I have been an Altrusa member since 1995 and my classification is computer-office manager. I am married to my husband, Bill and we have 5 children, plus 16 grandchildren and 1 goofy dog. In between kids, kids and more kids, I have worked for a computer repair company in the Tiffin area for the last 19 years. During that time, I have also joined and worked with various non-profit organizations to volunteer my time.

Besides Tiffin Altrusa, I am active in the 1976 Antique Club, the weekly Tiffin/Seneca County Red Cross Bingo, the Tiffin Mayor’s Task Force to reduce homelessness in Seneca County, the Trinity UCC Church office, the Harvest of Hope Fund Raiser for FACT (Financial Aid for Cancer Treatment) and Seneca County Community Council.

I represent Tiffin Altrusa at the Seneca County Community Council, which is a group of agencies and organizations that work together to provide appropriate community resources to help those in need of health, welfare and education. While I have worked on numerous committees within the various clubs, I truly enjoy working with the council, in that they help to coordinate resources and activities from numerous organizations to meet the needs of the community. The council helps to direct people in need to the correct organization and thus eliminating duplicate services, this enables the organizations to work more effectively and to deliver more services with less waste. In lean years, this allows our valuable resources to be spent more wisely in the community.

As for Tiffin Altrusa, I have been a past chairperson for all our committees and a past president from 2007-2009. Tiffin Altrusa is a very active club that helps financially and volunteers for numerous organizations, and awards several scholarships each year to worthy students in Seneca County. I am proud to be a member of such a worthwhile club that brings so much joy and relief to so many people.

My early childhood was spent on a farm outside Melmore, Ohio where my mom and I lived with my grandparents. We moved to the big city (Tiffin) and I attended College Hill, West Jr. High and Columbian (the old one). I loved school and was involved in many extracurricular activities. I was the Homecoming Queen that dated and married the football cocaptain, married, had 2 children and was divorced. In 1965, I became an insurance agent, remarried, eventually had two more children and joined Altrusa as a charter member after a visit from Marge Felter and Rose Moore who were forming a club of business women in Tiffin. I had to drop out to be an agent and a mom, got divorced— again.

At the age of 42 I decided to start my own agency in Melmore. I purchased a mobile home and built a business with Sandy Mesnard who had left the agency we worked for to have children. Two fish out of water forced to learn a lot about business to survive. In 1986 I purchased a house, cleaned it, painted it, remodeled it and we had a real office, with running water and a furnace that worked!! Daughter Julie made me a grandmother at 40. Son, Don, made me gray. Daughters Kathy and Mary Anne went to college.

I came back to Altrusa in 1988 and teamed up with Jan Anspaugh to convince the club we could make money at the Heritage Festival selling cider and donuts. Who can forget those early days with the tripod and campfire? Heritage became very profitable for Altrusa but we have since found bus trips are also very profitable and much less work. I love to fundraise. In 1995, my daughter, Kathy, decided that since Tiffin Public Schools did not need a math teacher, she would become an insurance agent and we found work for her, no problem. She becomes the 3rd generation of insurance agents dating back to 1936 in our family. Altrusa sponsored me to attend Leadership Seneca County and that lead to my serving on the Tiffin/Seneca County United Way Board and I have been a board member for First Call for Help for years.

I co-chair the Reunion committee for the Class of 1958 and we just celebrated our 50th. At church, I sing with the Praise Team and teach a Sunday school class and am Director of the Nehemiah Project which supplies assistance in many forms to individuals who request help. I am still an “unspoiled” only child but the mother of 4, grandmother to 7 and great grandmother to 4 and a great mother-inlaw!! Altrusa has become an important part of my life where I have made great friends, experienced much and learned to be a part of a team that does a lot of good in our community.

My introduction to Altrusa came when I saw Ethel Carnahan at the Altrusa booth at the Heritage Festival. It looked like everyone was having a good time working together and I wanted to be a part of that camaraderie. Ethel was my sponsor when I became an Altrusan in April, 1997.

I worked in the Human Resources office of Webster Industries from 1974 until 1987, and then was a stay at home mom for nine years. I returned to Webster in 1996 and was laid off in 2008. My husband and I established Fort Ball RV & Auto Sales in 1978, and I am helping him on a full time basis now – when it does not interfere with my social life. When I was home with my sons, I volunteered at the Betty Jane Nursery School, taught Sunday School, had a Cub Scout Den and volunteered at Krout School. I enjoy the hands on aspect of volunteerism. We have two sons. Andrew is a graduate of The Ohio State University, married and is a gas account analyst with Direct Energy. They recently moved to Pittsburgh. Jason also graduated from Ohio State and is in his second year of medical school at University of Toledo, College of Medicine. He was married this past June.

We have one grand puppy, no grand kids. In my spare time, I garden, read and play computer games. I value the friendships I have made in Altrusa and enjoy the fellowship of working together on our projects.

I was born October 28, 1921 to Mamie and Joseph Hoyda at 222 E. Perry Street in Tiffin, Ohio. I received an elementary education at White Hall School, which is now the site of Clinton School. I graduated from Bloomville High School in 1940. I worked as a secretary for Rozenman Junk Co. and was a selector of glassware at the Tiffin Glass Co. Volunteered at St. Mary’s School in Tiffin as a playground aide, assistant librarian, and was an assistant Girl Scout leader, as well as being a mother and homemaker.

I am a twice divorced mother of five children who include Michael Baxter (deceased) of Tiffin, Don Baxter of Idaho Falls, Idaho, Sandra Baxter (infant deceased), Gregory Sendelbach of Toledo, and Cynthia Sendelbach of Tiffin. I have six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

I joined Altrusa in 1987 and have now been an active retired member for twenty-one years. I was sponsored by Marian Shaulis and joined because I liked its community involvement and thought the club would be fun. The members make the club what it is today. These members are what I like best about Altrusa. I hope my participation has helped make the club as successful as it is.

My hobbies include reading, cooking, and pampering my little Yorkie, Betsy.

Hi, my name is Nancy Steinmetz and I’m married to Paul since November 23, 1963. We have three adopted children: two girls and one boy. Our oldest Jamie was born in 1961 and she was 31/2 when we adopted her. Our second daughter Amie was born in 1966 was only 5 days old when we brought her home. Then our baby boy Kevin was born in 1969 and he like his sister Amie was only 5 days old. We feel so blessed and grateful that we have them in our lives.

I worked at the Tiffin Developmental Center for 30 years and I truly loved it. I am still very active. I’m guardian for one of the men who was on one of my modules and we have a great relationship.

I joined Altrusa in 2003 with Dawn Reidel as my sponsor. What a great and fun group of women we have in our club. It’s nice to know that we can celebrate the good happenings in our life and the sad times. We are there for each other through thick and thin.

I began life weighing 3 lbs in Wyandotte, MI. on September 23,1938. Since then I have made up for that low weight. I get my enthusiasm and love of life from my mother who inspired me to follow my dreams.

Included in those dreams was marriage and I hit”pay dirt” with hubby Bob 53 years ago. He has always been very supportive of things I have done and knows how to cook and clean as well as I do. Well, maybe even better. We have two sons, Dan, who is an attorney in Hudson,Ohio and Mike, who is a English professor at the University of Las Vegas for the past 10 years. Both are the joy of our lives and we’re very blessed. Trinity UCC is our church affilation and we have served in many volunteer areas.

I love singing, genealogy, attempting watercoloring, casinos, traveling with Bob especially this past year when we went on a cruise through the Panama Canal. Things you might not know is that in 1981- 1982 I served as President for Tiffin Woman’s Club, Lakeside Federation of Women’s Clubs and Tiffin Altrusa Club. I served on the Selective Service System board from 1981-1991. I was a member of the Chamber Board of Directors while manager of the Tiffin Mall. While manager of the Tiffin Mall I rode bravely on the elephant out in the parking lot and was not too swift in climbing on and off “Betsy” via ladder. Bravely is the right word because I am afraid of heights. In 2006 I was presented the Woman’s Career Excellence Award which was an unbelievable honor and I thank Mary Lou Harrison for presenting my name as a possible awardee. She even got Bob to surprise me and come for the event. I was with the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles in Fostoria, Findlay and finally in Tiffin where I retired after ten years in the Tiffin office in 2006.

In 1975 I was invited to the Altrusa Club of Fostoria,Ohio. What an honor to join with so many dedicated, professional women whose volunter work was a pride of the community. Later I transferred to Tiffin and served as president from 1981- 1983 and then onto the District as Governor position from 1991-1993. Mamie L. Bass’s words that an Altrusan shall endeavor to develop the right attitudes toward work, toward people and toward life is what I live by. I value the friendships of all those who have shared with me in our work to make the com-munity and our world a better place before we leave it.

I was born April 1, 1958 to Alfred and Patricia Yarbrough in Pontiac, Michigan. I became an Altrusa on November 20, 2007. Harriet White was my sponsor. After attending several meetings I was impressed with how much the group did for the betterment of the community and decided to join. I love the fellowship and the wonderful spirit of community that the group has.

As an Altrusan I would love to see a fantastic Literacy program in place so that anyone in the community has the opportunity to learn to read and receive a GED. I am classified as an Accountant. I have been employed at CF Professional Inc. for the past 15 years.

I love to bike ride, travel, teach Sunday school, and, of course, shop. My personal interests and hobbies include reading (all the time), jigsaw puzzles, crocheting, word puzzles, and spoiling my great nephews. I have a terribly spoiled cat named Penny who runs the house.

My most embarrassing moment would have to be one Sunday morning during the sermon I snuck across the aisle to tell a parent about a project the kids were working on and when I backed up to sit down again I sat on the lap of one of most elderly gentlemen in our congregation. I screamed, he laughed and needless to say everyone was amused. As the pastor pointed out Love they Neighbor took on a whole new meaning that Sunday.