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Main Street Volunteer of the Year award given to Downtown Tiffin’s Vickie Wilkins

October 21, 2025

TIFFIN, OHIO – October 21, 2025 – Heritage Ohio hosted its annual awards ceremony on October 15 at the Canton Palace Theater in conjunction with its statewide conference. The event honored outstanding projects, places, and individuals making significant contributions to historic preservation and community revitalization across Ohio. Winners were selected by an independent jury.

This year’s Main Street Volunteer of the Year Award was presented to Vickie Wilkins.

Since 2014, Wilkins has played a key role in the Downtown Tiffin Main Street Program, contributing to numerous committees and initiatives. She served as board chair of the Downtown Development Committee, where she provided leadership and guidance in advancing downtown growth and programming. Her work has also supported the development and continuity of popular community events, including Third Thursdays, Fall Flannel Fest, Fête de la Musique, and the St. Paddy’s 5K. Through her leadership and strategic involvement, Wilkins has helped strengthen organizational planning and enhance community participation in downtown activities.

The Main Street Volunteer of the Year Award recognizes an individual whose time, expertise, and commitment have contributed substantially to the success of a Main Street program. Wilkins’ efforts exemplify this standard and highlight the impact of volunteer engagement in community revitalization.

In addition to the Volunteer of the Year honor, several other Downtown Tiffin-based initiatives and individuals were recognized as finalists in their categories:

  • Best Ohio Main Street Committee Project: Best Foot Forward
  • Young Preservationist: Weston Reinbolt & Suzie Reineke
  • Main Street Business of the Year: MST Pub & Grub

[Pictured: Vickie Wilkins]

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About Downtown Tiffin
The revitalization of Downtown Tiffin began in 2011 with the formation of Tiffin Tomorrow, a grassroots initiative led by community members dedicated to promoting economic development and ensuring the long-term prosperity of the downtown district. In 2014, the City of Tiffin partnered with local organizations to serve as the official downtown development entity. Tiffin Tomorrow was incorporated into this effort, which now operates under the Seneca County Collaborative as the Downtown Development Board, the governing body for downtown revitalization efforts.

Since 2015, Downtown Tiffin has proudly participated in Heritage Ohio’s Main Street Program, further strengthening its commitment to historic preservation, economic vitality, and community engagement. Downtown Tiffin is also recognized as a nationally accredited Main Street America Program. Learn more at www.DowntownTiffin.org.

About the Seneca County Collaborative
The Seneca County Collaborative brings together the Seneca Regional Chamber & Development, Downtown Tiffin, and Destination Seneca County under one unified structure to better serve the businesses, communities, and residents of Seneca County. This integrated approach aligns economic development, tourism, downtown revitalization, and business services to create greater impact, improve access to resources, and drive long-term success across the county. Learn more at www.OneSeneca.org.

About Downtown Tiffin

The revitalization of downtown Tiffin began in 2011, when a group of community members came together to form “Tiffin Tomorrow”, with the goal of promoting and encouraging economic development in Downtown Tiffin, and creating plans, programs, and actions to ensure long-term vitality and prosperity. In 2014, the City of Tiffin contracted with SIEDC to act as the downtown organization and “Tiffin Tomorrow” came under the SIEDC (now TSEP) umbrella as the “Downtown Development Board,” which serves as the governing board of the downtown organization. In 2015, Tiffin joined Heritage Ohio’s Main Street Program. For more information, click here.

About Heritage Ohio

Heritage Ohio promotes economic growth through the preservation and revitalization of downtowns and neighborhoods across Ohio. Heritage Ohio is the coordinating agency for the Ohio Main Street Program and is the designated statewide Ohio preservation partner with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Through saving the places that matter we can all build a community and live better. Learn more about how to become involved by visiting www.heritageohio.org.

About Main Street America

Main Street America leads a movement committed to strengthening communities through preservation-based economic development in older and historic downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts. For more than 40 years, Main Street America has provided a practical, adaptable, and impactful framework for community-driven, comprehensive revitalization through the Main Street Approach™. Our network of more than 1,600 neighborhoods and communities, rural and urban, share both a commitment to place and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development. Since 1980, communities participating in the program have generated more than $101.58 billion in new public and private investment, generated 168,693 net new businesses and 746,897 net new jobs, rehabilitated more than 325,119 buildings, and levered over 33.7 million volunteer hours. Main Street America is a nonprofit subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. For more information, visit mainstreet.org.

 
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