Bob Burkman’s Prayer
Heavenly Father,
With grateful hearts, we thank You for 250 years of the blessings of liberty in our nation. We acknowledge that every good gift comes from Your hand. Grant us wisdom to pursue justice, courage to defend freedom, and humility to seek Your will in all we do. Unite us as one people, committed to loving our neighbors and honoring You in both word and deed. May Your grace continue to guide our nation for generations to come. In Your name we pray.
Amen.
Get to Know Mike Thonnerieux
President Sarah Umbreit interviewed Mike Thonnerieux for this week’s “Get to Know a Member.”
- Mike competed in the pie eating contest at this year’s Americana celebration, where he took on a cherry pie. He said the biggest surprise was how competitive he became, feeling real peer pressure from his fellow contestants, including Jon Wesney, once the contest began.
- His favorite Fourth of July memory is watching fireworks over a small pond with all of his cousins, and his grandfather announcing that summer was over the moment the last firework faded.
- When Sarah noted that he always appears calm and asked what makes him nervous, Mike said it was not public speaking and that he could not think of much that rattles him.
Mike Thonnerieux joined CNO on April 4, 2023, sponsored by Gary Smiga.
$50,000 Donation to the Washington-Centerville Public Library
President Sarah Umbreit presented a special donation on behalf of the club’s Long Range Planning Committee, which began in the 1990s to fund larger, lasting community projects. Past donations have included the Margaret Barclay Shelter at Yankee Park, accessible playgrounds at Forest Field Park, inclusive swings across 34 parks, seating upgrades at Town Hall Theater, and improvements to Centerville History sites.
The Centerville Noon Optimist Club presented a $50,000 check to the Washington-Centerville Public Library, which is completing a major renovation ahead of its grand reopening in late summer. The funds will support three spaces that reach every age group the club serves: an outdoor children’s area, an interactive tactile play wall, and an expanded Creativity Commons makerspace.
Liz Fultz, Director of the Washington-Centerville Public Library, accepted the gift. She thanked Evelyn Griffin for planting the seed of the idea and Patrick Arehart for his hard work on the presentation, along with the entire Long Range Planning Committee. She was joined by Library Trustees Liz Cline and CNO member David Seyer, Fiscal Officer John Monteith, and Marketing and Communications Manager Teri Herbstreit.
Liz read the following Resolution of Appreciation, which the Library’s Board of Trustees passed at its June 16, 2026 meeting:
Resolution of Appreciation to the Noon Optimist Club of Centerville for Their Significant Donation Towards Improvements at the Centerville Library
The Board of Trustees of the Washington-Centerville Public Library, Montgomery County, Ohio, met in regular session on June 16, 2026, at 7:00 PM at the Centerville Library and approved the following resolution:
Whereas, the Noon Optimist Club of Centerville has been serving the Centerville and Washington Township community since 1968;
Whereas, the Noon Optimist Club of Centerville supports the community with funds raised by several large annual initiatives, such as the Avenue of Flags and the Christmas tree lot;
Whereas, the mission of the Noon Optimist Club of Centerville is to “Bring out the Best in Kids”;
Whereas, the Noon Optimist Club of Centerville donated $50,000 for indoor and outdoor interactive elements in the Children’s area at the Centerville Library and for equipment in the expanded Creativity Commons;
Therefore, be it resolved that the Board of Trustees of the Washington-Centerville Public Library hereby extend their sincere appreciation to the Noon Optimist Club of Centerville;
Be it further resolved that plaques acknowledging this contribution will be placed near these elements once they are installed.
Announcements
Americana Parade Award
Congratulations to the Centerville Noon Optimist Club, whose float won the Grand Marshall Award in this year’s Americana parade. President Sarah Umbreit shared the news along with a photo of the club’s trophy.
Pie Eating Contest Results
Congratulations to Jon Wesney, who won the Americana pie eating contest, and to Mike Thonnerieux, who took second place. The finish was close enough that the pies were weighed before Jon was declared the winner.
Semiquincentennial Picnic
Connie Risch invited everyone to the club’s Semiquincentennial picnic on Saturday, July 18, 2026, from 11 AM to 3 PM at the Oak Grove Optimist Shelter. The event is free and open to members’ families, children, grandchildren, and guests. Fried chicken will be provided, and members are asked to bring a side dish, salad, or dessert to share. There will be games from the Parks Department, cornhole, and water fun, along with a pie eating contest and a new pie baking contest. Anyone who wants to enter the baking contest can simply bring a pie and check it in on arrival, and members interested in judging can contact Connie. Please register in advance so the club knows how many to expect. Please sign up using the Member Calendar.
Golf Outing and Silent Auction
The club’s 34th annual Tom Frazier Tee-Off for Youth Golf Outing takes place this Monday, July 13, 2026. Debe Dockins reported that the silent auction is now open online, thanks to Carrie Thompson, so members can bid without being present, and QR codes to reach the auction were placed on the tables. Early items include a James Free bracelet, with more being added through the weekend. All proceeds support the club’s work with youth.
Castle Fishing Derby
Andy Dickerson announced that the Castle Fishing Derby will be held July 13, 2026, from 10:30 AM to 3 PM at Oak Grove Park. Volunteers do not need to know anything about fishing; they help with setup, food, and keeping the day moving. Because the derby falls on the same day as the Golf Outing, members who are not helping at the outing are encouraged to lend a hand. Please sign up using the Member Calendar.
Big Backyard Party
Andy Dickerson also noted that the club’s Big Backyard Party will be held at the end of the month, on July 25, 2026, at Oak Grove Park. The club runs the casting station, helping children learn to cast through the Passport to Fishing program, and no experience is needed. Please sign up using the Member Calendar.
Americana Youth Mental Health Booth
Andy Higgins thanked everyone who helped with the club’s Youth Mental Health booth at the Americana Festival on Independence Day. At the booth, the club invited children to share things they would like to do independently of their parents, from playing outside to trying gymnastics, which is exactly the kind of conversation the committee hoped to spark.
Let Grow and the Community Bingo Card
Joan Cordonnier explained that the committee’s work is built on a program called Let Grow, which encourages age-appropriate independence so children grow up less anxious. Building on last year’s Community Read with Jonathan Haidt, this year the club is creating a community bingo card that families and children fill out themselves, listing ways kids can become more independent and checking them off. The effort kicks off September 10, 2026, and will be featured at community events and at this year’s Mental Health Summit.
Avenue of Flags
Tom Novak reported that the Avenue of Flags has broken its previous record of 3,971 subscriptions and crossed 4,000 flags this year. He also shared that the flag storage facility is now air-conditioned, thanks to Sinclair, which will improve the comfort of those working at Flag Headquarters.
Retired Flag Stars
Mike Fanelli described the club’s retired flag stars, made by folding eight retired American flags into a single star. They offer a more environmentally friendly alternative to burning worn flags, and families can request one to honor a loved one, whether as a graveside tribute or a Memorial Day display. Contributions for the stars support the club.
CNO 2.0 at Rumbleseat Wine
The next CNO 2.0 evening meeting will be held Thursday, July 16, 2026, at 5:30 PM at Rumbleseat Wine. The evening’s guest will be Crayons to Classrooms, and the meeting will double as a school supply donation drive and a service project for the organization. Members who cannot attend can still help by bringing supplies to Tuesday lunch. Anyone who wants to learn more about the club, or who cannot make a Tuesday meeting, is welcome to come to CNO 2.0 in the evening.
Top supplies needed:
- Marker packs (regular and dry erase)
- Colored pencil packs
- Pencils
- Crayons
- Children’s scissors
- 70-count spiral notebooks
- Glue sticks
- Filler paper
- Pocket folders
- Construction paper
Thank You from the Americana Booth
Karen Charnesky thanked everyone who worked the club’s main booth over the Fourth of July, with special thanks to Mike Bevis for using his truck to move supplies. The booth handed out activity cards, complete with a pin, that explained the club to prospective members and pointed families to the club’s youth activities through a QR code.
Head Coach Tamika Williams-Jeter of the Dayton Flyers
Debe Dockins introduced the afternoon’s speaker, Tamika Williams-Jeter, head coach of the University of Dayton Flyers Women’s Basketball Team and a legendary former UConn forward. A two-time NCAA National Champion, in 2000 and 2002, she still holds the NCAA Division I record for career field goal percentage at 70.3 percent. The number six overall pick in the 2002 WNBA Draft, she moved into coaching as a top assistant at several Power Five programs, and she is entering her fifth season leading her hometown Flyers, where she has been lauded for her player development and leadership.
What It Means to WIN
Coach Williams-Jeter built her message around a single word: WIN. It stands for Work Hard, Integrity, and No Excuses, and she said the club and its young people should do everything with those three ideas in mind. The goal, she said, is to win, and to win the right way. She walked the club through her own journey with each part of the acronym.
Work Hard
Growing up in a devout, hardworking family, Williams-Jeter learned early not to take her talent for granted. By her junior year at Chaminade Julienne, practice had started to come easily, and a new coach benched her for coasting. For the first time in years, she did not start, and it happened against a rival her school had never lost to. She sat the entire first half, watched her team fall behind, and was finally put in at halftime, when the team rallied to win. The lesson stuck: nothing in life is free, and every opportunity is worth full effort.
Integrity
Williams-Jeter traced integrity to the moment she became a coach at 22, when a mentor urged her to lead even though she was barely older than her players. She came to see coaching as a way to shape young people the way her own parents, both educators, had shaped her. That same belief in impact is why she has donated more than a thousand books to libraries, and why the club’s $50,000 library gift struck a chord with her. “Do you know how much impact that is going to have on our community?” she asked.
No Excuses
The daughter of a Vietnam veteran and part of a deeply military family, Williams-Jeter grew up hearing how her father built a successful life despite hardship, and she carried the same refusal to make excuses into her playing career at UConn. Her freshman team was talented but poorly led, she said, and the group learned to put the team ahead of individual stars, a change that led to national championships. Whatever was hard in the past, she told members, is not a reason to fall short now.
Five Lessons in Leadership
Williams-Jeter closed with five lessons she has carried through her career:
- Communication. How and when you say something matters. She lives by a 24-hour rule, waiting a full day before having a difficult face-to-face conversation, so it happens with a calm head rather than in the heat of the moment.
- Celebrating others’ success. Now nearing 50 and, in a tender stretch, losing people close to her, she said she is grateful for everyone who has cheered her on and tries to celebrate the people around her.
- Collaboration. Her UConn teams moved in unison, thought alike, and pushed one another the way iron sharpens iron, which she credits for their run of national titles.
- Learning from every room. During seven years away from coaching, she became a top-ranked insurance agent, and she said the businesspeople she worked alongside taught her lessons about people and the long game that she still uses.
- Grace and growth. Young people will make mistakes, and her job is to inspire change and empower them rather than give up on them. She said she loves her job.
Coming Home to Dayton
A Jefferson Township native who once served as a sport ambassador for the U.S. State Department and traveled to Ukraine, Africa, China, Sri Lanka, and India, Williams-Jeter never expected to land back in Dayton. She took the University of Dayton job for the impact she could have on her players and her community, and she and her two young sons now call Centerville home. She praised the city’s schools and community before sending the club off with a hearty “Go Flyers.”
Thank You
Thank you, Coach Williams-Jeter, for an inspiring message about working hard, living with integrity, and refusing to make excuses, and for reminding us what it means to win the right way.
New Member Readings and Inductions
- Nadine Rieser, First Reading, sponsored by Cris Peterson.
- Augustina DeLeon, Third Reading, sponsored by Jean Pummill.
Happy Bucks
There was no time for happy bucks this week.
Sergeants-at-Arms Fines: Jeff Busch and Mike Thonnerieux
There was no time for fines this week.
Welcome Guests
| Guest | Guest Of |
| Adam Ciarlariello | Jon Wesney |
| Augustina DeLeon | In Readings |
| Bill Menker | Program |
| Hunter Busch | Jeff Busch |
| JoAnne Otto | Mike Bevis |
| Joellen Ulliman | Christy Gariety |
| John Monteith | Debe Dockins |
| Larry Price | Tim Clemmer |
| Tamika Williams-Jeter | Speaker |
| Veronica Oster | Program |
| Georgia Early | Chris McAlpine |
| Liz Cline | Program |
Club Membership Anniversaries
| Member | Joined | Years |
| Paula Harrison | July 8, 2022 | 4 |
| CeAnn Chalker | July 10, 2000 | 26 |
Birthdays
| Phil Speelman | July 8 |
| Bob Glavin | July 9 |
| Chastity Richburg | July 10 |
| Olga Simon | July 11 |
Thank You Notes Received this Week
CLICK HERE to see the Thank You Notes received this week
Links to PowerPoint and Pictures
CLICK HERE to see the PowerPoint Slide Deck from this week’s meeting