{"id":102213,"date":"2018-05-04T08:41:50","date_gmt":"2018-05-04T13:41:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevwindependent.com\/news\/?p=102213"},"modified":"2018-05-05T07:25:42","modified_gmt":"2018-05-05T12:25:42","slug":"ywcas-women-of-achievement-banquet-honors-women","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/2018\/05\/04\/ywcas-women-of-achievement-banquet-honors-women\/","title":{"rendered":"YWCA honors women of achievement"},"content":{"rendered":"

DAVE MOSIER\/<\/strong>independent editor<\/em><\/p>\n

The YWCA of Van Wert County honored several local women and also heard an inspiring message from Cleveland Cavaliers sidelines reporter Allie Clifton-Kalsow during its Women of Achievement Banquet on Thursday evening.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Award winners and nominees pose following the YWCA of Van Wert County’s second annual Women of Achievement Banquet on Thursday.<\/strong> Dave Mosier\/Van Wert independent<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Women were nominated in eight different categories, including Professional Development, Advocacy, Women\u2019s Empowerment, Racial Justice, Volunteerism, Youth Development, Civic Dedication, and Overcoming Adversity. All nominees received a Stephanie Dawn gift bag, while the winners each earned a Stephanie Dawn tote.<\/p>\n

Nominees in the Professional Development category were Paula Stabler and Jacque Welch, with Stabler, a nurse who also heads the Emergency Department at Van Wert Health, receiving the award.<\/p>\n

The person who nominated Stabler noted: \u201cPaula Stabler is a shining example of what it means to lead a team with energy and dedication.\u201d<\/p>\n

The only person nominated for the Advocacy Award was Veronica Cuevas, a realtor who works for Bee Gee Realty in Van Wert. Cuevas has raised money for those less fortunate and fights for their rights, her nominator said.<\/p>\n

\u201cVeronica is an advocate for all of the single moms out there,\u201d her nomination letter stated. \u201cWithout even realizing it, Veronica sets one of the best examples of what you should, and could, be that I\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was also only one choice for the Women\u2019s Empowerment Award, which went to longtime coach, educator, and counselor Rita Hurless.<\/p>\n

Hurless, who coached several sports at Van Wert High School, worked to make her players not only better athletes, but better people.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith each sports team she coached, Rita approached the season as more than just a game,\u201d her nominator said. \u201cRita saw value in being with a team and saw sports as a way to learn important life lessons.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nominees for the Racial Justice Award were Heidi Kline and Miah Katalenas, with Kline receiving the award this year.<\/p>\n

Kline, a nurse who has seven adopted children and also cares for a 19-year-old boy she helped find a job, get a driver\u2019s license, and enroll in college, was cited for her work in helping kids who might not prosper otherwise.<\/p>\n

\u201cHeidi works in areas where there are economic difficulties, prejudices, and a lack of opportunity,\u201d her nominating letter stated. \u201cRacial justice is a proactive reinforcement of policy, practices, attitudes, and actions that produce equal power, opportunities, treatment, and the impact and outlook for it all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Three people were nominated for the Volunteerism Award — Julie Burenga, Margaret Miller, and Linda Stanley — with Burenga winning this year\u2019s award.<\/p>\n

Her nominator noted that Burenga is a vital part of the important process of volunteerism in Van Wert, and helps out as a volunteer coach, at the Children\u2019s Garden in Smiley Park, at First United Methodist Church, where she created an outreach program, and the Junior Achievement program. \u201cShe volunteers, not for the recognition, but out of the kindness of her heart,\u201d her nomination letter read.<\/p>\n

MaryJo Wilhelm and Teresa Shaffer were nominated for the Youth Development Award, with Wilhelm earning the nod for this year\u2019s award.<\/p>\n

Wilhelm, who is retiring this year after 27 years as community relations director for Vantage Career Center, has played an important role in youth development at the school, her nominator said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce a student has made the decision to attend Vantage, MaryJo organizes a student appreciation celebration full of music, games, food, and a car show to provide a level of comfort and enthusiasm,\u201d her nomination letter noted. \u201cMaryJo takes a lead role in organizing Vantage student organizations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her nominator said that Wilhelm has created a number of youth programs at Vantage, including the Step Into Your Future program for eighth-grade girls.<\/p>\n

The late BarB Thompson was the posthumous winner of the Civic Dedication Award for the many organizations she was involved in over the years she lived in Van Wert. In addition to working at Derry Drugs, Vantage, and Starr Commonwealth, Thompson served on a number of community boards and organizations, including Van Wert Rotary, The Salvation Army, the Council on Aging, and many more.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was an influential part of so many people\u2019s lives. Although BarB passed away in December of 2017, her legacy and example of civic dedication live on as a shining example of the impact one should have in your community.\u201d<\/p>\n

The last award of the night was presented in the Overcoming Adversity category. Tisha Fast and Jan White were nominated, with Fast earning the award this year.<\/p>\n

Fast, who battled breast cancer and had a double mastectomy, also continued to work in insurance and even opened up her own insurance agency during that time.<\/p>\n

\u201cTisha is an inspiring woman, as she runs her business with integrity and compassion, all while balancing her family and volunteer work,\u201d her nomination letter said.<\/p>\n

Three local high school seniors were also awarded scholarships from the YWCA. Madison Turnwald of Van Wert earned a $500 scholarship, while Cassidy Meyers of Van Wert and Frankie Carey of Lincolnview each received a $250 scholarship.<\/p>\n

Although Clifton-Kalsow couldn\u2019t attend the banquet because she was in Toronto, Canada, covering the Cleveland Cavaliers playoff game with the Raptors, she provided an inspiring video message that talked about the fact that, while many people think her job is glamorous, it is still hard work and provides many challenges to women trying to succeed in the male-dominated world of sports.<\/p>\n

Clifton-Kaslow was often emotional as she spoke on empowering women and the challenges that women face oftentimes to be taken seriously and to be treated as equals to — and by — men.<\/p>\n

Sponsors for the dinner included Cooper Foods Cooked Meats, KAM Manufacturing (Stephanie Dawn), MOD Boutique, The Greenhouse Effect, The Secret Garden, LifeHouse Church, DLR Design Inc., and Burcham Printing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DAVE MOSIER\/independent editor The YWCA of Van Wert County honored several local women and also heard an inspiring message from Cleveland Cavaliers sidelines reporter Allie Clifton-Kalsow during its Women of Achievement Banquet on Thursday evening. Women were nominated in eight different categories, including Professional Development, Advocacy, Women\u2019s Empowerment, Racial Justice, Volunteerism, Youth Development, Civic Dedication, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-102213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-03 03:51:23","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=102213"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102213\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=102213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=102213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=102213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}