Toledo Leaders make annual luncheon a success

Boys & Girls Clubs of Toledo raised more than $50,000 at the 15th annual TLC Luncheon featuring Judge Glenda Hatchett as the keynote May 3 at the Renaissance Hotel Downtown Toledo.

Judge Hatchett, best known for the two-time Emmy-nominated nationally syndicated show “Judge Hatchett” and more recently

“The Verdict with Judge Hatchett,” learned firsthand the effects Boys & Girls Clubs can have on youth during her time as juvenile court judge.

“Our children are all we have with which to build a new generation of men and women, and we have to guarantee their safe passage from their childhood to their adulthood,” she said. “We have got to be the guardians. 

The TLC Luncheon began as a “Toledo Ladies for the Club” philanthropic event. This year, Boys & Girls Clubs of Toledo rechristened the event to the “Toledo Leaders for the Club” Luncheon to recognize the event’s wider support in the community and encourage inclusivity.

The theme was “Teach. Encourage. Inspire.”

Valerie Simmons-Walston, special adviser to the president for community engagement and strategic partnerships at the University of Toledo, emceed the event. Boys & Girls Clubs of Toledo President and CEO Jim Ravas; Director of Programming Aleshia Furr; Market President for KeyBank Dan Dower; and Lucas County Commissioner Anita Lopez also spoke.

In formally kicking off the luncheon, Dan Dower, market president of KeyBank, encouraged attendees to stretch to make a difference in their community.

“Don’t do what’s easy, because easy isn’t worth it,” he said.

Kari Gladney and Barb Stengle chaired the event.

KeyBank, The Walter E. Terhune Memorial Fund, presented the event. Ernst & Young, LLP; Ohio Council of Community Schools, The Andersons, Inc.; Kusmer Communications and Fricker’s Sylvania also sponsored the event.

Table captains were Pat and Meg Appold; Tom and Betsy Brady; Tiffany Cavanaugh; Becky Fuhrman; Wendy Gramza and the Toledo Chamber of Commerce; Sue Hague-Rogers; Don Harbaugh and Jan Fry; Allison Hammons and Knight Insurance; Georgeann Kohn and The Optical Shop; Shannon Kolkedy; Molly Leutke; Anita Lopez and the Lucas County Commissioners; Karen Lucas; Billy Mann; Susan Morgan; Blair Nooney; Rob and Kathy Shick; Susan Palmer; Jim Ravas; Chad Rutkowski; Simmons-Walston and the University of Toledo; Barb Stengle; Keri Suhy and Vivian Kate; Samantha Verdonck; and Sydney Williams-Birch and Designetics.

The Clubs also hosted a preview night, presented by Checker Distributors, on May 2 at the Homer Hanham Boys & Girls Club. The preview featured a meet-and-greet with Judge Hatchett and a sneak peek of the substantial renovation of the organization’s flagship Club.