Deanna West-Torrence recipient of prestigious Chamber Chairman's Award
Mansfield native and resident Deanna West-Torrence, executive director of the North End Community Improvement Corporation, was named this year's Chairman Award recipient at the Richland Area Chamber-Economic Development's annual meeting and dinner at the Mid-Ohio Conference Center Wednesday night.
Recipients of this award, which is kept secret until the winner is announced, have demonstrated a longstanding commitment to community service in the Richland County region.
West-Torrence sits on numerous boards throughout Richland County, started the successful community gardens on Bowman Street, and has mentored many people, community leaders said.
During a video presentation, community leaders lauded West-Torrence for her contributions to the community.
A former Mansfield City Council member, West-Torrence is all about the community and what the community needs, community member Jim Kulig said during her video.
West-Torrence described as 'very visionary'
A single mother of four, West-Torrence was instrumental in the startup of the community organization CHAP or the Community Health Access Project, which assisted women who needed medical resources, Carol Payton said.
"She is very visionary of her concept of NECIC," Payton said. "She pulled a small group of people together and made believers out of all us to believe in collaboration efforts of a community and how everybody could come together ... and build their own community and make it better."
After winning the award, West-Torrence thanked everyone from the podium, later saying her son Taj Torrence, who lauded her in the video, really surprised her.
The Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development honored the winners of the 2023 Richland Community Development Group (RCDG) Economic Excellence Awards: Dan Lew, Snow Trails and Angela Phillips. These winners were announced earlier this month.
Lew, who is of Korean heritage, and the owner and chef at Dan Lew Exchange downtown Mansfield on the square, from the podium gave a powerful speech, thanking his parents who sat in the audience.
"In the Korean culture you don't get the chance to publicly thank your parents. I have never, ever told my parents that I love them," he said.
"They gave me every opportunity in the world to be where I am today," he said. He also thanked his restaurant crew.
He spoke of first generation owners of restaurants in downtown Mansfield including Jong Mai, Uncle John's Place, Fork and Fingers, Athen's Greek, saying the most common denominator is they are all first-generation immigrant Americans and what they brought to Mansfield and how they formed the culinary world for Mansfield is beyond words.
"What they did was pure fusion ... not fusion as we know it today," he said. "... I'm thinking that maybe I did the same thing for our community as well."
The RCDG Economic Excellence Awards highlight businesses, individuals, or organizations that have a significant impact on the growth and development of the local economy.
Athena Award winner
Theresa Roth, PhD., director of critical care, trauma, medical/surgical and pulmonary for OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital and OhioHealth Shelby Hospital, was named the winner of the Athena Award.
The ATHENA award was founded to recognize women in the community for demonstrating professional excellence, community service and for actively assisting women in their attainment of professional excellence and leadership skills.
Roughly 350 people attended the dinner, which featured a Harry Potter theme.
lwhitmir@gannett.com
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Twitter: @LWhitmir
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: The Athena award winner is Theresa Roth of OhioHealth
