A Golden Gala for Clarksville-based Personal Counseling Service

[Doug Drake]

A golden gala for Clarksville-based Personal Counseling Service
Almost 300 come to raise money for counseling organization

Clarksville-based Personal Counseling Service marked its 50th birthday with a first Wednesday night — the organization’s inaugural business awards dinner.

One of its founders told the audience of almost 300 supporters the organization’s vitality exceeded her highest goals.

“I never dreamed that it would come to this. Thank God for all of you people who have helped over the years,” said Berniece Nicholson. “It’s just beautiful that this has succeeded.”

PCS honored Nicholson, 89, who still lives in Clarksville during half the summer, with the Legacy Award. She is the only of the three founders still alive.

The organization served more than 2,100 clients last year and has grown by at least 50 percent over the last 12 months, said Doug Drake, the group’s executive director. PCS provides a variety of services to the underinsured and working poor.

“I’m so proud of Personal Counseling — they do so much good in our community, and no one has any idea of all they do,” said Alice Schleicher, a major donor to the organization and former board member.

Schleicher owns 55 Kentucky Fried Chicken locations in four states.

The banquet’s namesake, Norman Melhiser, said the honor humbled him. A New Albany resident, Melhiser, 73, founded Melhiser Endres Tucker, an accounting firm in New Albany, that merged with another company last year.

With no direct tie to PCS, Melhiser was picked because of his high level of business ethics and civic involvement, Drake said. Melhiser helped create the Masters in Business Administration program at Indiana University Southeast when he was the chair of the Southern Indiana Chamber of Commerce. He also has served on several other area boards and was a recipient of a chancellor’s medallion from IUS.

Former PCS client Betty Gabhart shared her emotional story that began when she blamed herself for her father’s death as an 8-year-old and then endured 25 years of domestic abuse from a man she married because she got pregnant as a teenager.

It was PCS counselor John Edgar who convinced Gabhart, now 64, of her self-worth and rights, and she divorced her husband in 1985. Now she helps those in similar situations.

“Now here I am, 26 years after first coming to Personal Counseling Services for help, sitting on the opposite side of that couch helping others,” she said. “Working at Personal Counseling is like belonging to a great big family.”

Gabhart, who remarried, also owns her own counseling service.

Drake said the success of the first Norman Melhiser Samaritan Business Awards Dinner, at Kye’s II in Jeffersonville, resulted from the continued work of his organization.

“There have been a lot of dedicated people to Personal Counseling with what we do in the community, and I am just thrilled. I am absolutely thrilled,” Drake said. “[But] I don’t think I’m shocked about how many people are in attendance.”

Former local sportscaster and PCS board member Gary Montgomery served as the master of ceremonies, and an ensemble from the Louisville orchestra provided entertainment.

The dinner included a silent and live auction with about 80 items to bid on including jewelry, sports memorabilia, NFL tickets to Colts and Titans games, as well as other area sporting events, and a week-long condominium stay in Fort Meyers, Fla.



THE WINNERS ARE ...

Personal Counseling Service awarded three samaritan awards during its inaugural Norman Melhiser Samaritan Business Awards Dinner for high levels of ethics and civic involvement. It also recognized one of its own employees. Nominees were selected by graduate business students at Bellarmine University. Independent judges from Louisville chose the winner.

• Kerri Cokeley of Metro United Way — Alice and Richard Schleicher Samaritan Individual Award

• Bennett and Bennett Insurance — Les and Virginia Albro For Profit Samaritan Business Award

• New Hope Services Inc. — Nancy and John Keck Nonprofit Samaritan Business Award.

• Teresa Carmack - Diane Fischer Award of Excellence



-- BY RICHARD GOOTEE
[e-mail]
Published: May 21, 2009 01:47 pm
From the news coverage in the Evening News