Oberlin Community Services kicks off capital campaign

OBERLIN — Oberlin Community Services kicked off its capital campaign March 30.

Twenty years ago, executive director Margie Flood said the organization could’ve never dreamed it would outgrow its thennew building on Professor Street.

But as needs grew in the southern portion of Lorain County, so too did OCS’ need for space.

Ten years ago the group gave out about 100,000 pounds of food a year, she said. Now, it’s more than four times that.

So OCS looked to expand.

The nonprofit purchased the former National Association of College Stores’ building last summer through a $1 million donation from Fran and Roger Cooper — giving the building its new namesake, the Cooper Community Resource Center.

Fran, 93, and Roger, 95, Cooper are residents of Kendal at Oberlin and have lived in the city for more than 50 years. In that time, they’ve welcomed foreign exchange students into the home and donated their time and financial support to crucial community services, Flood said.

Roger Cooper served in the U.S. Navy after World War II and in the mid1960s enlisted in the Air

CARISSA WOYTACH |

The Community Guide

ABOVE: OCS Executive Director Margie Flood takes a swing at a wall of the former NACS building on March 30 during the nonprofit’s campaign kickoff event.

RIGHT: Donors Fran and Roger Cooper hold a plaque commemorating the $1 million donation they made to cover Oberlin Community Services’ purchase of the former NACS building on March 30.

Force, going on to serve in the Ohio Air National Guard. He also had a long career in finance, working for Diamond Alkali, Fenn College, Cleveland State University and Oberlin College. Fran Cooper worked for law and mortgage firms and was an administrative assistant at Oberlin College.

The pair initially didn’t want to be recognized, Flood said, but after some convincing became the namesake for the new community center.

They were presented with a plaque thanking them for their donation during the campaign kickoff Thurs- day.

Renovations will begin in the next couple weeks to transform the first-floor space into a new choice food pantry, Flood said, hoping it will be open by the late summer.

Another anonymous $500,000 donation will fund renovations to what will become the Ann Fuller Great Space, serving as a community room also on the first floor.

After that, work will start on the upstairs offices — eventually slated to become a hub for not only OCS services but also other area nonprofits.

Capital Campaign coChairs Kurt Russell — 2022 National Teacher of the Year — and Diana Roose both noted the importance of OCS’ work in the southern half of Lorain County.

As part of the campaign, Roose announced the $100,000 Jaqui Willis Memorial matching challenge. An anonymous donation will match donations up to $100,000 to help kickstart OCS’ campaign for $400,000.

Connie Ponder also announced a “medicine bottle campaign,” asking supporters to bring their used prescription bottles full of change to the center, as every little bit counts in reaching the nonprofit’s goal.

Checks can be sent to Oberlin Community Services, 285 S. Professor St., Oberlin, OH 44074 or made electronically via PayPal, Venmo and DonorView at oberlincommunity services.org.

OCS hopes to complete its capital campaign by December.