Stark County, Ohio (Oct. 22, 2019) — United Way of Greater Stark County and Stark Community Foundation in partnership with The Center for Community Solutions released today the 2019 Stark County Community Assessment, a comprehensive data report. The assessment pulls together, in one place, the most timely, relevant data on health, social and economic conditions in Stark County.
“Recognizing the value that our previous data compilation efforts provided to Stark County, we wanted to again offer this resource to the community,” said Maria Heege, president and CEO of United Way of Greater Stark County. “By partnering with other organizations in this work, we are hopeful that we can collectively address areas that call for our attention.”
The assessment is not meant to be an exhaustive compilation of all data on Stark County, but rather a curated set of data to inform decision-making. The data sheds light on a variety of community conditions including:
- Demographics
- Families, Households and Neighborhoods
- Education
- Economics
- Environment
- Health
“It’s critical for our community to understand the overall health of Stark County, both from an economic and social standpoint,” said Mark J. Samolczyk, president and CEO of Stark Community Foundation.
This assessment is expected to be updated periodically to determine if our community is moving in the right direction. Community feedback about the assessment will help inform a companion piece to the 2017 Strengthening Stark report that will have a hyper focus on social conditions including recommendations for our community to consider. The companion piece is expected to be released early 2020.
“It is important that people have timely, reliable data on conditions in their community so they can effectively target resources,” said Emily Campbell, associate director of The Center for Community Solutions. “We want the data to stand alone so that we have the opportunity to learn about how people interpret the findings.”
Read the full community assessment here: https://www.uwstark.org/stark-county-community-assessment/. To share your interpretation of the findings and provide any feedback, contact Amy B. Krebs, director of grants and community initiatives at Stark Community Foundation, at 330-454-3426 or [email protected].
About United Way of Greater Stark County
United Way of Greater Stark County fights for the health, education and financial stability of every person in every community. We win by living United. By forging unlikely partnerships. By finding new solutions to old problems. By mobilizing the best resources. And by inspiring individuals to
join the fight against their community’s most daunting social crisis. Our mission is to improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of our communities in Greater Stark County. In order to live better, we must live United. For more information about United Way of Greater Stark County visit www.uwstark.org. Offices are at 401 Market Avenue North, Suite 300, Canton, Ohio 44702. (330) 491-0445.
About Stark Community Foundation
Stark Community Foundation is the community’s trusted partner in giving for over 750 individuals, families, businesses and organizations that have created charitable funds to impact the lives of others through the most effective philanthropy possible. Ranked in the top 10 percent of community foundations in the United States today, Stark Community Foundation is committed to serving donor needs and strategically addressing local issues. The Foundation and its family of donors have granted more than $170 million to nonprofits since 1963. Learn how you can simplify your giving and amplify your impact through the Foundation’s Center for Partners in Philanthropy at www.starkcf.org.
About The Center for Community Solutions
Established in 1913, The Center for Community Solutions is a nonprofit, non-partisan think tank, focused on solutions to health, social and economic issues. With offices in Cleveland and Columbus, Community Solutions identifies, analyzes and explains key health, social and economic data and issues, and proposes non-partisan solutions to improve the lives of Ohioans. For more information, visit www.CommunitySolutions.com.