Allie Clifton to speak at YWCA banquet

VW independent/submitted information

The YWCA of Van Wert County will host its second annual Women of Achievement Scholarship Dinner at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 3, at the YWCA. Keynote speaker for this event will be Allie Clifton Kalsow.

Kalsow is the sideline reporter for Fox Sports Ohio’s Cleveland Cavaliers telecasts. As a sports personality, she has over 10 years of experience playing competitive basketball and seven years of experience as a sideline and sports reporter.

Prior to joining Fox Sports Ohio, Kaslow served as sideline reporter for the Toledo Mud Hens (Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers), was a sports feature reporter for Channel 13 ABC Action News (WTVG) and color analyst and sideline reporter for high school and collegiate basketball, volleyball, and track and field on the Buckeye Cable Sports Network (BCSN).

An Ohio native, Kalsow graduated from The University of Toledo with a bachelor’s degree in sports analysis and communications and a master’s degree in liberal studies. Following an accomplished high school basketball career at Van Wert High School, which included captaining the first and only Western Buckeye League title team for her school, she continued her basketball success at UT. There, she was a four-year letter winner and three-time co-captain, leading the team to the Mid-American Conference (MAC) West Division title in 2010. Kalsow is also no stranger to “The Q” (Quicken Loans Arena), having played there in the MAC tournament during her four years at Toledo.

Kaslow has a passion for giving back to her community in her free time. In 2014, she was the lead emcee for The Women’s Sports Report for the greater Columbus Sports Commission. Kaslow also spoke at the 2016 OHSAA Student Leadership Conference and was one of 10 influential women chosen to speak on leadership. In June 2017, she moderated the City of Champions Lunch Panel as part of Cleveland Young Professional Week.

“We are so excited for this year’s event, recognizing amazing women in our community, as well as hosting one of Van Wert’s finest as our guest speaker,” stated YWCA Executive Director Kimberly Laudick. “This is also a wonderful event to support young female scholarship recipients and hopefully show them that they too can accomplish great things just as Allie has.”

Community members are encouraged to nominate a possible Women of Achievement recipient that fulfills one or more of the core tenets of the YWCA’s mission. Nomination forms can be picked up at the YWCA, accessed on the YWCA Facebook page or requested via email at khoug@ywcavanwertcounty.org.

In addition, financial scholarships will be awarded to three female Van Wert County high school seniors to be used at their discretion in pursuit of future goals or plans. Scholarship applications can be picked up in the students’ school guidance office.

The deadline to turn in Women of Achievement nomination forms and YWCA scholarship applications is Friday, March 30. Tickets for the Women of Achievement Scholarship Dinner can be purchased at the YWCA for $25.

General YWCA operating hours are 8 a.m.-7 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Fridays (closed Saturday and Sunday). The YWCA is partially funded by the Van Wert County Foundation and is a United Way agency.

For more information about the event or about a nomination, contact Kelly Houg, advocacy coordinator, at 419.238.6639 or the above email address.