Village Network inducts trio into HOF

Village Network inducts trio into HOF
Submitted

Michael S. Reardon

                        

The Village Network, which since 1946 has been a leader in caring for at-risk youth and their families in Ohio and West Virginia, inducted three people in its Hall of Fame in an induction celebration held Dec. 5 on its campus in Wooster.

K. William Bailey, Michael S. Reardon and Roger Shooter were inducted as the seventh class for their support, contributions and commitment to The Village Network’s mission to build brighter futures for youth and families.

Bailey began his professional relationship with The Village Network in 1968 when he began working as a probation officer at the Wayne County Juvenile Court. Little did he know then that he would continue to be a part of The Village Network story for the next 50 years.

Initially Bailey would make referrals for placement at the Wooster Residential Campus, visit boys under his care and meet with social workers. Then in 1974 he became the court’s referee (now called magistrate), and his frequent contact with the administration and line staff continued as he heard cases for the next 16 years. In 1990 he was elected as judge of the Juvenile Court. As judge he was an advocate to develop the Day Treatment Program, collaborated with the executives, and continued to advocate for and partner with The Village Network until he retired for health reasons in 2002.

The next year, after his recovery, Bailey was invited to join the board of trustees, and he served in various ways until 2018. During his tenure he served as secretary, vice chair and chair of the board, as well as chair of the program committee for many years. He was a member of the by-laws committee, which proposed term limits for board members, and was the first emeritus member of the board to be elected to serve after retiring from the board.

Bailey also served on the committee that recommended the change of name to The Village Network and was a member of the board when part of the farmland south of Back Orrville Road was sold. He was still on the board when the land, as well as the headquarters building that had been reconstructed, was repurchased.

Reardon moved to Wooster in 1974. Since the late 1980s, he and wife Stephanie have supported The Village Network through event sponsorships, facility improvements and financial support. They were part of the capital campaign to build the Gault Youth & Family Enrichment Center on the Wooster Residential Campus in 2004 and became a community investor with The Village Network in 2007. They were instrumental in developing the Welker Smucker Culinary Arts Center through renovations of an old service building in 2015.

Recently the Reardons supported the building of Ohio’s first Therapeutic Stabilization Center, which provides intensive, short-term care for youth experiencing a severe crisis.

Shooter played an instrumental role in expanding The Village Network’s programming and services in Mount Vernon. As the director of the Knox County Department of Job & Family Services, he was a driving force in partnering with The Village Network to open the Children’s Resource Center in Mount Vernon.


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