Awards program celebrates those who go above and beyond in service to others
NELSONVILLE, Ohio – Meigs County resident Stephanie Rife is one of four Appalachian Ohioans selected as 2025 Jenco Award recipients, honoring their selfless commitment to serving others and their communities.
Presented by the Jenco Foundation in partnership with the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio (FAO), the Jenco Awards celebrate individuals across the 32-county region who have performed noteworthy community service outside their paid positions. Jenco Award recipients exemplify the difference everyday people can make when they give their time, talent and passion to serve their neighbors and communities.
“Each of these individuals embodies the spirit of servant leadership,” said Sharon Hatfield, Jenco Foundation committee member. “Their unwavering dedication to the well-being of others is strengthening our communities and calling others to lives of kindness and purpose.”
A resident of Middleport, Rife is a steadfast champion for Meigs County, finding and creating opportunities to make it a more vibrant place to live, work and visit.
In 2019, Rife founded the now-nationally recognized Meigs County Farmers’ Market, building a community dedicated to strengthening the local economy, improving access to healthy food and social services, and uplifting businesses, artists and culture. For the past two years, the market has been voted Ohio’s No. 1 farmers’ market in the annual America’s Farmers Market Celebration™, and it earned second place in the national contest in 2023. After years of managing the market, Rife continues to serve on its board and as its secretary.
Rife also serves as president of the Pomeroy Merchants Association, helping to sustain and celebrate the economic and cultural heart of the community by organizing downtown events, mentoring new entrepreneurs and more.
At the Mulberry Community Center, Rife volunteers her time writing grants, serving meals and quietly serving those in need of support, sustenance or simply someone who sees them. As a leader for the Racine United Methodist Church youth group, she recently guided local youth in a project they developed to help individuals experiencing homelessness and others who use the Mulberry Community Center’s showering and laundry facility. With her guidance, the youth provided hygiene items and detergent for the facility and decorated 100 meal tickets with encouraging messages for those who come to the center for free meals.
The Jenco Foundation and the Jenco Awards uphold the legacy of Father Lawrence Martin Jenco, a Roman Catholic priest who dedicated his life to serving others. In 1985, Father Jenco was kidnapped while serving as director of Catholic Relief Services in Lebanon and spent 19 months in captivity. Even in confinement, Father Jenco continued to serve, providing a listening ear for other detainees, including journalist Terry Anderson.
Anderson, who passed away in 2024, founded the Jenco Foundation in 2001 to honor the legacy of his friend, who died in 1996. The Jenco Foundation joined FAO as an endowment in 2011, ensuring that Father Jenco’s legacy would live on in perpetuity. Since 2002, Jenco Awards have been presented to more than 90 individuals who, like Father Jenco, give of themselves and inspire others to serve their communities.
All Jenco Award recipients are nominated by their fellow community members. The other 2025 Jenco Award recipients are Amanda Cleary of Lawrence County, Amy Hursey of Muskingum County and Shannon Stewart of Athens County.
For more information about the Jenco Foundation, the Jenco Awards, FAO and how you can make a difference in your community, visit www.AppalachianOhio.org, email info@ffao.org or call 740.753.1111.