Findlay pair evolves from mentors to friends

Heidi Nuhfer turned 8 years old in 1982. She celebrated her birthday with a Papa Smurf birthday cake and a new friend, Kathy Peiffer — her new Big Sister through the Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Hancock County program. That agency went on to become Children's Mentoring Connection. "I'm just really thankful for it (the relationship with Peiffer)," Nuhfer said recently, noting that her mother had enrolled all three of her young daughters in the program. Peiffer, too, recalls the pairing fondly. "I dove right in because I got invited to her birthday party," Peiffer said. She remembers asking herself, 'What do I get an 8-year-old for a birthday present?' "I had no clue," she said. She went to JCPenney and bought a Papa Smurf backpack. Peiffer's and Nuhfer's weekly meetings continued with trips to the roller-skating rink, eating at McDonald's, going to the movies and attending the inaugural Bowling for Kids fundraiser together. Peiffer was married and working as a secretary at Marathon Petroleum Corp. at the time. Looking back, she believes it was advertisements for mentors through Big Brothers/Big Sisters that must have piqued her interest. "My friends were starting to have babies, and we were kind of waiting," she said. "We actually had our name on the adoption list. And when I saw this, I thought, 'Well, that might be fun.'" Peiffer said walking into the birthday party along with the other two mentors assigned to Nuhfer's sisters was the "beginning of a big friendly family." "I just remember being so excited," added Nuhfer. "It was like Christmas times 10." Their first outing on their own was a trip to the mall. Peiffer recalled the little girl sitting close to her and reaching out to hold her hand when they got out of the car. The bond between Nuhfer and Peiffer formed quickly. When the Peiffers were transferred two years later due to work, the formal "match" through Big Brothers/Big Sisters ended because she was no longer in the area. But that didn't stop their friendship. "It was hard when Kathy left town to move to Indianapolis, but she had pre-prepared a bunch of stationery, stamps, everything. So we were pen pals for a while while she was gone," said Nuhfer. The two stayed in touch through several more moves. And when the couple returned to Findlay, they surprised Nuhfer with a new baby girl they had adopted. As Nuhfer got older, Peiffer was there for many of the major milestones in her life, including her 1992 graduation from Findlay High School and a wedding reception after she was married in Las Vegas in 1998. Nuhfer went on to have two children of her own. She worked as a registered nurse for 20 years and now sells real estate full time. As an adult, Nuhfer began calling Peiffer for grown-up advice. "And I felt like she needed me," said Peiffer. "She liked talking to me about life things, and that made me feel good." Both women said mentoring has been a good experience. Nuhfer noted that the program can have a huge effect on the life and development of a child. "It can change their life, honestly — give them a feeling of value to know someone cares about them. Just feeling like someone's in your corner can be life changing," she said. "She could have done anything with her time, but she chose to do this," Nuhfer continued. "So investing in other people has a huge payoff. That's what I've learned from this." Children's Mentoring Connection of Hancock County Executive Director Stacy Shaw said Peiffer is serving as the 2022 ambassador of the Foundation for the Continuation of Children's Mentoring Connection. The Peiffers also set up a campaign for matching funds to help support the agency. "We started that in November. We had anticipated that that was going to be a yearlong campaign in honor of the 40th celebration of them being together. They did matching funds up to $40,000," said Shaw. Last week, the $40,000 goal was reached. "Now that we've reached that goal, I'm excited about trying to increase the number of mentors," said Peiffer. There are currently about 20 local children who are waiting to be matched, Shaw said. She added that most of the youths are young men, so the agency is seeking more males to get involved. Children's Mentoring Connection is looking to connect with people who have been involved in any capacity with the agency, as well as the former Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Hancock County, in preparation for a 50th anniversary celebration in 2024. Individuals can reach out by calling the office at 419-424-9752 or emailing Shaw at stacy@cmchancock.org Wolf: 419-427-8419