Charlene Herzig, member of Branch 867, Dover, OH, has been named
LCBA’s 2018 Fraternalist of the Year!
Serving as chair/president of Branch 867 for the past 6 years,
Charlene is the motivating factor for the increase in membership,
community involvement, monetary donations for organizations, and
awareness to the community needs. She arranges for speakers, both
community and political, to address the monthly LCBA meetings. Past
speakers have included Tuscarawas County Sheriff Campbell,
Tuscarawas County Commissioner Joe Sciaretti, representatives from
Share a Christmas, Dover/New Philadelphia Food Pantry, Birthright,
Carol Lindau (Coordinator with Moshi, Tanzania), Harbor House
(domestic violence shelter), and the Tuscarawas Central Catholic
Schools.
Serving as chair/president of Branch 867 for the past 6 years,
Charlene is the motivating factor for the increase in membership,
community involvement, monetary donations for organizations, and
awareness to the community needs. She arranges for speakers, both
community and political, to address the monthly LCBA meetings. Past
speakers have included Tuscarawas County Sheriff Campbell,
Tuscarawas County Commissioner Joe Sciaretti, representatives from
Share a Christmas, Dover/New Philadelphia Food Pantry, Birthright,
Carol Lindau (Coordinator with Moshi, Tanzania), Harbor House
(domestic violence shelter), and the Tuscarawas Central Catholic
Schools.
Service to Others
Charlene is an active member of St. Joseph Parish in Dover, Ohio.
She is organizer of the prayer line for which people request prayers
for themselves and loved ones in need. She is treasurer of the
Secular Franciscans, a charitable organization of the parish, which
donates money yearly to Mission Honduras, Amazon Relief, Adopt a
Seminarian, and Franciscan missions worldwide. She serves on the
church soup kitchen team.
Charlene is the inspiration for the St. Joe's Crafty Ladies. The
group meets twice monthly and creates items to sell at the summer
festival, school dinners, the Seniors monthly luncheon, as well as
filling requests from individuals. Branch 867 sponsors a booth at
the summer festival which has raised over $2,000 selling products
created and donated by LCBA members. She also organizes volunteers
for the festival to cut and prepare 2,200 sausages that are sold at
the festival.
Hundreds of hats, gloves, scarves, mittens, and socks are
collected/created in November for Share a Christmas and also given
to Father Bob Marva who distributes them to inner city Cleveland
schools. Glasses and hearing aids are collected and given to the
Lions' Club. A donation was given to an orphanage and a medical
center that has been built to train nurses in Moshi, Tanzania,
Africa. Charlene collects and repairs rosaries which are given to
the seminarians in Moshi who are so grateful to receive them. They,
in turn, give them to their family members and friends. In
cooperation with the Tuscarawas Sheriff's Department, unwanted
drugs, medical supplies, etc., were collected by the sheriff's
department on site at St. Joseph's. All of this is accomplished
under the auspices of Charlene.
In addition to the organizations of St. Joseph's parish, Charlene
helps new members in the YMCA's "Hinges and Twinges" aquatics
exercise class learn the program. Charlene visits the sick and/or
phones them. She has arranged each year for LCBA members to work in
the Catholic school during the summer to cover hundreds of textbooks
in preparation for the beginning of school. In September, LCBA
sponsors an ice cream sundae social for students who have met
reading goals during the summer.
Innovative Leadership
Charlene is a "go-getter". She sees a need and researches ways to
fulfill those needs. Along the way, she motivates people of all ages
to participate. She has a smile as well a challenge for everyone.
She involves her children and grandchildren in charitable activities
teaching them how to help people in need.
In May, 2017 and 2018, Charlene guided LCBA members to sponsor a
"Mother/Other" dinner banquet. Sons, daughters, grandchildren, and
friends were invited to honor the Blessed Mother at the May Crowning
and our earthly mothers, too.
Making people aware of the needs in our community is a personal
endeavor for Charlene. Money earned from local donations and LCBA's
matching funds help community, national, and international groups in
continuing their service to their clients. Charlene is the
motivating factor in the growth and success of Branch 867.
