Akron branch makes difference in community

Crisis, The, Sep/Oct 2003 by Petrosino, Frankie J

"Take the time to make a difference." That's perhaps the most important advice Ophelia Averitt, president of the Akron NAACP since 1993, can give. Averitt and her branch have gained a reputation in their community for accessibility and responsiveness.

"The Akron branch really has extraordinary leadership," says Michael Lisman, senior vice president of corporate community development banking at Charter One Bank, a frequent sponsor of Akron NAACP activities. "[Ophelia Averitt] is the kind of person who wades in and gets deeply involved in issues."

"I can't name anything that they haven't gotten involved in," says Sylvester Small, superintendent of Akron public schools.

During Smalls' 2001 campaign to become Akron's first African American superintendent, NAACP members hit the pavement and manned the phones to encourage people to vote, even transporting voters to the polls on Election Day. And when ballot initiatives arise to increase educational funding, the Akron NAACP can be found passing out literature and registering voters.

The branch is also committed to education, participating in the College for Kids program. It partners with the National Congress of Black Women to introduce minority students ages nine through 12 to local universities to encourage them to go to college.

"Some of [the students] come out of the projects, some from broken homes," says Averitt of youth in the program. "They need to be exposed to college."

The nine-week program, which runs each Saturday from September to November, includes academic courses and workshops on first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

The Akron NAACP has also collaborated with the Akron Summit Community Action, a private nonprofit anti-poverty program that provides assistance for low-income residents.

NAACP members assist the action group on voter awareness and citizenship education campaigns, posting fliers and registering voters on site at the organization's events.

Averitt hopes to forge new relationships with local churches in the coming months and to increase branch membership. The branch's strong commitment to public service may be its own kind of medicine, too.

"[We will] always continue to make a difference in the lives of others, to bring about better conditions wherever we find there's a need," says Averitt. "Service is the key to gathering memberships."

- Frankie J. Petrosino