VOL. 8 NO. 8
Nov. 20, 2013
The Difference of One
Inside This Issue ...
By Christina Grand Porter
community. Tina had always loved This is the season for giving, but Chinese auctions so thought she would some people are setting a great example try one of those. After great success the for the rest of us. On Dec. 7, Mary Yoder’s first two years, she is ready for a third. Amish Kitchen will be hopping, thanks to Proceeds from the auction will be split manager, Tina Ramussen. This will be the evenly between third year she is Shop With a putting together Cop and the the Chinese Middlefield Food Auction to benefit P a n t r y . T i n a ’s M i d d l e f i e l d ’s husband is the Shop with a Cop Roaming Shores program and Chief of Police, so the First United she has a soft spot Methodist Church’s for the Shop with a food pantry. The Cop benefit. Shop event takes place With a Cop is an each year the annual program first Saturday of where police December at Mary officers help needy Yo d e r ’s A m i s h area children Kitchen. Tina has buy Christmas been an employee presents for their at Mary Yoder’s families. Usually for 20 years. She 15 to 20 area worked her way kids participate up from a server, to and the wrapped banquet manager Tina Ramussen heads up the 3rd annual Chinese presents are sent and is now auction supporting the local community needs. home with the manager over all. kids. They never The auction know, year to year, how many families started when Donna and Larry Kannal, they can help until they see how much owners of Mary Yoder’s Amish Kitchen, money they have. challenged their employees to find a The Middlefield Food Pantry is at project that would give back to the
the First United Methodist Church in Middlefield. “Helping the food pantry is so dear to me,” Tina said. “As things get harder, money gets tighter. People need help more than ever, so how can you give up?” Food bank need in this community has been steadily rising while government assistance has been consistently going down. There are only four women who are the backbone of the annual Chinese auction, and one even solicits donations with her three children, including a threemonth-old, in tow. Tina is grateful for the help she receives from her daughter, Nikki Culver, and from fellow employees Karen Pestyk and Cheryl Kuhmer. They are great helpers with getting donations, taking tickets, setting up and even cleaning up afterwards. Last year they raised over $3,600 after collecting over 180 items and grand prizes. One of the most coveted prizes was a Nook, an E-book reader. They sold 75 tickets to the event, but about 150 people showed up. So please plan to buy your tickets ahead of time. Although this is a one-day event, it is a year round effort for Tina. Every Tuesday, her only day off, she and daughter Nikki hop in the car and knock on the doors of area businesses to raise donations. She often has to visit a business two or three
Middlefield Village Page 5
Thanksgiving Page 9-13
“Out ‘N’ About” Page 15
Continued on page 2
MCC Recognizes Michele Lee
See inside Plain Country
Postal Customer Local / ECRWSS
OR CURRENT RESIDENT
Middlefield Post P.O. Box 626 Middlefield, OH 44062
PreSort Std U.S. Postage PAID Middlefield, OH 44062 Permit No. 77
By Kathy McClure A civic organization is only as good as its volunteers, and volunteers don’t get any better than Michele Lee! The Middlefield Chamber of Commerce owes a debt of gratitude to Michele for providing stellar treasurer service from 2009 until 2013. Michele joined the Chamber with sleeves rolled up and was raring to go from her first meeting. She was instrumental in formulating plans for the Trunk Sale, the “Be Our Guest” socials and was our Raffle Ticket Seller year after year for Taste of Middlefield and our many other events. One way the Chamber offered their thanks to Michele was to nominate her as a Chamber Bright Stars for 2013 who were recognized Oct. 30 at the semiannual Chamber Leadership meeting and sixth annual Chamber Bright Star Awards presentation of the Northern Ohio Area Chambers of Commerce (NOACC) in the Legends Club at the First Energy Stadium in
Cleveland, Ohio. Over 50 chambers across northern Ohio nominated a person from their chamber as their “Bright Star,” to recognize a chamber member who has “made a significant impact on the chamber through membership, retention, sponsorship, economic development, operations and/or education.” Each Bright Star is an active chamber member for no less than two years and is likely to be an unsung hero or a dedicated behindthe-scenes volunteer. Michele accepted her certificate and trophy
from Tony Gallo, NOACC Chairman and Director of Business Development for Lorain County Chamber at the presentation. Michele has moved on to offer her talents in other civic ways since her job at Cortland Bank changed with their move and took her out of our area. However, we will long remember her service, and are so grateful for her talent. She leaves the treasury in the capable hands of our new treasurer, Donna Longrich of Totally Fit. Thank you, Volunteer, Michele Lee was Michele! nominated as the 2013 Middlefield Chamber Bright Star. of commerce