park, Animal habitats were added, guest amenities were improved and in 1989 the zoo was accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA).
To ensure the sustainability of the Akron Zoo, Summit County voters approved a property tax in 2000. This successful levy campaign allowed the Zoo to make capital and operational improvements, increase the number of animals, more habitats and more opportunities to learn and the zoo was open year-round. Improvements made since 2000 include: Barnhardt Family Welcome Center; Lehner Family Zoo Gardens; Penguin Point; Legends of the Wild Komodo Kingdom Education Center; Conservation Carousel; Mike and Mary Stark Grizzly Ridge; Curious Creatures; Pride of Africa; Wild Asia and has grown from 33 to 56 exhibits,
2019 by the numbers: Akron Zoo is one of the most visited attractions in Summit County
402,143 on site attendance
91,456 participants in education programs
35,404 participants in field trips
12,878 member households
46 species survival plans on site
21 field conservation projects
2 extinct species (in the wild) call Akron Zoo home
1 of 237 AZA accredited zoos worldwide
Return on Investment:
For $1 of public support that the Akron Zoo has received since 2011, it has generated nearly $8 in impact.
$75.6 million invested, $581 million returned.
Sustainability:
Komodo Kingdom – First LEED certified building in Summit County
Komodo Café – First 4-Star Green Restaurant in Ohio and any U.S. zoo
Reduced water usage by 80% over 5 years
Composted over 3.6 million pounds of organic waste in four years
Grizzly Ridge – Certified LEED Silver
Installed composter – Big Hanna
Conservation Programs: In 2019 the Akron Zoo supported 21 conservation projects or programs, both locally and globally.
Seven of the projects are U.S. Based. Five in Ohio and two in other States.
The Akron Zoo supported three projects in South America,
Six in Asia,
Two in Africa.
The remaining three projects work on a global scale.
A Community Partner: The zoo’s goal is to be a strong community partner. Their latest efforts have focused on supporting our community during the COVID pandemic:
60 Facebook Live educational broadcasts to support educators and parents. (Now on YouTube)
Hosted free meal distributions
Hosted Red Cross blood drives
Donated 1,400 N95 masks to healthcare providers
Staff and volunteers made over 3,000 masks and distributed them to schoolchildren and the SCPH department
All About the Animals:
Growth:
Grown from 57 to 61 animal habitats
Experiences: Three new experiences opened since 2016:
Curious Creatures – Summer 2017
Pride of Africa – Summer 2019
Wild Asia – Summer 2021
Animal Residents:
Number of animals cared for has grown from 2,381 animals (239 species) to 2611 animals (252 species) since 2016.
439 individual animal births since 2016
Today:
53 species survival plans on site
2 extinct species (in the wild) call Akron Zoo home
A Perfect Inspection:
In June 2021 the Akron Zoo became 1 of 3 zoos in 50 years to receive a perfect accreditation inspection.
To learn more about the Akron Zoo and all that it has to offer, check out their website at www.akronzoo.org.
The purpose of Rotary Cares is to show our support for Akron Rotary members and their families when dealing with the loss of a loved one, the hardship of illness and also to celebrate the joy of a new baby, job, marriage or other events in their lives. Please be sure to let us know any news you would like placed here. Note that health related information is posted only with permission of the individual(s).
CONGRATULATIONS
Akron Rotarian, Julie Ann Sweet-Buntin, was recognized as the 2022 Keep Akron Beautiful Volunteer of the Year.
Thank you Julie Ann for your service to our community!
Sundays: October 16th, 23rd, 30th Event runs from 11:00am-7:00pm
Three shifts are available: 10:00am-1:15pm (October 29th 9:00am-1:15pm), 1:00-4:15pm, and 4:00-7:00pm You may sign up for more than one shift per day. Event occurs rain, snow or shine.
Boo at the Akron Zoo is a non-scary trick or treat experience for all ages that runs Saturdays and Sundays from 10:30 (Presale)-7:00pm. All guests must purchase tickets, either an observer or treater, before entering the event and can be purchased presale or day of the event. Presale tickets gain entry at 10:30 a.m. and all treat stations close by 7:00pm. Treaters will have a candy passport allowing them to collect candy at each station. The entire zoo is open for guests to enjoy.
Volunteers staff each treat station and are paired with a zoo volunteer (EdZOOcator). This allows questions or concerns to be addressed quickly. We need approximately 24 volunteers for each of the three shifts to comfortably staff the event. Volunteers that are part of a large group will be split up in pairs. We are not able to keep groups together.
Boo at the Zoo is one of your Akron Zoo’s main events. As a non-profit organization, we rely heavily on our revenue from the concessions, gift shop, admissions, carousel, etc. These monies allow us to provide our animals with the best possible care. In addition to our earned revenue, the Akron Zoo receives funding from a Summit County tax levy, private donations, and fundraisers, such as Boo at the Zoo. In order to keep costs low, we rely on assistance from volunteers, such as those from your organization.
I truly hope your organization will join us for this family friendly, non-scary event. To schedule your volunteer shift(s), please use our VolunteerSignUp.org link: volunteersignup.org/HKFJ9 Please contact me with any further questions. Shelley Orloski, Career Pathways Manager, boo@akronzoo.org, 330-375-2550 ex 7286. The Wednesday before your shift, you will receive detailed information regarding parking, check in location, etc.
Thank you for your support,
Shelley Orloski, CVA Boo at the Zoo Volunteer Team Leader
Rotary Camp is collecting ACME receipts! Help us earn 5% Community Cashback by shopping store brands in Acme Fresh Market. Save your receipts from August 4, 2022 until December 24, 2022.
Receipts can either be mailed to Camp (4460 Rex Lake Dr., Akron OH 44319), or be turned in at the weekly Rotary Meetings.
Thank you ACME for your continued support to the community!
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