OPEN M

Champions for Wellness- Grief 101: Coping with Loss

OPENM — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:18:39 +0000

Tuesday, February 28, 2012 – 3:30 – 5:30 p.m.

Champions for Wellness- Grief 101: Coping with Loss
Coping with the loss of a loved one can be difficult in many ways. Come learn about grief and discuss helpful strategies to assist with those who are coping with the loss of a loved one.

A small group of discussion and support
Light dinner will be served
Door prizes will be awarded
EVERYONE IS WELCOME!

Location: OPEN M 941 Princeton Street Akron OH 44311

Bridges Out of Poverty Workshop

OPENM — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:02:23 +0000

Over 1,500 in Summit County have been trained in a Bridges Out of Poverty Workshop, are you one of them?

If you employ, work with, serve, or teach low income individuals- you should be! This workshop is an approach that helps employers, community organizations, social services agencies, and individuals address poverty in a comprehensive way. The material will shift the way you look at individuals you interact with daily and help you to better grasp what poverty in Akron looks like day-to-day.

The Next all day workshop is Thursday,February 9, 2012 from 9-3 p.m. at OPEN M

Price is $25 and includes book, materials, and lunch. Please RSVP to Hannah by Feb 1 by calling 330-434-3250 or e-mail family@openm.org

Below are some comments from individuals who attended last year:

“Incredible, helps me both professionally and personally.”
“The energy level of the presenters is contagious. Excited to shift the way I interact with my clients and staff.”
“Excellent presentation, potentially life changing information.”
“Light bulbs were going off every section, this changes the way I view my role as an employer and in my church.”
“Very eye opening. Coming from a middle class home I did not completely understand the individuals I work with everyday.”

We hope you can attend!

Monthly Support for Graduates

OPENM — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:56:02 +0000

Monthly Support for Graduates
The focus of our Family Development program is on Getting Ahead, an 8-week group where 12 low-income individuals investigate issues surrounding poverty. Each investigator ends the class by choosing three different resources they would like to build (financial, emotional, spiritual, mental, language, support systems, etc) and writing a goal for each resource. But then what?
Every month, OPEN M hosts a monthly meeting for all Getting Ahead graduates to come together and provide support and encouragement. Making the transition from poverty to stability is not easy, and positive support systems play a HUGE role. At these monthly meetings, we invite all Getting Ahead graduates from Akron and “partners” (middle class volunteers) to come hang out and build relationships.

Each month we have a topic that we will cover, and we break out into small groups or pairs to further discuss that issue. For example, September we practiced job interview skills, October we went through drills for networking and selling yourself, and in November we talked about staying motivated and how to move away from using excuses.
Are you interested in volunteering to make this possible? We need partners to come and help with discussion, groups, to cook dinner for the group, and administrative volunteers to make it all happen! A big thank you to all the volunteers who already help each month, and a “good job” to the Getting Ahead graduates who are making changes.

Getting Ahead’s generosity

OPENM — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:33:47 +0000

Getting Ahead’s Generosity-Written by Hannah Nitz
Just like a class in high school, each Getting Ahead class has their own flavor. This is the fifth class that I have facilitated at OPEN M and I have found this to be true each time. The current Getting Ahead group (class 7) has quite an interesting flavor, with lots of spices, sauces and generosity.
Getting Ahead meets twice a week. The first week this class met, one individual generously brought in two trays of homemade food for the group to share. “I wanted to share this with our class. I appreciate all of you.” I was shocked by this move, how did she manage to cook enough food for 12 people and get it all the way to OPEN M? Even more shocking, this trend continued.
Each person in the class has taken their turn at bringing in food for the group. Not just a small side salad, but trays full of mac n’ cheese, green beans and pot roast. Their generosity each week has absolutely floored me, and kept my stomach very happy. While this has been happening the past 4 weeks, I am reminded of God challenging us to be generous with what we have, always serving others as if we are serving Christ. As I look at the current Getting Ahead group, many of which are struggling to keep the rent paid and lights on, I see their joy and generosity and am challenged to do the same. Do I serve others around me even when it is hard?

ACME Fresh Market Receipt Program

OPENM — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:30:36 +0000

ACME Fresh Market-Cash Back Program

Shop at Acme Fresh Market and save your register receipt tapes dated September 24, 2011 through February 11, 2012. Ask your family, friends, co-workers and neighbors to shop at Acme and save their receipts, too! Receipts must have the words “Cash Back” and amount on the bottom of the receipt to be valid. Then mail your receipts to OPEN M, 941 Princeton Street, Akron Ohio 44311, or drop them off. All receipts must be turned in by Monday, February 20, 2011 to be eligible to turn in. Acme Fresh Market will donate back to OPEN M 5% of the cash back amount printed at the bottom of the receipt. The cash back amount includes all Acme store brand merchandise purchases. These include, Acme Fresh Market, Academix, Domestix, Electrix, Food Club, Full Circle, Paws, TopCare, ValuTime, and World Classics products.

Volunteer needed in our food pantry

OPENM — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 20:31:51 +0000

OPEN M is in need of a regular volunteer in our food pantry. We rely on volunteers to be able to serve the community with 3 day emergency food. We have a very strong support system however, one of our regular volunteers is not able to be here any more. We are looking for someone to give of their time on Tuesdays from 9-2 p.m.

The things you will be doing is packaging food together, stocking shelves, dealing with the community, helping people get their food etc. This is such a rewarding volunteer position because you get to deal directly with the community and see first hand the people you are affecting. We need to fill this volunteer position as soon as possible. Please if you are free on Tuesdays from 9-2p.m. please consider volunteering that time with OPEN M and helping the community.

If you are interested in hearing more please contact Angel Favaro at resources@openm.orgor call 330-434-0110, Ext. 402. Thank you in advance for your generosity and faith in OPEN M in being a beacon of home in the community we live in .

2012 Group Volunteer Opportunity

OPENM — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 18:26:37 +0000

Hot Lunch- Have a group of 10-15 people looking for a service project? We are looking for groups willing to purchase, prepare and serve a lunch to between 150-200 people. The serving of the meal would take place from 11:30-1 p.m. the last two weeks of every month Monday through Friday (excluding July, November and December). You get to decide what is served! It is a great way to give back to the community and get to interact and see firsthand the difference you are making in another’s life. If you are interested or would like to hear more please contact Bobbie at food@openm.org or call 330-434-0110, Ext. 416.

We need your help to give the kids of our community a true Christmas!

OPENM — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 18:22:09 +0000

Christmas for the Love of Children

We need your help to give the kids of our community a true Christmas!

Can you believe it? Christmas is right around the corner! With fall in full swing, we are in the midst of our big Christmas program here at OPEN M, Christmas for the Love of Children. It’s our goal to shed Christ’s love, at Christmas time, to many of the children in our community whose families are unable to afford gifts for their children. For these kids, sometimes a small gesture on our part can go a long way. We are hoping you will join us in our efforts to provide Christmas gifts and food to families in need. All it takes to sponsor a child is to fill out the form at our website at www.openm.org. Once we receive this information, we will send you a list of your children and their wish list. We ask that each child receive two, $25 gifts. All gifts must be delivered to OPEN M by Thursday, December 8. You can also choose to deliver the gifts to the families. For more information, please contact Angel Favaro at 330-434-0110, Ext. 402. Thanks for your love and generosity this Christmas season!

God Bless and thank you for your support and consideration!

Food Collection at Connecting Touch

OPENM — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 14:05:50 +0000

Connecting Touch Therapy & Wellness Center will host a food drive through November, with proceeds coming to OPEN M! Anyone who brings in a canned food or other nonperishable food item will receive a certificate for a free paraffin hand treatment! This is perfect for the cold weather to make your hands feel silky smooth!

Conntecting Touch Therapy and Wellness Center is located at 960 Graham Road in Cuyahoga Falls (behind the Arby’s). Items can be dropped off between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Thank you so much for your help for OPEN M and for supporting localy owned businesses! Together we are making a difference.

For more information on services and pricing at Connecting Touch please visit their website at http://www.connectingtouch.com/

Group giving back

OPENM — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 13:01:02 +0000

Lately at OPEN M we have been getting a lot of calls of groups wanting to give back to the community. We applaud these groups for wanting to share their talents and give back to those who are in need. Here is one idea that you can do in your church or business to give back. This idea came from St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Cuyahoga Falls.

Last year St. Luke’s Lutheran church representatives Lori Heilmeier and Pauline Ellis came up with a creative idea to raise money for OPEN M. They raised $220 selling Christmas ornaments to decorate their church Christmas tree. They sold “in memory of” and/or “in honor of” ornaments for $5. The person purchasing the ornament got to write a loved one’s name on the ornament and hang it on the tree. On Christmas Eve, they will get to take their ornament home and put it on their own tree as a keepsake.

This is a great idea for a fundraiser for OPEN M this holiday season. So if you have a group that is interested in throwing a fundraiser for the programs of OPEN M. Please consider this idea as an easy way to raise money and make a difference! This is a fun