The City of Wyoming has recognized residents by naming them “Citizens of the Year” since 2002. The award honors those who have made an impact on Wyoming or the Greater Cincinnati area through volunteer efforts, selected each fall from community nominations to the Citizens of the Year Committee.
The 2018 Citizens of the Year recipients represent a broad range of activities and organizations that add to the quality of life in Wyoming. The residents honored on January 29, 2019, include:
Amy Elliott is a dedicated volunteer for the arts in Wyoming. Her assistance with school drama productions and her leadership with the Wyoming School Music Association have strengthened our school’s music and theater programs. She recently brought a new drama program for K-6th graders to Wyoming that also raised much-needed funding for the middle and high school drama programs. Elliott’s organizational and creative talents were critical to the success of a WSMA video to promote the strong music programs in our schools. Elliott also chaired the playgroup committee for the Wyoming Newcomers Club and the social committee for the Wyoming Swim Club.
Eric Hagenauer’s volunteering in Wyoming has taken him from the classroom and playground, to soccer fields and swimming pools, to the Wyoming Middle School stage and May Fete booths. Hagenauer was a constant volunteer for field trips, class parties, and field days, and served as a playground duty volunteer for 15 years. He shared his architectural and building expertise with the Middle School’s drama department for four years. He has spent countless hours coaching basketball and soccer. He has served for nearly a decade at the Wyoming Swim Club as a parent volunteer for the swim team and as the Vice President of Pool and Grounds .
Liz McLean is praised as a “see it, own it, do it” person who has volunteered for the Wyoming City Schools’ PSA organization and May Fete events, the Wyoming Newcomers’ Club, the Friends of the Public Library, and Valley Interfaith Community Resource Center. McLean has been an active member of the Junior Woman’s Club of Wyoming, and during her position as president for two years, was credited with leading the club through significant change, revitalizing the organization and expanding the club’s impact on the community.
The pastor at Wyoming Presbyterian Church calls Maureen “Mo” Miller a “passionate and faithful volunteer.” Miller serves as a deacon and assists with weddings and funerals, but her “bread mission” sets her apart. She brings cookies and bread to church every week, and additionally takes bread to elderly church members and to residents at Maple Knoll Village. Miller gives loaves of bread to ushers at Bengals games and greeters at Reds games, and brings a suitcase full of bread on trips out of town. It’s estimated that for the past five years, she has baked over 14,500 loaves of bread. Her family has encouraged her to open a bakery but she says she is happy to bake as a gift of love.
Laura Lee Murley can be found volunteering throughout Wyoming: On the PSA Green Team, in a May Fete booth, with the Wyoming Seadragons swim team, and at the Middle School with drama productions and the Science Olympiad program. Murley first helped the Science Olympiad as a parent volunteer, but quickly stepped up to a mentoring role and coach. Murley has a doctorate in biochemistry, but her skills in multiple subjects and her patience with students have been the real gift that guided the team to the state level six times.
April Robles was nominated by a fellow member of Wyoming Junior Woman’s Club for her quiet, dependable service for numerous programs. Robles has been an active volunteer with Wyoming Schools, notably as a chair of the Parent Education Group and the coordinator for the PSA New Family Orientation program. She has organized networking events for Wyoming’s working mothers and is involved with the Wyoming Inclusion and Neighborhood Diversity Support Team.
Bob Wettengel has been a resident of Wyoming for over 50 years and is undoubtedly best known as the friendly crossing guard at the busy intersection of Wyoming Avenue and Springfield Pike. Students and teachers are grateful for his cheerful greetings and his kindness, each morning and afternoon. Wyoming police officers and parents are grateful for his efforts to keep school children safe. He’s popular with four-legged commuters, too, as he’s known for the tasty dog treats he hands out to pet owners who are out and about on his shift. Wettengel has also volunteered with May Fete, the Wyoming Baptist Church, and Friendship United Methodist Church. But it is his role as the crossing guard that has made him a valuable community “Ambassador
Carol and Tom Wick have dedicated their retirement years to making a difference in the local environment, from composting and avoiding pesticides in their own yard to cleaning up waterways throughout the Ohio Valley. They collect water samples for research in water quality with Rivers Unlimited. The Wicks’ love of wildlife led them to volunteer with Raptor, Inc, an organization dedicated to protecting birds of prey. Their volunteering isn’t limited to the outdoors: Carol served for many years as a volunteer cuddler for infants in Good Samaritan Hospital’s Newborn Intensive Care Unit. Tom assisted the SPCA for many years, and was recognized as a SPCA Community Volunteer of the Year in 2001.
