People Clips

American Legion Auxiliary Victory Unit 260 American Legion Auxiliary Victory Unit 260 met on April 15, 2025, at the Legion Hall. President Millie Lucius conducted the meeting. President Lucius reported on several events that took place before the meeting date. The Legion Rib and Chicken dinner went well and was well attended. Thank you to Auxiliary members who provided desserts or helped in any way. The Legion Family bus trip went well and was well attended. Everyone had a good time. President Lucius visited the Poppy Shop at Ohio Veterans Home (OVH). She found it interesting. She reported that there were veterans and visitors from other states. The Sons of the Legion held a Steak and Chicken Dinner in April. The "Sons" invited residents of OVH to the dinner. Six residents from OVH attended. Thank you to those who attended and provided extra help in any way. Martha Senn attended the District 5 bingo party at OVH. The veterans enjoy playing, especially since cash is now the prize. Each veteran receives a bag of snacks at the end of the games. Unit 260 will watch the District newsletter for future bingo parties. Becky Kochel reported that Unit 260 Junior Members sent 88 Easter cards to our area veterans. The veterans enjoy getting cards from the Junior Members on various holidays. May is busy for Unit 260. Teacher Appreciation Week is May 5-9. On May 7, Unit 260 delivered meat and cheese trays to the Seneca East teachers. Attica Poppy Days will be May 15-17. Helpers are needed to sell poppies. Contact President Lucius if you can help. Unit 260 is responsible for decorating the Seneca East Public Library window. More information to follow at the May meeting. Plans for the Memorial Day parade and community lunch will be discussed at the May meeting. Historian, Mykala Ruffing, reminded members to take pictures at Unit events and activities. Unit 260 Next Meeting at 7:00 p.m. on May 20 at the Legion Hall. Tiffin Area Compassionate Friends The Thursday, May 15 meeting of the Tiffin Area Compassionate Friends will take place at the Trinity United Church of Christ, in the ground floor meeting room. Our meeting will start at 6:45 pm. At our next meeting, we will reflect on the changes you may experience within your social circles after the loss of a child. "Walk beside me-be my Friend". Just coming will give you a place where you can talk about your child and people will listen; they do understand how you feel because they've been there themselves. You may bring a snack and something to drink following the meeting if you wish. The May Sunrise and Sunset dates for the parents' children will be spoken and remembered. For more information, call or Text Greg Bishop at 419-672-0329 or Teresa Hess at 419-618-2700. Tiffin Historic Trust The regular meeting of the Tiffin Historic Trust board was delayed a day so that members could attend the Tiffin City Council meeting on Monday, May 5, to accept a Proclamation from Mayor Lee Wilkinson. May is National Historic Preservation Month, and the mayor recognized the importance of historic preservation as an "essential part of the City of Tiffin's commitment to maintaining its unique identity, culture, and architectural heritage." Accepting the proclamation were President Tim McKee, Vice-President Katelin Romick, Secretary Nancy Rubenstein, and board member Carlene Hitchcock. During the May 6 board meeting, the members expressed their disappointment that Michelle Patterson resigned due to work obligations. The members were excited by Patterson's proposal to expand the Historic Trust's social media presence. President McKee updated the board on the renovation of the former Doll Museum rental. In addition to the paid contractors, board members volunteered their labor stripping wallpaper, scraping paint, ripping up carpeting, cleaning, painting, etc., while others contributed financial assistance toward the project. Historic Trust friend Ed Goshe put in many hours repairing, plastering and painting walls, glazing windows, and refinishing the sills, among many other tasks. The new tenant is moving in before the end of the month. McKee proposed hosting a party to celebrate the completion of the project. McKee spoke at a recent Kiwanis Club meeting, explaining the importance of historic preservation and the role Tiffin Historic Trust plays in the community. The Heritage Festival committee asked the Historic Trust to join them in updating a walking tour. The project was assigned to the Education Committee. Rachel Crooks is organizing Tiffin Historic Trust's Annual Dinner Meeting on June 26, 2025, at the Empire 138 Restaurant. Invitations were sent electronically to the general membership and special guests. The Nominations and Awards Committee, along with the board, determined the Historic Preservation Award recipients who will be presented with a plaque to affix to their building. The Annual Business Meeting follows the dinner, presentation of awards and the program. There are a few openings on the board and the nominations committee will consider applicants based on the skills they can bring to the organization. If interested, contact the Historic Trust by emailing info@tiffinhistorictrust.org. This year's Garden Tour is scheduled for Sunday, June 29. Jackie Fletcher is organizing the tour and welcomes additional garden stops. Contact her at 419-912-1354 to participate. The next board meeting will be 6:30 p.m. on June 2 in the Grammes-Brown House, 172 Jefferson Street. Kiwanis Club of Tiffin Nadine Thompson, Program Assistant in the Community Development Department at the Great Lakes Community Action Partnership (GLCAP), spoke about Ohio Fair Housing at the May 8 meeting of the Kiwanis Club of Tiffin. The meeting was held at Kiwanis Manor with 17 in attendance. Nadine has been employed with GLCAP for 23 years where she has spent the majority of her tenure administering the Community Development Block Grant for five area counties. As part of her duties, she assists the counties in implementing a fair housing awareness program that is a requirement for receiving grants. Nadine has block grant certification. At GLCAP, she also assists with administering an International Exchange Program grant through the U.S. Department of State and the Home Sewage Treatment Exchange Program grant through the Ohio EPA. Nadine is a Certified Government Meeting Professional. In 1965, the State of Ohio became one of the first to enact Fair Housing legislation. The Ohio Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing-related transactions based on eight protected classes. They are race or color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, familial status, disability, and military status. Nadine said that when it comes to sales or rental of housing it is illegal to 1) refuse to rent or sell housing, 2) set different terms, conditions or privileges for sale or rental, 3) falsely deny that housing is available for inspection, sale or rental, and 4) persuade owners to sell or rent – which is called blockbusting. For mortgage lending and insurance, it is illegal to refuse to make a mortgage loan or provide homeowners insurance, impose different terms or conditions on a loan (such as different interest rates, points, or fees), and discriminate in appraising property. It is against the law to threaten, coerce, intimidate, or interfere with anyone exercising a fair housing right or assisting others who exercise that right. It is also against the law to advertise or make any statement that indicates a limitation or preference based on one of the protected classes. This would include such things as "No Children", "Christian Only", or "Prefer Single Female", for example. Landlords are not permitted to refuse to allow a tenant to make reasonable modifications to a dwelling (at the tenant's expense) if necessary to use the housing for someone with a disability. Those who need to report discrimination should take three steps: 1) Make immediate detailed notes of the experience including date, time, name of agent or landlord and what was experienced by what they saw or were told; 2) Collect and keep copies of advertising, letters or any relevant written correspondence; and 3) Contact your nearest regional office of the Ohio Civil Rights Commissioner. This must be done within one year of the alleged violation. Nadine explained some exemptions to the law. Religious for-profit organizations may supply housing only for its members. As far as housing for seniors, it may be permissible for housing in which 80 percent of the residents are 55 years of age and older or are designed only for senior citizens, to not allow children. She also talked about service animals and support animals and the difference between the two. Service animals must be allowed in all public places. Support animals don't have to be allowed. Club president Melissa Mullins opened the meeting leading all in the Pledge of Allegiance and the Kiwanis Mission Statement. Kurt Huenemann provided the prayer. The club has collected games and money for the teen nook at Bailiwicks Coffee Company. Owner Jess Wirth will attend the May 8 meeting to be presented with the games and money. She will update club members on what is new at Bailiwicks and how everything is going. The club will continue to take donations for the teen nook. A sign-up sheet was passed for helping with the Family Fest on June 14 from 10:00 am – 2:00pm at Hedges-Boyer Park. The 4-H Celebration Committee will hold its initial meeting on May 27 at 5:00 pm at the OSU Seneca County Extension Office. The club is still in search of a President-Elect for the 2025-2026 Kiwanis year. Eric Willman won the 50/50. The speaker for the May meeting will be Emily Riehle, Executive Director of Seneca County Common Ground. Emily will update everyone on the Tiffin Community Kitchen.