MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: ABBY DARIN

The Devil Strip is co-owned by more than 900 Akronites! To join, visit https://thedevilstrip.com/be-a-member.

BY ALLYSON SMITH, FOR TDS

Even though she was never a girl scout herself, the Girl Scouts of America brought Abby Darin all the way to Akron from New Hampshire.

“Once I graduated school, I was like, ‘I need a change of scenery or I’m not ever gonna leave,” Abby says.

So on a whim, she joined AmeriCorps Vista in Akron working with the Girl Scouts.“And I have been here ever since.”

Abby’s role with the Girl Scouts involved “school programming and volunteer and membership recruitment and building.” She worked with Jennings CLC and other schools in North Akron to help make the program more accessible to local students and families. She also worked as the assistant camp director at Camp Ledgewood, a Girl Scout camp in Peninsula. Then, she became the community membership executive for Stark, Portage and Mahoning counties and worked to recruit and train volunteers.

After working with the Girl Scouts for a while, Abby decided it was time for a change of pace.

She’s now the staff development specialist at the Oriana House, a substance abuse treatment and community corrections center.

“What I like about the job is I get to support so many other people in Oriana House doing that really hard person-to-person work,” she says. For her, this includes training staff and helping them keep up on their licenses.

Abby didn’t plan on staying in the Akron area permanently, but the vibrant arts culture, along with all of the delicious restaurants and excellent parks system, drew her in.

Blue Door Cafe and Bakery in Cuyahoga Falls is Abby's favorite place to eat.

When looking for ways to get involved in the community, Abby found the theatre scene welcoming. She is a part of improv group Point of No Return and has also done performances with theatre company Wandering Aesthetics.

As a friend to some TDS contributors, Abby felt that it only made sense to become a member of the co-op.

“I just think one of the cool things about Akron and Summit County as a whole is that it’s so communitybased, and just the fact that you’re taking something more nuanced, like a paper or a cultural art magazine, and making it into a community really interested me,” she says.

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