Sherry Oleyar, a local beekeeper, turned a hobby into a business where customers say she’s always doing something sweet for the community.
Henrietta Honey and Mercantile in Sheffield Lake is a friendly and fragrant place where Oleyar sells honey and a variety of handmade items from more than a dozen local and out-of-state vendors.
“I get to help the community,” Oleyar said. “I set my prices so that they (customers) can afford it.”
Community pride is evident throughout the store. One nook is filled with Cardinal gear, a nod to the Sheffield-Sheffield Lake City Schools, home of the Cardinals.
In another corner of the store is what Oleyar calls the Cardinal Cash Tree.
It’s part of a donation drive she started just before the holidays to help Brookside High School seniors.
“I called the local school to pay off the school lunch balances, but somebody beat me to the punch,” Oleyar said. “And talking to the school counselor, I found out that there were some senior fees that were due, so I jumped on that. It was just under $2,000, so I thought, well, we can do that."
Covering that balance will help ensure that every 2025 graduate receives their physical diploma following the graduation ceremony.
“They're going to graduate, but they want to see that diploma,” Oleyar said. “That's the best part, seeing it… saying, 'I did it.'"
Kris Wachholz visited Henrietta Honey to purchase honey but also walked away with fresh bread and made a Cardinal Cash Tree donation.
"I'm a graduate of Brookside. My son graduated, so I thought I'd come in and help them out,” Wachholz said. He said acts of kindness, like what Oleyar is doing, are often reciprocated.
Wachholz said he wishes every upcoming graduate a successful life.
“Hopefully they have a bright future ahead of them and we see them in the community in the future,” Wachholz said.
Oleyar said her past pushes her to help others.
"I was a single mom once, and I struggled with three kids at home. There are parents out there that are struggling,” Oleyar said. “Times are hard. Everything has skyrocketed, and they're struggling, so why can't we help them?"
Sheffield-Sheffield Lake City Schools said it's thankful for community members and businesses that help its students.
The district added that every graduate gets to walk across the stage regardless of their ability to pay and that students who receive free or reduced lunch have their school fees waived.
"My goal before the end of the month is to take that check to the school and hand it to the counselor and say, ‘Pay those fees,’” Oleyar said. “And those kids not worry another minute, and those parents be able to breathe and focus on something else."
Oleyar said the $2,000 goal was recently met. She said any additional money that’s donated will go toward helping more students in the district.
