By DENNIS WELCH

One of New Albany’s characteristics is that any citizen easily can get involved. Even more, they can help shape their community in positive ways.

In most other communities with which I’m familiar, community initiatives originate and are directed from city government.

In New Albany, transformative endeavors more often begin with residents who want to create opportunities or improve life here, then they invest their own time and organize volunteers to help advance their causes.

Such was the case with Healthy New Albany, Safety Town, the farmers market, the community garden, the historical society, the arts council and too many others to mention.

And again in uniquely New Albany fashion, after residents launched the efforts, other groups mobilized to help these resourceful citizens with their community minded initiatives. The city of New Albany, Plain Township, the New Albany-Plain Local School District, the New Albany Community Foundation, the New Albany Chamber of Commerce and others almost without exception lent support to residents working toward the betterment of the community.

To recognize those “making a difference,” in 2004 the New Albany Community Foundation established the Jeanne and John G. McCoy Community Service Award in honor of two beloved civic leaders whose exceptional generosity had a significant and lasting impact on New Albany and central Ohio.

Exemplifying the McCoys’ example of actively supporting organizations that strengthen the community and create opportunities for everyone, recipients of the prestigious Jeanne and John G. McCoy Community Service Award are selected annually and recognized at the community foundation’s A Remarkable Evening benefit.

In November, the foundation presented the award to New Albany residents Cindy and Keith Berend.

Keith is a surgeon with Joint Implant Surgeons Inc. and White Fence Surgical Suites and Cindy is a community volunteer and a frequent supporter of school causes.

This past spring, more than 3,000 students and residents had access to first-edition books and manuscripts authored by such seminal thinkers as Cicero, Thomas Jefferson, Aristotle, Frederick Douglass and John Adams, thanks to the generosity of the Berends.

The books and materials were part of the Remnant Trust collection, which was established so that ordinary citizens could examine, read and discuss great works on individual freedom and liberty.

Over the years and through the community foundation, the Berends have funded any number of causes, such as annual extracurricular scholarships for students, bicycle racks at the schools and starter blocks for the pool.

They also were major contributors to the Veterans Field turf project at the New Albany High School stadium.

Keith has been recognized for his work with Operation Walk, an organization that provides free hip and knee care in third-world countries. As an orthopedic surgeon, Keith has worked with Operation Walk for the past decade in Guatemala and Nicaragua, dramatically impacting the quality of life for more than 1,000 patients and their families.

Other McCoy Community Service Award winners have included Janet Atwater, Ralph Johnson, Bill Resch, Don Cameron, Phil Heit, the Ryan family, Tiney McComb, Bobby Schottenstein, Jack Kessler, Jackie and Ken Krebs and Jennie and Mark Wilson.

All have given generously of their time, talent and treasure to make New Albany a friendlier, healthier, more sustainable, culturally rich and well-informed community.

All of us are the beneficiaries of their generosity, leadership and volunteerism.