Community Action Agency of Columbiana County CEO Thomas E. Andrews prepares for the nonprofit’s 60th anniversary, which will be celebrated from 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday in the circle in front of the administrative office, 7880 Lincole Place, Lisbon, with presentations beginning at 1:30. The administrative office will be dedicated as the Carol F. Bretz Center to honor former longtime CAACC Executive Director Carol F. Bretz, who passed away in 2023. (Photo by Mary Ann Greier)

LISBON — A promise made in 1965 to change lives, help people and improve communities remains a promise kept by the Community Action Agency of Columbiana County as the nonprofit marks 60 years of service to residents.

“We all believe in and practice the promise — it’s critical to what we do,” CAACC CEO Thomas E. Andrews said during a recent interview.

The agency will celebrate its 60th anniversary from 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday at the circle in front of the administrative office, 7880 Lincole Place, Lisbon by showcasing the four vehicles for delivering help to the community: Early Childhood Development through Head Start and Early Head Start; Community Services; Health, Behavioral Health and Dental Centers; and the Community Action Rural Transit System known as CARTS.

Actual vehicles representing those four areas will be on display for the public to see, including a CARTS bus, a Head Start school bus, the mobile unit for the Health, Behavioral Health and Dental Centers and a weatherization truck. There will be tours of the health and dental centers and the Head Start classroom and food will be served.

At 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, presentations will begin with proclamations by elected officials, service awards to volunteers and the dedication of the CAACC administrative office as the Carol F. Bretz Center to honor former longtime CAACC Executive Director Carol F. Bretz, who passed away in 2023. Bretz worked at the agency for 39 years, serving as executive director for 26 of those years before retiring in 2015.

“We’re honoring her as our visionary for what the agency has become,” Andrews said.

He credited Carol for many of the services available now, such as the Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), CARTS and the expansion of the community services based on her passion.

“I see Carol as CAACC’s architect for what we have become today. Without her vision and tenacity, we wouldn’t be in the shape that we are,” he said.

Since July 9, 1965 when CAACC was designated as a 501 (c)(3) private nonprofit organization and was one of the first to offer Head Start, the agency has grown to 330 employees, an annual budget of $27 million, with four different departments offering 100 different programs and serving 15,000 individuals annually.

A copy of the promise hangs on the wall in the conference room of the CAACC administrative office and says: “Community Action changes people’s lives, embodies the spirit of hope, improves communities, and makes America a better place to live. We care about the entire community, and we are dedicated to helping people help themselves and each other.”

Also on the wall are framed copies of the mission “to strengthen the community, foster well-being, and promote self-sufficiency,” the vision “to be the premier service provider and workplace positively impacting people’s lives,” and the values that spell out TAKE ACTION (Teamwork, Accountability, Knowledge Resource, Ethics, Advocacy, Collaboration, Transparency, Inclusion, Opportunity, Needs-Based.) Each department has its own mission, with those also posted on the wall.

“The promise goes back to the roots of who we are,” Andrews said.

Those roots go back to the Economic Development Act of 1964 established through Lyndon B. Johnson’s Presidency assigning Sargent Shriver who founded the establishment of Community Action Agencies to address local concerns affecting low-income as well as Head Start, the Job Corps, VISTA and Upward Bound and other programs.

Andrews said Shriver was known as the architect of Community Action, noting that “as Sarge said, not a handout, but a hand up.”

He commented that Community Action Agencies are always here and focus on low and medium income individuals and households and the mission “to strengthen the community, to foster well-being and promote self-sufficiency.”

The CAACC is one of 48 CAAs that serve the 88 counties of Ohio, with more than 1,000 CAAs serving communities across the country with that same focus. All are unique regarding the geographic area and services they provide

For Early Childhood Development Department, the CAACC offers both Head Start for 3, 4 and 5-year olds and Early Head Start for children 3 months up to 3 years old, overseeing five Head Start centers in Columbiana County in Salem, Lisbon, Columbiana, Salineville and East Palestine and two in Jefferson County in Steubenville. Early Head Start has six classrooms, with two each in East Liverpool, Salem and Steubenville. Besides the educational aspect, early childhood development services focus on health and well-being with screenings for speech, vision, hearing, developmental and social/emotional, health and mental health and dental practices, nutritious meals and snacks and family engagement and support. In 2024, 610 children were served, with 523 in Head Start and plus 37 in Early Head Start, 153,197 meals were provided, 300 children received additional therapy services and 244 children transitioned to kindergarten for fall 2024.

The Transportation Department, provides contracted transportation and rural public transit system which provides door-to-door service, shuttle service and mobility management to all Columbiana County residents and visitors, regardless of age or income, offering discounted rates to riders 65 and older and those with disabilities. In 2024, 65,862 rides were provided, with 16 passengers per revenue hour and 885,502 miles traveled. There were 14,578 passenger trips for elderly and disabled residents. The agency operates 37 CARTS vehicles 16 Head Start buses and two service vehicles.

Andrews said CAACC operates one of 60 Federally Qualified Health Centers in Ohio, 1600 across the nation, but one of only 12 in a Community Action Agency. The Health, Behavioral Health and Dental Centers Department offers medical, women services, behavioral health, medication assisted treatment, dental and pharmacy services. In 2024, 10,440 patients were served, 2,901 uninsured patients were served and 4,635 prescriptions were filled. Some of the patients included 61 veterans and 68 homeless individuals. Of the 40,897 visits, 18,154 were medical, 15,191 were behavioral and 7,552 were dental. There are locations in East Liverpool, Salem, Lisbon and Salineville, with private insurance, Medicare and Medicaid all accepted and a sliding fee scale based each patient’s income and family size, with services provided regardless of ability to pay. The first pharmacy strictly for patients opened in 2021 in Calcutta, with a second one opening soon in Lisbon. Andrews said he would love to see more expansion with the health centers.

Under the umbrella of Community Services Department, CAACC offers: community support programs such as the food pantry, emergency services, home repairs, Project Pride Loan Program, Salvation Army-Lisbon unit and Veteran Stand Down; asset building programs such as Buy My Car and Small Business Development; utility assistance programs such as Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) and percentage of income payment plan; homeless prevention programs such as rental assistance, emergency homeless shelter, youth homeless services and supportive services for veteran families; and energy conservation programs such as the Home Weatherization Assistance Program and energy conservation.

Some of the 2024 numbers for community services included 4,674 households served at the food pantry, 95 individuals at the emergency shelter, 344 energy consumption audits performed, 249 households received energy conservation kits, 90 homes were weatherized, and 48 young adults ages 18 to 24 experiencing homelessness were assisted.

Andrews was first involved in CAA in Pennsylvania and became the leader of CAACC in 2016 after Carol retired.

“This is clearly a passion. I care about what we do. I care about the services we provide,” he said.

The agency has clients and patients and he calls them customers.

“We’re here to serve them with dignity, respect and professionalism at all times and help them through their journey,” he said.

The agency utilizes government grant funding providing services and supports which are overseen by a 16-member volunteer board made up of elected officials or designees, customers and representatives of private entities. He said he’s honored to be the CEO and takes the job seriously. He’s proud of the people who work for CAACC and the work they all do.

“I can’t say enough about our staff and volunteers. I’m very blessed,” he said.

To learn more about CAACC, visit caaofcc.org.

mgreier@mojonews.com