Three OCSEA members were honored for their service to their communities on Saturday. The annual Bob White Labor Gives Back Award recognizes the goodwill of OCSEA members, beyond their public service. The recipients receive an award of $500 for a charity of their choice. 

The first winner was featured in the OCSEA magazine this year for the volunteer work she’s doing to make sure past generations are not forgotten in Southern Ohio. Tammie Dobbins is a member of Chapter 2701 and a Therapeutic Program Worker at the Gallipolis Developmental Center who uses her own money to maintain gravestones that have been forgotten over time, including the final resting places of veterans. 

The second set of winners were Erinn Cottrill and Kate Newman, both members in the Dept. of Rehabilitation and Correction. Earlier this year they organized a basket raffle for at the OCSEA Steward Conference to raise funds for correctional members in need. All the proceeds went to officers recently assaulted at Trumbull Correctional and to the daughter of a member at Chillicothe Correctional who lost her mother to cancer and needed help to go on a trip to Washington DC. They also led a pass-the-hat at the WAC Conference to help a union brother who had undergone a heart transplant. Erinn is a member of Chillicothe Chapter 7120 and Kate belongs to Ross Chapter 7130. Erinn and Kate will you please come forward to receive your award.

The award was named for OCSEA member Bob White who dedicated his life to public service and giving back to his community. Before his passing, White was a Sergeant and Correctional Counselor at Richland Correctional Institution for 25 years. He served at nearly every level of union leadership for Chapter 7021, District 3 and the Corrections Assembly. He was also a tireless volunteer, serving as an umpire and a youth basketball coach. During the holidays he distributed turkeys and sponsored an adopt-a-child program. To honor his spirit of community service, OCSEA established the “Bob White Labor Gives Back” award for members and subordinate bodies that display outstanding achievements in community service and charitable giving.