Odom Fund grants support local diversity initiatives

On Friday, Feb. 21, the Vernon L. Odom Fund of Akron Community Foundation awarded $7,800 in grants to programs that promote diversity and enrich the quality of life within local minority communities. 

Two grants went to partners of the newly formedSummit County Fatherhood Initiative, a collaboration spearheaded by Akron Community Foundation to pool resources to end father absenteeism locally. Fathers and Sons of Northeast Ohio and Williams Challengeeach received $900 to help at-risk fathers develop healthy relationships with their children. 

The Williams Challenge grant will fund the Man 2 Man Fatherhood Building Program, a series of educational workshops for men who are transitioning out of the court system or have otherwise been absent from their children’s lives. The free program teaches fathers important parenting skills and provides a supportive environment for men who need help finding employment, gaining visitation rights, and re-entering society from prison.

Similarly, a grant to Fathers and Sons of Northeast Ohio will support fatherhood education classes for homeless men at the Haven of Rest shelter. Men in the program will receive child support debt counseling and learn how to navigate the court system to request parenting time. They will also receive employment coaching specifically designed for people with a history of felony convictions and substance abuse. The ultimate goal is to help these men become better fathers and play an active role in their children’s lives. 

Other grants this year will teach leadership skills to inner-city adolescents, prepare at-risk students for college, and provide financial literacy training to minority youth. 

The following is a full list of Vernon L. Odom Fund grants:

100 Black Men of Greater Akron Inc., for the 100 Leadership Academy, a mentoring program for minority youth that teaches financial literacy, self-respect and positive decision-making skills, $1,000 

Akron Inner City Soccer Club, for a year-round, after-school soccer program for inner-city youth, $1,000

Akron International Friendship, for the Know Your Community – Know Your World program, in which diverse speakers teach students about the importance of ethnic, cultural and religious diversity, $500

Fathers and Sons of Northeast Ohio, for fatherhood education classes that help non-custodial fathers be an active parent in their children’s lives, $900

Girls on the Run of Greater Summit, Jewish Community Center of Akron, to mentor at-risk girls at Glover Community Learning Center by combining fitness training with discussions about personal values, respect and self-worth, $500

Law and Leadership Institute, for a college preparatory program for students in Akron and Barberton that helps at-risk and minority youth graduate from high school, get accepted into college, and choose a professional career path, $1,000

Opportunity Parish Ecumenical Neighborhood Ministry, for a mentoring program that helps young men from inner-city neighborhoods succeed in school, find employment and make healthy choices, $500

Summit County Youth Employment for Success, for a money management workshop that equips at-risk teens to build a solid financial future through budgeting, saving and avoiding debt, $500

Urban Vision, for an incentive program that allows youth participants to purchase school supplies and holiday gifts with the “dollars” they’ve earned through good behavior, attendance and grades, $1,000

Williams Challenge, for a fatherhood education and mentoring program that gives at-risk and absent fathers the support they need to develop positive relationships with their children, including help applying for employment and gaining visitation rights, $900

About the Vernon L. Odom Fund
The Vernon L. Odom Fund was established in 1993 in honor of the late Vernon L. Odom Sr., respected long-time leader of the Akron Urban League. Since its inception, the fund has grown to more than $225,000 and awarded nearly $130,000 in grants to innovative programs that promote ethnic and racial harmony and improve the quality of life within greater Akron’s minority communities. For more information about the Vernon L. Odom Fund or to contribute, visit www.akroncf.org/odom or call 330-376-8522.

About Akron Community Foundation
Celebrating 58 years of building community philanthropy, Akron Community Foundation embraces and enhances the work of charitable people who make a permanent commitment to the good of the community. In 1955, a $1 million bequest from the estate of Edwin Shaw established the community foundation. Today, it is a philanthropic endowment of $181 million with a growing family of more than 440 funds established by charitable people and organizations from all walks of life. The community foundation welcomes gifts of all kinds, including cash, bequests, stock, real estate, life insurance and retirement assets, just to name a few. To date, the community foundation’s funds have awarded more than $111 million in grants to qualified nonprofit organizations. For more information about Akron Community Foundation or to learn more about creating your own charitable fund, call 330-376-8522 or visit www.akroncf.org.