Unity House welcomes two new board members

April Rendsland is a caseworker at Onondaga County Department of Children and Family Services. She was a direct support professional at Unity House from 2017-2019, and currently sits on the board of directors of East Hill Medical Center. April holds a bachelor’s in human service and development from SUNY Empire State College and recently completed degree requirements at Keuka College for her Master in Social Work.

“I look forward to utilizing my knowledge of this agency and other non-profits to support the mission of Unity House as a board member,” said April. “I would like to advocate for staff who are out in the field, especially direct care staff supporting people with disabilities.”

Rhonda Sheffield is a certified personal banker, and has been with Five Star Bank since 2018. She is the branch manager in Auburn, responsible for business development, loans and mortgages, account maintenance, customer service, and staff development. Rhonda has pursued business administration courses at Cayuga Community College, and is registered with Nationwide Multistate Licensing System. She serves on the boards of Cayuga Counseling and Safe Harbors of the Finger Lakes. She is a member of the Auburn Rotary Club, and maintains bank membership in the Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce.

“I joined the Unity House board because I wanted to give back to my Auburn community,” said Rhonda. “I had two uncles who were mentally challenged, and this is my way of paying back the support that was given to my family when we needed it. My goal is to help Unity House continue to be the strength and support that our community needs.”