ONTARIO – The Ohio District 5 Area Agency on Aging, Inc.'s annual meeting was held virtually on Thursday, Dec. 2, on the Area Agency on Aging's Facebook page. A special thank you to the 2021 platinum sponsors: Mechanics Bank, ES Consulting, OPOC.us., and CareSource.
CEO Duana Patton and Kellie Hartsel, president of the board of trustees, presided over the online event that highlighted accomplishments of the Area Agency on Aging for 2021.
The Area Agency on Aging presented annual awards, which included:
· The Project Collaboration award was presented to V&M Family Restaurant for the local restaurant initiative made possible through CARES Act funds and Richland County Community Block Grant. V&M provides meals to individuals who may be home-bound.
· The Elected Official of the Year award was presented to Knox County commissioners Teresa Bemiller, Thom Collier and Bill Pursel, as they were recognized for investing a portion of the Knox County Senior Levy funds that would assist vulnerable older adults through Adult Protective Services.
· The Community Partnership award was presented to the city of Mansfield and the Richland County Land Bank for their collaboration in awarding HOME funds and donating land to make the development of Ritter’s Run Senior Housing possible.
· The Advocate of the Year award was presented to Paul Higgins for his advocacy in working with the OSU Extension office and the Knox County Task Force for Older Adults in promoting the Area Agency on Aging’s Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program.
· The Award of Excellence was presented to Dr. Sarah Redding and the late Dr. Mark Redding. They started the Community Health Access Project, also known as CHAP Hub, which has made a positive impact on our communities and those we serve.
· The Hall of Fame award was presented to Teresa Cook, former vice president of administrative services for the Agency. She was recognized for the legacy of programs she helped implement, which benefited the aging population.
During the event, the kickoff of the 2022 scholarship program was announced. A portion of the proceeds from annual meeting sponsorships will be designated by the board of trustees for the scholarship program. Three scholarship awards will be provided to individuals who are within the nine-county region and are pursuing higher education or classes benefitting the field of aging. The meeting can still be viewed on the agency’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/aaa5ohio/.
For additional information concerning Area Agency on Aging services or programs, call 419-524-4144 or 800-560-5799.
