From the Church to the City, Ruth Dever McDonel Makes Time to Give Back

Editor’s note: The McDonels both make time to give back to their community. This profile highlights some of Ruth Dever McDonel’s volunteer work. .

Ruth Dever McDonel believes in giving back—no matter how little time you have to spare.

“You have to make time for what you feel is important,” McDonel said.

McDonel and her husband, Timothy, certainly find time to volunteer in the community. In fact, listening to McDonel’s schedule makes it hard to believe she finds time for anything else.

She’s involved at the , visiting people who are in the hospital or who have a hard time leaving their homes. She also volunteers at the Brookside Hunger Center with the church.

Ruth Herman, the president of the United Methodist Women’s Association, said McDonel is a well-organized and warm person who volunteers for a variety of different causes in the church. She’s constantly bringing outside issues to the group’s attention—at a recent meeting, McDonel came bearing articles on fracking and human trafficking, Herman said—and encouraging members to get involved.

“She is just an all-around wonderful support person for all of us,” Herman said.

Outside of her church, McDonel is in charge of the city’s senior wellness program, which helps volunteer drivers get regular check-ups. And on election days, she helps operate the elevator at so voters with disabilities can get to the polls without problems.

In 2006, McDonel was honored as one of the . The official proclamation called her volunteer accomplishments “endless,” highlighting her work with the city, the church and many other groups, from the Girl Scouts to the Salvation Army.

McDonel said she comes from a family of volunteers, and when she had children of her own, it was just a natural progression. She was a nurse before retiring to become a full-time mother. When her four children were in school, she became involved in the PTA and the Girl Scouts.

She moved to Brecksville in 1996 when she married Timothy—it was a second marriage for both of them—and found that the community really seems to care. The services the city offers are outstanding, McDonel said, but they really rely on the community.

“If volunteers didn’t do it, it wouldn’t get done,” she said.