Bottomed Out!

Every program at Leadership Medina County has a bus story, “the bus story” that gets retold time and time again. The Class of 2018 added to this storytelling on the first class day.

The coach bus bottomed out in the parking lot at the beginning of the day.

In a last attempt, everyone exited the bus, hoping to “help.” As we watched the back tires spin, we realized were not going anywhere on the bus.

So the class quickly embarked in carpools with an address on their GPS. Nothing was going to stop them from finishing the day.

I love their enthusiasm. People say “bottoms up” when they want to finish it all. I have no doubt this class will finish it all: Every class day, every experience, every opportunity to be present and learn.

Throughout History Day, they discovered and celebrated what is right. The following are a few reflections:

I really enjoyed listening to Brad Root discuss the history of his company and how it has transformed from a bee operations to a candle making facility.
Matthew Baker, DS Benefits Group

It gave me a feeling that I need to be involved with the preservation of Medina’s history and pass it along to our children.
Mike Stiles, Medina County Probate and Juvenile Court

Knowledge of your history and beginnings will play an important role in deciding the future. Its always good to know where we came from.
Maureen Maxwell, Holland Management

I particularly enjoyed the story of Amos Ives Root and how his success and the success of the Root Candle Company came only after he pursued several different visions and ideas. A part of leadership is understanding that success is not always a straight line from one place to another but sometimes is the result of a very circuitous process.
Reverend Cornell Carter

My aha moment was riding on the bus and coming to the realization of how passionate the Medina County community members are about preserving the great history of this county. Brian Charnigo, Medina County Career Center

History is an important element to any community. While everyone is part of Medina County each city and township has their own story that makes them unique.
Amy Rutledge, Brunswick City Schools

At Heritage Farm when Sam Boyer discussed the difficulties in connecting with younger generations about the importance of preserving history for the future. (My aha moment was) That this work has mostly fallen to the older generations.
Patti Hetkey, Medina County Board of Development Disabilities

The various visits all seemed so different, but at the end they all tied together and gave a complete picture of the history of the county.
Michelle Reese, Day Ketterer

I like knowing more history when people ask for information. I am better equipped to answer and recommend things to do and see in Medina.
Tess Yurik, Cuyahoga Community College

I had many “aha” moments. I was unaware of the deep rooted history in Medina. We all are so busy in our lives we forget how much there is to learn and see in our own back yards. Debra Cordell, RICO Manufacturing, Inc.

I have an even greater appreciation for the contribution that Medina County makes to the State of Ohio and the US.
Lynn Emmons, SHC/The Arc of Medina County

Realizing that Medina has made it onto the North American history map… Our history is rich and is beyond N.E. Ohio. With its anti-slavery activity, promoting services for the disabled, and A.I Roots contributions to inventions and progress; Medina is known for its national contributions to many meaningful issues. I feel a sense of pride for our early settlers and their hard work to help others, stand up for those in need and work to build a community.
Cathy Lance, Mature Services, Inc.