HE MADE AN IMPACT ON THIS WORLD AND WILL ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED IN OUR HEARTS.
The John T. Shook Community Service Award
The John T. Shook Community Service Award pays tribute to a very special friend and longtime CRS Board member who passed away in 2018. John touched the lives of many people in our community. He was dedicated to community service and he volunteered for many local organizations including CRS. In John’s memory, the CRS Board of Directors established an award in his name, to be given annually to an individual or group that embodies John’s commitment to volunteerism in our local community.
NOMINATIONS ARE NOW OPEN!
CLICK HERE for the 2026 John T. Shook Community Service Award Nomination Form
Nomination Deadline is Wednesday, March 25, 2026.
The award will be presented at the Annual CRS Charity Ball on April 25, 2026.
We were honored to present the 2025 John T. Shook Community Service Award at the Charity Ball on April 5th to Chrissy Schaefer-Yug. Chrissy is a passionate advocate for community service, volunteering for several local organizations, including CRS. As a CRS volunteer, she treats every client with warmth and respect and generously gives her time to many different projects. Most impressive is her work on the Charity Ball committee—she has raised over $40,000 for CRS by organizing the football squares and Louis Vuitton raffles! Chrissy is also committed to instilling the values of service in her three children. Through her example, she is shaping the next generation of socially responsible citizens who value service and kindness. Her tireless efforts have made a lasting impact on our community.
At the Charity Ball on April 20, 2024, we presented the 2024 John T. Shook Community Service Award to Ron Jantz. Ron demonstrates unselfish leadership, dedication, creativity, cooperation, and hard work in his service to others, evident in everything he does! CRS was fortunate to benefit from his talents, as he served as the Master of Ceremonies and auctioneer of the Charity Ball from 2011 – 2023. Over many years, Ron has generously volunteered his time and talent to numerous local organizations, including Leadership Lorain County, the Boys and Girls Club of Lorain County, Christ Evangelical Church, Camp Imagine, Avon Lake Youth Baseball Federation, Avon Lake Booster Club, Avon Lake City Schools, American Cancer Society Life Savers Ball, and many more.
The 2023 John T. Shook Award was presented to Rich and Candy General at the Annual Charity Ball on April 22, 2023. Over many years, Rich and Candy have together and individually volunteered hundreds of hours of their time and talents to bettering the community through their involvement in many local organizations. Many of CRS’s seasonal programs have benefitted from their support such as Santa’s Workshop, Summer Snack Bags, Easter and the CRS food pantry. Rich and Candy also volunteer for the Avon Lake United Church of Christ, Lorain County Habitat for Humanity, Second Harvest, Love Inc., the Haven Center – Neighborhood Alliance, and Empty Bowls by the Lake.
We are proud to announce Mike Kral as the recipient of the 2022 John T. Shook Award. Since 1999 Mike has donated his time and talents to CRS in many different capacities. From CRS board member to webmaster and graphic designer, Mike has volunteered hundreds of hours to our organization and continues to be involved in all creative aspects of our special events. Mike’s unselfish service to so many Avon Lake organizations made him the selection committee’s unanimous choice to receive this award!
The 2021 John T. Shook award was given to the Hooks for Hunger Committee, a group of volunteers who work tirelessly each year to raise funds for CRS through their annual walleye fishing tournament. Since its inception in 2013, this group has donated approximately $140,000 to CRS. This past summer, even though they were unable to hold the event, they instead held the “Fill da Boat” food and funds drive. They collected over $12,000 and 2,100 pounds of food. The Hooks for Hunger Committee: Ed Moran, Joe Reitz, Tony Tomanek, Scott Bruegger, Sean Boutin, Brian Belmont, Tyler Randall, Jim DePaul and Craig Lewis.
The 2020 John Shook Award was given to Pastor Jeffrey Phail of Christian-Heritage Church in Avon for his work with the Summer Lunch Program. In 2017 he recognized an opportunity to help feed students who received free or reduced lunches during the school year, but faced food insecurity during the summer months. The Summer Lunch Program continues to grow each year. During the summer of 2019 they served 4,091 lunches. Pastor Phail organized over 800 volunteers from 8 local churches, the Avon Schools, the Avon Library, The Cleveland Clinic Avon Hospital, and God’s Soldier Ministry.