Members of the Top of Ohio Mended Hearts received a special honor during the group’s Feb. 27 meeting from the Mended Hearts International organization.
President Bruce Norris presented a plaque that celebrates Top of Ohio Mended Hearts Chapter #069’s 30th anniversary with the Mended Hearts International.
A letter from the international president was also received, congratulating the group for providing 30 years of outstanding service to heart patients of all ages in the Logan County area, with a mission of inspiring hope and to improve the quality of life to heart patients and their families through ongoing peer-to-peer support, education and advocacy.
The Mended Hearts motto is, “It’s great to be alive and to help others.”
The first organizational meeting to form a local group to educate and offer support to the area’s heart patients was conducted at Mary Rutan Hospital in October of 1994 when Dr. Vincent Petno and John F. Sowers addressed a group of 74 people who wanted to form a Mended Hearts chapter in Logan County.
Others in attendance were Mandy Goble, who at the time served as vice president and administrator of cardiovascular services at Mary Rutan Hospital; along with Lois Coons, director of cardiology, and John Cron, president of the Lima, Ohio Mended Hearts chapter, who assisted in forming the local chapter.
In December of 1994, the group met again and the chapter’s first officers were elected. Officers included Gene Wolford, president; Janice Wilburn, vice president; John Sowers, secretary and Crystal Ropp, treasurer.
At this meeting, the Top of Ohio was chosen as the chapter’s official name. On Feb. 16, 1995, the group applied for and received its charter as Mended Hearts chapter #069 from the Mended Hearts International organization.
Today, the Top of Ohio Mended Hearts chapter meets at the Mary Rutan Health Center, 1134 N. Main St. in Bellefontaine, in the first floor conference room at 6 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month, except for the months of July, August and November. All meetings are open to the public.
Each month, a guest speaker, who works in the cardiovascular and heart disease related field, discusses various topics that address many different types of heart problems, medications, treatments, diet, exercise, etc., providing educational information to heart patients of all ages and their families.
For more information or questions about the Top of Ohio Mended Hearts chapter, contact President Bruce Norris at (937) 919-7213 or email bnorris@columbus.rr.com.