SIDNEY — Josh Ross, Shelby County United Way 2018 Campaign chair, has announced the volunteer team to lead the 61st annual United Way fall campaign. The theme this year is “United We Win” with a goal of $1,340,000.
Ross, Heather Boerger, Large Manufacturing Division leader, and Scott Barr, executive director of the Shelby County United Way, have started the process of making CEO visits to Shelby County companies. Ross has many returning division leaders for this year’s campaign.
Ross is an account executive at Ruese Insurance Agency, where he has been employed for 10 years. He is an active volunteer in the community. Currently, Ross is a board member of Samaritan Works, Raise the Roof for the Arts, the Sidney-Shelby County Chamber of Commerce, a member of the steering committee for YP Connect, a Sidney/Shelby County Bicentennial committee member and a member of multiple YMCA committees. Ross was a Shelby County United Way board member from 2011 to 2016 serving as board secretary in addition to multiple committees, and as a campaign volunteer. He also served as a youth football coach with the Sidney Pee Wee program.
The Large Manufacturing Division will be led by Boerger, human resources generalist at Edgewell, formerly Energizer Playtex. Boerger is a Shelby County United Way board member and serves on the Student United Way and Events and Activities Committee.
The Small Manufacturing Division will be led this year by Jason Wagner, commercial lender for Minster Bank. This will be Wagner’s third year as a division leader.
The Service Division will be co-chaired by Mark and Sandi Shipman. Mark is thedistribution manager at Amos Media. This will be Mark’s ninth year to serve in a leadership role in our United Way campaign. Sandi is a Realtor for Berkshire Hathaway Home Services. This will be Sandi’s seventh year serving on the United Way campaign.
The Retail Division will be co-chaired by Mike Phillips and Kim Doak. Phillips is the bank manager at the 5/3 Sidney Banking Center. This is his third year serving as a division leader. He will be joined this year by Doak, who is the branch manager of US Bank Downtown Sidney. She is also an advisory board member of POWER, Shelby County United Way’s women’s initiative group.
Joining the campaign in her first year and leading the Professional Division is Ashley Himes, who is the owner and insurance agent of Ashley Himes State Farm Insurance.
The Health Care Division will be led by Jenny Huelskamp, community marketing liaison at Wilson Health, and David Andrick, director of physician recruitment for Wilson Health. This is Huelskamp’s third year serving on the campaign and Andrick will be participating in his ninth Shelby County United Way campaign.
Mark Cundiff will lead the City Employee’s campaign. Cundiff is serving his first year in a campaign leadership role and is the city manager for the city of Sidney.
The County Public Service Division this year will be co-chaired by Bob Guillozet and Jodie Siegel. This is the fourth year for Guillozet, who is a Shelby County commissioner, and the second campaign for Siegel, who is the county recorder.
The Education Division will be co-chaired by Tiffany Rank, Sidney City Schools communications coordinator, Amy Simindinger, Juvenile Court liaison, Midwest Regional Educational Service Center, and Jeff Hobbs, superintendent, Fairlawn Local Schools. Rank is serving on her sixth campaign. Simindinger is serving on her seventh United Way campaign, while Hobbs is serving on his second campaign.
Rank is a United Way board member serving as board secretary and on the Student United Way, marketing, and events and activities committees. Simindinger facilitates the IMPACT Program, a United Way funded program. Simindinger and Hobbs will be leading the county segment of the Education Division while Rank will lead the Sidney City Schools campaign.
Amanda Partington, director of New Choices and Chad Gessler, director of Clear Creek Farms, will co-chair the Nonprofit Division for this year’s campaign. Both programs are United Way partner agencies. This will be Partington’s second campaign and first for Gessler.
The Retirees Division and Cornerstone Society Leadership Giving Division will be led by Shelby County United Way employees Jayne Smith and Amy West. This is Smith’s eighth year being a division leader in the campaign. Smith is the director of finance and administration. This will be West’s second year on the campaign and she is the Enhanced Giving coordinator/POWER associate.
The 2018 campaign kick-off luncheon will be held on Sept. 13 at 11:30 a.m., at the Palazzo in Botkins, and the public is invited to attend. There is no charge for the luncheon and reservations are not needed. The campaign will continue through the finale celebration on Nov. 8 at 11:30 a.m. at the Sidney American Legion.
Over 175 companies and 4,200 donors participated in the campaign last year. One in four residents were served by a Shelby County United Way partner agency in 2017. The mission statement of the Shelby County United Way is to identify, evaluate, and make possible human services to Shelby County residents. For more information on the Shelby County United Way or to make a donation to support the campaign go to the website www.shelbycountyunitedway.org or the Shelby County United Way Facebook page.
