Events Calendar
In This Section
Most Read Stories
Man robbed at Tallmadge Avenue eatery
Another winter punch heading toward Ohio
Four teens restrain man, take items from his Akron home
Complaints against officer keep coming
Police: Ohio girl dies after fall into snow bank
Region makes way for latest batch of snow; cancellations rise
Cuyahoga Falls residents come home to find burning couch on balcony
Blogs:
First Bell - On Education:
No City of Akron basketball tonight
Pets:
Pet telethon re-airs
The Heldenfiles:
Chipmunks "Squeakquel" on DVD/BD March 30
Akron Zips:
Late surge gives Zips ugly road win
Tribe Matters:
Blogmail response on Hafner
Cleveland Browns:
Stallworth's contract terminated
Balanced Ledger:
QB in Browns future: another mock draft
Kent State Sports:
KSU Notes – February 9
Cleveland Cavaliers:
NBA Power Rankings from Around the Internet
Buckeye Blogging:
Buckeyes grab 18 players on signing day
Varsity Letters:
Garfield at Buchtel basketball
All Da King's Men:
Palin At The Tea Party Convention
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Republican Pre-Conditions
Akron Law Café:
Law, Love and Chocolate
Car Chase:
Collector Car Hobby Loses One of the Best—Jim Roll
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Decisions Decisions: Credit Cards or Your Mortgage?
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Loucile is looking for a Lake Erie getaway in June for three kids, ages 1, 3, and 5.
Sound Check:
Talk of the Town – Top entertainment picks for the weekend
HRLite House:
OFCCP Report
Akron Gamer:
Makers of 'Castle Crashers' unveil 'BattleBlock Theater'
See Jane Style:
Do IT this week: Layering
Sherrod Brown hears calls for help with job losses, foreclosure, financial literacy
By Marilyn Miller
Beacon Journal business writer
Published on Wednesday, Mar 26, 2008
Twenty-three black community leaders focused on Akron and Summit County during an economic development meeting Tuesday with U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio.
They represented city and county government, higher education, the Akron Public Schools, health care, local agencies and businesses, nonprofit organizations, a foundation, banks, churches, unions and courts.
The leaders met for nearly two hours at the Akron Urban League and aired their major concerns about education, job losses and climbing home foreclosures in hopes that the federal government will be able to offer help.
''It's an opportunity for leaders to work together and
create a synergism that will be ongoing and gives me an opportunity to gather a list to take back to my office and see what we can do,'' Brown said.
Akron school board President Linda Omobien pointed out that the schools are trying to find ways to teach children how to be better prepared for college and give them the support they need at a younger age. Programs like Project Grad and Upward Bound give students the resources they need to expose them to college at a younger age, she said.
College education costs have skyrocketed and students are getting into debt early.
''It is amazing that 21-year-olds aren't old enough to drink, but have credit-card debt up to their eyeballs,'' said Candace Campbell-Jackson, an administrator at the University of Akron.
''College students get loans and grants, move out and get a car and plenty of credit cards. They take on all these responsibilities and many eventually get overwhelmed and drop out of college and then they can't get a job because they've got bad credit, so college turns out to be one of the worst experiences in their life.''
She wishes there was financial counseling for college students.
''There were about 4,000 foreclosures in Summit County last year and those homes are not being recycled, many are vacant or abandoned. It's like a war zone out there,'' said Louise Gissendaner of Fifth Third Federal Bank, who said her bank offers a program called First Home, First Loan.
Attorney Lewis Adkins described the meeting as ''polite conversation,'' calling economic empowerment a key.
''A job goes a long way in solving many of the problems we are discussing. The jobs that used to be here are gone and we have not fully embraced the kind of transformation we are going through,'' he said.
Marilyn Miller can be reached at 330-996-3098 or mmiller@thebeaconjournal.com.
Twenty-three black community leaders focused on Akron and Summit County during an economic development meeting Tuesday with U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio.
Get the full article here.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
