By SUSAN MYKRANTZ

Ohio Correspondent

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Since coming to The Ohio State University as dean of the College of Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Science, Dr. Cathann Kress has made it her mission to keep the university, agriculture, and youth in the spotlight.

During the recent Ohio State Fair, she found a way to promote her passion, while helping raise more than $146,000 for Ronald McDonald House of Central Ohio with the Inaugural Charity Steer Show, mixing 4-H members with local celebrities in the show ring.

“This is a great opportunity to showcase Ohio agriculture,” Kress said.

“We are really excited that the day of the show has finally come,” said Todd Alexander, president of the board of directors for the McDonald House. “We appreciate the support of the Dean and the agricultural organizations; it means the world to us. The partnership with the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association (OCA), the Ohio State Fair, and the involvement from the exhibitors and the celebrity participants is tremendous.”

He said money raised during the event would benefit the 4,500 families who use the facility every year so they can be close to their hospitalized children.

For Elizabeth Vehrs of Upper Sandusky, the steer show was especially meaningful, as she grew up in a farming family, married into another, and, along with her husband, raises beef and hogs. And while she admits like other farm families they are facing many challenges, these are minor in comparison to what they faced following the birth of their son last year.

Because of a severe health issue, the boy has been hospitalized for almost a year. “We are blessed to have the Ronald McDonald House as our home away from home,” she said. “Their support allows us to be close to our son. We are just minutes away from his room instead of an hour-and-a-half away.

“I hope they raise a lot of money during the show; they deserve every penny of it.”

The celebrity judges for the event were Elizabeth Harsh, executive director of the OCA, who evaluated the showmanship skills of the celebrity participants, and Aaron Arnette, OCA vice president, who evaluated the conformation of the steers. He raises Angus cattle on his Galena farm.

“This is an impressive set of cattle,” said Arnette, as he made his selections in the final drive.

But even more impressive, he said, was the support and enthusiasm generated for the show and for the charity. He said combining agriculture’s mission of feeding people together with the McDonald House’s mission of helping families in need was a great fit. And even more impressive was the amount of money the show was raising for the charity.

Also part of the show was a fun auction of the celebrities, with auctioneers Johnny Regula of Ostrander, Ron Kreis of Adamsville, and Darby Walton of Sycamore on hand to cry the sale and field the bids.

Winning the showmanship division was Clark Kellogg, a former standout OSU basketball player and currently a college basketball analyst for CBS Sports. He recently completed a nine-year term as a member of the OSU Board of Trustees.

For Kellogg, it was a slam-dunk decision to participate because he is a fan of OSU, a fan of helping youth – and he admitted the competitive aspect of the show was a draw as well. “My wife and I are huge fans of 4-H. We are pleased to lend our support to agriculture and the great university.”

He practiced with his steer, owned by Sydney Sanders of Leesburg, and also checked out a couple videos on YouTube so he would know what the judges were looking for in the show. One he entered the ring, he broke out the same competitive spirit he’d used on the basketball court, to impress the judges and earn the top spot.

“I think you can be competitive and still have a good time,” he said.

Winning the conformation division was state Sen. Robert Peterson, a farmer and Republican member of the Ohio legislature. He was showing a steer owned by Victoria Waits of Washington Court House.

“This is a great way to raise money for Ronald McDonald House,” said Peterson. “It was fun to be back in the show ring after many years.”

Winning the People’s Choice Award was Adam Sharp, executive vice president of Ohio Farm Bureau.

Of course, the overall winner was Ronald McDonald House of Central Ohio. “The show went great,” said Kress. “We had a huge crowd, and we are doing a great job of raising money. Any time you can showcase 4-H it is a great day.”

With the dust from the Inaugural Charity Steer Show barely settled, she is already looking ahead to next year’s show and its tie-in to celebrating the 150th anniversary of the founding of OSU’s Ag College.