Four receive impact awards

By Jon Moffett

The ceremony honored those who help fight addiction.

CANFIELD — Peggy Henning was teary-eyed when she spoke about the award she’d received.

Not because of what she was receiving, but because of who nominated her.

“I’m here to accept an award because my daughter nominated me for working with her through her addiction last year,” Henning said.

Henning received the Behind the Faces of Recovery award during the fourth annual Valley Impact Awards on Tuesday.

The ceremony was put on by Meridian Services, a behavioral health-care organization that deals with addiction. The event was at Avion on the Water in Canfield.

Former Ohio State quarterback Art Schlichter was the guest of honor and keynote speaker for the event. Schlichter was imprisoned for almost 10 years for a gambling addiction.

Larry Moliterno, the chief executive officer of Meridian, said the ceremony was a way for the organization to thank those who offer support.

“What we do is we try to recognize individuals and organizations that help us raise awareness for addiction,” Moliterno said.

Henning received her award for her role in helping her daughter overcome a 13-year addiction to drugs and alcohol. She was one of four award recipients. Other recipients were Sam Boak, president of Boak and Sons construction company; Judge John Durkin of Mahoning County Court of Common Pleas Court; and Jerry Burnett, facilities manager of Meridian.

Boak received his award for his partnership with Meridian for his employees. Boak said as an employer, it’s beneficial to have a relationship with an organization such as Meridian.

“They [Meridian] are shepherds out there,” Boak said. “My job is to take the herd to a certain point, but when one of my sheep goes astray, I know I have a backup system. They come in and they help that sheep get back in the herd where it should be.”

Judge Durkin said he accepted the award on behalf of everyone in the Mahoning County Drug Court.

“It’s a team effort,” the judge said. “I’ve got a tremendous amount of people on my drug court team, and without every one of them, I’m certain I would not be standing here tonight.”

Burnett was given an award for his work in keeping the Meridian facilities up to a high standard, Moliterno said.

“Every year we want to recognize our employees and the things they do,” Moliterno said. “One of the things that Jerry [Burnett] has done for us as an organization is he has taken a whole new look at how we control our facilities. ... We have to make sure we respect the dignity of all our clients because they should have a place like home to aid them in their recovery, and he [Burnett] helps us with that.”

SEE ALSO: Award winners.

jmoffett@vindy.com