Construction Trades receives Community Service Award

Area Agency on Aging honors the Tri-Rivers Construction Trades Academy as the winner of the 2021 Community Service Award

 

 

The Ohio District 5 Area Agency on Aging Inc. selected Tri-Rivers Construction Trades Academy as their 2021 Community Service Award recipient.  The Academy was honored on Wednesday, September 15, at a ceremony hosted in the Construction Academy lab at Tri-Rivers Career Center.  Several individuals joined for the recognition, including Martin Dzugan, Director of CTE & Student Pathways of Tri-Rivers; Steve Badertscher, Director of the Marion Senior Center; and Steve Renick, Marion Senior Center Board President. A proclamation by State Senators Matt Huffman and Bill Reineke was also given to the Construction Trades Academy.

Nominated by Badertscher, Tri-Rivers Construction Trades Academy stepped in to create the dream of building an activity pavilion at the Marion Senior Center.  A team of 106 students and four instructors constructed a 32×50 ft activity pavilion for the Marion Senior Center. David Willey, an instructor from the Tri-Rivers Construction Trades Academy, championed and embraced the vision of this project to promote an active lifestyle for seniors. 

“We are grateful and thankful for the efforts led by the Academy to help our center and the community. This award is long overdue and well-deserved because this group of students, led by Willey and his experienced team of instructors, are dedicated to projects to enhance their community,” said Badertscher.  Tri-Rivers Construction Trades Academy has also built projects for Habitat for Humanity, Marion Tall Grass Trails, the Village of Prospect, and River Valley schools over the past year.

“I have always instilled the value of giving back to others and the community. We appreciate this award and the opportunity to serve others,” said Willey. Many students remarked that they not only learn the planning and labor of construction projects, but they also learn leadership and client interaction skills.

Each year the Area Agency on Aging honors an organization, agency, service club, business, or media outlet that is making a difference in their communities on behalf of senior citizens.

There is only one award recipient selected from the Agency’s nine-county service area (Ashland, Crawford, Huron, Knox, Marion, Morrow, Richland, Seneca, and Wyandot. The Ohio District 5 Area Agency on Aging, Inc., located at 2131 Park Avenue West in Ontario, provides leadership, collaboration, coordination and services to older adults, people with disabilities, their caregivers & resource networks that support individual choice, independence, and dignity.

Pictured left to right in photo: Eric Willey, Tri-Rivers Construction Academy instructor; Steve Renick, Marion Senior Center Board President, and Marlene Renick; Jacob Fields and Kaimin Damron, Tri-Rivers Construction Academy seniors; David Willey, Tri-Rivers Construction Academy instructor; Jeremiah Pickens, Tri-Rivers Construction Academy senior; Nicole Williams, VP of Outreach and Development at Area Agency on Aging; Steve Badertscher, Director of Marion Senior Center