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Golden Deeds

Golden Deeds Award Recipients:

• Gary Schroeder
  The world knows when a certain individual loves life to the fullest! This person seems to help everything grow and flourish simply by his presence. His smile is contagious! His energy is electrifying! His sincerity is blessed.
  
  Gary Schroeder is one of these special individuals! Therefore, Northwest Exchange is proud to honor Gary today with the Golden Deeds Award!
  
  Those around him, all the way back in the late sixties, already knew that he was one of these unique and special people. Elected Student Council President of Colerain H.S. and then on to Prom King and Mr. Colerain, Gary was already demonstrating the qualities of a future Golden Deed Recipient.
  
  But it didn’t stop there – onto Ohio State University where he began the study of his veterinary practice that ran over 28 years. His love of life touched even the smallest of life as well as his entire community, family and friends. Gary had received the Colerain Outstanding Alumni Award and is a member of their Hall of Fame. He was a member of the Colerain Athletic Association – again reaching out and touching the youth of our fine community!
  
  When our community was fortunate to have The Colerain YMCA built in our neighborhood – Gary had once again stepped up to be an active member of the original Committee of Management and still is active today.
  
  Gary has been involved with the Cincinnati Veterinary Medical Association as a past president and as a committee chair member on the Ohio Veterinary Medical Association. But his work did not stop there – he allowed that same love, passion and interest to become all the stronger with his commitment to his Church – White Oak Christian Church – where he has been personally involved on various committees and activities within our community and beyond. Gary has taken part in many mission trips to Washington D.C., and to the country of Haiti numerous times, taking many of our local neighbors with him to experience God’s work first hand.
  
  Here in our own Colerain Twp., Gary has touched many with his involvement on the Kaboom playground committee and most recently his leadership with the Colerain Police Sub-station establishment – again lending his guiding hand to better our community.
  
  Gary was also very active with the NW School District – as the Levy Committee Chair the year it finally passed!
  
  And even at a time when he suffered one of the most personal losses any of us could ever imagine – the loss of a beloved child - Gary and his wife rose to the occasion of giving back, guaranteeing that their loss would bring hope to others through the creation of Nate’s Toy Box celebrated each Christmas Season.
  
  Gary has always said that his best and most rewarding accomplishment in life has been in serving God. He humbly strives to be the best husband, father, grandfather, son, brother and friend. We all have been blessed to be on the receiving side of Gary’s friendship and wonderful sense of humor.
  
  The life that Gary has chosen, has been one of service to others. His love of travel, cooking, canning, working on his farm, fishing and scuba diving are all ways that he has the opportunity to spend time with his family and friends.

• Bunny Borchelt
  Gary Schroeder presented Bunny this prestigious award and adding her into our Book of Golden Deeds for all her heart felt efforts that she has put into SON Ministries (Serving Our Neighbors). Bunny had started SON Ministries and had been the director for over 25 years. SON Ministries is a food bank serving the Colerain and Springfield Township area. We all thank Bunny and her organization for being here when others need her most!

• Bill Page
  For more than 23 years, The NW Exchange Club has truly been blessed with not only a very special member, but with an individual who has been willing to serve as a leader as well! Bill Page represented us as our Club President in 1993. During these many years, Bill has served our club and community well – with over 12 years actively volunteering with Ronald McDonald House of Greater Cincinnati and still doing so today. (They love Bill!)

  Bill also was part of a major fund raiser for St. Joseph Orphanage for four years raising over $55,000 for the children. He has also been very active in fund raising activities on behalf of the Down Syndrome Foundation and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

  As a family man, Bill has been married for over 58 years and a proud father of seven children and 14 grandchildren. Bill knows this community well – Inside and Out – as he was a Residential Realtor for over 22 years with Coldwell Banker. Prior to that he was a manager for Sears, Roebuck & Company for 37 years plus.

  And Bill has not only served his family and local community well – he also has served our country proudly in the U.S. Marine Corp. for two years and is a Veteran of the Korean War.

  Bill and his wife have been active members of St. Ignatius Church parish for over 50 years. Bill Page was awarded the Golden Deeds Award from the NW Exchange Club for not only one of his great acts of giving but for all that he has done! Imagine what our world would be like if there were more Bill Pages’ in our world.

• Gil Rutenschroer (1996)
  If anyone in the Exchange Club acrossed the country deserved to be called "Mr. Exchange" it is Gil Rutenschoer. Gil was a member and regular attendee of 3 Exchange Clubs. He was the Founding Sponsor of 4 clubs in the Cincinnati area, namely Northwest, Harrison, Fairfield, and Kenwwod. He was President of 2 of his clubs. He held many District offices. He also held several National offices. He has attended more than 100 national and district conventions. Recently after Gil's death his family presented the Northwest Club his collection of lapel pins from his attendance of conventions which number more than 100.

• Corky Snyder, Colerain Fire Chief
  Cloyce Corky Snyder spent almost 41 years in the fire service in Colerain Township. The first twenty-eight years were spent with the Groesbeck Fire Department where he served as chief from 1966 through 1974. In 1975 Chief Snyder became chief of the newly formed Colerain Fire Department, a position he served in until his retirement thirteen years later. Corky was known for his ability to bring people together to solve difficult problems. He was instrumental in initiating and bringing about the consolidation of fire service in the township to create the Colerain Township Fire Department. Colerain became the “example” others followed to bring about fire service consolidations around the state. As a result of Chief Snyder’s keen insight and political savvy, Colerain Fire and EMS is recognized as a national leader in the fire service.

• Tom Abercrombie
  Our world is made up of many types of individuals and how fortunate we are to be able to hear or associate with some of the unique and special ones at times. But how blessed we are to be able to personally know and learn from the simple ways of their every day life and the examples that we get to experience and hopefully learn from by just being in their presence.

  R. Thomas Abercrombie was chosen and honored with our Golden Deeds Award for his endless energy he puts forth in his everyday business, family, church and community service. Tom had just recently returned from a mission trip to Haiti where a construction group from White Oak Christian Church spent two weeks constructing concrete block walls for a new church being built in Cite Sole, the poorest suburb of Porte Prince, Haiti. Tom has been to this same site numerous times (five +but who is counting) and had participated in a similar trip to Tiawana, Mexico where a Youth Group of twenty college kids, Tom and a few others from White Oak Christian Church traveled by bus to constructed homes for those in need.

  Closer to home, Tom was also asked to be part of the original group to implement the Clippard YMCA in our own Colerain Township. He served n the Committee of Management for 5 years and still today serves on the Building & Grounds Committee as well as on the Golf Outing fundraiser which finances the summer camp for kids who can not afford to attend on their own.

  Tom has been in charge of the White Oak Christian Church expansion as Head of Building and Grounds. He has served as our Northwest Exchange Club president / member for over 20 years. Tom has also been actively involved in civic causes throughout the Colerain Twp. Area.

  In September 2009, Tom and his wife Kris will be celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. During these past 40 years Tom, Kris and all three of their children have been graduates of Colerain High School. Over the many years when the kids were young, Tom coached and sponsored many of the youth sport teams throughout the area.

  Tom is blessed to have his family all living close in the Greater Cincinnati area. Earlier this year Tom, Kris and their daughter reached out and volunteered to leave the church that they have attended nearly their entire lives to be part of 100 people to kick start a new White Oak Christian Church of Ross. Tom is proud to say that the new church is going just as planned and they are already up to over 200 plus members.

  And Tom’s professional life started over 33 years ago by Tom himself in 1976 and his company Abercrombie & Associates is still operational today here in Colerain Twp.

  Abercrombie & Associates, Inc. provides civil engineering and land surveying services to the land development community. The firm specializes in roadway, site and utility development and design, including pre-planning, property zoning, land surveying and site engineering. Since our establishment in 1976, our firm has helped create successful developments for private land developers, individual lot owners and municipalities at the State, County, Township and local level. We bring the latest technologies and insights of our profession to all projects, as well as good communications, cost-consciousness and a desire to create a trusting, long-term relationship.

  Tom, his family and his company have definitely been a very important part of our community and we thank God for blessing all of us with a family and community man such as Tom Abercrombie! God Bless!

• Robert Gruber (1987)
  Bob was a unique honoree of the Book Of Golden Deeds in that he was honored for an heroic act which he saved the life of a Cincinnati Patrolman. One day Bob was driving on 7th St. in downtown Cincinnati. A vagrant was walking down the middle of the street in front of Bob's auto. A policeman walked up to the vagrant and asked him to get on the sidewalk. The vagrant pulled a pop bottle out of the bag he was carrying and struck the policeman in the head. He then jumped on top of the policeman and ended up getting the gun out of the Officer's holster. Bob then realized that the officer needed help and jumped out of his car. He ran and plowed into the vagrant knocking him off the policeman and jarring the gun loose. The officer and Bob were able to subdue and arrest the vagrant. Bob was honored by the city and the police department and for saving a Policeman's life.

• Ralph Lockwood
  Ralph was one of the original citizens and founders of Colerain Twp. as we know it today. Ralph was the founder of the first Hardware store in Colerain Twp. It was located on the same lot where the Nationwide Auto Parts store is today on Colerain Ave. He was one of the original members of the Fire Department. He stayed active in the fire department even after we honored Ralph with his Book Of Golden Deeds.
  
  Ralph was a long time member of the Colerain Township Civic Association. He was a strong member for many years. He held every office in the association. When a new project was proposed he was always in the lead to get it accomplished. Ralph in his later years, became an active Exchangite in our North West Club.

• John O'Shea, Sr. (1974)
  John was honored by The Book Of Golden Deeds for his long time community service here in Colerain Township. John was one of the early citizens of Colerain Township. He was one of the founders of the Township Fire Department. At the time it was all volunteer, ultimately it grew into one of the best rated fire departments in the State of Ohio. During the entire time of this continued growth of the fire department John was a director and fireman while running a heating and air conditioning company. After his retirement he almost single handedly built the playground facility on the grounds of the Colerain Civic Association. This included 2 baseball fields, one with lights, tennis facilities, a concession stand and a maintenance building. He was one of the founders of the Civic Association and a member for more than 25 years. He was on the board for almost as many years.