Erin Dickerson’s Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Hebrews 13:2 tells us “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unaware”. Today we welcome friends, guests, and fellow club members as we share our mission, purpose, and how we strive to serve those around us. Guide us so that we may see the strangers, the angels, and those whom we can help and help us to recognize any needs which are left unmet.
Amen.
Announcements
Debe Dockins said that CNO will have a float in the 2021 Americana parade. The committee is looking for a flatbed trailer to borrow. Mike Cordonnier will be helping with a lot of the construction for the float. Let Debe know if you would like to help.
Debe Dockins announced we will use Sign Up Genius to sign up for the in-person meetings hopefully beginning May 4, 2021. You cannot sign up yet, but you will be notified when this is open for registration.
Committee Meetings
- 4/14/2021, 6 PM, Tom Frazier Tee Off for Youth Golf 2021, Zoom hosted by Mike Bevis. Meetings in 2021 will be on Wednesdays on 1/13, 2/17, 3/24, 4/14, 5/12, 6/16, 7/7. Additional volunteers are always welcome. The golf outing will be held on 7/12/2021.
- 4/20/2021, 6 PM, Monthly Board of Directors Meeting, Zoom hosted by President Debe Dockins
Community Events
Greg Griffin announced that the Easter Egg Drive through will be held on April 3rd, 2021.
Beth Duncan, chair of Centerville’s Got Talent, said she needs more volunteers to help with this committee. The contest will be for kids ages 4-19 that live or go to school in Centerville or Washington Township and will be participating in the event via videos they create of their talent.
Happy Birthday Tom Novak
Today was Tom Novak’s Birthday! Bob Burkman, who was sponsored by Tom Novak, led us in the singing. Bob said since Tom was his sponsor, we need to make this extra special! We certainly tried to sing as loud and off key as possible. Tom said, “That was just wonderful.”
Thanks, Tom Novak, for all you do for the club and to our community. Happy Birthday to you, Tom, and have a great next trip around the sun!
NOW Event this week
Today, instead of a guest speaker, we had a special version of our weekly Zoom meeting. It was a NOW (New Optimists Welcome) event.
New and perspective members learned about volunteer opportunities with our club through these events.
Committee chairs presented what each committee does for the club. There were presentations about awards, community events, fundraisers and scholarships. Due to time limitations, not all of the club’s activities were represented today. Reach out to your club sponsor or another member that has been a member longer than you to learn about all the opportunities to serve your community and club.
Note that all CNO community events are free for all participants and their families. The Americana 5K Run is a City of Centerville event that we help run and donate money to and there is a cost to the runners for this event.
Thank you to all the committee chairs for helping make this a successful event.
You can view the slide deck of the presentation here.
Community Awards
John P. Kalaman Respect for Law Awards, chaired by Gary Anderson and Bob Burkman. Two individuals are given this award each year, one from the Centerville Police Department and the other from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. All employees of the department are eligible, not just police officers. The recipients are nominated by their peers.
Robert J. O’Toole EMT/Firefighter of the Year Award, chaired by Gary Anderson and Bob Burkman. One individual is given this award each year from the Washington Township Firefighter and EMS department. The recipient is nominated by their peers.
Community Events and Support
Adopt-a-Child, chaired by Christy Gariety and Sue Jessee. Club members are given the opportunity to buy gift cards for Centerville School students and their siblings during the holiday season. The teachers and counselors help identify students who have need and will use the gift cards throughout the year to help purchase items students might need.
Americana 5K Run, chaired by Joan Cordonnier and Jeff Busch, this is a community event and a fundraiser for the City of Centerville that helps with costs of the Americana Festival such as paying for the fireworks display. The event will be held this year but may look a little different with possibly a staggered start. This will next be held on 7/5/2021.
Americana Festival Booth, chaired by Brent Richburg. Over 100,000 people attend the downtown Centerville Americana event. CNO sets up a booth at this event to help educate the public about what we do and invite people to join or be a guest at a meeting. This will next be held on 7/5/2021.
Safety on Wheels and Bike Rodeo, chaired by Paul Boeckman. Held at Miami Valley South hospital in conjunction with the Centerville Police department. Bikes and helmets are safety checked including making sure the tire pressures are correct. We also have fun biking activities for children.
Childhood Health and Wellness, chaired by Nancy Lehren and Sarah Umbreit. Drive through events have been held during COVID. Normally, we have in person Build-a-Bear events for kids with childhood cancer and sickle cell disease.
Fishing Derby, chaired by Bob Lawson and Andy Dickerson. Pond is stocked with lots of fish at the Washington Township Rec Center. Kids earn points based on quantity and weight of fish caught. Prizes such as fishing rods and reels are given away. This will next be heled on 8/28/2021.
Easter Egg Event, Chaired by Pat Behn and Greg Griffin. This event will be Saturday 4/3/2021 from 10-11 AM at Oak Grove Park. This year it will be a drive through event. Hopefully in 2022 we will resume the distribution of 7000 plastic candy filled Easter Eggs for kids to find.
Haunted Trail, chaired by Gail Aiken, Denise O’Neill and Larry Lynde. The event has been held for 30 years. The JOI and Octagon clubs at area middle schools and high school volunteer to help and setup the stations for children to visit. A canned food drive is held during the free event. The event will be held on 10/12/2021 and 10/13/2021 at the Washington Township RecPlex (formerly named the Rec Center). Lots of CNO volunteers are needed each year.
Kids Day in the Park, chaired by Bob Lawson and Brian Nolan. Several Optimist clubs in the area come together to setup activity booths for children at Delco Park in Kettering. It is a fun-filled event for the entire family. This will next be held on 8/7/2021.
Exercise Competitions
Tri-Star Basketball, chaired by Scott Langer and Craig Dring. This event features dribbling, passing and free throw competitions. Trophies are awarded to the winners in each age group along with a free basketball for each child.
Tri-Star Soccer, chaired by Chris McAlpine and Greg Wasmund. Kids earn points at stations for shooting, dribbling, passing, and throwing. They do not need to know how to play soccer to participate. Awards are given and every kid gets a free soccer ball.
Fundraisers
Avenue of Flags, chaired by Tom Novak, Mike Brubaker and Bob Burkman. This is CNO’s biggest fundraiser. The team delivers over 2900 flags on Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, Labor Day and Veteran’s Day. The team can always use more volunteers to distribute and pick up flags.
Tom Frazier Tee-Off for Youth Golf Outing, chaired by Donna Huss, Mike Bevis, Vince Reidy, Deb Ulrich, Sarah Umbreit, Chris Ziehler, and Gary DeMarco. The premier Miami Valley Golf Outing will next be held on 7/12/2021. The event raises over $40,000 per year and around $10,000 to $15,000 is given to Dayton Children’s Hospital Hematology and Oncology department to help patient’s families with travel expenses.
Scholarships
Skilled Trades Scholarship, chaired by Evelyn Griffin. Scholarships for trade schools are given away. The first recipient of this scholarship is now completing a program at Sinclair for Construction Management. This year 3 students were given scholarships to the welding program at Hobart Welding School in Troy, Ohio. Students receive $2500 to help pay for programs in skilled trades.
Will Cale Scholarship Program, chaired by Gary Hansen and Joan Cordonnier. We give 3-5 kids per year a scholarship to Sinclair College. Most of these students would not go to college without this CNO scholarship and the 2 mentors assigned to them. Emphasis is on financial need and potential rather than academics or class standing. The mentors help the students find other financial aid as well. There are currently 9 students active in the program right now. Students receive $1000 per semester for up to 6 semesters.
Memorial Scholarships, chaired by Gary Smiga, Will Cale, Gail Aiken, Bob Duffy and Roberta Taylor. To qualify, a student must be a resident of Centerville/Washington Township and have a strong record of participation in community service activities. They must be a graduating senior who will attend an accredited college/university offering a two- or four-year degree and have a financial need. Up to 5 scholarships are awarded each year for $2000.
Special Needs Club
Partners Club chaired by Bob Glavin and Greg Wasmund. This club is for adults with special needs. The focus is on their abilities not their disabilities. They hold fundraisers and donate to various community organizations.
Contests
Visual Arts Contest, chaired by Deb Saunders and Jane Fiehrer. Children 11 and under will submit either a painting or a drawing. Awards will be given in each category.
OI Junior Golf Championship, chaired by Jerry Stahley. Those who qualify from this local event will win an all-expenses paid trip to compete in Florida later this year.
Centerville Washington Township has Got Talent, chaired by Beth Duncan. This is the first year for this new annual event. Kids aged 4-19 may compete. The top 10 videos will be shown at a community event on 5/3/2021 and a winner will be selected.
CNO 2.0
CNO 2.0, chaired by Greg Fay, Jack Anderson, and Brian Nolan. This is the evening version of CNO. In person meetings will be resumed on April 15, 2021. Please RSVP if you will be attending this outdoor event so they can judge how much food and drinks to provide.
New Member Readings and Inductions
None this week.
Welcome Guests!
None this week.
Happy Bucks
| Member | Reason |
| Greg Griffin | $10 for how well the club is doing and for moving forward with COVID restrictions starting to be lifted. |
| Brian Nolan | $5 wishing Paula Kalaman the best for her recovery from cancer treatments. |
| Jeff Umbreit | $5 for CHS taking first place yesterday in the State of Ohio Basketball Tournament. |
| Gary Hansen | $5 for Michigan being the only Big 10 team left in the March Madness college basketball tournament. |
Membership Anniversaries
| Member | Month | Day | Joined | # Years |
| Charla Rheaume | March | 26 | 3/26/2008 | 13 |
| Scott Rheaume | March | 26 | 3/26/2008 | 13 |
Birthdays
| Member | Birthday |
| Tom Novak | March 23 |
| Steve Blake | March 25 |
| John Kalaman | March 25 |
| Kate Trangenstein | March 26 |
| Jane Fiehrer | March 27 |
| Bob Crawford | March 28 |
CNO Donations – 2013 through January 2021
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 our Club received this week.
Sergeants at Arms
No Sergeants this week.
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.
Links to Recorded Meeting and PowerPoint
A Video Recording of this Week’s Meeting is here