SIDNEY — Members of the Ohio Clerk of Courts Association have honored the Shelby County Historical Society with a donation of $1,675.
Shelby County Clerk of Courts Michelle Mumford is president of the association this year. It convenes annual summer and winter conferences.
During each conference, members contribute to a nonprofit organization through individual gifts and by giving the proceeds of live and silent auctions of items brought to the conference and donated by the members.
The president selects the organization and for the 2017 summer conference, Mumford chose the local historical society.
“I’ve lived in Shelby County all my life,” Mumford said. “I’ve always liked history. The folks at the historical society have a really fantastic way of making our great history come alive. I always love the way they pay a great deal of respect to our military veterans. They make that hometown connection. And they have a lot of different programs for children.”
The selection was a surprise to society Director Tilda Phlipot and the board of trustees. Phlipot learned of it when Mumford asked her to make a short presentation to the the conference attendees about what the society does.
“Speaking at the Ohio Clerk of Courts Association summer conference was one of the highlights of my career as the director of the Shelby County Historical Society. It was my pleasure to share with them our many children’s programs and the impact that they have on the students of Shelby County, along with telling a little about the many programs in which we have been honored with awards from the (state-level) Ohio History Connection Local History Office. I was most excited to share some of the plans that are on the drawing board for our Center for Industry, Innovation, and Opportunity. This is the largest project the society has taken on to date, but when it is complete, we feel that it will be a tremendous addition to our community,” Phlipot said.
The conference took place June 14 and 15 in Deer Creek State Park in Mount Sterling, but it wasn’t until Wednesday that Phlipot was presented with a check and learned how much money had been collected.
Mumford said the amount was in the range of usual donations by association members, and she was pleased to award it to the historical society.
“They take personal pride in our community,” she said.
Mumford has not yet selected the group that will be the beneficiary of the association’s winter conference.
“It will have something to do with law enforcement. My son is a (Troy) police officer, so it’s near and dear to my heart,” she said.
