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South Side News & Notes



Green Drug Task Force, faith community hosting Crisis Awareness Sunday

GREEN/SPRINGFIELD — The City of Green’s Drug Task Force has partnered with the area faith community to present Crisis Awareness Sunday May 1.
According to city officials, the day is designed to raise awareness about substance abuse disorders, offer hope to those suffering from them, destigmatize addiction and to help those in need find resources to help. Church and city officials added they hope the event leads to open conversations about addiction for the productive advancement toward ending the epidemic.
Churches will have Doterra Pouches, which offer an opportunity for individuals to dispose of unused or expired prescription drugs, which can limit or deter misuse of prescription drugs.
Participating churches in Green include: The Chapel, 1800 Raber Road; East Liberty Church of the Nazarene, 700 E. Turkeyfoot Lake Road; Temple Baptist, 1212 Greensburg Road; and Queen of Heaven Catholic Church, 1800 Steese Road.
Also participating is Maranatha Bible Church, located at 1424 Killian Road in Springfield.

 

The International Welcome Center construction begins

NEW FRANKLIN — The International Welcome Center (IWC) officially broke ground at 5781 Manchester Road on the construction of a 2,700-square-foot building April 24.
The IWC, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization created in 2019 by Grace Bible Church, exists to empower the foreign-born in the Greater Akron area in their pursuit of happiness with legal assistance to help them navigate the immigration system and integrate into the community. For more information, visit www.theiwc.org.
According to Center officials, plans for the IWC began three years ago. Cary Ducket, Grace Church lead pastor and IWC’s executive director, envisioned “an organization where the love of God is brought to life through people who have been empowered to love their neighbor.”
A Bringing Joy capital campaign launched in 2019 to build a structure ended in 2021 with $425,000 raised.
Officials added the IWC has been operating without a designated building for three years. Since IWC began, more than 250 refugees and immigrants have been served through supports and services, according to the organization. Staff and volunteers help refugee and immigrant families with the complexities of life in America, provide resources and empower them to succeed, noted IWC officials. Since receiving federal accreditation last summer to provide legal aid services, the IWC is currently assisting 46 individuals on their path to citizenship.
“Without the help of donors and volunteers, the work of the IWC and the realization of a space to headquarter the ongoing efforts to empower the foreign born would not be possible,” said Duckett. “I am eternally grateful for the sacrifices many have made for this moment to be possible.”

 

Statewide media collaborative hosting conversation on environment, climate

GREEN — Greensburg United Methodist Church, located at 2161 Greensburg Road, will be the site of moderated conversations on the environment and climate May 5 at 6 p.m.
The conversations will aim to find where people agree on problems and solutions and outline possible action. Pizza and soft drinks will be offered, and registration to attend is required through Eventbrite.com by searching for the event.
According to Doug Oplinger, a retired managing editor of the Akron Beacon Journal who now manages a statewide media collaborative that sponsors community conversations, a poll conducted for The University of Akron’s Bliss Institute of Applied Politics showed that 72 percent of Ohioans ages 18-24 say that due to the dangers of climate change, immediate action is needed. While 55 percent of adults in the age 45-64 category agree with the younger generation, 45 percent say the climate emergency is exaggerated and can be addressed over time. The poll interviewed 1,550 people from Feb. 17 to March 15.
Oplinger also stated that Green High School Environment Club members recently discussed the threat to their health and futures, lamenting there is not enough alarm for older people unless they think their pocketbooks will be affected.
According to Oplinger, other area issues impacting the environment include:
• a natural gas pipeline constructed in southern Summit County using a new drilling technology — hydraulic fracturing — that releases reserves of natural gas from Southeast Ohio and western Pennsylvania;
• changing weather, with data from the Akron-Canton Airport showing annual average temperature for the last 10 years about 3 degrees Fahrenheit above normal, approaching the tipping-point increase that scientists say could be cataclysmic, and a 2020 tornado in Green and New Franklin pointed to as evidence of the sharp increase of violent weather in the area. Ohio’s average number of tornadoes per year for the last 70 years is a little less than 18, but in the last 10 years the average is 30, said Oplinger; and
• manicured lawns eliminating wildflowers that provide life to pollinators such as honey bees and butterflies, which are essential for production of food, and significant deforestation in Green due to new housing development.
Doug Oplinger can be reached at oplingerdoug@gmail.com.