AROUND TOWN

Moms, dads and kids Dance for Dimes

Wood County commissioners, from left, Joel Kuhlman, Tim Brown, and Jim Carter, far right, honor Clarence Gooden, third from left, executive vice president of CSX Transportation, with the Corporate Citizen of the Year Award.

The Dance For Dimes fund-raiser was a success with the help of event planners, from left, Julie Diener, Sue Eidenier, and Tricia Dzierwa.

The Dance for Dimes presented by Hylant Group, Inc., on March 31 at the Toledo Club was a night of family fun to support a great cause.

Charity functions are well attended in the Toledo area, but for parents of little ones, that means finding a baby sitter, which this event made unnecessary. The fancy ballroom was festively decorated for the more than 300 moms and dads and their children, who enjoyed the evening of magic, an indoor bounce house, face painting, art activity tables, and performances by area dance teams, all while a DJ spun child-appropriate tunes.

The Shirley Temple was the popular beverage and Mac n' Cheese Bites were the popular food items.

Seen with their children were Shaun Hegarty of Fox News and Sara Hegarty of 92.5 KISS-FM, Lisa and John Hawker, Christine Stahle, Brett and Sheri Pelok, Matt and Courtney VanKoughnet, Dean and Beth Vollmar, and Luke and Kara Nachtrab.

Dance For Dimes volunteers Maureen Connelly and Madison Dzierwa.

Richard Hylant, the 2012 March for Babies campaign chairman, and event organizers, fellow Hylant employees Tricia Dzierwa, Sue Eidenier, and Julie Diener, were all smiles about the more than $10,000 netted at the first-time event.

The ninth annual People of Vision Award Dinner hosted by the Hylant Group to benefit Prevent Blindness Ohio was March 21 at the Hilton Toledo.

The estimated $51,000 that was raised helps thousands of Ohioans with vision services and care. Prevent Blindness Ohio, founded in 1957, is a volunteer nonprofit public health organization to prevent blindness and preserve sight through education, advocacy, research, and early detection.

The People of Vision Award recognizes corporations and their top leadership for outstanding community vision and commitment, said event chairman Michael Hylant, CEO of the Hylant Group. Honored this year was Medical Mutual, represented by Gary Thieman, senior vice president, Northwest Ohio Region. Medical Mutual, founded in 1934, donated more than $4.6 million to 543 nonprofit organizations in Ohio in 2011 through about 258 company-sponsored events.

Honoree Gary Thieman, left, and host Mike Hylant at the People of Vision award dinner.

The event committee included Mr. Hylant, Sally Binard, Lee Hakel, Linda Liber, Rhoda Miller, and representatives from Buckeye TeleSystem, Buehrer Group Architecture and Engineering, Inc., City of Toledo Board of Community Relations, Fifth Third Bank, Hylant Group, Lathrop Company, Medical Mutual, Mercy College of Ohio, Owens Community College, The Blade, and Toledo-Lucas County CareNet.

The19th annual Wood County Economic Development Commission Dinner was March 21 at the Hilton Garden Inn, Perrysburg. The dinner was in celebration of the 19th anniversary of the commission, a public/private partnership that has helped with more than $3 billion in growth in Wood County, according to Tom Blaha, executive director.

It was definitely a time for rubbing elbows for 550 business and civic leaders from northwest Ohio and beyond. Bankers, businessmen, lawyers, chambers of commerce leaders, elected officials, city, township, and village officials were at the event.

Wood County commissioners, from left, Joel Kuhlman, Tim Brown, and Jim Carter, far right, honor Clarence Gooden, third from left, executive vice president of CSX Transportation, with the Corporate Citizen of the Year Award.

Special guest was Consul General of Japan Kuninori Matsuda. He said there are 420 Japanese businesses in Ohio and 70 in northwest Ohio.

The 2011 annual report was unveiled and the executive committee officers were installed: Rex Huffman, president; Tim Pedro, Jerry Greiner, Jerry Miller, Sheri Bokros, and Lane Williamson.

The annual "Corporate Citizen of the Year" award went to CSX Transportation. Accepting the honor was Clarence Gooden, executive vice president.

The Roy Start High School Hall of Fame Association presented the 11th Annual Hall of Fame banquet and induction this month at the Toledo Club.

Inductees included Cynthia Kallile, Susan Farrell Palmer, Robin Johnston Cockerill, Phyllis Nathanson, Thomas Pappas, Dan Peffley, and Nancy "Nina" Wright.