Erin Dickerson’s Prayer
Excerpt from an email shared by Joe Madden in the Spring of 2022:
Once all the villagers decided to pray for rain. On the day of prayer all the people gathered, but only one boy came with an umbrella. That’s FAITH.
When you throw babies in the air, they laugh because they know you will catch them. That’s TRUST.
Every night we go to bed without any assurance of being alive the next morning, but still we set the alarms to wake up. That’s HOPE.
We plan big things for tomorrow in spite of zero knowledge of the future. That’s CONFIDENCE.
We see the world suffering, but still we get married and have children. That’s LOVE.
On an old man’s shirt was written a sentence ‘I am not 80 years old; I am sweet 16 with 64 years of experience.’ That’s ATTITUDE.
Lord,
May we walk through each day filled with so much faith, trust, hope, confidence, love, optimism, and such a positive attitude that everyone we meet knows and sees it.
Amen.
Channel 2 News Video
The club watched the Channel 2 news segment featuring CNO’s donation of nearly 100 hygiene kits to Daybreak. Anchor Kelly King’s story highlighted the partnership between the Centerville Noon Optimist Club and Daybreak, which serves about 100 youth at any given time, including roughly 50 living at the shelter on South Tyson Boulevard. The kits, which contain items like toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, shower gel, and shampoo, plus a personal note from a CNO member, give the youth a sense of civility, pride, and independence.
Cris Peterson, a member of the Childhood Health and Wellness Committee, was interviewed alongside Daybreak Director of Human Resources Carlina Figueroa. The story closed with the line that CNO’s mission is “to empower and support youth” in the community.
Get to Know Carolyn Taylor
President Sarah Umbreit interviewed Carolyn Taylor for this week’s “Get to Know a Member.”
- Childhood CNO event she would have made sure not to miss: Build-A-Bear.
- On vacation, she likes to do both: relax and explore.
- Road trip snack and drink of choice: pretzels and water.
Carolyn joined CNO on September 26, 2018, and was sponsored by Beth Duncan.
Announcements
Americana Parade Float
Sarah Umbreit announced that the CNO float for the Americana Festival on July 4 will once again roll in the parade. She is recruiting members, and their children and grandchildren, to walk or ride along, and is checking on age guidelines for kids on the float. If you would like to walk or ride, contact Sarah.
Kentucky Derby Party
Sarah Umbreit reminded everyone that the Kentucky Derby Party is this Saturday, May 2, at The Reserve at Miller Farm Clubhouse. Mint juleps, a hat contest, betting on the horses, and other games are on tap. Anyone who plans to drink the mint juleps needs to register before the end of the day, since supplies are being purchased that night. Sign up using the Member Calendar.
Next 2.0 Meeting
Sarah Umbreit announced that the next CNO 2.0 meeting will be held on May 21, with the speaker coming from Centerville-Washington History to share information about local history and current exhibits, including past Americana Festivals.
Americana Festival Booth Volunteers Needed
Karen Charnesky announced that this year there will be two booths at the Americana Festival: the traditional booth, used to recruit new members and promote the flag program and the many things CNO does for kids throughout the year, plus a second booth focused on the Youth Mental Health Initiative led by Andy Higgins, which will be located at the square. About six volunteers in total are needed across the two booths in two-hour shifts. Volunteers can choose which booth they prefer.
Youth Appreciation for JOI Kids at Incarnation
Debe Dockins announced that the Youth Appreciation Committee will host a pizza party for the JOI kids at Incarnation School on Wednesday, May 6, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. Attendance is limited; if you would like to help thank these kids for all of their support, email Debe (info in the directory) or catch her after the meeting.
Summer Reading Club Kickoff Volunteers
Liz Fultz issued another call for volunteers for the Summer Reading Club Kickoff at Schoolhouse Park on Saturday, May 30. Two shifts are available: 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Several hundred attendees are expected, the activities are easy, and as Liz noted, Rotary will be there too, so let’s not let them outshine us. Sign up using the Member Calendar.
Got Talent Finale at Centerville High School
Erin Laurito reminded the club that the Got Talent finale will be held at the Central Theater at Centerville High School on Wednesday, May 6, at 6:30 p.m. Ten finalists across two age groups will compete this year, with extra prizes being given out. Past winners and finalists, including the club’s very first Got Talent winner, the banjo player, have gone on to entertain CNO at Holiday parties and at the District level. The show is about an hour long and well worth attending.
Avenue of Flags Update
Tom Novak reported that flag season is underway. Last weekend an assembly-line effort produced 200 flags in an hour and a half, breaking last year’s record of 160. Sam Pfabe and Tom installed about 14 flag sleeves over the weekend, with Sam doing the sledgehammer work. Sam would like two or three more members who can devote themselves to installing sleeves. Starting a week from now the club will begin checking flag installation sites because flag deliveries start in 20 days; volunteers do not need a flag-equipped vehicle to help check sites. Tom also noted that the Avenue of Flags Headquarters team meeting is at Sinclair tomorrow at 1:45 p.m., where members will be loading flag toolkits. Sign up to help with Avenue of Flags by using the Member Calendar.
Board Elections
Sarah Umbreit introduced Secretary Jean Pummill, who guided the third and final reading of nominations for the 2026–2027 Board of Directors and Officers, whose term begins October 1, 2026.
Jean explained that the nominating committee is comprised of 32 Past Presidents, along with the current President and President-Elect Greg Wasmund. After three weeks of readings, the slate was ready for a vote.
The 2026–2027 nominees presented were:
- President-Elect: Jane Fiehrer
- Vice Presidents: Greg Hoffbauer and Steve Rau
- Board of Directors, two-year term: Tony Danial, Craig Dring, Debby Moore, Sam Routsong, and Fran Sheehan
- Treasurer: Jeff Umbreit
- Secretary: Jean Pummill
For the club’s information, the current board members continuing into the second year of their two-year term are Cameron Langer, Stephanie Llacuna, Kristin Passidomo, Sam Pfabe, and Don Stafford. Greg Griffin will serve as Greg Wasmund’s Past President representative, and Sarah Umbreit will serve as Immediate Past President. The Treasurer and Secretary are chosen at the discretion of the incoming President.
With no nominations from the floor, the floor was closed. Since this was the third and final week of readings, Scott Langer motioned to allow the final nomination vote, and Tim Clemmer seconded; the motion passed. Bob Lawson then motioned to accept the nominees as presented by the Nominating Committee, and Roberta Taylor seconded; that motion also passed. With that, the 2026-2027 election process is officially a wrap.
JOI Update
Sarah Umbreit introduced Kelly Stone, who has served as Junior Optimist Liaison for Centerville schools for many years. Kelly oversees the UD Optimist Club at the University of Dayton, the Enclave Senior club in Springboro, and the JOI clubs at Centerville’s elementary, middle, and high schools.
Enclave
The Enclave is a club of senior residents in Springboro who want to give back to the community beyond the walls of their own community. They meet on the first Wednesday of every month. In March, they assembled St. Patrick’s Day gift bags for For the Love of Children, an organization founded by the daughter of one of the residents that the Enclave has supported through Christmas and February donations as well. In April, they put together Easter eggs for Enclave’s annual Easter egg hunt, which residents’ grandchildren and great-grandchildren attend; CNO members helped with the event.
UD Optimist Club
The UD Optimist Club has been very active this year. President Julia visited CNO last month and presented a recap of their work. This past month, UD students helped at Hannah’s Treasure Chest and the UD Miracle Flyer Fund. Kelly noted, correcting last month’s math, that the UD club is in its 22nd year, not its 25th. UD students help CNO with the Christmas Tree Lot and the Haunted Trail.
Active Clubs This Year
CNO’s elementary Alpha clubs, junior-high JOI clubs (Incarnation, Magsig, Tower Heights, and Watts), and high-school Octagon club have all been busy this year. Driscoll held a trash-walk and gardening event this month to beautify their school and is running a whole-school fundraiser. Incarnation is at 110 members this year and consistently lands near the 100 mark; the leaders there emphasize leadership and try to carry that experience into high school. At Magsig, Erin Laurito and Joan Cordonnier serve as outside advisors; the Watts club made thank-you gifts for staff at Christmas, is currently working on spirit signs and bracelets for an upcoming school event, and is doing a food drive in May.
Outside Advisors Still Needed
After COVID, several of the elementary Alpha clubs were too much for worn-out teachers to keep running. Erin Laurito and Joan Cordonnier stepped up as outside advisors, but more advisors are still needed. Members willing to help meet with one of these clubs can reach out to Kelly.
Kelly Is Ready to Hand Off the Role
Kelly added that she has been doing this for a long time and is ready to pass the role on, either to one person or split among several volunteers covering Alpha, JOI, and Octagon clubs. She is happy to have someone shadow her. CNO pays the Optimist International dues that keep all of these clubs operating.
Southwest Ohio Leads the Nation
Myron Rheaume added that Southwest Ohio is the strongest Junior Optimist club region in the nation. Centerville Noon, Kettering, and Dorwood (Kettering schools) together represent roughly 50% of national membership. The JOI students have a state convention (usually held in Centerville) and follow the same officer structure (governors, lieutenant governors) as the senior clubs, and they send representatives to the International Convention. These students are the future leaders of Optimist International.
JOI Students Are Eager Volunteers
Kelly closed by noting that JOI students, especially at the middle-school level, are eager to volunteer and can be a great resource for CNO events. Erin Laurito shared that this year’s elected JOI Vice President played the Easter Bunny at the Optimist Egg Hunt and was, by all reports, fantastic. Members are encouraged to think outside the box about how UD and JOI students can help with club events during the school year.
Thank You
Thank you, Kelly Stone, for all of your work with the JOI clubs, keeping them active and engaged, and fostering the spirit of optimism in students that we hope will, someday, lead them to join CNO themselves.
New Member Readings and Inductions
- Joyce Swiadek, Third Reading, sponsored by Judy McFadden
Happy Bucks
No time for Happy Bucks today.
Sergeants-at-Arms Fines – Tony Danial and Bob Myers
- Bob Myers opened with a story from his decade with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Volunteer organizations have three ways for members to give: with money, with time, or with talent. Bob once raised about $6,000 riding 100 miles in a single day in Death Valley, and Mike Creech narrowly out-fundraised him on the last day. The next year, Bob skipped his annual ask letter to spread the giving around, and learned that several donors were upset he hadn’t asked again. The lesson: ask people directly.
- Mike Bevis, Beth Duncan, Chris McAlpine, Debe Dockins, Brooks Compton, Keith Weiskittle, and Patrick Arehart were called up by Bob to recognize their volunteer work for the Centerville-Washington Foundation, which is hosting an upcoming event for David Rohr.
- Gary Smiga and Mike Thonnerieux were fined for not wearing their Optimist pins in a Facebook video taken at the Asahel Wright Memorial Museum alongside the museum’s administrator.
- Kristin Passidomo was fined after another member reported that she had cheerfully announced she was running out of dollar bills.
- Jean Pummill, Roland Rapp, and Steve Rau were the random page-50 directory fine honorees present today.
- Andy Dickerson and Erin Dickerson were the random page-33 directory fine honorees present today.
- Cameron Langer was strongly compelled to borrow the entire bell, gavel, and box, earning a $5-per-item fine under Tony’s gavel-protection program. Tony noted that the program ends with his tenure.
Tony closed with a farewell as his 13-week stint as sergeant came to an end, thanking everyone who stepped up as a partner over the quarter. Two new sergeants will take over starting next week.
Welcome Guests
| Guest | Guest Of |
| Amber Hadley | Mike Bevis |
Club Membership Anniversaries
| Member | Joined | Years |
| Tim Stull | May 1, 1987 | 39 |
| Charlie Tapp | May 1, 1978 | 48 |
| Karen Charnesky | May 2, 2023 | 3 |
| Mark Metzger | May 2, 2023 | 3 |
Birthdays
| Steve Kelzer | April 28 |
| Jeff Busch | April 29 |
| Brandon Barrett | April 30 |
| Lynne Reilly | May 1 |
| Melissa DeShurko | May 4 |
| Chris Wysong | May 4 |
| Keith Weiskittle | May 4 |
Thank You Notes Received this Week
CLICK HERE to read 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