Erin Dickerson’s Prayer
Lord,
In this, the last week in the Christian season of Advent, may we all take time to reflect on Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. May we never lose hope that we have the power to make the world a better place, one small act at a time. May we find peace within our hearts each day knowing we did our very best. May we find joy, not only in big moments and grand gestures, but also in the everyday little ones. May we feel Your love surround us and share that same love with all those we meet. May we live this, not only during the season of Advent, but in every season of our lives.
Amen.
Christian D. Larson Awards for 2024
Paul Boeckman announced that at the Holiday Dinner last week, three CNO members were awarded the Christian D. Larson, which is our most prestigious award.
The very deserving recipients for 2024 are Greg Griffin, Mike Brubaker and Paul Stull. Read more details in the CNOtes from the dinner on December 10, 2024.
Announcements
University of Dayton Club Update
Kelly Stone, who started the University of Dayton club when her daughter was a first-year student, provided an update on the club’s recent activities. Thirty-five UD students volunteered at the Haunted Trail, 21 students created cards for hospice patients, and 15 students helped with Christmas tree lot setup. Kelly noted that they have a strong group this year and continue to encourage graduating seniors to seek or form Optimist clubs in their future communities.
Enclave Club Update
Kelly Stone said that the Enclave Club, which meets on the first Wednesday of each month, provides senior citizens with opportunities to help outside the walls of their facility. In December, members stuffed stockings for the “Love of Children” organization. This month’s meeting even included residents from the memory care unit. Attendance typically ranges from about three to ten people, depending on how everyone feels that day.
Adopt-a-Family Update
Christy Gariety announced that the club was given 45 children to adopt this year. All gifts were delivered on time, and she expressed sincere appreciation to those who participated, whether by purchasing gifts or making financial contributions. As well as providing gifts for 45 children , $2,010.00 in donations were received to provide food for the families. Christy thanked everyone involved for their generosity.
Youth Mental Health Initiative Committee
Andy Higgins requested volunteers to help distribute literature and use the club’s sandwich board to raise awareness of their youth mental health efforts. The initiative is exploring community locations to place brochures and plans to host a breakfast at Stingley Elementary to discuss the “Wait Until Eighth” campaign. This program encourages parents to wait until their children are in eighth grade before giving them smartphones. Those interested in helping should contact Andy.
Greg Griffin Tree Lot
Greg Griffin reported that there are currently 31 Christmas trees left on the lot, which are now available on the honor system. He thanked everyone who contributed their time and effort to the tree lot this season. The community’s support was greatly appreciated and the funds raised will benefit various youth-focused initiatives.
Thank You Diane Arehart for Recovering the Club Facebook Page
Paul Boeckman thanked Diane Arehart for the countless hours she has spent getting Facebook to release our club’s Facebook page from “Facebook Jail.”
New Member Recruitment Committee Just Launched
Paul Boeckman announced the formation of our Blue-Ribbon New Member Recruitment Committee, led by Maha Kashani, Cameron Langer, Stephanie Llacuna, Sam Routsong, and others dedicated to growing our organization’s membership. This team will focus on identifying and reaching out to prospective members who value professional development, personal growth, and meaningful community involvement.
Maha Kashani said their aim is to create a welcoming environment where new members can expand their skills, engage with local issues, and develop lasting connections. We want the experience of joining our club to be both professionally rewarding and personally fulfilling.
We invite you to share any referrals—be they friends, family members, neighbors, or colleagues—who might be interested in learning more about what we have to offer. Your input is invaluable as we plan our outreach efforts and set up formal meetings in the near future.
If you have suggestions, leads, or feedback, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Together, we can strengthen our community and help the next generation of leaders flourish. Thank you for your support!
WDTN News Video About CNO
Scott Langer showed the videos of his interview with WDTN. He discussed trying to recruit younger members into our service organization and how difficult it has been for nearly all service organizations.
Check out this video about CNO from WDTN.
Meet the Board Members
For Club Day, Paul has asked members of the CNO Board of Directors and Officers to tell us a little about themselves. Others will occur on future dates.
Paul Stull – Board Member
Joined CNO on January 1, 1970.
One of my fondest memories of this club is when we had a softball team. We played in a state tournament and we came in fourth. Of course, there were only four teams in the tournament, but I still felt good about it.
I don’t want to bore you with a lot of details. I was born a country boy in southeastern Ohio. My ancestors came from southeastern Kentucky. If you’ve read anything about that area, you’ll know it’s no exaggeration what those folks are like. I kind of got away from all that, but that’s my background.
I’ve been on the faculty at the University of Dayton for 50 years, as well as on the faculty of another university. I also taught at Ohio State’s Veterinary School for a while, and I practiced Veterinary medicine for 57 years.
I’ve had a wonderful life, and the Optimist Club has been a large part of that. Do any of you have any questions? I’m an authority on just about everything!
(Audience question): “I would like to know your favorite Optimist memory in your 57 years.”
My favorite memory? It was winning that fourth place in the softball tournament, of course.
(Audience question): “Where did you guys meet 54 years ago?”
We met at Antonio’s, right in the middle of Centerville—where Meridien is now. Antonio’s was an Italian restaurant.
I also have a legacy with the Boy Scouts. I co-authored the Veterinary Medicine Merit Badge booklet for the Boy Scouts in 2005, and it’s still in print. I’ve served on national committees, district committees, and at the troop level. I’ve been involved in Scouting for about 70 years, and I’m still on the board today.
Jean Pummill – Secretary
Jean Pummill joined CNO on October 17, 2012.
I have been a member since 2012. Of those 12 years, I served as a Director for 2 years, and I’ve been appointed and served as your Club Secretary for 8 years.
As your Secretary, I am required to attend Board meetings, District and Zone meetings, as well as Conventions. I encourage everyone to attend a District Conference—if for no other reason than to say, “I did that.” A very important lesson I’ve learned as your Secretary is that when you are a member of a three-time winner of the “Best Club in the World” award, you learn to be humble and a good listener. The best words you can offer a member of another club are, “How can I help you?”
I am also finishing up my 3rd and last year as your Ohio District Secretary.
And when I am not your Secretary…I have two international eBay stores, and right now, since it’s the holiday season, I’m shipping out almost every day.
At 71 years old, I stay busy. I have 5 grown children, 8 grandchildren, and 5 great-grandchildren for Mark and me to keep up with, along with his 2 sons and granddaughter. His daughter-in-law is expecting another granddaughter in April.
My 3 youngest granddaughters—ages 5 to 8—love spending the night, helping Grandma sort jewelry for eBay, working on art projects, making pancake faces with fresh fruit, and participating in soccer, softball, and wrestling. In the slide deck you can see a wrestling picture. My son and son-in-law are their certified coaches.
I have nieces who play basketball: Maddy Westbeld plays for Notre Dame, and her sister Kathryn plays professional basketball internationally. Kat has played in Australia, France, Italy, Puerto Rico, and is currently in Hungary.
If you’d like more information about my eBay stores, just send me an email.
Roland Rapp – Treasurer
Roland Rapp joined CNO on December 10, 2002
I graduated from Covington High School, which is up near Troy. After that, I went on to earn my MBA at Wright State University. That’s where I met my wife—she and I were in the same economics class. I wanted to spend more time talking with her, so she suggested I visit the Elder-Beerman shoe department where she worked, since it would be slow between 8:30 and 9:00 PM. When I stopped by, her boss was watching closely, so I had to try on several pairs of shoes just to keep the conversation going. After I tried on about eight pairs, she brought up a Beach Boys concert, and that was my cue. I asked if she’d like to go with me, and she said yes. Next May, we’ll celebrate our 45th anniversary.
Familywise, we have two children. Our daughter and son-in-law have two kids who are six and three years old. They currently live in El Paso, but they’re planning to move to Baton Rouge at the end of the year, so we’ll be visiting them there. Our son recently married his partner of 12 years, and they live in Brooklyn. We get to see them occasionally as well.
Work-wise, I spent about a dozen years at the Mound facility in Miamisburg. I worked in finance roles at places like Monsanto and EG&E, dealing with everything from building bonds to environmental considerations, and even some aspects related to nuclear work. Later, I got involved in pharmaceutical research, conducting Phase 3 clinical trials for drug companies across the country. For the last five years or so in that role, I traveled almost every week—flying out on Monday and coming back on Friday—basically a “road warrior.”
In 2002, I transitioned into my current line of work, helping people buy and sell businesses. I’ve been doing that ever since.
Regarding the organization here, after serving on the board for a couple of years, I became the treasurer about nine years ago. Now that I’m approaching a full decade in that role, I’m currently training my replacement. Once I hit that ten-year mark, I’ll step down and let someone else take over as treasurer.
President Paul’s Quote of the Week
“Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be.” ― Abraham Lincoln
Welcome Guests
| Guest | Guest Of |
| Cris Peterson | Mike Bevis |
| Donna Kastner | Mike Bevis |
| Jacob Dice | Gail Aiken |
| Karen Kneidl | Kristin Passidomo |
| Nanea Llacuna | Stephanie Llacuna |
| Stephanie Little | Debe Dockins |
New Member Readings and Inductions
None this week.
Happy Bucks
No time for Happy Bucks this week.
Sergeants at Arms
No time for Sergeants this week.
Club Membership Anniversaries
| Member | Joined | Years |
| Bill Stone | December 22, 2007 | 17 |
| Scott Langer | December 30, 1997 | 27 |
| Paul Stull | January 1, 1970 | 54 |
| Bob Duffy | January 1, 1988 | 36 |
| John Carroll | January 3, 2012 | 12 |
Birthdays
| Erin Laurito | December 17 |
| Judy Tellis | December 17 |
| Michelle Collier | December 17 |
| Liz Fultz | December 18 |
| John Curran | December 18 |
| Cindy Gaboury | December 19 |
| Peggy Tarnowieckyi | December 20 |
| Paul Boeckman | December 22 |
| Debe Dockins | December 22 |
| Sam Routsong | December 22 |
| Steve Mock | December 25 |
| Dave Kay | December 27 |
| Dave Gaines | December 27 |
| Christine Balsan | December 28 |
| Kelly Stone | December 29 |
| Rafaell Santillan | January 1 |
| Jane Herman | January 5 |
CNO Donations – Since 2013
Click here to see a summary of donations the club has made since 2013
Thank You Notes Received
CLICK HERE to see the Thank You Notes received this week
Links to PowerPoint and Pictures
CLICK HERE to see the PowerPoint Slides from this week’s meeting