Bob Burkman’s Prayer
Dear Lord,
On the eve of the most sacred of civic observances—Tax Day—we gather with hopeful hearts, calculators in hand, and a slightly nervous glance at the calendar. We give thanks for deductions we remembered, forgiveness for the receipts we “meant to keep” and faith that the math we did somehow adds up the same way at the IRS.
Grant us the optimism to believe that refunds will come quickly, the courage to click “submit” and the conviction that, as a result of all this, ours is the greatest nation on earth.
Bless our meeting today with laughter and good fellowship. And if it be Your will Lord, give us enough financial clarity to get us through this time next year stress free.
Amen.
Get to Know Roland Rapp
President Sarah Umbreit interviewed Roland Rapp for this week’s “Get to Know a Member.”
- Theme park or mascot character he would be: the Cincinnati Bearcat, like Dr. Bob Myers.
- One thing he must take when traveling: Peanut M&M’s.
- Favorite social activity: good food, good friends, and good times.
Roland joined CNO on December 10, 2002, sponsored by Tim Gibson.
Announcements
Visual Arts Winners on Display
Sarah Umbreit, on behalf of Debe Dockins, announced that the artwork from last week’s Visual Arts Contest winners is now on display at the Woodbourne Library.
Regional Oratorical Contest
Sarah Umbreit, on behalf of Debe Dockins, asked members to support two Centerville students competing in the Regional Oratorical Contest at Woodburn Library on Wednesday, April 15, at 5:45 PM. The winners advance to the District Oratorical in May. Volunteers simply sit, listen quietly until the speakers finish, and leave.
Americana Parade Float
Sarah Umbreit announced that CNO will once again pull out the 2021 red, white, and blue float for this year’s Americana Parade, tied to the 250th Celebration of America. She is recruiting members, children, and grandchildren to walk or ride along, and has asked the Americana Committee for a spot closer to the front of the parade.
CNO 2.0 Kits of Hope
Connie Risch announced that the next CNO 2.0 service project, Kits of Hope, will assemble kits at Bock Family Brewing on Thursday. The project is led by a Centerville High School student, Gyurim Kim, who previously presented to the board and received a grant.
Kentucky Derby Party
Connie Risch announced that the Kentucky Derby Party will be held on Saturday, May 2, 2026. For details and to register, visit the Member Calendar.
Americana Booth T-Shirts
Karen Charnesky, chair of the Americana Booth, said this year’s booth will focus on recruiting new members. Members can purchase a CNO Americana T-shirt that reads “Be a part of something bigger, be an Optimist,” with a QR code on the back for prospective members to scan. Shirts are $22, ladies’ sizes are cut for ladies, and orders are open through Tuesday, 4/28 only. No extras will be ordered, and samples are available to try on. Place your order using the Member Calendar.
Avenue of Flags Update
Tom Novak reported that after six days into the Avenue of Flags phone campaign, the club has 141 credit card subscriptions, 176 flags, and an additional $10,000 in revenue from callers reaching subscribers we hadn’t heard from. He thanked all the volunteers making phone calls.
Childhood Health and Wellness at Daybreak
Carol Smerz reported that the Childhood Health and Wellness Committee completed their Health Hygiene Kits project at Daybreak. The cards of encouragement that members filled out at a recent Tuesday lunch were included in the kits. The project will be featured on Channel 2 within the next two weeks.
CNO Election Season: Second Reading
Sarah Umbreit introduced Secretary Jean Pummill, who guided the second 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. She will present the nominations across three weeks, then call for a motion to approve at the fourth-week meeting. Nominations may also be made from the floor.
For details of week 1, click here.
The nominees are:
- 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
- Jeff Umbreit will serve as treasurer, and Jean Pummill will continue as secretary.
Each of this week’s nominees then gave a brief statement.
Craig Dring
Craig thanked the nominating committee. He is a lifelong Centerville resident of 50 years, he attended Village South Elementary, where Gary Anderson was his principal, and Tower Heights Middle School, where Gary Smiga was his math teacher, before graduating from Centerville High School. He has been a CNO member for 29 years, served on numerous committees, chaired several, served previously as a board member, and served as Vice President under Kelly Stone. He is currently Co-Chair of the Tri-Star Basketball event with Scott Langer and also works with the TOP Optimist Club supporting the special needs community.
Debby Moore
Debby was born and raised in an Air Force family that moved frequently before settling in Nebraska. She married an airman and continued moving for the next 20 years. She has been in banking since age 17, starting in the basement of her hometown bank and working her way up at companies across the country. Mike Bevis recruited her to CNO four years ago, and she knew after her first visit that this was where she wanted to be. She has been involved with the Tree Lot, the Golf Committee, and Co-Chairs the Childhood Health and Wellness Committee with Carol Smerz.
Sam Routsong
Sam is the manager at Routsong Funeral Home, working alongside his brother and father, and has been a CNO member for three years. He thanked Scott Langer for getting him involved with CNO and Greg Griffin for encouraging him to join the board. Sam brings board experience from Party with a Purpose Dayton and We Care Arts and hopes to bring fresh ideas and grow the membership.
Fran Sheehan
In her two-sentence statement, Fran thanked the board for their trust and said she looks forward to making this an impactful year and the best one yet.
Greg Wasmund, President-Elect
Greg celebrated 20 years with CNO in January and said he is truly honored to serve as President next year. He praised Sarah for the job she is doing training him for the role and described CNO as a buffet: you show up, take what you want, and leave the rest, with no pressure. His passion is TOP Soccer and anything serving the special needs community. Greg and his wife Sheila will celebrate ten years of marriage in May. Together they have three boys, one daughter-in-law, one grandson, and a dachshund named Rocco. Greg went through the Centerville school system, attending Dr. John Hole Elementary, Hithergreen Middle School, and Centerville High School, and now works at Sinclair, where he says he can see the retirement goal line but just can’t seem to reach it.
New Member Readings
Joyce Swaidek, First Reading, sponsored by Judy McFadden and Mike Bevis.
Happy Bucks
- Scott Langer is happy to have sponsored three members who will serve on the board next year: Greg Wasmund, Sam Routsong, and Cameron Langer.
- Jane Fiehrer gave $5 in happy bucks. The Visual Arts Contest is over with more than 100 entries. She thanked co-chair Rachel Goetz, Diane Arehart for getting the word out via emails to attendees of past eventsand for handling the online forms, Greg Griffin for putting together the slides in the slide deck, and Don Massie for his work on the committee.
- Tom Young noted that today is “Reach as High as You Can Day” and was happy to be at the meeting.
- Lacy Owens welcomed her first grandchild, a girl, at 3 AM, 6 lb 4 oz, born on her dad’s birthday.
- Craig Dring thanked Jeff and Sarah Umbreit for coming to last night’s TOP Optimist Club meeting and buying the pizza for everyone. Greg and Evelyn Griffin will buy next month.
- Mike Brubaker and his wife Sue celebrate their 56th wedding anniversary this week.
- Tom Novak paid $1 for not finding his name badge.
- Tom Conroy spent a long weekend with his three grandkids in Denver.
- Sam Routsong reminded the club that Routsong Funeral Home’s Centerville location is hosting a free Shred Day on Saturday, April 18, from 10 AM to 1 PM, with a six box or bag limit. Text Sam ahead and he might fit in a seventh or eighth.
- Carol Smerz turned over a happy buck preemptively, knowing the sergeants were going to fine her anyway.
Fines: Sergeants Larry England and Larry Lynde
- Karen Charnesky was fined for saying she would not talk long and then giving an announcement that was anything but short.
- Don Kelley, Charlie Tapp, and Dave Hungler were fined for profiting from the Masters golf tournament. Larry England would have been on the list but earned a pass as a sergeant this week.
- Bob Duffy was fined for using a $20 bill to buy a single $1, 50/50 ticket.
- Sam Routsong was fined for showing everyone up by wearing a fancy suit and tie.
- Craig Dring was fined for wearing his shameless self-promotion shirt during his speech.
- Sarah Umbreit was fined for not knowing the answer to Larry Lynde’s trivia question. The quote, “The difference between winning and losing is most often not quitting,” is attributed to Walt Disney.
- Connie Risch was fined for not wearing her name badge.
- Fran Sheehan was fined for searching and searching for her name badge despite being the only Fran in the club. Her badge was upside down. The sergeants gave her a pass on it being upside down, to avoid a double fine.
Welcome Guests
| Guest | Guest Of |
| Aaron Wolters | Paul Boeckman |
| Johanna Routsong | Sam Routsong |
| Kameron Smith | Amy Barker |
Club Membership Anniversaries
| Member | Joined | Years |
| Blanca Criner | April 16, 2014 | 12 |
| Mark Karns | April 18, 2019 | 7 |
| Judy McFadden | April 18, 2019 | 7 |
| Andrew Cain | April 19, 2018 | 8 |
| Stan Fronzaglia | April 19, 1999 | 27 |
| Vida McDowell | April 19, 1999 | 27 |
Birthdays
| Jessica Wagner | April 14 |
| Carol Burkman | April 16 |
| Ellie Parker | April 16 |
| Susan Vass | April 16 |
| Denise O’Neil | April 18 |
| David Wiedmeyer | April 20 |
Thank You Notes Received this Week
No Thank You Notes we received this week
Links to PowerPoint and Pictures
CLICK HERE to see the PowerPoint Slide Deck from this week’s meeting