Author: Greg Griffin

CNOtes – June 12, 2018 – Dr. Timothy Melley – Conspiracy Culture and Fake News

Phather Phil’s Prayer

Heavenly Father, In my studies I’ve learned that to travel in the country of God’s care is to believe that You give and to receive Your care is an adventure of the soul in the practice of prayer. Prayer is a simple way to unlock the door to visit with You. Our needs and blessings are many so there is no end of the opportunities for prayer. We all have habits, so help us Lord to establish the habit of prayer. But we need to remember that You see to it that the birds have food but You don’t throw the food into the nest. Amen!

Today’s Guests

Guest Guest Of
David Duncombe David Ladd
Sue Jessee Ellie Parker
Dr. Timothy Melley Speaker
Jeff Plate Mike Bevis
Riley Weisman Speaker

All Photos from the Meeting are Here

Committee Announcements

The 50th Anniversary Party is on Tuesday, June 19th at Canopy Creek Farm.

The 70th Annual Ohio Optimist District Convention is August 16-18th. To receive discounted pricing, registration forms need to be to Cherie Gentry or Gary Smiga prior to Friday, June 15th.

Golfing foursomes have been finalized for the golf outing next month. We still need additional sponsors.

There is a Childhood Cancer Committee meeting on Thursday, June 14th at Panera Bread on Main Street at 6:30 pm.

OptiGear is on sale through Laurie Poeppelman. These items will be on sale during the month of June. See Laurie directly to place an order.

Thank you to the 121 helpers with the Avenue of Flags. Teams are distributing over 1900 flags today in honor of Flag Day. Flags will be brought back in Friday. Thanks to all and especially the 70 Optimist members and their families.

Happy Birthday Mike Wall

Today, June 12, 2018 was Mike Wall’s birthday and he was present. Charlie Tapp directed us again today in singing Happy Birthday for the 2nd straight week. I’m pretty sure I don’t know what the actual melody for Happy Birthday is anymore! It should come as a great relief that no one’s birthday is on June 19!

Ohio District’s Oratorical Competition Winner

Debe Dockins introduced Riley Weisman. Debe’s Intro follows, “Today, we welcome the Ohio District’s Oratorical Competition winner, Riley Weisman. Riley receives a $3,500 college scholarship and will represent our District on June 28 in the Great Lakes Regional competition held in St. Louis.”

“Riley is a senior at Springboro High School interested in pursuing a career in diplomacy, public policy, and law. Originally from Thailand before moving to Southwest Ohio, his favorite subjects in school are statistics, government, history, and English, and his hobbies are volunteering, reading, writing, playing baseball with his brother, and making silver jewelry with his grandfather.”

“Once you hear Riley’s speech, I think you will agree that he has a bright future ahead of him, and that the District is well represented. Please welcome Riley Weisman.”

This year’s topic is, “Where Are My Roots of Optimism?”

Riley gave his speech and here are a few statements. His story begins with his early childhood and an early life of poverty. His mother was the only parent providing his existence. She is now a nurse practitioner. The first 7 years of life were difficult, but through optimism and eating a lot of Ramen Noodles he made it through. He said good came through his struggle. Ignore the pessimists who say to not dream big. Set goals and if you fail at reaching your goals, don’t worry, keep trying. Optimism gives hope to our safety providers, not that everything will always go well, but that we will become better people. When asked about his roots of optimism, Riley said his mother, ignoring pessimism and looking toward a brighter future.

There will be a chance to view a live stream of the Optimist Oratorical World Championships on June 27-29, 2018. This link has the details of the event and will have a link to view the live stream.

Today’s Presentation

Mike Bevis introduced Timothy (Tim) Melley, PhD, author, and a professor at Miami University for over 20 years. He and his wife reside in Cincinnati Ohio. He is a Professor of English and Affiliate of American Studies and is the Director of The Miami University Humanities Center.

Tim’s Education: PhD, English and American Literature, Cornell, 1995, MFA, Fiction, Cornell, 1993, MA, English and American Literature, Cornell, 1993, MA, English, University of Cambridge, 1989, BA, Biology and English, Amherst College, 1985.

Tim’s subject today was “Fake News”. It included some of the sources of various conspiracy theories reported as facts.

Brief quote from his talk, “We live in a Post Truth Culture. Objective facts are less important than feelings. Mainstream news is now less important than real news or social media. Deliberate propaganda is being spread. Conspiracy theories are everywhere. One of the biggest is the moon landings were faked. Many conspiracies relate to state secrets.”

If you google, “Tim Melley fake news”, you will find articles and summaries written by or related to Tim’s talk today.

Scroll down in this article to “Tim Melley” and see a synopsis of today’s presentation he gave at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

For the ending theme, he shared, “It is no surprise conspiracy theories thrive in a society where there is so much that is unknowable and with all the constant reminders from our entertainment.”

When Tim gave this speech at Miami University’s Winter College, it was 90 minutes. He did a great job of condensing it down to 30 minutes so it would fit our lunch’s schedule.

Thank you to Tim for taking the time to inform and entertain us.

One example of many where Tim is quoted by an author in their article. This is from the Arab Herald concerning the ‘Deep State’.

Birthdays

Member Birthday
Michael Wall June 12
Charla Rheaume June 16

Membership Anniversaries

Member Month Day Joined # Years
Cherie Gentry June 17 06/17/2015 3
Samuel Pfabe June 17 06/17/2015 3

New Member Readings and Inductions

Name Sponsor 1st 2nd 3rd Reading or Induction
Jeff Umbreit Sarah Umbreit 3rd Reading
Mark Scarpino Greg Wasmund 2nd Reading

Sergeants at Arms

No time for sergeants this week.

Happy Bucks!

Member Reason
Debe Dockins Excited and delighted to give $5 and have Riley Weisman here today to hear his speech; our district could win the whole thing!
Carol Burkman Thanks to Bob Burkman for being the best nurse a spouse could have.
Nancy Lehren Riley Weisman’s speech for the contest is the best she has ever heard, and she has heard a lot of them.
Sue Brubaker Happy to return from Vegas trip with the DeMarco’s after virtually no monetary loss!
Cherie Gentry Loved hearing Riley Weisman’s speeach.
Judy DeMarco As they were leaving the last place on their Vegas trip with the Brubaker’s, Gary put 30 cents in a slot machine and won over $50!
Gary Aiken He and Gail are celebrating  their 50th wedding annivesary.
Jerry Stahley Thanks to junior golf helpers. The day went great.
Myron Rheaume Happy to give $6. This is the 6th time to hear Riley Weisman’s speech and it gets better each time.

CNOtes – June 5, 2018 – Bringing Out the Best in Kids Award and Memorial Scholarship Winners

Today’s Guests

Guest Guest Of
Alan Bair Honoree’s Family
Anastasia Bair Honoree
Anna Bargmeyer Bob Bargmeyer
Joann Garison Honoree’s Family
Michelle Garison Honoree
Ed Goschinski Art Hung
Danielle Meyer Honoree
Terri Meyer Honoree’s Family
Tom Meyer Honoree’s Family
Matthew Miller Pat Arehart
Evelyn Moyer Honoree’s Family
Geoff Moyer Honore’s Family
Mark Scarpino Greg Wasmund
Dan Tarpey Dr. Tom Henderson
Jason Whited Honoree

All Photos from the Meeting are Here

Committee Announcements

Bob Lawson, Fishing Derby chair, said last Saturday’s Fishing Derby was a great day! Thank you to all the helpers, you did a great job. Please bring kids to Cabela’s from 5-7 on 6/7/2018, they will give us free fishing rods if we bring kids.

Beth Duncan, social committee chair, announced that the 50th anniversary party is Tuesday, June 19, 2018. The cost is $15 per person. It is being held at Canopy Creek Farm in Miamisburg. It will be like an upscale picnic with great food and corn hole. There will be guest speakers as well. Remember that our normal lunch at Yankee Trace is cancelled on June 19, 2018.

Mike Bevis, programs co-chair, said be sure to come next week. A professor from Miami University will be our guest speaker and he will discuss “fake news”.

Mike Bevis, golf co-chair, stated we are still accepting donations for the golf outing. Give one of the forms on the table to someone who would like to donate.

Tom Novak, Avenue of Flags co-chair, announced that flags will be delivered on Tuesday, 6/12/2018. They will be picked up on Friday, 6/15/2018.

Jane Cordonnier, Americana 5K Run Chair, said there is less than a month until the Americana celebration. Please consider signing up to help the club with its activities at the Americana Festival.

Happy Birthday Dick Stevens

Today was Dick Stevens’s actual 73rd birthday. You know what that means! He got a special treat of having Happy Birthday sung to him LIVE as only we can. It was so bad it was good!

Friend of Youth Award

Joe Madden announced that the presentation today is one of his favorites. He introduced the Friend of Youth Award. This award is perfect for our club because our slogan friend of youth is a perfect match for the teacher award. The first Friend of Youth Award was awarded in 2003. Joe listed the previous award winners in a most amusing way. We have improved the selection, but we have up years and down years. He did this to politely jab the many, many award recipients that are current members of CNO. It was hysterical!

Congratulations to this year’s winner Jason Whitehead. He was nominated by CHS principal Jack Durnbaugh. Jack’s nomination letter included statements such as, “Jason is a superb social studies teacher.” “He challenges his students to be problem solvers.” “His students love history since being taught by Jason and his style of teaching.”

Jason Whitehead said, “I’m very humbled and honored to be here to accept this award. To hear my name mentioned is wonderful. This club is great because of promoting youth. The current generation of kids is getting a bad rap. The majority of the kids are well behaved and enthusiastic, if you treat them well and make them want to be in class.”

Educational Assistance Awards

Gary Smiga was happy to introduce this year’s Centerville Noon Optimist Club’s Memorial Educational Assistance Award winners.  The award is given in the memory of the individuals that have passed away while active members of our club.  The following individuals exemplified what it meant to give back to your community with their service and character:

  • Tom Frazier- 1994
  • Tom Craig- 1994
  • Denise Goeckel- 1998
  • Dick Lewin- 2002
  • Corwin Robinson- 2005
  • Steve Fisher- 2007
  • Dave Petree- 2007
  • Jim Hawley- 2010
  • Margaret Barclay- 2010
  • Tom Gravlin- 2013
  • Terry Blair-2014
  • Dave Milam- 2014
  • Ken Bluhm- 2015
  • John Hughes- 2015
  • Mike Hayes- 2015
  • Wes Hamdan- 2016
  • Tim Gibson- 2017
  • Linda Fisher- 2017
  • Brent Moore 2018

He asked us to join him in a moment of silence to remember these fine individuals.

The qualifications for our Educational Assistance award are as follows:

  1. Be a graduating high school senior that will be attending a college/university offering a two/four year degree upon the completion of an accredited program;
  2. Be a resident of Centerville/Washington Township;
  3. Have a strong record of participation in community service activities; and
  4. Possess a financial need as affirmed by the FAFSA

He recognized the committee members who read the applications and made this year’s selections: Gail Aiken, Will Cale, Bob Duffy, and Roberta Taylor.

Normally we have 3 awards. This year we had 4. Each will receive $1500 later today. Thank you to the CNO board for the approval of the awards and the entire CNO membership for your fund-raising efforts that make the Educational Assistance awards possible.

This award is renewable for a second year with a continued financial need, continued involvement in school, community or faith-based activities, and a freshman grade point average of at least a 3.0.

Three of the recipients were able to join us today. Each recipient brought family members with them to share lunch with us today.

Anastasia Bair

Anastasia attended Centerville High School and she is ranked 119th in a senior class of 664 students with a GPA of 3.991. Anastasia’s Extracurricular and Community Service Activities include:

  • Varsity Soccer where she served as a captain
  • Club Soccer
  • Varsity Wrestling Stats
  • Young Life
  • Lunch Buddies
  • Elk Connectors
  • Chem Buddies
  • Volunteer at Church watching 2-year olds during the service
  • BOLD (Building our Lives Drug Free)

Anastasia currently works at Bob Evans and also babysits.

Anastasia will be attending Walsh University in North Canton, Ohio.   After graduation she would like to work in a medical field or in criminal justice.

She read us her essay and here are a few statements: Centerville is safe. Centerville is not perfect, but activities and community service that we put on really help. She enjoys Lunch buddies and chemistry buddies and helping younger kids. She loves soccer and loves coaching younger kids.

Michelle Garrison

Michelle attended Centerville High School and she is ranked 1st in a senior class of 664 students with a GPA of 4.9714. Michelle’s Extracurricular and Community Service Activities include:

  • Varsity Soccer
  • Club Soccer
  • HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America)
  • Centerville Concert Orchestra and Centerville Youth Orchestra
  • Scholar Athlete
  • Lunch Buddies
  • BOLD (Building our Lives Drug Free)
  • STAND (Stop Tobacco and Nicotine Dependence)
  • Chem Buddies
  • Volunteer at church as a Kindergarten Sunday School Teacher
  • Volunteer at SISCA Animal Shelter

Michelle currently works at Bob Evans and Mathnasium where she tutors students in math.

Michelle will be attending Emory University in Atlanta.  After college she would like to attend medical school and work in the Medical Corps or as an emergency physician.

She read us her essay and here are a few statements: Having adult positive role models is very important. Community members have helped her go through her high school career. Passions and skills are developed from being around these role models. Good habits will follow us into adulthood.

Danielle Meyer

Danielle attended Centerville High School and she is ranked 50th in a senior class of 664 students with a GPA of 4.3. Danielle’s Extracurricular and Community Service Activities include:

  • National Honor Society
  • Theatre Program (acting, directing, crew and set building) and where she served as President of the S.T.A.G.E Theatre Club
  • Lunch Buddies
  • STAND (Stop Tobacco and Nicotine Dependence)
  • Elk Connector
  • BOLD (Building our Lives Drug Free)
  • Spanish Club
  • Chairperson for the Food for All Food Drive at Incarnation Parish and School
  • Five Minute for Life Student Ambassador
  • Peer Tutoring

Danielle currently works at Maggie Moos Ice Cream Shop and she previously worked as a Youth Drama Camp Counselor at Epiphany Lutheran Church.

Danielle will be attending the Wright State University.  She would like to pursue film acting and the business of the entertainment industry.  She would eventually like to work for the United Nations serving as a Goodwill Ambassador.

She read us her essay and here are a few statements: Young adults must help others. We need adults to help with good influence and encourage kids to give back as well. Volunteering will make you a better person for the rest of your life. Be drug free. Having a food drive reminds everyone that some people do go without food. Community service prepares and teaches. The best students who help the community are not resume builders, they are community builders and leaders.

Allison Ormsby

We will hear from Allison in a few weeks.

Birthdays

Member Birthday
Dick Stevens June 05
Jean Pummill June 06
Bob Vogt June 07
Brooks Compton June 09

Membership Anniversaries

No membership anniversaries this week.

New Member Readings and Inductions

Name Sponsor 1st 2nd 3rd Reading or Induction
Brendan Cunningham Mike Bevis Induction
Jeff Umbreit Sarah Umbreit 2nd Reading
Mark Scarpino Greg Wasmund 1st Reading

Sergeants at Arms

Member Infraction
Dr.Tom Henderson It is summer again, and he can finally show up to lunch.
Rick Talda It is summer again, and he can finally show up to lunch.
Ken Peacock It is summer again, and he can finally show up to lunch.
Laura Caschera It is summer again, and she can finally show up to lunch.
Mary Madden Left her name badge at home.
Art Hung No show at Saturday’s Fishing Derby.
Myron Rheaume Telling bad jokes, again!
Brendan Cunningham Just inducted to CNO, welcome to the club, pay a $1 fine.
Wendy Hattan Late to today’s meeting.
Beth Duncan Publically announced that for the 50th Anniversary celebration, “DO NOT dress like Don Kelly!”

Happy Bucks!

Member Reason
Bob Lawson $10 for all the wonderful help from the volunteers for last Saturday’s Fishing Derby.
Vida McDowell $5 because it has been 50 years (June 8, 1968) since she immigrated from Iran to the U.S and it has been nothing but great to be in the USA!
Sandy Stevens Husband Dick Steven’s 73rd birthday was today and she remembers when she thought 73 was old.
Myron Rheaume Cal State Fullerton, his alma mater, defeated Stanford #1 and Baylor #2, in the college world series west regional to move on to the Super regional against Univ. of Washington.
Nancy Lehren Last night’s dinner hosted by Children’s Medical Center’s doctors was informational and enjoyable!
Kelly Stone Will be celebrating with long time friends her 35 year UD graduation reunion and 10 years for daughter Christine Balsan.
Beth Duncan Joe Madden has agreed to be the master of ceremonies at the CNO 50th Anniversary Celebration Dinner on 6/19/2018.

CNOtes – May 29, 2018 – Dr. J Thomas Hardy – Dayton Veteran’s Administration

Today’s Guests

All Photos from the Meeting are Here

Guest Guest Of
Rick Altvater Greg Wasmund
Kenzie Baker JOI Club
Dr. J Thomas Hardy Speaker
Karen Havlip JOI Club
Valerie Kronson JOI Club
Faith Ryon JOI Club
Mary Ryon JOI Club
Jeff Umbreit Sarah Umbreit

Memorial Day

Thank you so much to all of our veterans. A special thank you to all the veterans that are members of the Centerville Noon Optimists and for their continuing effort to benefit others after already giving so much of themselves serving our amazing country, The United States of America!

Committee Notes

Joan Cordonnier reminded everyone that July 4th is nearing quickly, so don’t forget to sign up to help or participate in the Americana Festival-5K Race.  The proceeds go to the Centerville Noon Optimists.

Cherie Gentry stated that the OI district convention is August, 17-18, 2018 in Fairborn OH.  The OI international president will be attending and the more of us that show up the better.

Junior Optimist International (JOI) Club Presentation

Kelly Stone introduced Mary Ryon from JOI. Mary brought 4 girls from JOI to discuss what JOI means to them. CNO donated $2000 so these kids can attend the JOI convention in Ottawa, Canada. There are 8 girls and 1 boy that will be attending. The kids from JOI made a beautiful “thank you” poster and presented to us during lunch today.

Valerie Kronson, current governor said each year she goes to the convention she makes new friends. She gets a lot of new perspectives on life and the life other JOI members from all over. She enjoys discussing service activities with new friends.

Faith Ryon, governor elect stated that JOI means a lot to her because she looks forward to each summer and it makes her happy. She loves travelling and meeting people. She likes being around others with similar thoughts. She enjoys visiting new areas and new people. The workshops are amazing. She appreciates how hard the people running these conventions work.

Karen Havlip, secretary, coined the phrase Floriohio for Florida, Iowa and Ohio. The members of her group of friends come from these three states. She wants to make t-shirts with the name. The Leadership workshops are amazing. The boy from Florida will be making a video of the trip and we can watch it.

Kinzie Baker, a newer member, said thank you so much for making it possible for her to attend her first international convention.

Cherie Gentry asked, “Can we donate more money individually now?” Mary replied, “Absolutely you can.”

Today’s Presentation

Mike Bevis introduced, Dr J. Thomas Hardy, DO, a retired Army colonel and Vietnam veteran, the Chief of Staff at the Dayton VA Medical Center. He came today to give us a brief history of veteran’s services and of the Dayton VA Medical Center.

United States Veteran’s services were started during the revolutionary war, however, there was no money to fund the services needed. For all U.S. wars through the Mexican War the states provided Veterans services instead of the federal government. The Mexican War was the inspiration for the opening lines of the Marines’ Hymn, “From the Halls of Montezuma…”. Hardy showed a picture of this epic battle.

The Veterans Administration was not established until 1930 and became the cabinet-level Department of Veterans Affairs in 1989.

The American Civil War made the need for veteran’s services a national need. Huge advances in weaponry occurred at the time of the Civil War. The increase in the number of dead and wounded was well beyond any other U.S. war up to this point. Over 1 million needed treatment, though most from disease. Old war tactics were used, but with amazing weapons. Tens of thousands of disabled veterans resulted from the Civil War.

Artillery canons became much more effective, reaching a 2-mile range. Canister bombs were effective at a 200-yard radius and within 10 yards of explosion victims were vaporized.

Rifle efficiency also increased. The Spencer rifle, the first repeating rifle, was invented. With the Spencer rifle a soldier could shoot 28 rounds per minute. Soldiers described it as, “load it once and shoot all week.” The Confederates also had rifles that were more accurate and used .58 caliber rounds that were very damaging.

The mission of the VA is to fulfill President Lincoln’s promise “To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan” by serving and honoring the men and women who are America’s Veterans.

Nationally at first 3 VA homes were established. The facilities were located in Dayton. Maine, and Milwaukee. The Dayton VA facility opened in 1867, at first with just a log cabin and a barn. Its first hospital was opened in 1870 and was the most modern hospital ever at that time, having running water, steam heat and flush toilets. It had housing for up to 7000 veterans. The VA hospital was a tourist attraction, having over 500,000 visitors per year. Originally the VA was run like a military organization, with routine and discipline. Residents that could work, worked to feed themselves and others and take care of the facility.

The VA’s goal is injury and mental recovery, learning useful job skills and connecting veterans with jobs.

Quick Facts about the Dayton VA Medical Center

  • There was a working farm that met some of the food needs.
  • The chapel has been in continuous use for 150 years.
  • The chapel bell was made out of melted confederate canons.
  • There is a museum supported from donations of items and money from veterans.
  • Stone from the quarry was used to build the Home Chapel and Grotto Gardens.
  • The Brown Hospital was completed in 1930.

Home page of the Dayton VA Medical Center

Virtual Museum of the Dayton VA Medical Center

 

Birthdays

Member Birthday
Tzuling Kuo May 31
Mike Witt June 01
Shawna Hatton June 01
Mark Kingseed June 03
Larry Larrimer June 04

Membership Anniversaries

Member Month Day Joined # Years
Carol Burkman May 31 05/31/2003 15
Robert Burkman May 31 05/31/2003 15
Gary Aiken June 1 06/01/1982 36

New Member Readings and Inductions

Name Sponsor 1st 2nd 3rd Reading or Induction
Jeff Umbreit Sarah Umbreit 1st Reading

Sergeants at Arms

Member Infraction
Bob Burkman Underground marketing for the Avenue of Flags
Charlie Tapp Lost name tag
Tim Clemmer Didn’t return his flag supplies after installing flags
Greg Griffin Todays meeting is not on the online calendar
Bill Stone Falling out of a car when picking up flags because he asked Kelly to drive faster
Greg Griffin Because CNO donated Kelly Stone’s requested amount for JOI to travel to the international conference Greg reminded her that she agreed to do a happy dance – It was perfect!
Jane Fiehrer Late to meeting

Happy Bucks!

Member Reason
Don Kelley Grandchild just graduated from Notre Dame
Charlie Tapp Celebrating Karl Fydryk’s 3rd hole in one
Bob Bargmeyer 4th birthday of oldest grandduaghter from Connecticut
Bob Bargmeyer Just missed hitting a deer on their trip
Bill Stone 7th Grandchild Francis is doing great in Nashville, saw him just a couple of weeks ago
Greg Griffin Evelyn gets to go and visit their newest grandchild in Vegas
Faith Ryon (guest from JOI) Thank you to the club for the donation to JOI and for the volleyball tournament she will be at this weekend
Valerie Kronson (guest from JOI) Funny seeing so many members of her church today sitting at the bad kids table

Noon Meeting News – May 22, 2018 – Cassie Barlow – SOCHE – Workforce Development with Teen Focus

Phather Phil’s Prayer

Heavenly Father too many times our reason for doing anything is motivated by our own personal problems . We give little thought to the fact that anyone is watching us and are in awe of how we behave. Yet ,Each of us has been watched, observed or mimicked since our year one. Which helps me to realize that it is faith that drives us toward Jesus and to a lesser degree there is a faith that drives others toward us. Jesus will never disappoint us; don’t let us disappoint those who look to us for support by being absent from their life. Amen!

All Photos from the Meeting are Here

Optimist International Professional Development Program

Myron Rheaume gave a short presentation on two programs to enhance your growth and participation in your Optimist club. These programs not only help you, the more of us that participate in them the more our club gets recognized in Ohio and Internationally.

  • Personal growth and involvement program (PGI)
  • Personal development program (PDP)

Each program has multiple levels of achievement. Each level requires specific activities. As an example, here are the steps to complete PDP Level 1, Bronze:

  • Participate in a community service activity
  • Learn how to write a communique/Press Release
  • Give a short presentation on “How Optimism Can Make a Better World” or “Optimism as a Way of Life”
  • Learn the 5 purposes of an Optimist Club
  • Introduction of a new Member or a guest at a Club meeting/activity

PGI and PDP are similar but different. The FAQ for PDP says: “The PDP program is meant to provide members a way to develop professionally. Members will have the opportunity to build skills that will help them professionally and enhance their Club, District and Optimist International. Our organization wants to bring in younger professionals. The PDP is a tool to help them do that.”

For PGI, 4 members of our club have reached the highest level. These are Cherie Gentry, Mike Bevis, Joe Madden and Myron Rheaume

Details of PDM and PGI are here.

Committee Notes

Jean Pummill, secretary, CNO is completing its 50th year and we have added 36 members so far this year. Can we reach 50?

Bob Lawson, Fishing Derby chair, reminded us that the Fishing Derby is June 2, 2018. Please remember to show up if you have signed up.

Mike Bevis, golf chair, noted that it is less than 60 days until Tom Frazier Tee Off for Youth Golf Outing at Sycamore Creek Country Club on July 16, 2018. The goody bags will be very well stocked. A few foursome spots are still available.

Beth Duncan, social director, mentioned that June 19, 2018 is our 50th Anniversary celebration party. It will be at Canopy Creek in Miamisburg. Food, music and surprises are planned. You must sign up by June 12, 2018.

Laurie Poeppelman, Opti-gear Coordinator, said that summer gear samples are here and will be at lunch each week through the end of June. Embroidery of the Optimist club logo is included on all items.

Tom Novak, Avenue of Flags chair, said we can use 2 last minute helpers to deliver flags for Memorial Day.

Today’s Presentation

Mike Bevis introduced Cassie Barlow, Ph.D., the director of Aerospace Professional Development at SOCHE, (Southwestern Ohio Council for Higher Education), partners in developing our local workforce. She joined SOCHE in July 2017. She was with the United States Air Force for 26 years. She is the co-author of “Saluting Our Grandmas” (with Sue Norrod), the stories of “Women of World War II”.

Formed in 1967, SOCHE is a regional consortium of 23 colleges and universities in southwest Ohio to promote educated, employed, and engaged citizens.

In particular they help arrange internships for both job providers and job seekers for both College Students and High School Students. Additionally, they help schools setup aerospace learning curriculums for K-12. They are always trying to increase internships. Around two thirds of interns are offered a full-time position. Internships work because each side has an opportunity to try the other side out. This helps keep needed talent in our area. This has always been a good idea, but there is going to be a severe shortage of workers as the baby boomers are retiring on a daily basis. In our area there are 200,000 students in colleges and 100,000 that are juniors and seniors in high school. This is our future workforce and we need to keep it here. SOCHE focuses on creating real intern jobs and the best practice is that a company uses the same hiring standards as for graduates interviewing for permanent positions.

Colleges also help arrange internships, but SOCHE, with 37 years of experience, has a focus on keeping talent in the Southwest Ohio area. The two complement each other, not trying to take away from the other.

Quick Facts

  • SOCHE Engage is a program for high school student-based internships
  • She has a special focus on helping Veterans across our region and State
  • For the interns in addition professional skill matches, they work on soft skills, like being on time and not being too early.
  • All the internships are paid.
  • Greene county is infusing the Taking Flight for the Future program into K-12.
  • They encourage and help kids with going into the trades such as plumbers and electricians.

https://www.soche.org/

Cassie.Barlow@soche.org

 Today’s Guests

No guests this week – remember to invite a guest and show off our world class award winning club!

Birthdays

Member Birthday
Jack Anderson May 18
Bill Marker May 23
Don Skelton May 25
Cristlyn Johnston May 26

Membership Anniversaries

Member Month Day Joined # Years
Pete Rife May 22 05/22/2013 5
Jim Schumacher May 22 05/22/1991 27
Paulette Novak May 25 05/25/2005 13
Bob Clements May 25 05/25/2005 13
Amy Barker May 26 05/26/2008 10
Cheryl Reichel May 26 05/26/2008 10
Debe Dockins May 26 05/26/2009 9

New Member Readings and Inductions

Name Sponsor 1st 2nd 3rd Reading or Induction
Wendy Hattan Robin Golden Induction

Sergeants at Arms

Member Infraction
Chris McAlpine His son had shoes on the wrong feet at the bike rodeo.
All Bike Rodeo course marshals except Bob Burkman. All Bike Rodeo course marshals except Bob Burkman. Bob was the only one with shoe laces that matched his safety vest.
Bob Burkman Cones were not well monitored at the Bike Rodeo – they kept “blowing over”.
Greg Griffin Wendy Hattan’s name tag was in the wrong spot in the box.
Jack Anderson and Nancy Anderson Jack’s birthday mix-up – evidently his birthday is on the wrong day.
Kelly Stone Being late to meeting.
Vida McDowell Wearing the wrong name tag.

Happy Bucks!

Member Reason
Barbara Santo Brighton Collectibles at the Greene is collecting Shoes for Souls. Please bring any spare shoes you have.