Citizen Highlight: Pam Ohradzansky, CRS Executive Director
From where she sits, Pam Ohradzansky, the Executive Director of Community Resource Services has a unique perspective in the city of Avon Lake.
She and her husband, John, have been card-carrying members of our beloved town since '93.
“Our main consideration in choosing Avon Lake was the schools. We wanted to raise our family in a smaller community with excellent schools, access to amenities and opportunities for community involvement. We moved here when our son was 6 months old and had a daughter a couple of years later,” Ohradzansky said of her decision to move to Avon Lake over 31 years ago.
Fast forward 31 years, and Pam's been a part of more city organizations than you can shake a stick at. She even did an 18-year stint on the Avon Lake City Schools Board of Education, most of which she spent as the vice president. Now, Pam's the head honcho at CRS, a local agency that's all about supporting the less fortunate in Avon and Avon Lake.
“There has been tremendous growth in population and housing…I have always been impressed with how this growth has been managed by city and school leaders. They’ve maintained a strong balance between embracing new development and preserving the character that makes this community special. Their forward-thinking approach has allowed us to welcome new families while retaining the tight-knit, supportive atmosphere that people love about living here,” But beneath the rosy exterior of excellent schools and safe neighborhoods, some folks are just one unexpected expense away from hardship. That's where CRS steps in with programs that offer a helping hand.
"We're all about providing food, covering emergency costs, and more recently, offering personal development programs," she said. "At CRS, we're in it for the long haul, supporting our families in ways that extend beyond just meeting their immediate needs" Ohradzanky said.
She went on to explain how local individuals, organizations, churches and businesses support our community in the form of volunteerism and donating. “We are grateful for the support that we receive from so many, and we are always looking for new partners who support our mission. Whether through volunteering, donating items to our food pantry, or making a monetary contribution to support our financial assistance programs, increased support in these areas would significantly enhance our ability to meet the growing needs of those who rely on us.”
CRS holds a number of fundraisers and awareness events throughout the year in Avon Lake. The next one is the CRS SOUPerBowl, where the Avon Lake and Avon School Districts invite a friendly competition to see which community can collect the most food and monetary donations on Friday, October 25, 2024 at Avon Lake’s Memorial Stadium.
Since its inception in 2010, the SOUPer Bowl Food Drive has collected over 84,000 pounds of food and $169,406 in monetary donations, reads the event description on the website. Avon Lake has not come out on top in a few years, so let’s see if we can change that this year - Grapevine wants to help make this year’s event the biggest one yet. Stay tuned on how we are going to be part of this year’s fundraiser to help restore our place as champion over “south”.
Thank you, Pam, for your years of support of our small community. Grapevine was happy to have you as our citizen highlight for our Fall 2024 Issue and look forward to seeing you at the SOUPer Bowl!