Alumnus continues his commitment to Southeast Ohio with COVID-19 fundraiser
For many Athens County businesses, this would typically be their busiest time of the year. With Ohio University forced to transition to remote and online learning through the end of the summer and Bobcat Student Orientation scheduled to take place virtually, local businesses and organizations are facing months without much of the revenue they depend upon. Photo courtesy of Ben Siegel/Ohio University Communications and Marketing
When Zach Reizes, BA ’19, arrived at Ohio University in the fall of 2015, he immersed himself not only in the Athens Campus and community, but in the greater Southeast Ohio region. In getting to know the region’s people, passions and problems, this Northeast Ohio native has become a champion for Southeast Ohio, supporting economic and community development efforts, serving on the boards of local nonprofits and, most recently, spearheading a fundraising campaign to help those impacted by COVID-19 response measures.
Reizes came to OHIO as a Jeanette Grasselli Brown (BS ’50, HON ’78) Cutler Scholar, majoring in global studies with an emphasis on war and peace through the University’s Center for International Studies. Embracing the Cutler Scholars Program’s mission to empower students to advocate for justice and make a difference in their community, Reizes sought out opportunities to become involved on campus and in the greater region.
The recipient of OHIO’s 2018 Rudy Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Student Leadership and the 2019 Outstanding Senior Leader Award, Reizes served on OHIO’s Student Senate, representing the Center for International Studies, and was a member of the President’s Committee for Student Accessibility. He became involved in politics, traveling throughout Appalachian Ohio following the 2016 election cycle, striving to learn about issues of importance in the region by talking with local residents and taking classes focused on the region.
“One of my best friends is from Southeastern Ohio, so we would talk about the disparities that we saw,” Reizes explained. “From inadequate school funding to healthcare or business opportunities in the region, it’s a place where some people aren’t getting a fair shake.”
Reizes channeled his concern into action. After graduating, he went to work as a community development specialist for Hocking-Athens-Perry Community Action (HAPCAP), dedicated to alleviating the effects of poverty in communities throughout these three Southeast Ohio counties. Reizes was hired by the private, non-profit, community-based organization to develop and operate the Athens County Land Bank program, working with the HAPCAP community development team and county officials to administer funding allocated to eliminate blight.
Zach Reizes, BA ’19, poses for a photo with Ohio University President M. Duane Nellis after receiving the Outstanding Senior Leader Award at the 2019 Leadership Awards Gala. Photo courtesy of Ohio University Division of Student Affairs
Today, he serves as assistant treasurer on the Athens-Hocking Recycling Center Board of Directors and works as an associate consultant for Sunday Creek Horizons, LLC, a strategic communication, issue advocacy and business development consulting firm dedicated to amplifying the voice of Appalachian Ohio through partnerships, alliances and coalition building across Ohio.
“I’m very passionate about helping people in the region get the investments that they need, not from extractive industries but from businesses that will last,” Reizes said. “That’s happening more and more. There are pretty amazing people who have been doing this work much longer than I have, and I just try to add to those efforts.”
When the COVID-19 pandemic prompted healthcare experts and government officials to issue stay-at-home orders, Reizes immediately began worrying over the effects those orders would have on local businesses, farmers and community-based organizations.
“I have a lot of close friends who are business owners in Southeastern Ohio, and it became so obvious so quickly that this crisis was going to be devastating to our local economy,” he said. “There are a unique number of factors that make Athens County businesses even more vulnerable.”
For many Athens County businesses, this would typically be their busiest time of the year as the families and friends of Ohio University students flock to Southeast Ohio for everything from Moms Weekend and Commencement to Bobcat Student Orientation (BSO). With the University forced to transition to remote and online learning through the end of the summer and BSO scheduled to take place virtually, local businesses and organizations are facing months without much of the revenue they depend upon.
“Even if we do come back midsummer as a country, their businesses aren’t really coming back until the fall,” Reizes said. “So, our problems here are different, and this thing is going to hit us harder financially than in some places.”
Inspired to help, Reizes reached out to friend and fellow Bobcat Debbie Phillips, BSS ’97, who has spent the past nearly 20 years serving and advocating for the Athens community and Southeast Ohio. A former member of Athens City Council who also served as state representative for Ohio’s 92nd House District, Phillips is now the chief executive officer for Rural Action, a nonprofit working dedicated to building a more just economy in the southeast and central eastern counties of Appalachian Ohio.
Reizes reached out to Phillips about starting an emergency response fundraiser to help local businesses, farmers and community-based organizations impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. Based on its previous work and its ability to accept tax-deductible donations, Reizes asked Phillips if Rural Action would be willing to host the fundraiser.
“Knowing that there were going to be other efforts to aid the local community, we felt like we could use this fundraiser to bridge the gap between the beginning of the closures and the federal and state aid packages being distributed,” Phillips said. “We’re really grateful to Zach for having that idea and responding so quickly.”
Reizes launched the COVID-19 Athens County Response Fund fundraiser on Facebook on March 12. Over the next two weeks, 337 individuals, including many members of the Ohio University community, donated a total of $18,487 to the cause.
According to Phillips, a committee composed of representatives from several area nonprofits are vetting those who have applied for grants made possible because of the fundraiser and determining how those grants will be distributed.
“It’s challenging because people have been very generous, but it isn’t going to nearly match what’s needed,” Phillips said, noting that approximately $9,000 of the money raised has already been distributed, mostly to businesses who applied for the assistance.
“Whether or not a business is going to survive this extended drought is really on a case-by-case basis,” Reizes said. “Businesses that recently opened are going to have fewer financial reserves, but more established businesses aren’t necessarily in a position to survive five or six months without income. No business is really cut out for that.”
In the meantime, Reizes has also been pointing businesses in need of help to other resources, including those available through Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs, which has launched a COVID-19 Business Recovery Resource Center.
Phillips has been impressed, but not surprised, by the Ohio University community’s commitment to the region, especially in the past few weeks.
“We have a strong community here, and the University, of course, is a really important partner on an ongoing basis and even more so now,” Phillips said. “Ohio University’s continued assistance is so vital, and it’s only going to be more important moving forward. Bobcats are so willing to help right now, and I think alumni, in particular, would be proud to see how Bobcats in the community are responding.”
Though the COVID-19 Athens County Response Fund fundraiser has ended on Facebook, anyone wanting to contribute to this effort may mail a donation to Rural Action, 9030 Hocking Hills Drive, The Plains, OH 45780. Putting in additional effort to shop local and donate to small nonprofits in the area are also much appreciated forms of support for the community.