CANTON − Carolyn Hess, the founder and former executive director of Project REBUILD, a job-training and education program for young adults, has died following a brief illness.
She was 85.
Hess launched the nonprofit development program in 1999 with the goal of helping young adults 16 to 24 complete their high school diplomas while acquiring building-trade skills.
Hundreds have completed the program, which also works in partnership with YouthBuild Greater Stark County AmeriCorps.
Current Project REBUILD Executive Director Joanna James said Hess’ faith in young people fueled her vision.
“Carolyn’s unwavering belief in young people built the foundation of everything we do at Project REBUILD. Her vision continues to guide us, and her impact will be felt for generations to come,” she said.
Charles “Pat” Gillespie, Hess’ partner since 2020, said she was inspired to start Project REBUILD after noticing that less than half of her clients being served by the Drug & Alcohol Board had completed high school.
Remembering Project REBUILD founder Carolyn Hess
“She took a low-pay internship in Dayton to learn what to do locally,” he said. “(Former First Lady) Hope Taft had suggested the program in Dayton. After a year, Carolyn returned to Canton and formed Project REBUILD. She worked out of her home with little or no pay for two years.”
Gillespie also noted that Hess was the first woman on the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival committee.
“She also went through Leadership Stark County, but the thing I feel was the most significant was the founding of Project REBUILD,” he said.
Past Board President Pat King said Hess’ impact is far-reaching.
“We’re so grateful for Carolyn’s positive impact on our community,” King said in a statement. “She’s touched countless lives, including my own, and we are all better for her vision.”
After her son and daughter were grown, Hess returned to Malone University to complete her degree. When her grandson deployed to Afghanistan, she formed a group at Christ Presbyterian Church to mail care packages to military personnel from Stark County. She also did the work to become a Stephen Minister.
Rafael and Cheryl Rodriguez, Hess’ daughter and son-in-law, said she was utterly devoted to her family, and greatly enjoyed her four grandchildren and 10-great-grandchildren.
Hess also is survived by a son, Michael Reiter.
“She loved Halloween, she loved her grandkids, she loved her kids,” Cheryl Rodriguez said. “She taught us that you can do anything you want, if you make up your mind to do it.”
Rafael Rodriguez described his mother-in-law as “unpredictable and fun.”
“There was always some shenanigans with the grandkids,” he said. “When our youngest was 5, her number was one of first he memorized because when he got into trouble, you could hear him sneaking over to the phone and calling his grandma, wondering if he could spend the night.”
An emotional Rodriguez described Hess’ devotion to her family as unconditional.
“In the 40 years that I’ve known her, there was nothing one could do to push her away,” he said. “Her dedication to her family was amazing.”
Carolyn Hess’ calling hours
In 2021, Hess discovered she was related to Robinson Jeffers, a renowned poet and environmentalist whose work was commemorated by a U.S. Postal Service stamp in 1972. She later visited Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, to tour the Robinson Jeffers Poetry Foundation, housed in his famous home “Tor House.”
This spring and summer, Project REBUILD students helped to build a new home in partnership with Habitat for Humanity East Central Ohio.
“Carolyn Hess was a steadfast champion for at-risk youth, turning vision into opportunity and heart into tangible pathways to education and work,” said Beth Lechner, Habitat executive director.
“The foundation she built with Project REBUILD continues to strengthen our community today, and her compassion lives on in every life changed.”
Calling hours will be 3 to 5 p.m. Sept. 16 at Christ Presbyterian Church, 530 Tuscarawas St. W., followed by a funeral service.
Reach Charita at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com
On Twitter: @cgoshayREP
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Carolyn Hess, founder of Project REBUILD in Canton, dies