Join the Family Service Project

Saturday April 17^th

8:30 – noon (with lunch following)

Cuyahoga Valley Environmental Education Center

by Bridget Garvin Ambrisco '08

On Saturday, April 17, Leadership Akron Alumni Association, Torchbearers and Junior Leadership Akron will work together for a day of community service in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. One of the goals set forth in the new partnership between Leadership Akron and Torchbearers was to work together on a signature event and it was decided that this event would be service related. Torchbearers also began to work with Junior Leadership Akron to offer a mentoring component. As discussions on both of these initiatives proceeded, the idea to include JLA in the signature service project made sense. It gives a great opportunity for leaders to work together, to get to know each other, to network and to establish relationships...all while doing good in the community.  We all know what happens when you put a bunch of Leadership Akron Alumni in one room... there's a sense of camaraderie, ideas develop, things happen... all for the betterment of the Akron Community. Imagine what can happen when we bring Torchbearers and Junior Leadership Akron into the fold.

The service project will provide much needed help at the Cuyahoga Valley Environmental Education Center (CVEEC). Recognized as one of the top environmental education centers in the U.S., the CVEEC provides innovative education programs that offer children the opportunity to discover the wonders and magic of learning in and about the outdoors. Resident programs and summer camps emphasize hands-on learning with a focus on creativity, exploration, and discovery and serve over 9,000 kids per year. The CVEEC is managed by the nonprofit Cuyahoga Valley National Park Association (CVNPA) in partnership with the National Park Service. Many of the children benefit from the programs of the CVEEC by scholarships provided by CVNPA.

Groups will help with spring cleaning projects including landscaping, trail maintenance, painting of picnic tables, mulching, and planting as well as clean up of dorm rooms, the art room, and the dining halls. The current 2010 class of Torchbearers will be trained to lead different projects and will incorporate learning objectives into the day for the Junior Leadership Akron class. Most groups will be a mix of JLA, TB and LAAA. Those who volunteer with their families (TB and LAAA) will all work together so that families are kept together.

The service day will start at 8:30am with breakfast and introductions at November Lodge on the campus of the Cuyahoga Valley Environmental Education Center. The projects will last until noon and for those who are able, lunch will be provided. After lunch, Junior Leadership Akron will wrap up their day going over the learning objectives with the Torchbearer 2010 class. All are welcome to stay!

Groups will be assigned ahead of time, so be sure to sign up now! The LAAA project leaders for the joint service project are John Valle, Joel Hamsher and Bridget Garvin Ambrisco (all class 24). They challenge all other classes to try to beat their class representation.

RSVP:  Register on-line at http://www.lakron.com/3-registerServiceProject.htm