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Summit County Launches a Fund for Police and Fire Community Engagement

Ideastream Public Media | By Mitch Felan
Published May 17, 2018 at 10:08 PM EDT
Wilhite says the fund was inspired by an Akron police officer.
Tim Rudell
/
WKSU
Wilhite says the fund was inspired by an Akron police officer.
Wilhite says the fund was inspired by an Akron police officer.
Credit Tim Rudell / WKSU
/
WKSU
Wilhite says the fund was inspired by an Akron police officer.

Community leaders have launched a new fund to help Summit County police and firefighters work closer with their communities.

The Akron Community Foundation has kicked off the Summit County Police and Fire Community Engagement Fund with a $10,000 donation from the John A. McAlonan Fund.

Summit County Council member Jeff Wilhite says an Akron police officer inspired the idea.

The new fund

“(He said) police officers will oftentimes reach into their own pocket and they’ll buy a pizza for some youth to get to know them, or they might be near a basketball court, so they’ll buy a basketball to shoot around with kids in the neighborhood.”

The Akron Community Foundation is managing the fund and will also be accepting donations.

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Mitch Felan
Mitch Felan is a news intern for WKSU. He is a multimedia journalist with experience in print, television, radio and visual journalism. Felan is a junior at Kent State University, working towards a Bachelor's Degree in Multimedia Journalism. During the school year, Felan works for Kent State Student Media in TV2, The Kent Stater, and KentWired. He will be serving as the Digital Director for Kent State University's Student Media Newsroom in the Fall.
See stories by Mitch Felan