Sacred Ground grows its board, welcoming 3 new members

Sacred Ground grows its board, welcoming 3 new members
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Linsey Keim playing Uno with Sacred Heart instructor Martha Yoder. Developing one-on-one time is a meaningful part of each day at Sacred Ground.

                        

Several months ago Sacred Ground made a splash in the community by creating educational and growth opportunities for individuals with learning and physical disabilities by presenting day programs for area families in Holmes County.

With its facility at Grace Church in Berlin, Sacred Ground made an immediate impact, so much so that it quickly realized an opportunity to bring on three new board members.

Recently, Executive Director Griffin Long announced the addition of Rhoda Mast, Ivan Keim and Rick Rottman to the Sacred Ground board.

“The addition of these three board members is a huge positive for us because of the incredible knowledge and experience each brings to the board,” Long said. “Our first step was getting up and running, and we’ve seen success. It’s been fulfilling to make a difference in providing what the community wanted. It made sense to bring in new voices to represent the people we are serving so we can provide even better quality service.”

Mast has served as principal at the Holmes County Board of Developmental Disabilities for the past several years, and prior to that, she was a longtime principal at Mt. Eaton Elementary.

Long said Mast has a wealth of educational knowledge that will definitely benefit Sacred Ground as it moves forward, noting Mast has already been extremely involved with helping develop its curriculum.

After recently retiring from the HCBDD, Mast said she wanted to find something that would fulfill and challenge her in her next phase of life. She found it in Sacred Ground.

“I was praying something would reveal itself, and I got this invitation from Griffin, and I felt it was a blessing to be able to use my gifts and experiences, and Sacred Ground’s services align with what I believe is good for the community,” Mast said.

Keim is an Amish minister who has helped develop Special Hearts, and Long said he brings with him a connection to the Amish community that will enhance Sacred Ground’s ability to develop a relationship with that population.

Special Hearts’ participants have been coming to Sacred Ground every other day, and Long said finding ways to grow that relationship is important.

His conversations with Long about integrating what each of their organizations provides to the Amish community was at the heart of bringing him on board.

“My goal is to bridge the gap between what we offer at Special Hearts and what Sacred Ground provides and see those complement each other,” Keim said. “There is a nice blend of vocational and social building taking place between the two entities, and I see a great deal of potential there.”

Long agreed, stating Sacred Ground has already made many connections in the Amish community. “We have Amish participants who come here, and Ivan is going to be helpful in spreading the word in the plain community in ways that we couldn’t before,” he said.

He went on to note Rottman has lived a life filled with public service and has always exhibited a heart for serving others, saying Rottman has been extremely active in Holmes County and has been helping engage community businesses to gain financial support and helping the board think outside the box about ways it can be active in the community.

“Even though I haven’t had any specific training or experience with this type of program, I think they will find a niche where they can use me, and I’m excited about that,” Rottman said. “The mission is so wonderful. You listen to Griffin talk and see the joy. That is what makes this program grow, and as a board that excites us. I believe we are riding the first wave of growth for Sacred Ground because we are meeting a need in the community that we can develop and help others succeed.”

The three new board members join current board members Brad Vincent, Marlin Miller, Matt Troyer, Michelle Mishler and Long, and Long said building the board from five to eight is only going to provide opportunities for growth and service for Sacred Ground.

“Now that we have our program up and running, we have seen a growing demand that this is something the community values, and as we grow, we felt it would be important for our board to reflect where we’re at,” Long said. “We’ve hit that next level, and it made sense to widen the table.”

Vincent, the board president, said seeing the growth and impact Sacred Ground has made is exciting, and bringing on the three new board members is the next step toward growth.

“We are people of like mind who are headed in the same direction,” Vincent said. “We have a board where everyone can bring their specific discipline to the table. Together, we have created a board with unique gifts that should help Sacred Ground grow.”

Mast said the uniqueness of Sacred Ground is its future, and it provides an additional avenue for families with members who are developmentally disabled to blossom, something that is at the heart of each of the board members’ vision.

For more information on Sacred Ground, visit www.thesacredground.org.


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