First Posted: 3/16/2015
LIMA — After growing up with a family that values community service, Randy Kohli is able to recognize the desire to give in others.
Randy Kohli, a 2015 Jefferson Award for Public Service winner, began a group allowing special-needs individuals to do community service about 15 years ago.
The group, called Venture Crew, is an off-shoot of the local Boy Scouts and came about when Kohli, who has worked for the Lima Police Department for more than 30 years, met a young man named Seth about 15 years ago.
“He had special needs and Scouting wasn’t addressing that,” Kohli said.
The group started with Seth and about four or five other people and now the group includes about 50 people from ages 10 to 68 who meet twice a month and do community service projects.
“They have so much to give and they want to give community service,” Kohli said.
Kohli’s creation is the only one of its kind, that he’s aware of, in the nation.
“We need to do more of this,” he said.
Linda Meyer, of Wapakoneta, nominated Kohli for the Jefferson Award, which recognized eight local winners for their volunteerism in the community.
Each Jefferson Award winner gets $350 for their organization. The awards are sponsored by Husky Lima Refinery, The Lima News, Your Hometown Stations and the United Way of Greater Lima. One local winner will be selected March 31 to attend the national awards ceremony in Washington.
“I think it’s amazing he learned to work with” people with disabilities, Meyer said of Kohli, who she’s worked with through Boy Scouts for several years. “Not everybody can do that.”
In addition to creating and running the Venture Crew, Kohli volunteers his time to take care of the building and grounds at the Fraternal Order of Police lodge; disposes of flags; work with the Westside United Methodist Church and more, Meyer said.
Kohli also helped get the scout shop built in Lima on West Robb Avenue, Meyer said.
“I think he’s done so much for his community,” she said. “I just thought it was always amazing that he worked a full-time job and gave so much of himself.”
Kohli doesn’t watch much television, and said that “each day is a day. I get up and I decide, here’s where we’re going” with today, and that’s how he fits it all in.
“It shouldn’t always be about take,” he said. “I think the thing you want to tell people is it’s time to give back. Give back to where your roots come from.”
