Aspire
& Inspire

2022 Annual report

Community Support Services dreams of a future where mental and physical health are treated equally. Where the stigma of mental illness no longer exists. CSS encourages its community to come together to see this dream become a reality. On behalf of every person living and working in the community, CSS aspires and inspires.

Our Leadership

Aspire and inspire: two very lofty ideals, and for Community Support Services, those words represent our daily goals.

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Aspire and inspire: two very lofty ideals, and for Community Support Services, those words represent our daily goals.

Aspire [uh-spahyuhr]: to long, aim, or seek ambitiously; be eagerly desirous, especially for something great or of high value.

Our staff embodies those words every day – longing, ambitious, eager to get something of great value. In our case, it’s the wellness of our clients to which we aspire.

Inspire [in-spahyuhr]: to fill or affect with a specified feeling or thought; to exert a stimulating or beneficial effect upon a person.

Our clients inspire us with their hard work and commitment to their recovery.

We aspire to provide a holistic approach to our clients’ healthcare. Through the myriad services we provide and by partnering with other organizations in our community, we treat all parts of the individuals we care for - because they’re more than just their mental health diagnosis.

Our Tent to House program is working to speed up the process of getting people off the streets and into a sustainable and appropriate residence. By being a leading player in the Summit County Continuum of Care, CSS is at the forefront of our local effort to end homelessness.

That’s how we aspire.

We partner with all the mental health courts in Summit County to provide care and stabilization for offenders with mental illness. These specialized dockets place qualified individuals in a court-monitored program in lieu of incarceration, and our case managers also help defendants take responsibility for and control over their lives and manage their mental illnesses.

That’s how we inspire.

And you inspire us with your continued loyalty and assistance to Community Support Services.

We invite you to peruse this annual report and relive some of the highlights of our 2021-22 fiscal year.

Our Programs

Hope Court

CSS works with several local court systems to reduce recidivism and improve life stability

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Hope Court

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Thanks to a $550,000 federal grant, CSS was able to increase its presence in Summit County HOPE Court (Healing, Opportunity, Progress & Empowerment), a treatment court dedicated to individuals with severe and persistent mental illness. The HOPE Court, the first felony mental health court in Summit County, was developed and created in 2018 by Judge Alison Breaux.

The three-year grant, awarded by the Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs, enabled CSS to have three staff members working with the court. CSS has contracted with Summit County to provide one full-time case manager and two part- time recovery specialists for the HOPE Court program.

As a certified specialized docket with the Ohio Supreme Court, HOPE Court aims to improve life stability and independence, increase compliance with court orders, and reduce recidivism. It is a community-wide effort with local agencies and the court helping to develop a strong mental health recovery plan for the offender while also providing skills for the individual to be a successful member of the community.

Tent to House

Bridging the gap between living on the streets and obtaining housing

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Tent to House

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In June of 2021, the City of Akron announced it would reinstate its pre-pandemic policy of clearing homeless encampments on city property. CSS's teams from Homeless Outreach stepped in to help those who would be displaced, and thanks to a new program, outreach staff were able to provide housing for the majority of those they encountered.

The "Tent to House" program, which is funded through the City of Akron, helps unsheltered individuals bridge the gap between living on the streets and obtaining appropriate housing. Those who are interested in working with outreach staff are temporarily housed in a CSS facility while they await their acceptance into permanent housing. Those seeking housing engage with outreach staff, discuss their goals, and work with them to create a housing plan.

Some of the individuals who obtained housing through the program were reached through involvement with the emergency overnight shelter (EOS), which was established in the winter of 2020. The EOS, which was maintained by outreach staff and community partners, was open on nights the temperature dropped below 15 degrees. The "Tent to House" space was created in the same building as the emergency overnight shelter, which is located on the campus of our Homeless Outreach Center.

Our Reach

Individuals Seen:

4,188

Days in Residential Treatment:

8,401

Individuals Seen in Primary Care:

1,502

New Active Cases:

928

Total Primary Care Encounters:

4,620

New Referral Cases:

1,538

Our Community

Healing Art With an Impact

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Art of Recovery

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Client-created artwork expresses resilience and recovery at the Akron Art Museum.

March 2022 saw the return of CSS’s Art of Recovery as an in-person event after being held virtually for the past two years. The seventh-annual event kicked off March 18 with the online auction of nearly 60 pieces of professionally framed client-created artwork.

On March 22, more than 200 guests attended the live event at its new venue, the Akron Art Museum. For many of the artists, having their work shown in the museum was “a dream come true.”

This year’s event was the first Art of Recovery where guests could bid on artwork at the event. They also had the opportunity to meet many of the artists in person and hear their stories through video vignettes played throughout the night. Eight of the 20 featured artists were honored for their outstanding work, as judged by two local artists.

By the end of the night, the majority of the featured artwork was purchased by guests, with 75% of the sale price going to the client-artists.

Philanthropic Support

See Donors

Philanthropic Support

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We’re able to help our clients achieve more because of the generosity of these wonderful donors.

*Community Support Services Board Member

$10,000 and up
Bombas, Inc.
Clonrock Foundation
GAR Foundation
River Valley Paper Company

$5,000 - $9,999
FedEx Custom Critical
Mr. & Mrs. Kevin & Peggy Gaffney
Peg’s Foundation
Reymann Foundation
Seibert-Keck Insurance Partners
Tober Development/Construction

$2,500 - $4,999
Anonymous Donor
Huntington Bank
Klein’s Pharmacy
PNC Bank
Mr. & Mrs. Robert & Beth Stokes
Wealth Impact Advisors

$1,000 - $2,499
Anonymous Donor
Cleveland Clinic Akron General
County of Summit ADM Board
Mr. & Mrs. Michael & Corina Gaffney
Thomas L. & Margaret M. Gower Fund
HanesBrands, Inc.
Mr. Paul Jackson*
Mr. Aaron Kurchev*
Mr. & Mrs. William & Anne Lowery
Smith Godios Sorensen, Inc.
TRIAD Communications
Ms. Joanna Tucker*
United Health Care
The Vana Family Foundation
Ed Vuillemin Estate
Mr. & Mrs. Terry & Sharon Dalton
Dr. & Mrs. Bill & Bonnie Wojno

$500 - $999
Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority
Anonymous Donor
Bober Markey Fedorovich
Mr. & Mrs. Craig & Carolyn Chaffinch*
Shayne Donald
First Congregational Church of Akron
Mr. Martin Ganzer*
Ms. Jamie Iceman*
Mr. & Mrs. James & Debbie Pianalto*
Sikich, Inc.
Ms. Leslie Powlette Stoyer*
Summit County Probate Court

Up to $499
ACME Stores
Akron-Summit County Public Library
Ms. Kelli Aloisi
Mr. & Mrs. Phil & Sis Ames
Anonymous Donor
Mr. Gregory Bahas
Mr. & Hon. Todd & Alison Breaux
Mr. & Mrs. Ray & Martha Capotosta
Mr. Michael Casseday
Hon. Lisa Coates
Mr. Joseph Conley
Ms. Donna Delagrange
Ms. LuAnne Decker
Ms. Melissa Dunham*
Ms. Pam Edgar
Mr. Phillip Edwards
Mr. & Mrs. Thomas & Diana Farro
Ms. Nora Faul
Mr. William Ginter
Forty Corners Church of God
Mr. & Mrs. John & Terri Frahlich
Goodwill Industries of Akron, Inc.
Ms. Sheril Hamlin
Mr. & Mrs. Jon & Mindy Hill
Mr. & Mrs. Thomas & Amy Hockenbrocht
Ms. Marjorie Holley
Ms. Stephanie Hollinger
Ms. Cheryl Hoover
Mr. Neal Donald Horrigan
Ms. Sharon Hylton
Ms. Erin Johnson
Ms. Jean Jones
Kane Painting, LLC
Ms. Marilyn Keith
Ms. Faiza Khimjo
Mr. Matthew Phillip Khol
Ms. Lori Kidd
Mr. & Mrs. Robert & Diane Kilivris
Mr. & Mrs. Barry & Ann Klein
Ms. Barbara Krannich
Mr. & Mrs. Joseph & Mary Kury
Ms. Stephanie Leib
Mr. K. Matthew Longmire*
Mr. Henry Lykes*
Mr. Stephen Marks
Mr. Michael McGlinchy
Ms. Kimberly Meals
Ms. Megan Minotti*
Mr. John Moulagiannis*
NAMI of Summit County
Ms. Staci Nevels*
Ms. Jasna Nolze*
Mr. Jon Novak*
Ms. Patty Nowak
Mr. & Mrs. Michael & Janet Pera
Setha Pich
Portage Path Behavioral Health
Mr. Gregory Jose Quesada
Ms. Helen Reedy
Ms. Rebecca Renner
Mr. & Mrs. Phil & Linda Rhodes
Ms. Lesley Richard*
Mr. & Mrs. John & Nina Robishaw
Ms. Suzie Ngoc Thi Rowe
Ms. Patrice Russell
Ms. Becky Ryba
Ms. Tiara Sanders
Ms. Amber Schroeder
Charles Schwab Charitable
Dr. Eileen Schwartz
Ms. Christa Smith*
Tracy Spatney-Gibson
Ms. LoriLee Stein
Ms. Lisa Swan
Mr. & Mrs. Kurt & Carmen Swanson
Ms. Barb Tolliver
Ms. Pamela Tracy
Ms. Maureen Van Duser
Mr. Douglas Wagner
Ms. Tonia Welsch
Dr. Sara West
Ms. Bianca Williams
Mr. & Mrs. John & Dorothy Wiseman
Ms. Erin Wojno
Ms. Marissa Zilch

Our Donors Make A Difference

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Our Donors Make A Difference

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Our Foundation Donor of the Year is Clonrock Foundation, the founders of which have a special affinity for mental-health related organizations, and we’re very grateful that they’ve chosen to invest in CSS. Over the past three years, they have donated generously to fund the Homeless Outreach Center and our renovated exam rooms.

River Valley Paper Company annually chooses a local nonprofit organization to be the recipient of their generous philanthropy. In March 2022, CSS received a $10,000 gift delivered by Cindy Ede, in what we hope is the beginning of a wonderful, mutually beneficial relationship. Thank you to our Corporate Donor of the Year, River Valley Paper Company.

Bonnie Wojno is a long-time CSS board member, and since retiring from the board in 2020, she’s continued to make regular, generous financial contributions to CSS. Over the course of 18 months, Bonnie also donated lunches to be distributed through our Homeless Outreach Center 29 times... that’s nearly 900 lunches she provided for our homeless clients. Our Individual Donor of the Year is Bonnie Wojno.

Thanks to all our donors!
CSS board member Aaron Kurchev with River Valley Paper Company’s Cindy Ede.
CSS board member Aaron Kurchev with Bonnie Wojno.

Our Full Annual Report

We pull from many sources to provide quality behavioral health and wellness services for those in need within our community.

View Financial Report fiscal year 2022

Since 1988, Community Support Services has worked to build communities of hope where mental and physical health are treated equally. Each year, CSS provides healthcare and hope for more than 3,000 individuals living with severe and persistent mental illness.