Author: Greg Griffin
February 16, 2021 – Oratorical Contest
February 9, 2021 – Oratorical Contest
February 2, 2021 – Ricki Pepin – FBI
January 26, 2021 – TBD
January 19, 2021 – Charlotte McGuire – Ohio Board of Education
December 22, 2020 – Erik Oberg – USO – Wright Patterson AFB
Erin Dickerson’s Prayer
In honor of the Christmas Star and Christmas, I chose to share adapted prayers from Mary Had a Baby by Cheryl Kirk-Duggan and Marilyn E. Thornton.
Dear God,
Lead us and guide us with the bright light of your teachings. Give us the wisdom of the three kings and the faith of the shepherds and let us rise from our complacency and follow you. Give us the ears to hear, the insight to understand, the desire to share, and the obedience to go. Instill in us the desire to spread your message wherever you may lead us.
Amen.
Special Announcement
There is no Zoom meeting on 12/29/2020.
Announcements
Debe Dockins appreciated seeing members that were able to pick up their handbooks at Yankee Trace last week. If you did not pick yours up, it will be mailed to you.
Happy Birthday President Debe Dockins!
Today was Debe Dockin’s birthday. I wonder if a sitting CNO president has been serenaded by her constituents in the past!
Oh, and in case you were wondering, Debe was hoping that the singing today would be horrible! We did not disappoint. Tom Novak led our “choir” in the singing of Happy Birthday.
She had a huge smile on her face that kept getting bigger as the song went on. The singing was so bad that after today’s meeting I quickly put on some 80’s music to recalibrate my ears!
Happy Birthday, Debe, and thanks for your excellent work as CNO president 2020-2021!
Erik Oberg, USO
Debe Dockins introduced Erik Oberg, the Center Operations and Programs Manager of Wright-Patterson United Service Organization (USO) of Central and Southern Ohio.
He began his employment with the USO in September, 2019. As Programs Manager, he oversees the operation of the facility and the delivery of programs which seek to boost the morale of service members and their families stationed at Wright-Patterson AFB and around the Miami Valley. In this role, he also engages dozens of USO volunteers and maintains the USO relationship with the base and community leaders. He helps raise funds to support USO activities.
Erik is an Air Force veteran. He grew up in an Air Force family, served five years in the Air Force and spent an additional nineteen years as an Air Force spouse until his wife retired in August, 2019. He is enjoying his job supporting our next generation of service members very much.
The USO is celebrating 80 years and the WPAFB USO is celebrating 5 years.
Erik thanked CNO for its donation for the USO annual Christmas party. Stations included Candy Cane Lane, Hot Chocolate and Crafts! He said the Candy Cane Lane was a huge success. Cars were circling around the building to get their goodies on their way to see Santa and Mrs. Claus. There were over 20 volunteers in costumes of snowmen, elves and reindeers.
The weather was not cooperative the day of the party, so they consolidated the stations into one station under the shelter at the front of the building. The bags they handed out included hot chocolate and a craft kit, which included kits to make a scarf and reindeer antlers.
The USO had 180 families sign up for the event on 12/12/2020. They had to limit it to 100 families. On 12/22/2020, they will hold it again for the rest of the families.
In the evening after the event, they had 63 families log in to Zoom with Santa for 25 minutes. There was a soldier playing a saxophone and the participants sang Christmas carols. They read letters to Santa that the kids had sent in. One of the mothers sent a video of her very excited child hearing his letter read aloud on the Zoom meeting.
Testimonials about Candy Cane Lane
- Thanks USO! We really appreciate our meal and bag of goodies! Can’t wait for zoom with Santa!
- My children had an amazing time at Candy Cane Lane. Thank you.
- Thank you for the amazing gifts and story with Santa!
- We had such a great time and dinner, really appreciate you and the team!!! Merry Christmas.
Operating During COVID
WPAFB USO center suspended normal operations March 15, 2020 but they never stopped serving. One of the first changes they made was to allow puzzles to be reserved and borrowed for use at home. Since the base and the members of the service didn’t shut down, the Wright-Patt USO didn’t want to shut down.
They have received generous (multiple pallets) donations of Girl Scout Cookies and Monster Energy Drink.
They re-opened the building on 10/19/2020 after changing the floor plan to comply with COVID safety protocols. The furniture was moved to the auditorium and spread out.
Donors have been helping as much as in previous years. No employees of the Wright-Patt USO have had to be laid off.
2020 Accomplishments
Despite COVID they made a lot of repairs and upgrades to their building:
- New air conditioning system was installed
- New flooring was installed in the auditorium
- New signage was installed
- The food buffet had new sneeze guards installed
- They added more computers and better WiFi
- Numerous walls were painted
- New drains were installed
- Flowers were planted
WPAFB USO Center programming
Care Packages are assembled and sent. They are trying to push some USO joy out of the building since they can’t have too many people in. They send care packages to the hospital and to those quarantined.
Before going overseas, 200 soldiers at a time are spending 2-3 weeks in isolation at WPAFB. The USO has been working to keep their morale up.
They are impacting more families during COVID than before. The building can handle 35 families at a time for an event. Now they can have 100 families sign up for drive through events. They have had 8 drive through events so far.
The USO building houses the airmen’s attic, which is a thrift store that does not charge its customers. During the closure, they re-organized the space. They accept donations of clothing, uniforms, small housewares and toys. Service families can take anything they need for free and they have 50-80 airmen visiting per week. It is available for service families getting started, so usually age 35 and under. They can pick up to 10 items per week. Erik believes WPAFB USO is the only USO Center in the world that has an airmen’s attic service.
Odds and ends
Operation Birthday Cake is in place, which means they deliver birthday cakes.
The USO had their normal Holiday Cookie drive, but his year it was a candy drive instead. Each visitor received a bag of candy.
For Thanksgiving, volunteers assembled over 100 meals that were picked up or delivered.
Global USO COVID effects
- COVID has caused the largest National Guard Deployment Since WWII
- 167 centers are open and 70 still closed
- Programs worldwide have adapted for COVID
- The organization is strong going into 2021
Virtual Entertainment Programming has taken off during COVID
Entertainers and sports celebrities have been meeting virtually in small groups with service personnel. Entertainers have included Bill Nye, Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans. There have been NASCAR drivers and pro WWE wrestlers as well as other sports celebrities.
Closing
Erik said thank you again to the Centerville Noon Optimist Club for our continued support!
Thank you, Erik Oberg, for joining us today. It was great to see the happy faces of kids at the parties. Thanks for all the work WPAFB USO does.
New Member Readings and Inductions
| Name | Sponsor | 1st 2nd 3rd Reading or Induction |
| Casey Dixon | Jeff Umbreit | Induction |
| Doug Flanders | Joe Madden | 2nd Reading |
Happy Bucks
| Member | Reason |
| Bob Burkman | His 58th wedding anniversary with Carol Burkman will be 12/29/2020. |
| Debe Dockins | Thanks to CNO for singing Happy Birthday to her today. |
| Debe Dockins | Thanks to Erik Oberg of Wright-Patt USO for presenting today. |
| Jesse Lightle | Thank you to CNO for installing several flags in front of the rec center for the funeral processional for firefighter Lt. Jeff Guernsey who died Dec 3. 2020 at age 52 due to complications of COVID. |
Membership Anniversaries
| Member | Month | Day | Joined | # Years |
| Scott Langer | December | 30 | 12/30/1997 | 23 |
| Bill Stone | January | 1 | 1/1/1977 | 44 |
| Bob Duffy | January | 1 | 1/1/1988 | 33 |
| Jim Rumford | January | 1 | 1/1/1990 | 31 |
| Paul Stull | January | 1 | 1/1/1970 | 31 |
| Will Cale | January | 1 | 1/1/1976 | 45 |
| John Carroll | January | 3 | 1/3/2012 | 9 |
Birthdays
| Member | Birthday |
| Paul Boeckman | December 22 |
| Debe Dockins | December 22 |
| Steve Mock | December 25 |
| Jeff Papanek | December 26 |
| Dave Kay | December 27 |
| Molly Petsch | December 28 |
| Christine Balsan | December 28 |
| Kelly Stone | December 29 |
| Sonny Singhvi | January 1 |
| Rafael Santillan | January 1 |
| Joe Madden | January 3 |
CNO Donations 2013 through October 2020
Click this link to see a summary of the donations our club has made.
Over the past 53 years, we donated over $2,000,000 to our youth community. In the past 6 years, we have donated nearly $712,000.
Sergeants at Arms
No Sergeants this week.
Welcome Guests!
Doug Flanders – Guest of Joe Madden – WELCOME Doug!
Zoom Meeting This Week
We had another meeting using Zoom. We will continue our weekly meetings via computer, cell phone or tablet for at least the next several weeks. Please join us and keep inviting guests.
Who can Attend Zoom Meetings?
Any member of any type of Centerville Noon Optimist can attend Zoom meetings. CNO 2.0, St Leonard’s and CNO full members or CNO monthly members can ALL attend.
Guests are also welcome. Please invite guests and introduce them if you like. Just share the Zoom link with them for that week.
COVID-19 UPDATE
In keeping with social distancing requirements – our CNO Meetings have transitioned temporarily to a online format using ZOOM.
Club Member Joe Madden was inspired to rewrite The Optimist Creed – so we give you now – The Corona Creed -with apologies to Christian D. Larson, Author of The Optimist Creed.
Meeting Links
- The Meeting Pod cast is here
- Due to WPAFB USO Security Policies – we are not providing a copy of the PowerPoint nor Zoom Video on the website this week since men and women serving in the military are pictured in many of the images included in the presentation
December 11, 2020 – Holiday Party and Christian D. Larson Awards
2020 Christian D. Larson Awards and Holiday Party
Tonight, we celebrated the holiday season on Zoom. Social committee co-chairs Sarah Umbreit and Sue Jessee organized a great evening.
We started off with a half hour of socializing. Additionally, during this half hour was modelling for the ugly sweater contest. Sue Brubaker took first place in the ugly sweater contest and received gift cards to DLM ($20) and Arrow Wine ($20). Gary Hansen took second place in the ugly sweater contest and received gift cards to DLM ($10), Archers ($10) and Arrow Wine ($10).
Next, the 2020 Christian D. Larson awards were presented. Sarah Umbreit introduced the previous year’s Christian D. Larson award winners and they each introduced a winner from this year. Each award was delivered in person to the home of the new recipient by last year’s recipient. Each was caught on video and it was really great to see the surprise on the winner’s faces. Thank you to last year’s recipients for their great job presenting this year’s winners and the effort it took to pre-record the remarks and deliver the awards in person.
After the awards were presented, Sue Jessee presented a Holiday Trivia Contest. There were 10 holiday-based questions. 1st and 2nd place all received $20 gift cards. The winners were Will and Sylvia Cale. Tied for second were The DeMarcos, The Linders, The Aikens, Karl Frydryk, and Larry Lynde.
Congratulations to the three 2020-2021 Christian D. Larson Award recipients: Barbara Santo, Larry Lynde and Vida McDowell!
Barbara Santo Christian D. Larson Award Recipient 2020
(notes from Roy Barclay, last year’s winner)
And now I have the honor of presenting the first of this year’s honorees.
This award winner joined our club over twenty years ago.
Since then, she has been a consistent attendee at noon meetings.
She has faithfully served on the Tree Lot, as a worker, soup provider, and as a co-captain.
She has been highly involved with the Build-A-Bear, Adopt-A-Child, and Childhood Cancer projects.
She has both attended and hosted many CNO social events, and in fact, has served as the Adult Social Chairperson many years.
She has organized the Birthday Table many years with outstanding and clever arrangements.
She has served on the Board of Directors.
And the best of all (maybe before tonight’s award) she has been named Optimist of The Year.
Congratulations to Barbara Santo!
Barbara Santo has been a member of CNO since 3/9/1999.
Larry Lynde Christian D. Larson Award Recipient 2020
(notes from Gail Aiken, last year’s winner)
This person has been a longtime member of our club. I have known and worked with this person on many projects and events.
This person has helped with Avenue of flags, tree lot delivery day as well as captain of a tree lot team.
This person helped with the golf outing even though their golf skills are in question?
This person is Prather Phil’s best organizer for birthday celebrations.
This person helped with the Haunted Trail and did whatever was needed when asked. This person has an optimistic attitude not only when participating in our club activities but at meetings and beyond.
This person is a former President of our club and made everyone smile with his wit and crazy sense of humor.
I’m sure you’ve guessed by now who it is.
And the winner is Larry Lynde!
Larry Lynde has been a member of CNO since 9/1/1988.
Vida McDowell Christian D. Larson Award Recipient 2020
(notes from Joan Cordonnier, last year’s winner)
Our next recipient has been an active member with the club since she joined over 21 years ago.
She has consistently volunteered over the years in many of the club’s regular activities such as:
Americana Festival 5K Race
Americana Root Beer Float Stand
Christmas Tree Lot
Haunted Trail Guide
Social committee
Avenue of Flags – not only active with delivery and retrieval on the flag holidays but has helped since the very beginning of the program in her neighborhood, which was the first LARGE neighborhood for our club. She continues to contact new neighbors as they move in and helps every Spring in contacting neighbors to make sure they have re-enrolled.
But there are 2 specific committees that our club has been extremely lucky to have this person’s talents for: the Golf Outing raffle baskets and the Holiday Silent Auction. This person works tirelessly collecting items all year long for these events, then helps to group items and put together baskets that are beautiful and bring in thousands of dollars each year and she has done this for just about as long as she has been in the club!
On top of being active in the committees mentioned above, this person has also served in the leadership of this club as a member of the Board of Directors and the Long-Range Planning committee.
And in the tradition of saving the best for last: this person was awarded Optimist of the Year in 2007.
Congratulations to Vida McDowell!
Vida McDowell has been a member of CNO since 4/19/1999.
Details about the Christian D. Larson Award
In return for each $1000/year donated to the Optimist Foundation from each OI club, a club can select a recipient of the prestigious Christian D. Larson award.
The following was presented by Roy Barclay
Good evening.
I am Roy Barclay and tonight, along with Joan Cordonnier and Gail Aiken, we will be presenting this year’s Christian D. Larson Award winners.
The Christian D. Larson Award is Optimist International’s most prestigious. This award is a lifetime achievement recognition given to a person who has exemplified outstanding service to both our community as a whole and The Centerville Noon Optimist Club in particular.
The award was named in honor of Mr. Larson because he was the author of the well-known Optimist Creed, which was written in 1912 and is what we Optimists live by each day. In the over one hundred years of Optimist International, with hundreds of thousands of members, fewer than 800 individuals worldwide have been accorded this honor, 30 of whom are from our club, including four “couples” winners – the Maddens, Stones, Aikens, and Barclays.
Each year our club donates half of the proceeds from the tickets purchased for the 50/50 drawing, along with all of the money raised through the Sergeant-at-Arms fines and happy bucks during our noon meetings. This money goes to the Optimist International Foundation for the purpose of supporting its charitable, literary, and educational activities. In return, for each one thousand dollars donated, Optimist International Foundation grants our club the privilege of presenting a Christian D. Larson Award.
In 2007 our Board of Directors voted to present the Christian D. Larson Award to our club members in order to recognize their positive contributions over a long period of time. Our Optimist Board had selected all of the recipients from 2007 to 2012. But in 2013 they decided that going forward it would be best decided by our growing group of past Larson Award recipients.
Each new honoree must have a minimum of ten years in the club, have held leadership positions, contributed greatly to both the community and our club, exhibited a positive optimistic attitude, and volunteered consistently over many years actively enhancing the club’s formula for success.
Because of the unfortunate situations we all have to deal with this year, I cannot really ask our past winners to “stand”. But I will quickly read through the names (in order of winning the award) and ask that these folks give a wave as your name is read.
They are:
Steve Fisher, Margaret Barclay, Phil Robinson, Joe Madden, Jerry Stahley, Chuck Dickerson, Jim Hawley, Bill Stone, Gary Aiken, Judy DeMarco, Dan Beck, Gary Smiga, Kelly Stone, Mike Bevis, Tom Novak, Gary Anderson, Will Cale, Don Kelley, Charlie Tapp, Bob Burkman, Nancy Lehren, Pat Behn, Mary Madden, Myron Rheaume, Tom Frazier, Stan Fronzaglia, Karl Frydryk, Joan Cordonnier, Gail Aiken, and Roy Barclay.
Thank you all!
Meeting Links
December 1, 2020 – Dennis Grant – United Rehabilitation Services
Erin Dickerson’s Prayer
Heavenly Father,
As we look outside our windows on this first day of December, we see a fresh blanket of snow. How appropriate a symbol to remind us of your love and the grace you give us as we prepare for important religious holidays in both the Jewish and Christian faiths. Hanukkah, in the Jewish faith, celebrating freedom from oppression and of religious expression. The eight days and candles symbolizing the miracle of the last bit of oil lasting for eight nights. Christmas, in the Christian faith, celebrating the birth of Your son, Jesus Christ and the miracle of the virgin birth. Both holidays honoring You and the miracles You have granted. During this time of preparation, help guide us body, mind, and spirit to prepare our hearts for You.
Amen.
Announcements
Tom Novak, Avenue of Flags, announced that it was an awesome year for Avenue of Flags. Thanks to everyone who volunteered.
Committee Meetings
Nancy Lehren announced that the annual nominating committee meeting will be held on December 9, 2020 at 6 PM via Zoom. Those involved will be emailed soon.
Social Events
The annual Holiday Party will be virtual this year. It will be on Friday, December 11, 2020 at 6:30PM. Everyone is invited and there is no cost to attend. Christian D. Larsen Awards for lifetime achievement will be awarded to members of CNO. The ugly holiday sweater contest will begin at 6:30 with prizes for originality. At 7 PM will be the Award Presentation. At 7:30, there will be a Holiday Trivia contest.
Dennis Grant, United Rehabilitation Services
Debe Dockins introduced Dennis Grant, the Executive Director of United Rehabilitation Services of Greater Dayton at the Charles D. Berry Center (URS), an organization that protects the rights of individuals with disabilities. Dennis has worked with children and adults with disabilities and their families since 1976 and has been with URS over 19 years.
Under his leadership, URS has dramatically expanded the scope of services offered and tripled the number of clients and families serviced. URS has dropped the combined administrative and fundraising costs from a high of over 32% in 2001 to below 10% since 2012.
Click this for the URS Facebook page.
You can view the slide deck here.
Look through his slide deck to see several great pictures of their clients and the facility. There are inside and outside pictures. Included are pictures of the wooden gateway that CNO donated.
Grant thanked CNO for our financial and moral support.
Because of COVID-19, they created a Virtual Tour of URS which is included in the slide deck. No guests are being allowed inside the building. Studies have shown that people with disabilities have twice the chance of getting COVID-19 and as much as 10 times higher chance of it resulting in death. URS has been very careful. When Ohio fully reopens you are encouraged to come for an in-person tour.
URS has been meeting the needs of children and adults with disabilities and their families since 1956.
Services
- Childcare Services with 5-Star Rated Early Childhood Education and School-Age Programs for children with and without special needs, ages 6 weeks through 17 years; They offer these services for siblings without special needs so parents only have to drop off one place each day; Pre-school services are through a partnership with Head Start Services and it provides “Get Set for Schools” programming
- Socially Engaging Programs for adults and seniors with art, music, gardening, fitness, cultural and community-inclusion opportunities
- Vocational Training and work experiences including a “2nd Shift” Option
- Employment Services with career exploration, work site assessment and training, as well as job coaching and placement services to help everyone achieve their personal employment goals
- Senior Daycare Program
- On-site Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapy Clinic
- On-site Nursing Services
- Full kitchen providing hot nutritious meals with both breakfast and lunch available
During COVID Services
- They have had to get creative for both onsite and virtual services
- Onsite therapies are happening
- The adult day program normally can serve 135 clients, but it has been reduced to 60
- In 2020 they found employment for 75 clients, which is good for any year
- They are offering virtual performances for dance, ballet and opera through partnerships with Muse Machine and the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance.
Funding Information
- The CARES Act provided funds for purchasing technology that helped with being able to provide virtual services during COVID-19
- They receive funding from donors and grants
- They received $800K in state funds for 2020, but with expected state cuts they expect it to only be $150K for 2021
- They expect a $400K budget shortfall in funds for 2021
Questions and Answers
Q. Could URS use additional volunteers during and after COVID?
A. URS has restricted volunteer access and it is limited mostly to outdoors. Volunteers have been putting together instructional packets and lesson plans for remote learning. Once COVID-19 restrictions are gone, they would be interested in volunteers from CNO.
Q. Where do you get clients from geographically?
A. URS has a lot of unique capabilities. They have the only pediatric facility of their type among the counties of Montgomery, Miami, Clark, and Shelby and this is where most clients come from.
Q. Has URS received grants from The Dayton Foundation?
A. Yes, the Dayton Foundation has been very good to URS. They gave $50,000 to URS in 2020.
Additional information about Dennis Grant
Dennis Grant is a Licensed Counselor in the State of Ohio and holds an MA in Rehabilitation Counseling and a BS in Special Education both from the University of Cincinnati.
Grant has served
- Four terms on the Board of Directors of the Ohio Provider Resource Association (PTRA) for organizations serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities
- Three terms on the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors
- Four terms on the Board of Directors of the United Way of Greater Dayton Area ending in September 2017
- Five terms as President of the Alliance of Executives, which represents Dayton area social service agencies
Thank you, Dennis Grant, for joining us to educate CNO about United Rehabilitation Services (URS).
New Member Readings and Inductions
| Name | Sponsor | 1st 2nd 3rd Reading or Induction |
| Casey Dixon | Jeff Umbreit | 2nd Reading |
Happy Bucks
| Member | Reason |
| Debe Dockins | CNO member Jesse Lightle received the Administrator of the Year award from the Montgomery County Township Association. |
| Nancy Lehren | Thanks to Dennis Grant of URS for speaking to CNO today. |
| Beth Duncan | Thanks to Dennis Grant of URS for speaking to us today, plus she just feels good to be part of CNO and the work we do. |
Membership Anniversaries
| Member | Month | Day | Joined | # Years |
| Dan Beck | December | 1 | 12/1/1981 | 39 |
| Gary Smiga | December | 1 | 12/1/1985 | 35 |
| Roberta Taylor | December | 6 | 12/6/1995 | 25 |
Birthdays
| Member | Birthday |
| Paul Bowell | December 3 |
| Nancy Lehren | December 5 |
| Marilyn Abbott | December 6 |
| Bill DeShurko | December 6 |
| Sarah Umbreit | December 7 |
| Matt Somerlot | December 7 |
CNO Donations 2013 through October 2020
Click this link to see a summary of the donations our club has made.
Over the past 53 years, we donated over $2,000,000 to our youth community. In the past 6 years, we have donated nearly $712,000.
Sergeants at Arms
No Sergeants this week.
Welcome Guests!
Casey Dixon – Guest of Jeff Umbreit – WELCOME Casey!
Zoom Meeting This Week
We had another meeting using Zoom. We will continue our weekly meetings via computer, cell phone or tablet for at least the next several weeks. Please join us and keep inviting guests.
Who can Attend Zoom Meetings?
Any member of any type of Centerville Noon Optimist can attend Zoom meetings. CNO 2.0, St Leonard’s and CNO full members or CNO monthly members can ALL attend.
Guests are also welcome. Please invite guests and introduce them if you like. Just share the Zoom link with them for that week.
COVID-19 UPDATE
In keeping with social distancing requirements – our CNO Meetings have transitioned temporarily to a online format using ZOOM.
Club Member Joe Madden was inspired to rewrite The Optimist Creed – so we give you now – The Corona Creed -with apologies to Christian D. Larson, Author of The Optimist Creed.
November 24, 2020 – Nick Scrimenti – Muralist
Erin Dickerson’s Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Though this year has been tough, and our holidays will look different, Lord, we have so much to be thankful for. We are thankful for technology and the ability to still meet with our friends and family. We are thankful for a slower pace of life and time to connect with those near us. We are thankful for roofs over our heads and food to nourish our bodies. Above all Lord, we are thankful for You and this life you have blessed us with.
Amen.
Gary Hansen was today’s host
Debe Dockins was unable to be at today’s meeting. President-Elect Gary Hansen stepped in to run today’s meeting and he did a fine job.
Announcements
Gary Hansen reported on behalf of Christy Gariety about the 2020 Adopt-a-Family program. The program was very successful. We have collected more than 40 $50 gift cards to help children in need in our schools. Thanks to all that donated to this annual fundraiser.
Kristen Marks, Essay Contest Chair, announced that there have been two essay submissions so far. She will reach out to the teachers in the schools again to get more kids interested. The winner of the essay contest receives a scholarship. The essays are due in February. Way to go becoming a committee chair Kristen! She was inducted into CNO 2/18/2020 and is already making a difference!
Social Events
The annual Holiday Party will be virtual this year. It will be on Friday, December 11, 2020 at 6:30PM. Everyone is invited and there is no cost to attend. Christian D. Larsen Awards for lifetime achievement will be awarded to members of CNO. The ugly holiday sweater contest will begin at 6:30 with prizes for originality. At 7 PM will be the Award Presentation. At 7:30, there will be a Holiday Trivia contest.
Nick Scrimenti, Muralist
Greg Griffin introduced Nick Scrimenti, an artist and muralist originally from Dayton, Ohio and now residing in Cincinnati. He holds a bachelor’s in fine arts from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and a master’s degree in fine arts from the University of Cincinnati.
As a classically trained painter, visual artist, and experienced muralist, Nick has significant experience translating drawn or painted imagery into large-scale public art, as well as teaching.
Nick has been an adjunct professor at the University of Dayton, Miami University, and the University of Cincinnati. He is also one of a select few artists who are part of the Winsor & Newton Artist Outreach Program. The Artists Outreach Program travels to universities and art academies, demonstrating Winsor & Newtons paints, mediums, and techniques.
Scrimenti has many notable high-profile murals he worked on including the Kroger Corporate Headquarters Mural, the Samuel Adams Brewery Mural and many more. His personal work has been exhibited throughout the country and he’s been invited as a visiting artist to many well-known art schools including The Ohio State University, Michigan University, Cleveland Institute of Art, Herron College of Art and Design, Kansas City Art Institute, University of Wisconsin, The Art Academy of Cincinnati and many others.
For the last 11 years Scrimenti has made his living by creating large scale art and teaching.
His mural and sign painting website is here. There are dozens of pictures on this site of his work.
The slide deck has a lot of great pictures of finished and in process murals. You can view the slide deck here.
Nick credits his mural career to and continues to work with Art Works Cincinnati, a nonprofit that transforms people and places through investments in creativity. The organization provides youth, ages 14-21, with the majority from underserved households, with competitive 21st century career readiness skills through mentorship by professional artists. He instructs apprentices and they get paid.
Besides murals he also paints old fashioned style signs that are hung in front of businesses. This type of art was almost extinct, but recently has seen a resurgence. Conventional plastic and vinyl signs do not offer the human look that hand painted signs have.
Nick really likes painting large scale murals. It can be challenging since painting an 8-foot orange is very different than a 3-inch orange.
There are several steps to go from mural design to the wall. He first starts with a grid over the design and the wall. He factors in the proportions available on the target wall. His grid system usually is 4’ x 4’ squares and occasionally 2’ x 2’ squares. The initial painting is filled in with large areas of blocked color, like a coloring book.
Notable Mural Projects
- Kroger Corporate Headquarters
- Samuel Adams Brewery
- Rhinegiest Brewery
- Kenner Toy Mural
- Miami Beach Art Basel
- Aurora Indiana Mural River Stage Mural
- Hamilton, Ohio Mural
- Cobblers Apprentice Mural
- Dayton Mall (inside the mall)
Nick’s Hamilton mural was featured in the movie “Dark Waters,” and he was listed in the end credits. The movie stars Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, Tim Robbins and Bill Pullman.
Scrimenti said, “The Kroger Mural was like his baby. It took a long time to create, but it came out great. It looks 3D and might be the largest still life ever painted.”
Scrimenti mixes his own paint out of special acrylic outdoor paint that holds up to the effects of the sun so it doesn’t fade.
Question and Answer
Q. How do you begin to price a project?
A. He starts with the square footage of the wall and then combines that with the time it has taken in the past per square foot.
Q. How long will your murals last on the side of a building?
A. If it is clean, primed, and uses the right paint, Nova Color products, it will last at least 20 years. He puts a clear coat on top of it that will extend that time and make it easier to clean. His first project was done 11 years ago, and he can’t see any changes in the color for that project.
Q. How do you apply the paint?
A. He prefers to use a brush. If there is a large giant area, he will use spray. Sometimes he can roll a large area, but most of the buildings are old and beat up, so you end up using a brush anyway.
Q. What project took the longest?
A. The Kenner Toy Mural took from June to November. The Art Works organization finds a lot of donors that give generously to allow these projects to happen.
Q. How does the weather affect your work?
A. The weather is a concern. They paint projects from the top to bottom so if it does rain, it doesn’t mess up parts that are finished. There have been some mistakes made by interns that have cost a lot of time because of rain.
Q. Do you have safety concerns?
A. Workers overheating is the primary concern. If the project is not shaded it is very uncomfortable, especially while wearing the required hard hat. Nick can easily drink 2 gallons of water in a day. He typically loses 15 pounds per summer. The scaffolding and height do not bother him.
Q. Do college students help you and receive college credit?
A. In a way. Students don’t get credit necessarily, but the job can count as a required internship.
Thank you, Nick Scrimenti, for joining the CNO meeting today to show us your work and give us a perspective of how challenging creating murals on a large scale is.
New Member Readings and Inductions
| Name | Sponsor | 1st 2nd 3rd Reading or Induction |
| Casey Dixon | Jeff Umbreit | 1st Reading |
Happy Bucks
| Member | Reason |
| Myron Rheaume | Happy that Charla is using a positive attitude and recovering from her broken leg. |
| Greg Griffin | Gary Hansen did a great job running today’s meeting. |
Membership Anniversaries
| Member | Month | Day | Joined | # Years |
| Andy Dickerson | November | 24 | 11/24/2018 | 2 |
| Erin Dickerson | November | 24 | 11/24/2018 | 2 |
| Gareth Dickey | November | 24 | 11/24/2018 | 2 |
| Mariah Vogelgesang | November | 24 | 11/24/2018 | 2 |
| Rick Altvater | November | 24 | 11/24/2018 | 2 |
| Ron Kuker | November | 24 | 11/24/2018 | 2 |
| Jay McAlpine | November | 27 | 11/27/2017 | 3 |
| Jayne Weikel | November | 27 | 11/27/2017 | 3 |
| Nancy Anderson | November | 27 | 11/27/2017 | 3 |
| Patrick Arehart | November | 27 | 11/27/2017 | 3 |
| Rhonda Meeker | November | 27 | 11/27/2017 | 3 |
| Rick Talda | November | 27 | 11/27/2017 | 3 |
| Robby Johnson | November | 27 | 11/27/2017 | 3 |
| Ryan Fay | November | 27 | 11/27/2017 | 3 |
| Sharon Silverberg | November | 27 | 11/27/2017 | 3 |
| Shelby DiPasquale | November | 27 | 11/27/2017 | 3 |
| Sonny Singhvi | November | 27 | 11/27/2017 | 3 |
| Jesse Lightle | November | 28 | 11/28/2006 | 14 |
| Liz Fultz | November | 29 | 11/29/2015 | 5 |
| Ted Humphrey | November | 29 | 11/29/2001 | 19 |
Birthdays
| Member | Birthday |
| Natalie King Dunlevey | November 24 |
| Tom Beery | November 29 |
| Denny Cottle | November 29 |
| Nancy Anderson | November 30 |
CNO Donations 2013 through October 2020
Click this link to see a summary of the donations our club has made.
Over the past 53 years, we donated over $2,000,000 to our youth community. In the past 6 years, we have donated nearly $712,000.
Sergeants at Arms
No Sergeants this week.
Welcome Guests!
Casey Dixon – Guest of Jeff Umbreit – WELCOME Casey!
Zoom Meeting This Week
We had another meeting using Zoom. We will continue our weekly meetings via computer, cell phone or tablet for at least the next several weeks. Please join us and keep inviting guests.
Who can Attend Zoom Meetings?
Any member of any type of Centerville Noon Optimist can attend Zoom meetings. CNO 2.0, St Leonard’s and CNO full members or CNO monthly members can ALL attend.
Guests are also welcome. Please invite guests and introduce them if you like. Just share the Zoom link with them for that week.
COVID-19 UPDATE
In keeping with social distancing requirements – our CNO Meetings have transitioned temporarily to a online format using ZOOM.
Club Member Joe Madden was inspired to rewrite The Optimist Creed – so we give you now – The Corona Creed -with apologies to Christian D. Larson, Author of The Optimist Creed.