‘Bringing People Together’
Youngsville woman’s spirit drives community participation
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Born and raised in Youngsville, Judy Kuzminski enjoys connecting and creating new ideas to help beautify the town whether it's leading a cause like Wreaths Across America or gathering with community members to plan ways to beautify Youngsville.
A 1973 graduate of Youngsville High School, she spent 21 years working for Warren County Domestic Relations, serving as the department’s director for the final 12 years of her tenure. Married to husband, Alan, for 51 years, their daughter, Heather, married to Jared Snell blessed them with two grandchildren, Hudson and Jocelyn. Since retiring six years ago, Smith has found her greatest joy in spending precious time with her grandchildren.
Over the years, she has gotten involved in several activities. Once as the president of the ladies auxiliary at the fire department in Youngsville, she also took on roles such as Girl Scout troop leader as well as president of the parents league in gymnastics. Beginning in 2016, Kuzminski took charge of the Youngsville Old Fashioned Christmas along with Carrie Hendrickson through 2025. Her current involvement with the Hometown Hero banners began five years ago. First begun by Joanne Oviatt years ago, there are now nearly 300 banners hung in Youngsville. Quite a number for the small town, Kuzminski said that soon they may have to start hanging them on the side streets. Banners are hung every spring through Veterans Day, taken down for Christmas decorations, but more importantly to preserve them throughout the winter.
Kuzminski has a love for veterans. After seeing the Wreaths Across America delivery truck in Sugar Grove, Kuzminski read about how the program works and decided to participate in it. When she signed up to do it, she told her husband, “You and I may be up at Youngsville Cemetery, putting these wreaths out all by ourselves, but I really want to do this."
Deciding to find a co-coordinator, Julie Anderson agreed to help out. Unsure of how it would work, Kuzminski contacted Tony Lore, commander at Youngsville American Legion, who was quick to support the program.
"He was so excited about it. So with the help of the two of them, it really, really took off. You know, I felt very comfortable that I had said yes. Well, and my husband too, of course. He was on board, and you know, of all the things that I’ve done, this is probably the most rewarding."
Sharing how touching it is to have volunteers to gather for the ceremony and set out to place the wreaths, she said, "You look around and you see parents with kids, and they’re cleaning the snow off of the graves, talking to the kids and explaining to them about it, and it just feels so good to know that we’re bringing people together. It’s so rewarding to stand at the cemetery and see so many Youngsville people up there, and you know surrounding area people that come to help out."
For her, involvement in the project is deeply personal. It honors the memory of her brother, Tom Taydus, a Vietnam veteran who passed away in 2021. She noted that although Tom did not live in Youngsville as an adult, he always found ways to give back to his hometown--making her work with the project a meaningful way to continue his legacy of service.
"What a neat thing to see everyone come together at such a busy season," she commented.
Youngsville Cemetery on Highland Avenue has almost 400 veterans buried in it and going into their third year, they are now placing wreaths on 12 cemeteries which include Youngsville, Irvin, three in Garland, Riverside, Pittsfield, Davey Hill Cemetery, York Hill Cemetery, Hessel Valley Cemetery, Berea Cemetery, and Spring Creek Cemetery.
The wreaths will all be laid this year on December 19 and more volunteers are appreciated.
A ceremony takes place at noon on top of the Youngsville Cemetery. Everyone is welcome and Kuzminski encourages parents to bring their children to honor the deceased veterans.
Not only is the experience rewarding but the help received to complete it has been tremendous. The wreaths are stored on the Second Street church. John Meleen along with her daughter and grandson help out each year. In addition, Kuzminski said that she knew the crew of people from the Kane Ramp Ministry, including her husband, would assist. That first year, nearly 60 people were there to unload the truck full of wreaths.
"The day of, I said I needed six trucks. I had nine trucks. It’s just, you know, stuff like that. You can be in charge, but it’s all those people that come together: Julie Anderson, Tony Lore, my husband, and two guys from the legion, Austin May and John Meleen; you know, and then all the other people who just appear out of nowhere. That’s what makes it all work, you know, and that’s what makes it so satisfying to do it- is the volunteers that just jump in - even at the last minute and help out," said Kuzminski.
The annual fundraiser for the wreaths program will be on October 17 with details coming forth soon, and basket raffle donations are appreciated.
When she is not busy loving her grandchildren or helping the community, she enjoys her personal greenhouse in her free time.
Putting her green thumb to work, a new opportunity bloomed to serve her hometown when she recently partnered with Sarah Monticue and Angela Young to establish the Youngsville Garden Club, an initiative aimed at enhancing local community spaces. Working alongside Revitalization of Youngsville (ROY), the group’s immediate focus is preparing the town for homecoming. Anyone who is interested in adding beauty to the town through plants or assisting in the decoration of Youngsville in time for Homecoming is welcome to join. The group is actively looking for donations of field corn stalks by Sept. 11 to bring their autumn displays to life.
For Kuzminski, the project is a natural extension of her philosophy on civic pride.
“I like being busy,” she shared, urging others to step up and support Youngsville.
The community can learn more at the club’s inaugural meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 9, at 7 p.m. at the Bean Bank coffee shop in Youngsville.