WVIZ/PBS ideastream®: Make a Difference: Jim and Vanita Oelschlager

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Jim and Vanita Oelschlager

Jim and Vanita Oelschlager are pillars of the greater Akron community. In addition to founding and subsidizing the non-profit Oak Clinic for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, they are significant donors to the Akron Children’s Hospital, as well as several universities and health-related organizations. In 1973, Jim was diagnosed with MS at age 31.

Vanita Oelschlager finds expression writing books, including books that share insights from their family’s challenges dealing with MS. This includes Air Mask (a book written from the perspective of a caregiver) and several children’s books, such as My Grampy Can’t Walk.

“Money is a tool and you do something with it... Andrew Carnegie said, ‘He who dies rich, dies ashamed.’ In other words, you should give your money away.”

Organizations supported by Jim and Vanita Oelschlager include (listed alphabetically):

Akron Children’s Hospital
Denison University
Mount Union College
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
Oak Adoptive Health Center (Akron Children’s Hospital)
Oak Clinic for Multiple Sclerosis
Summa Health System
The University of Akron