Summit DD staff recently volunteered at United Way’s annual Stuff the Bus event—an essential community program designed to collect and sort school supplies for students from all 28 Akron Public Elementary Schools. The event hosted hundreds of volunteers representing many local businesses and organizations, including Firestone, Signet Jewelers, Enterprise, PNC Bank, Continental Tire, and more. Together, the volunteers sorted and packed school supplies for every single elementary school student in Akron—that’s 10,500 back packs!

Since 2016, Summit DD has encouraged staff to give back to the local community through a fun and engaging volunteer program. Employee engagement is essential to the success of the Agency. In fact, Summit DD’s 2019-2021 Long Range Plan includes a goal to “empower an engaged workforce that achieves the best outcomes for people we support.” Contributing to volunteer events like United Way’s Stuff the Bus also helps Summit DD make meaningful connections within our community and fosters a culture that reflects our core values of trust, respect, collaboration, innovation, inclusion, excellence.

Summit DD provides services for nearly 5,000 children and adults with developmental disabilities throughout Summit County. Many of which attend the Akron Public School system. United Way’s Bold Goals to positively impact Akron schools align perfectly with our very own mission. It is essential for local organizations and businesses to unite under common goals to achieve amazing outcomes.

Be on the lookout for more Give Back events from Summit DD in the near future! In the meantime, check out some fun photos of our staff participating in the United Way Stuff the Bus event.