Erin Dickerson’s Prayer
Lord,
We rush and rush through life as if it is a series of races. We finish one go around the track and immediately put ourselves back into the starting gate for the next. Seldom do we give ourselves a break or time to smell the proverbial roses. Help us to take time to pause, to take a deep breath, and to enjoy the little moments in our lives. The race will continue, but those little moments are fleeting.
Amen.
Volunteer Signups Available Online with the Virtual Clipboard
Did you know that you can now signup to volunteer or to take part in social events using a simple online registration form right from your phone or PC? The Member Calendar has a complete list of upcoming volunteer opportunities and social events.
Announcements
- , and Carol Smerz. Volunteers grilled hot dogs, brats, and metts, for twenty-five Castle members. They also had chips and drinks. Several of them also fished with the help of volunteers. It was cold, but there was a nice fire in the fireplace of the A-frame shelter at the RecPlex. There were lots of smiling faces during the event!
- Paul Boeckman announced that Safety on Wheels (AKA, Bike Rodeo) will be on May 21st, 2023, at Forest Field Park. The event is run by CNO, in combination with the Centerville-Washington Park District, the Centerville Police Department and Bike Centerville. Centerville Noon Optimist members will help with registration and running the different obstacle course stations. There will be raffle prizes, including new bicycles, given out throughout the event. Sign up to volunteer on the website here.
- Kelly Stone announced that Andy and Erin Dickerson are chairing the 75th Ohio District Convention committee. The event will be held from August 10, 2023, to August 12, 2023. Save the dates! They are looking for more volunteers to be part of the committee and to help with the various tasks.
- Debe Dockins said that the top three photos of the CNO Photography Contest are framed and on display at the Centerville Library near the front door. Visit the Centerville Library and vote for your favorite.
- Bill Stone said the Great Ohio District conference last weekend was a great success.
- The winner of the Essay Contest read his amazing essay.
- Afterwards the top five contestants from all of Ohio for the 2023 Oratorical Contest gave their speeches and the judges picked a winner. Bill said he was glad he wasn’t a judge since each speech was amazing.
- The keynote speaker was Dr. Ceccarelli, the founder of It’s Time 2. Their mission is to address bullying, raise awareness of mental health issues and teen suicide using real stories to inspire young people to accept one another, treat each other with respect, and ultimately make the right choices. Read about his presentation to CNO from July 26, 2023.
- The service project at the District Conference of assembling care packs of personal care products for residents of The Family House in Toledo was a great success. Thank you to everyone who donated items for the care packs.
- Tom Novak said the volunteers calling previous year flag subscribers has been very successful. By calling previous subscribers they added 300 renewals. Last year the quantity was 100 renewals.
- Jane Fiehrer, co-chair with Deb Saunders of the Visual Arts Contest, announced the contest has been extended until May 15, 2023. The contest is open to all area kids aged eleven or lower as of October 1, 2022. Please let kids, like your children and grandchildren, know about the event. Kids can submit pictures of their art online.
Therapeutic Riding Institute, Stephanie Llacuna​
Mike Bevis introduced Stephanie Llacuna, the Executive Director of the Therapeutic Riding Institute (TRI). Prior to TRI she was the philanthropy officer at Dayton Children’s Hospital for 7 years. Stephanie is a graduate of Centerville High School and of The Ohio State University. She joined CNO on March 7, 2023.
Mission
Enhance lives by providing high quality and accredited equine-assisted services in a safe, fun, and compassionate environment.
Vision
To be the premier provider of equine-assisted services in the tri-state.
About TRI
Therapeutic Riding Institute, Inc. (TRI) is a Premier Accredited Therapeutic Riding Center located in Spring Valley, Ohio. It was founded in 1973 and just recently received reaccreditation from the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH) International, scoring a perfect 100%. TRI offers therapeutic and adaptive riding lessons, equine-assisted learning opportunities, and unmounted programs to people with cognitive, physical, and behavioral challenges.
TRI has been in operation for 50 years and has helped countless individuals through the life-enhancing power of horses. Certified instructors provide goal-based lessons to optimize benefits for participants, and currently, they serve 75+ riders per session. Participants must be at least five years old.
Equine-Assisted Counseling programs are designed to help people with conditions such as Anxiety, Spina Bifida, Autism, Rett Syndrome, ADHD, Depression, ADD, Developmental Delay, Down Syndrome, Sensory Processing Disorder, Cerebral Palsy, OCD, PTSD, and ODD. These programs can help decrease feelings of isolation, learn self-regulation, increase awareness and acceptance of emotions, reduce anxiety, improve mental wellness, enhance relationships, improve communication, and remove barriers that prevent them from reaching their goals. The most common condition they see of participants is Autism.
The horses at TRI are well-trained and are carefully selected to be able to handle the demands of the therapy work. Only 10% of horses have a chance of being a TRI horse. Horses can get scared easily, so they must be able to handle the unique demands of therapeutic riding. Horses are very empathetic and very effective in mental health programming.
Siblings are allowed to participate without a doctor’s note, making it easier on families, so parents don’t have to take the kids to two different places for a summer camp.
The Therapeutic Riding Institute has several programs, including Therapeutic/Adaptive Riding, Summer Camps, Field Trips, and “Horsin’ Around the Holidays.” They also offer unmounted programs like Equine Assisted Counseling, which includes Warriors in Step with Horses (WISH) for veterans and first responders and Taking the Reins, which is a group counseling and social/emotional learning program. Unmounted interactions are very different and are a higher level of trust versus mounted where the human has more direct control.
TRI’s horses are leased to them for about five years, which is beneficial because they do not have to find them a home after they are done at the center. In 2019, TRI purchased a twenty-three-acre farm to run their organization after boarding their horses elsewhere.
Approximately 75% of TRI’s budget is from philanthropic support and 25% is from fees. They offer scholarships and accept advertising for donations. They need a lot of volunteers and you do not need to have horse experience. Volunteers can help with general farm work, barn chores, facilities maintenance, administrative tasks, special events, or serve on Committees/Board of Directors.
Quick Facts About TRI
- Only PATH Premier Accredited Center in region
- Operating Budget: $500K, 75% from donations and 25% from fees
- 238 participants in 2022
- 23% of students are from Centerville or Washington
- 9 Horses with 2 in training
- 5 Administrative Staff
- 7 Instructors
- 200+ Volunteers
How You Can Help
- Follow them on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn & Share their content
- Volunteer: lessons, barn chores, facilities, administrative office, special events, Committees/Board of Directors
- Make a personal donation
- Sponsor events
- Invite TRI to your events
- Introduce TRI to your friends
Irelynn’s Special Wish
Last fall Stephanie received a phone call from the Special Wish Foundation. Irelynn’s wish was to ride a horse. She was too sick to ride or even visit the farm. They drove a horse named Bella dressed as a Unicorn to see Irelynn at Dayton Children’s Hospital and she was able to pet and spend time with Bella. Irelynn passed away two days later. Stephanie still tears up a little when discussing this touching story.
TRI’s New Truck
Stephanie thanked CNO for its donation to help with the cost of obtaining a truck for the farm. The truck is used for hauling horses, debris, fuel for farm equipment, and other large items. It is also invaluable for transporting horses to the vet (especially in an emergency), horses to training clinics and for offsite events such as the Special Olympics.
There is signage on the truck promoting these generous funders:
- Centerville Noon Optimist Club
- Centerville Washington Foundation
- Physicians Charitable Foundation of the Miami Valley
Thank You
Thank you, Stephanie Llacuna, for educating us about the wonderful services of the Therapeutic Riding Institute.
Welcome Guests
| Guest | Guest Of |
| Julie Woodruff | Bill Stone |
| Elyse Higgins | Andy Higgins |
| Emma Higgins | Andy Higgins |
New Member Readings and Inductions
| Name | Sponsor | 1st 2nd 3rd Reading or Induction |
| Karen Charnesky | Suzanne Werts | 3rd Reading |
| Mark Metzger | Debe Dockins | 3rd Reading |
| Scott Hertenstein | Mike Bevis | 2nd Reading |
| Sonja Hertenstein | Mike Bevis | 2nd Reading |
Happy Bucks
| Member | Reason |
| Larry Lynde | Great to have the first ever adult/child sergeant team last quarter of Scott and Cameron Langer – Larry said that luckily at least Cameron is an adult |
| Joan Cordonnier | Had a great time at the Ohio District Conference last weekend |
| Joan Cordonnier | Married her best friend 36 years ago today, Mike Cordonnier |
| Gary Hansen | Bought a new home |
| Gary Hansen | Sold current home in 48 hours |
| Gary Hansen | Get’s to live at the lake full time for the summer |
| Tim Clemmer | Retired last month |
| Stephanie Llacuna | Mike Bevis inviting her to join CNO |
| Stephanie Llacuna | David Ladd having her harp ensemble perform for his church |
| Stephanie Llacuna | Dave Gaines and his son donated a water filtration system to the Therapeutic Riding Institute |
| Tom Novak | Paulette reminding him that on Thursday they are not delivering flags, but checking flag sleeves |
| Sue Brubaker | Sue Brubaker thanks the club for donating 350 books plus money for the book drive; the books in February went to St. Vincent’s Women’s Shelter and in April are going to Erma’s House |
| Gail Aiken | Cooper LeMaster, her grandson’s friend, is one of the culinary art students that presented recently and he has been awarded the Terry Blair scholarship |
| Gail Aiken | Grandson Lucas Dice, a Freshman on the JV Baseball team of CHS, on his birthday pitched a perfect game Saturday at Miamisburg High School |
| Debe Dockins | Really excited about the Derby party and thanks to Jean Pummill for the beautiful pin of a horse |
| Scott Langer | Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s Great Strides fundraiser walk is on May 7th at Stubbs Park – register here to donate or participate |
| Mark Metzger | Has five tickets for the show Matilda at Town Hall Theater; thanks to CNO’s donations of the two front rows of seats his three kids will be up front so he and his wife can have a date night at the show. |
| Erin Laurito | Don Massie volunteered to wear his name badge upside down if the new sergeants didn’t have anyone else to fine |
| Erin Laurito | Scott Langer giving good advice during the collection of fines and Happy Bucks to new sergeants Erin Laurito and Carol Smerz |
Sergeants at Arms
| Member | Infraction |
| Scott Langer | Previous sergeants told the new sergeants Erin Laurito and Carol Smerz nothing about how to be a sergeant |
| Cameron Langer | Previous sergeants told the new sergeants Erin Laurito and Carol Smerz nothing about how to be a sergeant |
| Liz Fultz | Not wearing her Optimist pin for her photo on the most recent cover of Centerville Style Magazine. You can read the article here. |
| Tom Novak | Remembered to bring his wife today, but left his name badge in his car |
| Larry Lynde | He complained to Tom Novak about having to buy a bunch of shoes in order to donate shoe boxes to be used by the Avenue of Flags teams to mark the location of flag sleeves |
Membership Anniversaries
| Member | Joined | Years |
| Craig Dring | May 7, 1997 | 26 |
| Paul Bowell | May 8, 2000 | 23 |
| Dave Kay | May 8, 1992 | 31 |
Birthdays
| Melissa DeShurko | May 4 |
| Chris Wysong | May 4 |
| Lou Brinkman | May 6 |
| Tom Henderson | May 6 |
| Mary Madden | May 6 |
| Pam Miller | May 6 |
CNO Donations – 2013 through March 2023
Click here to see a summary of donations the club has made since 2013
Thank You Notes Received
No Thank You Notes received this week.