March 23 event includes raffle, buffet, 'horse race'

It seems a lifetime ago that a sinister virus was at the forefront, what would eventually become identified as AIDS by the National Institutes of Health. Since 1981, scores of individuals have perished from the disease, but thankfully progress in AIDS research and education has been made.

But AIDS has not been eradicated, and leaves no room for apathy, yet, “I tell people if they’re between the ages of 13 and 90, straight or gay, white or black, Hispanic ... they’re at risk for HIV if sexually active,” says Dawn Jones, the director of operations for the Akron-based Community Aids Network and the Akron Pride Initiative (CANAPI). “There’s still risk all across the board.”

And to further its mission, the Community AIDS Network will host its annual fundraiser, Race at the Raffle, March 23 at 6:30 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Family Center, 610 W. Exchange Street.

Akron's no stranger to bowling, nor is it to Stonehedge. So for those with a love for the pins and looking to support their local wildlife, the Akron Zoo, set aside Saturday, Feb. 9 for one of the zoo's biggest fundraisers, Snow Bowl 2013.

"This is the longest standing fundraiser we have," says David Barnhardt, director of marketing and guest services for the zoo. "Over 26 years, we've raised about $730,000 dollars."

That's a nice testament to Akron's support because the zoo keeps watch more than 700 animals and has a staff of about 100.
"So you can imagine the grocery bill," says Barnhardt of the former. "Lions eat about seven pounds of meat daily, there are specialized diets, and there are 19 penguins, who eat so many fish a day."

SPIRITS, a new, independent short film made in Akron, will make its public debut at Akron's Highland Theatre in November. Created by Akron couple Blue Green and Joanne Green, SPIRITS is about the "consumption of, loss of and protection of spirits," according to the movie's tagline. A premiere party for SPIRITS, will be held at Highland Theater on Friday, Nov. 30 at 9:30 p.m. Doors open at 9:15 p.m. The public is welcome. Tickets are $5.

SPIRITS is a truly independent movie created with a completely volunteer cast and crew from the greater Akron area. It was directed by Blue Green and written by Joanne Green and Chris Miller with music by Chad Jenson. The main characters are played Jim Nezbeth, Tony Lee, Dan McCoy and James Rhodes. The full cast is on the SPIRITS website. The primary set location was donated by The Office Bistro and Lounge in Akron's North Hill.

According to head writer and producer Joanne Green, "SPIRITS is somewhat of an experiment in producing high-quality, low-cost films in Akron using donated set locations and enlisting the support of dedicated, local citizens."

A recent youth violence forum at Buchtel High School began with video clips from a popular website that featured young people in various stages of fighting. And the images were met with laughs and cheers from the students, which spoke volumes about the role that the media plays in glorifying teen violence.

But by the end of the event, the students' raucous behavior transitioned to polite applause, as the panelists pointed out just how detrimental media depictions are to them, especially urban youth.

"There are executives basing shows off of our misery and our issues," said Dr. Zachery Williams, an associate professor of history at The University of Akron and one of the guests of the Youth Violence Forum, hosted by Keepers of the Art. While media like TV shows and websites make money off of these violent images, the profits are typically not funneled back into the community, said Williams, who added that urban youth are getting the worst part of this deal. "Instead of laughing at (our problems), we have to face them and deal with them, because they won't go away."

One in four teens who have been in a serious relationship say their boyfriend or girlfriend has tried to prevent them from spending time with friends or family. Does this apply to you or someone in your life?

This statistic, among many more, is provided by the Tina Project, an organizational collaborative that helps Ohio schools meet and exceed state laws in order to prevent teen dating violence and promote healthy healing.

The project assists schools by providing classroom-based education, professional training for teachers and school personnel, policy assistance, crisis intervention and support services and assistance in building relationships with domestic violence and rape crisis agencies. More recently, the project has launched a free educational webcast on topics of teen dating violence for educators and school personnel in collaboration with The Battered Women's Shelter of Summit and Medina Counties.

I remember spending countless summer breaks riding my bike down North Hawkins Street to Alton Drive where the back entrance to Ayers Branch Library was located. I remember the old house and the display rack where I'd spend hours upon hours deciding how many Boxcar Children and Baby Sitter's Club books I could read in the two-week checkout period.  

And I remember being just a tiny bit sad when the library moved to its new location on 1720 Shatto Avenue and changed its name to Northwest Akron Branch Library. It wasn't as cozy as the house I had grown to call my second home, but it was impressive with its large quantity of books that my growing mind could conquered.

As a thank you to the residents of Summit County, the Akron Zoo we will offer each community a free day to enjoy the zoo and all it has to offer.

Tickets must be picked up at least 24 hours before the start of the first date of each community's designated day (click through for a list of dates and communities). There are a limited amount of tickets that are available for each community, according to the zoo, which added that tickets may be picked up at either the Akron Zoo during normal business hours (10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) or at a location desinated in your community.

Click here for information about where to pick up tickets. There's a limit of four tickets per household. Parking is $2 and not included in the admission.