2022 NPD Honorees

Leonard J. “Lenny” Fisher was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York and started at an early age in the food business, working side by side with his grandparents in a family-owned luncheonette in Brooklyn. He moved to Youngstown in 1975 to open the Yellow Submarine Sub Shop. He ventured into a few other businesses until he was introduced to Handel’s Ice Cream and its founder Alice Handel in 1984. The two became fast friends and he purchased Handel’s from her in 1985.

Lenny’s generosity is second nature, and he views philanthropy as simply the right thing to do. In 2021 and 2022, Lenny participated as both a Shark and sponsor of the Youngstown Business Incubator’s annual Shark Tank. After making a major gift in 2021, YBI honored Lenny by naming a space in its Tech Block Building 5 the Leonard J. Fisher Family Foundation Executive Conference Room. Partnering with YBI client company Fitz Frames, Lenny has contributed to Sight for All United to provide eyeglasses for local students.

In 2021, Lenny made a major gift to support the expansion of Akron Children’s Hospital’s Mahoning Valley Emergency Department. Lenny’s support has included the Vision for our Valley’s Children Campaign Fund, the Pediatric Cardiology Fund, the Mahoning Valley Fund, and the Koins 4 Kids Campaign.

As a Vietnam War veteran, Lenny has honored fellow veterans with the Let Us Serve You! event, which provides free ice cream to military personnel. Assisting fellow veterans further, Lenny has made major gifts to the Freedom Warriors Charitable Fund to provide resources for veterans from the Mahoning and Shenango Valleys.

In 2022, Lenny made a major gift to Youngstown State University’s McDonough Museum. In recognition of the gift, the museum’s main gallery balcony was named the Leonard J. Fisher Family Balcony. In addition, Lenny has been a loyal donor to Heritage Manor, a rehabilitation and retirement community with adult day services operated by the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation.

In his spare time, Lenny enjoys cooking, baking, and of course making homemade ice cream. His biggest joy is creating new flavors and recently created the new Lenny’s PB&J ice cream bars. Lenny is proud to call Youngstown home and owes the success of Handel’s to their many fans both in the Mahoning and Shenango Valleys and around the country.

A family company since 1978, Crowe’s Cabinets is the premier custom casework and cabinet maker for commercial and residential projects in the Greater Youngstown area and throughout Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and beyond.  With the vision of our designers, the skill of our builders, and the abilities of our facility and technology, at Crowe’s Cabinets, we sincerely say, if you can dream it, we can build it.

Crowe’s Cabinets has a longstanding legacy of support and service to the community that started with company Founder Paul Crowe and wife, Robbie, and continues with son, Tim Crowe, who now serves as president and co-owner with wife, Diane. Both Tim and Diane firmly believe in making the community they live and work in a better place – and they’ve encouraged and fostered this attitude among their employees, who regularly participate in supporting philanthropic efforts.

A past president and active member of the Poland Rotary Club, Tim – often with Diane, son, Liam, and daughter, Lucy – regularly gives of time, talent and resources – both personally and through the family business – to support the Club’s many community projects and fundraising efforts, such as the annual Chili Open, Night at the Races, Fall Golf Outing, Fly the Flag program, Poland Rotary Memorial Park and Operation Warm. Previously, Tim followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather by serving for eight years as an active member of the Hubbard Rotary Club.

Some of the numerous organizations that have benefited from the generous support, in-kind donations and volunteer efforts of Crowe’s Cabinets are Mercy Health Foundation, Hospice of the Valley, Northeast Ohio Adoption Services, Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley Radiothon, Oh WOW!, DSAV Buddy Walk Golf Outing, Mahoning Valley Irish Festival, Local Greater Trail Council –Scouts, Poland Polar Express, Bella Women’s Center and many more.

Barbara Brothers, born in Youngstown (1937), graduated from Austintown Fitch High School (1955), Youngstown University (B.A., 1958), Western Reserve University (M.A., 1962) and Kent State University (Ph.D., 1973). She began teaching at Youngstown University in 1960 and joined the full-service faculty in 1967. She served as chairperson of the English Department (1974-1993), Acting Graduate Dean and Dean of the College of Arts and Science (1993-2001) and received a 2015 YSU Heritage Award.

Community values have informed her professional career and her volunteer service. She was named a 1975 Outstanding Educator of America “in recognition of contributions to the advancement of higher education and service to community.” As Dean of Arts and Sciences she secured numerous grants, including a $2.5 million Teacher Enhancement Preparation Grant. At the state and national levels, she provided leadership to the College English Association of Ohio, the Ohio Humanities Council, the national College English Association, the Association of Departments of English, the Modern Language Association, the State Library Board, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. 

Dr. Brothers has served the community through participation and leadership in numerous organizations—the League of Women Voters of Greater Youngstown, YWCA Capital Campaign, Youngstown Symphony Board, Park Vista Board, Youngstown Chapter of AAUW, Academic Distress Commission, and the Citizens’ League of Greater Youngstown. She and her deceased husband Lawrence Haims have made substantial gifts to the capital campaigns of Fellows Gardens, Powers Auditorium, Butler Museum of American Art, SMARTS, the Youngstown State University Foundation, YWCA, and Stambaugh Auditorium Facilities Renovation. 

Currently she serves on the boards of the YWCA of Mahoning Valley, the League of Women Voters of Greater Youngstown, AAUW Youngstown, WYSU-FM, Youngstown Rotary, and the Stambaugh Auditorium Development Committee. She is also a volunteer with the Senior Support Action Group and Retired & Senior Volunteer Program. 

The mother of two children, Mark and Jill Brothers, and two stepchildren, Emily Ludwig and Marla Haims Cohen, and has 10 grandchildren and one great grandchild.

Third Source Committee of Holy Family Parish, in Poland, Ohio was founded in 1992 to be a third source of income for the parish behind the weekly offertory collection and Holy Family Elementary School tuition.  The group’s mission is to raise funds for various Holy Family Parish events and projects and to financially contribute to parish requests/petitions for assistance, under the direction of the Pastor of Holy Family Parish; and to promote good fellowship among parishioners and the community of Poland.  Since it’s founding, the group of volunteer fundraisers has raised and donated nearly $700,000 to parish and community projects.

Besides it’s efforts to benefit Holy Family Parish, Third Source has generously supported the greater Mahoning Valley community and beyond through volunteering and fundraising for Habitat for Humanity, Poland Rotary Club, Dorothy Day House of Hospitality, St. Vincent de Paul soup kitchen and food pantry, Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and most recently sent funds to aid Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia. 

In life, as well as in death, Jeanne Deibel Tyler was a philanthropic force in the Mahoning Valley. 

Jeanne was active in Junior League of Youngstown, Youngstown Area Community Chest and was on the board of Planned Parenthood Association of Youngstown. She was a long-time board member of Visiting Nurses Association of Youngstown and Paisley House for Women. Jeanne served the Youngstown Hospital Association and its successor for years, including a term as president of its Women’s Board. In 2002 she was honored by Western Reserve Health Care as an “Outstanding Trustee”. In 2003, Jeanne was chair of the Red and White Ball sponsored by the Mahoning chapter of American Red Cross.

Jeanne’s devotion to public service continued during her later years as a board member of Stambaugh Auditorium. She served on the board of the Hine Memorial Foundation, Ruth Beecher Foundation, and Friends of Fellows Riverside Gardens. Jeanne also served as president of the Garden Club of Youngstown, the Tourist Club, the Monday Book Review Club and the Women’s Golf Association at Youngstown Country Club.

Jeanne was passionate about preserving local history, and was a long time board member of Mahoning Valley Historical Society, serving twelve years as board president. Her commitment to local history resulted in her making the lead gift to name Tyler Mahoning Valley History Center in downtown Youngstown. Over the years, she continued to contribute to MVHS. When there was a need to be filled, Jeanne did so with enthusiasm.

Upon Jeanne’s passing on September 4, 2019, her desire to ensure that local history was preserved and celebrated led to her make her ultimate gift. Knowing that a gift to MVHS would benefit the entire community that she served for so many years, Jeanne stipulated in her will that $1 million would go to MVHS immediately. In August of 2022, MVHS received the balance of the estate in the amount of $1,045,000, bringing her total giving to almost $3 million.

Founded in 1999, ACTION (Alliance for Congregational Transformation Influencing Our Neighborhoods) is a Gamaliel Network affiliate grounded in faith and values seeking to create just and equitable communities for every resident in the greater Mahoning Valley. By training leaders and building a strong grassroots collaboration, ACTION can address the issues that create barriers to justice. Clergy from multiple denominations in the Valley laid the groundwork for this model of community organizing. There was and continues to be a desire to listen to the needs of residents and include their voice in policy decisions that impact their lives. ACTION’s mission continues today. 

Guided by their faith traditions, shared values, and multicultural collaboration, they strive to develop a community of diverse leaders committed to raising awareness and seeking solutions to overcome poverty, racism, and social injustice. Over the years ACTION hosted public meetings with several thousand people holding elected officials accountable, collected 5,000 signatures to establish the Eastern Gateway Community College, hosted Holy Ground Marches to call attention to blight, and worked to have abandoned houses demolished.  ACTION successfully addressed an out-of-state predatory land contract management company preying on area residents and launched a Mobile Market Initiative this past May to address food insecurity in the Mahoning Valley. 

ACTION’s membership includes 30 congregations and organizations committed to uplifting every life in this valley. ACTION continues to grow and to advocate for justice.