Tiffin Kiwanis Club

06/07/2026

05/25/2026

Thank you for your sacrifice.

05/23/2026

The featured speaker for the May 21, 2026, meeting of the Kiwanis Club of Tiffin was Tiffin City Schools Superintendent Greg Williamson. He is a graduate of Bettsville High School and after earning his degree from the University of Toledo, began his career at Old Fort Local Schools.

Greg Williamson comes to Tiffin City Schools (TCS) from his previous role as superintendent of Leipsic Local Schools, where he served for over 13 years. He said that coming to TCS has reinvigorated him and that he sees a very promising future for the school system. Though the enrollment at TCS has dropped a little, the school system still has over 2,000 students.

Greg spoke highly of those he works with at TCS including assistant superintendent Bob Boes who was a high school opponent in baseball. Greg said he was going through some scrapbooks that his mother had kept and found a game story from when his Bettsville team played Bob's Calvert team. Calvert won that game 4-2 with both Greg and Bob going 1 -3 with a run scored. Greg said he has razzed Bob about that game in that Bob's hit was a single, but Greg's was a double.

A bonus for Greg is that his dad lives in Tiffin, which gives him the opportunity to stay with him two or three nights a week. Greg says that he has found a bigger purpose in his life in serving others. The Kiwanis Club of Tiffin meets each Thursday at noon at Kiwanis Manor. If you are interested in making a difference in our community, please go to https://www.tiffinkiwanis.org/get_involved.

05/19/2026

https://advertiser-tribune.com/news/984383/aktion-club-celebrates-national-foster-care-month/

With community service project

05/14/2026

Sandy Hallett-Berkey, Executive Director for the Family & Children First Council, was the featured speaker for the May 14, 2026, meeting of the Kiwanis Club of Tiffin.

Sandy is a graduate of Kent State University and has authored a pair of books on autism. Sandy said that the core of the Council encompasses helping children dealing with trauma, homelessness, and food insecurity.

The Family & Children First Council consists of representatives from human services, mental health, schools, local government, the court system, youth services, developmental delays and disabilities, and parents, as well as other community agencies. The caseload of students, which is normally around 15, has ballooned to over 30 currently.

Two of the programs under the Council are the SMYL (Seneca Mentoring Youth Links) Program and an after-school program called Impact. Sadly, she said, one in 60 families are being headed by grandparents, which is the third highest in the State of Ohio. Mentors are always needed for SMYL. Anyone interested should contact SMYL mentor coordinator Dawn Lykins at 419-447-2927. https://www.facebook.com/SenecaMentoringYouthLinks/

The Impact After School program is a structured program offering help with homework, mentoring and pro-social skill building.

The Impact program is currently offered only for students in the Tiffin City School system. Other programs offered include:
• Handle With Care in Seneca County, which connects first responders with school to make notifications when a child has experienced a traumatic event.
• Seneca Friendship Club, a social club for young adults in Seneca County ages 18-26 who struggle with social connections, sometimes due to high functioning autism.
• Wraparound which provides coordination in helping families who have multiple needs.
• Teen pregnancy prevention which is a partnership with SCDJFS and hosts teen empowerment programs for middle school girls that builds self-control and strong values in teenagers through conversations, speakers and activities.
• Women Empowering Women which offers women a support system in an encouraging environment that recognizes and builds on existing skills and strengths and explores resources and tools to inspire future success.

In addition to her role as executive director of the Council, Sandy also is the Seneca County Handle With Care Coordinator. Currently, the Family & Children First Council has six staff members. Last year, for the first time, Sandy said that the Council had at least one reference from every local school system in the county. While all problems can't be solved, trying to stop such things as generational poverty, generational illicit drug usage, and generational incarceration is a goal.

05/14/2026

Check out our awesome Builder’s Club in action.

05/08/2026

John Rossman, general manager at Decker's Furniture, was the featured speaker for the May 7, 2026, meeting of the Kiwanis Club of Tiffin, at Kiwanis Manor. Decker’s has been a long-time supporter of the Kiwanis Club of Tiffin through donations and support of our projects.

John grew up in Norwalk, Ohio and moved to Tiffin from Florida with his wife, who is from Tiffin.

John said that Fritz and Clem Decker started Decker’s Furniture in Attica, in 1952. When the business outgrew its Attica building, they opened an additional store in Tiffin in 1957, on South Washington Street, where the current Washington Street Outfitters is located. They soon outgrew that location as well and moved the Tiffin store to its current location in 1963. In 2001, Decker's Furniture opened a third store in Findlay. The Attica store closed in 2013 and the Findlay outlet in 2018.

Customer service is of utmost importance to the Decker's Furniture family with a tag line of "Inspired Living. Quality Products. John said that the business is dedicated to the community as an event sponsor, chamber member, partner with the Seneca County Collaborative, and host of customer appreciation events. John said that, as Decker's Furniture approaches its 75th anniversary, its owners are reimaging its operation with exterior and interior changes as well as bringing in new accessories that one may have had to go out of town for previously. Decker's offers free delivery that goes as far as areas of the North Coast and to just north of Columbus.

This year, Decker's is featuring increased social media presence, a new website, new product lines, sale events, and a grand re-opening event. They have also delivered merchandise as far away as Florida. John's wife also works for Decker's and specializes in interior design. Representatives offers personal service in coming to your home or business to help you with the best fit for your space. John said that best-selling brands include La-Z-Boy, Craftmaster, and Capital Bedding.

Before John’s work at Decker’s, he was a licensed educator and high school track coach. He is the author of the book, Our Second “Child”, which is available at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Our-Second-Child-John-Rossman/dp/1795011068

John also stated that he would become a member of the Kiwanis Club of Tiffin if this post garnered 10,000 views (not likes, but views), so please share this post so he can carry out his promise. We’ll keep you apprised of his progress, thank you.

05/04/2026

Chris Armstrong, owner of Practical Engineering Solutions, was the feature speaker for the April 30, 2026, meeting of the Kiwanis Club of Tiffin.

Chris Armstrong started his company at a time when he desired to leave the corporate world. He started the company, Practical Engineering Solutions business with the desire to offer design work in a practical and cost-effective way, in September of 2025. His knowledge offered design work in automobile, agriculture, and industrial settings.

Now his work is focused solely within the State of Ohio, which allows him to be more involved in the community and his church. He estimates that he has done over $100 million in capital projects over the years. Chris said that he takes a collaborative approach and is very transparent. He likes to form relationships and feels that his cross-industry experience has taught him that networking is key. He said that one of his main goals is removing roadblocks.

He offers design and consulting services in the following areas: industrial engineering, manufacturing engineering, process engineering, civil engineering, quality improvement systems, lean manufacturing, local incentive plans, and tax abatement. His Mission Statement reads as follows: "Designing, optimizing, and delivering practical solutions to help meet your strategic initiatives." Chris brings his spiritual beliefs into his core values, which include Character, Integrity, Transparency, Partnership, and Leadership.