Rotary Club of Youngstown begins second century of service

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The Rotary Club of Youngstown marked its 101st anniversary and beginninng of its second century of service with a celebration Feb. 26 at Youngstown Country Club.

Paul Harris Fellow awards were presented to Carol Sherman, a member, and Robert Shroder, recently retired CEO of Mercy Health, from the community.

The recognition acknowledges individuals who contribute or who have contributions made in their name of $1,000 to the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International. It was established in 1957 to show appreciation for and encourage contributions to what was then Rotary Foundation Fellowships for Advanced Study, now Ambassadorial Scholarships.

A native of Youngstown, Sherman graduated from The Rayen School in 1966 and from Youngstown State University in 1970 with a bachelor’s degree in education. She was honored with the 2007 Beeghly College of Education Volunteer Service Award. Sherman has volunteered for many years during the WYSU radio station spring and fall fund drives.

A member of YSU Penguin Club and life member of YSU Alumni Society, she also supports YSU through “Pete’s Pride.”

A Rotarian since 2001, she has had many leadership roles to raise funds to support projects and services. She was co-chairman of its Put Kids First initiative at Harding Elementary School for 11 years. Rotary provided “Leave at Home School Bags” for all the first-graders, helped organize the “Great Ohio Planting Day” at Wick Park, brought SMARTS programs into the school and provided age-appropriate books to children. Two ADA playgrounds were built on the new school campus with Mahoning County Green Team to help secure matching funds. This playground construction served as Rotary’s 2014 centennial project.

In 2002, Sherman created “Rotary and Me,” a mentoring program at Harding. She also initiated The Rockin’ Race with Harding students to support Joanie Abdu Comprehensive Breast Care Center at St. Elizabeth.

She co-chaired Operation Warm project in 2013 and helped raise more than $10,000 to provide new winter coats to children at Harding, The Boys and Girls Club of Youngstown, St. Joseph the Provider and Betty’s Angels. She served on the steering committee of the 2015 Operation Warm Project, a collaboration of six Rotary Clubs in Mahoning County. She helped raise more than $67,000 to buy coats for children throughout the Valley.

She was a founding board member of Royco, Youngstown Rotary’s innovative business established with Wendell August Forge to raise money to support Rotary’s philanthropic projects. Sherman played an integral part in Youngstown Rotary being recognized with two District Robert Manchester Awards and one National Achievement Award.

She helped establish the Young Philanthropist Board of the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley. Sherman received the B’nai B’rith Guardian of the Menorah Award at a tribute dinner that raised funds to support scholarships for Jewish youth of the Mahoning and Shenango Valleys to participate in the Ohio Northern Region B’nai B’rith Youth Organization.

Sherman was employed at Metropolitan Saving Bank.

Shroder was senior vice president of Mercy Health, Cincinnati, and president and CEO, Mercy Health in Youngstown. He joined Mercy Health (formerly Humility of Mary Health Partners) in 1997 as administrator/chief operating officer at the region’s St. Joseph Warren Hospital. He was appointed executive vice president of operations of Mercy Health — Youngstown in 1998 and president/CEO in 2002.

During his tenure, the region has shown significant market share growth. Admissions have grown from 29,000 in 2002 to more than 37,000 in 2014. In 2007, Mercy Health expanded with the building of St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital, the area’s first new acute care inpatient hospital in almost 40 years. Just seven years after opening, St. Elizabeth Boardman underwent a $100 million expansion to meet growing demand for services.

Shroder is responsible for expanding pediatric care in Youngstown by bringing Akron Children’s Hospital to the Valley — a relationship that began with Akron Children’s providing neonatal intensive care (NICU) services at St. Elizabeth then blossomed into Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley. The relationship grew again with the move of maternity services and the NICU to St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital in April 2014 and the planned opening of NICU services at St. Joseph Warren Hospital in June of 2015.

Cancer care in Trumbull County expanded under Shroder’s leadership with the establishment of the St. Joseph Cancer Center. St. Elizabeth Youngstown, St. Joseph Warren and St. Elizabeth Boardman are the only hospitals in the Mahoning Valley to earn Magnet status for excellence in nursing.

The region has won several national awards for its clinical quality and nursing care. Shroder recently received the Regional Chamber’s 2014 Spirit of the Valley Award and was selected as the speaker for Youngstown State University’s 2014 spring commencement and Mercy College 2015 commencement ceremonies.

Prior to joining Mercy Health, Shroder was the chief operating officer at Barberton Citizens Hospital in Barberton, Ohio, for more than 10 years. During his tenure, the hospital experienced increasing profits and productivity and implemented several new patient care programs. He was also responsible for a $25 million hospital master facility plan and $3.6 million medical Shroder earned a bachelor’s degree in public administration from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and holds a master’s degree in hospital and health administration with a concentration in finance from Xavier University.

Shroder and his wife of 37 years, Katy, reside in Howland. They are the parents of three adult children.