The North Hill CDC Newsletter – November 2022

I would like to thank everyone who took the time to come out and celebrate with us during our International Day of Peace Event on Wednesday, September 21. It was an incredible event for the entire North Hill and Greater Akron community, where we had fun networking with one another, while enjoying live music, fantastic food from Debo’s Grill and drinks from Lock 15. It truly was a monumental time for us to unite together and take a stand to end racism. 

To commemorate the moment, we signed a declaration of our commitment to end racism. I would like to say a special thank you to each person who signed our declaration. Your commitment to such a debilitating issue is admirable. 

Despite the issues that plague our community, it truly was great to see the diversity of the neighborhood come together and celebrate the wins in our community. Thank you again to each person who celebrated with us. It was a time to remember!

We are honored to share with you how Chanell Humphrey is helping to shape North Hill with her business. Chanell like many other community entrepreneurs are why we do what we do!

“I am the owner of House of Tacos formerly known as International Jerk. I was first introduced to the North Hill Community when I held a pop-up and started the RTK program. As I’ve been involved with the NHCDC, I received the encouragement and confidence I needed to run my business successfully, leading me to launch an event called, The People’s Taste of Soul, which is hosted at People’s Park.

North Hill CDC has been there through the highs and lows of my business, decreasing the high risk normally associated with starting a new business. The constant guidance and education they have given me has helped me to modify menus and recipes and adjust my pricing to better suit my business.

NHCDC has also granted me several amazing opportunities to expand my business. The awareness from the news articles and segments on Fox 8 have been monumental. They have also willingly shared their wide network including free marketing through their established customer base and support for my People’s Taste of Soul.

One specific memory I have is when People’s Bank came one day and purchased all my customer’s food orders.

Through all the support I’ve received from North Hill CDC, I’ve been able to support and network with other entrepreneurs in this industry, which I find priceless. I will forever be grateful for the support I’ve received from North Hill. The lifelong relationships I’ve built and growth of my business has been amazing. Thank you North Hill CDC!”

-Chanell Humphrey
Owner of House of Tacos

Thank you, Chanell, for entrusting us with your dream so that together we can make North Hill an even better community! Support Local. Support North Hill and check out House of Tacos!

We have so many amazing partners like yourself who make the work we do possible. Today, I would like to personally thank the GAR Foundation and the Akron Community Foundation, who both recently gave us significant grants that will ensure we continue to grow and impact the communities around us. Thank you for allowing us to continue the work we are so passionate about – fostering economic development, creative place making, and social cohesion. 

Thanks to the GAR Foundation, we are able to continue building our entrepreneur pipelines around culinary arts, creatives and designers. This grant will also help women entrepreneurs that utilize Maker House with supplies. Ultimately, the support from the GAR Foundation, allows us to focus on the community development work we are passionate about:

• Addressing/conducting DEI work that will create ways to unite our community
• Providing entrepreneurs with the technical assistance needed to manage growthRemoving barriers 
• And more! 

Thanks to the Akron Community Foundation, we are able to:

• Increase civic engagement 
• Create leadership and entrepreneur opportunities that ensure growth in the North Hill Community 
• Prioritize women and minorities 

We are truly fortunate to have such amazing partners that continue to push our mission forward. Just like the GAR and Akron Community Foundations, your generosity, your time, your service is shaping not only North Hill, but Greater Akron. Thank you.

I am excited to announce we officially own the 771 North Main Street Building! This purchase was made possible because of your continued support. This exciting opportunity means:

• More revitalization of the North Hill Community
• Our first commercial redevelopment project
• Dedicated space for affordable housing 
• And so much more! This is just the beginning of many great things to come for North Hill Akron. 

To ensure we include the entire community in this project, we hosted a community info session on November 17 at the North Hill Branch Library. The community came out and shared what they would like to see in this space. We look forward to many more community info sessions to come! 

It has been such an honor to take the months of September and October to celebrate Hispanic and Italian Heritage month in our community! Both of these cultures exemplify strength and dignity in such a beautiful way. Some of my favorite highlights from the month are:

• The 2nd Annual Hispanic Heritage Festival was a beautiful celebration filled with music, delicious food, crafts, children’s activities and so much more! It was wonderful to see our community celebrate our diversity at People’s Park.
• Utilizing our beautiful spaces in North Hill to highlight phenomenal artists like Jessica Burleson, who is a Hispanic-American artist who uses femininity, nature and art as her inspiration. 
• Taking the time to highlight exceptional family-owned North Hill businesses like El Bodegon SuperMarket, Dontinos, Emidios, and Rasicci’s.

We are passionate about honoring, celebrating, and empowering the diverse talent that is part of North Hill – a growing international district by bringing national attention to our community! International Hispanic and Italian Heritage month may be over, but we still encourage and invite you to continue supporting the local North Hill community.