Sid Jones, retiring president of Home State Bank, was honored with the 2021 Above and Beyond the Call (ABC) Award at a Community Recognition Night hosted by Jefferson Matters: A Main Street and Chamber Community Tuesday evening in the Greene County High School auditorium.
The award was presented by 2020 ABC Award recipient Harry Ahrenholtz. He said the one word that best describes Jones is “leader.” Other attributes Ahrenholtz listed were advocate, dependable, positive-thinker, calmly determined, and quietly dedicated.
One person who nominated Jones called him “a mainstay and extraordinary member of worthwhile civic projects in Greene County.” Another writer noted his “integral part of the successful effort to plan the new Greene County High School and career academy.”
Jones was a strategic leader in the $1.2 million fundraising campaign for a new Greene County Early Learning Center, one writer said, and still another noted his hands-on service to his church and church family.
After Ahrenholtz named Jones as the recipient, Chris Deal told of working with Jones from the first idea of a new high school with a career academy, to the completion of the project.
He also told of his indoctrination shortly after being named to the board at Home State Bank. He said he saw the impact of Jones’ leadership at the bank has allowed the bank to pay it forward to the community by empowering other bank employees to be leaders themselves.
“The award is very specific that the activities are supposed to be beyond a person’s profession, but when your profession has such an impact on leaders in the community and other organizations, you can’t not mention it,” Deal said. “It’s been incredible that what Sid has done with the organization (Home State Bank) as a whole has absolutely impacted this community in amazing ways.”
Jones is known as the first person someone with ideas should talk with. “He has this innate ability to take ideas and synthesize them and create something that’s greater than the sum of its parts. It’s incredible what he can do and we’re so blessed that he’s part of our community,” Deal said.
“We’re lucky to have him as a visionary leader…. He may not have realized it, he’s been a mentor to so many of us, myself included,” Deal said.
Although Jones is retiring as bank president, he will continue to serve as CEO and chairman of the board of Home State Bank.
The award has been presented annually since 1977 to a community member who has positively affected activities or accomplishments beneficial to the community at large through personal leadership and unselfish giving of time and talent.
The ABC Award presentation was preceded by presentations by the various Jefferson Matters: A Main Street and Chamber Community committee chairs highlighting activities and successes in 2021. JMMS& CC board president Jamie Daubendiek gave introductory comments.
Peg Raney, president of the Why Not Us, gave an update on the restoration and renovation of the former Angie’s Tea Garden as The Centennial. There are 56 women who have invested a $5,000 each in the building; the organization is seeking five more members, as there are a total of 61 faces in the exterior window hoods.
The Centennial, with a tagline “Contemporary Taste, Historic Charm,” is owned by chef Sara Ostrander and should be open before the Bell Tower Festival in June.
Chuck Offenburger spoke of the Diversity Project, an effort driven by Greene County Development Corporation to address the workforce shortage by recruiting Latino workers and their families to work and live in Greene County. He said if the project is successful, “Greene County will be a remarkable community, even more so than it is now.”
Offenburger is chair of the Diversity Project steering committee.
Jacque Andrew, co-president of the Greene County Early Learning Center board, provided an overview of the new childcare center now under construction in the 300 block of S. Vine St. Andrew and the board raised $1 million in local donations, and received $500,000 from Grow Greene County, $250,000 in county funds, and a state grant of $469,941.
When the new facility opens in June and is fully staffed, the capacity will increase from 94 in the current building to 145 children ages 2 weeks through fourth grade.
Raney, Offenburger, and Andrew are all past recipients of the ABC Award.
