2019 has been an exciting year of celebrating 50 years of IKRON. From our humble beginnings as the UC Rehabilitation Center in a small building on the edge of University of Cincinnati campus, to today's many programs both at our building and offsite, IKRON's story continues to be one of helping people reach their goals and lead more fulfilling lives. Our anniversary year is not over yet! Keep an eye on your email over the next couple of months as we share 50 For 50, a series of stories, successes, and more drawn from our 50 years of memories. We can't wait to share this blast from the past with you, starting this Friday, November 1. --Randy Strunk, IKRON CEO
Celebrating Our Participants: What IKRON Means to Me
By Michael Deleon (Editor: Current participant Michael DeLeon asked to submit an article expressing what IKRON has meant to him. We were happy to read and share his story!)
While sitting at City Gospel Mission homeless shelter, I told myself this cycle of life I’m experiencing needs to change, but how? Sitting in a classroom at City Gospel Mission is where I first met IKRON staff members Hannah and Erik. They proceeded to explain what IKRON was all about. I had this feeling in my gut and heart that this is where I needed to be. I knew that IKRON could change my downward freefall of life. After that class, I filled out a form for IKRON and talked to Hannah. She assured me that IKRON could help me even with the barriers that I have. I called IKRON that day to set up my intake.
Once accepted in the day program of IKRON, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I know during my tour I was thinking to myself, “What an old building, and what can IKRON do for me?”
Congratulations to our 2019 graduates, including one graduating class of 64 students, our largest class ever. Our graduates have found new jobs at area businesses like Kroger, Walgreens, and Amazon; they've earned GEDs; and they've worked hard to learn new skills, overcome barriers, and beef up their resumes.
IKRON Executive Director Randy Strunk told the graduates, "It can be a difficult journey to start something new, enroll in a new school, or start a new job, and then have enough strength to follow through to completion. You have all worked hard to achieve your goals.We commend you and are pleased to call you IKRON graduates."
Celebrating With Friends: Annual Golf Outing
Dozens of young adults pass through IKRON's doors every year, taking part in education groups, transitional youth programming, and our summer youth programs. To support these young people working on the next steps of their career, nearly 100 friends of IKRON gathered on September 14 for a fun day of golf benefiting IKRON's youth programs.
Generous golfers, sponsors, and donors raised over $23,000, which will provide services for our youth, including counseling; developing job and social skills; building resumes; and services at school and for the entire family--all of which are designed to help youth bridge the gap between high school and a new career.
It's a challenge to squeeze 50 years of changed lives and new hopes into just one year of celebration, but we're not letting that stop us from finishing up the year right. Starting on Friday, November 1, we're going to share one story from our archives every day for 50 days. Don't miss out! You can read 50 For 50 in your email, on our website, and on all of our social media channels.
Celebrating Another Great Year: 2019 Annual Meeting
At IKRON's Annual Meeting, we shared accomplishments, recognized staff members for completing five or ten years of service, and honored some special folks in the audience.
The annual meeting is the traditional time to honor students and partners who have earned a special shoutout. First up were 2019 Students of the Year Ophebia Brown-Amison and Michael Pfeiffer. We also recognized Walgreens as our 2019 Employer of the Year.
On June 22, friends and supporters gathered at Memorial Hall to celebrate 50 years of IKRON in Cincinnati.
In late 1968, Drs. Julian and Scott Myers gathered a group of University of Cincinnati Rehabilitation Counseling faculty and students to work on a common dream: a rehabilitation center that would provide needed mental health counseling along with vocational training, which could also be a training center for counseling students. They scrounged for money and equipment, renovated and painted an old condemned house on the outskirts of UC's campus, and opened for business on January 13, 1969. What started as a dream and a hope continues today as IKRON, where thousands of Cincinnatians with barriers to employment have come for counseling, training, and a brighter future.
