Fall 2020
Staff Suzanne Allen, Ph.D., Executive Director Brett Fogle, CPA, MT, Director of Finance Carrie Herman, Director of Community Impact Kate DeAngelis, Director of Marketing Kim Miller, Office Manager Board of Directors Dennis Liddle, Chair Josh Gordon, Vice-Chair Jennifer Bidlingmyer, Treasurer Lynne Holcomb, Secretary Jim Bauschlinger Edna Boyle Paul Epner Brett Haverlick Mayor William Judge Tina Linton Craig Megyes Jeff Ramnytz Debra Shreiner Jason Slater
Barberton Area Jaycees (L-R) Kiara Anderson, Cameron Schultz, Stephanie Campbell, Dan Bogart, Andrew O’Brien, Mandy O’Brien, Don O’Brien III, Trenton O’Brien, Don O’Brien IV, and Dr. Suzanne Allen
Celebrating 2020 Game Changers
Barberton Community Foundation is proud to share a closer look at our 2020 Game Changers, Dorothy Somerville and the Barberton Area Jaycees. Due to COVID-19, the Foundation was unable to celebrate the Game Changers during the 2020 Annual Dinner. We will recognize Dorothy and the Jaycees during the Annual Dinner on November 4, 2021. We interviewed Dorothy about her passion for her work at BACM, and talked with Don O’Brien, president of the Barberton Area Jaycees about what the Jaycees stand for and some of his favorite projects. We hope our readers enjoy learning more about this year’s Game Changers and the passion they have for our community. Dorothy Somerville Dorothy Somerville has served as the executive director of Barberton Area Community Ministries for three years. She was selected as the 2020 Game Changer for her passion in her work at BACM and her commitment to helping those in need. When asked how she felt about receiving the Game Changer award, she said, “I don’t do it for the praise, I do it because I love it.” That’s Dorothy. She is one of those ever-smiling worker bees who never seems to run out of energy. “My grandkids keep me young,” she said. She has been married to Ron Somerville for 36 years and has two children, Rhonda and David, and six grandchildren. David’s wife, Dawn, is the pantry manager. Prior to working for BACM, Dorothy served on their board and worked at St. Luke Lutheran Community in Portage Lakes for 27 years as a nurse. Regarding her transition to BACM, she said the opening came up and she thought, “Why not try this? I love helping people and I love their mission.”
(L-R) Dorothy Somerville and Dr. Suzanne Allen
BACM’s mission is to fight food insecurity. Under Dorothy’s leadership, the organization has grown and now provides five days of food to families twice a month, with a focus on fresh food. They fed 827 families (2,491 individuals) in September.
That equates to 37,365 meals in one month, about double the meals they provided monthly in 2019. Dorothy’s also expanded outreach to about 100 seniors, personally making home deliveries three times a month. “Since I worked with seniors for so long at St. Luke’s, I have a special place in my heart for them.” She pointed to boxes of tea and added, “I know which kind of tea each of the ladies likes.” Personalization seems to be the theme at BACM. Staff continually find ways to add something special into each bag of groceries. “If a family needs something specific, they just call us and we’ll make sure it’s in the bag for them,” Dorothy said. Preparing bags of food for families ahead of time is not BACM’s traditional approach. Normally, families would be able to shop for themselves. It’s one of the many changes BACM has made to stay open during COVID-19. Reflecting about the early days of the pandemic, Dorothy said, “We’ve just adapted daily. When the state closed everything, we made a drive-through pantry, because we knew we couldn’t shut down.”
“I love helping people and I love the mission.” -Dorothy Somerville on why she joined BACM
Throughout the pandemic, many individuals and businesses in Barberton have given generously to BACM. “I thank everyone I see,” she said. “We couldn’t do any of this without the support of the community.” Barberton Community Foundation supported BACM with a grant from the Emergency Response Fund, which is designed to help nonprofits facing the impact of the coronavirus. Story continues on page 3