Special to 1831Galion
On Friday, December 8, Crawford Unlimited Leadership (CU Lead), a year-long leadership program led by the Crawford Partnership, held its first CU Impact event with more than 80 attending at the Hub in Crestline. The event celebrated the accomplishment of this year’s 21 graduates and connected them to community leadership, service, and support opportunities with 19 Crawford County nonprofits and service clubs.
Melinda Teynor, a CU Lead alum, and member of the CU Lead Oversight Committee was pleased with the event. She stated, “As a CU Lead graduate myself, I am happy to see the evolution of what we’re doing with the CU Impact night. Not only are we celebrating the personal and professional development of program participants, we are providing them with immediate opportunities to put their new skills and knowledge to use improving the quality of life here in our community.”
For more than a decade, Crawford Unlimited Leadership, more commonly known as CU Lead, has been providing a nine-month immersive experience that exposes those who work and live in Crawford County to the many unique places, organizations, businesses, and opportunities that exist here locally. In addition, the program offers a platform for leaders to gain insights from experts in leadership. The aim is to enhance Crawford County by establishing a network of passionate leaders dedicated to supporting local communities. This includes active engagement such as serving on boards, volunteering, and supporting organizations that rely on leaders to fulfill their missions. The program has 220 distinguished alumni.
This year’s graduates, and the companies that sponsored them, include the following:
- Tina Blum, Peoples Savings and Loan
- Becky Chapman, Bucyrus Area Chamber of Commerce
- Nancy Clutter, Crawford Partnership
- Tom Cole, Eagle Crusher
- Shelly Crall, OhioHealth
- Ashton Feeman, First Federal Community Bank
- Annie Gosser, Crawford County Commissioners
- Kylie Grau, Mud Run Treasures
- Brandon Hayes, Park National Bank
- Meghan Heinlen, First Federal Community Bank
- Karlie Kurtzman, First Federal Community Bank
- Donetta Lester, Crossroads Family of Companies
- Amanda Lilly, Tramec Sloan
- Katlynn May, Bucyrus Public Library
- Averee Richardson, Sedgwick
- Jacob Ritzhaupt, Ohio Mutual Insurance Group
- Jeannie Rucki, Elliott Machine Works
- Daniel Slaughter, Pioneer Career and Technology Center
- Katie Super, Ohio Mutual Insurance Group
- Laura Thomas, Tramec Sloan
- Hannah White, Crawford Success Center, North Central State Community College
Rich May, Treasurer of the Fraternal Order of the Eagles Aerie 859, a sponsor of the event, was one of the presenting nonprofits. He said following about the event: “We loved the opportunity to tell the story of the Crestline Eagles Club and what we’re doing to make our community better, and we very much appreciated the opportunity to connect with new leaders and volunteers. We have a lot of great nonprofits doing good work.”
Nonprofits presenting included the following:
- Altrusa Club of Bucyrus
- Bucyrus Backpack Program
- Bucyrus Bratwurst Festival
- Bucyrus Historical Society
- Bucyrus Kiwanis
- Bucyrus Public Library
- Bucyrus Rotary Club
- Bucyrus Little League
- Crawford County Art Center
- Crawford County CEO (Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunity)
- Crawford County Park District
- Crestline Community Development Team
- Crestline Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie #859
- Crestline VFW Post 2920
- Galion Community Theater
- Galion Main Street
- Galion Public Library
- Junior Achievement of North Central Ohio
- Pioneer Career & Technology Center’s Sharing Closet