Erin Dickerson’s Prayer
Gracious and Holy Lord,
Throughout our lives we face moments of fear, disappointment, struggle, sorrow, and we may lose faith in ourselves. In those seasons of our lives, help us to retain our optimism and to realize it is in these moments that we discover who we are, beloved children of God. We grow. We change. We find purpose and meaning. And hopefully become the people and helpers you yearn for us to be.
Amen.
Substitute President Beth Duncan
Beth Duncan reprised her role and ran the show today as President Joan Cordonnier was unable to be here. Beth promptly lost the bell. Thanks for stepping in for Joan today Beth Duncan!
Beth opened the meeting with some quick information.
- Optimist Day is February first each year.
- The Optimist Club of Centerville – Noon (CNO) was charted on March 19, 1968.
- Paul Stull has been a member of CNO since January, 1969. That is over 55 years membership of the Optimist Club of Centerville – Noon.
Announcements
- Beth Duncan said that Ron Thompson needs a judge and a timekeeper for the Oratorical Contest on 2/6/2024. Please let him know if you would like to help. None of your time is required outside of the meeting.
Happy Birthday Bob Myers
Today is Bob Myers’ birthday. Beth Duncan placed a festive birthday tiara on Bob’s head and it looked like it belonged there.
Bob has played the trumpet most of his life. His son just bought him a brand-new blue stylized trumpet. For us, Bob played Happy Birthday on this trumpet and did quite well. We also sang really well for the first time ever. Who knew that with a trumpet as an accompaniment we can sing beautifully?
Happy Birthday, Bob, thanks for the trumpet entertainment and have a great year!
Ronald McDonald House Charities Dayton, Rita Cyr
Mariah Vogelgesang Cordonnier introduced Rita Cyr the Executive Director of Ronald McDonald House Charities Dayton (RMHC). She has been with Ronald McDonald House Charities Dayton for nearly 22 years and shares the role is best, sometimes hard yet always rewarding position, she has ever held.
Rita also worked with the YWCA and YMCA of Dayton prior to joining RMHC. She has worked in non-profit administration for her entire professional career in positions committed to improving the lives of women, children, and families.
Originally from the North Coast of Cleveland, Rita is a 1987 graduate of Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. She enjoys kayaking and fixing up her century home.
Mariah Vogelgesang said that she is a board member at RMHC Dayton, and that she has learned much from Rita over the years.
RMHC Serving Families Near and Far
From the website:
RMHC Dayton has provided community, comfort and hope to families of critically ill or injured children since 1980. We keep families close to each other and the healthcare they need so they can focus on what truly matters, the health of their child.
Open 365 days a year, the Ronald McDonald House on Valley Street provides a resting place for families of sick or ill children with 14 private guest rooms at no cost to guests. We provide home-cooked meals, on-site laundry, family programming and play spaces, among other amenities.
The Ronald McDonald Family Rooms at Dayton Children’s Hospital and inside Emmett’s Place at Miami Valley Hospital provide a space for families to rest and regroup without leaving the hospital. These programs are critical to our Mission of providing community, comfort, and hope to families of seriously ill children so that they can focus on what matters most: their children.
Slides
The slide deck has more information than is listed in this article.
You can view the slide deck of the presentation here.
Presentation
Recently after seeing a performance of Muse Machine, Rita found a $5 bill in the parking lot. She held on to it until she found a cause to give it to. After seeing how our Happy Bucks worked she knew that she wanted to give five Happy Bucks which go directly to the Optimist International Foundation. She also said she is a Rotary club member. The Happy Bucks made up for being a Rotarian.
When creating today’s presentation, Rita asked herself, “What do I really want CNO to know about RMHC Dayton?” She said, “We are expanding.” They are expanding right now because 77% of families who apply to stay overnight are being turned down. The new building is under construction, but they have a gap in their fundraising for the project. There are pictures of the design in the slide deck. The old building is getting very old and is having a lot of problems.
RMHC Dayton currently has 14 overnight rooms. Cincinnati has 177 overnight rooms and Columbus has 206 overnight rooms. Dayton’s new facility will have 42 overnight rooms.
Construction for the new building will be complete enough for some use in September, 2024. Construction is to be finalized by December, 2024 and in 2025 they will start landscaping around the building.
Rita showed us a video about the new building that you can view here.
Families in Ohio and around the world seek the expertise of doctors at Dayton Children’s. Housing is part of the continuum of care for children and their families. If families choose Dayton they want them to be able to stay in Dayton.
The first Friday of every month RMHC Dayton holds a breakfast for interested members of the community. Along with breakfast there is a tour of both facilities and a presentation. She encouraged us to sign up for one of these breakfast events.
RMHC’s slogan is, “Keeping more families close.”
RMHC serves families in other ways besides overnight. They have Ronald McDonald House Family Rooms at Dayton Children’s Hospital and Miami Valley Hospital. A Family Room has all the same services as RMHC except overnight stays.
RMHC Dayton helps Shriners Hospital patient families. All the families of Shriners patients need housing. Other hospital systems that use their services besides Dayton Children’s and Shriners include Premier Health, Kettering Health, and UC Health.
Additionally, they provide services for families that use Brigid’s Path and 4 Paws for Ability.
History of RMHC Dayton
- 1980, opened first Ronald McDonald House with 7 rooms
- 1998, opened second Ronald McDonald House with 14 rooms
- 2007, identified the need for growth
- 2016, opened first Family Room at Dayton Children’s Hospital
- 2017, opened second Family Room at Miami Valley Hospital
- 2022, construction is underway for the new 42-bedroom Ronald McDonald House
Overview of Ronald McDonald House Dayton
- Fourteen private guest rooms
- Average stay is twelve nights
- The longest stay was 394 nights
- Currently serving families from Ohio, Michigan, Florida, Bangladesh, Ivory Coast, Mexico and Nigeria
- There are eight families on the wait list
Global Statistics from Ronald McDonald House
- Started 50 years
- 62 countries and regions around the world have a local RMHC core program
- Over 710 core programs
- Millions of families have been supported
Growing Needs in Dayton
- Dayton has become a destination city for pediatric health care
- Increased ambulatory, outpatient, and specialty services drive growth
- Housing is a critical component of the continuum of care
- RMHC currently serves 7 direct referral health care partners
Current Challenges
- Not enough rooms to house the growing need (only 14 rooms)
- They currently must deny overnight lodging for 77% of applicants
- Rooms not large enough for families’ needs
- Aging & costly building with ongoing maintenance needs
- No longer ADA compliant
How You Help
- Volunteer
- Donate Wishlist Items
- Collect Pull Tabs from Cans
- Provide a Hot Meal
- Donate a Vehicle
- Company Matching
- Host a Fundraiser
Thank You
Thank you, Rita Cyr, for telling us about the expansion plans and services of Ronald McDonald House Charities Dayton.
Welcome Guests
| Guest | Guest Of |
| Brandon Ward | Donna Huss |
| Don Stafford | Carol Smerz |
| Rita Cyr | Speaker |
New Member Readings and Inductions
| Name | Sponsor | 1st 2nd 3rd Reading or Induction |
| David Seyer | Debe Dockins | 1st Reading |
| Bridgit Herzog | Mike Bevis | 3rd Reading |
| Jeff Mogg | Mike Bevis | Induction |
Happy Bucks
| Member | Reason |
| Bob Lawson | Granddaughter is an Evans Scholar which means she will receive a full ride scholarship to OSU. |
| Bob Burkman | Mary Madden attending today’s meeting. |
| Bill Stone | Kelly Stone was in a car accident this morning and she is OK. |
| Karl Frydryk | Donna Huss doing the deposit each day for the Tree Lot. |
| Donna Huss | Mary Madden attending today’s meeting. Donna said she is proud of how she is dealing with Joe’s passing. |
| Art Hung | Sitting at a table today with four people with the same first name of David. |
| Mary Madden | $10, thanks to everyone for all the cards and phone calls for Joe’s passing. |
| Debe Dockins | Rachael Selby attending today’s meeting. |
| Sue Jessee | For Sue Brubaker stepping up at the last minute to run the Euchre party when she got sick and couldn’t come. |
| Jane Fiehrer | Her company, Sign Connection, is getting a brand new specialty printer to expand their capabilities. |
| Stan Fornzaglia | Lacy Owens helped Mary and Jerry Stahley close on their property recently. |
| Ron Tinnerman | Son got married. |
Sergeants at Arms
| Member | Infraction |
| Lacy Owens | Won the Euchre tournament at the CNO social event last Friday. |
| Diane Arehart | She told the sergeants they should fine her new member Beth Hall, they instead fined Diane. |
| Jane Fiehrer | Shameless self promotion for wearing her company logo. |
| Scott Langer | Shameless self promotion for wearing his company logo. |
| Dave Kay | Every week he sucks up to the sergeants, well too bad, you are fined anyway. |
| Dan Passidomo | Did not have his name badge today and he blamed it on his wife. |
| Beth Duncan | Today she greeted sergeants Bob Myers and Mike Creech with, “Hello my little sergeants.” |
Membership Anniversaries
| Member | Joined | Years |
| Mike Bevis | January 31, 2002 | 22 |
| Rachel Goetz | January 31, 2013 | 11 |
| Renee Glenn | February 5, 2014 | 10 |
Birthdays
| Bob Myers | January 30 |
| Karen Sirmans | January 31 |
| Donna Huss | February 1 |
| David Ladd | February 1 |
| Greg Crabtree | February 5 |
CNO Donations – Since 2013
Click here to see a summary of donations the club has made since 2013
Thank You Notes Received this week
A copy of Thank You Notes the club received this week are here