Erin Dickerson’s Prayer
Lord our God,
April brings spring rains, budding flowers, and Autism Awareness Month. While we may not experience the world around us in the same way as our autistic sisters and brothers, Lord, give us the patience and desire to open our eyes to the beauty in their unique abilities and view of the world. Help us to encourage and champion their caregivers who work tirelessly to advocate on their behalf. May we offer blessings of grace in moments of struggle, receive mercy when we fail to understand or fall short, and share love for one another as we celebrate the ways in which you made each of us special.
Amen.
Announcements
- Beth Duncan announced that the 2nd Annual Washington Centerville’s Got Talent is accepting video submissions until 4/7/2022 from kids aged 4-19. Only the first 30 applicants will be accepted. The prize money for places 1-3 are $500, $250 and $100. An in-person FINALE of the top 10 chosen will be held in the Central Theater at Centerville High School on 5/4/2022 at 6:30 PM.
- Greg Griffin announced that volunteers are needed for the Easter Egg Hunt that will be held on 4/16/2022 at Oak Grove Park. There will be 8000 plastic eggs with a piece of candy for the kids to find.
- Tom Novak announced that the renewal campaign for Avenue of Flags is almost over, and they are looking for more volunteers to help with flag delivery.
- Bob Lawson announced the Fishing Derby will be June 4, 2022. There is another opportunity to help with a Fishing Derby on June 16, 2022.
- Next week, we will have the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners of the photography contest as guests at lunch and we will see their photographs.
2022-2023 Officers and Board of Directors Nominations for CNO
Jean Pummill, CNO Secretary, reported that the nomination committee of the Centerville Noon Optimist Club, comprised of past presidents, the current president and incoming president have nominated the following members for the Optimist Year 2022-2023:
- President Elect: Joan Cordonnier
- Vice Presidents: Patrick Arehart and Paul Boeckman
- Board of Directors for 2-year terms: Mitch Bodenmiller, Andy Dickerson, Rachel Goetz, Art Hung, Carol Smerz
- Board Members with 1 year left to serve: Diane Arehart, Brandon Barrett, Katie Calloway, Bob Glavin, Evelyn Griffin
- Past president representative: Mike Bevis
- Gary Hansen will serve as the Immediate Past President
- The incoming president chooses the Treasurer and Secretary. Roland Rapp has been chosen for Treasurer and Jean Pummill for Secretary. They are both currently serving in those positions.
We will hear from each of the nominated board members and officers over the next 3 or 4 weeks.
Paul Boeckman, Nominated for Vice-President
Paul has been a member of CNO since 12/9/1994.
Paul Spoke:
I have had experience with the Tree Lot, Flags, and Bike Rodeo, as well as Tri-Star Basketball, Top Soccer, and other activities. Now that I am retired, I am excited to be nominated as a Vice-President for 2022-23.
Carol Smerz, Nominated to the Board of Directors
Carol has been a member of CNO since 10/23/2019.
Carol Spoke:
I have participated in a variety of events. I have witnessed the dedication and hard work of the group, and I’m pleased to be nominated to join the Board next year.
Committee Meetings
- 4/20/2022, 6 PM, Tom Frazier Tee Off for Youth Golf Classic 2022. Meetings in 2022 will be on Wednesdays on 1/26, 2/16, 3/16, 4/20, 5/18, 6/15, 7/13. Additional golf committee members and volunteers are always welcome. The event will be held on 7/18/2022.
Community Events
- 4/16/2022 10 AM, Easter Egg Hunt at Oak Grove Park. Volunteers are needed at 8:30 AM to distribute the 8000 eggs before the event. There will be 36 gold eggs with prizes.
- Fishing Derby. Volunteers are needed for various shifts from 7:30 AM to 12:30 PM.
Kelly Blankenship, DO, Dayton Children’s
Mike Bevis introduced Rachel Selby, who has been a member of the club since 2016 and is the philanthropy officer at Dayton Children’s. Rachel then introduced the speaker, Kelly Blankenship, DO, division chief of psychiatry at Dayton Children’s, and announced that she would share prizes with the first four people to ask questions of Kelly.
Kelly Blankenship attended Centerville High School and now lives in Bellbrook after 15 years away from the area. She received her medical degree from Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine in Athens.
Community Aspiration
Dayton Children’s aspiration is a community aspiration. Behavioral health is the most pressing health need of our community’s children. Enabling all children to thrive will require all of us to come together to meet the need. Dayton Children’s is committed to its leadership role as a significant provider of behavioral health services, but also as a catalyst for the community support needed.
To fulfill our role will require us to expand our facilities and build a workforce with the right skills.
Mental & Behavioral Health Roadmap
It was expected that following the COVID-19 pandemic, there would be a mental health pandemic. For 18–25-year-olds, the thoughts of suicide have recently doubled, and it is believed that children as young as 14 are also part of that increase.
View Kelly’s presentation slides here.
One half of high school students indicated that they feel depressed in a pre-pandemic survey. When asked if they have seriously considered suicide, 1 in 5 indicated that they had in the last 30 days. Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among 10- to 19-year-olds. In Ohio, it is the leading cause of death among 10 to 14-year-olds.
Last year at Dayton Children’s, they cared for 178 in the crisis center, and 230 used outpatient mental health services. There has been significant progress across the continuum of care, but gaps remain.
Dayton Children’s opened an inpatient mental health center with 24 beds 2 years ago, but there is still a need for more capacity in the inpatient center. Referrals to Dayton Children’s mental health services have climbed 20% since 2013.
Dayton Children’s has created a behavioral health strategic plan, which includes Prevention and Early Intervention, Outpatient services, Crisis/Emergent Care, Inpatient services, and Specialty/Niche Programs.
How You Can Help
- Join the On Our Sleeves movement and become an advocate for kids at https://www.childrensdayton.org/onoursleeves
- Take one of the trainings offered to learn signs of suicide in children
- Help connect others interested in supporting the efforts of Dayton Children’s
- Meet with someone from the foundation team to talk about how you can get involved
Plans for a Crisis Hotline
Kelly talked about depression and anxiety in parents and how providing care for the parents can make a huge difference for their children.
The hospital does not currently offer a crisis hotline, but they are planning to start one as soon as they can staff it with therapists. In the meantime, people should call the crisis center for advice to handle their current circumstances.
Questions and Answers
Q. Myron asked, does alcoholism and drug addiction in youth affect their mental health?
A. Kelly said that alcohol and drug use in both kids and their parents have played a large role in these problems.
Q. Gary Smiga asked, is social media use affecting mental health?
A. Kelly said they believe that COVID has taken predictability and routine away from children, and that is the largest reason for the current increases in issues – however, social media and cyber-bullying are likely the 2nd or 3rd ranking causes for these problems.
Q. Scott Langer asked, what suggestions do you have for helping parents handle their kid’s social media access especially phones?
A. Kelly said that when parents decide their children are ready to have a cell phone, they need to make sure they set a time at night when they take the phone away, so the kid does not have access at night. Also, she recommended using apps that alert the parents when concerning topics appear in texts or other apps. Finally, she said the most important thing is to keep an open line of communication with kids.
Q. Vida McDowell asked, how schools and organizations can get connected to a resiliency partner?
A. Kelly recommended reaching out to Dayton Children’s or to Kelly directly to make those connections.
Thank You
Thank you, Kelly Blankenship, for educating us about the current crisis of mental health for kids.
Club Calendar
To view all the events and volunteer opportunities with your club click here.
Thanks to Katie Calloway for this week’s CNOtes
Patrick Arehart could not be at today’s meeting. Today’s notes were gathered by Katie Calloway and assembled and edited by Patrick Arehart. Thank you, Katie, for filling in for Patrick this week.
New Events Calendar is Active on CNO Website
The member calendar which allows volunteers to sign up is active on the website. It works easily on both mobile and desktop devices. There are public and member calendars on the site. https://centervillenoonoptimist.com/cal/
There is a QR code you can use at the bottom to share the calendars with other members and the community.
Things you can do with the calendars
- View upcoming lunch and CNO 2.0 speakers.
- Sign up to volunteer for community events like the Easter Egg Hunt and Bike Rodeo. After you sign up the software will offer to add the event to your calendar.
- Sign up for social events such as Euchre tournaments and soon the annual dinners for officer installation and holiday party.
- The community can use it to learn about events like the Bike Rodeo, Fishing Derby and Tri-star Soccer. If they sign up we can send reminders of the events.
New Member Readings and Inductions
| Name | Sponsor | 1st 2nd 3rd Reading or Induction |
| Kelly Kempton | Mike Bevis | 1st Reading |
| Deborah Moore | Mike Bevis | 1st Reading |
| Jenna Robbins | Jesse Gaither | Induction |
| Judy Johnson | Barbara Santo | Induction |
Welcome Guests!
| Guest | Guest Of |
| Debby Moore | Mike Bevis |
| Dr. Kelly Blankenship | Speaker |
| Jeff Weingartner | Scott Langer |
| Kelly Kempton | Mike Bevis |
| Rick Hartley | Steve Rau |
Happy Bucks
No time for Happy Bucks this week.
Sergeants at Arms
| Member | Infraction |
| Vida McDowell | Did not attend on her birthday, because she didn’t want to hear people sing, so Beth planned for members to play the Happy Birthday song on kazoos for Vida |
| Jerry Stahley | Has the same truck as Mike Bevis |
| Mike Bevis | Has the same truck as Jerry Stahley, but without the CNO license plate |
| Tom Novak | Cell phone rang during the meeting |
| Everyone not wearing tennis shoes | Not wearing tennis shoes |
| Beth Duncan | Losing the bell |
Membership Anniversaries
| Member | Joined | Years |
| Vince Reidy | April 5, 2016 | 6 |
| Ira Thomsen | April 5, 1991 | 31 |
| Molly Petsch | April 6, 2004 | 18 |
| Dan Samiec | April 6, 2010 | 12 |
| Ron Tinnerman | April 11, 2005 | 17 |
Birthdays
| Jim Rumford | April 5 |
| Ira Thomsen | April 5 |
| Roland Rapp | April 5 |
| Andy Harmon | April 6 |
| Bob Clements | April 7 |
| McKenzie Morin | April 7 |
| Erin Belangia-Sanchez | April 9 |
| Kelly Davis | April 9 |
| Pam Truitt | April 11 |
CNO Donations – 2013 through March 2022
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.