By Tawney Beans, Akron Beacon Journal

JOBS Executive Director Jen Herrick, left, and chef Jen Tidwell, right, help students cook during class, Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022, in Akron, Ohio. Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal

There are too many cooks in the kitchen.

Nearly a dozen young women bustle about NoHi Pop-Up’s test kitchen, a small space occupied on a Tuesday afternoon in November by House of Tacos. Bell peppers are being diced by some. Others assemble tacos, and a third group fills egg roll wrappers with a jerk chicken, cheese and vegetable medley before deep-frying them into soul rolls, one of the restaurant’s staples.

A new sound perseveres among all the commotion.

Click. Beep. Beep. Beep. Whirr.

It’s a noise that chefs hear in their nightmares – the mechanical drone of another order printing.

Front of house wants 15 tacos, just enough to finish off the jerk chicken, which needs to marinate overnight before more can be cooked off. After pushing out this final order, owner Chanell Cook shuts down the restaurant for the night.

None of the women return to their stations when Cook reopens the following week. The women weren’t on strike, or unhappy with their pay – in fact, they weren’t being paid at all.

They were students on a field trip with Jump On Board for Success (JOBS), a nonprofit program in Kenmore providing young and at-risk mothers with free job skills training and mentorship to help them achieve career-focused employment and self-sufficiency.

Chef Jen Tidwell instructs student JaQuae Blair on how to make tacos during on-site restaurant training in the kitchen at NoHi as part of Jump On Board for Success’ (JOBS) culinary program in Akron. Karen Schiely, Akron Beacon Journal

It takes a village … plus a little more

JOBS has about 30 participants annually, most ages 18 to 24 and living below the poverty line in Summit County. The major obstacles facing these women are a lack of reliable transportation, adequate child care and the welfare system’s benefit cliff, according to JOBS Executive Director Jennifer Herrick.

The benefit cliff drop occurs when someone gets a better-paying job and then loses their government assistance for food, housing or health care before their income makes up for the loss. Often, this leaves them worse off than if they had remained at a lower-paying job or unemployed altogether.

It’s as if they are being punished for making progress, which is a major discouragement for self-improvement, said Herrick.

JOBS offers free child care while students are in class through its partnership with BrightStart Early Preschool and early childhood education program, along with gas cards and bus passes.

Program participants can choose from hands-on courses in culinary arts, early childhood education, business administration, entrepreneurialism and information technology. In these classes, women gain industry skills and credentials such as HTML coding, food preparation or CPR certification that provide an advantage when applying for jobs. Most classes meet weekly, and course lengths range from six to 18 weeks.

A student slices peppers during a cooking class run by Jump On Board for Success in Akron. Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal

Soon after starting class, participants are matched with mentors, many of whom have also been through the program. Mentors provide encouragement and support while helping mentees with life skills such as time management, parenting, budgeting, setting goals and more. Often, the support system fostered between mentors, mentees and other program members creates a sort of found family – another crucial ingredient to their long-term success.

“JOBS is trying to create a village of support for those who don’t come from a family of support,” said Herrick.

A blessing in disguise

One Kenmore resident, Tiffany Gerke, 30, has transitioned from student to mentor to employee within the program since she discovered it in 2019.

In 2018, Gerke lived about an hour west of Akron in Austintown. That summer, her husband was away in rehab for a meth and heroin addiction. During his absence, with the help of her grandparents and in-laws, Tiffany and their two children moved in with her cousins-in-law, Sarah and Ben White of Akron.

At the time, Gerke didn’t know how to form healthy relationships or what a supportive community could look and feel like. That all changed after moving in with the Whites and joining JOBS, she said.

She first encountered Herrick at one of Kenmore’s First Friday events, where the director was selling goodies from that week’s culinary class. At the time, Gerke was a stay-at-home mom and didn’t know much about the culinary arts program. To her, it simply looked like a fun weekly activity where she could cook, receive culinary certificates and bring her kids along. During the first six weeks of the 18-week course, she was in the second trimester of her pregnancy with their third child, so she spent most classes feeling ill and taking breaks to sit. She finished the remaining 12 weeks of the course in spring of 2020 and graduated with a food safety and sanitation state certification. Gerke returned to the organization as a mentor in December 2021 and was recently hired part time as its mentor coordinator.

“It was a blessing that we came to Akron,” she explained. “I feel like literally this is where God wanted us to be… Some people, young moms especially, don’t have a lot of support. (In) this program we try to help them find that and help provide that for them, like love and support. I really appreciate that. I didn’t have any of that before I moved here, so it’s really helped me to build trust, to build bonds and relationships, to know what relationships should look like, like healthy relationships.”

In addition to her new title, Gerke will continue working with her latest mentee, Terah Coleman, 40, of Uniontown.

History of JOBS

JOBS was founded by Karen Lile and initially taught cosmetology to students in First Glance’s teen mom program in 2014. Two years later, Herrick, a former bakery owner with 28 years in the restaurant industry, joined and created the culinary course to teach the mothers how to cook in bulk while on a budget.

Jennifer Herrick, executive director of Jump On Board for Success (JOBS) center, instructs Nina Cameron, left, and Cassandra Collins during an on-site restaurant training in the kitchen at NoHi in Akron. Karen Schiely, Akron Beacon Journal

In 2018, JOBS began collaborating with the Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance on a $150,000 grant from nonprofit health coverage provider CareSource, which allowed the culinary program to expand from six weeks to 18 weeks. This arrangement also connected program participants directly to job openings at Kenmore Boulevard businesses such as SRINA Tea house & Café.

Around this time, the program moved to Park United Methodist Church, where all its courses, except for culinary arts, are now conducted. Because a kitchen like that of a restaurant is needed for the culinary course, those classes are held at Goss Memorial Church. By 2020, Herrick was the executive director and within two years the program’s four remaining courses were added. Jenuine Cuisines Culinary Services owner and chef Jen Tidwell took over teaching JOBS’ culinary students in 2022.

Chef Jen Tidwell talks to students during on-site restaurant training in the kitchen at NoHi as part of the Jump On Board for Success (JOBS) program’s culinary program in Akron. Karen Schiely, Akron Beacon Journal

The Educational Foundation of America awarded the organization a $37,500 grant to hire part-time employees and fund marketing and program expansion. One avenue of growth Herrick is considering is to start offering both day and night classes.

This year, the organization plans to host a two-hour real estate seminar to teach participants about the house-buying process. Also, JOBS’ culinary course will once again host 330’s Flavor Throw Down, a “Chopped” style culinary competition fundraiser where two local chefs prepare a mocktail, appetizer, entrée and dessert without knowing what ingredients they will be using until the day of the event. The program’s culinary arts students work as their sous chefs.

How to get involved

Chef Jen Tidwell, right, works with JOBS students during class. Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal

All women who apply to the program are accepted. Applications are available on the JOBS website and Facebook page.

The organization accepts monetary and physical donations but sharing its social media posts and donating one’s time as a mentor are also appreciated. More information on how to donate and the process for becoming a mentor is on the JOBS website.

Contact Beacon Journal reporter Tawney Beans at tbeans@gannett.com and on Twitter @TawneyBeans.

On Monday, Jan. 23, Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance welcomed five new members to its board. Each was elected to a three-year term and will provide guidance, oversight and support to the neighborhood’s community development corporation, the primary service area of which is the Kenmore Boulevard Historic District, the largest neighborhood business district in Akron.

Tom Fuller served as the executive director of Alpha Phi Alpha Homes, a nonprofit housing developer, for 45 years. A graduate of Akron’s St. Vincent High School and the University of Akron, Fuller worked previously for United Way, where he developed InfoLine, the county’s comprehensive information and referral resource. A longtime Summit Lake advocate, Fuller sees value in preserving Kenmore Boulevard and connecting it to its neighbors.

Recording artist Marc Lee Shannon is a musician, author and the former lead guitarist for Michael Stanley and the Resonators. An Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services Certified Peer Recovery Supporter, Shannon is a member of the Summit County Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board and works to reduce substance abuse in many communities, including Kenmore. “My mother is a graduate of Kenmore High School…and things just came together, like, I should be here. Maybe for her,” he said.

For more than 15 years, Dennis Reynolds was a professor of music at the Oberlin Conservatory. He is currently the artistic director of the Jazz Heritage Orchestra and an instructor with Open Tone Music Academy. Before that, Reynolds played trumpet in Count Basie’s and Clark Terry’s big bands. He is a pastor at Compass Christian Church and lives on Kenmore Boulevard. A former Ohio City resident, Reynolds has seen the positive negative sides of revitalization and is eager to share his experiences with the KNA board.

Norton High School graduate Seth Vaill, CFO of Just a Dream Entertainment, purchased and renovated the Rialto Theatre in 2010 with his brother, Nate. Today, the Rialto hosts local, regional and national acts as well as local nonprofit and community events. Vaill is a member of the Kenmore Chamber of Commerce and a recipient of the organization’s McCutchan Award for community service. While touring the country with A Band Named Ashes, Seth and his brother saw firsthand how multiple high-attraction businesses and cultural venues can bring vibrancy to a place and is eager to implement it in Kenmore.

“It’s going to help our business district if we are able to get the community involved in patronizing our places,” Vaill said. “I think Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance is key to making that happen, which is why I’m here.”

Miranda Zenner is a third-generation, lifelong Kenmore resident and owner of The Pegasus Pub. A Kenmore High School graduate, Zenner supports many neighborhood organizations, including Kenmore youth sports, and has volunteered for community causes like KNA’s 2017 Kenmore Better Block event.

In addition to building community at The Pegasus Pub, Zenner has spearheaded many successful fundraising efforts at for neighborhood victims of tragedy and loss. “I am happy to continue to serve my community and am excited to serve on the KNA board,” she said. “I plan to live my days out as a (Kenmore) cardinal, so I might as well get my hands dirty.”

In addition, the board approved the appointment of a new treasurer, Kenmore Branch Library Manager Wendy Zarara. Since joining the branch, Wendy has increased community-friendly musical, cultural and educational programming. She also serves on the board of the Maritime Museum of Sandusky. She will serve a two-year term.

Rachel Itsell and her partner Mike Arteno have been keeping the spirit of the swing era alive and well at Kenmore’s Rialto Theatre by hosting “Swing Nights” twice a month for the past five years.

Rachel, a Pennsylvania native who first discovered her love of swing dancing during a night out 17 years ago, eventually decided to approach the Rialto Theatre about hosting regular “Swing Nights” after relocating to Northeast Ohio. Each Swing Night includes an hour-long lesson followed by two hours of dancing.

“[Swing Dancing] is my passion, so I like sharing it with other people,” Rachel said. “Having the opportunity to build a new scene and watching it consistently grow over the past years and knowing I play a part in its success is so exciting.”

Not only has Rachel seen support and attendance for Swing Nights grow and become more diverse during the past five years, she’s seen the Kenmore Boulevard Historic District evolve as well.

“I have seen the aesthetic build up and the street change with new parking spaces and new businesses,” Rachel said.

Swing dance first gained popularity around 100 years ago as a group of social dances developed around the swing style of jazz music. Hundreds of styles of swing dancing were developed such as Lindy Hop, Balboa, Collegiate Shag, and Charleston.

While Rachel refers to the version of swing she presents simply as “vintage swing,” the music played at Swing Nights comes from multiple eras and includes artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Glenn Miller, The Squirrelnut Zippers, as well as some modern fusions.

Swing Nights at the Rialto are open to dancers of all skill levels, but if the thought of learning a new skill with people you don’t know scares the bejesus out of you and gives you a bad case of the heebie jeebies, don’t worry, because you are not alone.

To help overcome any anxiety you may feel about jumping in as a swing scene newbie, Rachel recommends to bring a friend with you or attend a lesson prior to dancing to help shake the jitters and get a few moves down.

“People are always pleasantly surprised by how easy swing dancing is to learn, said Rachel, “It is important to remember that you are in the same boat as everyone else in the room, everyone is learning something new.”

What you can expect when participating in a swing dance lesson at The Rialto Theatre:

• Jazzy, upbeat swing dance styles like East Coast and Jitterbug
• A community of friendly people expressing their passion for dance
• An affordable and unique experience
• A good workout!

How to prepare for swing dance lessons:

• Wear comfortable shoes that glide easily on hardwood floor such as Converse or Keds
• Bring a friend or come alone – everyone will be welcomed and incorporated in the dance
• Wear clothes that are comfortable to move around in

Swing dancing at the Rialto Theatre is held the second and fourth Wednesday of each month. The lessons are held 7 – 8pm and the social dance is 8 – 9 pm. Lessons are only $5.00, and the social dance is $3.00 ($8.00 for both).

For a fun, affordable and unique night out with good music and friendly faces, check out swing dancing at The Rialto Theatre.

For more information, check therialtotheatre.com/events.

Is getting in shape one of your New Year’s resolutions? If so you’re not alone! Exercising more and leading an overall healthier life is one of the top New Year’s resolutions American’s make each year.

It’s also a resolution that can be hard to keep, which is why the Kenmore Community Center is ready to help you keep your resolution and reach your 2023 fitness goals by offering multiple workout classes designed to help Kenmore and area residents of all ages and abilities get fit.

“I’ve worked really hard for a number of years to provide fitness for all here at the center and I am proud to say on the first and third weeks of the month we offer fitness classes with live instructors six days a week,” explained Alice Incorvia, Supervisor of the Kenmore Community Center, adding, “On the second and fourth weeks of the month, we offer these same classes five days a week.”

Exercise classes include:

• Monday – Friday at 9AM, get your cardio in with a one-mile indoor walk with the help of a video instructor.

• Monday and Friday at 9:30AM, chair yoga with a live instructor. Chair yoga is a gentle form of yoga that can be done sitting on a chair or stand on the ground using the chair for support.

• Tuesday, Thursday at 5PM, floor yoga with a live instructor. Yoga mats and blocks are provided if you don’t have your own. They are sanitized for everyone’s safety after each session.

• The first and third Saturdays of the month at 10 AM, floor yoga with a live instructor is offered. Floor yoga is a great way to support stress management, mental health, weight loss and quality sleep.

• Catch Zumba with a live instructor every Wednesday at 5 PM. Zumba is a fun and high-energy workout that involves choreographed movements to upbeat music.

The Kenmore Community Center is offering all exercise classes for FREE during the month of January to help you kick start your fitness goals.

For more information, visit akronrecreationandparks.com/kenmore or call 330-375-2812. The Kenmore Community Center is located at 880 Kenmore Boulevard Akron, OH 44314.