When Jim and Vanita Oelschlager are presented with the Bert A. Polsky Humanitarian Award, they hope to serve as an inspiration for others to give back in the greater Akron community.
The Oelschlagers will receive the prestigious award from the Akron Community Foundation at a sold-out dinner program Monday at the Hilton Akron/Fairlawn.
“We are honored to be selected the 49th Polsky Award recipient,” Jim Oelschlager said. “We have always felt we need to share our success with the community that supported us, enabling us to be successful. There are many worthy causes and it is incumbent that we help where we can.”
Jim is the founder of Oak Associates Ltd., a mutual fund and investment firm in Bath Township. Vanita Oelschlager is a children’s book author.
The two philanthropists over the decades have donated millions of dollars to local causes, charities and scholarships.
In 2000, they created the Oak Clinic, a nonprofit facility in Green for people with multiple sclerosis. Jim Oelschlager was diagnosed with MS in the 1970s.
The couple also created three charitable funds as part of $12 million in donations to Akron Children’s Hospital, donated more than $1 million to Summa Health and gave more than $19 million, largely in scholarships, to the University of Akron.
They started the Oelschlager Summer Leadership Institute at the university that provides a seven-day on-campus experience for high school seniors who guidance counselors say “might otherwise fall through the cracks,” the community foundation said.
Vanita Oelschlager also donates a portion of her book revenue to the Oak Clinic and to other causes.
Jim is an alumnus of Denison University in Granville and Northwestern University School of Law, in Illinois, while Vanita is an alumna of the University of Mount Union in Alliance.
The Oelschlagers were the lead donors for new science buildings at both Denison and Mount Union.
“The one common thread that runs through our gifts is to help people in need of help along the way — from Children’s to college and then to people with multiple sclerosis and in particular people lacking in financial resources to help themselves,” Jim Oelschlager said. “The work at Children’s is self-evident, as is the work we do at University of Akron and our colleges, Denison and Mount Union, as well as the Oak Clinic for MS. A lot of our effort is focused on college education and the need for financial assistance is well-recognized.”
He said he and his wife prospered in this community “and thus feel an obligation to support the people that live here that may need some help.”
Jim Oelschlager said he hopes that the recognition provided by the Polsky Award will inspire others to help in any way they can.
“Everybody can offer something. You don’t need a lot of money,” he said. “You can find a way to help out in many ways in teaching a kid how to read and being a good role model for future generations in giving. As an example, at Christmas time, I give kids money and tell them to take 20 percent of their money and give it to someone who needs the money more than they do. Hopefully this kind of giving will be contagious and carry on through many generations.”
The award is named for the former president of Polsky’s Department Store and a founding trustee of the community foundation. Monday’s event benefits the nonprofit Akron Community Foundation.
Jim Mackinnon can be reached at 330-996-3544 or jmackinnon@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him @JimMackinnonABJ on Twitter or www.facebook.com/JimMackinnonABJ