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Susan has been on the board of directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lorain County for over 10 years and previously served three years as its Board Chair. Currently, she chairs the fundraising and marketing committee, serves on the Finance Committee and attends monthly board meetings. She has also chaired their golf outing for the past four years since they started the event, which they hold at Red Tail. Each year they have grown the event — this year, they expect over 100 golfers and numerous sponsors. With all of her board roles and events that she is involved in, she spends an average of 10 hours per week volunteering.

For those of you who are unfamiliar, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lorain County’s overarching goal is to provide children and youth facing adversity the means to achieve measurable outcomes leading to lifelong success. The organization is an affiliate of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, which has developed a highly effective approach to mentoring with formalized standards and required procedures for affiliates.h

e overarching goal of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lorain County (BBBSLC) for the past 30 years has been to 

Susan chose this organization after her daughter graduated from high school and went off to college, and she felt she had more free time. She wanted to find an organization through which she could invest in youth. Susan had heard of Big Brothers Big Sisters, so she contacted them to learn more. She started with the organization as a “Big” — an adult mentor paired with a “Little” — a disadvantaged youth who benefits from a one-on-one relationship with a caring adult. She was paired with a 12-year-old boy for two years. During that time, the then Board Chair, knowing of her marketing background and experience, asked if she would join the board and help the organization with marketing itself better in the community.

Susan receives a great sense of satisfaction when she hears the stories of the hundreds of youth in Lorain County that Big Brothers Big Sisters is helping. Many of these youth are inspired to go on to college or seek career paths that they otherwise may not have. They have a holiday party each year at Lorain County Community College, which she just loves attending. She feels it is so heartwarming to interact with the Littles and see how excited they are to be with their Bigs at this big annual event.

In addition to her board work with Big Brothers Big Sisters, Susan also serves on the alumni board of her sorority, Cleveland West Shore Delta Gamma. She is currently the vice president of the foundation and is responsible for fundraising and philanthropy in this role. She has also chaired two events the past two years at Red Tail which have benefited the Cleveland Sight Center and Guiding Eyes, the Northeast Ohio Puppy Raising Region. 

Susan also enjoys traveling the world. Her husband, Rich, is a captain with American Airlines, and she recently returned from three weeks in Scandinavia and the Baltic Region. Susan loves reading and spending time with her new baby grandson, Harrison (6 mos). Susan is the proud mother of Patrick, a banker with First National Bank in Avon and Catie, who is in marketing with ShurTap. Her son-in-law, Jack, is an intervention specialist at Midview High School and is in his second year as head football coach.  

We have been lucky to have the Elders in our community since 2021, when her husband and she built their home on the seventh Fairway. They had been longtime residents of Avon, having lived for 18 years nearby in The Vineyards, however, they were looking for a different home and lifestyle since their children were grown.  They were interested in golfing and all of the social aspects of living in the Red Tail community. Sue and Rich love all of the wonderful neighbors they have met throughout Red Tail and in particular on St. Theresa Boulevard, and all of the friends they have made!

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Thank you, Susan, for all you do!