NELSONVILLE — Six Appalachian Ohioans have been named 2024 Jenco Award recipients.
The Jenco Awards, a partnership between the Jenco Foundation Fund and the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio (FAO), recognize and celebrate Appalachian Ohio residents who go above and beyond in service to others outside their paid positions. Each recipient exemplifies the difference we can all make when we give time, talent and passion to helping our neighbors and building community.
“Through their service, visionary leadership and caring nature, all of these individuals make the lives of others, their communities and our world better,” said Michelle Shively MacIver, Jenco Foundation committee member. “Their impact will be felt for generations and inspires each of us to make a difference in our daily lives.”
The 2024 Jenco Award recipients, who were nominated by fellow community members, are:
• Margaret “Peggy” Adams of Guernsey County was part of a group who founded the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Christ Our Light Conference, an all-volunteer Catholic charity helping those in need in Guernsey County, and has served as its president for five-plus years. Her leadership and vision have been instrumental in securing funding to support the nonprofit’s work, in developing relationships with local charities and agencies to better serve the community, in bringing compassion to those seeking assistance and in inspiring those she serves and those who serve alongside her.
• Robert Black of Scioto County used proceeds from the sale of a CD featuring local artists to establish the nonprofit Boneyfiddle Project with a mission of uplifting the arts to stimulate the economy in Portsmouth’s historic Boneyfiddle shopping district. He and the nonprofit launched a “pop-up” outdoor concert series called Final Friday in Boneyfiddle that now has a permanent, accessible outdoor venue and draws crowds of more than 1,000 to enjoy local, regional and national acts. The concert series has ignited a cultural and economic renaissance in Portsmouth.
• Holly Johnson of Adams County gives her time, energy and servant’s heart to better lives in local communities and help organizations working to improve quality of life. Johnson served for nine years on the Adams County Children Services board and most recently joined the boards of the Adams County Library and Koda House, a new Christ-centered youth home being developed in Adams County. She also serves as president of the boards of the Adams County Homeless Shelter and Interfaith House, a local food pantry.
• Patty Summers of Mahoning County is the founder, president and CEO of Youngstown Blue Coats (YBC), a nonprofit serving individuals experiencing homelessness in the Mahoning Valley. Summers saw a need for — and inspired a group of volunteers committed to — serving homeless individuals by identifying where they live and bringing assistance directly to them. YBC collects and distributes warming items to both the sheltered and unsheltered homeless, partners with 60-plus area agencies to provide additional resources and serves several school districts.
• Mike Workman of Morgan County is a champion for his local community and the greater Appalachian Ohio region. He was instrumental in establishing the Morgan Community Fund (MCF), an FAO geographic affiliate partner he co-founded, chaired and continues to serve through time, talent and treasure. Workman has supported numerous educational and other programs through MCF and mentors entrepreneurs in Morgan County and through Marietta College’s Entrepreneurship and Career Development Center. He is also a former member and chair of the FAO board.
• Shannon Yochum of Highland County has spent the past 10 years creating opportunities and building community for farm youth and their families in Appalachian Ohio and beyond. She is the founder and co-administrator of the Southern Ohio Showdown, a nonprofit dedicated to enhancing and expanding opportunities for junior exhibitors to show beef cattle while earning points and awards. Yochum’s work, including volunteering at the Ohio State Fair and with the Ohio Junior Maine-Anjou Association, has impacted thousands of young people and their families.
The Jenco Foundation and the Jenco Awards uphold the legacy of Father Lawrence Martin Jenco, a Roman Catholic priest who dedicated his life to serving others. In 1985, Father Jenco was kidnapped while serving as director of Catholic Relief Services in Lebanon and spent 19 months in captivity. Even in confinement, Father Jenco continued to serve, providing a listening ear for other detainees, including journalist Terry Anderson.
In 2001, Anderson founded the Jenco Foundation to honor the legacy of his friend. In 2011, the Jenco Foundation joined FAO as an endowment, ensuring that Father Jenco’s legacy would live on in perpetuity. The Jenco Awards celebrate individuals who, like Father Jenco, have made a difference through community service and visionary leadership.
For more information about the Jenco Foundation, the Jenco Awards, the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio and how you can make a difference in your community, visit www.AppalachianOhio.org, email info@ffao.org or call 740.753.1111.
Submitted by the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio
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