Kenmore-Garfield – Akron Promise

Press Release – Akron Promise Virtual Beer Tasting!

2020 Scholarship Fundraiser

Virtual Beer Tasting Event

(Summit County, Akron, Ohio –June 2020) – Akron Promise will hold a Virtual Beer Tasting Fundraiser on Friday, June 26, 2020 from 7p.m. – 8 p.m. All proceeds go to the Kenmore-Garfield Stark State Scholarship Fund.

Four Akron brewers will talk about their beer and one component of beer making. There will be commentary by Rick Armon, renowned beer writer and author of “Ohio Breweries” and “Fifty Must-Try Craft Beers of Ohio”. Participating breweries are Akronym Brewing, Eighty-Three Brewery, Lock 15 Brewing Company and Missing Falls Brewery.

Donations of $50 or more get a flight of beers to taste during the event.

To participate in this VIRTUAL event, make a donation of any amount to Akron Promise at https://tinyurl.com/AP2020Fundraiser (or by mail, below). Please respond by June 22 to be sure you get your flight.

“For many Akron students, a major barrier to post-secondary education is money. For the third year in a row, Akron Promise will remove that barrier for up to ten Kenmore-Garfield High School students,” shared Tom Ghinder, Founder of Akron Promise, Inc. “We believe all students deserve a chance at a post-secondary certificate or degree, leading to a satisfying career and quality of life. In addition, Akron Promise is trying to shape the culture of education in Akron to help ensure that all students have access to appropriate supports, resources and opportunities.”

Akron Promise is a 501c3 organization. For more information or to register for this event, please go to https://www.facebook.com/donate/712692782826679/. To make a direct donation, mail checks to “Akron Promise” at 66 Melbourne Avenue, Akron, OH 44313.

Tom Ghinder

Founder, Akron Promise, Inc.

Cell: 330-329-4855

Email: tghinder@gmail.com

May 18 Golf Outing & Other Akron Promise Updates by Daralee Ghinder

Equal access to college, technical training and other post-secondary opportunities takes more than scholarship money. The focus of Akron Promise is to help KGHS graduates become enrolled, enlisted or employed. This article is an update on the work of Akron Promise at Kenmore-Garfield High School. Please save the date and mark your calendar for our annual fundraiser, a golf outing and dinner on May 18th at Mayfair Country Club. All proceeds will go to the Kenmore-Garfield Stark State Scholarship Fund. (Non-golfers are invited to attend the dinner).

Akron Promise continues to support scholarship students at Stark State College. This ongoing effort includes working closely with the SSC administration to ensure persistence and success.

Twenty KGHS students are receiving ACT (American College Testing) support at a twice weekly “ACT Bootcamp”. Improving an ACT score by just a few points can be life-changing with regard to college acceptance and scholarships. Much appreciation goes to High Point College Coaching and instructors Lara Wilson and Rich Wilson, and grants from both the Akron Community Foundation and the GPD Employee Foundation. In addition to the ACT bootcamp, Akron Promise is working with the Kenmore-Garfield Football team on academic achievement and ACT preparation at their weekly Study Tables.

Since “it takes a village,” there are many opportunities for the Kenmore community to help. Akron Promise needs:

* Golfers (and non-golfer dinner guests!) for the May 18th Fundraiser
* Donations (cash for scholarships & raffle items) and sponsorships for the golf outing
* Additional Akron Promise Board Members
* Mentors for students (No experience necessary!)

If you are interested in helping, need more information about any items mentioned in this article, or additional information about Akron Promise, please contact Tom Ghinder, Founder of Akron Promise, at tghinder@gmail.com or 330-329-4855. You can also keep up with us on our FaceBook page.

Published in the Kenmore Connection, Winter 2019 (Vol. 20, Issue 4)

Akron Promise Helps Eight Attend Stark State by Daralee Ghinder

With eight Kenmore Garfield High School graduates attending Stark State College on full tuition and book scholarships, Akron Promise is back at work for the 2018-19 school year. The Stark State freshmen are not only receiving financial support for books and tuition, they are also getting information on how to steward those dollars. Students are attending sessions at the Financial Empowerment Center (FEC) on Kenmore Blvd. The FEC is available to all residents of Summit county.

Akron Promise is also working with Stark State’s academic advisors, and we are helping to ensure that each of the scholarship recipients also feel emotionally and academically supported. Stark State’s team is working to help all of our students persist until they achieve their goals.

In early October, Akron Public Schools and Stark State College announced that Stark State will be a ‘Sister College” to Kenmore-Garfield High School. They have committed to initial in-kind support of $150,000 in the first year, and $75,000 of in-kind support in the following two years. Akron Promise is very excited about the recent announcement, as this collaboration will give extra support, information and opportunities to the students and staff at KGHS. Stark State and the University of Akron have also announced a partnership where classes taken at Stark State will transfer to the University of Akron, with seamless movement between the two.

Other big news is the commencement of College and Career Academies at KGHS. This method of education brings real-world application to what our students learn in their required curriculum, as well as potential career paths. Partnerships with local businesses expose students to internship and employment opportunities. There are a variety of fields to choose from, though students are allowed to change their path. This learning meets requirements for mandated tests and is transferable no matter which path they choose. All freshmen participate in the Freshman Academy where they learn skills necessary to be successful in high school, complete career exploration activities, and visit college campuses. Upperclassmen will participate in either the Academy of Emerging Technology and Design or the Academy of Health and Human Services. Students can also apply to attend other academies at other high schools in Akron.

There are many positive initiatives to give KGHS students access to opportunities that can lead to a rewarding and productive post high school life. Akron Promise is working to help connect students to all available resources. It’s a mission that requires a lot of community investment. For anyone interested in giving an hour a week, there is a big demand for mentors. No experience is necessary. For those interested in making a tax deductible contribution to the Kenmore-Garfield Stark State Scholarship, there is a link on the Akron Promise website.

If you’d like more information about any of the programs mentioned in this article, links are available here or contact Tom Ghinder, Founder of Akron Promise, at tghinder@gmail.com or 330-329-4855.

Published in the Kenmore Connection, Summer 2018 (Vol. 19, Issue 4)

Just Another Reason Life is Good in Kenmore by Daralee Ghinder

On Saturday July 14th, Akron Promise held two fundraisers for the
Kenmore-Garfield Stark State Scholarship Fund.

The golf outing at Mud Run Golf Course was blessed by good weather
and a supportive group of golfers. In the evening, there was a Dessert
Party at the Live Music Now! venue. Peach cobbler, strawberry shortcake
and a s’mores bar were big hits, along with the live music of JT Buck,
KHG Graduate Chris Miller, Greg Milo and Jared Soster.

Tom and Daralee Ghinder, founders of Akron Promise, are incredibly
humbled by, and appreciative of, the generous support of this
community, the administrative staff at KGHS, Summit County Executive
Eileen Shapiro and the friends, family and others who helped in the
success of these events.

The big announcement of the night was that Akron Promise will commit
to scholarships through 2022. This means that as soon as this year’s 9th
graders start high school, they know there is a tuition free path to postsecondary success. This scholarship is currently offered to ten graduating seniors at KGHS to attend Stark State College.

Please consider adding your time and resources to Akron Promise,
as they continue to grow and expand opportunities for Kenmore-Garfi eld
students. The continuation of the scholarship is made possible, in
part, by the generous contributions of these local Kenmore
businesses: Beneficial Building Services, The Guitar Department,
Showcase Meats, Kenmore Komics & Games, and Olde 97 Cafe.
Please support these businesses, as they support our youth.

Dessert Party at the Live Music Now! Venue

Published in the Kenmore Connection, Summer 2018 (Vol. 19, Issue 3)

Akron Promise Announces 10 Scholarships and Summer Fundraisers by Daralee Ghinder

In February, Akron Promise, in partnership with The Stark State Foundation, announced a scholarship to benefit TEN 2018 Kenmore-Garfield High School graduates. The Stark State Foundation will match donations to Akron Promise up to $10,000 to fund these scholarships.
The scholarship will cover books, fees and tuition that is not covered by other aid. It is renewable for two full years – enough to earn an industry certificate or associate’s degree.

This is where YOU come in! Akron Promise is hosting TWO fundraisers on July 14th, 2018.

First will be a golf outing, from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm, at Mud Run Golf Course. Tickets are $70 per person or $280 to sign up a foursome. We will have door prizes, proximity contests, and lunch. All proceeds will go directly to scholarships for Kenmore-Garfield Graduates!

Next, will be a Dessert Party, from 7:30 pm to 10:00 pm, at 952 Kenmore Boulevard (the Live Music Now building). Tickets are $25 per person and your ticket includes a variety of desserts, (catered by Akron Public Schools culinary students), a drink voucher, and plenty of local entertainment. This will be a fun, casual night out.

If you are unable to make it to either of these fundraisers, but would like to make a donation to this scholarship fund, please mail your donation to: ATTN: Akron Promise, Kenmore-Garfield High School, 2140 13th Street SW, Akron, OH 44314.

Akron Promise will continue their efforts to shape a community involved culture of education which includes providing tuition free paths to post secondary degrees and certificates for all students in Akron. For more information and/or to purchase tickets please visit our website at www.akronpromise.org, contact us on Facebook, or via e-mail.

Published in the Kenmore Connection, Spring, 2018 (Volume 19, Issue 2)

Akron Promise Needs You! by Tom Ghinder

You can change lives. You can help break the poverty cycle. You are wanted and needed by students at Kenmore-Garfield High School!

In mid-November, Tom and Daralee Ghinder, founders of Akron Promise, set up a table outside the KGHS cafeteria. They had one simple sign that read, “After high school… got plans?” Students were asked about their plans after they left KGHS and if they’d like to sign up to have a mentor to coach them to their goals. Fifty-six students signed up and twenty-five have returned the required permission slips. The number was a pleasant surprise and more mentors are needed right away.

No experience is necessary! Akron Promise will provide mentors with all the needed resources. United Way’s iC.A.R.E. mentoring program is providing mentor background checks, fingerprinting, and a one-hour training session. The time commitment is flexible, anywhere from one to three hours per month. Students will be matched with mentors, based
on their backgrounds, interests and job choices. Mentors will meet with their students at a mutually convenient time, in or out of school.
Akron Promise is working to shape a community-involved culture of education in Akron.

We’re working to give students and families access appropriate supports, resources and opportunities. For more information, or to sign up, please call Tom Ghinder at 330-329-4855, email at tghinder@gmail.com, or go to http://bit.ly/AkronPromiseKGSA.

Published in Kenmore Connection, Winter 2018, Volume 19, Issue 2

Akron Promise publishes first video seeking mentors.

Today, Akron Promise has launched a social media campaign to recruit 25 new mentors for students at Kenmore-Garfield High school in Akron. Our objective with this program is to assist these students with identifying their post high school objectives AND help them reach their goals.

More information on this program can be found here.

To sign up, fill out the form available on this page.

Watch our video here.