In 2017, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of Murray Ridge Center by creating a program called “50 Acts of Giving Back”, an initiative through which members of the Murray Ridge family would “give back” to their community through at least fifty acts of helping to meet needs in Lorain County.
This initiative was a way for program participants to engage in valued and valuable activity in the community, and to thank the community for its ongoing support of the lifelong services received by thousands of Lorain County residents with developmental disabilities.
Chelsie Jenkins, John Armstrong, and Mark Wright at Graces Kitchen.
In 2017, Murray Ridge program participants far surpassed the initial goal of 50 by completing an astounding 214 Acts of Giving Back! Needless to say, the “50 Acts of Giving Back” program was an overwhelming success.
Because of this success, program participants and staff decided to continue with the program and simply renamed it “Acts of Giving Back”.
Doreen Alaksa from OOVC volunteering at Oberlin Community Cares Food Pantry
Acts of Giving Back by Year Since 2017:
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- 2017 – 214
- 2018 – 205
- 2019 – 246
- 2020 – 47
- (1/1/20 – 3/12/20)
- 2021 – 43
- (8/26/21 – 11/12/21)
- 2022 – 149 as of 11/30/22
- Total – 904
In the years since, Murray Ridge has partnered with many different organizations in Lorain County, helping those we serve give back in a wide variety of ways.
Matthew Schoerverth, participant at EOVC volunteering at the FAPL
For example, we’ve volunteered at a local organization called Good Knights, which builds and delivers beds and bedding to children in need throughout the county. There, our program participants have packaged hardware, sanded boards, assembled beds, and helped clean the woodshop.
Additionally, EOVC attendees volunteer every year at the Elyria Public Library’s annual book sale, packaging the sold books and helping take them to the buyers’ cars.
These are just two examples of organizations we’ve partnered with over the years, and you can see even more examples on our Facebook page.
Here’s to many more years of Giving Back!