The Rev. Norm Douglas, co-founder of Heart to Heart Leadership, has been named the 2024 recipient of Akron Community Foundation’s Bert A. Polsky Humanitarian Award. The Catholic priest will receive the award at a dinner Oct. 15 at the Hilton Akron/Fairlawn.
Douglas will be the 55th recipient of the award, which the foundation presents each year to an individual or couple who has shown selfless dedication to humanitarian causes in Akron. The award is named for the former president of Polsky’s department store and founding trustee of the foundation.
Ordained on June 8, 1974, Douglas recently celebrated 50 years in the priesthood. He has served multiple churches in Greater Akron, including as an associate pastor at St. Barnabas Parish in Northfield and Holy Family Parish in Stow, before becoming the pastor of St. Martha Parish from 1985-99. Since 2016, Douglas has served as pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Akron.
Douglas and Larry Vuillemin co-founded Heart to Heart Leadership, a nonprofit organization that partnered with individuals and organizations to cultivate purpose-driven, values-based, community-minded leadership. In April, Heart to Heart merged with United Way of Summit & Medina.