Embracing Futures Inc.

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Embracing Futures Inc. A charity for children's orthodontic care. Embracing Futures, Inc. was originally founded in 1946 by Akron Beacon Journal publisher John S.

Knight and several other fellow civic leaders under the name of the Beacon Journal Charity Fund. While their efforts supported many community-wide projects and programs, they focused much of their attention on “poor and working poor” families, caught in the middle trying to pay for medical and dental problems. Today, Embracing Futures, Inc. operates as a separate, non-profit organization with an interest in oral health for children. Our core program, the Orthodontic Care Program, provides braces for children who are suffering from severe orthodontic problems. Our assistance in orthodontics is in response to Medicaid providing very little support for poor and working poor families with children whom orthodontists have diagnosed as having severe malocclusions and in need of treatment. Our second program, the Dr. Milton Rubin Oral Health Education Program, teaches third grade students enrolled in public, parochial, and private schools how to care for their teeth in a fun and informative way. To reflect this emphasis, in 2014, the trustees changed the name of the Beacon Journal Charity Fund to Embracing Futures, Inc. Dr. John Gerstenmaier, Board President, states, “The name was chosen in an effort to better describe our charity’s unique programming and assistance to children in need. And, while the name has changed, our mission has not.”

We are proud to state that Embracing Futures, Inc. will continue to honor the founding mission of its charter Trustees: “serving as a safety net for families who have exhausted all other resources.”

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Rise and Smile and helped us celebrate an incredible milestone for Embracing Fut...
10/07/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Rise and Smile and helped us celebrate an incredible milestone for Embracing Futures.

From our longtime supporters and orthodontic partners to our funders, volunteers, board members, friends and new faces in the room — your presence made the morning so special.

Thank you for showing up, sharing a smile and being part of our story. Here’s to the next chapter and the many more smiles ahead!

Thank you for your many years of support!
10/06/2026

Thank you for your many years of support!

We appreciate your partnership!
10/02/2026

We appreciate your partnership!

Did you know that Barnett Orthodontics partners with a local organization, EMBRACING FUTURES, to provide FREE orthodontic treatment to families in need?

That's right, 100% free orthodontic treatment.

For over 80 years, Embracing Futures has invested over 5 MILLION DOLLARS with local orthodontists to donate healthy straight smiles to families in and around Akron.

We are honored to have been invited to join in the Rise & Smile celebration to celebrate 80 years of helping families in need.

Nicolle and Hallie had a wonderful time representing Barnett Orthodontics at the special celebration.

We look forward to many more years of partnership with Embracing Futures😊

Thank you for being a partner!
10/02/2026

Thank you for being a partner!

We are incredibly honored to receive the Partnership Appreciation Award from Embracing Futures! 🏆💙

Being able to partner with such an amazing organization and help provide children in our community with access to quality orthodontic care means so much to our entire team at Karbassi Orthodontics.

There is nothing better than helping create healthy, confident smiles and brighter futures. We are so grateful to Embracing Futures for recognizing our partnership and for allowing us to be a small part of the incredible work they do. 🦷✨

Here’s to many more smiles to come! 🤍

Thank you GPD Group Employees' Foundation for the beautiful photo backdrop for today’s Rise and Smile Event! You support...
10/02/2026

Thank you GPD Group Employees' Foundation for the beautiful photo backdrop for today’s Rise and Smile Event!

You support us in so many ways and we are appreciative for the support and partnership.

We had a wonderful time this morning at Embracing Futures Inc.'s inaugural Rise & Smile celebration, recognizing 80 years of creating bigger smiles and brighter futures for children in our community.

As a GPD Employees' Foundation Game Changer, Embracing Futures exemplifies the impact our program is designed to support, helping young people and families thrive through meaningful programs and services.

We're also proud to see our own Becky McAdams serving as Board Chair and helping guide an organization that continues to make a difference throughout our region.
😊 Happy World Smile Day!

Thank you Stark Community Foundation for their feature on our 80th Anniversary and upcoming Rise and Smile Event.It's no...
09/28/2026

Thank you Stark Community Foundation for their feature on our 80th Anniversary and upcoming Rise and Smile Event.

It's not too late to join us on Friday to celebrate!

Embracing Futures is celebrating decades of improving access to orthodontic care for children and increasing dental education in elementary schools.

It’s not too late to join us for World Smile Day! Help us celebrate 80 years of Embracing Futures and the brighter futur...
09/21/2026

It’s not too late to join us for World Smile Day!

Help us celebrate 80 years of Embracing Futures and the brighter futures made possible through healthier smiles.

Join us for our Rise & Smile 80th Anniversary Breakfast on Friday, October 2, 2026 at House Three Thirty.

Come celebrate our incredible history, the children and families we serve, the community of partners and supporters and the Inaugural Legacy of Smile Award recipient, Dr. John Gerstenmaier!

🎟️ Get your tickets now at https://www.eventbrite.com/o/embracing-futures-121172689639?aff=ebdsshcopyurl

Let’s make our 80th anniversary a celebration to remember. We can’t wait to see you there! 🦷✨

Inaugural Legacy of Smiles Award RecipientDr. John Gerstenmaier has dedicated his career to advancing oral health for ch...
09/17/2026

Inaugural Legacy of Smiles Award Recipient

Dr. John Gerstenmaier has dedicated his career to advancing oral health for children and families across the region. He founded Gerstenmaier Pediatric Dentistry, building a practice centered on compassionate, high-quality care for children, adolescents, and individuals with special needs.

For more than 25 years, his service on the Embracing Futures Board has expanded access to care and improved outcomes for countless children—leaving a lasting legacy that continues today.

Join us in celebrating him at our event on Friday, October 2 by visiting https://www.eventbrite.com/o/embracing-futures-121172689639?aff=ebdsshcopyurl

Thank you Goodwill Industries of Akron for recognizing Jennifer Film, Orthodontic Care Coordinator as a 2026 Employee of...
09/15/2026

Thank you Goodwill Industries of Akron for recognizing Jennifer Film, Orthodontic Care Coordinator as a 2026 Employee of Distinction.

We are proud of the work that Jennifer has done with Embracing Futures over the past 25 years.

We couldn’t do the important work we do in without partners like the Barberton Community Foundation! A funder for many y...
08/06/2026

We couldn’t do the important work we do in without partners like the Barberton Community Foundation!

A funder for many years, BCF’s support helps make sure children in Barberton are able to receive the orthodontic care they deserve.

Barberton Community Foundation has awarded $450,665 across 22 grants supporting organizations and partnerships that serve Barberton residents.

These investments help children enter kindergarten ready to learn, connect students and adults with career opportunities, strengthen families and support individuals facing difficult circumstances, and bring education, history, and the arts into downtown Barberton.

Funding from this second 2026 grant cycle includes:

• $142,500 for early learning, kindergarten readiness, family support, and inclusive classrooms
• $123,000 for basic needs, including food access, behavioral health, housing stability, victim services, and support during serious illness
• $105,165 for workforce development and career pathways, helping students and residents build skills, confidence, and connections to opportunity
• $60,000 for downtown vitality, connecting local history, education, and professional theatre experiences

Including Magical Theatre Company's five-year commitment, the Foundation’s current grants and future commitments from this cycle total $590,665.

“Each grant is connected to larger goals for our community’s success,” said Executive Director Josh Gordon. “That alignment and focus is how these grant dollars maintain Barberton’s momentum.”

We are grateful to the organizations, educators, service providers, and community partners working every day to help Barberton residents learn, grow, find stability, and pursue opportunity.

Read more about the grants and the work they will support: https://barbertoncf.org/press-publications/barberton-community-foundation-awards-450665-for-early-learning-career-pathways-downtown-vitality-and-basic-needs

Summit Education Initiative
Child Guidance & Family Solutions
Early Childhood Resource Center
Building for Tomorrow | Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority
Barberton City School District
Red Oak Behavioral Health
Victim Assistance Program of Summit County
Hope & Healing Survivor Resource Center
Greenleaf Family Center
Salvation Army Akron & Summit County, Ohio
Axess Family Services
Ben Curtis Family Foundation
Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank
Embracing Futures Inc.
Stewart's Caring Place: Cancer Wellness Center
Effective Leadership Academy
Limitless Ambition
International Soap Box Derby
Junior Achievement of North Central Ohio
Tri-County Jobs for Ohio's Graduates
Barberton Historical Society

Address

50 S Main Street, Ste LL 100
Akron, OH
44308

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