Mantua – Hattie Larlham employee Maggie Wooten has been selected as a recipient of the Earl and Mary Lohr Community Service Award presented by the Portage County Board of Developmental Disabilities. This award recognizes high-performing professionals and engaged citizens in the developmental disabilities services field.
Award recipients have a known reputation for providing exemplary advocacy, services or supports to individuals with disabilities and through their efforts, empower those people to live, work, learn, and socialize in the Portage County community.
Maggie Wooten is the career services manager within the employment services department at Hattie Larlham. She was presented this award and recognized for her outstanding efforts during the Board’s monthly meeting on December 16th, conducted virtually via Zoom. Hattie Larlham CEO Stephen Colecchi was in attendance, as was Hattie Larlham Director of Employment Services Laura Walker, who nominated Maggie for the award.
“Since our expansion of employment services into Portage County, Maggie has worked to cultivate new partnerships and job opportunities for job seekers, provides excellent leadership to employees who report to her and uses a creative approach when a need arises on a caseload that requires out-of-the-box thinking,” said Laura. “Overall, she is an excellent advocate and resource to Hattie Larlham and the persons served who live in Portage County.”
The Earl and Mary Lohr award is named in honor of two Portage County residents with a legacy of support and advocacy for people with developmental disabilities. Mrs. Mary Lohr, with the support of her husband Earl Lohr, initiated the building of the Happy Days School in Ravenna Township in 1955. In 2007, the Portage County Board recognized the Lohrs for over 50 years of support to people with disabilities and their tireless advocacy efforts. In their honor, the Earl and Mary Lohr Community Service award was created to recognize those who support the Portage DD Board mission “to assist individuals in developing their abilities through advocacy, inclusion, and empowerment.”
Hattie Larlham’s employment services program offers a wide-array of options for teens and adults with disabilities who wish to seek employment within their local workforce. These services are provided throughout Portage, Summit, Stark, Cuyahoga, Medina, and Franklin counties. More information about all of Hattie Larlham’s services and programs can be found online at www.hattielarlham.org.
