DD luncheon recognizes those who contribute to Coshocton

• Coshocton County Board of Developmental Disabilities recently held an annual luncheon in recognition of DD Awareness Month at Lake Park Pavilion.
• Seven award winners were honored in five categories of Local Hero, Employer, Dedication, Community Partner and Individual Spotlight.
• A panel was also held with people talking about how them or their organizations functions in the community. There were also essays read from a student contest.
• The luncheon was attended about 175 people and a school essay and coloring contest had more than 1,000 entrants.

COSHOCTON − The Coshocton County Board of Developmental Disability recently honored their own and members of the public during an annual luncheon to recognize Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.

Along with presentation of awards, the event featured a panel with speakers who spoke on how they connect to DD services and activities in the community, and readings of essay contest winners.

Steve Oster, superintendent of the Boards of DD for Coshocton and Knox counties, said this was their largest lunch ever with about 175 attendees. They also had more than 1,000 local school students participate in the essay and coloring contests. The prompt for the essays was if students had their own business, what would it be and how they would make it accessible to someone in a wheelchair.

"Our goal is really to educate the community on disabilities and all the great things people can do," Oster said. "We want to give awareness to the community."

Award winners were:

∎ Local Hero Award: Crimzen Christmas

∎ Employer Award: Bob Evans Restaurant

∎ Dedication Award: Wendy Shearn of Horizons and Tina Parmiter of HWS

∎ Community Partner Award: Coshocton County Coordinated Transportation Agency and Cindy Hilbish of the Coshocton Public Health District

∎ Individual Spotlight Award: Seth Fleming

Christmas, of Newcomerstown, has a hearing impairment and competed in Miss Ohio last year. She's president of the American Sign Language Association at the University of Akron, co-chaired a death prom and wants to start a podcast interviewing those with disabilities. In Coshocton, she started a dance academy for those with disabilities.

"It's been an incredible journey. I'm very happy to volunteer here, something I never expected to do," Christmas said. "It's amazing how far I've come."

Susan Baker is a shift manager at Bob Evans of Coshocton and said they currently employ two developmentally disabled individuals and are open to hiring more. Beverly Foster has worked there almost nine years in just about every position from greeting customers to washing dishes.

"I appreciate all the stuff they've taught me at work," Foster said. "My adoptive parents have always taught me if you want something, you go out and you work for it."

Coshocton County Coordinated Transportation Agency director Valerie Shaw said her agency offers rides statewide to those in need. That not only includes those with disabilities, but the elderly and veterans among others.

"What we do I truly have a passion for. This community is everything and we can't do it without all of you. I'm glad we're here and we offer the services we do," Shaw told the attendees.

Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with more than 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on Twitter at @llhayhurst.