Meet Bri Celeschi – Leadership Coshocton County Class of 2021
Bri Celeschi
Bri Celeschi is a Coshocton County native with firefighting “in (her) blood.” This Warsaw resident began as a junior firefighter in 2005, watching and learning from other volunteer firefighters, including her dad, uncle and brother. Following graduation from River View High School in 2008, Celeschi took the coursework necessary to become a volunteer firefighter, which included 36 hours of classroom instruction as well as “hands-on firework.” She then went on to become a Level I Firefighter at MidEast Career Center. Her career goal was to work in payroll and prepare taxes, so she went to COTC and earned an associate degree in accounting.
Celeschi worked for The Home Loan Savings Bank for two years as a teller and teller supervisor at the Walnut Street location, before taking a position as customer service in sales at McWane Ductile. This position was previously held by her grandmother, who worked for McWane Ductile for 39 years. Celeschi enjoys her role, working with people and helping to solve problems. She accepts orders from customers when they order pipe and schedules the delivery of pipe for a region encompassing Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and West Virginia. She works closely with four other inside sales people to ensure the needs of customers are met.
When not at work, Celeschi can be found at the Walhonding Valley Fire District firehouse. She is a volunteer firefighter and also the treasurer for the Walhonding Valley Firefighters Association. She also serves as treasurer for the Coshocton County Volunteer Firefighters Toy Chest as well as a volunteer. She is very proud of the community support for the Toy Chest program, stating, “there is not one year that we worried about providing for the kids,” which can range from 300-700 youth per year. She is grateful for the financial support from the Coshocton Christmas Magic in Lights organized by volunteers to benefit the Toy Chest in December 2020. More than $9,000 was raised in one night at the Coshocton County Fairgrounds, and Celeschi is excited for future events.
Several people from McWane Ductile went through Leadership Coshocton County, and Celeschi attended Coshocton County Youth Leadership in 2006-2007, which she “loved.” She thought, “Why not do it as an adult and make a difference?” She wants to learn about Coshocton, even though she has “lived here all her life.” Celeschi said, “I learned so much at history day; so many different entities I didn’t know about, like the Port Authority. I want to learn more about local government.” Celeschi “hates hearing negativity” about the community and wants to find out how she “can have a part in making Coshocton County better.”
Bri states we “have a great community – Warsaw; Coshocton; West Lafayette- all of them. Everyone is willing to help each other out, friend or stranger.” She has experienced this firsthand in her volunteer roles as a firefighter as well as with the Toy Chest.
To make the county stronger, Celeschi would like to see “more people that think we need change to get involved with making that change.” She observes, “People are quick to point out the negatives but don’t want to do anything to change that.”
She would recommend Leadership Coshocton County for others stating, “It’s a great program to learn about Coshocton and ways to get involved and make Coshocton County a better place.” Celeschi has met a lot of people she never would have met, Ken Smailes, for example. She has heard him on the radio but never knew he was so knowledgeable about Coshocton Count history.
Celeschi’s “family” extends beyond her husband of seven years, and five-year-old son, referring to the people at the firehouse as “family.” When she’s not working, Celeschi enjoys hunting; fishing; camping; riding side-by-sides and “hanging out with family.” She raises chickens for eggs and has two “hunting” dogs. Her husband is also a volunteer firefighter and works for Lonestar Fire Protection and Security.
Category: Clubs & Organizations
