1501 Aster Avenue
     The Akron Pride Center is proud to present the Akron-Canton community with our future home at 1501 Aster Ave in Akron, OH. In February of 2006 the AAPC purchased the building in Firestone Park. March brought about the first stage of our renovation - the demolition. Volunteers from the community contributed over 250 hours of their time removing walls, ceiling tiles, and many wooden shelves! In total we hauled away over 80 cubic yards! Now the building is ready for the next phase of renovation which will bring about operations in the new location.

     Now we are raising funds to complete the process. Through discussions with building professionals, our architect, and contractors, we need to raise about $70,000 to create the building that will suit the community's needs. It will be a professional building with room for groups to meet, a library, conference room, kirchenette, and accessible restrooms. We will be able to designate space specifically for the youth group, and there will be offices for volunteers and staff. This will truly be a place where the community can be comfortable, and where we can expand our services to meet the needs of LGBT people in the five county area.



More information about the new building is on our Aster Project Blog.

To be a part of the team of volunteers working on Aster Ave. or for more information, email the Pride Center at info@akronpridecenter.org

History
     On January 9th, 2002, Mr. Raffaele A. Vitone died. Ralf established a Last Will and Testament on July 22nd, 2001. In that document Mr. Vitone left part of his estate to the Akron Area Pride Collective with instructions that the proceeds of that portion of his estate were to be used to purchase a building to house The Pride Center. The transaction of purchasing the property must be completed within a five (5) year period following the date of Raffaele's death (no later than January 9th, 2007). The money was placed in a high balance savings account to be held in trust for the AAPC.

     In the Winter of 2003, The Board of the Akron Area Pride Collective established a Committee of the Board named the "Chance and Challenge Committee." The name of the Committee was reflective of the mission of the group. Because of a generous bequest to the Akron Area Pride Collective, the AAPC had the chance to purchase a building to house The Pride Center. At the same time, the AAPC faced certain financial and operational challenges in order to make this goal a reality.

     The members of the Committee met several times to establish a plan of action in order to accomplish their assigned task. The Committee then held a series of formal and informal meetings with members of the AAPC Board and AAPC members in addition to conversations with other individuals who have an interest in the future operations of The Center. These meetings were conducted in the Winter and Spring of 2003.

     In late 2004 and early 2005 the focus of the C&C Committee and the Board of Directors turned to searching for the right building and location. An exhaustive search led us to the Firestone Park neighborhood where we found 1501 Aster Ave. The building and area surrounding met the needs defined by the community and the board, and during the last quarter of 2005 negotiations for the purchase of the building began.