Krites honored with Rhodes State community leadership award

Jane Krites, known for her philanthropy and work as past CEO of the Appleseed Ridge Girl Scout Council, was recognized Friday for her community service and work as president of the Rhodes State College board of trustees.

Krites became the second person to be awarded the Rhodes State College Drs. Earl and Nancy Keese Community Leadership Award, joining Alberta Lee in recognition for their leadership and contributions to the college.

Krites’s volunteer work has involved everything from working with the United Way of Greater Lima, the Veterans Memorial Civic Center and Family Promise of Lima-Allen County, which provides housing for homeless families, to helping protect access to campgrounds with the Tri Moraine Audubon Society and Bellefontaine Parks and Recreation Department.

Krites also founded the Girl Scouts’ Beyond Bars program, providing an opportunity for incarcerated fathers to reconnect with their daughters.

“Jane Krites is truly a humble servant with a passion for helping change the lives of others, building great futures and driving community improvement through learning and service,” said Dr. Cynthia Spiers, president of Rhodes State College, who presented the award during a special ceremony Friday.

A graduate of Lima Technical College before it became Rhodes State, Krites spent decades as a nurse, advocating for nursing education in Lima so licensed practical nurses like herself could become registered nurses, and later joining the board of trustees for Mercy Health-St. Rita’s Medical Center.

Krites started volunteering with Rhodes State in 2013, eventually receiving an outstanding alumni award, seeing a scholarship for first-generation college students created in her name and becoming a key supporter of the forthcoming Center for Health Science Education & Innovation campus in downtown Lima.

“A lot of people thought we were crazy to put that building downtown,” Krites said Friday. “But we knew positioned halfway between both of the hospitals, this was going to work.”