Erin Dickerson’s Prayer
Lord,
Life can get messy and hard. We struggle. We slip. We fall. We fight to get back up again. But there is beauty in the struggle. Sometimes that beauty comes in the strength we find do to overcome our struggles and fight our battles. Sometimes it come in the help we receive to rise again.
We give you thanks Lord for being beside us in the struggles and battles and for those who bless us with helping hands when we need it. Help open our eyes and our hearts to recognize when our neighbors are struggling, to see the beauty in the struggles, and to provide help to other when they need it.
Amen.
Joint Meeting with Centerville Rotary Club
Today was a joint meeting between the Optimist Club of Centerville Noon and the Centerville Rotary Club.
The winner of the Dayton Diaper Depot Diaper Drive is announced below.
Announcements
- Sue Jessee announced that Adopt-a-Family is starting up for the holidays and they are back to giving physical gifts instead of gift cards. CNO has been allotted 40 kids referred by teachers that see a need. Wishlists will be available by November 8, 2022. The budget for each child is $75. You can purchase gifts off the wishlists or you can donate the money (Elf) and a Super Shopper will purchase gifts for you. Gifts need to be wrapped and delivered to Cline Elementary on December 1, 2022.
- Karl Frydryk, announced that tree lot setup is on November 5, 2022, 9 AM to 11:30 AM. The team needs more help! Sign up here.
- Evelyn Griffin announced that the TOP Optimist Club is selling 150 Poinsettias for $15.
- Debe Dockins gave special thanks to Nancy Lehren and Roberta Taylor for their help on the Ghost Walk.
- Debe Dockins said the social event last Sunday at Tom’s Corn Maze then dinner at Bennett’s Publical restaurant was a great success and well attended.
- Kelly Stone announced that Art Hung has volunteered to be an advisor for the Watts Middle School Optimist Club. The club still needs a co-advisor for these kids. These kids really want to be part of an Optimist Club. If you have the bandwidth, let Kelly know!
- Bill Stone announced that the Ohio District Conference will be on November 4-5, 2022. There will be pizza and games in the hospitality suite Friday night.
Daybreak Dayton, RebaJane Stromberg
Mike Bevis introduced RebaJane Stromberg, the Associate Director of Development for Daybreak Dayton. RebaJane has an undergrad degree and two masters from WSU. She is a former resident researcher at The Kettering Foundation.
View Daybreak Dayton slide deck here. There are pictures of the facilities and some details not listed in this article.
About Daybreak Dayton
Daybreak’s slogan is “Changing Lives, Creating Futures.”
Daybreak is the only care provider for homeless youth in Dayton. It was founded in 1975 and has 24 beds, including a wing for minors, and has 100 transitional housing units. They serve approximately 800 youth each year aged 10-24. The average stay is 90 days for adults and 21 days for minors. There are many more government and community services available to minors so typically they do not need Daybreak’s services as long.
Daybreak has a housing first model. They want to get children housed. The only kids they do not accept are children with arson issues or those who have molested others.
There are approximately 1800 homeless youth in Montgomery County and most come from poverty and have suffered from abuse and neglect. Many meet the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) for mental illness.
Daybreak provides wrap-around mental health services as well as employment and education services.
Staying at Daybreak is first come first serve and there is no wait list. There is a 10 PM curfew.
Mental Health Services
Individual situations are unique and Daybreak designs a plan customized for each client. Clients receive a case manager and a therapist. They are taught life skills like hygiene. They teach many of them when and how to brush their teeth. Residents also do not know things like needing to clean out their refrigerators.
Clients can receive Trauma-informed care, cognitive behavior therapy, and motivational interviewing.
Client case management is intensive and coordinated with mental health counseling.
Transitional Housing
There are 100 transitional apartments. The average stay is 2 years. Clients continue to receive services while in these apartments. It is their home and they are allowed guests, but not overnight. Besides their bedroom and bathroom, there is a lounge area and a communal kitchen with dining space.
There is a rooftop vegetable garden that supports mental health and many of them enjoy it.
Daybreak does weekly room checks for a variety of reasons. Hoarding is a typical issue since they are so used to never letting anything go since they are used to so little. Staff can be alerted to a crisis if a well-kept apartment is suddenly messy.
David’s Place
David’s Place is part of Daybreak and is a safe haven for LGBTQ individuals.
- Entry point for intake into Daybreak’s supportive services
- Individual counseling and support groups
- LGBTQ+ library
- Free Contraceptives
- Medicaid Enrollment
- Access to showers, laundry and meals
- Assistance with purchasing binders and gender-affirming clothing
- A welcoming, safe space with fun, educational activities that foster a sense of community and acceptance
- 40% of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ+
- 28% of Daybreak youth identify as LGBTQ+
They have a variety of different weekly and monthly activities. There is a Dungeon and Dragons group that teaches team building and critical thinking.
Drop-in Center
There is a daytime drop-in center. This allows Daybreak to serve more individuals. Many homeless people stay awake all night protecting themselves and their possessions. During the day they come to Daybreak where they are safe to get a shower and a nap. The drop-in center is for youth aged 18-24 and is an entry point for intake into Daybreak services.
People dropping in have access to a shower, laundry, food, clothing and hygiene products.
They may receive referrals to partner agencies or Daybreak programs and they also learn social skills.
OZ Works – Opportunity Zone
OZ Works offers Employment and Education supportive services. They give youth college tours and take clients to career fairs. Life skills classes are offered to clients.
There are fun activities and they can explore hobbies while learning to be a leader.
Clients can participate in the job training program named “Lindy’s.”
How You Can Help
Daybreak has a huge need for In-kind donations for items like natural hair care products, travel size hygiene products, brushes, combs and lotion.
RebaJane said they would appreciate financial support and it would be great if you shared what they offer and why with your community.
Each year there is a Champions for Youth Annual Fundraiser with the next one on November 3rd, 2022.
Thank You
Thank you, RebaJane Stromberg, for educating us about Daybreak Dayton.
Diaper Drive Benefitting the Dayton Diaper Depot
The Optimist Club of Centerville Noon (CNO) and the Centerville Rotary Club had a friendly competition to gather diaper donations from the community to help the Dayton Diaper Depot.
The winner was announced by the President of Centerville Rotary, Arnie Biondo, and the President of the Optimist Club of Centerville Noon, Beth Duncan. They were both dressed up as babies which was just a little bit scary. See the link to pictures at the bottom of this article.
Congratulations to the Centerville Rotary Club for winning the competition with 17,000 diapers collected. The Optimist Club of Centerville Noon collected 7,000 diapers.
After lunch today many members from both CNO and Rotary stayed after to repackage the 24,000 diapers into packs of 50 diapers. Representatives of Dayton Diaper Depot were on hand to train us and thanked us for the huge number of diapers and for our time to repackages the diapers.
The diapers were then delivered to the Dayton Diaper Depot by Beth Duncan in her company van.
About Dayton Diaper Depot
The Dayton Diaper Depot slogan is, “Building better futures from the bottom up.”
One in three U.S. families struggle to provide enough diapers to keep a baby or toddler clean, dry, and healthy. Dayton Diaper Depot strives to make a difference within their community, one diaper at a time.
See the Dayton Diaper Depot website for volunteer opportunities and how to donate diapers and funds.
Even new sealed packages of diapers are always repackaged. It is a sad but important fact to know that if new, sealed packages are not broken down that someone in the household where these diapers are needed might return the diapers for money.
Diapers collected and purchased by the Dayton Diaper Depot are used to stock the various diaper closets they maintain for the community.
Their main focus is to help young mothers complete high school by removing the obstacle of not having enough diapers.
Dayton Diaper Depot Vision
For every baby’s cry to be met with a clean diaper and help every parent to be equipped to fully participate in life no matter what.
Dayton Diaper Depot Mission
To improve the community’s social, economic, and health outcomes by providing access to basic hygiene products for those who need them most.
Surprise Recognition of Dr. Tom Henderson, Bringing Out the Best in Kids Award
Dr. Tom Henderson was the superintendent of Centerville City Schools from 2009 until 2022. Tom has been a member of CNO since 2009 and was sponsored by the previous superintendent, Gary Smiga.
Gary Anderson presented the “Bringing Out the Best in Kids Award” to Tom. The following is from Gary’s notes.
- Tom, of course, is a member of our club, having joined on my birthday in 2009!
- Tom was named Superintendent in 2009.
- Tom came to Centerville in 1991, after teaching social studies at West Carrollton HS from 1980-1987; then moving to Trotwood Madison where he served as the principal from 1987-1991, before taking his first position in Centerville as Tower Heights Principal.
- Tom’s next position would take him to the district’s central office as Director of Personnel in 2003; before being named Superintendent in 2009.
- Retiring this past August, Tom has a total of 42 years serving kids and communities.
Tom, it is my distinct honor and privilege to present you with our “Bringing out the Best in Kids” Award not only for your 42 years in education, but also for being an exemplary role model for both educators and optimists!
About Dr. Tom Henderson
Tom earned both a Bachelor of Arts in Social Studies and Psychology, and a master’s degree in Education from the University of Dayton. He completed his Ph. D. in 1994 in Educational Leadership at Miami University in Oxford.
Quotes for Dr. Tom Henderson
Jon Wesney, the current superintendent said, “Over my 18 years of working as a school administrator, I’ve either worked beside or alongside Dr. Henderson. Dr. Henderson is the definition of servant leadership; always optimistic and always keeping the best interest of students in mind while making decisions. He fosters leadership, empowers staff to lead, while being a great coach, mentor, and professional.”
Primary Village North Principal Mindy Cline says of Tom, “He is, hands down, the best listener, problem-solver and advocate for children. In the past several years dealing with the pandemic Dr. Henderson stood strong, protected his Herd of Elks, and always kept a positive attitude.”
Magsig Principal Stacey Westendorf describes Tom, “Tom is so very approachable and supportive; always seeming to know when I need his counsel, or validation, or his unyielding support.”
Dan Tarpey, the Director of Personnel, also pulled a surprise on Tom during the District’s recognition of retirees last month. Dan said, “Tom is a servant leader with a team-first mentality, who carried the district on his back and carried it up and over the political covid mountain so we could not only survive, but also thrive, in a most difficult environment.”
Closing Today’s Meeting
First, we said the Rotary International Four-Way Test of the things we think, say or do:
- Is it the truth?
- Is it fair to all concerned?
- Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
- Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
Then we said the Optimist Creed:
Promise yourself…
- To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
- To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.
- To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.
- To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
- To think only of the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best.
- To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
- To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
- To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.
- To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
- To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
New Member Readings and Inductions
| Name | Sponsor | 1st 2nd 3rd Reading or Induction |
| Tom Duncan | Beth Duncan | 2nd Reading |
| Salli Duncan | Beth Duncan | 2nd Reading |
| Eric Parsley | Mike Bevis | 3rd Reading |
Welcome Guests!
Happy Bucks
No time for Happy Bucks this week.
Sergeants at Arms
No time for Sergeants this week.
Membership Anniversaries
| Member | Joined | Years |
| Mike Brubaker | October 28, 2008 | 14 |
| Charlie Goodwin | October 28, 2008 | 14 |
| Jessica King | October 28, 2008 | 14 |
| Karen Sirmans | October 28, 2008 | 14 |
Birthdays
| Ray Daley | October 27 |
| Brent Richburg | October 28 |
| Bob Bargmeyer | October 29 |
| Suzanne Werts | October 30 |
CNO Donations – 2013 through September 2022
Click here to see a summary of donations the club has made since 2013
Thank You Notes Received
No Thank You Notes received this week