Leadership alum deserves kudos for raising funds

BOUQUETS>> To Mentor resident Josh Rosen. The 31-year-old IT professional spent 252 hours riding his bike to raise awareness and funds to provide opportunities for diverse student participation in Leadership Lake County and Leadership Geauga Junior Leader

The member of the Leadership Lake County Signature Class of 2017 began his journey on June 15 in Rocky River and ended July 22 on the West Coast in Seattle. The 38-day adventure included 65,295 feet of climbing, 158,172 calories burned, and 252 hours on the bike.

“I think the biggest thing is to keep moving, even if it’s just 2 mph,” Rosen said. “The miles in Wisconsin were tougher than I thought they would be and some of the areas like North Dakota and Illinois were pretty fast and I could do 100 to 120 miles a day.”

Originally, Rosen planned to end his cross-country trip in Portland, Oregon, instead of Seattle. However, he encountered bad storms in Wisconsin that pushed his route south and forced him to ride an extra 200 miles.

When the grind got really tough, it was all the people who were supporting him back home that he would think about and turn his attention to rather than dwell on what he still had left to do on the road.

Rosen exemplifies our next generation of young leaders who have a strong desire to pursue their passions while benefiting the community, said Leadership Lake County CEO Jessie Baginski.

“The lessons go beyond the good he and others are doing for local nonprofits - they serve to inspire all of us to push ourselves a little harder each day to make the world a better, kinder place,” Baginski said. “I am so grateful to all of our alumni who followed Josh on this journey to recognize this incredible challenge and to send words of encouragement and prayers for safety each day.”

We’re grateful for folks like Josh who are working to make our community better.

BOUQUETS >> To Sarah Gyorki and the Northeast Ohio Musical Heritage Association.

Gyorki is the first executive director of NEOMHA and she has brought a wealth of experience to her new role. She worked on a relaunch of the Euclid Shore Cultural Centre, and she founded the Waterloo Arts District (previously known as Arts Collinwood), which includes the Beachland Ballroom.

In her first months on the job, she has spent time finding ways to supplement the organization and its board of directors, as well as helping it grow.

“We have some big ideas, some really fun, big ideas and there is huge room for growth,” she added.

One of the areas that has grown already is the Blue Sky Folk Festival, which relocated to the Willoughby Fine Arts Association for its ninth iteration last weekend.

She said that the association is also looking at ways to grow all of its offerings, community partnerships and its festivals. The whole effort involves “supporting and celebrating great traditional music,” Gyorki said.

While she looked toward the future and toward growing the association, she also reiterated the dedication of the NEOMHA trustees.

“These are pretty remarkable people,” Gyorki said, highlighting the effort board members put into the association. “They’re really an unusual board. It’s a gift. But I don’t think that’s just a happy accident. I think that is a product of an incredibly engaged and dedicated community.”

We wish her and the organization much success and look forward to enjoying the fruits of their labors.

BRICKBATS>> To 55-year-old Keith Ludrowsky of Painesville who is accused of stealing reward certificates from the mail.

The mail carrier was charged via criminal information with one count of theft of mail by a postal employee.

According to a news release, Ludrowsky, while on his route, identified mail in his care that contained Dick’s Sporting Goods rewards certificates, intended to be delivered to residents in Mentor. The certificates provided $10, $20 or $50 in store credit for use with online purchases of sporting goods equipment and apparel from the retail company.

Between June 2018 and May 2019, Ludrowsky allegedly stole and used approximately 61 rewards certificates totaling approximately $690. He completed 11 online transactions with stolen rewards certificates.

All merchandise was mailed to Ludrowsky’s residence.

He is, of course, innocent unless proven guilty.

But we expect our mail carriers to be trustworthy in carrying out their job.