CASI presents awards to community members for efforts

Oct. 20—JEFFERSONVILLE — Bridgette and Arturo Dozal want to help the world through children, Janice Leavell has made helping the community her life's work, and the Rev. Douglass Lee Motley Jr. put his energy and efforts into social justice.

Community Action of Southern Indiana's annual Makers of Change Awards Thursday night recognized the Dozals, Leavell, and the Rev. Motley with three different awards for helping to improve the Southern Indiana community.

Community Action has provided a comprehensive approach to addressing the needs of vulnerable citizens while helping them achieve economic security for the past 57 years.

Makers of Change Awards recognize people who are working to better the community and have helped to support the mission of CASI, which is to support and empower individuals, families, and communities striving to reach self-sufficiency and work to provide life-enhancing opportunities for every individual and family desiring to experience extraordinary change in their lives.

Community Service, Lifetime Achievement and Legacy awards were given out to these members of the community.

The Dozals received the Community Service Award. The couple wanted to help the world in some way and chose to help children. As part of their effort, they adopted children and have grown their family to 13 children.

"It has been a blessing to have been involved with so many personalities, perspectives and experiences," Bridgette Dozal said. "We have learned to share challenges with our kids and to understand their trauma."

Leavell received the Lifetime Achievement Award for her involvement in various community organizations.

She has served on the Arts Council of Southern Indiana and has been a leader with the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Committee. She now serves on the Hoosier Environmental Council, working as a health advocate to make sure all children, age 6 and younger, are tested for lead exposure.

"I am one of those children who grew up in poverty," Leavell said. "After my father left, my mother had to go to work. It was difficult. I learned early that education was one of those things that lifted you out of poverty."

The Legacy Award was given to Rev. Douglass Lee Motley Jr. for his efforts as a pioneer for social justice. He fought to ensure fair and equal treatment for Black men and women within the criminal justice system.

He also started a jail ministry and aided those who were living with addiction and in recovery. He worked with homeless shelters and helped people secure housing. He was later referred as "The Community Pastor" for his efforts.

Motley died earlier this year surrounded by his loved ones. Chloe Motley, a daughter of D.L. Motley, accepted the award on his behalf.

"He was never too good or too afraid to walk the streets of this community," Chole Motley said. "To go down to the courthouse and advocate for those who would otherwise fall in the cracks of this justice system. His commitment to serving people was the calling that God had for his life... He remained committed to that to the very end."

Treva Hodges, Charlestown's mayor and the Keynote speaker for the event talked about the troubles someone goes through when coming out of poverty.

The following expanded profiles are reprinted with permission by CASI. They appeared in its program for the night's event.

Bridgette and Arturo

Early in their life together Bridgette and Arturo Dozal asked the question: "What can we do in this world?" The answer was clear to them that they should help children.

When Bridgette and Arturo married they created a blended family with 9 children. But as they saw other children in need of a safe and loving home, their family expanded to 13 kids! The children that Bridgette and Arturo have welcomed into their home are of different ethnicities and from different backgrounds.

The Dozal children have come to them through the foster system, through kinship adoption, and by Bridgette and Arturo recognizing children in need and then taking action to fulfil that need. For instance, Bridgette and Arturo noticed a set of twins who had started coming to their church. "They always sat in the front row by themselves," Bridgette remembers. "Their mother had died and their father was 78 years old and struggling to care for them. We became more and more involved until we became their legal guardians and they became part of our family."

Another time, Bridgette and Arturo had told the Department of Child Services that they were willing to take in one foster child between the ages of 4 and 7, preferably a boy since they had all girls at home. However when they were told of a 10-year-old girl in need of a good, safe, loving home Bridgette and Arturo, of course, said yes. Time passes and kids grow up. Bridgette and Arturo's children now range in age from 30 to 10.

"It has been a blessing to have been involved with so many personalities, perspectives, and experiences," Bridgette says. "We have learned to share challenges with our kids and to understand their trauma. Some of our kids have come from hard places and being loving and supportive and coming to learn each person's triggers in relation to trauma has helped to knit our family together."

From her depth of experience, Bridgette offers some wise words of advice: Nothing is ever black and white. Write everything in pencil because plans will undoubtedly change. Live on a whim.

Janice Leavell

Janice Leavell is always looking for ways to help others. From her career as a teacher to her involvement in various community organizations, Janice is working for the common good.

Janice graduated from Murray State University in 1967 and started teaching at a Louisville's Southwick Elementary School in the summer of that same year. In the fall Janice began teaching at a A.E. Meyzeek Junior where she taught art and English for over 30 years.

Janice met her husband-to-be when they were both 15 years old. They married in 1975 and made their home in Jeffersonville. Janice and Gary have two sons: Jeremy, age 44 and Garrick, age 47 and two grandchildren, Anthony and Kiera. She has been a member of West Broadway Church of Christ in Louisville since she was 12. There, she has served as the office administrator, taught the women's Bible class, and was an original member of a youth singing group.

Janice was involved at the very beginning of Communities in Schools (now Youth Link Southern Indiana) where a group of concerned individuals brainstormed about to how best to surround students with a community of support in order to help students succeed in school and achieve in life. Janice has served on the Arts Council of Southern Indiana and has been a long-time leader with the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Committee. The MLK Holiday Committee gives scholarships to students and helps lead the community toward Dr. King's goal of building the Beloved Community.

Janice has served the Jeffersonville/Clark County NAACP as its Education Chair and is on the Executive Committee of the NAACP State Board. Janice serves on the Louisville Orchestra King Holiday Free Concert Committee, the Indiana University Southeast School of Education Advisory Committee, and the Rauch, Inc. Board of Directors and President's Advisory Board. Janice is currently serving on the Hoosier Environmental Council working as a health advocate to make sure all children, ages six and younger, are tested for lead exposure with the results being placed in a statewide data base. Janice's example of love and good works inspires us all to do better and to be better.

Rev. D.L. Motley Jr.

Douglass Lee Motley Jr. was born to the Rev. Dr. Douglass Lee Motley Sr. and Dr. Fannie Ernestine (Smith) Motley on April 12, 1950, in Tuskegee, Alabama. As a child Doug Jr. took pride in his education and at age 10 he picked up the violin. It was his musical talent that earned him a full-ride musical scholarship to the University of Kentucky and ultimately to Jeffersonville's Gilt Edge Baptist Church.

In 1972 the Black Voices, UK's all Black Gospel choir, which D. L. had co-founded, performed at Gilt Edge. A divine connection was made. After being ordained by his father Dr. D.L Motley Sr. at Peace Baptist Church in Cincinnati, Doug Jr. became Reverend D. L. Motley Jr. and began his pastorate at Gilt Edge Missionary Baptist Church in September of that same year at the age of 22.

He led Gilt Edge into a new era. Under Rev. Motley's leadership, Gilt Edge welcomed women in the pulpit, broke ground on expanding the church sanctuary, started blue jeans on Easter Sunday in the early '70s, burned the church mortgage, incorporated theater and arts, centered the youth, and had a vision for a multi-purposeful and multi-functional sanctuary.

Known as the "Community's Pastor," Rev. Motley was a pioneer for social justice. He fought to ensure fair and equal treatment for Black men and women within the criminal justice system.

He birthed a jail ministry and aided those who were in addiction/recovery. He did not judge anyone by their past mistakes. He served the community partnering with the homeless shelter and helping people to secure housing. He opened up the church for additional shelter during White Flag advisories. He led the provision of food to the community through the MLK Food Pantry and the King's Table.

He was committed to the "the least, the last, the lost, and the forgotten." On August 8, 2009, Rev. Motley suffered a stroke, aneurysm, and underwent three brain surgeries as a result. Although he never reached full physical restoration, God preserved his mind. On September 21, 2012, Rev. D.L Motley Jr. retired from pastoring Gilt Edge Baptist Church but never from the assignment God placed on his life. He immediately began serving as Pastor Emeritus, still teaching and preaching God's word. Surrounded by loved ones on July 20, 2023, God called His orator home.