A pivotal figure — or perhaps THE pivotal figure — in Covington neighborhood development is leaving a legacy of valiant service in his community.
Tom DiBello’s 27-year career as executive of the Center for Great Neighborhoods is coming to an end later this year. He has dedicated 46 years of his life to working with local nonprofits.
“This was a place that nurtured me,” DiBello said. “It was always our culture to help people grow and be challenged.”
DiBello originally hails from Philadelphia. As a young man, he was bright, but unsure of his next step. He had a history degree and ambition. DiBello was searching for a place to start, a place where he could make an impact.
“I felt like I needed something that would give me a start coming out of the 1970s,” DiBello said. “I was socially inclined. I had a choice between Covington, Kentucky, which was described to me as an urban center, and then Mississippi. Of course, you know, that was a rural community. So I chose Covington.”
DiBello became ingrained in Covington. While working, he met his wife, Catherine. She worked at the center for approximately 19 years before moving on to pursue a career in nursing.
DiBello said he valued the Covington’s ability to get excited about community progression. Watching people flourish is at the heart of the Center for Great Neighborhoods’ mission, which is what DiBello said attracted him to the organization.
“I developed my philosophy on things as I grew and worked here,” DiBello said. “That worked for me: change. I seem to be okay with change, you know, I don’t get flustered and I just keep adapting.”
Covington was a vastly different community when DiBello first arrived in 1976. The city was dealing with pervasive blight. There wasn’t much development. Downtown residential neighborhoods were struggling. DiBello arrived right around the time the neighborhood revival movement was beginning in Covington. He and other like-minded community members dedicated their time to the revitalization of the city.
Due to a lack of a cohesive nonprofit infrastructure in the city, the Covington Community Center, which was the name of the Center for Great Neighborhoods at the time, took on the role of connecting citizens to critical social services.
“For instance, we had a homeless day shelter,” DiBello said. “The city didn’t actually have an overnight shelter, but the center, the Covington Community Center, ended up being a place for homeless people to come to get support services like getting a shower and a place for them to change their clothes. That’s because there was nothing else for them.”
DiBello reminisces fondly upon his work is with the youth of Covington. DiBello helped create a Teen Council under the umbrella of the Center. The teenagers who DiBello worked with in the late 1970s and early 1980s are now in their 40s and 50s. It was important to DiBello that the Center provided those teenagers with “adults who care.” Adults who were able to be lead by example.
The center became involved in the beautification of the city, such as endorsing the installation of public art created by local artists. One such project is the mosaic benches, murals, and signs created for the Millennium Project during the turn of the century. The center was an early leader in the community garden movement.
“It was a community garden, meaning there were a number of families that had plots in the garden. It was another means for our community organizing to reach out to people and get them involved,” DiBello said. “We had volunteers helping build it. It was a double vacant lot and it took a good year to really reclaim this vacant lot that was really all decrepit, right and in bad shape. That was notable in my mind at the center. The center later went on and supported neighborhood gardens and community gardens throughout the city with grants. The center has promoted art and culture in the community.”
The capstone of DiBello’s tenure, he said, was the Hellman Creative Center. The 14,000-square-foot building serves as a creative community center for Covington. The center purchased the property in 2014, renovated it in 2015, and officially moved in during 2016. There are eight creative businesses occupying the first floor. The building features a space for meeting and gathering. The primary purpose of the building is to foster innovation and creativity throughout the community.
“In some ways to help in building reflects coming to the history in the building itself,” DiBello said. “Actually, when we opened it up, I remember giving a speech. And you know, one of the things I said was that building in its heyday as Hellman lumber mill, it gave life to the dreams of Covington residents who were building homes and churches.”
DiBello hopes everyone who he made an impact on the community through his time at the center understands their value. He encourages them to take risks and showcase their skills. DiBello described being embraced by Covington when he first moved to the city in the 1970s. He was invited by the community to feel welcome and participate.
“I both led and worked with people who had tremendous skills and commitment,” DiBello said. “I was a part of something great, and that’s the way I see continuing it going forward. I think one of the messages I’m trying to get out is that this is a leadership transition opportunity for this community. I want the community to kind of take a second look at the Center for great neighborhoods, and recognize what a treasure is.”
DiBello said he feels satisfied with the current state of the center as he departs. He trusts the center’s leadership and organizational structure. He said the current staff is extremely talented and thoroughly committed to bettering the community. The Center will now focus its efforts to improving the communities in the east side of Covington along the Licking River. This will give the Center a fresh mission moving forward.
“My outlook is pretty forward thinking and I love to work. I’m still energized,” DiBello said. “But I also think it’s healthy and it’s time for new leadership. I had that opportunity. People invited me and embraced me, gave me opportunities to grow and be channeled. I just think it’s healthy for a time. It’s a combination of where I am in my own life, but also I think it’s good for the center.”
