Bob Burkman’s Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for blessing yesterday’s Tom Frazier Tee Off for Youth Golf Outing with such beautiful weather. We know You could have tested our faith with rain, wind or a golf ball-eating pond; but instead, You gave us sunshine, gentle breezes and only the usual hazards we created ourselves!
Thank You for the dedicated Optimist Club members whose hard work made the event run so smoothly and for the many golfers who came out to enjoy the day with good fellowship, friendly competition and just enough missed putts to keep everyone humble.
May the friendships we strengthened be even more lasting than the scorecards and may we continue to serve our community with the same optimism, generosity and joy that filled the course yesterday.
In Your name we pray.
Amen
Get to Know Mike Bevis
President Sarah Umbreit interviewed Mike Bevis for this week’s “Get to Know a Member.”
- Asked what one food he would eat for the rest of his life, Mike said he would choose seafood.
- When Sarah asked about the most amazing thing he has done, Mike could not settle on a single answer, but he recalled how much he enjoyed seeing so much of the world during his years in the Navy.
- If he could meet anyone, Mike said he would like to walk the path alongside Jesus.
Mike Bevis joined CNO on January 31, 2002, sponsored by Bob Glavin.
Announcements
Tom Frazier Tee-Off for Youth Golf Outing
The club’s 34th annual Tom Frazier Tee-Off for Youth Golf Outing was held on Monday, July 13, 2026, under beautiful weather. President Sarah Umbreit thanked everyone who worked, played, and volunteered to make the day a success, with special thanks to co-chairs Steve Rau, Don Stafford, and Mike Bevis.
Castle Fishing Derby
President Sarah Umbreit announced that the Castle Fishing Derby enjoyed a beautiful day on the water. Thank you to Andy and Erin Dickerson and Mike Fanelli, who put on the event and provided the food, and to Joan Cordonnier along with Patrick and Diane Arehart for helping with the cooking.
Optimist International Foundation
Judy Martinsen, president of the Kettering Noon Optimist Club and the Ohio District’s Representative to the Optimist International Foundation, gave a brief update. She reported that the Centerville Noon Optimist Club has 25 Dime a Day members and 10 members who have reached the Benefactor level, a donation of $1,000 or more. Tying her visit to Optimist International President Tom Kendo’s Presidential theme, “Be the Change,” she invited members to be the change by giving their change, and she was there today to collect it, setting out a container for any loose coins, dollars, or checks members wished to contribute.
Optimist Kids Day in the Park
Bob Lawson announced that the club, in collaboration with several other local Optimist clubs, will host its annual Optimist Kids Day in the Park on Saturday, August 1, 2026, from 9 AM to 1 PM at Delco Park in Kettering. This free, fun-filled event is for the entire family, with a free lunch served at noon. Volunteers are needed to run the carnival-style games and hand out prizes. Please sign up using the Member Calendar.
Big Backyard Party
Bob Lawson also announced the club’s Big Backyard Party on Saturday, July 25, 2026, at Oak Grove Park. The club runs the casting station, where members help children learn to fish using no hooks and no bait, so every catch is a safe one, and no fishing experience is needed. A few more volunteers are still needed to help the children. Please sign up using the Member Calendar.
Destination Imagination with Michelle Oxrider
President Sarah Umbreit introduced the afternoon’s program by asking how many members already knew about Destination Imagination. She explained that this extracurricular program in the Centerville Schools is far more than a competition: it is a 100 percent student-led effort that empowers young people to build creative problem solving skills, self-confidence, and teamwork through hands-on STEM and arts challenges. Several of the students who take part greeted members as they arrived, and Centerville teams often advance all the way to the Global Finals. She then welcomed Michelle Oxrider, a District Coordinator for the program, to tell the club more.
A Student-Led STEAM Program
Michelle Oxrider explained that she and her husband coordinate the district’s program as volunteers who are not paid and do the work purely for the love of the children. Destination Imagination is a STEAM-based program whose challenges are developed by educators, and it is international in scope, reaching teams from more than 40 states and 13 provinces. Students in grades three and up enter the competitive side of the program, and every team, regardless of age or challenge, also takes on an instant challenge. An instant challenge is truly a surprise: the team does not know what it will be until they walk into the room. Members found an example waiting at their own tables in the form of a paper bag of materials, the kind of task a team might tackle during a practice.
Kid-Led by Design
What makes Destination Imagination different from other extracurricular activities, Oxrider said, is that the students lead it. Coaches give the team a set of parameters and then step back, expecting the students to create their own solution. When a team runs into a roadblock, its members have to figure out how to get around it, learning perseverance, risk taking, and time management along the way. In most school settings, she noted, children are told what to do and how to do it, while Destination Imagination instead asks students what they need in order to succeed and then lets them lead.
Special Stars
One of the program’s most distinctive features is what it calls its Special Stars. While Destination Imagination includes special needs students on its regular teams, it also creates teams for students with higher needs who spend more than half of their day in a special needs classroom. The program has offered this for close to 11 years, has drawn strong support from the region and the state, and has helped programs as far away as Connecticut and North Dakota begin similar efforts. In 2025, a Special Stars team performed at the Global Finals.
Champions Share Their Experience
Two members of Barb and Ken Proehl’s Technical Challenge team, which placed in the top ten at the Global Finals and finished first in 2025, spoke about what Destination Imagination has meant to them. The team has earned a Renaissance Award, given at each tournament to a few teams for outstanding creativity and innovation in their solutions, often for building a device in the Technical Challenge. Both students take part in other activities but said Destination Imagination is truly different. They have worked with the same teammates for years, which has built a tight-knit group and taught them to think about materials in creative new ways, and they keep building and improving their solution throughout the year. Alongside the season-long main challenge, instant challenges appear at every tournament, giving a team five to eight minutes to build an object, tell a story, or sometimes do both at once.
Skills for the Future
Speaking again, Oxrider said the students surprise her almost every time with what they create. Because teams are not allowed to change members, the students learn to work with teammates who do not perfectly mesh with them, a skill they will need throughout their working lives. On screen, she shared the research behind the program’s approach: in one IBM study, 60 percent of chief executives named creativity the most important leadership quality, and the U.S. Department of Labor estimates that 65 percent of today’s students will work in jobs that have not yet been invented. Since 2016, 78 percent of the program’s graduates have gone on to STEAM careers and 62 percent have returned to volunteer for Destination Imagination.
How the Club’s Gift Helps
Oxrider explained that donations to Destination Imagination support the district’s program as a whole. Teams do additional fundraising on their own for state and local competitions, and last year the program served 200 students. The club’s gift also helps fund community outreach, such as the ice cream social and an event the program held with Elk Express, so that children who might not otherwise have the chance can take part. She thanked the Centerville Noon Optimist Club for its continued support.
Slide Deck
The slide deck includes additional photos and details beyond what is covered here. You can view the presentation slides here.
Thank You
Thank you, Michelle, and thank you to the Centerville Destination Imagination coaches and students, for showing us how the program brings out the best in kids.
New Member Readings and Inductions
- David Giffin, First Reading, sponsored by Erin Giffin.
- Nadine Rieser, Second Reading, sponsored by Cris Peterson.
- Augustina DeLeon, Induction, sponsored by Jean Pummill.
Happy Bucks
- Evelyn Griffin gave five dollars to celebrate Mitch Bodenmiller and his wife welcoming their new baby on July 3, 2026.
Sergeants-at-Arms Fines: Jeff Busch and Mike Thonnerieux
There was no time for fines this week.
Welcome Guests
Due to the venue change this week, we did not record Guests’ Names
Club Membership Anniversaries
| Member | Joined | Years |
| Cameron Langer | July 14, 2022 | 4 |
| Steve Mays | July 14, 2022 | 4 |
| Tom Beery | July 17, 2014 | 12 |
| Sue Jessee | July 18, 2018 | 8 |
| Steve Mock | July 19, 1996 | 30 |
Birthdays
| Julie Woodruff | July 14 |
| Denise Green | July 15 |
| Ashley Holmes | July 15 |
| Sue Brubaker | July 16 |
| Mark Petre | July 18 |
| Bob Burkman | July 19 |
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