News Release |
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| Ohio Department
of Administrative Services Ted Strickland, Governor Carol Nolan Drake, Director |
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Release Embargoed for Noon, Jan. 11, 2007
OHIO’S MLK
CELEBRATION HONORS INDIVIDUALS AND
ORGANIZATIONS
ADVANCING PEACE AND BROTHERHOOD
(Columbus) -- Gov. Ted Strickland led Ohio’s 22nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Celebration today paying tribute to individuals and organizations for their efforts to advance King’s dream of racial equality.
“Today we honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by honoring Ohioans who have dedicated their lives to fulfilling his dream,” Strickland said. “Our communities and our state are better because of these honorees’ commitment to justice, equality, love and respect.”
“Carrying the Torch: Dedicating My Life to the Dream” was selected as the theme of the event. The following awards were presented in a ceremony at Trinity Episcopal Church:
Governor’s Humanitarian Award — Two winners are named in this category:
Rev. David Dodson, Massillon — Dodson has spent decades helping to build churches as well as homes for the needy. He has served Stark County as a church building administrator since 1972 and leads Massillon’s Habitat for Humanity, a non-profit home-building
Lewis Smoot, Sr., Columbus — Smoot is the president, chairman and chief executive officer of Smoot Construction of Columbus. He serves on many charitable boards in central Ohio and has been integral in the success of notable African-Americans throughout the state as their friend and mentor. He has sponsored engineering scholarships for African-American students at Ohio University and other schools and was instrumental in establishing a construction management program at Columbus State Community College.
Community Building Award-This year’s award is presented to an individual and an organization:
Rev. Dr. Victor Marco Davis, Columbus — Davis is senior pastor of Trinity Baptist Church and has reached beyond his congregation to serve the spiritual and physical needs of his community for nearly a decade. He has made space in his church available to other churches and has partnered with Columbus police and firefighters to make the church neighborhood a safer place. Davis has worked with people of all ages by providing conflict resolution for young adults, exercise programs for senior citizens, and assistance to anyone who needs help paying for food, utilities and prescriptions.
Community Outreach Partnership Center, Akron — The Community Outreach Partnership Center was created under the auspices of the University of Akron to revitalize the University Park neighborhood. The center provides such free services as screening for lead paint poisoning and HIV, reading programs for families and children, information on housing loans to promote home ownership and classes for small business operators. Students from the University of Akron also tutor hundreds of children from needy families under the program. Numerous non-profit organizations serving the Akron area also provide assistance.
Cultural Awareness Award — One winner is named in this category:
Akron Area Interfaith Council, Akron — The Akron Area Interfaith Council was formed in 1982 by the Jewish Federation and Akron Area Association of Churches to promote freedom of religion, equality and tolerance. It is comprised of lay and clergy members representing Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Wiccan, Unitarian Universalist, Baha’i and Buddhist congregations. The council holds an annual dinner to raise awareness of interfaith issues, sponsors a CROP Walk for Church World Services to combat global hunger and partners with local organizations including the Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship Fund.
Economic Opportunity Award — There are two winners in this category:
Lamont Taylor, Cincinnati — Taylor is a successful businessman and a leader in providing job opportunities for at-risk teens. A former high school dropout who had scrapes with the law, Taylor has since earned his GED to become employee relations representative for Frisch’s Inc. and volunteer chairman of the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority. He has used each position to help others, launching a job training program at Frisch’s for inmates and offering subsidized fares for low-income bus riders to make their job searches more affordable. Taylor quickly stepped forward to hire 49 inner-city teens for a summer jobs program following the 2001 race riots in Cincinnati and has received 58 awards for his work in human resources. In 2002, he was personally recognized by President George W. Bush for his efforts to employ women on welfare.
Youngstown 2010, Youngstown — Youngstown 2010 is a strategic plan devised by the City of Youngstown, Youngstown State University, private citizens, businesses and civic organizations. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for the city and reverse its severe economic downturn since the demise of the steel industry. Created four years ago, Youngstown 2010 has been instrumental in revitalizing neighborhoods, creating and supporting businesses, as well as supporting health care, education and technology and more. The program has received national recognition from New York Times Magazine, the 2005 Ohio Planning Conference, Governing Magazine, Redesigning Public Consensus, the American Planning Association and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Educational Excellence Award — There are three winners in this category.
Charity Martin-Via, Columbus — Martin-Via has been involved in various aspects of community service for more than 15 years. She currently serves as director for Village to Child, an after-school tutoring program for middle school students offered by Ohio Dominican University. Martin-Via recently accepted a position with the City of Columbus as coordinator of the Columbus Youth Commission. She also is a minister and outreach coordinator at her church and a freelance artist and writer who works to revitalize the urban community through the arts. Her work has been shown in various venues including the National Holocaust Exhibit, Frank Hale Black Cultural Center and The Ohio State University Heritage Festival.
Ben E. Williams, Toledo — Williams is a retired teacher and coach who became a member of the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame in 2000 and its first African-American inductee. Ninety percent of the seniors on his teams went on to college over a career spanning 24 years at Scott High School in Toledo. He established Ben E. Williams Youth Services Inc., a non-profit organization providing free services to youth to enhance their character and provide them with the knowledge to succeed in life. He also created the Summer Youth Basketball League in Toledo and a college scholarship fund open to academically eligible seniors at public and private high schools in the Toledo area.
Akron International Friendship, Akron — Akron International Friendship is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that links local and international communities through international exchanges sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and other organizations. Outreach programs are offered through local schools to expose students from northeast Ohio to other cultures. Akron International Friendship also partners with the University of Akron to find sponsoring families for international students and help them adjust to life in the United States.
Social Justice Award — One winner is named in this category:Cliff N. Biggers, Newark — Biggers has been a member of the City of Newark Police Department for the past 21 years including 19 years as a detective. He’s spent nearly as much time as pastor of a congregation in Coshocton, a consultant on race relations and a motivational speaker. Biggers has an authentic interest in promoting harmony among all people of all backgrounds. He has taught classes on cultural diversity and race relations to churches, corporations and schools. Students have called his training innovative, engaging and effective. His efforts have been recognized with previous awards by the City of Newark and the NAACP.
Youth: Capturing the Vision of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Award — One winner is named in this category:
Coming Together High School Board, Akron — This board consists of more than 20 teenagers and adult supervisors who work with local high schools to improve race relations through the staging of cultural fairs, informal discussions, plays and workshops. These efforts allow urban and suburban students to interact. Two-thirds of the schools surveyed report measurable improvements in race relations because of this program.
Today’s event also featured winners from the 2006 MLK Oratorical Contest:
Randy Jamison, Youngstown; Layla Morris, Northfield; Sarah Wilkes, Columbus; Lauren Krozser, Bedford; and Destin Tevis, Columbus.
The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Celebration is organized by the Ohio Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Commission,
and conducted with assistance from the Ohio Department of Administrative Services.
The department provides centralized support for state agencies.
For more information, contact Ben Piscitelli or Erin Shmidt,
DAS Communications at 614.752.9521.
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