Developed in 1999, the Direction Home Akron Canton Foundation has a long-standing history of advocating for senior services in Portage, Stark, Summit and Wayne Counties of Ohio. In 2025, the Foundation looked to the future by securing a new vision and mission to better promote wellbeing and growth in the community. With aging optimized through resource creation and innovation, the Foundation is investing, creating, and expanding the ways the aging network supports older adults and their needs.
The vision and mission will steer the Foundation in three focus areas:
Access to Community Services: focus on improving access to essential community services for underserved populations.
Innovation: funding that fosters partnerships, entrepreneurship and returns on investment while creating innovative solutions that optimize aging.
Investment in the Agency: Investment in Direction Home as a leader for aging network professionals to provide the best quality of care.
Support Our Mission
Whether you are looking to donate, create a longstanding relationship with our mission, or sponsor an event or program, our Business Development Team is happy to work with you! Jessica Bader- jbader@dhad.org , 330-899-5260 Pat Clevidence- pclevidence@dhad.org , 330-889-5301 Or contact donate@dhad.org.
Direction Home Akron Canton Foundation
2026 Annual Conference
August 20th, 2026, 8am-4:30pm
St George's Fellowship Center, 3304 Ridgewood Rd, Fairlawn OH 44333
The Annual Conference is a great time to share knowledge and service information with over 200 other health care professionals, caregivers, older adults, care managers, and public policy influencers. The conference features nationally recognized speakers as well as local experts. It is a day of networking, mission sharing, education, and inspiration.
2026 Awards Ceremony
December 3rd, time and location TBA
Direction Home’s Annual Awards Ceremony is an elevated celebration of outstanding individuals in the community. Several individuals will be recognized with Hall of Fame, Ombudsman, Scholarship, and Lifetime Achievement awards. Known for sharing moving stories of older adults, the ceremony is attended by 100-150 unique individuals making real differences through the work they and their loved ones do. This event showcases how monetary support of the Foundation is in action in the community, and receives high engagement from our legislative, media, professional, and community audiences.
Aging is an Art Form
Aging Is an Art Form is an opportunity for older adults to explore their creative instincts and learn new techniques from professionals. Different types of art forms take place throughout the year, including: events, workshops, classes, and individual projects contributing to a collective.
Your Aging is an Art Form Sponsorship provides much-needed supplies, instruction and access to older adults and their caregivers, depending on what art forms are available at the time. All sponsorships include your organization's name and logo on the advertising and promotional materials. Higher level sponsors can also benefit from social media posts and sponsor messages during the programming!