By Kerry Rahm
krahm@wbcowqel.com
Guest speaker Attorney General Mike DeWine addressed a crowd of over 150 people who came together in faith and prayer to turn lunch hour into a reflective and spiritual community event.
Bucyrus Mayor Jeff Reser welcomed guests, clergy members and the Bucyrus Outreach and Restoration Network (BORN) on Wednesday at the Holy Trinity Cafeteria. BORN was the recipient of the proceeds from last year’s inaugural prayer luncheon, and will again benefit from this year’s turnout.
Reser, introducing DeWine, recalled how he first met him years ago when DeWine was a senator. Back then Reser was struck by how “kind-hearted” he was. “He was a good listener,” said Reser.
Taking the podium, DeWine described his position simply as “A lawyer for the state of Ohio… I run a big law firm,” he said. The Attorney General’s office is also in charge of identifying consumer fraud and manages the state’s crime labs.
DeWine then spoke at length about the “scourge” of drug addiction and cited the recent murders in Pike County as an example of how devastating and troubling the problem has become. “It is a very different epidemic,” he said, “More than anything I have ever seen, one that cuts across all economic groups.”
He explained that there has been a cultural shift concerning heroin in particular. Where fear used to be, now, because of its pervasiveness, heroin is seen as just another drug. That fear, “that barrier is gone,” he said.
“These drug cartels have the perfect business model- I call it almost like a pizza delivery system,” he said. Easy access has contributed to rampant addiction, as cartels readily exploit addicts with help from their cheap and abundant supply. Unfortunately, this scenario now occurs as frequently in rural areas as in suburbs or larger cities.
“A faith based community is part of the solution,” he said.
DeWine was visibly saddened when speaking of his daughter, Becky, who was killed in a car accident in 1993. Her death reminds him of the precious little time we have in life, and “How we are judged by how we take advantage of opportunities… there is a sense of urgency to everything we do… We try to do the things we know aren’t going to get done.”
Reser also introduced Eliza Cole, the Director of Operations at BORN. Cole echoed that sense of urgency DeWine spoke of and told the crowd to “make that difference” in their local community. Through BORN’s efforts, the organization has helped over 275 families and housed over 76 people in 2015.
Reser presented DeWine with a small copper kettle as a gift, and generously spoke of DeWine’s character. “He is 90 percent heart and soul, very humble, but a bold leader, innovative, the things that have happened in his life I don’t wish upon anybody, yet he brings goodness, and I’m grateful to be a part of it… [This is] an example of how the bad things in life can be transformative.”
Reser intends to continue the Mayor’s Prayer Luncheon next year, hopefully turning it into an annual event.