Erin Dickerson’s Prayer
According to the VIA Institute, hope involves optimistic thinking and focusing on good things to come. Hope is more than a feel-good emotion. It is an action-oriented strength involving agency, the motivation and confidence that goals can be reached, and also that many effective pathways can be devised in order to get to that desired future.
Lord,
Help us to hold on to the hope that we are making a positive impact around us, that we are creating a better world for ourselves and our neighbors, and that we are serving You.
Amen.
Sons of the American Revolution Video
Our special guests from last week recorded their presentation. You can view the video here.
Announcements
- Beth Duncan announced that Katie Calloway is doing a phenomenal job with Safetyville Square. They still need adult volunteers for the final week June 26 to June 29.
- Paul Stull announced that he volunteered at Safetyville Square. He recommends that everyone consider helping with this important event that teaches kids safety while they are having fun. He thinks it may very well be the best program that we sponsor.
- Joan Cordonnier announced for Sarah Umbreit that volunteers are needed for packet pickup day and the day of for the Americana 5K run. Contact Sarah Umbreit if you would like to help or signup online on the Member Calendar.
- Craig Dring announced that the student that he and Liz Fultz are mentoring has just lost his second parent and has nothing. He asked us if we could help. The student could use some furniture and dishes for example. He is essentially just starting out in life on his own.
- Karen Charnesky, chair of the Americana Festival booth, announced that she is looking for volunteers to help with the CNO Americana booth. You do not have to sign up for all day, there are two-hour shifts. Signup online on the Member Calendar.
- Mitch Bodenmiller announced that CNO is going to have a booth at the Heart of Centerville event on September 30, 2023. He is looking for a volunteer to run this booth that just needs to arrange other volunteers to help run the booth.
- Beth Duncan thanked the team of Gary Hansen, Diane Arehart, Katie Calloway, Debe Dockins, Jean Pummill and Sarah Umbreit for the awesome Youth Recognition program held on 6/13/2023. It went really. The kids and families were all so happy. Many of our members also mixed in with the families and could offer information and answer questions about CNO and how it helps the community and why someone would want to become a member.
Grant Us Hope and Hope Squad, Brian Cunningham
Grant Us Hope was established in 2015 after the founder, Diane Egbers, lost her son to suicide. Grant Us Hope creates communities of leadership and advocacy that enhance mental wellness, trauma support, safety and suicide prevention in schools. Their tag line is “Saving young lives, together.”
Grant Us Hope created Hope Squad.
Hope Squad
Hope Squad is a school-based, peer-to-peer suicide prevention program that deploys trained students to do intentional outreach with distressed peers. The goal is providing friendship, encouragement, and support for students in their school who may be struggling. Hope Squad spreads HOPE and brings awareness to their school and community about mental health in addition to suicide prevention fundamentals, self-care, and anti-bullying.
Introduction from Debe Dockins
Debe Dockings introduced Brian Cunningham, the Chief Operating Officer and Acting Executive Director of Grant Us Hope.
I will let Brian tell us about the work that they do, but here is a bit about Brian. He holds a Masters of Strategic Management from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the University of Cincinnati. He has been serving at Grant Us Hope since early 2022 and has more than 25 years’ experience in strategic and operational leadership. He is personally passionate about working with schools and healthcare organizations to positively impact the lives of children and their families.
Please give a warm Optimist welcome to Brian Cunningham.
Guests with Brian Cunningham Today
- Vicky Clark, Senior Director of Programming
- Beth Mires, Intervention Counselor at CHS
- Beth Buck, Guidance Counselor at CHS
- Several students involved with the Hope Squad
Presentation
Brian said that his job of Chief Operating Officer of Grant Us Hope is the third-best job in the world. He said that the second-best job is the job the two counselors from CHS have that came today. Brian said the best job is those of the students on the Hope Squad.
Brian asked everyone in the room to raise their hands if they had been directly or indirectly touched by suicide. He said we should notice that all the Hope Squad kids raised their hands.
Brian said that the CHS administration support has been incredible.
Brian said the occurrences of mental health issues in children are accelerating. For example, one in three females have seriously considered attempting suicide.
Hope Squad is a partnership between the community, students, educators, and advisors. Members of the Hope Square are taught to recognize issues. They don’t ask the members to be counselors, they teach them how to find help for people that need it.
The students nominate each other to be a part of Hope Squad. There are several social groups (clubs, sports etc.) in the High School. They want to have at least one student in Hope Squad from each of these groups.
You can view the slide deck of the presentation here.
How it Works
The Hope Squad program contains a curriculum that utilizes the QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) techniques. The techniques emphasize suicide prevention fundamentals, self-care, and anti-bullying practices. The purpose of the curriculum is to create common knowledge and understanding within the school community and does not replace the role of school counselors.
Hope Week
One of the ways they reach out to all the students in the school is through the activities held during Hope Week.
A color associated with suicide prevention awareness is yellow. One of the activities is that they hide a bunch of rubber duckies all around the school. If you find a duckie and return it, you receive a donut hole.
On the same day, the kids are encouraged to wear yellow clothing (and most do) and they do yoga in the gym during lunch.
During the week everyone is encouraged to be excited about being at school and you often hear music throughout.
Student Ideas
The student advisors to the Hope Squad (CHS Student Counselors) have said, “We really enjoy and are amazed that when we need these kids they are there. We ask, ‘Hey do you guys have an idea for something?’ It is crazy the number of responses we get. They are only in year one of Hope Squad at CHS and the response has been amazing.”
Quick Facts about Hope Squad
- The program has spread Worldwide. They are in over 1,600 schools across the U.S, Canada, Ghana, Africa, and South Korea
- The first Hope Squad was founded in Provo, Utah, at Timpview High School in 2004 by Dr. Greg Hudnull.
- In the 18 years that Timpview High School has had a Hope Squad, there has not been one suicide. Prior to this they averaged 1 to 2 suicides per year.
- There are more than 45,000 Hope Squad members across the world.
- To date 8,000 students have been referred for help.
- Members are trained to identify suicide warning signs in their peers and refer those peers to an adult.
How You Can Help
- Educate yourself about suicide issues
- Learn QPR techniques (Question, Persuade, Refer)
- Individual donations
- Sponsor a Hope Squad for a school that can’t afford it; Grant Us Hope is looking for corporate sponsors
Youth and Suicide Statistics
A February, 2023 CDC report raises an urgency to invest in schools as a vital lifeline to help struggling youth. It says, “School-based activities can make a profound difference in the lives of teens with a relatively small infusion of support to schools.”
LGBTQ+ Students
More than half (52%) had recently experienced poor mental health and, concerningly, more than 1 in 5 (22%) attempted suicide in the past year.
Teen Girls
Nearly 1 in 3 (30%) seriously considered attempting suicide—up nearly 60% from a decade ago.
Youth Suicide
- Leading cause of death for children ages 14 and 15
- Second leading cause of death for children between ages 15 and 19
- Teen suicides jumped 29% over the past decade
Q and A
Q. What kind of training do the kids get with Hope Squad?
A. At the high school there are four years of curriculum. They teach awareness and prevention and how to set boundaries for themselves. They also learn how to build community. There is a refresher program each year. There are over 230 schools in the area that are connected with each other for support.
Q. How much of the suicide issues are correlated with social media?
A. This is the tricky part of the program. Suicide can be from many causes. It could be a past event, a recent event, or social media. There are so many varieties of reasons that show up that we can’t generalize.
Q. Are there Hope Squad programs in the middle schools?
A. Yes, the Hope Squad goes from seventh grade through twelfth grade. In elementary schools they have the Junior Hope Squad. A buddy bench is set up. Anyone who needs a buddy sits on the bench. The trained kids go and sit with them. At lunch the same thing happens, the trained kids sit with kids sitting alone.
Q. Is there a role for an organization like our club?
A. Mental health should be as easy to say “I am struggling” as it is to say “I broke my leg.” People should look inward and ask, “How do I react when I hear someone is struggling?” If you are struggling, why are you having issues asking for help?
Q. What training do you suggest for our club?
A. Get the QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) training so you can learn how to get help for someone. The training only takes an hour and then you can be helpful.
Thank You
Thank you, Brian Cunningham, for educating us about the Hope Squad.
Build-a-Bear Television Coverage
On June 14, 2023, several volunteers from CNO held a Build-a-Bear for children of families where the mothers and/or children were victims of domestic violence.
Lisa Tucker from Bill’s Donuts brought bags filled with several hygiene products for the mothers to take with them.
Fox 45 TV filmed the event and interviewed Carol Smerz, who coordinated CNO having this event at the YWCA.
This link will show you the video. Be aware that the link tries to redirect you to full page ads while you are on it. The link and ads are likely safe but might be annoying.
The following is text from the web page:
Nearly 30 children are all smiles on Wednesday after getting free Build-a-Bears!
The YWCA hosted their annual Birthday Buddies Party where the Centerville Noon Optimist Club partnered with Build-a-Bear Workshop for children at the shelter to make their own bears.
Organizers say it’s great to give this opportunity to kids that may not normally have that chance.
“So, bringing it to them while they’re going through this situation which is not fun, it’s traumatic for the children, seeing them smile, brighten up their day and giving them an opportunity for the children to just be children and for the moms to actually see their child happy,” said Asiaonna Eley, Manager of children’s programs for YWCA Dayton.
Volunteers at the event also provided hygiene items for women in the shelter.
If you would like to help the YWCA with their Birthday Buddies Program, you can head to the YWCA Dayton’s website.
https://www.ywcadayton.org/how-to-help/
Welcome Guests
| Guest | Guest Of |
| Beth Buck | Hope Squad |
| Beth Mires | Hope Squad |
| Brian Cunningham | Speaker |
| Carina Veerkamp | Evelyn Griffin |
| Danielle Dorsey | Hope Squad |
| David Seyer | Debe Dockins |
| Elyse Higgins | Andy Higgins |
| Hailey Campanella | Hope Squad |
| Janine Lawrence | Evelyn Griffin |
| Mary Jo Lawson | Bob Lawson |
| Liz Haley | Bob Lawson |
| Logan Gottron | Hope Squad |
| Mary Haley | Hope Squad |
| Matt Goeke | Chris McAlpine |
| Morgan Franklin | Hope Squad |
| Nancy Henson | Jackie Powell |
| Phil Speelman | Stan Fronzaglia |
| Tanya Hyland | Evelyn Griffin |
New Member Readings and Inductions
| Name | Sponsor | 1st 2nd 3rd Reading or Induction |
| Matt Goeke | Chris McAlpine | 2nd Reading |
| Nancy Henson | Jackie Powell | 2nd Reading |
| Phillip Speelman | Stan Fronzaglia | 3rd Reading |
Happy Bucks
| Member | Reason |
| Joan Cordonnier | The nurse helping her mother noticed Mike’s Optimist T-Shirt and thanked them for changing her life with an Optimist scholarship for Nursing school in 2014. |
| Joan Cordonnier | Last Saturday, she and Mike did a 70-mile training ride for the Pan Ohio Hope Ride for the American Cancer Society which is a 328-mile ride over 4 days 7/20-7/23. They are looking for donations. |
| Evelyn Griffin | $3 for her three guests today. She grabbed three strangers them from the hallway at Yankee Trace. |
| Bob Lawson | Thank you to everyone who helped make the Fishing Derby a success. |
| Bob Lawson | $5 donation to the CHS Hope Squad. |
| Debe Dockins | Cameron Langer was able to get Lee’s Chicken Catering to donate lunch for the consturction crew for The Wall that Heals. |
| Karl Frydryk | $25 donation for the Hope Squad for stealing the bell from the president during the meeting. |
Sergeants at Arms
| Member | Infraction |
| Jerry Stahley | Showing up to the Optimist Junior Golf meeting at 5:30 AM to make coffee. Pretty darn early. |
| Paul Stull | In line at the buffet at 11:14 today. Fined for being a bit too punctual. |
| Paul Boeckman | Damanged a subscriber’s irrigation system when installing a flag sleeve for the Avenue of Flags |
| Mike Bevis | Phone went off multiple times last week. Sergeant Erin Laurito asked Judge Jim Long how to fine Mike and he said that it should be $10 for each offense. |
Membership Anniversaries
No Club Anniversaries this week (this is unusual)
Birthdays
| Deb Ulrich | June 22 |
| Carrie Million | June 23 |
| Dick Lee | June 23 |
| Gary DeMarco | June 23 |
| Jay McAlpine | June 24 |
| Paulette Novak | June 25 |
| Charlie Goodwin | June 26 |
| Wayne Christie | June 26 |
CNO Donations – 2013 through June 2023
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 the Club received this week.