Calling all caregivers — current and prospective — and family members.
Interfaith Caregivers is hosting a free training session for the urgent and often stressful role of volunteer caregiving.
Effective Caregiving II will be held 1 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday at the Acme community room, 3235 Manchester Road, Portage Lakes. Registration at 12:45 p.m. with Michael Ciccolini speaking on Wills & Powers of Attorney; and Ursula Neal and Jodi Peterson on Safety for Activities of Daily Living.
For information, please contact Sandy Alexander at 330-922-1900 by Tuesday.
HALO drive
Big, beautiful bouquets to the HALO (Hope Always Lives On) Foundation of Akron, which recently organized and carried out a massive drive to help families still affected by Hurricane Sandy on the East Coast.
This truly was an intergenerational effort with folks from all walks of life stopping by Rubber City Radio on Akron’s West Market Street to drop off donations.
A special hats off goes to students from the following schools who took on leadership roles: Lakeview Intermediate, K-Kids, Firestone High School, St. Sebastian Parish School, Ritzman Elementary, Woodridge High School, Our Lady of the Elms, St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, the University of Akron and Kent State University. The effort involved more than 300 18-gallon totes that were sorted, filled, labeled, put on pallets and shrink-wrapped, said HALO President Sharon Deitrick.
She added that since most of these student leaders were involved in the “93 cents for Flight 93” effort, which raises money for the memorial to the heroes of United Airlines Flight 93 who fought back against the terrorists on Sept. 11, “the Flight 93 semi has offered to pick up our contents and take them to our destination in the Barrier Islands of New Jersey. Jersey Central Power & Light have been working with the HALO Foundation and J.W. Didado to coordinate this effort. Some of the family members of Flight 93 will be present to help meet the truck on behalf of the student leaders!”
St. Vincent-St. Mary High School sophomore Kate Friess called it “a rewarding experience to take part in such a hands-on way in which I knew I was making a difference in someone’s life.”
Neither the message nor the work was lost on George Berger, a third-grader at St. Sebastian: “It felt nice to help people that lost everything. It just made me happy. And you know what, I had a good time. We made signs and held them up and people came and helped!”
Mental health agency
Thanks to Julie Dawson, who works for Mental Health America of Summit County (MHASC), for shining the spotlight on the little-known agency, which has been around for more than 50 years.
“MHASC is a not-for-profit mental health agency, an affiliate of National Mental Health America,” Dawson said. “We provide referrals to mental health services for anyone in need, with particular focus on those with no insurance and little to no income.
“We advocate for both adults and children whose mental health diagnosis can leave them falling through the cracks of a system that can sometimes seem impossible to navigate. We provide suicide prevention and depression awareness education in our area high schools. We work with the juvenile court system. We work with local agencies and hospitals.
“Though we serve thousands of people each year, we continue to go widely unknown. Couple our lack of visibility in the community with a poor economic climate and we find ourselves in serious need of support. Enter our Vegas Night-themed fundraiser! Our hope is for this event to result in bolstering our presence in the community and raising funds so that we may continue to offer our programs and services.”
So, please support the fundraiser at 6:30 p.m. June 7 at Emidio and Sons banquet center, 48 E. Bath Road, Cuyahoga Falls. Tickets are $40, $75 couple, and include a buffet dinner, casino chips and beverages. See www.mhasc.net or call 330-923-0688.
Autism fundraiser
The Autism Society of Greater Akron is encouraging community support for its 5K and Walk at 8:30 a.m. June 15 at Lock 3 in downtown Akron (200 S. Main St., next to the Civic Theatre). This is the society’s premier fundraising effort.
Walkers are free and runners are assessed $25. Runners receive a T-shirt and a goodie bag.
Walk registrants who raise $35 receive autism awareness shoelaces; those who raise $50 receive a T-shirt. Prizes for top fundraisers include an iPad Mini, Kindle Fire and a Nook, with the Top Team receiving a suite for 20 at an Akron Aeros game. “All are encouraged to raise money to support local programs and services for individuals with autism and their families,” wrote Laurie Cramer, director of the Autism Society of Greater Akron.
The 5K run is at 8:30 a.m., the walk at 9 a.m. “Participants can also enjoy an Autism Vendors Fair, live entertainment and activities for the children and families,” Cramer added. Sandwiches will be provided by Subway, fruit by Giant Eagle and water by EarthFare.
Bevan and Associates is the presenting sponsor, with a strong assist from Summit Academy, Chester Law Group, CrossFit Akron, Kent State University, Language Learning Associates, Summit County Board of Developmental Disabilities, SUPER Learning Center and Total Education Solutions.
For more information or to register, please visit www.akronautism5kandwalk.org.
Jewell Cardwell can be reached at 330-996-3567 or jcardwell@thebeaconjournal.com