Officer Installation for 2023-2024 and Awards Program for 2022-2023
Tonight, we had a wonderful evening of feast and fellowship at the Cox Arboretum. This was a great night to celebrate the past year and to look forward to the next 2023-2024 Optimist year. This is the end of the Centerville Noon Optimist Presidential year for Beth Duncan.
We welcomed Joan Cordonnier as the 56th President of CNO!
The theme of tonight’s party was Western. Several members put on their cowboy/cowgirl garb and many hats were worn. It was cool.
New board members and vice-presidents were installed this evening.
Thank you to the social committee: Debe Dockins, Sue Jessee, Erin Laurito, and Sarah Umbreit, for putting on a great party. We started with drinks and appetizers, followed by a barbeque buffet. Everything was great.
Thank you to Sue Brubaker and Val Huff for the centerpieces.
Just like a lunch meeting, we started with a prayer by Erin Dickerson and then proudly recited The Pledge of Allegiance.
Thanks to Gary Smiga, the master of ceremonies for the evening. He did a fantastic job and kept us entertained and on time.
For being president, Beth Duncan received from CNO her Past President pin, a Lifetime OI Membership and pin, and a plaque with a gavel recognizing her year as CNO President.
A/V and Pictures of the Event
Thank you, Greg Griffin, for assembling the slide deck, setting up the AV and running the slides for the evening.
Thank you, Debe Dockins, for taking all the great pictures from tonight’s event!
Thank you, Patrick Arehart, for bringing and handling the sound system for the various speakers and for providing the background music playlist when there were no active speakers.
Links to the Slide Deck, Photographs and Program
Gary Smiga as Emcee Opened the Night’s Events
From Gary Smiga:
Good evening and welcome to the Noon Optimist Club of Centerville’s Installation Banquet.
Each one of our meetings begins and ends with the ringing of this bell. It is the president’s responsibility to secure the bell and gavel for the entire meeting.
As we look back later at Beth’s and the club’s fantastic year, there is, however, one record that will stand the test of time. Despite her many attempts to keep the bell and gavel secure, she managed to lose the bell and gavel for most of our meetings. The club and the Optimist International Foundation thank you for all the dollars you paid each and every week to get them back.
Tonight, we celebrate the past achievements of the 2022-2023 Optimist Year under the leadership of Beth Duncan and those that will follow in the 2023-2024 Optimist Year under the leadership of Joan Cordonnier.
Erin Dickerson’s Prayer
Lord our God,
Tonight, we give thanks for and celebrate our leaders of this past season. We are grateful for their leadership and dedication to our club. You have blessed us with their varied gifts and talents, and we ask that you show them the same love and blessings they have shown us and those we serve.
We ask for your blessings upon this new season and its new leadership. Help to steer them and us as we continue in our mission to serve the children and youth in our community and strive to make the world a better place, one optimistic act at a time.
Amen.
Gary Smiga Continues
From Gary Smiga:
I received an email from Beth and Joan asking me to serve as Master of Ceremonies this year. They said I would make it fun. To be sure I was up to their expectations, I looked up fun in the dictionary.
FUN is enjoyment, amusement, or light-hearted pleasure. FUN is amusing, entertaining or enjoyable.
Then there is a long list of synonyms to better understand the meaning of the word. At the very end it said for a better understanding of the word FUN, see Beth Duncan!
For the entire year, Beth has made things “Funner” or more fun by sharing her enthusiasm and her smile with us each week. Beth made our meetings the “FUNNEST” or the most fun they could be with weekly trivia, skits, and plenty of surprises.
Please join me with a warm welcome for our President Beth Duncan.
President Beth Duncan Spoke
Beth said, “This was the fastest year of my life. Gary Hansen told me not to worry about being president, this club runs itself and he was so right. I’m so proud of our club. You have all made an impact on my life.”
Beth continued, “I appreciate Bill and Kelly Stone for being her sponsor to the club seven years ago.”
“Thank you to all the committee chairs and co-chairs. Thank you to the Board of Directors. Thank you all for all your time. Thank you, Debe Dockins, for arranging the speakers for the club each week.”
“And to Diane Arehart who has volunteered to make me a scrapbook, Thank you!”
“Erin Dickerson, the prayers were phenomenal this year and they matched up so well to what the subject of the day was. Thank you.”
“Thanks to Roland Rapp our Treasurer, thanks for all the work it takes to take care of the clubs’ books! Roland couldn’t be here, or he would be asked up front.”
“Jean Pummill, our club secretary, please join me up front. The president could not be the president without the paperwork and communications she does for our club. She is very organized!”
“Greg Griffin, please join me up front. Thank you for all the work with the slide decks each week and for taking care of the audio and visual each week.”
“Mike Bevis will you please join me? As my past president’s representative, whenever I had a question Mike Bevis always had the answer. Often the answer was you have enough to do I’ll take care of it.”
CNO Rookie of the Year, Erin Laurito
The CNO president at the end of their term selects the Rookie of the Year.
Beth Duncan has chosen Erin Laurito as the 2022-2023 Rookie of the Year.
Erin Laurito joined late in Gary Hansen’s year as president and almost immediately became active. She is involved in so many things in her first year, she is the epitome of an Optimist.
In her first year Erin Laurito:
- Participated in Build-a-Bear events
- Volunteered at the Easter Egg Hunt and stuffed the eggs ahead of time
- Is a member of the Social Committee
- Worked the Christmas Tree lot and this year will be a team captain
- Delivered and retrieved flags for a route with 49 flags
- Attends flag assembly parties
- Was a Sergeant at Arms
- Chaired the Centerville-Washington Got Talent Contest
Gary Smiga Continues
From Gary Smiga:
Congratulations Beth on an outstanding year and thank you for all the opportunities to not only laugh and have fun, but also for the many opportunities to collectively serve the youth of our community.
Beth Duncan, you are an Original! Beth Duncan, you are the World’s #1! You might ask me how I know this. Well, it says it right here on the package of this DUNCAN YO-YO!
Optimist of the Year for 2022-2023, Sue Brubaker
Gary said it is the job of the previous year’s winners of the Optimist of the Year Award, Patrick Arehart and Sarah Umbreit, to announce the recipients of the Centerville Noon Optimist Thomas P. Frazier Optimist of the Year Award.
About the Optimist of the Year Award
Patrick Arehart made some remarks about how the Optimist of the Year is selected and the selection criteria.
The Optimist of the Year Award is given once a year during the Installation dinner. The reasons for being Optimist of the Year include the nominee’s leadership, committee participation, attendance at club activities, new member recruitment, and any other traits that contribute to our club’s success during the current Optimist Year.
One or two members are chosen during an annual meeting of past and current Optimist of the Year recipients. Those in attendance may nominate someone for consideration and after all nominations are made, the nominators provide a list of reasons why their nominee should be the Optimist of the Year. After a couple of rounds of votes, the winner or winners emerge.
About Sue Brubaker
Sarah Umbreit introduced the 2022-2023 Optimist of the Year Sue Brubaker who always wears a smile, spreads positivity, and provides fun and spiritedness in all aspects of their participation.
Sue Brubaker joined CNO on 9/23/2008 and has participated in several events, fundraisers and other volunteer activities including:
She works in various areas for all three CNO fundraisers including the Tree Lot as a cashier. She delivers and retrieves flags for Avenue of Flags. For the Golf Fundraiser, she sent 200 letters and solicited for silent auction items from Lebanon businesses. She also spends four days on the silent auction baskets.
Sue Brubaker Committees Membership
- Centerville Washington Got Talent Contest
- Social Committee
- Birthday Table Decoration Committee
- As part of the Great Ohio District 75th Convention Decoration Committee she procured supplies and created multiple beautiful centerpieces and delivered the arrangements to the convention site
Sue Brubaker Volunteers at Several Community Events
- Easter Egg Hunt
- Numerous Build-A-Bears
- Safety on Wheels
- Americana 5K packet-pick up
- Kids Day in the Park
- TOPS Soccer registration
- Family Adventure Day
Childhood Health and Wellness Committee
Sue Brubaker is a key member of the Childhood Health and Wellness Committee and helps in many ways:
- Purchased items for the annual Caregiver Breakfast
- Procures Build-A-Bear gift cards multiple times to help defray event costs
- Helps select 100’s of bears, clothes and shoes at the Build-A-Bear store
- Delivers fully dressed Build-A-Bear’s to Erma’s House which is a supervised visitation center for children
- Obtains hundreds of prize wheel prizes used during all Build-A-Bear events
- She organized an event where over 350 gently used and purchased books were collected and delivered for children’s use at St. Vincent de Paul and Erma’s House
Plaque for the Optimist of the Year
The Optimist of the Year received a beautiful plaque commemorating the recognition of their service to the community and CNO.
The plaque says:
THE THOMAS P. FRAZIER OPTIMIST OF THE YEAR AWARDED TO
SUE BRUBAKER
FOR OUTSTANDING SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY
CENTERVILLE NOON OPTIMIST CLUB 2022 – 2023
Officer Installation and Oath
Bill Stone, The Great Ohio District of Optimist International Governor and longtime CNO member swore in the new Club Officers and Board of Directors. It is always great when the governor of your district can do the officer installation of your club.
Thank you, Bill Stone, for performing the installation of officers for 2023-2024.
The Oath:
I hereby solemnly promise on my honor as an Optimist that I will carry out the duties of the office to which I have been elected to the best of my ability, in loyalty to my Club, and in harmony with the Bylaws of my Club and Optimist International. So help me God.
Officers of CNO 2023-2024
- President, Joan Cordonnier
- Vice President, Katie Calloway
- Vice President, Evelyn Griffin
- Secretary, Jean Pummill
- Treasurer, Roland Rapp
- President-Elect, Paul Boeckman
- Immediate Past President, Beth Duncan
- Past President’s Representative, Nancy Lehren
Newly Elected to the Board of Directors with a Two-Year Term, 2023-2025
- Mike Creech
- Dennis Dockins
- Jim Mogan
- Steve Rau
- Deb Saunders
Continuing Board of Directors with One Year Left, 2023-2024
- Mitch Bodenmiller
- Andy Dickerson
- Rachel Goetz
- Art Hung
- Carol Smerz
President Joan Cordonnier Spoke
The following is from Joan Cordonnier:
I absolutely love how involved and supportive this club is. I have been surrounded by words of wisdom and encouragement this entire year leading up to tonight, and I am confident it won’t end now. In keeping with tonight’s theme: Y’all are great!
One of the wise Past Presidents, Greg Griffin, mentioned three key components to every great speech: Be Brief – Be Brilliant – Be Gone.
I will try my best to hit two out of three of those things – you can be the judge of which two!
I saw this quote a few weeks ago, and it really struck a chord with me, so I wanted to share it with you.
“The grateful person is hardly ever stranded in the journey of life and destiny. Wherever you find a grateful heart, you will also find hope, joy, and an infectious optimism.” – Pastor Tope Popoola, from “The Force of Gratitude.”
While I know that this is a bit like preaching to the choir, because we all live in “infectious optimism” most of the time, I do plan to add a little extra gratitude to our upcoming year.
In the interest of “being brief” I will share just a couple of things in my life that fill my heart.
- First and foremost, I am grateful that I married the absolutely perfect person for me, and that he is willing to support me through this next year. He seems to know what to expect, and he is ALL IN, as you can see from his attire tonight!
- I am also very grateful for our family: Our kids are healthy and happy and building wonderful lives with their spouses. “Living the dream” as my son frequently says! We have been blessed by an amazing granddaughter who fills our heart with joy.
- And finally, I am grateful to have the opportunity to serve our club and work alongside all of you to “Make an Impact” in the lives of the young people in our community.
Yes, I said “Make an Impact” – we are carrying this theme on from last year.
It was Oscar Wilde that said, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” and I feel that Beth Duncan hit it out of the ballpark with her theme….so I stole it! Thank you, Beth, for your permission to carry your theme forward. I cannot think of a better way to describe what our club has been doing and should continue to strive for.
My HOPE is that in this next year, among the many fantastic things we already do in the community, we will expand our reach to include new programs to help make an impact on some of our most vulnerable students like those struggling mentally in one way or another. The need is great, and I know that together we have the time, talent and resources that could change lives.
The presidents that have served before me have set the bar high. Over the years they have grown our club to be the BIGGEST AND one of the BEST in the world! Thank you all for trusting me with the honor of carrying this forward. I am humbled. I am hopeful. My heart is full of Joy, and Infectious Optimism!
Passing of the Gavel
After the new board members were sworn in there was the traditional passing of the gavel. All the previous presidents attending formed a line at the front of the room in the order they served as CNO president. Joan Cordonnier was, of course, the final person to receive the gavel this evening.
For a complete list of past presidents refer to your Club Handbook.
Past CNO presidents at tonight’s celebration passing the gavel were:
- Don Kelley
- Gary Smiga
- Gail Aiken (for Gary Aiken)
- Karl Frydryk
- Mike Wall
- Jerry Stahley
- Tom Novak
- Nancy Lehren
- Mike Bevis
- Kelly Stone
- Bob Burkman
- Myron Rheaume
- Larry Lynde
- Greg Griffin
- Debe Dockins
- Gary Hansen
- Beth Duncan
- Joan Cordonnier for 2023-2024!
Reprise of the Schooner Nooners from Last Year
Several of the players from the water circus skit, Schooner Nooners, last year reprised their roles. The skit was written by Mike Cordonnier. Playing roles in the skit were Mike Cordonnier (the lifeguard and coach), Brandon Barrett (synchronized swimmer) and Art Hung (synchronized swimmer). These are truly brave and uninhibited individuals wearing sketchy costumes! It was great!
Mike Cordonnier’s character spoke these lines:
Hey everybody…how we all doing? Sorry to interrupt your little hoe down.
I’m looking for a Seth Lunken. Anybody here by that name? Seth Lunken?
(To Gary Hansen) Hey, I remember you, good to see you Jerry Handsome! Congrats, I hear Ohio State is doing well this year!
Seth Lunken? I know you are in here somewhere. The home office said I was supposed to look for a loud, short, blond dude.
(To Joan) Well HELLO little lady. You’re sure PURTY. How’d you like to go for a ride on my tractor later on?
Oh, excuse me ya’ll, I just got a text, and I got the name all wrong. It looks like I’m looking for a BETH DUNCAN.
(To Beth) Is that you? Well, aren’t you just a little bundle of fun! I might need to get me a bigger tractor for tonight.
Ma’am, us Country Boys, see, we like to finish what we start. And about this time last year, a pretty little lady, looked just like you, convinced me to be a lifeguard in her traveling water circus.
And, ma’am, I don’t want to sound too forward, but there’s some of them circus boys here tonight that said they wanted to sweep you off your feet like you done did to them when y’all were doing that circus thing.
Boys, I found him uh, I mean her. And she’s purdy AND blond AND short.
Come on up boys!
CUE MUSIC. (Brandon Barrett and Art Hung enter in costume).
The boys then danced to, “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” and it was hilarious.
Closing Remarks from Emcee Gary Smiga
From Gary Smiga:
We have had a great night hearing about all the great things we have accomplished. These things wouldn’t have been possible without each one of you. Thank you again for your time and commitment that collectively have allowed us to be known as the top performing Optimist Club in all of Optimist International.
Please stand and join me in the Optimist Creed.
The End of One Year and the Beginning of Another
Thanks to President Beth Duncan for all she has done as president in the last year and we look forward to another great year under the leadership of President Joan Cordonnier, her team and our members!