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Akron man interrupts armed burglar
Fan in LeBron's Heat jersey draws ire in Cleveland
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Drivers give Fairlawn roundabout thumbs-up
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Blogs:
The330:
Akron Zoo’s $500,000 Conservation Carousel opens to public Saturday
Akron Docs in Haiti:
Orphans in Fondwa
First Bell - On Education:
Busing, sports fees and class size on table if Copley-Fairlawn schools levy fails
Pets:
Paws & Pitches at Canal Park
The Heldenfiles:
"So You Think You Can Dance" Notes
Akron Zips:
Poll: What season are you anticipating most?
Tribe Matters:
Thursday’s Indians lineup
Cleveland Browns:
Links to Browns coverage: July 30, 2010
Kent State Sports:
Key MAC Games Of 2010 Season
Cleveland Cavaliers:
LeBron still has at least one fan in Cleveland
Buckeye Blogging:
10 Hurdles Standing Between Ohio State and Another National Championship
Varsity Letters:
Important Dates for Upcoming High School Football Season
All Da King's Men:
Arizona Immigration Law Blocked, Drug Cartels Rejoice
Blog of Mass Destruction:
"Muslims Hate Jews, Christians &…Dogs"
Akron Law Café:
Is BP Cornering the Market on Oil Spill Research?
Car Chase:
Sunday – or Anyday Drives
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Brangelina to Buy in Santorini?
Sound Check:
Ohio alt-rock stars weigh in on Lebron….John Mayer too..
HRLite House:
From the White House – New Federal Approach to Hiring
By Bill Lilley
Beacon Journal staff writer
POSTED: 05:42 p.m. EDT, Oct 23, 2009
The mission remains the same. And the acronym hasn't changed.
But G.A.S.P. founder Fran Doll said it was time to make the child-safety group more inclusive.
The 31/2-year-old organization has undergone a slight name alteration, going to Guardians Against Sex Predators instead of Grandparents Against Sex Predators.
Doll said she initially used the word grandparents because it fit well to create a catchy acronym and ''grandparents are more available during the day to help than any other group.''
Besides, she said, she didn't know ''anybody more passionate about children than grandparents.''
Doll said the group is always expanding and seeks to include more national programs and attract more volunteers.
''We thought the public perception of who we are and who is eligible needed to be changed,'' Doll said. ''I think the general public perception was that we were a bunch of white-haired old people sitting around rocking chairs. Nothing could be further from the truth.''
The group also wanted to be more welcoming to all volunteers.
''We had some volunteers who weren't grandparents and found themselves in somewhat awkward situations when they told people they were involved with Grandparents Against Sex Predators,'' she said. ''Calling our organization Guardians Against Sex Predators will make it easier for everybody who wants to be involved to become a volunteer.''
Doll said about 70 G.A.S.P. members will take part in the final phase of training for a child abduction emergency with a mock abduction drill Wednesday run by the Summit County Sheriff's Office.
The group is perhaps best known for its effort to fingerprint Akron-area youngsters. So far more than 4,000 children have been fingerprinted.
G.A.S.P. members also sit in on sex predator court cases, scan and update sex predator files for the Summit County Sheriff's Office and search on social networks for sex predators who are violating their parole. Doll said her volunteers have helped the Summit sheriff's office nab 20 parole violators.
The group now boasts about 120 volunteers.
Prospective volunteers can call G.A.S.P. at 330-247-1402 or visit its Web site at http://www.gasp123.org.
Bill Lilley can be reached at 330-996-3811 or blilley@thebeaconjournal.com.
The mission remains the same. And the acronym hasn't changed.
But G.A.S.P. founder Fran Doll said it was time to make the child-safety group more inclusive.
The 31/2-year-old organization has undergone a slight name alteration, going to Guardians Against Sex Predators instead of Grandparents Against Sex Predators.
Doll said she initially used the word grandparents because it fit well to create a catchy acronym and ''grandparents are more available during the day to help than any other group.''
Besides, she said, she didn't know ''anybody more passionate about children than grandparents.''
Doll said the group is always expanding and seeks to include more national programs and attract more volunteers.
''We thought the public perception of who we are and who is eligible needed to be changed,'' Doll said. ''I think the general public perception was that we were a bunch of white-haired old people sitting around rocking chairs. Nothing could be further from the truth.''
The group also wanted to be more welcoming to all volunteers.
''We had some volunteers who weren't grandparents and found themselves in somewhat awkward situations when they told people they were involved with Grandparents Against Sex Predators,'' she said. ''Calling our organization Guardians Against Sex Predators will make it easier for everybody who wants to be involved to become a volunteer.''
Doll said about 70 G.A.S.P. members will take part in the final phase of training for a child abduction emergency with a mock abduction drill Wednesday run by the Summit County Sheriff's Office.
The group is perhaps best known for its effort to fingerprint Akron-area youngsters. So far more than 4,000 children have been fingerprinted.
G.A.S.P. members also sit in on sex predator court cases, scan and update sex predator files for the Summit County Sheriff's Office and search on social networks for sex predators who are violating their parole. Doll said her volunteers have helped the Summit sheriff's office nab 20 parole violators.
The group now boasts about 120 volunteers.
Prospective volunteers can call G.A.S.P. at 330-247-1402 or visit its Web site at http://www.gasp123.org.
Bill Lilley can be reached at 330-996-3811 or blilley@thebeaconjournal.com.
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