In the bleak midwinter, look for a bright spot of roving cheer this season in downtown Akron.
It’s Downtown Akron Partnership ambassador Val Kramer and her bright yellow cleaning cart decorated for Christmas.
Kramer has been an ambassador with the nonprofit for 16½ years and decorating her cart for at least the past five. The Cuyahoga Falls resident keeps it stocked with candy canes, Hershey’s Kisses and cards for the homeless and other people who she says look like they might need some cheering up.
“I gave one in the alley to this man I’ve known for years,” Kramer said. “He doesn’t have any plans for Christmas. I think he sleeps outside. Can you imagine sleeping outside on these cold nights?”
She knows what it is to be cold, spending her days outdoors helping to keep the streets clean and safe. On Thursday, she was bundled up in a royal blue Downtown Akron Partnership (DAP) jacket with “ambassador” on the back and a black hat when temperatures dipped into the single digits. But she knows not everyone is so fortunate.
“I think we need many more shelters for people,” she said.
That afternoon, she stopped to give a card to Don Harley, a Marine Corps veteran who lives at Mayflower Manor. He was walking down East Exchange Street.
“It was very nice,” he said of receiving the card. He recalled helping to spread cheer himself when he and his fellow Marines would put on their dress blues and give toys to children.
In addition to keeping the sidewalks clean and maintaining the city’s hanging baskets and planters, about 10 ambassadors provide free services such as assisting with lockouts and battery jumps, all within the 42-block special improvement district in downtown Akron. The district runs from Northside to GOJO and from Akron Children’s Hospital to Summit Street near the University of Akron, said Kramer and Sharon Gillberg, DAP director of communications. Ambassadors walk smaller districts of about 10 blocks. They also are certified in CPR and first aid.
It’s the perfect fit for Kramer, who likes nature and the outdoors but also likes being with people. She’s made many acquaintances over her years of stopping in at buildings, including Frank Jones, a security guard at the Beacon Journal. Kramer first met Jones 9½ years ago when he worked at the Oliver Ocasek Building on South High Street. She would stop and say hi on her rounds when she needed to duck inside to warm up or cool off. This year, she gave Jones a Christmas card.
“She is the sweetest person of the bunch,” Jones said. Her decorated cart “is really nice. It brings the happiness out of you. If you are having a bad day, you say, ‘Look at this lady. She goes out in the cold and she puts decorations on her barrel.’ It just brings joy to someone. That’s really nice. Made my day.”
Kramer’s decorating began simply enough: fresh flowers in a vase on her cart during the warmer weather.
“I started out with one flower, and everybody that went by seemed to like it,” Kramer said, so she added more. “When the cold weather hit, it looked so bare without the flowers, so I threw a poinsettia in there, and then everybody liked the poinsettia, so then I thought, ‘Hmm, maybe I’ll carry some candy canes, and then Christmas cards, and then Hershey’s Kisses.’
“It just kind of built up and up until I ended up with all kinds of decorations on this barrel,” Kramer said.
This holiday season, her cart is adorned with green garland, several red velvet bows, a jingle bell elf, a tinsel tree with a star and ornaments and other decorations.
“Every year I want to make it simple ... and then I see all this stuff in the store and I go, ‘Oh, that will look cute on it! It’s like a playground now,’ ” she said with a laugh. “It has all kinds of stuff on it.”
This year she has a new addition: an Ohio State plaque.
“I don’t watch football usually, but I’m from Ohio,” she said.
Kramer also would like to decorate her cart for Easter, so keep an eye out for that in the spring. For now, she’s ready for New Year’s Eve, when the ambassadors will stow their carts and instead be roving in the crowds to answer questions and provide directions. She’s already got her First Night button pinned on.
“It’s been a fun job,” she said. “I guess that’s the reason why I do the barrels. Because it’s fun. And it puts a smile on people’s faces. So then they have fun.”
Monica L. Thomas can be reached at 330-996-3827 or mthomas@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @MLThomasABJ and https://www.facebook.com/MLThomasABJ.