Peace of the City award recipients (from left) Dick Weiland, Cheryl Love, Don Mooney, Jennifer Mooney and Ross Love. (Philip Groshong photo)

Some 500 guests attended this year's Peace of the City Awards dinner held at downtown's Hyatt Hotel. Presented by the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati and the Jewish Community Relations Council, this year's awards went to Dick Weiland and, posthumously, his wife, Marcia Weiland; Don and Jennifer Mooney and Cheryl and Ross Love.

The awards are presented annually to men and women who are actively involved in the community and who are dedicated to creating a fair, equitable and just society for all.

Neil Bortz, outgoing president of the Jewish Federation, said, "The lives of these men and women truly reflect the spirit of this award and the words of the prophet Jeremiah, who exhorted the Jewish people to seek the welfare of the community in which they lived."

"Work for the peace of the city," the prophet said, "for in its peace will you have peace."

Tom Cody, vice chairman of Federated Department Stores, was keynote speaker.

Rosa and Ken Blackwell served as honorary co-chairs. Among the extensive list of dinner co-chairs were Stan Chesley and his wife, Judge Susan Dlott; Linda and Joe Hale; Robin and Murray Sinclair; Ann and Mort Zeff; Vivian and Jim Schwab; Marian and Buzzy Brown; Sidney Peerless and his wife, Sherry, and Virgil Reed.

This year's Peace of the City event raised nearly $500,000 for organizations such as Inner City Youth Opportunities, Jewish Family Services - Adoption Connection, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Prison Reform Advocacy Center, Lighthouse Youth Services, Kids Voting, Talbert House, YWCA - Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters, Artworks, Camp Livingston and Every Child Succeeds.