This year may have presented all of us with new challenges, but in true Covington fashion, says the Center for Great Neighborhoods, there are still many people in this community who remind all of us to focus on the good, to keep supporting our neighbors, and to keep dreaming of and working towards a bright future for the people in our city.
Here are the Center’s 2020 Heart of the Community Award recipients:
Jana Moerlein
Jana was nominated by neighbors for volunteering her time and talents to help get Mainstrasse into the holiday spirit this year. Jana used her professional experience as an interior designer to lead a team of volunteers in beautifully decorating the 6th Street promenade to continue the neighborhood tradition of being a festive holiday destination.
Chuck Beatty & Chad Turner
Chad and Chuck are the duo behind the Mainstrasse shop Creative House of Art & Design . In addition to opening their store during the pandemic, they also created free instructional art videos on YouTube and Facebook so that children could have easy access to free art lessons. Chuck is also the driving force behind the LGBTQ film festival, Outreels Cincinnati, a volunteer-run event that seeks to educate, enlighten, and entertain the community.
Morgan Davenport
Morgan is an Austinburg resident who really cares about her community. As a Covington Leads graduate, Morgan continues to be a community leader whether its engaging the residents about the importance of recycling, to showing kindness and love by helping her elderly neighbors with yard work. Morgan has also worked with her neighborhood children to help with homeschooling during distance learning.
Liz Fet
Liz was nominated by friends and neighbors for her continuing commitment to Covington and to the community that she creates, connects, and welcomes with overwhelming generosity and openness. She is an aquatic biologist for SD1 and this passion for taking care of everything in her environment extends seamlessly to the people in her community. Liz gives freely of her time, her talents, her homegrown food, and her delicious cooking to her friends and her community.
Kareem Simpson
Kareem is a life long Covington resident, published author, and owner of SparkLight Creative Group. He gives tirelessly of his time and talents to organizations committed to bettering Covington and the lives of its people. This year alone he has volunteered time with the Covington Parks Advisory Group, MORTAR Covington, The Center’s Community Voice Committee, and the Community Montessori School.
Josh Niederhelman
Josh was nominated for his contributions to the vibrancy, personality, and community that makes Covington special. As president of the Historic Licking Riverside Civic Association, Josh volunteers his time to make his neighborhood a welcoming, safe, and wonderful place for all who live there. From creating and installing a little free library shaped like a riverboat, to fielding calls from concerned neighbors, Josh addresses all of his community’s needs with unfailing positivity.
Center for Great Neighborhoods
I want to talk about an outstanding, Christian, loyal, honest and caring neighbor His name is Dennis Coatney, Sr. My husband and I are both senior citizens. About 9:30 am Saturday, November 14, 2020 I heard a loud sound outside. Looking out our window I say Dennis blowing the leaves. My husband was so happy because he suffer with back problems. We have a large yard and the leaves were numerous and everywhere. My husband was shocked but not surprise when he saw it was Dennis. We didn’t ask Dennis to clean up the leaves. Dennis as always saw a need and took care of it. He asked for nothing in return. For many years I have watched Dennis cut grass and take care of the widows and senior citizens in our neighborhood. I think he needs to be ordered for being a great neighbor. In times like these when love and caring about one another is not a priority. We need a man like Dennis who cares.