The Seventh Avenue Heritage Festival officially kicked off Thursday night with a reception in the penthouse of Court Square Towers. Several members of the community were recognized during an awards ceremony.
“We always give out the Outstanding Community Service awards, but we have never recognized this many people,” festival organizer and Ward 5 Councilman Kabir Karriem said. “We have a lot of people who are doing good things in the community, and they don’t always get recognized. If you are doing good things in the community, you never know who is watching.”
Honored at the ceremony were Evangel Church pastor Ron Delgado, Earnest Brown, Crawford mayor Fred Tolon, Deborah Taylor, Darren Jordan, Alma Turner, Josie Fannon, Tony Carley and Glenn Lautzenhiser.
“Everyone is recognized for his or her contribution to the community,” Karriem said. “Fred Tolon has done an excellent job of promoting his community and trying to get Crawford basic services, such as running water, that we take for granted. He’s a real go-getter. Ms. Josie Fannon is in her 70s and she drives in from Brooksville to work at the Community Resource Center at the Columbus Police Department. She deserves this recognition, as do all of this year’s honorees.”
Fannon told Karriem in an email that she enjoys helping people.
“All I do is come to work each day and connect people in need of resources that help to resolve their problem,” she wrote. “My job is a wonderful opportunity to meet so many people and to make many new friends. I enjoy working at Community Resource Connection and finding opportunities to help people.”
Community Resource Connection was founded more than seven years ago after a fire swept through an abandoned house, killing a homeless man.
The agency is a division of Recovery House, Inc. and a joint venture between Recovery House, Inc., the Columbus Police Department and the City of Columbus.
The Seventh Avenue Heritage Festival, which is free and open to the public, begins tonight, with B.J. Miller and Mixed Company taking the stage at 6 p.m. Food and merchandise vendors will begin setting up at 1 p.m.
Saturday events will kick off with a parade honoring veterans starting at the Columbus Municipal Complex at 10 a.m. The Wilson Sisters, a gospel group, will take the stage at 11 a.m. Beginning around 6 p.m., there will be live music, starting with Tre Williams and Shirley Brown.
Zapp will take the stage at 9 p.m.
Jeff Clark was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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