City Names Volunteers of the Year for 2025Paul Acitelli, Heather Barbour, Nellie Six Productions to be honored on Aug. 1

MOUNT VERNON, July 30, 2025 – Everyone who volunteers to serve their community has their own
individual reasons for doing so, but the collective good that results is a benefit to everyone. The City of
Mount Vernon’s Volunteers of the Year for 2025, who will be honored at the First Friday on August 1, 2025,
are Paul Acitelli (posthumously), Heather Barbour, and Nellie Six Productions (Jeff Williams and Courtney
DeCosky).
“Our community is better, stronger and more connected because of these four amazing individuals who care
deeply about Mount Vernon and want to give back,” said Mayor Matthew Starr, who will present awards to
the recipients on Friday.

• Paul Acitelli, who died on June 18 of this year, consistently demonstrated an unwavering
  commitment to helping others, particularly individuals with disabilities. In addition to adopting a family
  every Christmas through the Salvation Army or Interchurch Social Services of Knox County, he
  continually raised thousands of dollars to support disabled people in need of housing assistance,
  utilities or to fund recreational access via pool passes.
• Heather Barbour, the physical education teacher at Twin Oak and Columbia Elementary Schools,
  has been responsible for bringing many sports programs and activity initiatives to Mount Vernon.
  She’s done this through her volunteer work with Lifepoint Church, the City’s Recreation Board and
  more. Bicycling is a priority for her, and she has helped many kids learn how to ride a bike via the All
  Kids Bike program and as the bike safety coordinator for Mount Vernon’s Safety Town.
• Jeff Williams and Courtney DeCosky, through their Nellie Six Productions, have made a huge
  impact on the arts scene in Mount Vernon and Knox County. Within just a few short years, they have
  turned the Summer Front Porch Concert Series into one of the City’s top cultural events of the year.
  As founding members of the Kokosing Valley Arts Alliance, they have worked to create opportunities
  and remove barriers for local and regional artists to develop and share their art.
  The Volunteers of the Year for 2025 will be honored by Mayor Starr at the Community Corner stage on
  South Main Street between Paragraph’s Bookstore and the Central Ohio Technical College building at 6 p.m.
  on Friday, August 1, during First Friday.
  “Taking a moment to recognize these volunteers means a lot,” said Starr. “They reflect who we are as a city
  on so many levels. Mount Vernon is a better place because of people like this.”