United Way of Summit & Medina today opened its latest Family Resource Center (FRC) at Hyre Community Learning Center (CLC), in strong partnership with Akron Public Schools. Located within the school at 2385 Wedgewood Dr, Akron, the new FRC will provide a safe, welcoming place for families to get information, assistance and referrals to community resources.
The new FRC will house a full-time family resource coordinator – a United Way employee – who will meet with members of the surrounding neighborhood to assess their needs and provide information on, and referrals to, available resources. Through the FRC, families can access basic needs support, enjoy enrichment opportunities and receive assistance from supportive programs. This includes services offered directly through United Way of Summit & Medina, such as free tax preparation services and financial counseling, housing assistance, transportation and youth development opportunities. United Way also partners strategically with government and social services agencies to provide families with additional services focused on job placement, reading readiness, legal representation and more.
To further its Bold Goals by 2028, United Way has worked closely with Akron Public Schools. Since 2017, United Way has worked to establish more than 200 partnerships between local organizations and the College & Career Academies of Akron. And in 2019, United Way opened its first Family Resource Center at Robinson CLC. The new FRC at Hyre will be United Way’s fifth in Akron Public Schools, joining those in Robinson CLC, Helen Arnold CLC, North High School and McEbright CLC. Since 2019, families have engaged or been helped by United Way’s FRC services over 4,200 times throughout the APS clusters.
“Our partnership with United Way of Summit and Medina has brought pivotal change to the lives of our scholars and their families,” said Akron Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Michael Robinson. “The real work United Way is doing with Family Resource Centers – and more – is what we need to help support our families and our scholars’ education.”
Today’s opening of the FRC at Hyre CLC was made possible through the support of a generous donor who wishes to remain anonymous.
“We are grateful to the support of people throughout our community who understand the importance of placing assistance where it can be most effective – in local neighborhoods and within reach of those who need them,” said Jim Mullen, president and CEO of United Way of Summit & Medina. “When families can’t access meaningful support, children face a loss of opportunities and neighborhoods struggle to thrive. Our Family Resource Centers are an investment in a future where everyone in our community has the chance to build a safe and stable life.”