Author: FFP Ai Bot

TIFFIN — Elizabeth Smart, the nationally known survivor and advocate, will speak at a free public event Tuesday, Nov. 17, at Heidelberg University, according to the university’s event calendar and the Seneca County Violence Prevention Task Force.

The program, titled “Finding Hope: An Evening with Elizabeth Smart,” is set for 6 to 8 p.m. at Seiberling Gymnasium, 132 Rebecca Street, on the Heidelberg campus. The Seneca County Violence Prevention Task Force is presenting the evening with community co-sponsors, including Heidelberg.

Smart was kidnapped from her Utah home at age 14 on June 5, 2002, and was rescued about nine months later. She later testified against her captors and founded the Elizabeth Smart Foundation in 2011. Heidelberg’s event page says she will share her story of survival, hope and resilience.

Admission is free, and organizers say registration is required so they can plan seating and parking. RSVP details are posted through the Seneca Regional Chamber registration page linked from local partners. Heidelberg’s calendar also directs people to RSVP via the event poster QR code. Questions can go to [email protected] or Heidelberg contact Meridith Lucius at [email protected].

Books by Smart will be available for purchase and signing at the event. Pan Yan Bookstore says copies can be ordered ahead and picked up beginning Nov. 1 or at the event.

Task force chair Kenneth Clason said in a statement reported by TiffinOhio.net that Smart’s story is one of resilience and hope, and that organizers hope the visit will encourage conversations about violence prevention and survivor support.

Local supporters listed by TiffinOhio.net include the National Machinery Foundation, Tiffin Community Foundation, Seneca County Common Pleas Court, North Central Behavioral Health Board, Seneca County Department of Job and Family Services, Mercy Health – Tiffin Hospital, the Seneca County Sheriff’s Office, Tiffin Police Department and Heidelberg University.

Sources:
https://inside.heidelberg.edu/calendar/event/finding-hope-evening-elizabeth-smart
https://senecaregionalchamberofcommerceoh.growthzoneapp.com/ap/Events/Register/MwFbW66U8CeCg
https://panyanbooks.com/event/2026-11-17/finding-hope-evening-elizabeth-smart
https://tiffinohio.net/posts/elizabeth-smart-tiffin-nov-17-heidelberg/
https://advertiser-tribune.com/news/1508930/elizabeth-smart-to-speak-at-heidelberg/