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Mary Smithson

Fun spirit, sparkly eyes, kind, rumbly laugh - this is Mary Smithson. She grew up in beautiful Lexington, KY, in horse country. She attended Transylvania College in Lexington and earned a master's degree in social work at the University of Kentucky. Mary has jumped in to Altrusa Columbus with both feet since joining the organization in 2011. She is a member of the Program and Hospitality Committee and can be counted on to lend a hand wherever it is needed. She headed up the September meeting at the Reynoldsburg Library Homework Help Center and will be arranging the January meeting, which will feature Muslim women speaking about Islam and the lives of women in the Middle East.

This topic is dear to Mary's heart as several members of her extended family are from the Middle East. They  have opened her eyes about other parts of the world and taught her tolerance for people from other cultures and with other religious beliefs.

Mary has been retired from social work for nearly four years. While she was working, her background was in the disability field. Whe worked for the state of Ohio for 25 years writing state plans and monitoring grants. Since she retired, Mary has been working part-time planning conferences for people with disabilities and their family members and advocates.

Mary is married and has a Bichon Frise-Poodle named Joey. The three reside in Upper Arlington.

She enjoys her association with the Red Hats club and lends a hand with Together with Important Goals (TWIG), an organization of groups of women throughout central Ohio who support Nationwide Children’s Hospital through a wide variety of fundraising projects. The involvement gives her an opportunity to have fun with other women and sell crafts at the annual TWIG fundraising bazaar held at the Ohio State Fairground each November. She also loves to read and play golf and even headed a golf league this past summer.

Through Altrusa Columbus, Mary hopes to meet new people and use her fun loving spirit, sparkling eyes, and kind, rumbly laugh to better the lives of others.

Mary also enjoys traveling. Among her favorite excursions was one she and her family took to Greece and Cyprus in 1997.