Nurture Children

Our presence in the inner-city dictates that our programs place special emphasis on helping to decrease crime in the area, protecting the children who are most vulnerable. Much of this work is accomplished in cooperation with the public safety forces, local schools, neighborhood groups and in conjunction with other existing programs.

TUTORIAL PROGRAMS
Education is necessary if people are to find security and stability in life. Through volunteer teachers we offer three programs to help children achieve academic success.

First and second grade students receive help with math, reading, writing and socialization skills under the guidance of caring, positive role models. Using arts and crafts, field trips, games and individual assistance, these children are set on the right track to do well in school as well as in everyday living.
Students in the eighth and ninth grades receive both preparatory and remedial assistance to complete and pass the State of Ohio educational proficiency tests. This encourages them to stay in school and receive their diplomas.
Many of the children in the community we serve leave school, only to return to an empty house. In addition to the risks of unsupervised time alone, these children have no adult to assist them with their homework. To bridge that gap, OPEN M conducts an After-School Homework Clinic each day. With the assistance of volunteers from area high schools and the University of Akron (especially the Law School), these students can receive the guidance they need — and gain exposure to positive role models as well.
Achievement leads to self-respect, which leads to community involvement. We work with children in their most formative years because it is never too early to begin building tomorrow’s citizens.

SUMMER RECREATION AND EDUCATION PROGRAM
For five weeks each year, we provide a comprehensive recreation program for over one hundred inner-city children. Staffed by teenaged and adult volunteers, the children are given breakfast, lunch and snack while following an active schedule of field trips, sports, crafts, games, music and meeting new friends.

Field trips include the Akron Police Museum, Inventure Place (the national Inventors' Hall of Fame), the Akron Art Museum, the Akron Zoo, the Great Lakes Science Center, an exotic animal farm, a chocolate factory, a museum created in a lake freighter, and Akron's famous Stan Hywet Hall.

Persons are invited to "Adopt-a-Kid-for Camp". With a modest donation, caring people can sponsor a child for the summer camp. The children send pictures and regular notes to their sponsors as a way to share the experience and to say 'thank you'. Parents and sponsors gather on the last day to hear the children tell their stories and to celebrate the time away from the street