GATHERING OF HEROES HONORS COMMUNITY LEADERS
United Way of Greater Cincinnati kicked off its year-long Centennial celebration Tuesday at a Gathering of Heroes reception and dinner. The recognition honored 100 Heroes who have helped shape and improve our community.
There were more than a thousand in attendance at Duke Energy Convention Center to celebrate 100 years of community impact and to honor the 100 Heroes. And, while the 100 Heroes honored have all provided tremendous volunteer leadership to United Way of Greater Cincinnati over the years, it was made clear that they represent just a sampling of a much larger group who are working every day to improve our region.
"With all due respect to the 100 volunteers we honor tonight," stated Rob Reifsnyder, president of United Way of Greater Cincinnati, "they are not United Way's 100 best volunteers. They are not our 100 most important volunteers. They are 100 great volunteers who are representing the hundreds of volunteers in this room, the thousands of volunteers who make our United Way and our community better today, and the millions of volunteers who have dedicated themselves to improving lives and our community over the past 100 years."
The evening honored the history of United Way of Greater Cincinnati and the community itself with a video (above) that recapped how United Way formed and grew over the last 100 years. The event paid tribute to the thousands of community and agency partners, from the first dozen that formed the Council of Social Agencies in 1915, to the several hundred today, and to current and past United Way staff team members.
It also saluted the tens of millions of donors who have shown us that community is important.
The dinner is just one of the many events planned for United Way's Centennial year that will seek to re-engage those who have not been involved recently and attract new people who never have been.
Sara Ellerhorst, community leader, served as chair for the dinner and reception. Centennial co-chairs were Carrie and John Hayden. Carrie Hayden has volunteered for United Way for more than 20 years, has chaired United Way’s Board of Directors, and is one of United Way’s 100 Heroes. John led the Midland Company to be one of United Way’s Top 25 supporters.
Honorary emcee was Jim Scott, recently retired from WLW Radio. Emcee was Carol Williams from United Way’s Centennial media sponsor, Scripps, WCPO, 9 On Your Side and WCPO Insider. Sponsors of the year’s Centennial Celebration are P&G and Western & Southern Financial Group.
THE 100 HEROES
James Anderson
Patricia A. Armstrong
Gerald Banks
Karen Bankston
John W. Beatty
Kathy P. Beechem
Karen Bell
Paul A. Bernish
Anthony E. Bezold
Peter Bloch
Barbara J. Bonifas
Jon B. Boss
Thomas A. Brennan
Gary R. Bricking
Herbert R. Brown
Mary H. Brown
Donald B. Bush
Stephanie W. Byrd
Bernardo J. Calonge
Brian Carley
Kevin Carroll
Lee and Shannon Carter
Thomas G. Cody
Philip T. Cohen
Mark Cosimi
Phillip R. Cox
Dennis C. Cuneo
Deborah Gentry Davis
David Deitsch
David Dougherty
James C. and Sara Ellerhorst
David Faulk
Michael A. and Suzette Fisher
Kay Geiger
Jodi M. Geiser
Joseph Geraci
Crystal Gibson
Victoria Buyniski Gluckman
Merwin Grayson, Jr.
Stewart Greenlee
Michele Hawkins
Carrie K. Hayden
Arlene Herman
Grant V. Hesser
Tillie Hidalgo Lima
Catherine Ingram
Mark J. and Karen Jahnke
Deborah A. Jefferson
David Joyce
Harold A. (Hal) Klink
Brenda M. Kloos
M.H. "Mike" Kremzar
Michael J. Laatsch
Hannah and Alexander Laman
Jean B. Lauterbach
Wendy Levine
Jonathan and Nancy Lippincott
Kathleen P. List
Dennis L. Loje
John D. Luken
Rev. Damon Lynch, Jr.
Mike Manzler
Andrew J. McCreanor
Jill T. McGruder
Charles Milton
William J. Moran
H.A. Musser, Jr.
Van Needham
Lisa O’Brien
Col Owens III
J. James Pearce Jr.
Patricia Pensak
John E. and Francie Pepper
David Phillips
Julia Poston
Myrtis H. Powell
John Prout
Cheryl Rose
Carl Satterwhite
George A. Schaefer
Rosemary Schlachter
James E. and Vivian Schwab
Milton S. Schwartz
Philip Schworer
Jim Scott
Phyllis S. Sewell Jay Shatz
Carol Z. Shea
Valarie L. Sheppard
Steve and Julie Shifman
Donald C. Siekmann
Patricia Mann Smitson
Robie Suggs
David E. Szkutak
Cheryl Thomas
Wendy K. Vonderhaar
James C. Votruba
Kathy R. Wade
David R. Walker
Sallie Westheimer
John V. Wharton
Mauri Willis
Charles J. Winger
Jim Zimmerman