Akron Rotarians will be assembling the bins on Thursday, May 7th at 4:30 pm at the Beck Center, 2114 Lindbergh Avenue in Cuyahoga Falls.Volunteers will spend an hour assembling the bins following a quick tour.
Read the article below from Sandy Naragon about this project -a grant from our Akron Rotary Foundation was presented to fund this project for the foster system.
Summit County Continuum of Care (SCCoC) a collaboration of agencies working together for the homeless
Christopher Richardson is the Executive Director of the Summit County Continuum of Care, where he drives strategic initiatives to prevent and end homelessness through collaboration, innovation, and community-centered solutions.
With over 30 years of experience in behavioral health, addiction services, and healthcare, Mr. Richardson is known for strengthening organizations, expanding access to care, and delivering measurable results for vulnerable populations. Throughout his career, he has served in senior leadership capacities at Coleman Health Services, CHC Addiction Services, AxessPointe Community Health Centers, and Oriana House, Inc., contributing to the expansion of services and improved outcomes for individuals and families across Northeast Ohio.
Mr. Richardson earned a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and a Master’s in Education in Rehabilitation Counseling from Kent State University, where he also served as an adjunct professor teaching courses in the Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling Program. He is a Licensed Independent Clinical Dependency Counselor with Clinical Supervisor designation and a Professional Counselor.
A dedicated civic leader, he serves on the boards of Ardmore Inc., Kent State University Public Health Advisory Council and Kent State Rehabilitation Advisory Council.
He is a graduate of Torchbearers (Class of 2011) and Leadership Akron (Class 34), and his professional achievements include the 30 for the Future Award (2013), Torchbearers Distinguished Alumni Award (2019), and induction into the Trumbull County African American Achievers Hall of Fame (2020).
Above all, Mr. Richardson is deeply committed to serving others. He enjoys the daily work of walking alongside individuals and families on their journey toward stability and recovery and considers his leadership an extension of his faith and a calling to do God’s work through service to the community.
Mr. Richardson is married to his wife Darlene of 28 years. They have three children, Christian, 28, Courtnai, 26 and Camille, 20. They also have two dogs, Charlii and Clover.
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 <Click to Email us> to let us know of any news you would like placed here. Note that health related information is posted only with permission of the individual(s).
DEEPEST CONDOLENCES
Former Akron Rotarian, Peter Ryerson, passed away on March 20, 2026. He became a club member in 2023 and was very involved in the Club until his health began to fail. He had a very advanced form of dementia, which appeared suddenly and progressed very quickly.
Peter was also a very active member of our community, and was a devoted member of Christ Episcopal Church in Hudson, OH and former member of St. Paul’s Episcopal in Akron.
A Celebration of Life followed by a reception, will be held for Mr. Ryerson at the Billow Funeral Home, 85 N. Miller Rd., Akron, OH 44333 at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
The Rotary Club of Akron is pleased to host Wisdom as a speaker at our luncheon meeting on April 14th at noon (doors open at 11:45 AM).
Please RSVP to Club President Katy Miller at Katymiller218@gmail.com or 330-620-4098 by noon on Friday, April 10th.
Wisdom’s journey with Rotary began in 2010–2011, when he was interviewed on behalf of District 6630 as a candidate for the Rotary Peace Fellow program. From the outset, he was supported by multiple clubs across the district, recognizing his strong potential and commitment to peacebuilding.
Despite not yet holding a college degree at the time, his leadership and dedication led to his selection for the professional development certificate in Peace and Conflict Studies at the Rotary Peace Center at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand.
He has since continued to build an impressive academic and professional path, earning both his undergraduate degree and a Master’s in Peace Studies through the Rotary Peace Center at International Christian University in Japan.
Over the years, continued support from clubs across the district has helped advance Wisdom’s work, bringing PeaceJam programming to schools in the Upper West Region of Ghana. This includes successful PeaceJam Slam conferences in 2024 and 2025, with further expansion planned.
In addition to his work with students, educators, and mentors, Wisdom is currently leading efforts to establish the West Africa Center for Peace in Ghana, further advancing peace education and leadership development in the region.
Lunch is $20. We meet at the Greek Annunciation Church, 129 S Union St., Akron, OH 44314. If you cannot attend the DLA and still want to hear from him this is a great opportunity.
Please RSVP to Club President Katy Miller at Katymiller218@gmail.com or 330-620-4098 by noon on Friday, April 10th.
About the speaker: Ellen McWilliams-Woods specializes in bringing diverse groups together to shine a light on solutions to complex community problems.She is currently working with the Youth Success Summit and Summit Education Initiative in Greater Akron, Ohio to galvanize the entire community to provide equitable and innovative skill-rich opportunities for youth.
Her 40 years in the youth development sector and as an educator, including 13 years as chief academic officer/assistant superintendent in the Akron Public Schools, were deeply rooted in finding the synergy between people or organizations that result in breakthrough experiences for children and youth.She worked with 70+ out-of-school time providers and civic leaders to launch the Youth Success Summit - an intermediary expanding afterschool and summer opportunities for youth in Greater Akron.She successfully collaborated with faculty, universities and local businesses to have the Akron Public Schools named as the first Ford Next Generation Learning community in Ohio where the district’s nine high schools were transformed into the College and Career Academies of Akron.The success of the district’s and cities’ support of the K-12 College and Career Academies culminated in Ford Next Generation Learning announcing the district as a demonstration and training site for districts across the country in 2022.
A recipient of the Life Changer of the Year Capstone Award from the National Life Group and the Woman of the Year Award from the Summit County Historical Society,Dr. McWilliams-Woods continues her commitment to leadership within the community.She serves on the Early Childhood Resource Center board and United Way of Summit & Medina’s Community Impact Task Force and is an active and proud member of Leadership Akron, Class XXVI.She previously served on the board of ConxusNEO, Project GRAD Akron, Junior Achievement, and Cleveland State University’s Center for Educational Leadership.
We’re excited to invite you to the District 6630 Conference of Clubs & DLA. Registration is NOW OPEN! This year's updated schedule is designed to make the event more accessible and welcoming for everyone. We look forward to coming together for meaningful conversations, inspiring speakers, and time with fellow Rotarians.
The at-a-glance schedule is below for you but here’s what you can look forward to:
Friday:
Afternoon Start: We’ve condensed the schedule so those who work during the day can easily join us.
Business Meeting & Celebration of Life: Important updates and a moment of reflection.
Evening of Fellowship and Fun: A chance to reconnect and network while enjoying food and beverage stations, an inspiring speaker and then. . .
Rotary Jeopardy: Join your cluster in a fun, competitive game of Rotary Jeopardy! Big bragging rights are up for grabs.
Saturday:
Breakfast & District Learning Assembly (DLA): Learn and grow through valuable district-led sessions.
Youth Lunch: Our signature event, where you’ll experience the impact of Rotary through the eyes of our youth. This is a fun and well-attended event you won’t want to miss!
District Service Project: Participate in this exciting new hands on service project. In partnership with Pack Away Hunger we’ll pack at least 20,000 meals in ONE HOUR! These meals will be distributed to food banks and pantries within our district.
We’ll be sharing more updates leading up to the event, but we wanted to get this information to you early so you can register and mark your calendars.
