Erin Dickerson’s Prayer
Lord,
We don masks and costumes throughout our lives. We wear masks of fear when children attempt to scare us. We wear masks of happiness even when we are struggling. We wear masks of bravery to hide our fears. Robert Brault is quoted as saying, “There is a child in every one of us who is still a trick-or-treater looking for a brightly lit front porch.” Help us to remember that regardless of the masks we may be donning, your porch is always brightly lit and You are waiting there with open arms.
Amen.
Costume Contest
About 40 people wore costumes today and they were promised and received a special prize which was $1.00 each paid personally by Joan Cordonnier. Please note below in the sergeant fines section that they were all fined for wearing a costume. Joan, while wearing a great “person riding a chicken costume,” essentially donated $40 to the Optimist International Foundation. Thank you, Joan!
The top winners were:
- #3, Bob Glavin dressed as Elvis. He won(?) chicken poop lipstick.
- #2, was Beth Duncan wearing giant red grapes declared her outfit was of a wino. She won a dozen fresh eggs from Joan’s massive chicken farm.
- #1, was Gail Aiken dressed as a one-night-stand. See the meeting photos to understand. She won a $10 gift certificate to a restaurant that specializes in serving chicken.
- Honorable mention went to Sue Brubaker dressed as a dumb waiter. She won a $10 gift certificate to a restaurant that specializes in serving chicken.
Announcements
- Craig Dring announced that the TOP Optimist Club will be selling Poinsettias again this year. Poinsettias have red blooms in 6.5” pots, with a green decorative pot cover. All proceeds benefit the community programs and projects conducted by our TOP Optimist Club. The TOP Optimist Club is sponsored by the Centerville Noon Optimist Club. Order using the Member Calendar.
- Greg Griffin announced that the tree lot opens on 11/24/2023. You will be notified soon by your team captains when your team is scheduled to work. The tree lot should be sold out by around 12/7/2023. If you would like to help setup the tree lot that date is 11/11/2023 from 8 AM to 11 AM. Signup online to help using the Member Calendar.
- Nancy Lehren, chair of Childhood Health and Wellness, announced there will be a Build-a-Bear for Oncology patients on November 8, 2023, and for Sickle Cell patients on November 14, 2023, both at Dayton Children’s Hospital. Signup online to help using the Member Calendar.
- Sue Jessee announced that for Adopt-a-Family this year there will be 50 kids instead of 25 kids. The budget per kid is $75 and you can buy gifts or give money. Gifts need to be dropped off by November 30, 2023, at Cline Elementary. Register to participate using the Member Calendar.
A Special Wish Foundation, David Seyer
Joan Cordonnier introduced David Seyer, the executive director of A Special Wish Foundation, Dayton and Southwest Chapter. He has held this position since 2011 and brings over 25 years of non-profit leadership and fundraising experience. Previously he was vice president of development at Culture Works and Executive Director of the Dayton Playhouse.
Seyer currently serves as Vice President of Association of Wish Granting Professional, a national wish granting organization, at-large member on the national board of A Special Wish Foundation.
Seyer is a graduate of the University of Dayton and is an avid Flyer fan, political junkie, sports nut, believes in equality for all and kindness is always the best policy, and children deserve love, caring, joy and happiness. Seyer lives in Centerville, Ohio with his husband Keith and their two corgis Lilly and Pip.
Mission of A Special Wish Foundation
The mission of A Special Wish Foundation–Dayton Chapter is to grant the wish of a child or adolescent (birth through age 20) who has been diagnosed by a physician with a life-threatening disorder.
Wishes Come True
You can see a partial list of granted wishes, stories and photos on this page of their website. This page is where you can refer a child.
Presentation – Because Some Wishes Can’t Wait!
A Special Wish Foundation will celebrate its 40th anniversary soon as it started in January, 1983.
The foundation is a local operation where all the money helps local children.
Their only focus is granting wishes. They grant wishes that years later parents will remember this special opportunity. The foundation understands what families go through. A life-threatening illness for a child changes the whole family. Everybody who lives with the wish kid gets to go on the trip.
Once David asked a wish mom, “What is A Special Wish?” She answered, “It is the sunshine in the middle of a tornado.”
Most wish kids choose to go to Disney World. The family and the wish kid get an opportunity to just have fun. They spend three days at Disney and two at Universal. They stay in a hotel with several other wish kids. No one looks at them funny because they have no hair or are using crutches.
Wish kids used to mostly be aged 3-9 years, but there are now many teenagers with life threatening disorders. They have built a gaming room with three big screen TV’s for these children.
The wish request must be age appropriate and they make sure the wish is for the wish kid. Once there was a young four-year-old girl and her application said her number one wish was to go to Napa Valley. A Special Wish had a conversation with mom and dad about the application and a different wish was chosen.
Big Impact on a Child Named Ireland
Ireland was seven years old and battling cancer. Her wish was to go to Disney World and be a Disney Princess. She also wanted to ride a unicorn. Unfortunately for Ireland, she had a turn for the worse and her wish was initially cancelled. They brought the wish to her. Disney Princess Belle spent an entire afternoon with Ireland telling her all about being a princess. Belle officially anointed her as Princess Ireland. Belle read Ireland Beauty and the Beast. Ireland closed her eyes, so Belle stopped reading. Ireland tapped Belle on the hand and said don’t stop, I’m just resting my eyes.
David called up Stephanie Llacuna from the Therapeutic Riding Institute and asked if she could deliver a unicorn to Dayton Children’s Hospital. Stephanie came through and Ireland got to see and pet the unicorn at the back of the hospital. Ireland only survived two more days, but her wish came true. She was a Disney Princess and she received a visit from a unicorn.
About A Special Wish Foundation
- Founded in November, 1983.
- The first wish was granted on January 5, 1984. It was sponsored by Bill Elam of Bill’s Donuts. Bill’s Donuts is still their number one sponsor.
- It is located on Dayton Children’s campus. DCH has been a partner for 40 years.
- It is the only wish granting organization located in southwest Ohio, serving 22 counties.
- It has granted 1,868 special wishes as of October 25, 2023.
- The average wish costs $7,500. Airfare has increased dramatically in the past few years.
- Fifty wishes are granted per year.
- A wish child must have a life-threatening illness to qualify.
- Wish kids are aged from birth to 20 years.
Funding Sources for A Special Wish Foundation
- Soley funded by the generosity of the community.
- A Special Wish Foundation does not receive any government funding.
- Operates with just 14% overhead.
Fundraising Events for A Special Wish Foundation
- Story Book Gala
- Dancing with the Dayton Stars
- Superhero Donut Run
- Glow Fore Wishes Nighttime Golf
- Super Villain Donut Run
Items Needed by A Special Wish Foundation
- Blankets
- New Toys
- Gift Cards
- Office Supplies
Donations from Centerville Noon Optimist Club
COVID shut down wishes for eighteen months. Kids were getting depressed. In 2021, CNO donated $2500 to help buy families gift boxes for all the kids in the family. It allowed these kids to have the holiday that they would not have had.
CNO covered the costs of food, beverages, and sunscreen for wish kids and their families at the Dayton Air Show preview day.
Thank You
Thank you, David Seyer, for telling us what A Special Wish Foundation is all about.
Welcome Guests
| Guest | Guest of |
| Beth Hall | Diane Arehart |
| Brendan Salo | Vida McDowell |
| Jacque Dunne | Julie Walling Noeth |
| Jill Campbell | Ellie Parker |
| Josh Wenzell | Matt Goeke |
New Member Readings and Inductions
| Name | Sponsor | 1st 2nd 3rd Reading or Induction |
| Laurent Muvunyi | Katie Calloway | 1st Reading |
Happy Bucks
| Member | Reason |
| Gary Hansen | Happy to be living in Ohio after six months away. |
| Larry Lynde | Keeneland was a great CNO social trip last week. Thank you to the organizers and those that went. |
| Larry Lynde | In the Edward-Elmsworth Health 10K race, his daughter had a 6:30 pace and won for all women. |
| Karen Charnesky | For everyone putting up with her and Tim Clemmer’s jokes and laughing at the shenanigans while they were sergeants the last three months. |
| Vida McDowell | The ATP tennis tournament is staying in Cincinnati even though Charlotte tried to get it moved to their city. |
Sergeants at Arms
| Member | Infraction |
| Everyone not wearing a costume | They should have worn a costume for the costume contest today. |
| Bob Glavin | He was so convinced he was Elvis today that he looked for his name tag in the E’s. |
| Scott Langer | He was later than usual. Sergeant Charnesky thinks he already changed his clock back an hour. |
| Everyone wearing a costume | They wore a costume today which clearly meant to Sergeant Clemmer that they are craving attention. |
Membership Anniversaries
| Member | Joined | Years |
| Tom Young | November 2, 2021 | 2 |
Birthdays
| Deb Saunders | November 1 |
| Wendy Hattan | November 2 |
| Judy McFadden | November 6 |
| Drew Mckenzie | November 6 |
| Charlie Tapp | November 6 |
CNO Donations – 2013 through August 2023
Click here to see a summary of donations the club has made since 2013
Thank You Notes Received
No Thank You Notes were received this week.