David S. Adams - Founded and nurtured the Public Officials Dialogue. Adams created the Public Officials Dialogue on the belief that people who come together to share a meal, stories and experiences, also build strong relationships and are willing and ready to cooperate on issues of community concern.
Since its initial dialogue in April, 2003, total attendance at the dialogues equals 1,476. Public officials attending represent 15 different local Allen County municipalities. Members of the Ohio General Assembly (House and Senate) and the Ohio Supreme Count have attended. Representatives from 43 local organizations have participated and meetings have been hosted by 23 different local municipalities and civic organizations. The Public Officials Dialogue, like the Allen 2020 visioning initiative, is an outgrowth of Allen County Common Threads, which focuses on bringing together people with different perspectives to engage in civic dialogue on issues of mutual concern. Initially separate entities, these Common Threads initiatives have been rolled into the Chamber of Commerce business plan through its Allen 2020 committee.
In his 45 years of civic service in the Lima/Allen County area has been a unique volunteer, coming from an academic background where, for several decades, he has studied and taught popular classes in sociology and social issues at the Ohio State University in Lima.
Adams is an ambassador to our community from the local Ohio State Campus. He contributes his knowledge in group interaction and community dynamics, enriching projects designed to strengthen civic life. He has been in the heart of those many initiatives, taking first steps, organizing, creating mission statements, forging ahead on ambitious agendas, accomplishing consensus and taking action.
Several examples of these successful projects led by Adams include neighborhood redevelopment for safer and more secure living environments, grassroots community planning by citizens with diverse perspectives to determine our civic future beyond 2020, dialogue sessions on the important issues of racism and distrust among leaders, and regularly scheduled elected and appointed public officials get-togethers over lunch to foster communication and develop projects benefitting all citizens.
He served two terms as an elected member of the Lima City Council, co-chaired the 1997 United Way Campaign, served on the Board of Directors for Allen County Red Cross, Lima Symphony Orchestra, ArtSpace/Lima, Halfway House for Recovering Alcoholics, Christ Episcopal Church Vestry, League of Women Voters. He provides assistance with surveys, focus groups, strategic planning and board training to a wide variety of civic organizations. He played a major role in the establishment of the City of Lima neighborhood associations, specifically the Riverside North Neighborhood Association and its Block Patrol. He also currently serves as vice president of the friends of the Lima Public Library and as a poll worker for the Allen County Board of Elections.
In addition, Dr. Adams is an accomplished artist and cartoonist. He has donated many of his relief prints to non-profit organizations for fund-raising events. Residents of the City of Lima see Adams’ “The Bean Family” cartoon on their monthly water bills and his cartoons appear throughout the community in restaurants and other local businesses. He is also the unofficial poet laureate of Allen County having recited a poem at each city council meeting for the eight years he served on the council.
Marjorie Bryan – Bryan is a full time volunteer who attends all meetings, serves as an officer to all her clubs and organizations and helps with fundraising for the organizations.
She educates the public about who the Blue Star Mothers. She is past District President and currently 1st vice president of Blue Star Mothers. They correspond with veterans overseas and send boxes with supplies, goodies, and toiletries. They put together a Welcome Home Dinner for veterans who returned home from service this August – fixed food, served and cleaned up. This January they again had a hot meal for the young men and women and thanked them for their service.
She also works closely with the Allen County Veterans Food Pantry, as co-director. She helps with the loading and unloading of all food or can goods being donated. She makes the drive to Memorial Hall where the ACVFP is located in the basement and unload. Calls and organizes funeral dinners.
On June 23, 2012, Bryan made a tandem parachute jumped to earn donations for her Blue Star Mothers and Allen County Veterans Food Pantry.
Bryan will turn 84 years old in March 2013. She organizes her friends and encourages them to join her clubs and organizations and they also dedicate their time, money and efforts for the cause.
She helps stock the Allen County Veterans Food Pantry and volunteers on Wednesday and Friday of each week to distribute the food. She volunteers at American Legion for years to help make and serve food for the bingo people and the money went to the Humane Society and now, however, the money for the food donations goes to the Elida School.
Bryan is a life member of American Legion where she is currently president. Member of the Orioles, and Eagles Auxiliary 207 where she is currently chaplain. Women of the Moose – she held all the chair positions; Navy Club Auxiliary – currently commander; currently vice president of AARP; member of Red Hat Mamas, Book Club with Sunstrand Veterans; member of Westside Neighborhood Association; Wyngate Lunch Bunch; speaker at any organization when asked.
Terrance Grant – Grant is the CEO and founder of Grace TLC which provides quality, life-changing, faith-based, Christ-centered supportive housing to men from Allen, Auglaize, and Hardin counties whose lives have been impacted by drugs, alcohol, mental illness, and crises of all sorts. These men are seeking to take control of their lives so they can live their lives as productive, Christian, clean and sober citizens. Grace TLC provides supportive housing for up to 18-20 men in the three phases of recovery.
This faith-based supportive housing started by Grant consists of helping individuals to realize the need to change their life from one who focus has been drugs, alcohol, jail, prison, street life, etc., to transitioning to recognizing and wanting recovery, a Christian based lifestyle, as well as clean and sober living.
Grant plans in the future for Grace TLC to offer this supportive housing to women and a drop-in center for youth of the Lima Community.
Grant is an associate minister at Mount Olive Baptist Church. He has been an active community volunteer through his efforts with Grace TLC. He regularly participates and works with local community grounds, such as: ReEntry Coalition, Citizens Circle, Open Gate, Faith Partners, Men of Faith, and Oksoberfest, among others.
Terry Handshoe – Handshoe has been helping the community of downtown Lima through her consistent and dedicated efforts with Our Daily Bread Soup Kitchen to prepare the meals served. She has been part of providing ample, hot, nutritious food to over 40,000 people during 2012 as the lead volunteer cook. She has also been a mentor and guided other to learn the techiniques of preparing the meal each day.
Handshoe uses creative and inventive ideas to use the donated food, so little goes to waste. She has helped lower the cost to feed each person to $0.129 with her use of the donated items and the tremendous savings this promotes to the non-profit organization.
Handshoe has overcome trials and difficulties as a widow and has experienced some tough times recently but has overcome each obstacle and continued her daily work five days a week from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Handshoe has joined the Praise and Worship Choir of Family of Faith UMC and volunteers regularly to drive the passenger bus on Sunday mornings to transport people in the community to attend church. She helps prepare church meals for the Lima Men’s Rescue Mission.
She also volunteers with the Northwest Ohio Response Team, which is dispatched to scenes of accidents to redirect traffic around accidents, parades, and incidents involving first responders on the scene. She has been trained as a first responder to handle emergencies at any hour. She is also a member of the Fraternal Order of Police, Associate Lodge #8, serving as the Vice President. She has also volunteers as a gift wrapper for the “Cops for Kids” program at Christmas time.
Paul Kreher – Kreher has been involved in the area community for the past 60 years and has strived to help the residents of Lima to have a better life. For the past 35 years he has worked with the Lima Elks Lodge #54 charitable organizations. He has been involved in the Lima Elks Veterans programs to help residents of the VA hospital in Dayton.
As the Elks Treasurer, he has been involved in the Lima Elks Lodge #54 and Ohio Elks Association Cerebral Palsy Charity that has raised and donated over $200,000 to St. Rita’s Medial Center and Lima Memorial Hospital CP Clinics.
He has also volunteered to raise funds for the Western Ohio Aquatic League Championship Swim Meet held each July. For the past ten years he has been a weekly bingo volunteer, helping raise money for the Lima Symphony Youth Program, scholarships for Lima area students, Boy Scout and Girl Scout programs, and Cerebral Palsy. He volunteers for the Elks Hoop Shoot Basketball Contest and the Elks Soccer Shoot-out each year. He assists in all holiday parties that the lodge puts on for children.
He has been in charge of various aspects of all the events he has helped with including food and snack sales, cleaning tables. He has donated over 170 hours that has helped keep expenses down for the Elks, saving on wages and insurance.
Kreher served as Director of the Salvation Army and is currently Director Emeritus. He is active in the First Evangelical and Reformed Church of Lima, serving as an Elder, Sunday School teacher and Youth Group Advisor. He is Chairman of the annual First Evangelical and Reformed Church of Lima Souper Bowl Drive, collecting cans of soup for the Lima Rescue Mission and the Church United Food Pantry, charity the effort for the past 16 years. Former member of the Lima Breakfast Optimist Club.
Bruce “Shorty” McCullough – McCullough has been volunteering since he was 12 years old. He first started his life of volunteerism with the YMCA youth programs and now is involved with countless organizations. He is medically retired from Lima Refinery because of Parkinson’s Disease, but it does not keep him from being active.
His involvement in the Spencerville Youth Athletic Association and as a Spencerville Athletic Booster has been ongoing for nearly 20 years. As an athletic booster he was named Booster of the Year, re-designed the program making space for new ads and additional revenue, obtained hole sponsors for the golf outing, started Arm’s Length 50/50 programs and raised over $50,000 in 15 years, raised Spring Fling donations, assisted with the baseball concession stand and sold 300 club tickets. He helped start the girls basketball program, rand both boy’s and girl’s programs, obtained a bridge donation for the soccer field from lima refinery, worked to build the field concession stand, helped with concession stand sales, and was named Volunteer Coach of the Year for both Soccer and Basketball.
He has volunteered with the MS Walk, Husky Volunteer Council Member, St. Rita’s Hospital Volunteer. He has been involved with the refinery Action Club serving as board member, helping with activities such as the Children’s Christmas Party, Equestrian Therapy, Fishing Derby and Battle of the businesses as well as visited children in local hospitals and Safety City volunteer.
He helped start the Spencerville Optimist Club, organizing charter members to establish the club. He worked with the Spencerville Library to raise funds for the new building. Currently serves as president of the Spencerville Service Club and started the “3 on 3” Fun Day, assisted with the geranium sale and helped with the Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser.
He has been a CPR Instructor with the American Red Cross as well as DAT Team member. He has worked with the Allen County Sheriff’s Department’s Project Life Preserver, Senior Visitation Programs and Seat Belt Monitoring for the Regional Planning Commission. He helped raise over $200,000 for the new Veterans Park in Spencerville and helped with the Underprivileged Children’s Christmas Party through the Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion.
Norene Parish – Parish has spent her entire working career serving Lima’s citizens. She has spent the better part of the last 45 years volunteering and working for a lengthy number of organizations around Allen County that perpetuate the betterment and revitalization of Lima, both for its neighborhoods and for its spirit.
Norene has worked in public service her whole life. She has dedicated her time to the Lima/Allen County Chamber of Commerce, Lima Soroptimist, Allen County Visionaries, United Way, Big Brothers Big Sisters, American Cancer Society, Johnny Appleseed Metropolitan Park District, Lima Exchange Club, Lima Allen Council on Community Affairs, Lima-Allen County Neighborhoods in Partnership, Allen County Department of Job and Family Services, Downtown Lima Inc., Allen County Council on Aging, Goodwill Industries of Lima, Allen County Republican Party, Lima’s Samaritan House, American Heart Association, Easter Seals, Muscular Dystrophy Association, Lima Senior High School Class of 1961 Reunion Committee and Allen County Museum.
Part of Parish’s role as a volunteer required her to speak to different groups around the community to educate, persuade, and uplift. To improve her public speaking skills, Parish completed Toastmasters International training, receiving certification. She is now a frequent speaker at service club meetings, churches, women’s clubs, and businesses around Allen County.
She is a member of Lima’s Trinity United Methodist Church for nearly 55 years, she has served on the Women’s Board, on the District United Methodist Board, as a Sunday school teacher, as a greeter, on the Council of Ministries, on Trinity’s administrative board, and as a leader for In His Steps ministry.
James Snider – Snider is retired from Ohio Power and now works independently doing electrical work. He uses his spare time to volunteer with various projects. He is a longtime resident of Perry Township and member of Perry United Methodist Church, where he has contributed hundreds of hours upgrading and expanding the electrical service for the church.
Following Hurricane Katrina, Snider organized a group of eight men that travelled to Gauthier, Mississippi, to re-roof houses, repair flood damaged electrical work in homes, rebuild basic housing and begin the process of rebuilding damaged homes. He worked to round up donations of electrical supplies and outfitted workshops-on-wheels to do the work when the team arrived in Mississippi. All left over supplies were then donated to the follow up crews. Snider organized and did a return trip to Mississippi and continued to assist in the rebuilding.
Snider helped to establish the Faith Harvest Food Pantry through the Perry United Methodist Church. The Food Pantry distributed nearly 225,000 pounds of food each year. It serves nearly 700 families each year and it is one of only three panties in eight county area to use computers to accurately record and monitor client records.
