Erin Dickerson’s Prayer
God, help us to be more like children: to see the holy in the mundane, to hold the secular and the sacred in the same breath, and to let nothing stand between us and you. Help us to know that you are in the helplessness and the hopelessness the same as you are in the faith and the healing. Children understand that prayer and conversation with you need no frills and nothing fancy, but are simply an expression of our hearts.
Amen.
Get to Know Debby Moore
President Sarah Umbreit interviewed Debby Moore for this week’s “Get to Know a Member.”
- Her favorite piece of Optimist merchandise is the shirt featuring several children.
- The furthest she has traveled away from Ohio is to Hawaii.
- At the Fishing Derby, the one task she would rather skip is handling anything with fish, worms, or anything slimy.
Debby Moore joined CNO on April 26, 2022, sponsored by Mike Bevis.
Announcements
CNO 2.0 at Heavier Than Air Brewing
This month’s CNO 2.0 evening meeting will be held Thursday, June 18, at 5:30 p.m. at Heavier Than Air Brewing Company. Our own Liz Fultz, Director of the Washington-Centerville Public Library, will walk through the reconfigured spaces, new features, and refreshed interior of the Centerville Library as the renovation project nears completion, and will provide an overview of other library services that might surprise you.
Fishing Derby Volunteers
Bob Lawson thanked everyone who signed up for the Fishing Derby and reported that he now has all the volunteers he needs.
Tom Frazier Tee Off for Youth Golf Outing
Steve Rau reported that the Tom Frazier Tee Off for Youth Golf Outing on July 13 is nearing a sellout, with 32 to 34 foursomes expected. The committee still needs more sponsors and volunteers, along with one volunteer who has a truck to pick up the barbecue grill from Village Rental and return it that afternoon.
Americana Booth
Karen Charnesky thanked Beth Duncan for producing and packaging this year’s Americana volunteer t-shirts. She still needs one more volunteer for setup and one for tear-down, and she is asking about a dozen members to stay after the meeting on June 16 to assemble the giveaways.
Golf Outing Silent Auction
Debe Dockins thanked everyone who has donated to the Golf Outing silent auction, which this year will also include an online component so members who cannot attend can still bid. The committee is collecting restaurant gift cards and bottles of wine valued at $20 or more through July 7, and items may be given to any committee member. On June 9 and June 23, Vida and Val will offer raffle baskets at lunch, a Mexican fiesta basket and a barbecue and picnic basket, at one ticket for $5 or ten tickets for $20.
Youth Recognition Night
Mike Creech asked members to sign up for Youth Recognition Night, held Tuesday, June 9, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Yankee Trace, where the club will honor its scholarship, award and contest winners over an ice cream sundae bar. He asked members to sign up rather than simply show up so the club knows how many to expect.
Please sign up using the Member Calendar.
Save the Date: Club Social
Sarah Umbreit asked members to save the date for a club social on July 18, with details to be announced.
Happy Birthday, Kristen Marks
Bob Duffy led the club in a hearty round of “Happy Birthday” for Kristen Marks, who drew the rare assignment of celebrating on a Tuesday. As Kristen pointed out, a birthday only lands on a Tuesday once every six or seven years, so she was more than happy to get the club’s serenade behind her and not have to brace for it again for a good long while.
Childhood Health and Wellness: Build-a-Bears for the Police
Co-chairs Carol Smerz and Debby Moore of the Childhood Health and Wellness Committee led a special presentation to the Centerville Police Department, welcoming Lieutenant Mike Yoder, Lieutenant Anthony Green, and Officer Ryan Turner to the front of the room. Carol thanked Cadence Williams, who made the first contact with the department to set the program up.
Through the committee’s Build-a-Bear project, members gathered to dress and sew a menagerie of Build-a-Bears, including bears, monkeys, frogs, and bunnies. Carol thanked everyone who helped put them together.
Officer Ryan Turner on the Build-a-Bears
Officer Ryan Turner, who became the department’s Community Relations Officer last September, explained that officers regularly meet children in difficult situations, such as a two-year-old found walking alone before a parent could be located, or children waiting with officers while a difficult call unfolds. A Build-a-Bear gives a young child something to hold on to and helps officers connect with them. The Build-a-Bears will ride sealed in each cruiser, with a few kept at the department for families who come in.
Officer Turner told the club, “This is not a small thing for us. This is a really cool idea that you guys created, and we really do appreciate it.” The committee thanked the officers for their service and for the special care they take with youth in the community.
Trivia Contest: What Do You Remember So Far This Year?
Just for fun, President Sarah Umbreit ran a twenty-question trivia contest quizzing members on the things the club has done so far this Optimist year, which began back in October and now runs about eight months deep. She thanked Evelyn for her help creating the questions. Members played by table on the honor system. Here are all twenty questions and their answers:
- How many flag holidays does the Avenue of Flags recognize? Seven: Memorial Day, Flag Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Patriot Day, and Veterans Day.
- On what date was CNO chartered? March 19, 1968.
- What kind of year did Sarah declare 2025-2026 would be at her installation? A Mickey Mouse year.
- Which member does not eat candy but would never pass up bread pudding? Bob Burkman.
- Which two members have served as the club’s chaplains this year? Erin Dickerson and Bob Burkman.
- Who first announced to CNO that her daughter was expecting their first grandchild? Lacy Owens.
- Which five past presidents spoke at the club’s 58th anniversary lunch? Jeff Busch, Karl Frydryk, Dave Kay, Bob Burkman, and Debe Dockins.
- How many active committees does the club have under the current handbook? Fifty-six.
- How many times have treats been served at Tuesday lunch this year? Six: assorted Halloween candy, ice cream drumsticks, iced sugar cookies for Valentine’s Day, cupcakes for the 58th anniversary, Mickey Mouse ice cream bars, and piñata candy.
- Who is President Sarah’s favorite Disney princess? Snow White.
- Which movie theme song did members sing as the answer to the club’s weekly trivia question? “A Pirate’s Life for Me” from Pirates of the Caribbean, which the whole room, cued by a picture of Captain Jack Sparrow, sang together: “Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me.”
- Which dignitary attended Sarah’s installation dinner and installed the new board? Optimist International President Tom Kendo.
- What is the easiest way to give back to the Optimist International Foundation? A Dime a Day, as member Bill Stone has often described.
- Who are the current Optimist of the Year recipients? Carol Smerz and Jeff Umbreit.
- How many offsite meetings does CNO hold each year, and where? Two, at St. Leonard and Yankee Park.
- How many no-meeting Tuesdays have there been so far in Sarah’s year? Four: December 9, December 23, December 30, and May 26.
- What have members learned about from speakers this year? All of the above: recycling, Artificial Intelligence, and football.
- What can this groundbreaking club brag about? All of the above, the real point being that the club knows how to have fun, alongside the tongue-in-cheek claims that George Washington is a member and Minnie Mouse attends every meeting.
- How many father-son duos have served as president of CNO? One: Bob Busch and Jeff Busch.
- Who was club president when the Margaret Barclay shelter was dedicated? Dave Kay.
With a tie at the top, the contest came down to a tiebreaker question that asked members to name the first sergeants-at-arms of Sarah’s year, Denise Green and Dave Kay.
New Member Readings and Inductions
- Neal McKinley, First Reading, sponsored by Ron Tinnerman.
Happy Bucks
- Tia Papp gave $5 in happy bucks because her youngest baby turned one today and her oldest just turned four.
- Julie Walling Noeth gave $3 because her daughter just turned 40.
- Jon Werts gave a happy buck because he married his wife, Calle, on May 30.
- Laura Caschera gave a happy buck as she retired on Friday after 25 years working with special-needs students at Centerville High School. She thanked her mentor and friend Margaret Barclay, a longtime CNO member and former club president as well as a longtime teacher, who first encouraged her to take the role after she moved to the area from New York.
- Mike Brubaker gave $20 in happy bucks for his successful open-heart surgery five weeks ago today and for the tremendous outpouring of support he received from his fellow Optimist members.
- Liz Fultz gave a happy buck thanking the CNO members who volunteered at the library’s Summer Reading kickoff on Saturday.
- Debby Moore gave two happy bucks because her stepdaughter got married on May 22.
- Gail Aiken gave a happy buck because her two grandsons, cousins born five weeks apart, graduated from Centerville High School last week and will room together at the University of Cincinnati.
- Carol Smerz gave a happy buck thanking all the police officers who attended today.
- Jeff Busch gave two happy bucks because his son Hunter became a high school senior on Thursday, and the Centerville varsity baseball team plays its regional semifinal tonight while the girls’ softball team competes in the state tournament.
Sergeants-at-Arms Fines: Jeff Busch and Mike Thonnerieux
- Mike Yoder was fined because Lieutenant Anthony Green ended up with the club’s bell and gavel, and since the club does not fine guests, the fine for receiving stolen property passed to Mike Yoder.
- Mike Yoder was fined again for appearing on Channel 2 to talk about the Torch Run for Special Olympics without wearing his Optimist pin.
- Cameron Langer was fined for a grand-opening photo at the new Franklin location of Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken, where he is Marketing Director, in which he wore no pin.
- Jon Werts was fined for attending the meeting in the middle of what must be a very short honeymoon.
- Gary Smiga was fined for an unnecessary point of order during the trivia contest, which he argued cost his team a winning point.
Welcome Guests
| Guest | Guest Of |
| Lt. Anthony Green | Program |
| Codey Otten | Jon Werts |
| Jon Hazelton | Bob Duffy |
| Karen Novak | Tom Novak |
| Ryan Turner | Program |
| Brenda Steffen | Fran Sheehan |
| Frank Steffen | Fran Sheehan |
| Ed Wood | Paul Stull |
| Julie Wood | Paul Stull |
Club Membership Anniversaries
| Member | Joined | Years |
| John Curran | June 4, 2023 | 3 |
| Scott Hertenstein | June 4, 2023 | 3 |
| Sonja Hertenstein | June 4, 2023 | 3 |
Birthdays
| Kristen Marks | June 2 |
| Larry Larrimer | June 4 |
| Mike Cordonnier | June 4 |
| Dick Stevens | June 5 |
| Cindy Harris | June 5 |
| Jean Pummill | June 6 |
| Kristin Passidomo | June 6 |
| Bob Vogt | June 7 |
Thank You Notes Received this Week
CLICK HERE to see the Thank You Notes received this week
Links to PowerPoint and Pictures
CLICK HERE to see the PowerPoint Slide Deck from this week’s meeting