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Ohio-Meadville District of the UUA |
Each year the District Board presents several awards recognizing outstanding work for and in the district. In 2008 the following awards were given: The Ohio-Meadville District Unsung Hero Award, Service to Youth and Children Award, The Faith In Action Award, The UU Visibility Award, and we recognized our congregational Rising Stars. We have included information about the award winners and their projects below for those who are interested. Information about the other nominees and their projects is also included.
To learn more about nominating someone or a congregation for an award, please visit the Award Nominations Page.
2008 Unsung Hero: Elizabeth Erickson, UU Church of Kent, OH
For her dedication to Unitarian Universalism in serving her faith and congregation in a number of ways. Elizabeth has served the UU Church of Kent for 35 years as a volunteer in renovating and working on the congregation’s historic church; a founding member of the adult religious education committee and a teacher and planner for the adult religious education program; and as a driving force and member of the Where’s Walden Intergenerational Group at the church. She is also a participant in the Urban Hope congregation in helping redevelop the garden plot at the Kentucky School on Cleveland’s West Side each summer by scheduling volunteers for the garden program and helping to get unused computers donated to inner city schools. She has served on the OMD Summer Institute planning committee and served as a workshop leader.
Other nominees were:
Hal Dixler, UU Church of the North Hills, Pittsburgh, PA
Kathleen Kenny, Allegheny UU Church, Pittsburgh, PA
Nancy Lorei, UU Congregation of Erie, PA
Albert Richardson, Jr., UU Congregation of Erie, PA
Brad Taylor, UU Congregation of Greater Canton, OH
2008 Service to Youth and Children Award Winner: Becky Haines, UU Church of Kent, OH
For dedication to the children and youth of the UU Church of Kent. At the church she has been a teacher in the children’s religious education program and an assistant to the Children’s Religious Education Committee. She has also coordinated with the Director of Religious Education to offer a music-based class during the second service. In addition, Becky created the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Kent Branch, using the Harry Potter novels as teaching tools. This ongoing program helps children and teens learn a variety of life lessons and UU principles while providing a community outreach. This program has been extended to Summer Institute as well. Finally, Becky is an advocate for children in need in the community, coordinating food and household product donations and toys.
Other nominees were:
Pam Haynes, UU Church of Erie County, OH
Jerry Huselsenbeck, UU Church of the South Hills, Pittsburgh, PA
Greg Jarold, UU Church of the North Hills, Pittsburgh, PA
Lynn Yocum, Allegheny UU Church, Pittsburgh, PA
2008 Faith In Action Award: Kathy Harris and the "Kid's Cafe" Volunteers, UU Congregation of Erie, PA
In the fall of ’06, Kathy learned about a program called the “Kid’s Café”. This program offers after school study/homework help and concludes in dinner for the students. The program runs Monday through Friday and operates in several locations in the city of Erie. A new “Kid’s Café” would be opening in the spring of ’07 and would need volunteers. Kathy brought this program to the attention of the Social Responsibility Committee, of which she is a member. In the spring of ’07, the committee presented this and several other projects to the congregation for consideration as a Beacon project. Kathy’s “Kid’s Café” was chosen as the official UUCE project. Kathy coordinated the volunteers. In the beginning, the program was supported three days a week. However, this fall the volunteers were able to cover all five days.
Other nominees were:
Michael Miller
UU Church of the South Hills, PA
Michael organized a large group of volunteers from multiple Pittsburgh area UU churches to work on Hurricane Katrina recovery projects. 30+ UU's worked with Hands On New Orleans from Oct. 13-20, 2007. This was a well-organized trip, due to Michael's leadership. He doubtless put in hundreds of hours of work to make the project happen. He was highly effective and responsible in a stressful role, which included dealing with many individuals, churches, and agencies. The logistical planning and execution were great.
Jay Poliziani
Allgeheny UU Church, Pittsburgh, PA
Jay Poliziani is a seminary student and social worker with Good Will Industries. His inspiring but calm presence in our church has been instrumental in running our congregation’s Racial Justice Ministry, which has planned special events with neighboring churches, sponsored movies and talks about racial justice issues, and publicized racial justice concerns to our members. He has made fruitful attempts to work on inter-congregational work in the neighborhood, bringing together congregants of all races for projects as social as dinner together and politically meaningful as a celebration of Martin Luther King Day. He has organized annual All Soul Night vigils, in which church members and neighborhood participants, with bagpipe music and some singing, visit those sites near our church where killings had taken place in the previous year, honoring the lives of the young men murdered at each spot with candles, flowers and a prayer. In addition, he has taken the initiative in working with a nearby, under-funded recreation center, that serves dozens of children and teens yet provides minimal programming. Jay has organized groups of church members to work with the children there, engaged in projects such as decorating frames for Christmas presents, building gingerbread houses, creating and stringing beads, making homemade paper, and designing home-made cards. This project has not only allowed an inter-racial connection to be made in our church’s neighborhood, but has provided congregants with a tangible social service project and neighborhood children with safe, creative after-school activities.
Social Justice Committee
UU Church of Kent, OH
The Social Justice Committee has been nominated for their various and innovative programs in they have created for the congregation. The approach to doing social justice work has become more intentional with planning and strategizing. The committee has organized a monthly offering for a different recipient organization designated by the committee with often other activities such as movies and forums as well as the sermon topic matching the purpose of the organization. In 2007 the church donated just over $8860 to such organizations, not including collections for the Findlay church and the Guest at Your Table program. A goods collection for items needed by charitable organizations was started this fall. In addition, the committee chose to work with two themes this year which are health care financial reform and peacemaking. The committee also presents an ongoing film series on a variety of issues. An innovative program promoting the purchase of grocery store gift cards and then donating to food pantries has also been started.
2008 UU Visibility Award: The Congregations of Beckley, WV; Bellaire, OH; Charleston, WV; Marietta, OH; and Morgantown, WV for their cooperative NPR Project
In 2005, board members of the Marietta church asked if congregations from the West Virginia cluster were interested in cooperating in NPR advertising with West Virginia public radio, since the entire state is covered by one station. As congregations expressed interest, it was decided to talk with West Virginia public radio and investigate the costs. A plan was devised for each congregation to pay a portion of the cost and a Chalice Lighter’s Grant was requested and received to pay for the additional advertising. From August 2006 through February 2007 and again in October through December of 2007, the West Virginia cluster of churches sponsored two different programs on West Virginia Public Radio each week. This increased the awareness of the congregations in the West Virginia Public Radio listening area and increased awareness of Unitarian Universalism in general. Listeners were guided to a website hosted by the district to learn more about the congregations. This venture would not have been possible without the cooperation of the majority congregations of the cluster.
Chris Stygar and Lisa Carvajar, Allegheny UU Church, Pittsburgh, PA
Michele Rupp, UU Congregation of Erie, PA
Christie Anderson, UU Church of Kent, OH
