Crawford Works to close

BUCYRUS — The Crawford Works Board of Directors made the decision to cease operations of the non-profit organization by the end of 2024. Crawford Works (CW) was founded in 2014 by a group of community leaders inspired by their faith and commitment to combating intergenerational poverty in Crawford County, according to a release. Drawing from resources like the Citylink Center and Cincinnati Works and informed by influential literature such as Toxic Charity and When Helping Hurts, they sought to break the poverty cycle and foster long-term economic resilience. "Creation of this organization was the result of an ambitious vision to create self-sufficiency through employment for Crawford County individuals struggling with systemic and intergenerational poverty. Over the past decade, we've received support from many local businesses, organizations, and individuals who shared this vision," said Patrick Hord, Crawford Works co-founder, in the release. "This work was created at the intersection of our faith and our desire to provide a hand up to struggling neighbors in our community. Many lives have been forever changed by the collective efforts of Crawford Works' staff and supporters, and that is the legacy we celebrate." Since its founding, Crawford Works has served the needs of nearly 350 local individuals and has been funded by generous support from individual donors, employer partners, and community organizations including the Community Foundation for Crawford County and the United Way, the release said. "We are so grateful for those who have shared our vision and come alongside Crawford Works to support our people-centric goals," said Todd Boyer, current Crawford Works Board Chair, in the release. "Over the past several years – and especially during and after the pandemic – the Crawford Works board explored several alternative operational models that would allow the organization to effectively pursue its mission and maintain accountability to its supporters. While the passion for the work of helping willing and able people remains, a growing number of hurdles to continued effective independent operation led us to reach this decision." According to the release, Crawford Works is actively working to identify a local partner organization to maintain ongoing support and services for current Crawford Works members, and to apply lessons learned over CW's past decade for the benefit of others. Earlier this fall, Crawford Works coordinated with the Crawford Partnership on a report on the State of Poverty and the State of the Workforce in Crawford County. The poverty study indicates that the workforce landscape has seen little improvement since 2015 – with mental health issues on the rise, a decline in those "willing and able" to work, and generational poverty continuing to impact the community deeply.