10/02/2026
YWCA Canton continues to celebrate women who have made a lasting impact!
Wendy Rockenfelder is a retired attorney and a 2017 YWCA Canton Women's Hall of Fame Inductee. She has spent decades giving her time, energy, and heart to neighbors in need. She is known for rolling up her sleeves and getting things done, and for bringing others along with her.
Throughout her years of service, Wendy has made an extraordinary impact:
🧡 Dedicated Leadership: Wendy served on the YWCA Canton Board of Directors for 12 years. During that time, she helped raise funds through the annual Night of Champions event, supported
the effort to build Gateway II (from searching for land to raising money for construction), and championed the addition of geothermal heat at Gateway I and New Beginnings.
🧡 Community Connector: Wendy helped lead the annual Furniture Drive with the Malone football team, collecting furniture from the community for families in need.
🧡 Hands-On Helper: When the Gateway II family shelter sat empty and in need of a top-to-bottom cleaning in September 2020, Wendy answered the call. She gathered volunteers,
cleaned the rooms, and then furnished each one with everything a family would need if they walked in with nothing, from pots and pans to dishes and bedding. She did the same at New Beginnings and Gateway I, organizing volunteers to clean, paint, and furnish empty apartments with donated items.
🧡 A Legacy of Service: A practicing attorney for more than 4 decades, Wendy also gave her time to Habitat for Humanity, the Stark County Legal Aid Board, the St. Anthony Social Concerns Committee, the Junior League, and many other civic and charitable organizations.
Wendy credits her mother, a schoolteacher who was always collecting items for children in need, and her grandmother, who handed out fried egg sandwiches to anyone who knocked on
her door hungry, for teaching her the meaning of service. As Wendy says, it's never just her: she's the organizer who gets a crew together, and we're grateful for the volunteers who join her.
Please join us in thanking Wendy Rockenfelder for her generosity, leadership, and lasting impact on YWCA Canton and our community.
