Bob Burkman’s Prayer
Heavenly Father, Thanksgiving is approaching and I hate to say it, but I have been guilty of sometimes grumbling and griping. I imagine many of us gathered here today have, at times, forgotten to be thankful for the work that you do in our lives even through our troubles. Forgive us God. Help us to keep our faith in you no matter what comes our way.
As we take our places around our Thanksgiving tables, we will remember to praise you for our many blessings.
We are, after all, Optimists who always, with your help, try to be “too large for worry, to noble for anger, too strong for fear and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.”
Happy Thanksgiving.
Amen
Announcements
- Craig Dring announced there are still some Poinsettias left from the TOP Optimist Club. All proceeds benefit the community programs and projects conducted by our TOP Optimist Club. The TOP Optimist Club is sponsored by the Centerville Noon Optimist Club. Order using the Member Calendar. They will be delivered to Yankee Trace at lunch on 12/5/2023.
- Sue Jessee thanked everyone who provided soup, chili and other goodies for the workers on tree lot delivery day. There were twenty-five soups and chillis and they were all nearly gone.
- Sue Jessee announced that the CNO Holiday Party will be December 12, 2023, at 6 PM at the Sycamore Creek Country Club. Register to attend using the Member Calendar.
- Greg Griffin announced that on Tree Delivery Day 2023 in two hours, 900 trees were unloaded, counted, drilled, priced, and stocked. The tree lot opens at 9 AM on November 24, 2023.
- Erin Laurito announced that the CNO Got Talent live contest will be held on May 1, 2023. She is looking for additional people to be on the committee.
- Christy Gariety announced that 75 children have been assigned for Adopt-a-Family and she thanked everyone who has donated and shopped.
Integrated Transition Options Program, Judy Vance and Charlie Alcorn
Debe Dockins introduced Judy Vance, Intervention Specialist, and Charlie Alcorn, co-teachers at the Centerville City School’s Integrated Transition Options Program (ITOP).
Judy Vance was born in Connecticut and raised in New Jersey. She attended college in Ohio where she met her husband, a military officer, had two sons and went on a 23-year adventure in the military. Eventually, they landed at Wright Patterson AFB where they made Centerville, Ohio their permanent home.
Judy has been employed as an intervention specialist for the Centerville School District since 2006, initially teaching at Watts Middle School then transferring to the high school in 2013 and finally, accepting the position as the intervention specialist for the Centerville ITOP program in 2019.
About ITOP
The Integrated Transition Options (ITOP) Program is a blend of Special Education and Career Education Services designed to meet the needs of students who are transitioning from high school to adult life.
The ITOP curriculum is based on each student’s personal transition and future planning goals relative to work, community participation and skills for independent living.
It’s a special combination of career technical education and special education to support students with special needs that may need additional help to gain access to the workplace and have the opportunity to gain hands-on, real world, real job experience.
ITOP is a partnership with Centerville City Schools, Bethany Village of Centerville, Ohio and several community businesses.
Slides
The slide deck has more information than is listed in this article.
You can view the slide deck of the presentation here.
Presentation
Judy Vance greeted us by saying, “Sawubona.” The Zulu greeting, “Sawubona” means “I see you.” It’s more than a polite greeting, as it acknowledges a person’s worth and dignity. It can also mean “I see you as you are.”
Judy said, “Thank you for having us and several of the ITOP students to today’s lunch. Not all of them could come because they are working. Thank you so much for the generous donation received last year from CNO. The money really came in handy for things we needed.”
Students can remain in the ITOP program by deferring their High School graduation until they are 22 years old. There is an alumni group that has meetings.
The program’s home is Bethany Village of Centerville. Bethany provides an authentic work environment. They don’t want the program to be at the High School. These people are transitioning away from being students to independent working adults with responsibilities. Bethany treats them beautifully and they value the students and what they can help with. There are four classrooms/work areas and an office for the teachers.
Besides learning work and life skills, students engage in recreation and leisure activities.
Travel to work sites, community outings and home is provided by Centerville Transportation. Students learn how to organize their lives. Each week on Thursday a schedule is provided to the students for the next week and they write down in their planners what they will be doing.
Workplace Partnerships
- Bethany Village – unpack medications, label, and price them
- St Leonard – laundry department
- University of Dayton – Virginia Kettering Dining Hall, they really like working there
- Old Scratch Pizza – first they eat then perform various cleaning and food preparation tasks
- Meijer Bakery on 741 – various tasks including cake decoration where at least one student now has a full-time job decorating cakes
- Big Lots – label items and stock shelves
- Hannah’s Treasure Chest – bundling, trash clean up, other tasks
- Crayons to Classroom – stock shelves every Friday
- Rocky’s Ace Hardware – various tasks
- Dot’s Grocery Store – various tasks
- Hope Church – each Tuesday and Thursday they eat there and gain life skills like vacuuming and other household type chores
- Poelking Lanes – various tasks
- Driscoll Elementary Cafeteria – various tasks
Thank You
Thank you, Judy Vance and Charlie Alcorn, for educating us about the impact of the ITOP program in our community.
Welcome Guests
| Guest | Guest Of |
| Charlie Alcorn | Speaker |
| Dave Ball | Gary Hansen |
| Emma Kirkpatrick | Speaker’s Guest |
| Jacob Dice | Gail Aiken |
| Judy Vance | Speaker |
| Nikki Dice | Gail Aiken |
| Steve Martin | Gary Anderson |
New Member Readings and Inductions
| Name | Sponsor | 1st 2nd 3rd Reading or Induction |
| Tia Papp | Mike Bevis | 3rd Reading |
Happy Bucks
| Member | Reason |
| Joan Cordonnier | The marketing committee has done a great job with the new CNO business cards that members can hand out to people |
Sergeants at Arms
| Member | Infraction |
| Cameron Langer | Speeding in the parking lot |
| Paul Stull | Lost his name badge |
| Bill Williams | Tried to buy a 50/50 ticket with Pesos |
| Tom Novak | Tom’s twin brother picked up another organization’s flag and sergeant Bob Myers had to handle its return |
| Debe Dockins | Purchasing Poinsettias during the meeting last week when she could have done it online |
| Erin Laurito | Left items from tree lot delivery day and had to buy them back for $2 |
| Mike Bevis | Purchasing a 50/50 ticket with a $2 bill – there is a $1 processing fee for using a $2 bill |
Membership Anniversaries
| Member | Joined | Years |
| Christine Balsan | November 21, 2013 | 10 |
| Mark Poling | November 21, 2021 | 2 |
| Kristina Rainer | November 21, 2012 | 11 |
| Bill DeFries | November 23, 2004 | 19 |
| Rick Altvater | November 24, 2018 | 5 |
| Andy Dickerson | November 24, 2018 | 5 |
| Erin Dickerson | November 24, 2018 | 5 |
| Gareth Dickey | November 24, 2018 | 5 |
| Ron Kuker | November 24, 2018 | 5 |
| Mariah Vogelgesang | November 24, 2018 | 5 |
| Patrick Arehart | November 27, 2017 | 6 |
| Shelby DiPasquale | November 27, 2017 | 6 |
| Robby Johnson | November 27, 2017 | 6 |
| Jay McAlpine | November 27, 2017 | 6 |
| Steve Rau | November 27, 2019 | 6 |
| JoAnne Rau | November 27, 2019 | 4 |
| Rick Talda | November 27, 2017 | 4 |
| Jayne Weikel | November 27, 2017 | 6 |
| Chris Wysong | November 27, 2019 | 6 |
Birthdays
| Brendan Cunningham | November 22 |
| Jane Henry | November 22 |
| Jayne Weikel | November 22 |
| Luke Neff | November 23 |
| Alice Onady | November 26 |
CNO Donations – Since 2013
Click here to see a summary of donations the club has made since 2013
Thank You Notes Received this week
No Thank You Notes received this week