May 18, 2021
HOWARD PARR
Akron Civic Theatre
Executive Director
Howard Parr has more than 25 years of professional experience in arts, entertainment, and consulting. His work includes organizational development and strategic planning, as well as program management and event production. Howard has served as executive director of the Akron Civic Theatre since September 2007. He served as The Civic’s Director of Development and Planning from 1999 – 2004, during which he directed the capital campaign for the theater’s $22.5 million expansion and restoration project. In addition to his work on the capital campaign, he was talent buyer for in-house programming (through 2002 – 2003), as well as for the first season of Lock Three Park, an outdoor performance space immediately adjacent to the Civic Theatre.
During his time away from the theater from 2004-2007, Howard was co-producer of an original gospel, jazz and R&B musical based on the life of the Apostle Paul – which enjoyed a 36-performance run including stops in NY and Chicago. During that time, he also promoted King of the Cage mixed martial arts events and coordinated non-liturgical public programming at Trinity Cathedral in Cleveland. Howard previously served as General Manager of Ohio Ballet. During his tenure at the Ballet, the company produced the cross-cultural ballet, Jungle Book: The Adventures of Mowgli, which set revenue records for both ticket sales and touring. Before joining Ohio Ballet, he served as General Manager of Cleveland Signstage Theatre where he expanded the theatre’s programming, including its first-ever national tour, bringing its production of Children of a Lesser God to more than 40 cities. Prior to moving to northeast Ohio, Howard served as General Manager of the David S. Palmer Civic Center in Danville, Illinois, a 5,000 seat multi-purpose arena and conference facility. During his tenure in Danville, and while serving as Performing Arts Coordinator at Western Illinois University in Macomb, he coordinated the programming of a wide variety of cultural and popular programs ranging from symphony orchestras and ballet companies to rock-n-roll and country concerts.
We proudly recognize and thank the following individuals whose outstanding generosity to the The Rotary International Foundation (TRF) demonstrates a spirit of giving which helps sustain and improve the lives of others.
Each of these members reached a new milestone in their donor legacy as multiple Paul Harris Fellows (PHF). You will find more information below about the recognition levels and how you can become a PHF.
Left to Right:
Nathanael Billow - Paul Harris + 2
Dr. Robert McGregor - Paul Harris +3
Dr. Douglas Hausknecht - Paul Harris + 4
John Margida - Paul Harris + 5
Paul Harris Fellow/Multiple Paul Harris Fellow
Donors of US$1,000 or more to the Annual Programs Fund, PolioPlus, or the Humanitarian Grants program, or people who have that amount contributed in their name, can be recognized as Paul Harris Fellows. Each new Paul Harris Fellow receives a commemorative certificate and a pin. At each new level a new stone is added to their pin to reflect their Paul Harris level. Click here for more about Donor Recognition.
The Rotary Foundation transforms your gifts into service projects that change lives both close to home and around the world. Since it was founded more than 100 years ago, the Foundation has spent more than $4 billion on life-changing, sustainable projects.
TRF distributes a portion of donations made to the Annual Fund to our District to support local Club grants. Only donations that are designated to the Annual Fund qualify to be redistributed to the District / Clubs.
We are proud that 92% of funds are spent on actual program awards and services it delivers. TRF provides 100% accountability & transparency and has received Charity Navigator's highest level as a 4 star charity.
Our mission The mission of The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty.
What impact can one donation have?
For as little as 60 cents, a child can be protected from polio.
$50 can provide clean water to help fight waterborne illness.
$500 can launch an antibullying campaign and create a safe environment for children.
The Rotary Club of Akron had the pleasure of listening to Tiffanie Ferguson who serves as the Clinical Director at CHC Addiction Services at our Tuesday, May 11th weekly meeting.
CHC Addiction Services is a private, not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) corporation. They are an addiction services agency providing comprehensive prevention, treatment and recovery services for addictive and compulsive behaviors and disorders.
Tiffanie has been an employee of CHC Addiction Services for the past 17 years. She is dually licensed as a clinical counselor and chemical dependency counselor supervisor. Previous to her role as Clinical Director she was instrumental in the development of CHC’s adolescent substance abuse treatment and detox programs at the height of the opiate epidemic. Tiffanie speaks and trains regularly to clinicians and the public at large about the best practices in addiction treatment, trauma-informed care, co-occurring disorders and much more.
CHC Addiction Services’ mission is to treat, inspire, support, and empower individuals and families impacted by the disease of addiction. CHC Addiction Services has made it their lives’ work to help those on the road to recovery, regardless of social or economic factors. They believe that substance use disorders are progressive, fatal illnesses that may require several treatment strategies for successful recovery. CHC provides individual, family and group counseling, medically-assisted treatment (MAT), residential treatment and much more.
CHC Addiction Services believes that total well-being is a key factor to successful recovery. Therefore, they provide quality medical treatment, housing, case management and child- care services in addition to their counseling and therapy services.
Not unlike many other agencies providing substance abuse and/or mental health services, CHC Addiction Services has seen an increase in substance abuse problems during the pandemic. In addition, there has been an increase in the use of Fentanyl or other drugs with Fentanyl mixed in with them. Some of this increase has been attributed to social isolation and a decrease in social support/recovery groups. CHC has used teletherapy during much of the pandemic and now provide a combination of virtual services as well as face-to-face services following CDC guidelines.
CHC provides a variety of treatment programs. Some of these include:
Adult Counseling Program: The Adult Counseling Program at CHC Addiction Services is designed to provide education, treatment and support for individuals with addiction ranging in severity from mild to severe. Since co-occurring disorders are common among those with substance use problems, CHC Addiction Services employs Master’s level clinicians who are well-equipped to teach patients effective recovery skills to improve the quality of their lives.
Adolescent Treatment: CHC Addiction Services offers many options for adolescent treatment. This program centers around long-term abstinence. Programs include Community-based treatment, Outpatient Counseling, and Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT).
Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP): CHC Addiction Service’s Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) is designed to promote the recovery process through group and individual counseling, case management, vocational development, community support groups and re-integration programming. The Five Week program is a total of 15 group sessions. Patients who complete the IOP program are recommended to continue with aftercare programming as well as ongoing individual counseling sessions.
Medication-Assisted Treatment: CHC has a wide range of treatment options, including programming for all three FDA-approved medication assisted treatment medications. CHC’s first Opioid Treatment Program (OTP) began in 1974. Patients in medication assisted treatment (MAT) receive both medication and counseling services as a part of their treatment. MAT is a highly effective, evidence-based practice in which medication stabilizes brain function and allows the patient to return to optimal functioning.
Methadone is the most widely used and studied treatment for opiate addiction. It has been identified as the most effective treatment. It is a long-lasting, synthetic narcotic that acts in a way similar to morphine or other narcotics. When used in proper doses, methadone does not create euphoria, sedation or analgesic effects. It is used as a maintenance treatment to stop cravings.
Women’s Recovery Program: CHC Addiction Services has been providing specialized women’s programming since 1990. The program focuses on gender-specific, trauma-informed care and seeks to eliminate barriers to recovery that often affect women, including lack of transportation and child-care. The program also highlights the stigma of substance use in an effort to treat both substance use and co-occurring mental health disorders.
Residential Programs: Residential treatment is the highest level of care for substance use disorders. The need for residential treatment is determined after looking at an assessment of needs. Staff works with potential patients to complete the intake process and insurance companies to complete the necessary steps for entering treatment.
CHC Addiction Services accepts a variety of insurance programs.For individuals with no insurance, services are available through funding provided by the Summit County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADM) Board.
For additional information on the programs listed above, I encourage readers to visit CHC Addiction Services at chcaddiction.org.
Plan to participate in Happy Dollars during the Tuesday meetings?
We want to bring even more joy to our meetings and include a photo associated with what you are happy about!!
Simply email it to Cheryl Warren (click here to email her) and put HAPPY DOLLAR PHOTO in the subject line. Photos must be received by 5pm on the Monday prior to the meeting. Those sending photos will be called on first during the meeting to share your happiness as we show the photo!
Even if you don't have a photo, plan to share your joy during our meetings - you will all have a chance to do so as usual after the photos run!!
If you also wish for the information/photo to be included in our newsletter that will go out after our meeting, please indicate this in your email and provide me with a brief description of the reason you are submitting it (such as "So happy that my son Joe has received his Master's Degree from The University of Akron in the field of ABC!). This text will only be used for the newsletter - you will share it at the meeting!!
We are happy to share that you as supporters can now use the Amazon Shopping app on your mobile phone to sign up for AmazonSmile and select "Rotary Camp for Children With Special Needs Inc" as their favorite charity. This is a great opportunity to engage with your supporters to help increase your AmazonSmile donations.
Feel free to send these sample messages out to remind your family/friends and co-workers who may also wish to support the Camp via Amazon Smiles:
Sample Message:
Want to help make a difference while you shop in the Amazon app, at no extra cost to you? Simply follow the instructions below to select "Rotary Camp for Children With Special Needs Inc" as your charity and activate AmazonSmile in the app. They'll donate a portion of your eligible mobile app purchases to us.
How it works: 1. Open the Amazon app on your phone 2. Select the main menu (=) & tap on "AmazonSmile" within Programs & Features 3. Select "Rotary Camp for Children With Special Needs Inc" as your charity 4. Follow the on-screen instructions to activate AmazonSmile in the mobile app
