Contact:

Jennifer J. Reusser, President                                                  Ferenc M. Relle, Jr., Executive Director

Orrville Area Chamber of Commerce                                                 Wayne County Community Foundation

132 S. Main St. Orrville, OH 44667                                            517 N. Market St. Wooster, OH 44691

PH: 330-682-8881                                                                   330-262-3877

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Your Human Resource Center is First Recipient of WorthyWorks Award

 

Orrville, Ohio, March 13, 2007; The Orrville Area Chamber of Commerce (OACC), in partnership with the Wayne County Community Foundation (WCCF), is pleased to announce that Your Human Resource Center (YHRC) will be recognized as the Chamber’s first recipient of the WorthyWorks Award.

 

This award recognizes the important contributions that not-for-profit members make to their community. Qualifying criteria is a commitment to the quality of life, social conscience, and betterment of the Orrville community and includes a $1,000 contribution from the WCCF to support the continuing efforts of the organization.

 

“Approximately 25% of our non-profit members were nominated for the WorthyWorks award,” said Jennifer J. Reusser, OACC President, “which is a very respectable beginning for this new award. Your Human Resource Center will be recognized at our annual Chamber banquet on April 8, 2008 at Memories Party Center in Wooster.”

 

OACC Board members were impressed with the results that YHRC has been able to accomplish in their Fitting It All Together program. It assists youths in getting their lives back together through stress and anger management techniques and learning how to use more positive outlets for their problems. Other successful youth programs include their Hoops & Homework after school activity, which has demonstrated an improvement in grades and a decrease in negative behaviors.

 

“We are grateful and honored to receive this award,” said Robert Zeh, Ph.D., the Executive Director of YHRC. “It is a positive reflection of the commitment and dedication of our staff in partnership with the Orrville community. For the past 26 years, we have been helping youth throughout Orrville and for over 5 years, our Orrville office has been providing substance abuse treatment and mental health counseling services.”

 

Participants in the YHRC programs are taught about responsibility and the balance between actions and their consequences. As treatment continues, students begin to develop greater trust relationships and increase their self confidence and self worth. This often results in acquisition of long term responsible living skills and participation in multiple voluntary community service projects.

 

“The not-for-profit sector is an important element within today’s chamber of commerce model,” said Ferenc M. Relle, Jr., WCCF Executive Director. “Wayne County is fortunate to have Chambers consisting of multi-faceted networks of community and commercial leaders working together to develop and sustain educational, economic, and social service opportunities for its workforce and residents.”

 

Relle points out that an example of this cooperation comes best from a student enrolled in the Fitting It All Together program. The student writes, “I’ve gone from a youth who was consistently in trouble, to a high school junior who has begun looking at colleges. When I first started, I dreaded going to school and now I’m looking at continuing my education… and am thankful for the caseworkers who have guided me through this period of my life.”

 

There are still tickets available for the April 8 banquet, please contact the Orrville Chamber office for reservations or e-mail lori@orrvillechamber.com.