Displaying items by tag: donations

Disaster relief efforts are still underway for those affected by West Virginia's flooding that left 23 people dead and damaged more than a thousand homes.

Here in Summit County, Heather Anderson is spending her Fourth of July weekend collecting donations in Lakemore. Anderson, who was born in West Virginia, says her grandparents had lost everything in floods in the 1950s.

"It just touched my heart, knowing that they were grateful for the help they had received when they lost everything," said Anderson. "I thought, if I could in some small way just give back to the state that had helped by grandparents when they had lost everything as well."

Anderson said many local residents share a connection with those in West Virginia. She said many came to the Rubber City when shops were rising several decades ago.

"We have a community here that is hurting because they see their family members hurting as well."

Donations will be accepted through Monday at the Lakemore United Methodist Church from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Items requested for donations include water, clothing and even pet care supplies.

"It's been very touching to see how many people truly want to help," said Anderson.

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Donations at University of Akron have dropped more than 40 percent after the university announced a list of budget cuts this past summer.

University officials tell the Beacon Journal that's it's not a sign of unhappy donors, but a timing issue.

The amount of donations between July and August dropped to $1.85 million from $3.19 million last year.

Some donors tell the newspaper that they have decided to hold off on giving any gifts because they're not happy with the direction the university is headed.

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