Maxine Rippe

The Maxine Rippe Award recognizes an individual whose past and present service to the Allen County community exemplifies Christian compassion. Administered by The Lutheran Foundation, it is one of four monetary awards given annually through the Raymond Rosenberger Award Foundation. Scroll down to read more about selection criteria.

2024 Maxine Rippe Award Recipient: Jim Goetsch

Jim has worked to help others since graduating from Concordia Senior College in 1971. He immediately took a job organizing walkathons to alleviate hunger and poverty locally and around the world. This experience led him to start Friends of the Third World. He is committed to helping the poor and underserved people both in our community and worldwide. He is most widely known for the Third World Shop. The items sold in the store are made by artisans from around the world. Money from the sales is returned to individual artisans around the world.

Jim saw a need for local job training and started Delta Communications in 1978. Delta prints items mostly for non-profit organizations. They employ people from group homes or those serving court ordered community work. The training and job experience develops job skills and leads to full-time employment in the community. There are thousands of people that have been through programs sponsored by Friends of the Third World.

It is a struggle to encapsulate everything that Jim and his wife Marian have done over the last 50 years to alleviate human suffering in Fort Wayne and around the world. All it takes is a simple Google search and the many, many things they have done become very apparent.

The driving force behind Jim and Marian’s work is to bring attention to poverty, locally and internationally. They have sacrificed and lived a very simple life to further the reach of Friends of the Third World. They don’t consider themselves poor, they always have something to eat and a place to sleep. They draw no salary for their more than full-time work. They receive a place to live and food for their work.

Jim and Marian are always talking about the mission of Friends of the Third World and encouraging others to get involved. They have many examples of how people can help and have found the best way to spread the word is one on one. They tell people they don’t have to follow their example of living a simple, intentional life. They want the person to give what is special about them.

Jim and Marian started and have been the administrators of Friends of the Third World for over 50 years. It would be a stretch to call them employees. Calling them employees implies that they receive a salary for their work. All they receive is room and board. When they sell an item in the store, the majority of the money goes to the person who made it. The remaining money goes to keeping the lights on and furthering their mission.

Jim and Marian are very active members of Shepherd of the City Lutheran Church. They truly see themselves as Christ’s hands and feet on the earth put here to help people.

History of the Maxine Rippe Award

A longtime member of St. Peter’s Catholic Church and a Kunkle Valve employee, Mr. Rosenberger lived frugally and invested nearly all of his income. At his passing, his estate established a foundation that funds four individual service awards, each granted by a different local northeastern Indiana organization. The Rosenberger Award Foundation funds The Lutheran Foundation’s Maxine Rippe Award, along with annual awards given by Parkview Hospital, St. Joseph Community Health Foundation, and the United Way of Allen County. Each of the four awards recognizes an individual who has demonstrated outstanding community service on behalf of a local charitable organization.

This award was named in memory of Maxine Rippe to honor those who are dedicated to serving their community and alleviating human suffering. Maxine was a student at the Lutheran School of Nursing when she died of polio in 1940. She was a graduate of South Side High School and a member of the National Honor Society. A member of Trinity English Lutheran Church, Maxine sang in the choir at the church, was a past queen of Fort Wayne Bethel of Job’s Daughters, and served several local civic organizations. The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Roy Rippe, she was engaged to Dr. Lad Zeman of Chicago. Maxine was just six months shy of graduating and a few months from becoming a bride when she passed away at the age of 20 at Riley Hospital in Indianapolis.

Selection Criteria

Qualified Maxine Rippe Award nominees have demonstrated exceptional service—either as a volunteer or as an employee—to a local Allen County charitable organization that alleviates human suffering, promotes wellness, or enhances quality of life for those suffering from illness or injury. In keeping with the goals of the Rosenberger Award Foundation, the annual award typically exceeds $10,000 and is meant to encourage lifelong community involvement. The recognized recipient is selected from the submitted nominees to receive the cash award. Qualified nominees:

• Have performed diligent and faithful service on behalf of a tax-exempt, charitable Allen County organization that works to alleviate human suffering, enhance the quality of life of persons afflicted with illness or injury, or promote wellness through the prevention of illness, disease or injury.
• Have displayed extraordinary devotion to furthering the organization’s objectives.
• Have encouraged others to serve the organization and further its objectives.
• Have served or currently serves the organization either as an employee or a volunteer.

Previous Award Recipients

• 2023 - Judy Kiess
• 2022 – Ellen Luepke 
• 2021 – Chaplain Leslie Haines
• 2020 – The Reverend Jon Anderson
• 2019 – Mike Buhr
• 2018 – Cheryl Brockman
• 2017 – Elvis Netterville
• 2016 – Martha Weber
• 2015 – Bernice Ostermeyer
• 2014 – Dr. Saneta Maiko
• 2013 – Pat Patton
• 2012 – Margarete Matiszik
• 2011 – Roger and Carrie Macke
• 2010 – Vivian Purvis
• 2009 – Martin “Bud” Scheimann
• 2008 – Roland and Marian Masenthin
  
• 2007 – The Reverend Vernon Graham
• 2006 – Thelma Heine
• 2005 – Robert and Ramona Scheimann
• 2004 – William and Betterae Ihssen
• 2003 – Richard and Doris Hagen
• 2002 – Earl and Irma Dressler
• 2001 – Merle Altstiel
• 2000 – Norma Hartman
• 1999 – Annette Diemer