By Janet Wetzel
Enquirer contributor

Rhonda Freeze says volunteering is now a top priority in her life. Here, she is helping judge a marketing class competition at the First Baptist Church of Hamilton. The Cincinnati Enquirer/MICHAEL SNYDER

As soon as Rhonda Freeze heard about Make a Difference Day in 1999, she knew she wanted to be involved.

She jumped right in and started planning programs that have helped her Trenton community and won acclaim at the state level. But Freeze soon realized that the greatest change happened in her: She fell in love with volunteer work.

Freeze has expanded Make a Difference Day every year; spending as much as six months to plan projects, coordinate an army of 400 volunteers and seek financial support.

"These projects would have had no significance without the support of the incredible volunteers who worked with me," said Freeze, 45, an assistant program administrator for Butler County Department of Job and Family Services.

As part of her job and her early volunteer work, Freeze said she encountered teens who told her they didn't know they could volunteer right in their own community.

"That's inspired me to want to do more volunteering and to foster volunteerism," said the single mother of three college students.

Phyllis Patrick, a Make a Difference Day supporter, called Freeze a community inspiration.

"She's concerned about the community and wants to make it better," Patrick said. "She gives of her time and energy unselfishly."

Freeze, who just began her second term on Trenton City Council, is on the executive board of the United Way of Greater Cincinnati, a member of the Middletown Area United Way's volunteer resource committee and a graduate of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce Leadership Class.

She also worked two years with the Greater Miami Valley YMCA and the Edgewood School District to start a latchkey program that began last fall. "I'm a high-energy person, and I just love doing things to help," said Freeze. "It's not about the thank yous and the awards. It's about just trying to make a positive difference."

Do you know a Hometown Hero - someone in your community dedicated to making it a better place to live and helping others? E-mail Janet Wetzel at jjwetzel@siscom.net, or fax to 755-4150.