The Drushal Humanitarian Award

Dick Steineman `77 first cultivated his desire for helping others at Ashland University in December of 1976. When a snow storm closed the interstate, Steineman fed, housed and comforted stranded individuals in Kilhefner Hall. Upon his graduation in 1977, he spent four years playing professional basketball in parts of Europe and South America. However, Steineman’s philanthropic calling followed him to those other countries. During a night in Venezuela, a local pastor escorted Steineman through a hillside slum area. Steineman stood at the bottom of the hill and made a commitment to God and to himself that when he finished playing basketball, he would strive to make the world a better place. Within two years, Steineman moved to the inner city of Cincinnati and opened up a soup kitchen and homeless shelter. In 1995, he returned to his hometown of Troy, where he launched St. Patrick’s Soup Kitchen that serves more than 2,000 meals per month. Steineman also co-founded other soup kitchens in local nearby communities. In 2004, Steineman started St. Joseph’s House, which is a 10-bed facility for homeless men. During their stay there, the men work on stabilizing their lives through avenues like finding employment and addressing personal issues. Upon the news of a man freezing to death along the riverbank of Troy in 2010, Steineman established a cold shelter that operates from December through March. The cold shelter provides a bed and a shower for individuals who are homeless and have yet to attend to their addictions or mental health issues. Recently, Steineman co-founded the Hope House, which is a five-bed rehab facility for heroin addicts. Aside from his humanitarian duties, Steineman taught physical education at Troy Christian Elementary for 12 years. He started coaching girls high school basketball at Troy Christian High and Troy High School in 1995.