Note: This post incorporates information from the submitted champion award nomination, with additions and edits for clarity and flow.
Sheila Dornbusch, Howard Dettmer, and Dan Snelling are 2026 WeTHRIVE! champions!
Sheila, Howard, and Dan go the extra mile as members of the Elmwood Place WeTHRIVE! team. Each one has a passion for different projects, but they work together and support each other.
“They have been a pleasure to work with,” says Karen Schwamberger, WeTHRIVE! outreach contractor who works with the Elmwood team. “The three of them just do what needs to be done and do not expect any recognition.”
Overdose prevention
In less than a year, Sheila, Howard, and Dan took action to address drug overdoses and substance use disorder in their community.
Sheila worked with Hannah Schilling, community outreach coordinator for the overdose prevention program at Hamilton County Public Health (HCPH), to put fentanyl test strip kiosks in the village’s two bars. This sustainable change has helped to reduce the stigma and empower residents to look out for one another.
Dan supported this initiative by planning a modern first aid training session (photo at right) focused on overdose prevention. Now when Elmwood’s fire and police departments are called to an overdose, they leave naloxone, fentanyl test strips, first aid supplies, and a resource card with the individual who has overdosed or their family members.
Howard supported the effort by making flyers, spreading the word, and showing up. The team’s work, featured in this story on the WeTHRIVE! website, has inspired other WeTHRIVE! communities to get involved with overdose prevention.
Healthy food access
Elmwood Place does not have a grocery store or food pantry, so healthy food access is important to the team. Dan applied for and the team was awarded a mini grant to install two Little Free Pantry boxes in the community. He also helped bring the Freestore Foodbank’s Healthy Harvest Mobile Market to Elmwood; they now come twice a month.
Sheila and Howard provided support with logistics and spreading the word. Again, working together they are making sustainable changes and, in this case, helping their neighbors with food access.
Community health and safety
Dan was instrumental in bringing the Hamilton County 513Relief Bus to Elmwood for the first time in 2025, and again this year. He also applied for the Put a Lid On It grant, which provided 90 bike helmets that were given away at the community’s Bike Helmet Day event.
Photo at left: Howard at the team’s Bike Helmet Day.
It’s obvious that Sheila, Dan, and Howard care about their community. They lead with compassion and understanding in the work they do, modeling what it means to be a WeTHRIVE! champion!
It’s WeTHRIVE! champions week! Be sure to check back tomorrow for another post about one of our 2026 WeTHRIVE! champions.