Lima, OH (WLIO) - It was a night to bring people together to recognize those people and businesses that are rising to make their mark in this area. The Community Enrichment Dinner honored their seven award winners, which ranged from social activism, community impact, and minority business that are making a name for themselves. The annual event raises funds for minority and small business development and other inclusion initiatives in Allen County. For around 10 years, the dinner has been showcasing the equity, diversity, and inclusion around Lima, which one award winner would like to see more of.
“This is the kind of things that you build a community off of,” says Charles “The Raven” Thomas, Winner of the Community Legacy Service Award. “Events like this and again you can see people who don’t know one another, they are friends tonight. This is the way it should be 365 days a year, not just certain aspects throughout the year but every day we need to recognize that everyone has value, everyone has purpose.”
Besides getting their awards, the business award winners also got grants to be used toward their future success.
Here are the 2022 Award Winners
Dr. Carlton McLellan – Rising Business of the Year Award
Carlton McLellan, Ph.D., is the Founder, Owner, and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Vibe Coffeehouse & Café located in downtown Lima, Ohio. Dr. McLellan founded Vibe against the backdrop of his 20 plus years of experience as a senior diplomacy and international affairs professional and researcher. He has traveled to more than 40 countries across four continents and has met and interacted with people from over 100 countries. During his travels he has constantly sought out coffeehouses, which tend to serve as his ad-hoc office space, to work out of and/or relax or socialize and he has always found them to be places of inspiration and cultural enrichment.
He also remembers growing up in Lima, with little if any exposure to the rest of the world. So, he decided to open a coffeehouse in downtown Lima, to provide the community with a space to come to relax, socialize, or work while being inspired and engaged, and at the same time be exposed to the rest of the world through the global love of coffee!
In addition to running Vibe, Dr. McLellan is also a Senior Fellow at the Association of Black American Ambassadors (ABAA) in Washington, DC; and, Founding Director and Senior Associate at Global Ties South Africa in Pretoria, South Africa. He has previously served as a Senior Advisor to the United Nations’ specialized agency, the International Labor Organization’s Office for the United States & Canada; Managing Director at Global Ties U.S.; and a Deputy Director at the Academy for Educational Development. Dr. McLellan has also held full-time or consulting roles at small and large nonprofit agencies engaging in global work; private consulting firms in the U.S. and abroad; and multilateral agencies such as the ILO (a UN specialized agency) and The World Bank.
Much of his professional experience has been centered around managing or evaluating international programs funded by the U.S. government, specifically the U.S. Department of State or the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). He has also served as a Senior Fellow at the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training (ADST), a contributing writer for the website Blackpast.org, and a Research Fellow for multiple higher education institutions and agencies. Dr. McLellan’s passion is promoting and facilitating the engagement of people across cultural and physical boundaries and developing creative ways for people from across the world to do so. Vibe is just one of the many ways he hopes to bring people closer together and promote mutual understanding, peace, and prosperity among different people and cultures. He and his Vibe team continue to welcome the community into the space to enjoy delicious coffee and espresso-based drinks sourced from around the world, with hopes to facilitate education about, and engagement with the people, cultures, and countries from which the coffee comes.
Dr. McLellan received his doctoral degree in international policy studies at the University of Pretoria, South Africa; his Master’s degree in international and development education from the University of Pittsburgh; and his Bachelor’s degree in international studies from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. He has recently been named as one of Meridian International Center’s Top 10 Next
Generation of Black Diplomatic Leaders for his global program leadership and research; and has been placed on the Ohio School Board Association Business Honor Roll for his efforts to engage the community, and particularly young people, through his business.
Thomas “TJ” Smith – Young Leadership Community Image Award
The moment TJ Smith became a father, his life changed as he sought to remain involved in his son’s life. Surrounded by strong women whom he admired; he was keenly aware that his son also needed a strong male in his life. In 2010 he created Daddys at Work, a non-profit program under Grand Lake Theatrix. The name was derived as a painful question faced by too many children: “Where’s your Dad?” Now the child can proudly answer: “My Daddy’s at Work!” The program supports fathers who want to be an active, positive influence in the lives of their children. Our winner and his wife Nakita are parents of 5 boys and are working to build a strong family that will continue to produce strong male figures who believe in the strength of family. He works tirelessly for Daddys at Work with the goal of eventually having a world that doesn’t need a program like this one.
Janya Monae Henderson – Young Teenage Entreprenuer Vision Award
Janya Monae Henderson started JMH Photography to provide people with the opportunity to capture valuable moments through a creatively unique lens. This 18 year-old photographer has been in business for nearly 2 years, satisfying the needs of the community and plans to attend college at Wright State University in Dayton. She hopes to come back to Lima to open a photography studio, allowing young photographers to cultivate their skills.
Charles Thomas “The Raven” – Community Legacy Service Award
Charles Thomas began his long career working for Allen County Juvenile Court and spent many nights sitting on beds conversing with youth in lockup. He later went on to become an Allen County Juvenile Probation Officer. In 2009, he was awarded the Pinwheels for Prevention award by the Partnership for Violence Free Families in recognition of his efforts to prevent child abuse. He also worked at radio stations, 105 Jamz, 940Jamz, The Big Buck, and Mix 103.3 as the voice of the Raven. Though he is no longer a voice on local radio, he continues to push toward more inclusivity in local programming, programming that is more reflective of who we are as a community, programming that will give hope to young people of color that they can be successful. In addition to radio he was also employed as a columnist for the Lima News, and for many years served as the manager of Old City Prime’s Upper Lounge.
Frank Fisher – Small Business Equity of the Year Award
Frank Fisher, owner of Divine Hair, opened its doors to the community of Lima, in January of 2001, as a full-service salon and barber shop offering career options to professionals and allowing them the space to perfect their crafts through learning and training opportunities. Divine Hair is a staple in the community, providing food giveaways, school supply and clothing giveaways, assisting families in financial need for funerals and utilities, and even donating air conditioners and space heaters. Frank Fisher has gone beyond the business realm and will continue to do so through an extended relationship with the community he considers family!!!
Dr. Derry Glenn – Social Justice and Vision Award
Dr. Derry Glenn, 6th Ward Lima City Councilor, Tonight’s winner has dedicated his life in service to the Lima, Ohio community. He has displayed relentless efforts to procure assistance to all residents of Lima and has shown compassion, dedication, and courage in speaking out as a voice of the people he represents. History has written about such leaders as Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior, Mahatma Ghandi and Mother Theresa. Communities all over America have such leaders. Lima is no exception with Dr. Derry Glenn.
Rhodes State College – Corporate Leadership in Diversity and Inclusion Award
Rhodes State College changes lives, builds futures, and improves communities through life-long learning. Rhodes State College aspires to be the college of choice where students have an equitable opportunity to achieve their career and educational goals. Dr. Lisa Renee Bradley, the Special Assistant to the President, heads the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives that highlight the importance and value of a diverse and inclusive college environment and advance the culture of respect where individuals from all diverse backgrounds are able to thrive throughout their higher education experience. With the help of Rhodes State College, Lima will breed the next generation of innovative leaders. But more importantly, leaders that realize and respect that our diversity is our strength.
