Foundation Invites Donors To Honor Local Hero

Marietta, OH– Several weeks ago, Marietta Community Foundation added a new fund to their already growing asset pool. While each fund at the Foundation serves a special purpose, this fund was created to honor a moment of triumph and generosity that will continue to have a lasting impact in Washington County.

After experiencing the emotional rollercoaster of having her Black Lab, Dutch, fall down a 75-foot overflow pipe only to be rescued almost 20 hours later, by Gary O’Brien and his team at O’Brien’s Safety Services, Renee Gilmer wanted to pay the kindness forward. O’Brien and his team would not accept payment from Gilmer, so instead, she reached out to the Foundation to honor O’Brien’s heroic rescue.

“I am so grateful to Gary and his team and I really need to pay this forward and try to help other people in some way,” said Gilmer. “I came up with the name and Gary liked it.  We talked about it and thought that the Foundation would be a great way to pay this forward.”

This was not the first time that Gary O’Brien would be featured for a heroic act, and it also wouldn't be the last. Just days after rescuing Dutch from the 18-inch pipe, O’Brien and his team rescued several distressed swimmers from the Ohio River.

Earlier this year, on a cross-country flight, O’Brien resuscitated a fellow passenger who had stopped breathing due to low blood pressure. The passenger lived and O’Brien, a member of the Marietta Noon Rotary Club, was awarded the Kelly Elmore ‘Service Above Self’ Award.

This award was created in honor of Kelly Elmore, a long-time Rotarian, who by all accounts was faithful and committed to the service group’s motto ‘Service Above Self.’ It is awarded annually by the club’s president to a member who exemplifies the same devotion that Elmore once modeled.

With such an impressive record of service in this community, the Foundation is inviting others to honor O’Brien by contributing to the Dutch & O’Brien Act of Kindness Fund, established by Gilmer.

“As a community leader and a fellow Rotarian,” said Heather Allender, President & CEO of the Foundation, “I want to make sure that Gary’s “service above self” mentality is properly recognized. Which is why it is so important for others to help us build this fund… we want to show him that our community appreciates him and these incredible acts of bravery!”

Marietta Community Foundation works to improve Washington County through grants and initiatives, if you want to honor Gary O’Brien’s acts of kindness, please contact Heather Allender at 740-373-3286 or heather@mcfohio.org.