From left to right are past president Michele Mueller of the Port Clinton Kiwanis, Ohio Governor Jaime Kaufman and Port Clinton Kiwanis President Mike Zipfel. (Photo by D’Arcy Patrick Egan)

BY D’ARCY PATRICK EGAN

Jaime Kaufman has been sold on the benefits of Kiwanis membership since he was a member of its Key Club affiliate as a student at Port Clinton High School 20 years ago. Now the Sylvania sales manager of Parker Steel in Toledo, Kaufman’s passion for community leadership has not waned a bit.

“The leadership opportunities Kiwanis afforded me have been substantial since I joined Kiwanis in 2001,” said Kaufman, now 43. “Both as a student at Port Clinton and at Ohio University, where I received degrees in business administration and finance. Right after graduation from OU I was working as a financial advisor before gravitating into sales management.”

A member of the PCHS student council and a football player for a couple of seasons, Kaufman said his high school experiences with Kiwanis helped teach him to be a leader through Kiwanis youth leadership service programs.

“Port Clinton’s Kiwanis program has been a remarkable success story,” said Kaufman. “And it’s one of about 220 clubs in Ohio, with more than 6,000 members. Many Kiwanis chapters don’t always last, so for Port Clinton to make it to 100 years with a lasting impact is quite an accomplishment.”

The local Kiwanis chapter has a long list of community accomplishments, and has provided college scholarships to many students around Ottawa County. Its programs have supported a wide range off causes and charities.

Kaufman’s parents, Georgia and Jim Kaufman, still live in Catawba island Township. His father has retired from the nuclear power industry, he said, and it’s always enjoyable to come back to the area to visit them and see how the things are changing.

“It’s refreshing to see Port Clinton on the rebound,” said Kaufman. “I can’t speak enough about what Mayor Mike Snider and the city fathers have been doing to improve the city.”