When Sarah Schueler recently came across a Polaroid of her mom trying on the dress she wore in 1988 to Akron Children’s Charity Ball, she knew she wanted to recreate it to commemorate her experience as a 2025 honoree. “I wanted to take my own photo, so we could have a twinning picture,” said Sarah. […]
Mary Leuca’s happy place: The Holiday Tree Festival
Mary received the “Luminary” award at the Oct. 1 Akron Children’s More childhood, please.™ Awards, honoring her dedication to the Akron Children’s Holiday Tree Festival. The yearly event means more to Mary than just raising funds for Akron Children’s. It’s a community treasure – and her happy place. Mary’s love for kids leads her to […]
Akron family is rooted in city history, service and Charity Ball legacy
Christine Woodburn remembers her first view of an Akron Children’s Charity Ball at Goodyear Hall. She was too young to attend the dinner and dance, in which her cousins were being presented as debutantes. But those long, twinkling lights dangling from the ceiling left a lasting impression. “That’s my visual,” she recalled. “We were too […]
The end of an era: Jean Christopher reflects on her career at Akron Children’s
The day Jean Christopher began working at Akron Children’s as a Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) in 2005, she was approached with a “little” project to work on. Twenty years later, this “little” project is continuing to shape central line associated blood stream infections (CLABSI) clinical work not only at Children’s, but around the country. Jean’s […]
The Magic of Michael Foundation brings holiday joy to Akron Children’s families
In 2015, John and Denise Hirschbeck formed the Magic of Michael Foundation in honor of their son Michael, who died of a rare neurological disease called adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) in 2014. The goal of their foundation is to help families facing life’s curveballs – a nod to Michael’s love of baseball and John’s longtime Major League […]
Online rewind: Our top YouTube videos of 2025
Inspirational patient stories dominated our 10 most-watched YouTube channel videos for the year. But there were still plenty of views left for our ever-popular Doggie Brigade and our amazing nursing staff. We received more than 4.5 million views in 2025 from children and their families throughout northeast Ohio … and the world. We invite you […]
