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Can DNA tests free ex-Akron captain?
Victim of beating in Kent last week is declared dead at Akron hospital
Green High senior goes extra mile for those who walk and jog the park trails
Community, school and military news roundup
Tragedy to hope: Family creates foundation for bereavement therapy
Visiting new Navy ship brings back memories for Doylestown man serves on USS New York in 1930s
Most Read Stories
Police accuse bank robbery suspect of gobbling up note (with dashcam video)
Victim of beating in Kent last week is declared dead at Akron hospital
Dad accused of forcing son into field, killing him
Man found dead in North Akron home is identified
Can DNA tests free ex-Akron captain?
Browns' roster nearly devoid of consistent players
Coventry man killed in crash at I-77 ramp
Does it work? Test team returns to try out new products advertised on television
Blogs:
Pets:
Cat-loving chihuahua suckles seven abandoned kittens
The Heldenfiles:
Friday Night Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
Browns vs. Lions live …
Akron Zips:
Akron trounces Howard to reach .500
Tribe Matters:
Seven players added to Tribe’s 40-man roster
Cleveland Browns:
Robiskie, Harrison inactive
Kent State Sports:
Kent State blown out in second half, loses to Temple 47-13
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Gameblog: Cavs vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Buckeye Blogging:
OSU – Michigan college football rivals meet in Baghdad
Varsity Letters:
Four area football teams play tonight
All Da King's Men:
The Sunday Sanity Challenge
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Will Health Care Reform Pass?
Akron Law Café:
Health Care Financing Reform: (69) The Brookings Institute Study on "Bending the Curve" – Four General Strategies
See Jane Style:
Vintage Chic
Car Chase:
TIME TO GET YOUR COLLECTOR CARS WINTERIZED
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Silverdome Potentially SOLD!
Ohio Travels with Betty:
George is looking for a Thanksgiving buffet in Akron.
Sound Check:
Steely Dan Plays "The Royal Scam" at E.J. Thomas Hall
HRLite House:
A Random Rant on Testing
Akron Gamer:
Nintendo's Mario endures even as games come and go
Grants given to programs pay to feed kids in need, encourage literacy, aid victims of violence
By Colette M. Jenkins
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Friday, Nov 28, 2008
BARBERTON: Times were hard for Craig Woodard even before economists began debating whether the U.S. economy is in a slowdown or recession.
He was working a dead-end job, trying to stretch a $200 paycheck from a full-time job to take care of his four-member household.
''I realized there was no chance for advancement where I was, so I made a decision to go to school and work part time because I want to make life better for my two children,'' said Woodard, 26. ''Now, I'm going to the University of Akron, working on a business degree and working part time as a short-order cook, making $200 a week.''
To make ends meet, Woodard has cut back on his spending by doing things like shutting off cable service.
But one place Woodard can't cut costs is on food for his 20-month-old daughter, Sophia, and formula for his 7-month-old son, Wyatt.
''Formula is so expensive,'' Woodard said. ''Sometimes, we can't afford to pay $4 a can.''
When that happens, Woodard stops by the Community Pregnancy Center at 1058 Wooster Road W., where a $2,000 grant from the Millennium Fund for Children has made it possible to keep formula on the shelves for hungry babies in needy families. The grant is one of 26, totaling $39,770, awarded this year to support arts, education, health and human
services programs for local children.
''I don't know what we would do if we couldn't come here when we run short or run out of formula,'' Woodard said. ''This place is a lifesaver because the people here do everything they can to help. It's amazing!''
The Millennium Fund
The Millennium Fund for Children has been helping grass-roots organizations, like the Community Pregnancy Center, by providing small grants that can make a big difference in the lives of children in Greater Akron. Since it was established in 1999, the fund has provided more than $330,000 in grants to places such as the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Western Reserve, the Children's Center of Medina County and the Victim Assistance Program Inc.
The permanent endowment was formed as a partnership between the Akron Beacon Journal and Akron Community Foundation to celebrate the millennium. It is made possible through contributions from donors across the newspaper's circulation area. Each year, the foundation asks community members to contribute a minimum of one hour of their annual salary or income to the fund.
John T. Petures Jr., foundation president and chief executive officer, said the current economic crunch has increased the local need. He is encouraging people to support the fund with a year-end gift.
''By donating your last hour's pay of the year, you can help feed needy children, encourage literacy and provide respite to young people who have experienced violence,'' Petures said. ''It is during these very difficult times that our friends and neighbors need our help the most.''
Donations to the fund are invested and grow over time. Only the fund's investment income is used to make grants. Since its beginning, the fund has grown to more than $575,000, with $74,997 contributed in the past year from 465 donors. Petures encourages donations of all sizes:
• A $50 donation will help a refugee child learn English.
• A $35 donation will buy a year's worth of milk for a needy child.
• A $20 donation will fill a backpack with healthy food for a child to take home every weekend.
• A $5 donation will provide a fun-filled day of music, food and games for a child who has witnessed or has been a victim of violence.
''This is such a generous community. Whenever there is a need, people step up,'' said Tina Boyes, the foundation's vice president of communications. ''We are trying to communicate that this is a time when our fellow residents need us most.''
Grant is a 'blessing'
Therese Visner, executive director at the Community Pregnancy Center, regularly sees the parents of some of the children the Millennium Fund is trying to reach. She said the $2,000 grant will help her agency provide formula for parents like Woodard, who are trying to keep their babies from feeling the impact of hard economic times.
''This grant was a real blessing for us,'' Visner said. ''We were expecting another grant to buy formula and it was cut back, but the Millennium Fund came through for us. That's been the history here — you think that things are getting short or you won't be able to do something, and God works it out.''
The Community Pregnancy Center is a Christian, nonprofit organization that assists people concerned about pregnancy. The goal of the pro-life organization is to provide support to women and the people who influence their lives. The items it provides include cribs, mattresses, breast pumps, clothing, car seats, diapers, food and formula.
''My girlfriend gets WIC [Ohio's Women, Infants and Children program, which provides vouchers for infant formula] but it's not enough to get us through the month,'' Woodard said. ''That's why this place is so amazing because it fills in where other places fall short.''
For more information about the center, go to http://www.communitypregnancycenter.org or call 330-825-1900. To find out more about the Millennium Fund or to donate, call 330-376-8522, use the coupon with this story, or visit https://www.akroncommunityfdn.org and click on the Family of Funds link.
Colette Jenkins can be reached at 330-996-3731 or cjenkins@thebeaconjournal.com.
BARBERTON: Times were hard for Craig Woodard even before economists began debating whether the U.S. economy is in a slowdown or recession.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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akron, oh
Posted 08:10 AM, 11/28/2008
People should not be having babies before they are capable of supporting them.
