The most caring city in Ohio is . . .

By Lavern Nissley

So what would it take to be awarded the "Most Caring City Award"? Apparently Insurify, an insurance comparison shopping website, has figured this out by looking at the percentage of people working in altruistic fields statewide such as "social work, healthcare, counseling, firefighting, teaching and more," according to a January 28, 2020 Springfield New-Sun article.

The winner is . . .

Springfield!

Probably wouldn't be writing about this if it weren't so close to home.

We have long observed that Springfield has many helping agencies and nonprofits that attempt to make life better or provide tools for a healthier community.

The CEO of Insurify, Snejina Zacharia, had this to say about top caring communities: "We at Insurify would like to congratulate the residents of these communities who work day in and day out to better the lives of their fellow citizens. Their dedication to safety, health and education define what it means to be a caring neighbor."

But I'd like to suggest another segment of our community that supports and donates to those on the front lines of caring. They are the board members and generous donors that make it possible for most nonprofits to exist.


We are very grateful for the many board members who have served our cause over the years, volunteering their time, treasure, talent and testimony. Our current board is a considerable blessing: Rob Alexander, Sandy Thompson, Seth & Lisa Perdue, Jeff Pinkleton, Malcolm Davis, Gary Keener and Faith Bosland.

In addition, we've been supported by extremely generous and kind businesses: Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken/Scott & Kim Griffith, Springfield Smiles/Dr. Chris Victor, Tropical Smoothie/Tim Poulos, New Image Eye Center/Dr. Chris Colvin, ARC Staffing/Colby Goodridge, TechAdvisors/Randall East, Box King/Steve Dick, LWS Tax & Accounting Services/Blake Shaffer, Keelsra Business Services/Scott Campbell and more.

What a great tribute to this community! We're proud to be working alongside so many "good neighbor champions" and definitely want to keep on heading in such a caring direction!