Local case worker Joshua Cottrell named 'Everyday Ohio Hero'
The Ohio Children's Trust Fund has named a Midvale resident as an Everyday Ohio Hero.
The honor went to Joshua Cottrell, a case worker at OhioGuidestone, a mental health agency serving Tuscarawas and Carroll counties. He works primarily with younger children in the schools, seeing those who have been affected by abuse and neglect.
"His skills in working with these children are intuitive, as he seems to know just how to develop a relationship with them, understanding what they need, giving it and then following through with compassion and expectations," said the March 3 announcement.
The trust fund noted that Cottrell serves as a foster parent with Tuscarawas County's Department of Job and Family Services. The single dad is father to two elementary aged boys he adopted after fostering them. He also has two other elementary school aged boys, a middle school aged girl, and a baby younger than a year old under his care. He took in the baby immediately after his birth.
"Strong male role models are so important in the lives of children. Josh is a phenomenal human being doing phenomenal things for children!" said the trust fund announcement.
The Ohio Children’s Trust Fund is the state’s public funding source dedicated to preventing abuse and neglect. It is housed within the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: OhioGuidestone case worker Joshua Cottrell honored for work
