Local

Mahoning County deputy sheriff named inspirational person of the year

By Kelcey Norris Mahoning Matters

January 2, 2024 4:14 PM

Michael Wilson has been voted as the 2023 recipient of the Spanning the Need Inspirational Person of the Year award.

Every week, Mahoning Matters is highlighting good news happening in the region.

This week, we’ve chosen three sources of good news in Mahoning County to brighten your day, highlighting hardworking individuals and athletes in the community.

Have some good news to share? Send an email to news@mahoningmatters.com

Mahoning County deputy sheriff named inspirational person of the year

Michael Wilson has been voted as the 2023 recipient of the Spanning the Need Inspirational Person of the Year award.

Wilson is the deputy sheriff of the Mahoning County and has served the community for over two decades.

Wilson was chosen out of twenty-four individuals from the community for the award. The voting was open for two weeks at the beginning of December, with community members voting up to 10 times daily.

When he’s out of the sheriff’s uniform, Wilson showcases his creative side as an award-winning cosplayer, bringing fictional characters and superheroes to life.

He also works closely with charity organizations as a sponsor and has partnered with over 200 organizations worldwide to raise money and increase awareness.

“I hope that in whatever way I do good, it inspires others to do good in their own way,” said Wilson. “A part of me also wants to leave

my mark. It’s easy to coast and not get involved, and honestly, there’s nothing wrong with that, but for me, I want to try and be the change, no matter how small the impact is.”

You can nominate someone to be 2024’s Inspirational Person of the Week online.

5 athletes join YSU Hall of Fame

The Youngstown State Department of Intercollegiate Athletics will induct five outstanding individuals into the YSU Athletics Hall of Fame in February.

Here’s the 2023 class of athletes who will be indicucted into the Hall of Fame:

Brandi Brown, women’s basketball
Drew Dosch, baseball,
Damian Eargle, men’s basketball
Kurt Hess, football
Vicky Rumph, softball

The ceremony is set for 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 10 in the Chestnut Room at the Kilcawley Center.

Tickets are available by contacting Austin Snodgrass at arsnodgrass@ysu.edu.

The inductees will be announced at halftime of the YSU men’s basketball game against Green Bay at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 10 at Beeghly Center.

YSU women’s baskeyball player Brandi Brown will be inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame at YSU on Feb. 10. YSU Athletics

Sara Wilschek joins board for National Association for Temple Administration

Sarah Wilschek is the executive director of Congregation Ohev Beth Sholom in Youngstown.

She has been appointed as one of two new newly appointed members of the National Association for Temple Administration’s board of directors,

She was appointed during the annual conference held this December in Charlotte, N.C.

“NATA is an incredible organization- connecting the religious, Jewish world’s administrative leadership through learning, professional development, and networking,” said Wilschek. “It is an honor to be identified as a leader in the field, and help focus on the future of synagogue administration.”

NATA provides resources like webinars, conferences, mentorship programs and networking tools to support its members.

Wilschek has been at Congregation Ohev Beth Sholom and an active member of NATA since 2019.

She’s overseen the merger between Congregation Rodef Sholom and Ohev Tzedek-Shaarei Torah and worked to modernize the facility.