MANSFIELD — Ohio State Mansfield Board members are doctors, lawyers and upper-level managers in well-known local companies and non-profits.
But they all have one thing in common; a vested interest in making the community a better place to live by strengthening higher education.
The Mansfield Board recently participated in LeaderRichland, a three-day event that brings 7th and 8th grade students from Richland County and Crawford County schools to the Ohio State Mansfield campus, where they learn more about careers and what it takes to succeed in those positions.
“People in the community don’t really know who the Board is and that we are volunteers to help the university. They don’t really match our faces with the board,” said Teresa Purtiman, attorney with Purtiman Legal Services, LLC. “We were trying to think of something that we could talk about that was near and dear to us, and translate that into projects that students could also do to help their community. It was a natural progression.”
More than 1,000 girls took part in this year’s LeaderRichland. Board members led five sessions of about 15 students each day, defining the words challenge, volunteer and community.
“Then we brought it all home. We asked each of them to be a volunteer,” said Daniel P. Deville, area manager, First Energy Service Company. “We challenged them to write an inspirational note to someone who is either in a care facility, like a nursing home, or to someone who is in the military.”
Students taped their hand-written notes to four-foot painted plywood Buckeye trees, destined for Wedgewood Estates, Winchester Terrace and the 179th Airlift Wing.
Col. Michael Howard, recently retired from the 179th, talked about his own experience receiving letters from home while deployed.
“It gives you an instant boost just to know that there are people here who are thinking about you,” he said. “I really wanted to put them in that frame of mind, to give them a visual of what it’s like, hopefully to inspire them to write something from the heart.”
Pamela Siegenthaler, lead organizer for the Board sessions, explained some of the Board’s accomplishments to students.
“A lot of our projects support the campus, like raising money for scholarships and helping renovate the library, which is open and available to the whole community,” she said. “Having a nice campus here with educational opportunities supports our community.”
Mark F. Brunn, Director of Business Markets, CenturyLink
Jaime Cruse, student member
R. Dave Daniels, 3-D Consultants
Daniel P. DeVille, Area Manager, FirstEnergy Service Company
James A. Goudy II, M.D., Galion Internal Medicine
Patrick A. Heydinger, Executive Director, Mansfield Metropolitan Housing Authority
Michael J. Howard, Director, North End Community Improvement Collaborative, former Vice Commander, 179th Airlift Wing
Charla Irvin, Vice President, Richland Bank
Teresa E. Purtiman, attorney, Purtiman Legal Services, LLC
Pamela H. Siegenthaler, former President and CEO, Richland County Foundation
