Avon Lake – They’re in business to put themselves out of business. That’s how leadership described their mission at Community Resource Services in Avon Lake. Currently led by retiring executive director Pamela Ohradzansky and new incoming executive director Ryan Virtue, the pair are busy leading a small part time staff and a group of volunteers who give a little helping hand when residents find they are in need.
Community Resource Services was founded in 1988 by a small group of concerned volunteers who wanted to address the growing need among community residents for health and welfare assistance. They recognized a trend involving many families facing difficult financial situations for the first time in their lives, but who were not necessarily eligible for government programs. There was no other agency in the area equipped to handle this segment of the population, and CRS set out to fill that gap.
Since then, CRS has remained the primary social service agency in Avon and Avon Lake, consistently providing assistance to the economically disadvantaged. The agency has grown from one part-time director to its current staff, which includes a full-time executive director and six part-time client service coordinators.
Ohradzansky originally joined 16 years ago as a volunteer and later bookkeeper and event assistant. She has served for the past seven years as executive director, but has decided that now is a good time to retire and hand over the reigns to Virtue.
“I liked my little part time bookkeeping job, but after being the interim director for seven months I realized that I really enjoyed being the director,” she Ohradzansky said. “I was just saying to someone this morning that it’s amazing how the fast six years have gone by – in the blink of an eye.
“If you would have asked me then how long I would stay in this position, I never intended to do it for that long but it’s been such a rewarding, amazing job and group of people to work with on the board to the staff and the volunteers – it’s just it’s been amazing,” she continued. “But everything has a time to come to an end and this is this is my time. I am looking forward to just doing something different and by doing something different I mean like projects in my house and more traveling. I have granddaughters that I’m looking forward to spending more time with.”
Virtue joined the fray in October with the board knowing they wanted transition time to allow Virtue and Ohradzansky to share duties and for Virtue to get a solid knowledge dump rather than being thrown in the fire.
“It’s fantastic and it’s actually been insanely beneficial to have an extra set of hands over the last several weeks for the challenges that we were trying to navigate to support our clients,” Virtue said. “With the government shutdown and everything else that was going, it was a massive blessing to have that crossover time.”
Virtue comes to CRS after having worked in the youth athletics space for several years. He worked to make youth athletics accessible for all children, particularly in lower income communities. Virtue’s wife actually sat on the CRS board, so he knew of the organization. When Ohradzansky announced her impending retirement, he decided to throw his hat into the ring, knowing what his passion was and the great work CRS does in the community – a legacy he wanted to continue to strengthen.
“My wife was the president of the CRS board for about four years and the organization – the incredible work it did – I always said if there was an opportunity for me to transition my career to provide a deeper level of support to those in need in my own community I would explore it,” Virtue said. “There was no better opportunity than this executive director role and so I immediately reached out and just had a formal conversation and felt called to this work and a month later, here I am.
CRS serves approximately 1,300 residents in both Avon and Avon Lake, which includes approximately 200 senior citizens that rely on the organization.
“Our mission at the end of the day is to diminish the effects of poverty for families in need so we’re very grateful to be able to step in and to take that role,” Virtue said. “But as things have progressed and when we identify the barriers of accessibility to employment and to help our families get into situations where our services are no longer needed, that’s where I believe we are most impactful.”
In response to increasing demands on the food pantry, CRS became a member agency of the Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio in 2008.
CRS also serves as the local Salvation Army Service Unit, which enables the agency to provide additional assistance in the form of direct aid. As part of this affiliation, CRS provides volunteers for the annual holiday Kettle Collection program, and distributes a portion of the money collected to those in need.
The food pantry is supported through the generous donations of local churches, schools, businesses, civic organizations and individuals. As a partner of Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio, CRS also receives food grants and/or discounted food to help make sure pantry shelves are well-stocked throughout the year. CRS provides a minimum of food every 30 days to individuals and families who come in for help.
In order to receive food from the CRS pantry, individuals must provide proof of residence in Avon or Avon Lake, and a self-declaration of need following the eligibility guidelines set forth by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
Local retailers, including Giant Eagle and Barry Bagels, donate additional items on a regular basis. Other partnerships that provide fresh fruits and vegetables include the Avon on the Lake Garden Club, the Avon Lake Community Garden, the Children’s Garden at the Avon Lake Public Library as well as many local home gardeners.
CRS operates the food pantry Monday through Friday, 10 a.m to 2 p.m. The CRS office is closed on Fridays between Memorial Day and Labor Day, federal holidays, and the week between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day.
And, while many people come to CRS initially seeking help with food, they often have other needs. Clients are able to receive financial assistance with utilities, rent, auto repair, medical and prescription costs, school-related expenses and other basic needs once it has been established that they fall within our income qualification guidelines. They’ll even help with local gym memberships or youth athletics fees.
The Client Personal Development Program (CPDP) is designed to encourage and support self-sufficiency. They have expanded and enhanced the menu of program offerings which will also include opportunities for scholarships or payment of fees for these programs. Program options include topics such as financial literacy, health and wellness, education and job training as well as programs that will offer students opportunities for internships, job training, classes for baby sitting or lifeguard certification, or even participation in educational or extra-curricular summer mini-camps.
In 2022 the CRS staff participated in Motivational Interviewing training which is a collaborative style of conversation to help strengthen a person’s own motivation and commitment to change as well as changing the behaviors that interfere with the achievement of meaningful life goals.
CRS offers various seasonal programs designed to help relieve the financial burden on families during specific times of the year. These programs include Easter Baskets, summer snack bags and back to school readiness, Thanksgiving food boxes and Christmas assistance programs.
The Avon Lake Police Department also acts as a 24-hour drop off center for items.
Virtue said the group always needs monetary donations, but can always use non-perishable food items, cleaning products and toiletries year around. CRS also stressed that it is short on one particular item and is asking the community to donate jam and jelly, noting they are particularly well stocked in peanut butter.
