The Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenter’s I.D.E.A. (Inclusion. Diversity. Equity. Awareness.) Committee faced a challenge. Local community members in Dayton, Ohio were looking for a way to get more involved and wanted to take action to improve their neighborhood.

Unifying the Community

On Thursday, June 24th, 2021 the I.D.E.A. Committee joined together over 111 members of the surrounding neighborhood and workers building the new Five Rivers Medical Center to enjoy a complimentary BBQ lunch and to have an open discussion about the opportunities for growth that the IKORCC would not only give their friends and family but their community as well.

Members of this Dayton neighborhood left feeling empowered and excited for new things to come in their community. The IKORCC and Five Rivers Medical Center, will both continue to take steps towards uniting the community to be stronger together.

“The barbeque overall was a complete success! Everyone on the jobsite and in the community came and enjoyed some great food and learned about potential job opportunities. For some of the members of the community who were not able to join us, myself and Jerome Stanford (Committee Chair) hand-delivered several meals to their houses. We wanted to be sure everyone could be involved.”

– Annie Jewell, I.D.E.A. Committee Member

About the Job Site

The new, three-story, Five Rivers Health Centers facility is planned to provide much-needed health services in southwest Dayton. The non-profit’s building will have eight departments under one practice, serving as a “one-stop-shop” for patients. Services offered include medical, dental, obstetrics and gynecology, behavioral health, psychiatry, pediatrics, infectious diseases, sickle cell clinic, and care management.

An estimated 600 patients each day will visit the new facility, not counting the 100 who every day are expected to stop by the pharmacy. The center is aslo designed to be accessible to all patients including low-income and uninsured patients.

“The residents are very excited about this… this is a win for West Dayton,” said Karen DeMasi, vice president of community development with CityWide.

To learn more about IKORCC’s I.D.E.A. Committee and the steps they are taking towards making the construction industry more inclusive, click here!

Special thanks to Jim Smith, from Rib-N-It, for catering this event. Visit his Facebook page here.