They won’t be cheered by thousands or earn millions. They give, not take. Their work is behind the scenes. They cut hair. They mend band uniforms. They encourage young children to read and frail adults to walk.
Meet a few people over 50 who are changing our area.
CLEVELAND AMBASSADOR Leroy Wilson Jr.
Leroy is a super volunteer — and he has an award to prove it. The 2016 recipient of the David F. Leahy Award for Volunteer Excellence by Greater Cleveland Volunteers, he is an ambassador at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport where he directs visitors and offers information to them, and he delivers meals to homebound people through the Southeast Clergy Meals on Wheels. He also serves on their board of directors.
Leroy says he found out about volunteer opportunities through GCV and that his life has been enriched because he can help others in need.
A ROCKER FINDS A HOME
Elaine Minch
Elaine is a long-time rock ’n’ roll fan. After retiring as a pharmacy technician, she began volunteering for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland.
“My family owned and operated the Rollerdrome, a roller skating rink in Euclid, and during those days, rising musicians would be booked with Bill Randle and his Cavalcade of Stars. They would perform live, sign autographs and mingle with the crowds at the rink,” she says.
Elaine also volunteers at the Rock Hall Library and Archives at Cuyahoga Community College, where she catalogs donated vinyl record collections for the Tommy LiPuma Center for Creative Arts at Cuyahoga Community College Metropolitan Campus.
A TUTOR WITH A PURPOSE
Elva Fosh
Elva helps students read and achieve as a literacy tutor/team leader and literacy booster for Greater Cleveland Volunteers in the AARP Foundation Experience Corps program. She’s backed implementation of projects across grade levels with slight modifications that challenge higher-performing students. Not only did she help the students to achieve, but also encouraged the tutors to work together and recognize one another’s contributions.
The mother of four, grandmother of nine and great-grandmother of two leads by example and shows children the respect she would expect them to show others.
CURTAINS UP
John O’Neill
A Ravenna resident, John has volunteered at Weathervane Playhouse for two decades as an actor, a ticket taker, greeter and office worker. The retired Portage County magistrate has a terrific sense of humor and is a well-known champion for the Akron theater.
HAIR CUTS FOR EVERYONE
Toni Norden A salon owner and stylist, Toni credits the Blessed Mother with directing her to the United Hearts Life Mission Center in Cleveland, where she and her husband, Dan, both volunteer. She uses her hairstyling skills to give free haircuts to anyone who asks. 38,700 HOURS — AND
STILL GOING STRONG Richard and Evelyn Dolejs Richard and Evelyn have been active members of the Playhouse Square family for years. Together, they have contributed more than 38,700 volunteer hours as ushers and tour guides, and in other helpful ways.
Evelyn was honored with a chair in the Connor Palace named after her for volunteering more than 20,000 hours. Richard recently passed away, but Evelyn will continue her volunteer work as one of more than 1,300 people who help at Cleveland’s landmark theaters.
ULTIMATE FOOTBALL FANS
More than 160 people volunteer at Canton’s Pro Football Hall of Fame. Here are four:
Bette Mizer, who turns 101 this month, began volunteering at the Hall of Fame in 2008, greeting guests in the Main Lobby and answering questions. A devoted Cleveland Browns fan, she’s met many famous guests, including Joe Namath and Vice President Joe Biden. She gets a kick when visiting school children line up to shake her hand. Hall of Fame President David Baker has the weekly ritual of greeting her upon his arrival, lowering himself to one knee and kissing her hand to thank her for her service.
Floyd Breit volunteers two or three days a week at the hall as a docent. Like many of the others, he carries a replica 1920s football — a slightly larger and rounder ball that looks more like a rugby ball than today’s football — as a way to engage with visitors of all ages. Last year, his house, which stood near campus, was purchased as part of the Hall of Fame Village, a $500 million development. Floyd believed so much in the mission of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the vision of the Hall of Fame Village that he donated to the Hall part of the proceeds from the sale of the house that he shared for 57 years with his late wife.
Stan Sereychas is one of the Hall’s Presentations Docents. During his educational presentations, he engages his audiences with his dry sense of humor and his scope of understanding as he relays the chronicles of the particular items.
Rick Stalder, another Presentations Docent, educates guests about the evolution of the football helmet and unusual artifacts from the Hall’s collection. Rick, who also conducts tours of the museum, sometimes gives tours that last three hours because he and the guests get caught up in his enthusiastic and encyclopedic knowledge.
A VETERAN WITH A LOVE FOR BASEBALL
Ron Loescher
Once the weather starts to break in late winter, Ron, a disabled veteran, is out every day working on the baseball and softball fields at Open Door Christian Schools in Elyria, where his son, Matthew, is the varsity baseball coach. Some days he is at the field from early morning to sundown, prepping and completing after-game maintenance.
By spending uncountable hours and money on maintaining the fields, Ron has transformed them into some of the best in Northeast Ohio. Students commonly call Ron “Papa Loescher,” and in May the school dedicated the baseball field to him. It’s called “Papa Loescher Field.”
GARDEN TREASURES
Donna Yanowitz and Bill Jones
The Hebrew Cultural Garden celebrated its 90th anniversary this year with a $250,000 renovation made possible by generous volunteers working through the Jewish Federation of Cleveland. Leading the garden committee was Donna Yanowitz, aided by longtime garden volunteer Bill Jones, who has overseen maintenance at the HCG for more than a decade until this past year.
Because of their dedication, the garden — which is part of the Cleveland Cultural Gardens — will continue to serve as a historically important Jewish space for thousands of visitors each year.
RAISING MONEY FOR BEAUMONT SCHOOL
Eileen Groh
Eileen Groh’s daughter Remy graduated from Beaumont School in 2014, but Eileen hasn’t left. She supports the school by volunteering for its annual gala, working on the silent auction and other details.
When the gala coordinator suffered a family crisis a few days prior to the event, Eileen stepped up to help. While all of their volunteers play a vital role, Eileen has especially epitomized Beaumont’s mission of life, leadership and service.
FIGHTING THE STIGMA OF MENTAL ILLNESS
Marilyn Mongeon Quill
Marilyn leads Passion for Change, a private, nonprofit group in Westlake whose mission is breaking the stigma of mental illness. Last year, she volunteered 1,338 hours there.
She leads Passion for Change’s Communicators for Mental Health Greater Cleveland Pilot Project. Designed as a national prototype, this project recruits and trains professionals in the marketing and communications fields to be educated advocates for mental health, and matches them — pro bono — with local, underfunded mental health and addiction organizations that need their skills and expertise for a particular project but cannot afford to pay.
A COP FOR KIDS
Cleveland Police Officer Keith Sulzer
Keith volunteers for the Cleveland Metropolitan Schools and is a reliable and enthusiastic supporter — just a text or phone call is all that’s needed, and he responds to all types of requests. Whether delivering hygiene products to students at International Newcomers Academy at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, or judging a door-decorating contest at Mary M. Bethune Elementary School, Keith is a positive and inspiring role model with a strong love and dedication for children.
AN ADVOCATE FOR ALL AGES
Linda Dohanyos
Linda has improved the quality of life for residents at the Avon Oaks Caring Community by helping them stay active in and out of the community.
Whether simply putting a sweater over the shoulders of a resident who says they’re cold, assisting at the morning craft class or helping a resident turn the pages of music sheets during choir practice, she helps wherever needed. The former kindergarten teacher also lends a hand in the child care center, soothing a crying baby or reading to preschoolers.
AN ACCIDENT WAS A BEGINNING, NOT AN END
Michael Harvan
A biker whose near-fatal motorcycle accident put him in a coma several years ago, Michael recovered and chose to devote his life to community service.
He volunteers at the St. Augustine Hunger Center, two senior citizen homes, Camp Cheerful, the Domestic Violence Center and the Jesuit Retreat House. He has also participated in the former Pedal to the Point 150-mile bike ride to raise money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. In addition, he is a caregiver for his aging mother.
HELP FOR OVERWHELMED PARENTS
Kathy Nash
Kathy has served children and their families for 32 years as a special education teacher, the past 16 in a Center Based Preschool Program at Hilliard Elementary in Westlake.
Kathy noticed how overwhelmed and lonely the parents of her students were. When a mother of a student expressed interest in starting an organization to help parents find the education and support they needed, Kathy jumped in wholeheartedly. She became a founding board member of Connecting for Kids and served as the first president.
During that time, Kathy has worked tirelessly in many volunteer capacities, from the countless hours spent planning and executing fundraisers to reaching out to others in her profession to help spread the word about what Connecting for Kids has to offer to families. On the board, Kathy has been the voice of wisdom, helping provide insight into what families need most. She recently stepped down as president, but not before implementing a leadership strategy plan to ensure a smooth transition. Because of her dedication, area families now have somewhere to turn when they have a child who is struggling. They can find the resources they need and know they are not alone.
CONNECTIONS THAT COUNT
Greater Cleveland Volunteers
216-391-9500, greaterclevelandvolunteers.org
Hospice of the Western Reserve
216-298-0308, hospicewr.org
Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s IMPACT!
216-593-2900, jewishcleveland.org
RSVP Lake County
440-269-3015, rsvplc.org
Cuyahoga Valley National Park
330-657-2752, nps.gov/volunteer
Catholic Charities, Diocese of Cleveland
216-334-2900, ccdocle.org/volunteer
HandsOn Northeast Ohio
216-432-9390, handsonneo.org
Great Nonprofits
To search by locality or interest, greatnonprofits.org
Volunteer Match
To search by locality or interest, volunteermatch.org
A GENTLE HEART
Russell Baron
Recognized as “Volunteer of the Year” at The Music Settlement, Russell is a reading tutor for kindergarteners, visiting every Thursday afternoon to help with lessons and listening to children’s stories. He’s become an adopted grandpa to the children, and his open and gentle heart connects to students.
SKILLED HELPER FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED
Vance Simpkinson
Vance teaches Cleveland Sight Center vision-impaired clients through the CSCCuyahoga Community College adult literacy program, and repairs and customizes devices for the agency — including protractors, sliding rulers and yardsticks — complete with either Braille or tactile numbers. AN
ADVOCATE FOR VETERANS
Rick DeChant
Rick’s day job is as executive director of the Veterans Initiative at Tri-C, which helps veterans enroll in college. But for the past several years he has volunteered his time to get a Fisher House established in Cleveland. The houses are part of a network throughout the United States (and three overseas) that provides rooms for veterans and their families near major military hospitals and Veterans Administration medical centers.
A HEAD FOR FINANCE William (Bill) Fecht As chair of the Cleveland Lutheran Education Endowment Fund, Bill has used his financial background to guide fund management. He also provides community-oriented seminars on insurance and planned giving. He managed Lutheran West High School’s two multi-million dollar Capital Campaign construction projects. Bill recruited a crew and spent hours watering during the summer heat, keeping the new landscape healthy.
BAND MOM EXTRAORDINAIRE
Beverly Hawks
For 20 years, Beverly — or “Mama Hawks” as she is known to many — has volunteered for the Open Door Christian School Patriot Marching Band. She attended her first band camp in 1996 when her daughter was a student and hasn’t missed one yet.
Now that her son is the band director, Mama Hawks is still an integral part of the band. As an expert seamstress, she mends uniforms every year to make the Patriots look sharp on the field. She is also a skilled instrument repair-person (and co-owner of Hawks Musical Instrument Repair), and is frequently making adjustments to instruments to improve the sound of the band. She is part of the spirit of the Patriot Marching Band.
GODLY EXAMPLES AT ST. AMBROSE
Julia Kinley, Janet Jancewicz, Jane Bast and Debbie Bonezzi
Julia leads the art program for Saint Ambrose Day School in Brunswick. Described as a “Godly example” for students, she uses her skill as an art teacher to help design costumes for the school musical. Other volunteer work includes The Noah’s Ark Ministry and the Guardian Angels After School Program.
A teacher known around the school campus as “Mama J” because of her caring personality, Janet helped create and direct the Guardian Angels After School Program. She also started the St. Ambrose Angels Community Garden, which grows fresh food for the parish community meals. She authored a grant that enabled the school to plant an orchard with 36 fruit trees on campus.
A retired nurse, Jane is involved with 10 ministries at the parish. One of her favorite ways to serve is through reaching out to the home-bound of the parish with phone calls and visits. Jane also donates money to feed the homeless on Cedar Avenue.
Debbie volunteers with the choir, hand-bells and vacation bible school, and is part of the Sacramental Prep team, among many other activities. She also helps at the Winter Carnival, Living Nativity, retreats and Jesus Day.
HAPPY CAMPERS
Ken and Carol Nicolai
Ken and Carol learned about Hiram House Camp in Moreland Hills when their daughter went there as a camper and left with longlasting friendships and memories.
They have been volunteering at the camp for more than 15 years, inspired by other long-time volunteers, staff, campers and board members who help out long after their camp days are over. The couple is drawn to Hiram House Camp because of its commitment to fostering good values and character in children from all backgrounds. Ken and Carol believe in the value of “paying it forward.”
DRESS SUCCESS
Marilyn Nagel
Dress for Success Cleveland encourages women to achieve economic independence with a support network, professional clothing and other tools to thrive at work and in life. Marilyn works in the office and actively promotes the organization through her extended network of friends. The retired post office supervisor also volunteers at St. Bernadette Church and at Playhouse Square.
TRANSPORTATION SUPERSTAR
Chuck Reitz
When elderly or disabled people need transportation, they rely on Chuck, a volunteer with Interfaith Caregivers.
Chuck and other volunteers provide much-needed transportation to get people where they need to go, providing independence and practical help for those for whom public transportation is not an option or who cannot afford private transportation.
