What is COMPASS of Stark County?

COMPASS is a survey tool, and process, to collect data about all aspects of community life. Results help community organizations more effectively address everything from how we educate our children to the way in which we care for seniors.

COMPASS is a data center, an ongoing community assessment and community-building tool for the service areas of the three United Ways of Stark County, Ohio. The United Way of Central Stark County facilitates COMPASS. The Deuble Foundation, the Herbert W. Hoover Foundation, the Hoover Foundation, the Paul and Carol David Foundation, the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Canton, the Stark Community Foundation and the United Way of Central Stark County fund COMPASS.

Started in January 2002, the COMPASS process is overseen by the Community Partnership Committee (CPC) that consists of more than 40 volunteers who represent social service agencies, economic development organizations, chambers of commerce, educational institutions, faith-based organizations and governmental jurisdictions.

The CPC is co-chaired by Sally Efremoff, magistrate at Stark County Family Court, and Bob Pattison, health commissioner for the Canton City Health Department.

COMPASS collects data and information throughout the community to provide a basis for identifying areas for the community to focus resources and energy to have the maximum impact in making Stark County a better place to live.

After initial data gathering implemented by the United Way staff, with guidance from the CPC, the CPC was divided into eight subcommittees: community development, community living, economics, education, environment, families and children, health, and public safety. These subcommittees reviewed the data and information gathered and wrote reports recommending actions and goals they believed to be priorities for the county.

In addition to statistics, COMPASS posts reports and studies about our county, does comparative analyses of Stark County to Ohio and the U.S., and provides links to many other valuable sources of local and national data.

Information is constantly being added and updated, making COMPASS a continuous living report on the quality of life in Stark County. COMPASS is an invaluable tool for researchers, realtors, policymakers, grant writers, educators, business and industry, government, students and others who need to know facts and information about our county.