“Corrections means family,” said Correction Officer Kate Newman, an activist and union executive board member with Ross Correctional Chapter 7130. That’s why she has joined forces with OCSEA union sister Erinn Cottrill from Chillicothe Correctional Chapter 7120, an activist and steward for her chapter. The duo, featured in the fall edition of the OCSEA magazine, is continually working in concert to give back to corrections union brothers and sisters during their times of need.
Both Kate and Erinn were honored at the OCSEA 36th Biennial Convention in August, each receiving the union’s highest charitable-giving award, the Bob White Labor Gives Back Award.
“We must do everything we can to take care of each other,” said Kate who wants to bring back what she feels is an eroding ‘family’ dynamic among staff within the state prison system. Kate says she grew up knowing this family dynamic firsthand and hopes to revive it little by little by urging co-workers and chapter members to always be at the ready to step up for those in need.
If you attended this year’s OCSEA Steward Conference in June, you might have met Kate and Erinn. They organized a basket raffle at the conference to raise funds for corrections members and families, using more than $1,000 of their own personal funds for the basket items. The proceeds were split between two officers assaulted earlier this year at Trumbull Correctional and to help the daughter of a Chillicothe Correctional member attend an educational trip after losing her mother to cancer.
After Officer Jessica Dills and Officer Kalya Ann Neely were brutally assaulted in March at Trumbull Correctional, Kate and Erinn wanted to help their union sisters get back on their feet. While they knew that money couldn’t heal the emotional scars that come with being assaulted on the job, they wanted to make sure that their union sisters knew that they are not alone.
The funds also helped pay for a National Junior Honor Society trip to Washington D.C. for Chillicothe Correctional dependent Autumn Mullineaux. “Autumn recently lost her mom to cancer and is now navigating life without her,” said Erinn, who couldn’t let this opportunity pass this young student by. Autumn, a student at Southeastern Middle School in Ross County, is the daughter of CCI Metal Shop brother Michael Mullineaux. “The most memorable take-away from the trip wasn’t the souvenirs or the places visited,” said Erinn. “This young lady made new friends from all different places with different thoughts and views, and that’s priceless,” she said.
And the goodwill doesn’t stop there. The two union sisters also initiated an impromptu pass the hat at this year’s Women’s Conference, raising over $600 for CCI Chapter 7120 brother Sgt. Michael Hire who underwent a heart transplant and rehab. “Wherever there’s a correction family member in need, we’ll be there,” said Erinn. We bet you’re going to see a lot more of their goodwill in the future.