Gianna “Gia” Smith, who turned 3 on Friday, was as excited as they come when the silver stretch limousine pulled up Monday morning to the Munroe Falls home she shares with her parents, Derek and Erica; her siblings, Samantha, 5, and Derek Jr., 4, (also called Bubba); cat Woody and dog Artie.

The destination? Walt Disney World, by way of Akron-Canton Airport.

Gia was diagnosed Nov. 4, 2011, with a very rare cancer (embryonal botryoid rhabdomyosarcoma — Stage 3 because the tumor couldn’t be removed by surgery and Stage 1 because there was no metastasis). She’s one of only 350 patients annually in the United States to receive such a devastating diagnosis, which resulted in an intense regimen of seven treatments of high-dose radiation followed by 46 weeks of chemotherapy. The family called her final day of treatment in October “Gia’s Graduation,” and with good reason.

Now cancer-free, Gia still goes to Akron Children’s Hospital for checkups and tests. “We are not entirely out of the woods as she is not considered medically cured until age 7,” mom Erica said. “However, I believe she is cured and her prognosis supports that!”

So this seemed like the perfect time to cash in on a weeklong family trip to Disney, courtesy of Make A Wish.

Gia donned a ballerina skirt of blue netting and a white T-shirt with these words on the back: “Make A Wish Made My Wish Come True.” She busily twirled a pacifier around in her mouth and hugged her cat, saying “I’ll miss you!” Not sure how much Woody understood, but Gia shouted with glee that she was going to see Cinderella.

Actually, it’s much more than that.

“She has an appointment at the Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo Boutique in the Cinderella Castle on Thursday morning to get a princess makeover as Cinderella, and then she’ll meet Cinderella,” her excited mother said.

“Seeing her face and seeing her have fun will be great!” Erica added, tearing up.

“We will stay at the Give Kids the World Village, which is special for wish children. … Gia is going to eat her meals in a gingerbread house, have ice cream for breakfast and so many special services at this resort for children. Her trip includes park hopper passes and Gia has chosen Disney World, her big sister Samantha helped choose Universal Studios and we are still debating between the Animal Safari or Sea World. Just the type of decision that brings a smile to my face. A welcomed change!”

So many good shots in the arm for a little girl who, for so long, endured the other kind.

Gia saw fireworks at an Indians game for the first time last week, which was just awesome, her parents said. “She’s heard them before coming from the Aeros ballpark when she was at Children’s Hospital but she had never seen them before,” Erica said.

Also making the trip is Mary Russell of Kent, Gia’s paternal grandma. Grandpa Paul Russell volunteered to stay behind to care for Woody and Artie, and maternal grandma Brenda Pennino, who’s been with Gia every step of the way, has to work. Both are cheering all three of their grandchildren on this special trip and will keep up with the crew of six by phone and text messaging.

“It’s so beautiful it hurts,” their eyes seem to be saying.

Before leaving for Florida, Gia was honored at the sixth annual Cher Bear Golf Outing last weekend in Parma. The fundraiser, which every year helps a child living with cancer, is orchestrated by Dennis Peabody and his foundation, Pennies from Above.

Because so many have helped them financially, the Smiths are now directing all donations meant for Gia to the following:

• Make A Wish Foundation Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana, Northeast Ohio Region c/o Lisa White, wish program manager, at 6060 Rockside Woods Blvd., Suite 315, Independence, OH 44131. Donations fund outings like Gia’s.

• Pennies from Above at www.penniesfromabove.com.

• http://Ginofoundation.org, which is hosting an inaugural “Jedi” Gino Altieri golf outing on Aug. 31 at Sable Creek Golf Course in Hartville, honoring the memory of the 10-year-old Stow boy who lost his battle to Stage 4 alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma a year ago. For more information, please email domenic@ginofoundation.org.

“I focus on my daughter’s big smile,” Erica Smith said before leaving for Disney World. “Her hair can now make two tiny pigtails. Her first hair trim was on her birthday with Molly Stover at MC Hair Consultants who has been a huge support to us through all of this.”

The Smiths say the most important reason for accepting the all-expenses-paid Disney trip and celebrating Gia’s survival is this:

“We don’t want her to remember the chemotherapy, radiation or ‘tubey’ [her term for the IV pole].

“We want her to remember meeting Cinderella!”

Here’s to you, Super Gia; may all of your other wishes in life come true.

Jewell Cardwell can be reached at 330-996-3567 or jcardwell@thebeaconjournal.com.

Three mothers were ultimately selected for the free makeovers at area salons. But dozens of other moms shared their stories of extreme challenges — financial, health, domestic violence.

“I would like to pay for makeovers for all of the rest of them,” she concluded. “But I can’t afford that.”

What she could do was to connect with one of the featured salons — Akron’s Bessay Intelligent Style — to make arrangements to pay for one of the other mothers.

The donor asked to remain anonymous.

On the receiving end of her generosity and the salon’s skills was Akron’s Bethany Sendelbach, whose father, Michael O’Connor of Mogadore, nominated her:

“Beth is disabled and suffers from MS (multiple sclerosis). In spite of her troubles she is a great mother to her five children, ages 3-14. She makes sure the kids are delivered to school — Akron Early College, Roswell Kent Middle, Voris Elementary and finally preschool — and retrieves them at the end of the day. Not to mention roller skating, dance, science fair, book fair or whatever else pops up.

“She is active in her children’s schools, having served in various positions in the PTA over the past eight years, past president at Voris and current president at Roswell Kent. Aside from PTA she has worked tirelessly for all her children’s schools and all of their functions. I think she would make a very deserving mom. Besides, she needs to sit down for a few minutes.”

The makeover, as shared by salon owners and brothers J. Cordell and Kenneth G. Slack:

“Her hair color was changed from a burgundy to a more flattering and intense red, more flattering to her skin tone. She also did a foil Balayage (a French technique of highlighting) in a sun-kissed blonde … She also got a stronger, more layered haircut to give her more movement.”

Bethany explained that one of her sons, who has Asperger’s, doesn’t like hair in her face.

The salon sent her home with a plethora of products to help her maintain the look.

“My hair is absolutely gorgeous!” Bethany said happily. “It’s honestly lighted up … I can’t believe someone could do that to my hair!”

The 37-year-old mom had plenty of opportunities Friday to show off her new look, shopping with the children for a Father’s Day gift for her husband, Tim, and her own father. And there was a slate of activities planned for the next day: her daughter’s fourth birthday party, and the Greater Akron Autism Walk.

I’m certain the woman who made this possible for Bethany would agree that it was money well spent.

From tragedy to hope

When bad things happen to good people, deeds of unspeakable value often sprout wings of hope from that loss.

That’s what happened after the tragic deaths of 8-year-old Brian A. Montgomery, the son of Mark and Sandra of Rootstown, of cancer in 2006; and 26-year-old Michael Todd Kerr of North Canton in July 2008, from a motorcycle accident.

Read on:

• The fifth annual Kick-It for Kids in Memory of Brian Montgomery is planned for 1 p.m. Sunday at the Kent State University practice fields, behind the fieldhouse and Dix Stadium off Summit Street.

Brian’s mother, the event’s organizer, wrote:

“For the past four years we have held very successful Kick-It games with over $17,000 raised to date. Now we are ready for game #5!” You can get a team together to play in the kickball games or donate to the Kick-It website (www.kick-it.org/events/kick-it-for-kids).

“Please join me along with our family and friends as we join forces to raise as much money as possible. Brian’s wish was for a ‘Cancer Free World.’ Realizing that we are a long way from his wish, my wish is for ‘More Childhood Cancer Survivors and Fewer Angels!’ ”

Sandra Montgomery said this year’s event — on what would have been her son’s 16th birthday — will be an actual tournament style as opposed to the virtual style held last year. Games for all ages are planned. Donation is $10 per player. Questions? Email her at montgomeryohio05@
sbcglobal.net.

• Michael Kerr’s organs were donated so one man would have life, and another would have it more abundantly.

Tom Beadle of North Canton, a diabetic in kidney failure who had known Mike’s parents since high school, received a kidney; and a New York man, Bill Wagner, received his heart.

Both men are expected to attend the Big Mike Memorial Run on July 21 at Boettler Park, 5300 Massillon Road, in Green. Rain date is Aug. 18.

It’s a way to honor Mike’s legacy, and to underscore the importance of organ donation.

“Last year we had around 250 motorcycles that rode for our son and we are expecting 300-plus bikes coming this year,” Mike’s parents, Joe and Jan Kerr, wrote. “It has been a free run the last three years because we want to have more people every year ride in our son’s memory.”

Registration starts at 9 a.m. with the first bike out at 11 a.m. Lots of games and prizes. Preregistration at Joe@BigMike
MemorialRun.com or 330-605-0955. For more information, please visit www.BigMike
MemorialRun.com.

Ride for St. Jude

Big, beautiful bouquets to members of the Rolling Thunder Ohio Chapter 2 motorcycle club, who rolled into the Lux family’s Alex’s Lemonade Stand event on Garman Road in Akron a few days back, to support local efforts for a national childhood cancer research project.

“Chapter 2 is hosting an event for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (in Memphis, Tenn.) in July and supporting Alex’s Lemonade Stand seems to go hand in hand,” wrote Tina Mathis, whose 4-year-old nephew Bradlee (of Kentucky) is being treated at St. Jude.

Chapter 2 will host a poker run July 20 to benefit St. Jude. Registration is 9 to 11 a.m. at the VFW Post 3383, 690 W. Waterloo Road, Akron. Cash donations are $20 for drivers, $5 for passengers. First bike out at 11 a.m.; last bike in at 5 p.m. Lots of prizes, breakfast, pig roast, door prizes, 50/50 raffle, silent auction, entertainment and more planned. For more information, please visit www.cruisin467.vpweb.com/
Meet-Bradlee.html or call Mike at 330-696-9838, Scott at 330-573-5055 or Tina at 330-575-8492.

“There are no words to express how much we owe them (St. Jude),” Tina Mathis added.

Jewell Cardwell can be reached at 330-996-3567 or jcardwell@thebeaconjournal.com.

However, James and Sheila Harris of Barberton, who had lived so long in public housing, never thought it possible to ever own a home.

But lo and behold, some folks in the position to make their impossible dream possible were watching the Harrises, longtime tenants of Neighborhood Conservation Services of Barberton, over the years when they didn’t even know it. They saw that the Harrises were good people, devoted to their family, even taking custody of their great-grandson, and they took care of their apartment like it was golden.

So, without ever having asked, the Harrises were moving into their first home on April 1.

The dream maker is the 33-year-old Neighborhood Conservation Services, with C. Tomas “Tom” Anders, executive director; Joe Peters, president; and Greg Matheny, treasurer, playing the lead roles. Matheny, a disabled military veteran, liked the idea of helping James Harris, a disabled Marine Corps veteran.

Last year NCS was contacted by the children of the former owners of a Central Avenue home on the city’s north side, Anders explained. “They said they didn’t want the property, which was in bad disrepair, and wanted to know if we wanted to take it as a donation … We brought the city out for an inspection.”

NCS was given the green light to make the necessary repairs on the two-bedroom house, built in 1929, to bring it up to code. So they went to work, with strong financial assistance from the Barberton Community Foundation.

“Barberton Community Foundation invests in Neighborhood Conservation Services through its program-related investments,” Anders said. “The Barberton Community Foundation makes program-related investments to help satisfy the mission of the foundation. Most of these investments are loans, related to either economic or neighborhood development.”

The beauty of the program is that the investment is in people who, for one reason or another, don’t qualify for traditional bank loans. The Harrises will make payments on the house to NCS, which in turn will pay back the loan from the foundation.

“This is a genuine heartwarming story,” Anders said, delighting in every word.

“NCS had many partners in making this happen. The Alcoa plant supplied hundreds of hours of donated time to clear the property, which was severely overgrown, built a new front porch and back patio, along with a small grant. CC Supply donated seamless spouting; Barberton Tree Service removed excessive tree growth; The Cardinal Companies supplied four large dumpsters. And many of the board members and staff of NCS donated many hours of labor.”

Matheny, I learned, practically lived at the Central Avenue property as new life was being breathed into it.

The work on the property was massive, including a new roof and waterproofing the basement, including repairs to one of its walls. “This involved the house being jacked up,” Matheny said, adding that the basement project alone cost nearly $10,000.

Other work included electrical, plumbing, a new driveway, kitchen remodeling complete with hardwood floors and the addition of a second-floor dormer that the couple’s great-grandson, Lataevon Gates, has claimed for his own.

The work, which began in earnest in October, was completed March 31.

“Tom and Greg were the real pushers of this project,” Peters said, adding that without their intervention, the home probably would have been torn down as part of the city’s aggressive Project Impact, which removes vacant and decaying houses.

NCS’s goal was to rehab one of those properties, to restore it and make it livable again. Anders, Peters and Matheny see it as a win-win situation: a chance to get people in a home, and to keep the city’s tax base up rather than turning the space into a vacant lot.

“I understand that some homes — vacant or foreclosed — have to be torn down,” Anders noted.

“They call that blight,” Matheny chimed in.

“Every time that happens, [a teardown] the city loses a portion of its tax base, money to support the schools … The more families we can get moving in means whatever income they have, they’re spending it in the community in which they live.”

NCS — working with FirstEnergy and East Ohio Gas — also was able to distribute new stoves and refrigerators to some 200 units in the Van Buren Homes public housing. Summit County appointed NCS to administer the project.

Anders, Peters and Matheny said they would like to partner with the Barberton Community Foundation to do other projects involving dilapidated houses in the future.

“Our goal is to do everything we can to help make this a better community and a better world,” Peters said. “We want to give every deserving person the opportunity to be part of a neighborhood.”

“I love that I now have my own house,” a beaming Sheila Harris said, standing in her kitchen with all new appliances. “I love having a yard and doing yardwork. But mostly we’re excited to give our 10-year-old great-grandson a home.” The couple has had him since he was 5.

The Harrises, apart from making monthly loan payments, have a list of projects they’re required to address at their new home, painting chief among them.

Knowing the Harrises’ history of upkeep, NCS has every confidence in the job they’ll do.

After all, it is their permanent address, the home they dreamed about but thought they’d never have.

Jewell Cardwell can be reached at 330-996-3567 or jcardwell@thebeaconjournal.com.

Scores of folks — some of them too young to read Emerson — seemed to know the wisdom of that Wednesday, instinctively or by parental prodding. So they got dressed, mostly in white, and made their way to Akron’s Hardesty Park for a noon “flash mob” celebration of a rare and beautiful friendship that’s already left indelible marks on their hearts.

It was a heartfelt gathering hastily arranged by Crystal Pirri of Suffield Township, meant to surprise and blanket Ruth (Radney, Yoder) Barnes with love. Barnes — formerly of Holmes County, Cuyahoga Falls and most recently Wooster — has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Ruth, who will be 61 next month, is known as a friend to many and an exceptional mentor in the home-schooling community, and runs Uncommon Classes, teaching many home-schoolers over the years. Ruth, who married Dave Barnes last September, was diagnosed a few weeks ago with “inflammatory breast cancer, which is one of the most aggressive cancers,” she wrote to those close to her.

“When it was discovered it had already metastasized into my brain and lungs. The brain was by far the most serious … I’m undergoing radiation (three more treatments) and taking steroids to reduce the swelling. I decided not to go the chemo route, and instead hospice will be here to help me make the most of every minute and to allow me to spend my time doing things I love with people I love.”

The news hit everyone hard.

“When I found out, I was moved to do something incredible for her, to let her know just how important she is in my life,” Crystal said.

The women met online when Barnes began posting on Crystal’s website, http://welovegratitude.com. “We had a ‘gratitude get-together’ in May of 2010 when I actually ‘met’ her,” Pirri said. “Through her gratitude lists on the site and visiting her in Peninsula (she worked at Elements Art Gallery on the weekends) we developed a friendship. … I was home-schooled (in Montana) through high school, so we connected over that.”

Invitations go out

The more Crystal said she thought about Ruth’s health crisis, “the less I could keep it to myself. I wanted to do something that everyone who’s been touched by her can be part of it. The idea of a flash mob was born. I would love to see a huge crowd of Ruth’s friends singing and dancing to her to Carole King’s You’ve Got a Friend.”

So Facebook invitations went out, and a call here and a call there.

They didn’t disappoint. Men, women, teens and even little children poured onto the grass Wednesday at Hardesty Park.

Crystal — cool and confident in a white eyelet sundress — stood in front of those assembled to do what she called “one quick run through” at 11:45 a.m. of the choreography, mostly an easy-to-do pantomime.

“I chose the song by visiting the musicians she [Barnes] had ‘liked’ on Facebook — Carole King, Carly Simon, James Taylor,” Crystal said. “I read the lyrics to many of their songs, and when I came to You’ve Got a Friend, I cried. I knew that was the one.”

This friendship circle of more than 80 people proved to be quick studies.

Jasmine and Gabriella Falconer of Akron, 4 and 6 respectively, were front and center representing their Mommy, Demetrius, a dear friend of Ruth’s who couldn’t be there. They even wore signs around their necks that said so.

Flash mob begins

Kylia Radney, 23, who works at the nearby CVS store, took her mother to the park, telling her it seemed like a good day for a drive.

As soon as they alighted from the vehicle and took seats under a shelter, the folks in white came together like shavings to a magnet when the whistle blew, and assumed their rehearsed positions as Carole King’s voice began to move them and her:

When you’re down and troubled

And you need some loving care

And nothin’, nothin’ is going right

Close your eyes and think of me

And soon I will be there

To brighten up even your darkest night

You just call out my name

And you know wherever I am

I’ll come runnin’ to see you again.

April Rivera and her daughter Isabella, 8, of Canton, embraced and acted out the “running” position like the others.

Tre’Shawn Griffin, who volunteered with Ruth and her daughters (Kylia and 18-year-old Kari) on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad’s Polar Express holiday train ride, added white sunglasses to his attire, saying, “Ruth is always happy, always with a big smile.”

Nettie Miller of Hartville has known Barnes since they attended Highland High School in Berlin: “She has had a great impact on so many children. I applaud her for that. She’s lived an exemplary life, like an open book. She even blogged about the mistakes she’s made. … I’m here representing our class. She was a special girl in high school who has turned out to be quite the leader. I wanted to support her and to just let her know she’s loved by many.”

Lara Rininger of Jackson Township, who came to know Ruth through her home-schooling blog, calls her “a great source of support and inspiration.”

Michelle Riley of Akron, who attended with her mother Linda Riley of Cuyahoga Falls, said she was drawn to the celebration “because I love the Lord and all of his people. … We are important not for what we drive or where we live or what we do for a living. What’s important is essence of who we are.”

Akron resident Carol Bailey Floyd, founder of the local Laughter Club, has known Ruth since the 1970s. “She’s a power­house of love! I have never heard her say one unkind word about anyone in that time.”

Tears of joy

As these friends danced through another verse, they began to make their way toward the woman in red, each presenting her with a different flower with their name or a personal message on it, and placing colorful beads around her neck. Her lap proved too small to accommodate all of the flowers which, according to Ruth, is a beautiful thing.

“I’m just overwhelmed,” she kept saying over and over again, blinking back tears of joy as she lingered on the song’s message:

You just call out my name

And you know wherever I am

I’ll come runnin,’ runnin,’ yeah, yeah, to see you again.

Lesson here? When happily ever afters aren’t to be, it’s important to create as many happy-anyway moments that we can.

Jewell Cardwell can be reached at 330-996-3567 or jcardwell@thebeaconjournal.com.

Laura Dunlop, an Army Korean War veteran, recently drove Putnik to the clinic where Director David Effron presented him with his Akron VA “volunteer hours” awards: one for Outstanding Service, for 12,500 hours; and a second for his service to the Department of Veterans Affairs, for 10,000 hours of devoted volunteer service to veterans.

“Paul Putnik volunteered at the VA Clinic each morning over the years since our Akron VA Clinic opened its doors … he wore his red Marine Corps cap along with his red Marine Corps jacket every day, as this was his signature gear as he walked around talking to the veterans who came to the clinic each day,” Dunlop said.

“Paul started out at the clinic by signing the veterans up to receive the Summit County Veterans Service Commission’s quarterly newsletter. … After the first year this was just the habit of the day for Paul to introduce himself. … He was and is known and loved by all of the veterans, VA doctors, nurses and staff. … Paul has been a friend and volunteer of mine for probably over 40 years and I am grateful for his friendship.”

Paula Gauntner said her father, who has memory loss issues, always referred to himself as a “huckster.” He sold fresh produce door to door, then owned a produce market in Medina. He became a city truck driver, mainly for Spector Freight.

‘We Honor Veterans’

A special salute to Senior Independence’s “We Honor Veterans” program, which honored its military veteran patients and the nation’s fallen soldiers during Memorial Day.

“Senior Independence’s veteran volunteers placed a wreath at the Ohio Veterans’ Memorial Park in Clinton on behalf of veteran hospice patients and adult day care participants,” wrote Senior Independence volunteer coordinator David Wilson. Volunteers later visited the hospice patients and presented them with a framed photo of the wreath.

“The ‘We Honor Veterans’ program is a national collaboration of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA),” Wilson explained. “Patients are honored for their service through honor pinning ceremonies, in-home Veterans Day celebrations, and Veteran-to-Veteran companionship visits, and the community is engaged in giving grateful recognition to the veterans.” To learn more please call Wilson at 330-873-3468 or visit www.seniorindependence.org.

Family of Marines

Mogadore’s David Natko has three reasons to be chest-out proud this Father’s Day. He and his wife, Stefania, have three sons who have committed themselves to the Marines:

• LCpl. David Michael Natko Jr., 25, an Eagle Scout who is observing his first anniversary in the Marines, is stationed in Okinawa, Japan.

• LCpl. Dylan M. Natko, 21, also an Eagle Scout, with nearly two years of service under his belt, is stationed in Hawaii.

• Dakota M. Natko, 17, who will be a senior in the fall at Mogadore High School, has already signed his commitment papers — considered a “Poolee” under the early entry program. He will enter upon graduation.

Walk-a-thon raises $5,700

Big, beautiful bouquets to Holy Family School in Stow, which recently raised $5,700 at its fourth annual “Go for the Gold!” walk-a-thon.

“More than 550 students, teachers and parent volunteers participated in the event that included a walking course around the neighborhoods near the school, as well as other fun activities on the school grounds,” the school’s media specialist, Christine Krinsky, said.

The proceeds from this year’s event go to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, a national fundraiser dedicated to eradicating childhood cancer and the Holy Family School Teachers’ Scholarship.

The students, faculty and staff have eagerly participated in service projects to support the community and local children and those within the school community.

Since its inception, the walk-a-thon has raised more than $40,000, which has been spread to a number of charities.

Counting the hours

The City of Akron PeaceMakers and the United Way of Summit County are hoping the community will not only embrace volunteerism, but also track its service hours during the “Million Hour Volunteer Challenge.”

“Local agencies often rely on volunteers to help get the work of their mission accomplished,” wrote Michael G. Gaffney, vice president, marketing, United Way. “The city of Akron wants to count these hours and show off what a giving community we all live in. … The Million Hour Volunteer Challenge will kick off on June 14 and will run through Sept. 14.”

UW’s director of volunteer services, Andrea Metzler, acknowledged that many of our citizens already volunteer as individuals and some in large groups: “Our hope is that you let us know the number of hours you are volunteering so we can meet our challenge goal of one million hours served countywide, during a three-month span.”

Don’t know where to volunteer? Please visit www.uw
summit.org. For more information on the PeaceMakers, please call 330-375-2712 or visit www.peacemakers.org

Breast cancer benefit run

Big, beautiful bouquets to the Josette Beddell Memorial Foundation, which is sponsoring its fifth annual 5K Run/Fun Walk on June 29 in Stadium Park’s Shelter No. 5 in Canton, with all proceeds going to aid local families affected by breast cancer and to provide a $500, four-year renewable college scholarship for a student whose family has experienced breast cancer.

The foundation was started by Mary Beddell, her siblings and close friends to honor her mother, Josette Beddell, who died of breast cancer.

The shelter is on Stadium Park Drive Northwest, a half-mile south of Fulton Road Northwest, Canton. Runners and walkers use the park’s exercise track.

Online registration is open at the “events” tab at www.josettememorial.org.

This year’s scholarship winner will be introduced prior to the event. Day-of-event registration opens at 9 a.m. followed by the run/walk at 9:30. For more information, email Mary Beddell at mbeddell@josettememorial.org.

Shoes for the homeless

Major kudos to the City of Joy Life Enrichment Center, 1140 E. Tallmadge Ave., Akron, whose congregation and community have collected 451 pairs of shoes — gently used and some new men’s, women’s and children’s — which they will be delivering to Haven of Rest Ministries for its homeless clients.

In August, the congregation, led by its pastor Mayceo Smith II, will again do a backpack giveaway with school supplies to area students in need during what is billed as a Community-wide Peace Event, 1 to 4 p.m. Aug. 24 at Joy Park Community Center, 825 Fuller St., Akron. Preapproved vendors will be invited to distribute literature and novelty educational items aimed at making the city of Akron a safe place to live. Refreshments are free. Community leaders, police and fire department officials are expected to attend. This event grew out of the 2010 slaying of J’Suan Slayton Sr., an Akron barber and father of two.

Jewell Cardwell can be reached at 330-996-3567 or jcardwell@thebeaconjournal.com.

“She competed in swimming and medaled in every event offered for women in swimming,” her proud mother, Jean Barnes of Akron, wrote. “One gold and two silver medals … I cannot tell you how proud I am of her and all the amazing wounded soldiers who compete in these games.”

Alaina was part of the 1484th Transportation Company of Canton, and was deployed with her unit to Afghanistan. “While there she was injured [September 2011], suffering a traumatic brain injury after being hit in a rocket attack,” Jean Barnes continued. “My daughter is currently at Fort Knox in the Wounded Warrior Transition Unit trying to recover … The 2005 St. Vincent-St. Mary [High School] graduate is so proud to be a soldier fighting for our freedom.”

Alaina also participated in cycling during the games.

In her post-injury bio, she has this to say:

“I enjoy the multitude of exercises that the adaptive sports programs offer, as well as the camaraderie between soldiers that it facilitates. Sports programs allow soldiers with any type of injury to participate in some event which in turn lifts the morale of the soldier; this is by far the most important aspect of the program …

“These fellow soldiers will forever have a lasting impact on the person I am and the person I will become.”

Tornado help

The Lloyd Seifer Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 206 and the Jackson Township Professional Firefighters Local 2280 want to give major-league applause to those in the Jackson Township community and surrounding environs, who donated $13,325.04 over the Memorial Day weekend for the American Red Cross to aid the Oklahoma tornado victims.

Special thanks to acting Police Chief Ty Bissler, who was instrumental in organizing the fundraiser.

Gift cards sought

The Social Action Board of First Congregational Church of Tallmadge is conducting a gift card campaign to aid those who have suffered unthinkable losses and injuries in the recent tornadoes that hit Oklahoma, especially Moore. This campaign is in partnership with Trinity United Church of Christ and Northminster Presbyterian Church.

First Congregational member and registered nurse Denise Hayes, who is serving as ambassador for this cause, will be flying to Oklahoma to assist with disaster relief.

The campaign is hoping for public support for the gift card campaign — using stores like Walmart, Kohl’s, Target, J.C. Penney, Sears, Kmart, Home Depot, Lowe’s, CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens, which have locations here and there. Also, restaurants like Applebee’s, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Subway, Outback, Longhorn, Domino’s, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, McDonald’s, Burger King, IHOP; prepaid VISA gift cards; and gasoline cards (Speedway, BP, Citgo). Cash contributions are also accepted.

“Each gift card will be given in an envelope with a note of encouragement/support and will include the first name of the donor,” Hayes said. “This will help personalize the support, while allowing the donor to remain anonymous. Contributions will be accepted through Sunday at:

• First Congregational Church of Tallmadge, 85 Heritage Drive, Tallmadge, OH 44278; contact is Nancy Beken at tallmadgefcc@sbcglobal.net or 330-633-4931.

• Trinity United Church of Christ, 915 N. Main St., Akron, OH 44310; contact is David Brown at TrinUCC@ATT.net or 330-376-7186.

• Northminster Presbyterian Church, 104 Portage Trail Ext. W., Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44223; contact is Donna McDonald at Office1@rrbiznet.com or 330-928-8885.

Charity run

The 33rd annual Jim Klett Memorial Races are set for Saturday at Howe Meadow in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, on Riverview Road between Smith Road and state Route 303.

A one-mile kids race and a 10K race for adults are on the agenda, with all proceeds going to purchase backpacks and other school supplies for children served by Summit County Children Services. Nearly 1,000 children received backpacks filled with supplies last year.

Race day registration begins at 7 a.m. followed by the 10K at 8:45 a.m. and the kids’ race at 10:30 a.m. All preregistered runners (deadline is Thursday at 11:59 p.m.) receive a T-shirt, and goodie bags will be given to the first 200 runners to check in on race day. The top three male and female finishers overall and in 13 different age categories will receive awards. All finishers in the kids race get ribbons. Post-race breakfast will be available.

Cost of the 10K on race day is $35 (with pre-registered members of the Summit Athletic Racing Club receiving a $3 discount); entry fees are nonrefundable and nontransferable. The kids race is free.

Directing the races is the Summit Athletic Running Club, with support from the Freemasons of Summit County. Sponsor is Benjamin & Trevorrow, Inc., certified public accounts. For more information, please visit www.summitathletic.com or call 330-603-5747.

100-mile run

Bravo to Brian Perusek, a licensed social worker and outpatient therapist at Child Guidance & Family Solutions, who goes the extra mile in his practice every day for children and their families caught in the cycle of mental health and behavioral issues.

But come July 27 and 28, Perusek will be going an extra 100 miles as part of the Burning River 100-Mile Endurance Run to raise funds for the agency. His personal campaign is called Miles2Mend. The run starts at 5 a.m. July 27, at Squire’s Castle in Willoughby Hills, follows the Cuyahoga River and ends at 11 a.m. July 28 in downtown Cuyahoga Falls.

For more information, please visit www.burningriver100.org. To support Perusek’s effort, please visit Miles2Mend page on http://cgfs.org.

Jewell Cardwell can be reached at 330-996-3567 or jcardwell@thebeaconjournal.com

While Interval Brotherhood Home (IBH) is a separate entity from A.A. and their treatment missions are different, their goal of helping addicts recover to lead sober and hopeful lives is the same.

On Friday it was announced that IBH Foundation’s board of directors is establishing a $12 million charitable fund at the Akron Community Foundation, making it the largest gift in the community foundation’s 58-year history.

“The IBH Foundation Fund,” according to a news release from both agencies, “will be used primarily to maintain and improve facilities at the IBH Addiction Recovery Center, a 10-building, 154-acre treatment center in Coventry Township.”

IBH Foundation board Chairman Tim Killian called the announcement “a great day for IBH,” which was founded in 1970.

Killian sees the fund at Akron Community Foundation as a vehicle to create sustainable funding for IBH’s Addiction Recovery Center’s infrastructure, programming and nonresidential services, which all figure into clients’ long-term recovery. He called the partnership a win-win situation for the community in terms of treatment and recovery and increasing the overall visibility of the work of IBH.

“While IBH needs money to provide treatment, the IBH Foundation needs money to subsidize the infrastructure and provide supplemental services necessary for long-term recovery,” Killian noted. “It’s more than treatment: It’s about being there for the long term and creating a permanent lifeline and support system.

“This partnership with the Akron Community Foundation means we will be providing this support in our community forever.”

Plans for this massive venture stemmed from a conversation Daniel Pohl, IBH secretary and past chairman of the corporation, had in his front yard with Mark Alio, chairman of the Akron Community Foundation board, some seven or eight months ago.

“The foundation’s job is to blend that money and protect it. What impresses me about the work of the Akron Community Foundation is the word ‘perpetuity,’ which means forever. That means long after we’re all gone that money is protected for the operation of the home,” Pohl said.

Pohl also spoke passionately about IBH’s mission of rebuilding lives.

“When we get clients out there, they often need dental work, probably haven’t been to a doctor since God knows when. [IBH might] help with getting their high school education and some form of job training in addition to getting sober — all helping them to getting back to become a productive citizen,” he said.

John T. Petures Jr., president and CEO of the Akron Community Foundation, is equally thrilled with the arrangement.

“As a community foundation, we are uniquely positioned to be an impartial and prudent steward of a nonprofit organization’s funds,” he said. “We offer them the peace of mind that their assets are managed responsibly and the assurance that their donors’ gifts are used for the purpose they intended, not just now, but forever. It gives us great pride that IBH has entrusted this legacy with us.”

IBH Foundation is among more than 70 agency funds started at the Akron Community Foundation “by nonprofits seeking a predictable source of income for their organization,” noted Tina Boyes, vice president of marketing and communications for the Akron Community Foundation. “Agency funds offer the flexibility to meet immediate needs while preserving assets for the nonprofit’s long-term mission. The community foundation protects those assets from being spent for any other purpose.”

John “Jack” R. Mahne, IBH board chairman, in giving the partnership his blessing, cited the urgency of IBH’s mission with these government statistics: “There are over 23 million people ages 12 and older who are addicted to alcohol or drugs. Each year, over 100,000 people die as a result of addiction. This is equivalent to a plane carrying 274 people crashing every day of the year. And federal, state and local governments spend nearly a half trillion dollars treating addiction. Forty percent of all traffic fatalities are alcohol related. ... This gives you some idea of the challenges we face.”

Mahne said IBH currently receives about 80 percent of its operating budget from the ADM board of Summit County and the city of Akron to provide 60 beds for their treatment program.

“Treatment lasts 60 to 90 days and costs between $11,000 to $16,000, depending upon the length of stay” at the 60-bed facility, Mahne said.

Other members of the IBH leadership on hand for the announcement, which was made at the Akron Community Foundation board meeting, were Donald P. Finn, executive director of IBH; Ed Stanford, IBH’s director of finance and administration; and Vince Murdocco, former IBH chairman.

When Finn took over the post vacated by the Rev. Sam Ciccolini — a well-known Roman Catholic priest and the only executive director the home had known — nearly two years ago, he checked himself into the residential treatment facility to get a better understanding of what life is like for its clients.

Ciccolini served six months in federal prison starting last year for filing false tax returns and committing bank fraud nearly a decade ago. He also admitted to embezzling $1.28 million from the IBH Foundation, but paid it back as he was being investigated. He was never charged with theft.

Jewell Cardwell can be reached at 330-996-3567 or jcardwell@thebeaconjournal.com.

The couple recently attended major graduations of their children, all in a span of seven days, that yielded a doctor, a lawyer and an accountant:

• Jamie, their eldest, graduated May 18 from the University of Cincinnati Medical School and plans to continue training at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, specializing in orthopedic surgery. His father is an emergency room physician at Akron General Medical Center.

• Sarah, a year younger than her brother, graduated the next day from the University of Cincinnati School of Law and has landed a position in the district attorney’s office in Charlotte, N.C.

• Alexis, the couple’s youngest, graduated May 12 from Miami University in Oxford with a dual accounting and management information systems degree from the Farmer School of Business, and is relocating to Chicago for a position with PricewaterhouseCoopers.

‘Flower the Fight’

Big, beautiful bouquets to Graf Growers, 1015 White Pond Drive, Akron, for hosting its first “Flower the Fight Ladies Night” 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday.

“The event features an evening full of food, finds, friends and hope,” wrote Graf’s spokeswoman, Karlie Graf.

“Ladies will enjoy treats from DeVitis Italian Market, the West Side Bakery, and Shisler’s Cheese House as they shop with Graf Growers and their partners Thirty-One, Lindt Chocolates, Boston Meeker Photography, Pampered Chef, Tupperware and more … Attendees can also go on a Pink Treasure Hunt where they can win prizes in the Pink Raffle Bucket.”

Twenty percent of the purchases from Graf’s will be donated to Susan G. Komen 3-Day team “Breast Man Walking,” led by Akron’s Kathy and Lee Giller. Lee, diagnosed in 2005, falls into the rare 1 percent of men with breast cancer, currently Stage IV.

“We are honored to support Kathy and Lee Giller and their efforts to fight for a breast cancer cure,” Lisa Graf said.

The Gillers have already raised an incredible $250,000 for the cause.

Admission cost is $5; preregistration is preferred. To sign up, please call Graf Growers at 330-836-2727. For more information, please visit www.grafgrowers.com.

D-Day story clarifications

I have William Pavkov of Cuyahoga Falls to thank for telling me about his late brother John Ivan Pavkov’s day before D-Day heroics during World War II. John, a member of the 82nd Airborne 507, was a medic and a pathfinder. He was captured right after he jumped and was held as a prisoner of war until the Russians liberated him.

And this clarification from Charles G. Ikins, Colonel USMCR (Ret.) from Clinton:

“The French award you mention is the Legion of Honor. The Legion of Merit is a U.S. award. I was awarded the latter. I believe the highest valor award is the Medaille Militaire while the LOH can be awarded for a variety of meritorious services to France. The French government awarded the LOH to every living American World War I veteran [who had served in France] they could locate before they all passed.

“It’s a matter of writing style, but one does not ‘win’ the Silver Star or any other combat decoration [which is different from a medal]. It is awarded.”

Foster parents honored

Summit County Children Services had no shortage of reasons or persons to celebrate at its recent 63rd annual Foster Parent Recognition Dinner, which honored hundreds of local foster parents who willingly open their homes and hearts to area children in need of stability.

Keynote speaker Melinda Sykes Haggerty — lawyer and director of Children’s Initiatives from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office — spoke of her background as a foster child and her firsthand understanding of the child welfare system.

Singled out for special recognition were:

• Retiring foster parents — Helen White of Akron, 27 years of service; David and Pamela Patterson of Norton, 21 years; Donna Roberson of Barberton, 20 years; Frances Davis of Akron, 18 years; Wilfred Burwell of Canton, 17 years; Dennis and Janieta Tarter of Uniontown, 17 years; James and Katherine Weaver of Hudson, 16 years; Richard and Carrie Brown of Akron, 15 years; Nichelle Alexander of Akron, 14 years; Bonnie Morris of North Canton, 14 years; Marietta Sypherd of Clinton, 12 years; and Joan Monroe of Akron, 11 years.

• Longevity awards — 20 years: Ronald and Crystol Sullivan of Akron; Cheryl Mathys of Rittman; and Marla Brown of Akron.

15 years: Steven and Kathleen Hendrix of Sagamore Hills; Ernestine Parnell of Akron; John and Thelma Phillips Sr. of Uniontown; Lynnise Wells of Youngstown; Steven and Tracy Wilmington of Fairlawn; and Angelique Yost of Vermilion.

10 years: Nancy Lidge of Akron; Ruby Lidge of Akron; John and Deborah Messenger of Akron; and Mary Alice Pelton of Minerva.

Also recognized were 26 area foster parents with five years of service, and 46 marking their first year.

• Foster care month slogan contest winners were Bradley and Sherry Teuton of Streetsboro — “Foster Care: Mission Possible” and Joshua and Kristen Patton of Ravenna — “Fostering Makes the World a Better Place.”

“As of May of this year, Summit County Children Services had nearly 250 children in foster care, approximately 500 licensed foster parents and nearly 230 licensed foster or foster to adopt homes,” wrote Chris Vasco, director of public relations. “However, there is always a need for more foster parents.” To learn more, call Summit County Children Services at 330-379-1990 or visit www.summitkids.org.

Diamond Oak run

Big, beautiful bouquets to local students who participated in the Oak Clinic for Multiple Sclerosis’ recent “Diamond Oak” 1K fun run. All participants received a ticket to an Akron Aeros game, and those who raised a minimum of $35 received T-shirts. More than 750 took part.

“Georgia Martin, a preschooler, raised $1,100 in support of her ‘Mema,’ Pam Milhoan” of Manchester, clinic spokeswoman Tricia Jones said. “Pam’s other granddaughter, Madison Bird, raised $125 in her honor. Five-year-old Sean Crighton from SCOPE Academy raised $250 for the Oak Clinic.”

Other schools well represented included Schrop Intermediate School, Cloverleaf Local Schools, St. Hilary Parish School and Walsh Jesuit High School. Proceeds totaled nearly $27,000.

Jewell Cardwell can be reached at 330-996-3567 or jcardwell@thebeaconjournal.com

Presumably today — D-Day, June 6 — Paratrooper Ted Adamski of Jackson Township and the rapidly dwindling number of other WWII veterans who participated in the historic invasion will receive a far different reception.

The 90-year-old Adamski, who relies on a walker these days, received red-carpet treatment Sunday when he and other area Airborne veterans from any division who landed in France on D-Day — June 6, 1944 — were honored at a memorial luncheon at the Clarion Inn in Hudson.

Adamski was the only local member in attendance. Several others were honored and memorialized with medals and certificates.

The event, still emotional for some, was sponsored by the Akron and Cleveland 82nd Airborne Division Associations and provided a meaningful history lesson — complete with displays, props, maps and a video — about the heroics of the roughly 140,000 Allied troops who landed along a 50-mile stretch of a massively fortified French coastline to battle Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. More than 5,000 ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the mission.

“D-Day — June 6, 1944— was the largest-ever amphibious operation in the military history of the world,” Robert Winkler, chairman/secretary of the Akron chapter, reminded the 90-person audience. He was a sergeant in the military police, 82nd Airborne motorcycle unit (1954-57).

“Gen. [Dwight] Eisenhower was the supreme Allied commander,” Winkler, of Kent, continued. “He along with his associates decided June 5 was the date they would attack, but there was a terrible storm. So they called it off until the next day, taking a real gamble because it was still storming. But they went anyway. ... The first troops were the airborne — 28,000 paratroopers; part from the British 6th Airborne under Montgomery and the rest American and Canadian paratroopers.”

Winkler said it was the 82nd Airborne Division that went in and jumped around Sainte-Mere-Eglise, near Normandy (in northern France). “They were scattered all over the place,” he said. “And the 101st jumped around Pegasus Bridge, which was further east than the 82nd. ...

“Before all of this happened, and what most people don’t understand, is that Hitler had already attacked Russia and got very badly beaten in the snow and the cold. He lost a lot of men and equipment, which would have been in Normandy fighting the Allied Forces.”

German forces also were committed in Italy.

So the Allied troops were able to blow up bridges and railroads and disable communications.

Adamski, who had enlisted Dec. 7, 1941, the day Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, was among those paratroopers. He had 50 jumps, four in combat invasions, including Normandy.

“I was wounded three times: shot in the butt, arm and head,” a misty-eyed Adamski said.

“What was so precious to hear about Ted is that he was wounded and in a hospital in England when a doctor told him ‘You’re going home. The war is over for you,’ ” Winkler said in recounting Adamski’s service. “Ted told him, ‘I didn’t come over to go back home.’

“Well, late that night Ted said he found a pair of fatigues on his bed. ... I think he said he crawled out of a window and got on a train, went to a staging area and got back to his unit. That’s how he got his fourth jump, even though he was wounded. He was a true trooper!”

For his service, Adamski received three Purple Hearts and two presidential citations.

“I served with pride. I even got to meet Gen. [George] Patton, and I saw his tank,” said Adamski who upon leaving the Army worked 40 years for Ford Motor Co.

While Adamski was the only D-Day paratrooper in attendance at the luncheon, Winkler passed around three Thinking of You cards to be signed and delivered to D-Day veterans “who are still with us but not able to come out:” They are:

• Allie Lamonica of Cuyahoga Falls, who was in the 307th medical unit attached to the 325th Glider Infantry Regiment that went in on D-Day. “I treated the wounded and picked up the bodies of the dead,” he had earlier told Winkler.

• Wilburt Bayless of Alliance, who served in the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR).

• Edwin “Doc” Morgan, who is living in a nursing home in Youngstown. He jumped and landed in water up to his neck in high grass in Sainte-Mere-Eglise.

Deceased members of the Akron chapter honored were:

• Akron’s Basil Paparone, who was with Battery C, 80th Airborne Anti-Aircraft Battalion, 325th Glider Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division.

• Wilbur Wright, who jumped at Sainte-Mere-Eglise with the 505th PIR. He later became a popular drummer with local bands.

• James Webb of Mogadore, who was with the 325th Gliders that landed in Luz-Sainte-Saveur, France. His two daughters were on hand to receive his certificate and medals. “He was awarded the French Legion of Merit — the highest award the French government gives— on his death bed,” Winkler noted.

• Samuel McNeill, who was with the 80th Airborne Anti-Aircraft Battalion, was the only Silver Star winner in this area.

Deceased Cleveland chapter members honored were John Hogan with the 504th PIR, Lou Germovsek with the 504th and John Fende, who was a Ranger.

Jewell Cardwell can be reached at 330-996-3567 or jcardwell@thebeaconjournal.com.

They’ll support each other and others during this awareness and fundraising walk, as they do on their daily journey battling a very rare kidney disease. Registration is at 8 a.m. followed by the walk at 9.

Sean Roach of the National Kidney Foundation shared their story:

“Siblings are often handed down the same traits, everything from hair color to height, but sometimes the genetic roll of the dice results in something unprecedented. For Rachel Sudhakaran, 29, and Neil Sudhakaran, 27, their parents’ pairing produced an extremely rare form of polycystic kidney disease.

“PKD led to kidney failure for both Rachel and Neil during their teenage years. Rachel was lucky enough to receive a transplant on the day she was scheduled to start dialysis. Neil, however, ended up having to start dialysis during his junior year of high school.”

Neil received a kidney when he was 18. Both of their transplanted kidneys eventually failed, Rachel’s after 10 years, Neil’s after four. They went back on dialysis, and moved in together for convenience and support.

“Now Rachel, an eighth-grade science teacher, has a new kidney that was gifted to her from a former co-worker’s husband, while Neil works full time and goes to dialysis at night,” Roach continued. “Both are using their unique experience to educate others about kidney disease and organ donation” at the walk, which generates funds for programs aimed at curbing the disease in Northeast Ohio.

To register for the walk or to volunteer, please visit www.kidneywalk.org.

“The walk is something that puts kidney disease out there for us,” Neil said. “People know we’re sick, but they don’t know the extent or what kidney disease does to people. This is an easy way to get that conversation started.

“It’s also a chance to meet others who have to go through what we’ve gone through. I want them to know this is a life-changing illness, but it doesn’t have to be life-ending.”

The Sudhakarans want you to know that more than 26 million Americans — that’s one in nine adults — suffer from chronic kidney disease, and most don’t even know it; 73 million American adults are at risk due to high blood pressure, diabetes or a family history.

Presently there are at least 2,700 people waiting for a kidney transplant in Ohio, waiting to return to a normal life.

Good deeds appreciated

Big, beautiful bouquets to Revere Middle School’s Rachel’s Challenge Group for fanning out into the community on a recent Saturday, spreading more than 100 random acts of kindness.

Rachel’s Challenge — with many chapters across the country — was inspired by Rachel Scott, the first victim in the 1999 Columbine School shooting. “Her acts of kindness and compassion, coupled with the contents of her six diaries, have become the foundation for one of the most life-changing school programs in America,” wrote Revere Middle School parent Bunny Oldham.

“Some critics say that the Pay It Forward Day only lasts for one day, and kids should be nice every day. We are also questioned, ‘Why choose a prosperous area such a Fairlawn to do acts of kindness because people are not in need when they are buying coffee?’ The answer is simple. This weekend, the kids did not look for anyone in ‘need’ of anything more than a pick-me-up or a kind gesture. The Rachel’s Challenge club promotes compassion and kindness, encouraging the community to start a chain reaction of kindness. …

“This weekend served as a reminder to the kids, as well as the recipients, that a single act of kindness can change someone’s day. No one knows what their neighbor is going through. What harm can be done, with a smile, a simple ‘good morning,’ or a helping hand towards a loved one or a stranger? In some instances, the recipient received $5 but it could have been $50 and the reaction and feeling would have been the same.”

Here are few of the reactions from those on the receiving end of the local Rachel’s Challenge as shared by Oldham:

• Parents at Chuck E Cheese used the opportunity to teach their young children about the kind acts the teenagers were doing.

• A young father whose son was playing with trains at Toys R Us was given money toward a toy for his son. He said he was a juvenile detention officer in another county and was not used to seeing the positive side of youth.

• Another man was given some money for his breakfast at Bob Evans and was so touched by the actions that he walked over to a group of the middle-schoolers with tears in his eyes to tell them. He said he was a bus driver, believed in what they were doing and encouraged them to study hard and continue their mission.

Rachel’s Challenge is operated under the auspices of the school’s PTA.

Always there

Congratulations to graduating Mogadore High School senior Michael Berger not only for his scholarly accomplishments (he’s an honor graduate) but also for his perfect attendance record.

“Mike has not missed a single day of school ever,” his proud grandfather Ron Black wrote.

“That includes preschool all the way to graduation. Mike attended Chapel Hill Christian School for the first six years before moving to the Mogadore school system.”

Mike, son of Michael and Missy Berger of Mogadore, will attend the University of Akron’s School of Engineering in the fall.

Helping victims in Boston

Students at Akron’s St. Sebastian Parish School have again shown themselves to be good citizens not only of Akron, Summit County and Ohio, but also this nation, by collecting and donating to those affected by the bombings at the Boston Marathon.

“Students designed bracelets with the BOSTONSTRONG logo and date, and sold them during and after school,” reported school spokeswoman Michelle Huber. “The students also donated money for the chance to wear jeans instead of their school uniforms. … Student Council, who organized this event, collected over $800 that will be donated to One Fund Boston. This victim relief fund is used to assist those families whose loved ones were killed and the victims who were most seriously affected as a result of the tragic events during the Boston Marathon.”

Jewell Cardwell can be reached at 330-996-3567 or jcardwell@thebeaconjournal.com.

If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.

If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.

If you’re happy and you know it,

And you really want to show it,

If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.

When we’re older, however, and allegedly wiser and more grateful for our blessings, we find other ways (or we should) to show our gratitude.

Kevin J. Ciptak found a concrete way of giving thanks to those who have helped in his transformation from a victim of a violent crime to a man who is again able to not only stand on his own, but also to run a successful business.

The Akron man was shot multiple times at a Jackson Township residence 2½ years ago. His assailant, who was convicted of attempted murder, was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Ciptak described the road back to normalcy like a climb up the rough side of a very steep mountain: “It’s a miracle I didn’t die,” Ciptak said last week.

As hard as it was healing from the physical wounds, Ciptak said the “mental aspect” was the hardest part.

He credits the Victim Assistance Program of Summit County — something he had never before heard of — with helping him over the mountain of depression he battled, noting especially one of its counselors, Carrie Milkovich.

Victim Assistance, according to its mission statement, “provides support, prevention and justice for victims of crime and tragedy, their families and communities.” The advocates are with them from the aftermath of the tragedy through the court process and however long they’re needed. All of its services are free.

“You’re not the same person when something like that happens to you,” Ciptak said. “There are scars on the inside. You have lots of rough patches and many roadblocks, almost like anger, to healing. It’s just not that simple … When I went for a visit [to Victim Assistance] and filled out the questionnaire that asked how many [counseling] sessions I thought I might need, I think I answered four or five. I spent two years in counseling.”

After graduating to that peaceful, coping place, Ciptak could have easily and quietly disappeared. But he didn’t.

Rather, he felt the need to do something — apart from shaking a few hands — to really solidify the forever emotional connection he had established with the Victim Assistance Program.

“One day a light bulb popped in my head,” said Ciptak, a landscape designer who owns Perfect Patio Landscape in Cuyahoga Falls. He decided to transform the large undeveloped piece of ground behind the Victim Assistance Program on Akron’s Furnace Street. And what a rough patch it was — about 100 feet by 200 feet — before Ciptak and his crew began working their magic nearly three weeks ago.

The end result? A beautifully crafted brick patio with its own pergola, curved stone walkways and seating walls.

A hastily-but-happily-called unveiling — attended by local judges, law enforcement and city and county leaders as well as board members like Akron Police Capt. Sylvia Trundle (board president) — took place last week.

“In honor of Victim Assistance and all of the people that were crucial to saving my life, my puzzle is now almost complete,” Ciptak noted. “And it’s in the spirit of hope for all victims, and respect of what Victim Assistance means to all of us that have fallen prey to any type of senseless crime, that I decided to give back.”

Victim Assistance Executive Director Leanne Graham and founder and recently retired executive director the Rev. Robert “Bob” Denton (now the full-time executive director of the nearby Safety Forces Chaplaincy Center) gave Ciptak’s artistry and his over-the-top generosity high marks.

The addition provides a serene and intimate space for victims of violent crimes to come and with the aid of advocates and counselors, to begin to reclaim their lives step by step. Or as Ciptak puts it, “to once again see the beauty of life and be empowered to move past these horrible crimes.”

Kim Culp, another of Victim Assistance Program’s grateful clients who receives counseling every week, donated all of the beautifully prepared food for the patio unveiling party. Culp, owner of Garlic Mango Catering, said she didn’t know where she would be if it hadn’t been for the program.

Culp’s sister Robin Bailey was found murdered Oct. 11, 2011. Her live-in boyfriend was tracked down in New Mexico where he had fled in her car, arrested and returned to Akron, where he ultimately pleaded guilty and was sentenced to prison.

With Kevin Ciptak and Kim Culp leading the charge in planting those giving-back seeds, perhaps others who have been helped by Victim Assistance will begin the process of finding ways, however small, to give back, honoring what was freely given to them.

That’s always a nice thing to do.

Jewell Cardwell can be reached at 330-996-3567 or jcardwell@thebeaconjournal.com

All materials and labor for Victim Assistance Program’s new patio were donated by Perfect Patio and the following sponsors: PK Crushing, Mulch Makers, Flesher Sand & Gravel, Best Turf, Cardinal Tie Co., Reading Rock, Belgard, Klyn Nurseries Inc., C.M. Brown Nurseries, North Hill Marble & Granite and Fastsigns.

It’s a campaign being advocated by 5-year-old Ava Turner of Munroe Falls and her family.

The invitation reads: “Help Ava ‘Kicking Kemia’s Butt’ Turner and her Light the Night Walk with captain/leukemia survivor Terri Cash and Team Cash for a Cure reach their $10,000 fundraising goal 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 15, at 204 Munroe Falls Ave., Munroe Falls.

“Bring your yard sale to us! Bring your crafts or just come to shop.” You get a booth/table for a $25 donation to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. To book a spot, please call Robin Turner at 330-907-9775 or email her at rnr52497@yahoo.com.

Ava, daughter of Robin and Rick Turner, was diag­nosed Nov. 30, 2011, with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and is projected to be in treatment until Feb. 2, 2014.

“She is doing well and only has to have chemo injections once a month,” her mother said. “It makes for a rough week but she weathers it and we enjoy the other three weeks as much as we can. She does have some issues with her leg and back that often slow her down physically, side effects of chemo. … We even pushed her in her transport chair through a 5K!”

The couple’s 10-year-old daughter Meg also visits the hemo clinic for a blood disorder, but is doing well.

Terri Cash, who is on daily medicine to keep her leukemia at bay, started Team Cash for a Cure; the Turners joined her last year. “Ava and her fellow cancer fighters are going to be painting faces, helping kids make crafts” at the June 15 event.

Champions for Children

Entrepreneur and philanthropist Phil Maynard; the “Have a Heart, Do Your Part” radiothon; and the Walter W. Born Foundation will be the honorees at the eighth annual Champions for Children’s donor appreciation dinner at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Fairlawn Country Club.

“The foundation is so proud and honored to recognize our champion award winners,” said John D. Zolio, executive director of the Akron Children’s Hospital Foundation. “These winners truly exemplify the philanthropic legacy and spirit of the greater Akron community.”

• Maynard has been involved with the hospital for more than 20 years. He’s chaired the foundation’s board since 2007 and is chair of its Building on the Promise capital campaign. He is also founder of the Maynard Foundation, which supports nonprofits throughout northern Ohio.

• “Have a Heart, Do Your Part” has raised more than $8 million for the hospital since its inception in 2000. It airs live on 98.1-FM WKDD each February.

• The Walter W. Born Foundation, during the past 10 years, has donated nearly $1 million to the hospital. Its most recent $50,000 gift was used to purchase equipment for patients with cystic fibrosis.

Members of the hospital’s giving societies and their guests are encouraged to attend. Social hour at 5:30 p.m. is followed by dinner and the presentations.

For more information, please call 330-543-3558 or email Anne Merchant at AMerchant@chmca.org.

Barberton honored

Bravo to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Summit County, which recently hosted its 27th annual dinner and auction with more than 220 members, mental health professionals and community leaders in attendance.

The keynote speaker at the event, sponsored by the Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation, was Randye Kaye, a professional voice talent, actress, speaker and author of Ben Behind His Voices, an account of her son’s battle with schizophrenia that provides information and encouragement for other parents in the same trenches.

Leslie Powlette Stoyer and Ron Rett, NAMI’s executive directors, said the city of Barberton was honored for its support of mental health. “During the 2012-2013 years, Barberton established the Barberton Municipal Mental Health Court led by Judge David Fish and probation officer Rebecca Dilbeck.”

Also recognized were Patti Cleary, Barberton City Schools superintendent; Barberton Mayor William Judge; Vincent Morber, Barberton police chief; Joe Stefan, Barberton service director and president of Barberton City Schools board; and Sgt. James Dawson, CIT (crisis intervention training) officer, Barberton Police Department.

Other awards included the Heroes Making a Difference to the Chris and Joe Campo family; Journey of Hope, to Brian McRaven and Michael Zajdel; and Lifetime Achievement to NAMI board member and Hudson City Schools counselor Joan Sauer, and Don and Maria Sines of Stow.

Thrilled with generosity

Because it’s always nice to get follow-ups on messages aired in this column, I share the following happy note from Kathy Kubicza:

“In March, I made an appeal through your column for help with church song books for the residents at Rose Lane Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Massillon. Several generous folks called to offer free books, but regrettably, none were large print.

“Just when I thought I’d have to research other avenues, I got a call from Bonny King, an occupational therapist at the Blick Clinic in Akron. She teaches clients office skills and they needed a project!

“She saw my request in your column and felt our request would be a good fit for her group. Even better, it would be at no cost, covered by a grant!

“Unbelievably, they produced and assembled the books in about a month. They did such an incredible job; very professional, attractive and sturdy!

“I just want to express our gratitude for the generous donation of their time and skills. Their generosity has brought happiness to a really special group of people! God bless them for their hard work on our behalf!”

Blessing delivered!

Volunteer extraordinaire

Hats off again to Akron native Suzanne Burton Armour of Kalamazoo, Mich.

Eleven years ago, the Akron South High School, University of Akron and Case Western Reserve University graduate (a master’s in biology) snatched first place in the Michigan Senior Olympics weight-lifting competition in the 70-74 age division, having bench-pressed 105 pounds.

This time around, the now 82-year-old and lifelong learner is in the news again, this time for garnering the spotlight and a special award for her long-running volunteerism as a foster grandparent with Kalamazoo’s Senior Services program.

Her sister Gladys Burton Gibson of Akron is extremely proud.

Mature Muscles

Area senior citizens are encouraged to flex their muscles and improve their cardio function by enrolling in Build A Body Personal Training of Green (3339 Miller Park Road, Suite A) for free if they qualify for the SilverSneakers fitness programs.

Those who don’t qualify pay $5 per class for a punch card with two or more classes ($7 one-time walk-in fee).

The Mature Muscles classes convene 11 a.m. Mondays and 10 a.m. Wednesdays. It’s all aimed at improving the quality of life and daily activities.

Chairs are even offered for those who cannot stand for long periods of time; other concessions also made.

For more information, please call 330-361-9199 or visit www.buildabodypt.com.

Jewell Cardwell can be reached at 330-996-3567 or jcardwell@thebeaconjournal.com

However, she didn’t have any problem in showing up for him when he graduated a week ago from the University of Akron School of Law.

She was his inspiration to go to law school all along.

It was the least that Elliott Lewis, 46, could do for his mother, Betty McNeal, who was pregnant with him with her due date fast approaching. In fact, he was born the day after her graduation ceremony.

Mrs. McNeal, now 80 and a cancer survivor, completed her undergraduate studies at Cheney State College (now Cheney University in Pennsylvania) and became an elementary school teacher in Youngstown and Cleveland before deciding to attend law school. She was one of the few women and African-Americans in the class; so she wanted to march on graduation day.

After graduation, she took the Ohio bar and passed but never practiced. Rather, she was a stay-at-home mother for the next nine years before going back to school to get a master’s degree in library science from Western Michigan University. That’s when the family moved from Cleveland to Kalamazoo, Mich.

“She then became a law librarian, working in Washington [state] and Nevada,” her very proud son noted. “She now lives in Las Vegas. She retired once, got bored, and went back into the workforce. She retired for good (we think) at age 79.”

A former Beacon Journal copy editor, Elliott’s career choices have been just as prolific. Before enrolling in law school, he was a freelance television news reporter (1999-2009) in Washington, D.C., with clients such as CNN, BET and Associated Press Television and as a reporter in other locales. He was a Spanish and communications major at Washington State University. He’s also the author of Fade: My Journeys in Multiracial America, a comprehensive look at the lives of multi-racial people like himself, tackling many hot-button issues about race in the process.

Lemonade to fight cancer

Big, beautiful bouquets again for Kent’s Huscroft family and friends who continue to be in the vanguard of raising major money for childhood cancer research.

The Huscrofts — Maureen and Rick — will host their ninth annual Alex’s Lemonade Stand at 650 Beechmont Place in Kent during the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for Children Cancer’s National Lemonade Days Weekend 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 8. The Huscroft Family Grand Stand — which will be complemented by several other stands — is held in memory of Tom Huscroft, Dan Lux, Brian Montgomery, Kelly Reeves, Dennis Butler, Cathy Shipley and Whitey Huscroft.

“New this year, stands also will take place in the days leading up to the event, including … Thursday, May 30; Saturday, June 1; Thursday, June 6; and Friday, June 7,” wrote Gillian Kocher, spokeswoman for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation.

“The Huscroft family began holding their lemonade stands after hearing about Alexandra “Alex” Scott at the Kentucky Derby in 2005. Just before walking out the door to go to the races, they heard the story of Alex and her connection to contender, Afleet Alex. With four healthy children, the family was thankful for their good fortune, but wanted to get involved. They felt it was important to set an example and show their children ways to give back to their community, especially through a Foundation that was giving money directly to research.” The Huscrofts’ effort has raised more than $100,000 for the cause.

According to its website (www.alexslemonade.org), the foundation “emerged from the front yard lemonade stand of cancer patient Alexandra “Alex” Scott (1996-2004). In 2000, 4-year-old Alex announced that she wanted to hold a lemonade stand to raise money to help find a cure for all children with cancer. Since Alex held that first stand, the Foundation bearing her name has evolved into a national fundraising movement …”

Following is a list of lemonade stands connected to the Huscroft effort that will be held. Sollers Lemonade Stand in Mogadore was Monday.

• Thursday — 10 a.m. to noon — Horning Lemonade Stand, Stanton Middle School, 1157 Hudson Drive, Kent.

• Saturday — 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. — Walsh Jesuit Hockey Team, Lambert Buick-GMC, 2409 Front St., Cuyahoga Falls.

• June 6 and 7 — 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. — McKendry Lemonade Stand, Kent State Student Recreation & Wellness Center, 1550 Ted Boyd Drive, Kent.

• June 8 has eight stands including the Huscrofts, one in Shaker Heights and one in Dunwoody, Ga.,

11 a.m. to 2 p.m. — Lenzo/Hartman Stand, Acorn Alley, East Main Street, Kent.

11 a.m. to 4 p.m. — Cascade Auto Group, 4149 State Road, Cuyahoga Falls.

11 a.m. to 2 p.m. — Lux Family Stand, 1170 Garman Road, Akron.

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. — The Butler 5 Stand, Pizzutes Plant-N-Thyme, 4987 state Route 43, Kent.

11 a.m. to 3 p.m. — Falcons Fighting Cancer, Subway at Brimfield Plaza, 4068 state Rote 43, Brimfield..

• June 9 — Papa John’s Pizza, 1885 W. Market St., Akron.

Golf outing fights diabetes

I have John Hardesty to thank for passing along the results of the recent second annual “Gina’s Angels” golf outing — sponsored by Advocare, benefitting the American Diabetes Association:

“We had 31 [four-person] teams which was 124 golfers in total participation [at Fox Den Golf Course in Stow]. Steak dinner, silent auction and more and 38 tee sponsors (area businesses and individuals).

“The event was a great success overall and we at Gina’s Angels were able to raise $6,000 for the American Diabetes Association,” Hardesty wrote. “We have online donations coming in as well. People are able to donate all year round and Gina’s Angels’ personal goal is to raise $10,000 for the American Diabetes Association in 2013, raise awareness in the community about diabetes and to educate the general public that diabetes is a serious disease that affects 26 million children and adults in the United States.

“… I devote my every breath to aid in finding the cure for diabetes for my wife and all the people that I have been fortunate to meet because of my connections to the American Diabetes Association.”

Benefit golf outing

Interval Brotherhood Home — a comprehensive, residential treatment facility for persons with alcohol and drug addiction issues to help them gain skills for a lifetime of sobriety — is hosting its 27th annual golf outing June 24 at Fairlawn Country Club, 200 N. Wheaton Road. Registration is 11 a.m. followed by the opening of the driving range, 11:30 a.m. luncheon, 12:30 p.m. shotgun start and 5:30 p.m. hors d’oeuvres/cocktails and presentation. Also included will be various contests and a reception with prizes.

Sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information, please contact Mark Ruby at 330-760-6663 or mark@markrubydrapery.com; Vince Murdocco at 330-6076042 or bmurdocco@neo.rr.com; or Geri Douglas Marshall at 330-644-4095, ext. 4095, or geridm@ibh.org

Jewell Cardwell can be reached at 330-996-3567 or jcardwell@thebeaconjournal.com

Rather, Charlie McVan quietly made a few phone calls on his own and volunteered himself to go to a place he had never been to help those he had never met; to Moore, Okla., which was decimated last week by an EF5 tornado that blew through Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma with little warning for nearly 40 minutes.

Folks who know Charlie McVan were not surprised by his passion. Nothing less would be expected of someone like the Archbishop Hoban High School graduate (Class of 2001) who went on to Kent State University and now works as a consultant out of Cleveland.

He was merely taking his cue out of a passage in the Bible, namely Matthew 25:45:

“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ ”

It’s that kind of passion that piloted McVan to take time off from his job (shortly after the tornado touched down) and book a flight to Oklahoma, said Jason Horinger, director of service and outreach for Hoban and a former Hoban classmate of McVan.

Horinger said McVan talked to him before leaving to cement himself where it would do some good.

As fate would have it, it was Hoban seniors’ final day of school on Wednesday when McVan left for Moore, Okla., where 24 people are known dead. “We decided to launch a fund-raiser to help with the relief effort.” Horinger said. At this writing there was close to $1,000 in the fund. The collection runs through this week.

In addition, students and friends of Hoban have been collecting basic supplies, heavy on baby products like formula and diapers.

“It’s just great to have someone like Charlie who has boots on the ground who can tell us what’s most needed and [to what organizations] we should direct our donations. … Charlie is a funny guy. He’s definitely a go-getter. When he makes up his mind to do something he does it. That’s just Charlie!’’ Horinger said.

“He sent photos of the devastation from the plane and as soon as he landed he rented a car.”

Charlie — who grew up in the Portage Lakes/New Franklin area but currently resides in Cleveland — said he was between work assignments when the tornado hit and had the time to take off work. “I was doing stuff at the time, but it was not more important [than what was happening in Oklahoma],” said the 30-year-old who was reached Friday in the high-volume Oklahoma traffic.

“I didn’t have a lot of solidified plans except just getting there,” he said, adding that he relied a lot on social media like Twitter. “Hooking up with different organizations was difficult because telephone reception, which is better now, was pretty terrible.”

Once there, approaching the city from the southernmost point where the tornado started, Charlie said he passed a church — the Harvest Church — with a sign that said Disaster Relief; so he walked into the church to help.

Mostly he worked removing debris, delivering water and helping families ferret out what little they could salvage. Many of the families who had homes, although with no power, to return to refused to leave, fearing looters. So Charlie and others found themselves running errands for them.

The television news accounts of the situation on the ground doesn’t begin to tell the story of the devastation in Oklahoma, Charlie insisted.

“What strikes me is that literally everywhere you go, to the stores or walking through the neighborhoods, how many times you’re asked ‘Are you OK? What do you need?’ ”

And this: “There are so many American flags,” he said. “You see them everywhere. … That says to me we’re tough people. … ”

“It’s just so reassuring to know what ties us together!”

Jewell Cardwell can be reached at 330-996-3567 or jcardwell@thebeaconjournal.com.

While a considerable number of husbands and wives lay claim to that mantra; few can hold a candle to the love story Carmella and Ross Angeletti have had going for 75 years.

Proof of that are the loving glances they still exchange and the thoughtful things they continue to do for one another; he more than she these days as he’s the stronger of the two 98-year-olds.

She pats his knee and squeezes his hand lovingly.

And he — because she has macular degeneration — reads the Beacon Journal to her every morning without fail.

The couple — who were wed May 28, 1938, at Akron’s St. Sebastian Catholic Church where both are charter members — will celebrate their diamond wedding anniversary with family.

“We’ve had hard days,” Ross — like his wife, a child of the Great Depression — said, recalling that the residue of that never quite leaves. “All kinds of days. But mostly we’ve had sweet days!” he added, with eyes a twinkle. His less-talkative wife smiled and nodded in agreement.

Ross wanted me to know that he still gets up early, real early — between 4 and 5 each morning, a throwback to his 40 years of service at Goodyear — and makes the coffee, gets dressed, turns the TV on, and then waits a couple of hours before ringing for help to get his beloved wife up and dressed.

Then they take breakfast together — (cold cereal, a slice of toast and fruit — around 8 each morning in the dining room at the Merriman, an elegant assisted living and nursing facility in Akron, which they’ve called home for nearly a year.

That was about the same time he put his car in permanent park.

“The biggest thing I miss is my automobile,” Ross lamented, recalling a long history on the road. “I’ve been driving since I was 8 years old,” he insisted.

Unbeknownst to him for a while his quick-study wife learned to drive just by watching him behind the wheel and would take the car out to run errands when he was at work. Eventually she got her license.

“We always wanted to enjoy life!” Ross said, giving way to yet another funny chapter in their love story.

“I was building a garage on our home and had the frame up when we decided to go to Florida. “Our neighbor couldn’t believe it … I just told him ‘The [garage] project will be here when we get back … ”

Remembrances like those cause their eyes to dance and illicit so much laughter.

Not surprisingly the Angelettis — the parents of two adoring daughters Patty Palmer of Akron and Carol Jean Horvath of Henderson, Nev. — operate at a much slower pace these days.

Make no mistake about it, however, their lives are far from idle. Just that they’re no longer moving in life’s fast lane.

Yet, it seems like it wasn’t that long ago when both of them were running circles around folks half their age. You do that when you’re connoisseurs of all of the good things life has to offer — travel, intellectual pursuits, hobbies and more.

Following is a glimpse into the resume of the Angelettis’ life together as shared by them and their daughter Patty:

Carmella’s maiden name is Aloi … You might have known her brother Sam who was the former manager of the Akron City Club and then the Woman’s City Club after his retirement.

Ross and Carmella met at “an Akron U hangout, or tavern, as Dad calls it,” said Patty as she opened the book on her parents’ love story. “Mom would stop by after classes to see her cousin who worked there and then catch the bus for home. Dad’s uncle owned the bar and he worked there at this time. He was immediately smitten but Mom played a bit hard to get.

Once he finally got her to let him drive her home and meet her parents, the rest fell into place and they were married about a year later.”

“Her parents really like me,” he recalled with an in-like-Flynn confidence in his voice.

He’s a native of Newark, Ohio; and she of Beaver, Pa.

“Mom and Dad had a zillion interests,” Patty continued. “They both golfed, bowled, played bridge and traveled extensively. Dad loved his huge garden and Mom was a wonderful cook. She was famous for leaving Nani balls [meatballs] or lasagna on many a doorstep as they were surrogate parents to many of my friends who have been without the love of a mom or dad for many years …

“Mom was extremely active in the Akron community: active member of the National Federation of Women’s Clubs, the National Council of Catholic Women, St. Thomas Hospital Women’s Board [she chaired the Day at the Races when she was 77 and was recognized for volunteering 1,000-plus hours], Summit County Juvenile Court board, East Akron Community House board, the Kate Waller Barrett board and Alpha Gamma Delta Mother’s Club. She also presided as president of St. Sebastian’s Sanctuary Society, Little Flower Garden Club, Kappa Kappa Gamma Mother’s Club and St. Vincent-St. Mary High School Band Guild, and was a Girl Scout leader for 15 girls …

“Dad was always involved at St. Sebastian’s and served as head usher until two years ago.”

Carmella — ahead of her time in so many ways — worked outside the home: first with Gallup Market Research and later for Eddie Iacomini (of Iacomini restaurant fame) as his bookkeeper for 15 years.

So, she always kept a keen eye on the money coming in and going out of her family’s household as well.

Rounding out the family unit are five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, each with their own pathways to blaze and lessons of hard work and commitment to learn from Grandma and Grandpa who set high that bar but always in reach.

Jewell Cardwell can be reached at 330-996-3567 or jcardwell@thebeaconjournal.com.

The opportunity to paint the space was eagerly embraced by the 18-year-old former Lake High School student who finished her final classes online in the spring with Lincoln Academy and plans to attend the University of Akron in the fall.

“The mural is 6x10 [feet] and is located in our dilation room,” said Stephanie Knox, the center’s operations supervisor.

“We recently remodeled and now have a very large open wall space. We decided that it would be nice to have someone paint a mural on the wall … I asked our expressive therapy department if they know of any patients or students who would be interested. They referred us to Robyn who came in to look at the space and to get ideas from us. We had no ideas at all and told her she could do whatever she wanted.”

Robbi’s vision for the space was Winnie the Pooh, her favorite character since she was an infant.

Given that the mural was going on the wall of an eye center, Robbi, in her wisdom, elected to put glasses on the characters. With the obvious blessings of the staff there.

By the way, Robbi studied art in high school and at the Canton Museum of Art.

According to Knox, the mural is a huge hit with patients.

The Vision Center — led by Dr. Richard Hertle, director, pediatric ophthalmology — specializes in the treatment of various eye diseases and visual system disorders in infants, children and teens, including amblyopia, astigmatism, ataxia telangiectasia, blindness, cataracts, congenital glaucoma, crossed eyes, drooping eyelid, myopia, Marfan syndrome, retinoblastoma and more.

Dr. Hertle is one of the only physicians in the world to perform the horizontal tenotomy to improve congenital nystagmus, or rapid, uncontrollable eye movements.

Happy 108th birthday!

Bravo and happy birthday to Winifred “Winnie” Wilson who turns 108 Sunday.

I met the lovely lady — a resident of Essex Healthcare of Tallmadge nursing home, 563 Colony Park Drive — two years ago on the occasion of her 106th birthday.

She still is, as I said then, hard of hearing in her left ear but still mentally active, and at times a little too physically active for her family’s liking.

“Her eyesight is failing but not her spirt,” son John McDonald of Rootstown said. “And she still likes cards and visits.”

In addition to John, the twice-widowed Winnie also has another equally devoted son, Stanley McDonald of Springfield Township; three other children are deceased. She has several grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.

Browns help out

Major kudos to Browns players T.J. Ward and Phil Taylor who donated their time to the second annual Jacob’s Warriors, a fund-raiser last weekend at Sto-Kent Family Entertainment Center. They helped raise $1,200 for Akron Children’s Hospital’s hematology department for childhood blood disorders research and an additional $3,000 to assist Northeast Ohio families affected by childhood blood disorders.

Jacob’s Warriors is named for 11-year-old Jacob Whiteman of Streetsboro who was born with Diamond-Blackfan anemia, a rare blood disorder.

Nominate teachers

Calling all students, fellow teachers, school administrators, parents and others to nominate an outstanding teacher to the 2013 Summit County All-County Teaching Team, made up of 21 teachers.

Candidates must have taught full time, grades K-12 during the 2012-13 school year. Deadline for nominations is May 31. Forms are available at www.cybersummit.org and www.wkdd.com.

One teacher from each Summit County school district, one from Summit County parochial schools and one from Summit County private schools will be tapped for the high honor.

Each member of the teaching team will be announced at the sixth annual Education Celebration banquet (to be announced at a later date) and one teacher will be recognized as the 2013 Teacher of the Year.

For more information, please call 330-433-2888.

Group supports women

Zonta Club of Akron, Barberton & Cuyahoga Falls — which last month celebrated its 60th anniversary — recently presented donations of $2,500 each to three local charities: Harvest Home, the women’s division of Haven of Rest Ministries; Adult Focus, which houses the Verna Trushel Displaced Homemakers’ Scholarship at the University of Akron; and the Battered Women’s Shelter of Summit & Medina Counties.

Additionally, Zonta contributed $2,500 to Zonta International’s service program, which has supported for more than 50 years education, health, agricultural and micro-credit assistance to women in more than 20 countries. It’s all about advancing the status of women. The name itself — Zonta — comes from the Lakota Sioux Indian nation, meaning “honest and trustworthy.” For more information about Zonta International, please visit www.zonta.org or email abczonta@yahoo.com about local membership opportunities.

Golf event for children

Love in Neglected Communities (LINC) — a nonprofit founded by two Stow cousins, Erin and Amanda Clark, following their volunteer experience with 94 impoverished orphans at Estel Children’s Centre in Kenya — has as its mission to improve the lives of suffering children worldwide.

The organization is raising funds to purchase land and build an adequate facility for the children at the Estel Children’s Centre and to empower their self-sufficiency by honing their farming skills.

To that end, LINC is hosting its inaugural “Fore the Kids” golf outing, Aug. 10 at Paradise Lake Country Club, 1900 Randolph Road, Mogadore. Ohio Health Benefits is the sponsor.

Golfers, other sponsors (businesses and families) and prize donations are being sought.

What is firm is the time of the shotgun start — 2 p.m. And the cost — $80 per person/$320 per foursome (includes 18 holes, golf cart, drinks, lunch and steak dinner); $30 per person (steak dinner only). A 50/50 raffle is planned along with other raffles, skill games and more. Reservation deadline is July 31; please call Melissa Clark at 330-807-6682 or email her at melissac1989@gmail.com. To donate or to volunteer, please call 717-469-5462 (LINC).

Jewell Cardwell can be reached at 330-996-3567 or jcardwell@thebeaconjournal.com.

Twig, as she prefers, is one who has always taken the road less traveled and continues to do so, much to the absolute pleasure of those who know her.

It’s no game that she dresses the way she does — in brightly patterned clothes and always with a hat. She doesn’t mind that others tag it “costumes.” That’s who she is: charismatic and a beacon of fun.

“I have some customers who tell me ‘We know the food is good,’ ” said the owner of the 17-year-old Twig’s Diner in Barberton (500 feet from Norton city limits). ‘But mostly we just come in to see what you have on,’ or ‘I can’t start my morning without a Twig fix,’ ” Twiggy delighted in sharing.

In many ways, Twig is much like the main character from one of her favorite TV shows — I Love Lucy. Only she’s not slapstick: It’s just that you never know what’s coming next but it shouldn’t be missed.

Yet, make no mistake about it, Twig — who is svelte and always tan — is a businesswoman, too.

Before arriving at where she is now, Twig worked and honed her business savvy over the years at a number of venues: Medina’s Otto’s Grotto (fine dining), L’il Joe’s/Iacomini’s in Bath Township, Jackie Lee’s in Coventry Township, Carnaby Street (in the Merriman Valley) among others. She also worked off and on as a nanny and a house cleaner.

“I was always willing to learn,” said Twig who credits that as the key to her successes.

At the urging of two colleagues, I dropped by the comfy little place, which seats 52, and is known for its good eats and friendly atmosphere. It’s a venue where everybody knows your name if you’ve been there a time or two. And if you’re new, you always get a welcome bell and a wish from Twig to “have a super, sparkling day!”

Not surprisingly, this slice-of-life eatery — with its brightly colored and eclectically decorated walls — are an extension of its owner and yet another smile-starter for her loyal customers who’ve turned into her friends.

“What makes me sad is that I didn’t keep a journal from when I first opened,” Twig lamented, adding, “The customers have made it happen here.”

My visit did not disappoint. Besides uncovering good, unpretentious, comfort food — designed not so much to be photographed but to please the palate — I also found a “special” that Twig had carved out for herself: a wedding. Hers.

Well, a wedding with a twist, that is, for the 64-year-old.

Here’s the skinny.

The former Linda “Twig” Romeo and her beloved Bruce Henretty were married 50 years ago this month in their native Turtle Creek, Pa.

Yes, she was 14.

Odds makers no doubt were against it.

But Twig and Bruce — neither one a stranger to hard work or the ability not to take life too seriously — made it work and each other happy in the process.

“I thought he had money at first because his family had a bathroom inside and a bathtub and we didn’t,” she laughed. “Turns out they lived in the projects! … I always tease him that all I got was a broom and some bills.

“I climbed a ladder with him and we’ve had an amazing journey.”

So, instead of celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary with a family dinner with their two sons and their families or even with a larger party, the Bath Township couple decided to have the wedding they never had.

Mostly it was Twig’s doing — but of course, you already figured that out. In fact, she wrote the vows; yes for both of them.

Bruce, who has worked as a mechanic for Giant Eagle 33 years and counting, is the total opposite of Twig.

“He explains to my newer customers, ‘She ain’t right,’ Twig teased.

Back to the wedding — which took place on May 18, 50 years to the day they first said their “I do’s.”

“My dream was always to be that bride and have a big wedding,” Twig continued. “My parents did what they could but they couldn’t afford much. … I wore my aunt’s light-green prom dress. The reception was at the fire hall. And our honeymoon was at Conneaut Lake Park and Niagara Falls. …

“But I never had the wedding I wanted. … First of all, I love brides. I cry at weddings I see on the beach in Florida and I don’t even know the bride.”

As a caterer, Twig has been up close and fairly personal at scores of weddings over the years that were a constant reminder of her dream.

So in true Twig style she decided to do something about it.

Always frugal and community oriented, Twig decided to shop for her it-had-to-be-white wedding gown at the American Cancer Society’s Discovery Shop in Akron’s Wallhaven area.

She found it: a never-been-worn, strapless, lace number with an original price tag of $599, which she got out the door, including a veil, for $99. And get this: She stored it at her sister’s house so Bruce wouldn’t see it before the ceremony at Rosemont Country Club.

Twig — who naturally had to be true to herself — ditched the veil, opting instead for a white meringue-looking fascinator (headpiece) with netting and red and white feathers designed especially for her by Akron-based but nationally known milliner Paula Singleton. She punctuated her ensemble with a red boa and red shoes, and she was ready for her big day.

Bruce and the couple’s two sons — Bruce and Jeff, who walked Mom down the aisle — wore traditional, black tuxedoes, more befitting of their personalities. Red-and-white feather boutonnieres adorned their lapels.

The bride, who chose a feather rather than a floral bouquet, was flanked by her dear friends Brenda Anderton of Florida and Karen Shaffer of Richfield, who had the option of wearing red or black or both. Rounding out the bridal party were the couple’s grandsons Tyler, 11, and Nathan, 9, and granddaughter Hannah, 17, and her boyfriend, Austin Phillips.

Reception dancing music was handled by the Larry Alltop Band.

The ceremony was performed by family friend Karla Maple while Linda Kanary delivered a poignant message in the form of Steven Curtis Chapman’s song I Will Be Here:

“Tomorrow morning if you wake up

And the sun does not appear

I ... I will be here

If in the dark we lose sight of love

Hold my hand and have no fear

’Cause I ... I will be here

I will be here

And you can cry on my shoulder

When the mirror tells us we’re older

I will hold you

And I will be here

To watch you grow in beauty

And tell you all the things you are to me

I will be here, hmmmm. ...”

The song’s message was not so much for Bruce and Twig, who’ve already lit their life with love, but for those who were there as eyewitnesses to what they created.

Here’s to you, Twig and Bruce, to comfort food and indoor toilets. But mostly and always to the power of love.

Jewell Cardwell can be reached at 330-996-3567 or jcardwell@thebeaconjournal.com.

The “sisters,” as they call themselves — Deb Lemire-Kunz, Kim Hemminger, Nicole Lemire, Karen Lemire and Kelli Lemire — are hosting a “Unique Boutique” from 5 to 9 p.m. at Fairlawn Country Club, 200 N. Wheaton Road, Fairlawn, to raise much-needed funds to assist their brother Paul Lemire, who is battling pancreatic cancer.

The boutique invites you to shop new and gently used fine and costume jewelry and accessories; relax with spa and wellness services; enjoy live music, light hors d’oeuvres, cash bar, raffles and more. A raffle ticket for diamond jewelry is included in the $25 admission at the door. Sponsorships available.

For more information, please visit www.teampaulbreakitdown.com/unique_boutique.html

Because Paul is a 1988 Copley High School graduate, the sisters have sent a letter to his former classmates. It reads in part:

“Approximately eight months ago Paul received the news that all families pray they will never hear. He was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

“Paul has been a self-employed entrepreneur and published writer and has served in the Marines overseas. Copley High School class of 1988 will be holding a Benefit Reunion on Saturday, June 15, 2013, at Houston Hall, 3069 Houston Road, Norton. To make this a success, as the family is encountering mounting medical and household bills, a silent auction will be featured at our benefit.

“Please help us support Paul and his family by donating your company gift certificates/cards or a gift basket of your company product. All donations big or small will be accepted and greatly appreciated.” For more information, please call Lynn Dowling at 740-260-0054 or email lynndowling1@gmail.com.

WITAN grants

Big, beautiful bouquets to WITAN (Women in Touch with Akron’s Needs) for its recent round of community grants.

The nonprofit, founded in 1943, has granted more than $1.3 million to the community through its fundraising efforts. They’ve also donated an incalculable number of volunteer hours, 13,000 from members just last year alone.

Now for those grants:

• First Glance Student Center’s “Teen Moms” program — $4,200.

• OPEN M’s Free Medical Clinic (supply costs) — $10,000.

• ACCESS “Stepping Stones” program — $3,000.

• OASIS Outreach Opportunity’s “The Way” program — $5,000.

• Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank’s “Kid Power Packs” — $2,500.

• Akron Zoo, “Backpack Adventure” program — $2,000.

• Mobile Meals’ supplements for children at risk — $4,000.

• Salvation Army’s Booth Manor unit renovation — $5,000.

• Cuyahoga Valley Youth Ballet’s “Reach Out and Dance” program — $10,000.

• Daughters of Divine Charity, window coverings for Leonora Hall — $2,400.

WITAN awards as many as 10 grant requests a year to area 501(c)3 nonprofit agencies and organizations. Grant requests for the next round must be postmarked by Nov. 30. Download the form at www.witaninfo.org.

Taste of Soul

Excitement is building for the LeBron James Grandmothers Fan Club’s annual Sound & Taste of Soul fundraiser, 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday at Akron’s Helen Arnold Community Learning Center, 450 Vernon Odom Blvd.

The menu comes from the club’s cookbook with participation by guest caterers Shelvia Brown, Julia Craig, Laverne Easson, Wanda Nash and Janet Sommerville. The first 50 people will receive an autographed photo of club member Ruby Nash Garnett, an Akron native who sang with Ruby and the Romantics.

A varied menu of musical talents also awaits you: saxophonist Pat Munford and drummer Carson Barnes, jazz; Marilyn Rivers, blues; Al Knight, rhythm & blues; JLTs Gospel Singers, Marilyn Rivers, Audrey Clay and Barbara Bolar, gospel; Roland Jackson, drums. Cost is $8 with proceeds going to the club’s mentoring program. For more information or a reservation, please email alderchapman@yahoo.com or call 330-784-2544.

Pedal with Pete

The 19th annual Pedal with Pete cycling and hiking benefit for cerebral palsy research is planned for June 1, beginning at Faith Lutheran Church, 931 E. Main St., Kent, with registration from 7 to 9:30 a.m. or online.

Chairman Guy Russ said, “Cycling routes of 17, 40 and 60 miles of flat and rolling roads through Portage and Summit counties have been designated. Family-friendly biking and hiking routes of two or six miles extend through the Kent State campus and surrounding areas …

“Light refreshments and water will be available at rest stops on all routes off campus. SAG support and bike tune-ups will also be available to riders along the routes. A grilled lunch will be served to participants when they conclude the event at Faith Lutheran Church.”

There will be lots of prizes and a raffle for a Bianchi Iseo bike (courtesy of Portage Cyclery) planned for 10:30 a.m. All proceeds go to help cerebral palsy medical research and projects by Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus and other organizations.

“Pedal withPete founder, Peter Zeidner of Kent, was born with CP and has ridden a recumbent bicycle with joy and purpose to raise funds aimed at minimizing the debilitating effects of this condition,” Russ wrote. “To date the organization has raised over $500,000 through bike and hike events in Kent, Columbus and Emmetsburg, Iowa.”

For more information, please visit www.pedal-with-pete.org.

Sad news

It is with much sadness that I share the news that former Akron resident Dennis Lee Brown died April 22 in Cape Coral, Fla. He was 59. I had the pleasure of covering his 2001 wedding to the former Pam Collins on Edwin Shaw Hospital’s Challenge Golf Course.

The golf course was a natural setting as that’s where the couple met. He was a volunteer teaching golf to adults who were disabled since birth or from an illness; Brown was disabled due to bipolar disorder.

His wife formerly taught multi-handicapped students at Akron’s Sam Salem Elementary School.

Jewell Cardwell can be reached at 330-996-3567 or jcardwell@thebeaconjournal.com

This incredible, can-do girl — the daughter of Jeff and Julia Schumacher of North Canton and a fourth-grader at Lake Center Christian School — was diagnosed in January with an aggressive and inoperable brain-stem tumor.

Here’s a little background on Emmeline’s health crisis and her business plan, as shared by her neighbors Todd and Debbie Jagger:

“After recovery from a brain tumor as an infant followed by radiation at age 1, she was since undergone numerous shunt surgeries to regulate the pressure of fluid in her brain. Although this second radiation-induced tumor was a blow, her family praises God for His goodness in providing these 10 years of life no one thought she would have.

“Emmeline is a sweet girl who is the oldest of five children in her family. She is gentle and unassuming, with a servant’s heart as witnessed by her current ‘Fishes and Loaves’ project of raising money for missionaries (through her school). Even after being diagnosed, Emmeline chose to fulfill her commitment to this project and has thus far turned $50 into more than $7,000 to donate to a missionary family in need!

“Now it’s time to turn the tables and shower Emmeline with our love. Her favorite hobby is making greeting cards. Ever since she was little, her dream has been to someday have her own card shop. Her family, friends, school, church and community are all working together to make this happen.”

From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 1, a one-day-only “Emme­line’s Cards & More” boutique is being staged at Oakwood Country Club, 6875 Firestone Ave. NE, Plain Township. All proceeds will go to the family.

In addition to Emmeline’s greeting-card line, she’s also selling gift baskets, jewelry, candy, baked goods and more.

Global mission

Embrace Your Essence Yoga — long active in service work locally, especially the ACCESS Inc. homeless shelter for women and children — is launching a global mission: Voice of Peace’s “Project I Am Free.”

The kickoff is 7 to 10 p.m. today at the studio, 499B Portage Lakes Drive, Coventry Township.

“Funds raised are going to support orphans, individuals living with HIV/AIDS and women/girls rescued from the human trafficking sex industry in Zimbabwe,” wrote Emily Fatkins, owner of the studio. This is to assist with basic care needs: food, soap, toothpaste, school supplies and more.

A benefit concert and art exhibition series is planned all summer long. Artists from the University of Akron community will be involved in the exhibits, and the following musicians:

• May 18 — From Borealis.

• June 15 — Sneaky Pete.

• July 20 — Johnnycake Hollow.

• Aug. 17 — Zach Freidhof.

Cost is $20 in advance, raffle tickets included. Please email Emily at lovepeaceyoga@yahoo.com or call 330-328-7219.

Remembrance Walk

The Akron chapter of Compassionate Friends, a long-standing support group for parents who have lost children, is sponsoring a one-mile “Remembrance Walk” at 9 a.m. Sunday, stepping off at the William Considine Professional Building on the campus of Akron Children’s Hospital.

The $10 registration fee includes a T-shirt and a walking bib on which to place the name or photo of the child being remembered.

A balloon and dove release follows the walk. Friends and family members supporting grieving parents are encouraged to attend. For more information, please call Paula and Dan Dutton at 330-699-5054 or Georgia and Scott Lehman at 330-666-2034.

Donations in honor of a child may be made out to Compassionate Friends, Akron chapter, and mailed to 4476 Hillside Drive, Copley, OH 44312-3070.

Bath Loves Boston

Major kudos to Revere High School freshman and Bath Township resident Dana McKinney, who has organized the “Bath Loves Boston” fundraiser 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. June 26 at Bath Church United Church of Christ fellowship hall, 3980 W. Bath Road, Bath.

Proceeds will go to victims of the Boston Marathon bombing who are dealing with major injuries, and the relatives of those who died, via the H.A.L.O. (Hope Always Lives On) Foundation. It is a mother-daughter evening with appetizers and desserts, raffle prizes and a fashion show with music. Mothers and daughters of all ages are encouraged to attend. Cost is $10, children under 6 free.

To donate a raffle prize, refreshments, other sponsorships or to make a reservation, please call 330-338-3893 or email Debbie@TimeToSpareLLC.com. For more information, please visit www.halofoundation.com.

Appreciation for teachers

Daniel’s Salon & Spa, 325 Portage Trail, Cuyahoga Falls, is extending a special Teacher’s Appreciation Week salon service to “honor the brave men and women” who teach our children now through June 15, with a 50 percent discount on haircuts. Regular price is $40, but it’s $20 for teachers as a giant thank-you for their daily efforts in shaping our children’s minds.

Please call 330-929-2200 for an appointment. Walk-ins also welcome. Please bring proof that you are a schoolteacher.

Docs Who Rock

United Way of Summit County’s “Docs Who Rock,” in its 10th year, is asking musical acts to submit an application and support materials by June 14 to United Way of Summit County, 90 N. Prospect Ave., Akron, OH 44304.

“A committee of musical experts, led by Docs Who Rock co-founder Dr. Terry Gordon, will select participating artists based on information and materials available to them, so the applications should contain as much of the following as possible: current CD, audio and/or video tapes; press reviews/articles; posters/flyers; and a one-paragraph description of the group or artist,” wrote Michael G. Gaffney, United Way’s vice president of marketing.

“As in the past, musical acts must have at least one member who is a doctor (M.D. or D.O.) and who lives or practices in Summit County. Solo acts are also welcome, and all musical styles are encouraged to apply.”

The popular show, which has drawn as many 1,800 people at E.J. Thomas Hall, is planned for Oct. 19. So save the date.

Hope for the Homeless

Hats off to Akron’s Litchfield Middle School, which for the second year in row has completed a Herculean effort in collecting clothing and money to through the “Hope for the Homeless Drive.”

The campaign was the brainchild of Jacquelyn Heisler, a work and family teacher at Litchfield, with a strong assist from Debbie Casanova, a recently retired work and family teacher, and long-term substitute Rachel Matejin.

“The students and staff were able to collect over $330 and at least 10 large, plastic bags full of gently used clothing for Akron Public Schools Project RISE (Realizing Individual Strength through Education),” said Debra Manteghi, Project RISE program manager, who will use “the extra funds to help students displaced from their homes get transportation to school.

The clothing will be stored at the Project RISE clothing room inside Trinity United Church of Christ, where it can be accessed by students and families experiencing homelessness with a referral from Manteghi.

Jewell Cardwell can be reached at 330-996-3567 or jcardwell@thebeaconjournal.com.