United Way of Midland County is excited to announce the honorees of the 2021 and 2022 Charles J. Strosacker Award – Jennifer Chappel, President and CEO of Midland County Habitat for Humanity and Charlie Schwedler, Executive Director at Senior Services.
The Charles J. Strosacker Award recognizes individuals from a United Way partner agency for their contributions in promoting the well-being of Midland County Residents. Nominees are recognized for their leadership, impact, compassion and innovation. It embodies characteristics celebrated by Charles Strosacker himself: a spirit of leadership within our community, showing compassion for those less fortunate and an innovative spirit.
“It’s truly an honor to recognize Jennifer and Charlie,” shared Holly Miller, President and CEO of United Way of Midland County. “They are true community leaders and have worked tirelessly through the pandemic and historic 500-year flood to ensure the people in our community were well cared for, sustained and kept safe. To say they are deserving of this award and recognition is an understatement. We remain grateful to our friends at the Charles J. Strosacker Foundation for their vision and support of this important award.”
Jennifer Chappel has led the team at Habitat for Humanity for over ten years, working toward their mission to ensure people have safe, decent and affordable housing. Prior to her work with Habitat, she was on the team at American Red Cross.
“The homes may be the visible part of Jennifer’s service, however, it is her authentic support and listening that provides hope for the future,” shared Jenee Velasquez, Executive Director for The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation. “She listens to clients’ stories and partners with experts to provide resources, rally volunteers, raise funds, provide a seat at the table for everyone and so much more to make the experience of becoming a homeowner possible.”
Charlie Schwedler has served as Executive Director at Senior Services for nearly five years, after serving as Superintendent for Bullock Creek Schools for over twenty-three years. His commitment to his organization, his coworkers and the people they serve is visible in everything he does.
The leadership team at Senior Services shared that “Charlie showed tremendous leadership during the pandemic and has held strong when it comes to protecting our employees, participants, volunteers and clients.” They continued to share “as a result of his leadership, over 3,000 older adults obtained lifesaving services through the early vaccination efforts offered through Senior Services.”
Chappel and Schwedler were presented with the Charles J. Strosacker award at a picnic-style lunch event hosted by United Way. Their fellow non-profit leaders joined together to recognize and honor them, with a touching presentation from Bobbie Arnold from the Strosacker Foundation and Holly Miller from United Way.
“Congratulations to Jennifer Chappel and Charlie Schwedler for their dedication and hard-work, especially given the difficulties of the last few years,” shared Bobbie Arnold, President and CEO of the Charles J. Strosacker Foundation. “They exemplify the very best of leadership in our community.”
