THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO ATTENDED!!
THANKS TO OUR AWARDEES AND PRESENTERS:
2021’s Friend of the Neighborhoods Award Winner:
Jeanne Golliher, President and CEO of the Cincinnati Development Fund
presented by last year’s winner, Kathy Schwab
2021 Neighborhood Summit award winners
presented by Jan-Michele Kearney, Chair of the Neighborhoods Committee and our new Vice Mayor starting in 2022.
Winners 2021
Lifetime Achievement Award
This award will be given to an individual, inside or outside of a community organization, whose life and work has benefited all of Cincinnati, through creating inclusiveness, increasing the viability of community activities and organizations, and supporting neighborhoods and neighborhood leaders.
Winner, Tim Jeckering, Northside
Tim has a long and distinguished record of community action, activation, mentorship, and leadership. For the past 35 years, Tim’s involvement in the community, through Northside Community Council, the founding of organizations such as NEST, and the Northside Community Fund, and his current work on the Northside Business Association, have been instrumental in making Northside the neighborhood it is today.
Throughout his life, Tim has demonstrated his passion and commitment to Northside through countless hours of community involvement, inspiring others to participate and get involved in community activities. He also contributed to the character of the neighborhood by personally investing, stabilizing, and rehabilitation three buildings. He is a leader, organizer, mentor, businessman, problem solver and storyteller, and his actions have been instrumental in making Northside the neighborhood it is today
Community Catalyst of the Year
A volunteer in a community organization whose energy and ideas lead to a project or program that gets community members involved and excited, that produces good outcomes and results in increased neighborhood engagement
Winner: Rodney Christian, Westwood
Rodney leads the East Westwood Improvement Association and is the pastor at the 3rd Presbyterian Church in East Westwood. Although there are many partnerships and programs Rodney could be nominated for, it is his focus and dedication to the youth in the neighborhood that the community nominated him for. He recently worked to fund the building of a playground and great basketball courts on the grounds of 3rd Presbyterian and is now creating the Hope Center – a resource for youth and their families that they can walk to and rely on. When the shooting in Westwood earlier in the year made many residents feel like they had no reason to hope, Rodney continued to show leadership by working with City Council to bring the Neighborhoods Committee out to East Westwood to meet with community members about ways to find solutions to stop the violence, and by bringing together the community for a the “Stop the Violence” festival, and continues to dedicate his time and his energy to encouraging the community to come together and do better for our children.
Rookie of the Year
With this award, we recognize that hard work and dedication to positive change in our neighborhoods isn’t just something undertaken by the old hats and hands. This award is for the under-30 (ish) newcomers who are bringing passion, fierce commitment, and new forms of organizing and activism to make our city a better place for all
Winner: Amanda Stoddard, Recovery Center of Hamilton County
Since 2019, Amanda’s hard work and passion, dedication to positive change, and fierce commitment regarding mental health issues empowers people to live healthy and meaningful lives in the community. Amanda is a Certified Trauma Care Specialist and is the youngest Master Facilitator chosen by the State of Ohio to facilitate the Certified Peer Recover Supporter training.
Her work has included spearheading initiatives to support Transitional Youth such as: RC After Dark – an initiative to provide a safe space for transitional college-aged youth to get together and support each other. RC After Dark has produced events such as Open Mic Nights, game and movie nights, sculpting events and writing workshops. Escape the Stigma classes provide peer support and resources to overcome trauma. Amanda was also instrumental in taking the Recover Center’s 55 class in-person curriculum online, including developing two online programs “Ask the RC” and “Mental Health Mondays”, so that people anywhere could access the classes and get the support and resources they need.
In the word of the nomination submission “Amanda Stoddard has dedicated her very young life to living words like positivity, passion, commitment, advocacy, activism, fun, peer support, training, connectedness, empathy, excellence, compassion, magic, and teamwork”
Leadership in Crisis Award
This award goes to an individual, community group, organization, or collaborative whose response to the pandemic crisis demonstrated exceptional leadership. Leadership is defined here as creating real solutions under unusual circumstances in the face of unforeseen problems. This could be exhibited through an extraordinary pivot, the ability to overcome obstacles, or service to individuals, groups or communities in need.
Winner: Clifton Cares: Gerald Checco (CTM) and Patrick Borders (CBA)
This partnership between Clifton Town Meeting and the Clifton Business Association created a community-based fundraising initiative designed to provide relief at the beginning of the COVID lockdown. They raised over $43 thousand dollars to provide meals to Health Care Workers while providing support to the neighborhood restaurants. More than 150 donors contributed over 4 weeks, and, with 11 participating restaurants, 4056 meals were provided.
THANKS TO OUR BOARD MEMBERS FOR ALL THEIR EFFORTS:
and of course, the awesome, hard working Community Council people!!!
& Thank you to our sponsors and partners:
 | The Port |
 | CDF |
 | Toolbank Cincinnati |
 | Price Hill Will |
 | Urbanist Media |
Donations
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