Mary Jo Carle honored as Crawford County's Outstanding Senior Citizen

The Ohio District 5 Area Agency on Aging's 2024 Outstanding Senior Citizen for Crawford County is Mary Jo Carle.

She and other outstanding seniors from the agency's service area were honored during a ceremony Aug. 7 at the Hawkins Conference Center in Ontario.

Carle is the program coordinator for Together We Hurt, Together We Heal (TWHTWH), where she has served for several years as a volunteer, assisting men and women with their recovery housing needs. She works long hours, often transporting housing residents late at night or early in the morning without hesitation. Carle supervises and mentors the TWH housing resident managers, working together to provide the necessary recovery support. She also has been a member of their Board of Directors.

Many causes, including Blessing Box

Carle was an instrumental member and founder of the Bucyrus Blessing Box, a community food pantry box located at the Bucyrus BORN Center. She is working with a group of women to launch 100 Women Who Care, a group that will provide quarterly donations to various nonprofits serving Crawford County.

Carle attends community events and works to educate the public about naloxone, a life-saving medication that can save the lives of those experiencing an opioid overdose. In partnership with the Crawford County Public Health’s Project DAWN initiative and with the support of the Crawford-Marion ADAMH Board, she has distributed 521 Narcan kits this calendar year, saving numerous lives in the community.

Each year the Area Agency on Aging honors senior citizens who are making a difference in communities and present a positive image of aging. There is one award recipient for each county in the Agency’s service area. The other honorees are:

• Rebecca Plank - Ashland County
• Lynette Crum - Huron County
• Joseph and Donna Gutridge - Knox County
• Gabriel and Ednita Vaflor - Marion County
• Patrick Drouhard - Morrow County
• Dorothy Michalovich - Richland County
• Janet Schueler - Seneca County
• Rita and Larry Bennett - Wyandot County

Project ONE-ARC of Richland County was presented with the Agency's 2024 Community Service Award.

Awardees are nominated by an individual or organization involved with seniors. They are then selected by the Agency based on the impact of their contributions and accomplishments within the community made after reaching age 60.

This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Mary Jo Carle honored as Crawford County's Outstanding Senior Citizen