Erin Dickerson’s Prayer
Lord,
Our earthly life contains times filled with storms. We may feel as though we are being rained down on, blown around by the wind, or tossed and turned as though we are inside of a tornado. Just like the weather outside our walls, we fail to recognize the storms in our life will also pass. Help us to keep an optimistic outlook as we weather the storms in our lives and to remember you are with us through it all.
Amen.
Announcements
- Debe Dockins announced the Euchre party last Friday was a success and 30 people attended.
- Ellie Parker, chair of the Photography Contest, announced that the contest is now open. Let High School students know they can enter from the CNO website.
- Kristen Marks announced that the top three authors of the essay contestant will read their essays at lunch on March 7, 2023.
- Kelly Stone announced that Andy and Erin Dickerson are chairing the 75th Ohio District Convention committee. The event will be held August 10, 2023, to August 12, 2023. They are looking for more volunteers to be part of the committee and to help with the various tasks. There is a meeting at the UD venue at 10 AM on 3/6/2023.
- Bill Stone announced that the CNO lunch speaker on March 14, 2023, will be Bob McFadyen, the current President of Optimist International and his wife Penny McFadyen.
- Gary Smiga announced that the Montgomery College Promise is starting up again. This is the 15th cohort of 57 students. The organization needs 57 adult mentors for the 57 students. Mentors commit to meeting with their student for 30-50 minutes a week during the school year for all four years of high school. They agree to give their time and energy to this process to make the difference in the life of a young person. The students are selected in 8th grade. Students that fulfill all the requirements of the program receive a free college education at a partner university. Click here to sign up to mentor.
Community Events
- Craig Dring announced that Tri- Star Basketball will be on March 11, 2023. They need lots of volunteers and you don’t need to know anything about basketball. Sign-up to volunteer on the website.
Social Events
Wine and Beer Tasting at the home of Patrick and Diane Arehart, 3/25/2023 at 6 PM, get details and sign up here.
Happy Birthday Joan Cordonnier
Today is Joan Cordonnier’s birthday. President Beth presented Joan a tiara and after it was fit on her head, Bob Duffy led us in singing Happy Birthday. In a word the rendition was “terrible.” But we really are trying to be nice! Joan will be your CNO president for the 2023-2024 Optimist year. Have a great year Joan, and we look forward to your presidency.
Ohio Youth Ombudsman, Jenny Stotts
Debe Dockins introduced Jenny Stotts, Ohio’s first Youth Ombudsman, serving youth across the state. She was appointed in May 2022 by Governor Mike DeWine to lead the youth team in the newly launched Youth and Family Ombudsmen Office. She is a licensed social worker and an advocate for those who often go unheard. She describes herself simply as: Mother, Wife, Friend, Social Worker, and Troublemaking Millennial.
Prior to accepting this appointment, she served as the Executive Director of the Athens CASA/GAL Program and the Regional Coordinator of CASA in Southeast Ohio. Her professional experiences include direct practice in child protective services as a caseworker and forensic interviewer. Stotts also served in the area of workforce preparation as part of the University Partnership Title IV-E Child Welfare Training Program (UPP). Stotts is a licensed social worker. Her volunteer work includes serving with Rotary International, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Child Conservation League and various foster youth and alumni organizations.
Jenny said with a smile, “I really feel at home in a room full of service people, since I am a Rotarian! Even with our differences we are pretty similar.”
Jenny lives near Athens, Ohio and enjoyed the beautiful drive to our meeting today. While in the Dayton area she plans on visiting foster care related facilities in the area.
What is a Youth and Family Ombudsman?
An Ombudsman is a person who is there to listen to any concerns from youth, young adults, or other adults involved in the children services system. The Ombudsman is independent and neutral; they do not work for a children services agency, title IV-E court, residential facility, or foster care agency. The Ombudsman is there to help resolve your concerns. The Ombudsman can listen to concerns about your placement, care, or services, review your situation, look at documentation, or speak to others to help you reach a solution.
Ohio Youth and Family Services
In 2019 several young adults that aged out of the foster care system wanted to create a way for foster children voices to be heard and they were successful. On February 28, 2022, Governor DeWine signed Amended House Bill 4 into law, creating the Youth and Family Ombudsmen Office. It opened on May 31, 2022.
Children and youth in Ohio’s children services system have rights. The Youth Ombudsman receives complaints from youth concerned about their rights, their placement, or their care. To file a complaint, youth can use the website YouthOmbudsman.ohio.gov or call 1-877-649-6884.
View the rack card Jenny Stott’s left on the tables at lunch here.
Since opening they have resolved 778 concerns. Their ongoing goal is to let the 14,000 foster kids in Ohio know the Youth and Family Ombudsmen Office exists. The office will answer questions and help with situations.
They have created a Foster Youth Bills of Rights and a Resource Family Bill of Rights. They investigate anything that is a violation of these rights. They are seeing positive results from their investigations. After deeply investigating, they may issue recommendations to the agencies, and most are open to the recommendations.
The office can’t provide legal advice; investigate abuse or neglect; investigate complaints against attorneys, judges, guardians ad litem, or magistrates; change court-ordered decisions; or respond to emergencies. If they can’t help, they will connect youth to the right place for assistance.
Jenny’s Dedication to Her Job
Jenny Stotts is very dedicated and cares deeply about children in the foster care system and wants to improve the system for them. She grew up in the foster care system as she was surrendered to it as an infant.
She was eventually adopted and was safe. Every child deserves to be safe and they deserve to have their questions answered.
What Led Jenny to Being the Youth Ombudsman
Jenny Stott’s first college degree was in molecular and cellular biology.
During her studies she found herself working and studying on a tiny island and she lived with a village of natives who live much different than we do. To give an idea of the difference, she said that one day she was stung by an insect and had to see the medicine woman as there was no doctor.
All the people in the village helped each other. The villagers referred to the children of the village as our children. They were all helping each other raise each other’s children.
She was doing well and building her confidence. When she returned from her adventure the only stories she wanted to tell people were the ones about the villager interactions, not the science. She knew then she wanted to spend her life helping children.
She realized that she had the opportunity to be part of the “foster village” to help children. She decided to go back to college to get a degree so that she could become a social worker. She was the first person in her family to go to college. Her parents were a bit shocked that she was heading back to college after starting a successful career in science.
After completing her next degree, she ended up working for a great judge in Athens, Ohio. He recommended her to be a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) director which she did for 10 years.
Her work as CASA was noticed and she was asked to be Ohio’s first Youth Ombudsman. She said this job is going well.
Thank You
Thank you, Jenny Stotts, for educating us about your position as Ohio’s Youth Ombudsman and what led you to that position.
Welcome Guests
| Guest | Guest Of |
| Cheryl Householder | Fomer Optimist Friend |
| Jan Hamilton | Mike Bevis |
| Jenny Stotts | Speaker |
| Scott Griswold | Stan Fronzaglia |
| Sharon Baker | Beth Duncan |
| Karen Charnesky | Suzanne Werts |
| Mia Mergler | Debe Dockins |
| Jim Tinnell | Paul Stull |
New Member Readings and Inductions
| Name | Sponsor | 1st 2nd 3rd Reading or Induction |
| Melissa Deeter | Mike Bevis | 2nd Reading |
| Mindy Hoffbauer | Debe Dockins | Induction |
| Greg Hoffbauer | Debe Dockins | Induction |
| Fran Sheehan | Mike Bevis | Induction |
Happy Bucks
| Member | Reason |
| Debe Dockins | Glad her High School shadow student joined her at lunch today |
| Kristen Marks | Happy that a guest today is also a native of Michigan which can be hard in a room full of Ohio State Fans |
| Dennis Dockins | His Alma mater Northwestern beat Purdue on February 12 |
| Dennis Dockins | Baseball spring training has started |
| Dennis Dockins | Joe Thuney is a Centerville native and Alter graduate and won his 3rd Super Bowl in just 7 seasons in the NFL |
| Paula Kalaman | $3 for their Grandson and his wife giving birth to their first great grandchild |
| Bob Collins | Celebrating 59th Wedding Anniversary with Karen |
| Gary Smiga | Thanks for your support as Washington Township Fiscal Officer and if you like you can sign his petition so he can serve four more years |
Sergeants at Arms
| Member | Infraction |
| Tom Novak | Left something behind with his name on it at Euchre party |
| Sue Jessee | Being dealt a nearly perfect hand at Euchre party |
| Mindy Hoffbauer | Taking the “Going Alone” necklace from Sue Jessee at Euchre party |
| Larry Lynde | Won the “Go Alone” necklace at Euchre and won more money than the 1st place winner, Vida McDowell |
| John Kalaman | Saying he was a kept man instead of buying a 50/50 ticket |
| Myron Rheaume | Insulting fill-in sergeant Ron Tinnerman saying they are scraping the bottom of the barrel by picking him for the job |
| Stan Fronzaglia | Made sergeant Ron Tinnerman look bad at the gym |
| Jerry Stahley | Took too long to find his name badge |
| Joan Cordonnier | Coming to the meeting on her birthday therefore making us sing Happy Birthday to her |
| Paul Stull | Late to meeting |
| Bill Stone | Making Kelly Stone late to the meeting |
Membership Anniversaries
| Member | Joined | Years |
| Dick Stevens | February 28, 2001 | 22 |
| Kelly Stone | February 28, 2001 | 22 |
Birthdays
| Joan Cordonnier | February 28 |
| Aaron Campbell | February 28 |
| Judy Johnson | March 1 |
| Tim Stull | March 2 |
| Tim Clemmer | March 2 |
| Rachel Goetz | March 2 |
| Greg Fay | March 3 |
CNO Donations – 2013 through February 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 we received this week