History

The history of the Safety Forces Support Center begins with the Furnace Street Mission (FSM), which opened in Akron in 1926. Founded by the Reverend Bill Denton, FSM was established to serve the needy. For over 90 years FSM has operated numerous ministries providing social services in the greater Akron area, from boys’ homes, to youth camps, prison ministries, halfway houses, and student services and supervised visitation. Over the years, the programs of the Furnace Street Mission have continued to change to meet the needs of individuals. The work of Bill Denton was gradually taken over by his son, Bob. Robert, “Bob” Denton has a unique background of being an ordained minister, a long-time reserve police officer and a PhD in Social Work.  His work to support victims of crimes in the late 1960s led to the creation of the national Victim Assistance Program in 1972. He was one of the founders of the National Organization for Victim Assistance and served as its president. In Akron, Denton was the Victim Assistance Program’s first executive director and served in that role from 1972-2012. In 1994, due to its ever-expanding role in the community, the Victim Assistance Program became its own standalone agency and was incorporated as a separate 501(c) (3) organization.

While still serving as the Executive Director of Victim Assistance, Bob Denton founded the Safety Forces Chaplaincy Center in 2009.  It is important to note that the Chaplaincy Center wasn’t something the Director created.  It was conceived from support to deputies and their families in the aftermath of a jail death that led to prosecution. From the agony of group meetings came the request, from both police and fire, that the old Furnace Street Mission building become a confidential center to support and assist first responders. To that end, about thirty police and fire personnel assembled and de-constructed the old building, and the Tri-County Building Trade Association took the re-construction as their single project.  

By 2012, Bob made the decision to dedicate his focus solely to the needs of safety forces, recognizing that first responders were an underserved population with intense and unique job stresses that required specialized support. Unfortunately, in 2017, Bob suffered major health issues impacting his ability to work. In response, the board of directors and staff worked hard to ensure that all client counseling and emergency response needs continued to be met in a professional, high-quality manner.

Board member, Chip Westfall (retired APD) assumed the stopgap position of Interim Executive Director for the first six months of Rev. Denton’s illness, and in order to continuously provide counseling services to first responders, arrangements were made with Greenleaf Family Center in Akron. Two of the five Greenleaf counselors providing counseling services were former police officers themselves, both possessing significant, first-hand experience working with this population. In 2018, the organization hired Bob Gribble, Ph.D., licensed counselor and former Cleveland firefighter, to serve as the Interim Executive Director for the year. Bob’s expertise in CISM training provided the Center with a documented, reproducible curriculum to equip Assist 77 Team members with peer support skills. 

In 2019, the Center hired John Balash, a former police officer and licensed professional clinical counselor, and licensed chemical dependency counselor to provide counseling services and run the operations of the Organization. Previously serving as the Director of Behavioral Health for Greenleaf Family Center, John had the necessary background and expertise, as well as the experience with SFSC, to ensure a smooth transition. Additionally, Bob Gribble agreed to remain active in the organization and to serve on the board. The year continued to be incredibly productive, as the Organization was incorporated as the Safety Forces Support Center under its own 501c3 designation with the IRS, and relocated to its new home in the American Red Cross building at 501 West Market Street.

Because of the exponential increase in demand for services throughout this period, the Board of Directors made the decision to hire a permanent Executive Director to oversee the operations of the Center. This move allowed John to serve exclusively as Director of Behavioral Health Services, focusing on counseling, mental health programs and peer support training for Assist 77.

On January 1, 2020, former SFSC Board Member, Cameron Mosley, assumed the role of Executive Director. Cameron comes to the position with over two decades of experience in the non-profit sector, where she still serves as the Executive Director of Bluecoats, Inc., an organization dedicated to supporting first responders in Summit County who have been injured or killed in the line of duty, or face catastrophic needs beyond their control.

The SFSC continues to be blessed with oversight by a Board of Directors who represent all areas of the first responder community – both current and retired – as well as key professional sectors throughout Summit County.