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Click Here for a picture:  Youth Leadership 2009 Class - Social Services Day
All of the members of the program are pictured with CEO Dottie Achmoody in the pharmacy at OPEN M.

The Youth Leadership group visited the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank in Akron and was given a tour by Mark Mitchell, Manager of Marketing and Communications. Mr.

Mitchell explained how local grocery stores and food distributors donate food, then how the Food Bank distributes it to agencies in eight counties around the area and then how those agencies give the food away to the hungry people in northeast Ohio. He also talked about the Harvest for Hunger, which is the second largest food drive in America. The group also learned how to deal with hard times and funding struggles.

The group then traveled to OPEN M and worked with CEO Dottie Achmoody to prepare and serve a meal to local residence. They then took a tour guided by Achmoody and talked about volunteer work. Achmoody said that OPEN M, which stands for Opportunity Parish Ecumenical Neighborhood Ministry, strives to meet the four basic human needs: intellectual, faith, physical and social/emotional. The intellectual needs are net with classrooms for children. A chapel at OPEN M meets the faith aspect. OPEN M also serves meals, even on Thanksgiving, and it has a free health clinic with a pharmacy to meet the physical needs of those they serve. Then, different programs, such as Diamond Ladies, mountain of food and day camps in the summer meet the social/emotion aspect.

After serving the meal, the group met with Achmoody to talk about volunteer work. She stressed that having volunteer work and experience, as well as good grades is important when looking for a job. The group learned that social services, attitude and experience with people are very important.

The students participating in the program are: Marisa Conti from Archbishop Hoban; Bryce Duke from Stow Monroe-Falls; Daniel Kapadia from Stow-Monroe Falls; Scott Krinsky from Archbishop Hoban; Bridget Mahoney from Stow-Monroe Falls; Jennifer Omlor from Walsh Jesuit; Elizabeth Sain from the Elms; Stephanie Sarich from Stow-Monroe Falls; Stephen Spalding from Walsh Jesuit; Marissa Ward from the Elms and Sarah Yeager from Stow Monroe-Falls.

The Stow-Monroe Falls Youth Leadership program is sponsored by the Stow-Monroe Falls Chamber of Commerce. It is facilitated by former members of the Adult Leadership Class and other members of the community. This month Bunny Suplit of Superior Staffing and Carol Morgan of North Akron Savings were the Adult facilitators.

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