June 11, 2022- Community members gathered at Dove, Inc.’s Homeward Bound offices on 788 E. Clay St. as Dove hosted a dedication of the “Ray Batman Center for Social Justice” in a naming event.
Ray Batman served as Dove’s first employee when the organization opened in 1970. During his time at Dove, he was a leading force in the organization’s mission for over 30 years. He began as a coordinator, who gained support from seven Christian churches. Batman also served as executive director, twice. Batman retired from Dove in 2011. He passed away in 2021.
Dove staff, volunteers, and friends and families of Batman shared memories of Batman’s time with Dove.
Fred Spannaus, former Dove executive director, reflected on Batman’s ability to form a team of committed individuals, and highlighted Batman’s desire to be not just a team player, but a team builder.
“The genius of Ray Batman is that he never did anything significant by himself,” Spannaus said. “He always looked around when faced with a challenge, who can I bring to the task, who knows someone I don’t know, who has some talent that we need to ensure a better outcome for whatever challenges are ahead of us. Not just a team player but a team builder, a guy who never did anything significant by himself, but always did it with others.”
Darsonya Switzer, who was recently named executive director talked about Batman’s journey of building Dove and the impact he had on others. Switzer led the dedication as well.
“The person who Ray was, is incomparable to anyone that I believe any of us have ever known in our lives,” Switzer said. “He left his comfort zone, a place that provided stability for him because he knew there was a place in this world that didn’t have that stability. He wanted to build it. He wanted to bring those together to the table that could help him build it. So, a person like that if you come in contact with, you have to feel blessed. There is no other way to describe it except as a blessing.”
The event concluded with comments from Batman’s family, followed by a closing prayer from Reverend Jean Wollenberg.
For more information about Dove, Inc., please call 217-428-6616, or visit their website and Facebook page.
