Bob Burkman Read a prayer from “Phather” Phil Robinson
Written by Phather Phil, August 16, 2016
Heavenly Father, thanks to Your spirit within us we are able to survive many of the rigors of life. Yet, at times we are guilty of beating up ourselves. We berate ourselves for perceived stupidity, poor planning and the slightest imperfections of our efforts. Help us to be kind to ourselves and rise above petty imperfections and eliminate any guilt from 20/20 hindsight. Then we can concentrate on being Optimistic and realize that mistakes are the road to perfection.
Amen!
Announcements
- Sue Jesse announced that a Euchre Party will be on 8/18/2023, at 7 PM. Sign up online using the Member Calendar.
- Bob Lawson announced that the Optimist Kids Day in the Park will be on 8/5/2023 at Delco Park. They still need more volunteers. Signup online to help using the Member Calendar.
- Donna Huss announced that the St. Leonard Optimist club recently collected school supplies and is making blankets for the South Community Behavioral Health Center. Next, they will start making the bows for the Christmas Tree Lot. If you like to make bows, blankets or eat cookies come out and help them. They meet the third Thursday of every month from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM and they always have cookies!
- Bil Stone said that you can download the forms to register for the Ohio District Convention online here. The convention is from August 10 to August 12 with an awesome Gala on August 12, 2023.
Recap of the 31st Annual Tom Frazier Memorial Tee-Off for Youth Golf Classic
Mike Bevis announced that there are 355 days until the 32nd Annual Tom Frazier Memorial Tee-Off for Youth Golf Classic to be held July 15, 2024. It is not too early to volunteer – Karen Charnesky has already joined the committee for next year! Thank you, Karen!
Mike said, “There were 124 golfers, 30 committee members and 40 plus volunteers for the day of the event and activities leading up to it. Thanks to you all.”
“There was great weather in the 80’s and the rain held off until 8:30 PM that night after everything had been returned to storage.”
“We should bring in around $40,000 in income and will celebrate and give the check to Dayton Children’s Hospital on September 12, 2023.”
Golf Thank Yous
- Thanks to committee head Sarah Umbreit. Well done.
- Gary DeMarco for his “day of” volunteer leadership.
- Pat Behn for the admin and golfer check-in team.
- Val and Vida for the silent auction and raffle baskets. They are the best and help us raise a lot of money.
- Ellie Parker and Roberta Taylor for the Goody Bags.
- Denise O’Neil and her team for cooking lunch.
- Dorothy Lane Market, Woeber’s Mustard and Pepsi for lunch.
- Donna Huss for all the mailings and ordering the 600+ beers and seltzers from Ohio Eagle Distributing.
Memorial Educational Assistance Award
Gary Smiga introduced Memorial Educational Award recipients Arushi Agrawal and Julianne Marzluff that couldn’t be here last week. Read more information about them and all of the 2023 recipients in this previous CNOtes article.
Happy Birthday David Duncombe
On July 27, 2023, David Duncombe is 95 years young. We happily sang Happy Birthday as badly as ever. I loved seeing the smile on the face of today’s speaker, Shelly Calver, from “We Love Birthdays.” It was an awesome chance to show an outside birthday expert one of our great traditions of singing Happy Birthday out of tune as much as possible!
We Love Birthday Parties, Shelly Calvert
Beth Duncan introduced Shelly Calvert from We Love Birthdays Parties in Troy, Ohio, which was founded in 2015.
Shelly Calvert is the founder and director of We Love Birthday Parties, a local nonprofit that sprinkles love through the simple joy of birthday parties for kids who otherwise may not be celebrated. She has a deep passion for helping kids from hard places!
Shelly has a B.A. in public relations from The Ohio State University’s School of Journalism. For more than 25 years she has been freelance writing for numerous local and national publications, with many published works, including a book on endangered species. As past president of Kiwanis Club of Troy, a mentor for Evolve networking group, and a past board member of Isaiah’s Place foster care agency, Shelly values community service and enjoys supporting local organizations!
In her free time, Shelly likes to do yoga, hike, bike, read, and garden. She lives in Troy with her husband, Paul, and black lab dog, Magnum, all of whom miss Jordan and Jacob, her two children who have grown and flown!
We Love Birthday Parties – Mission
We spread love through the simple joy of birthday parties for kids who would otherwise go uncelebrated and we support kids who are experiencing foster care and kids caught up in the court system.
We believe, “Love Changes Lives.”
Donations Match Up to $15,000
Shelly said, “We have a generous donor who will match funding up to $15,000. If you feel led to support our efforts to serve deeper into the Dayton community, now would be a great time to donate!” You can donate at welovebirthdayparties.square.site.
Presentation
Shelly said, “I’m so impressed with this club. You are so organized, and I loved how you sang Happy Birthday!”
In the U.S. there are close to 400,000 kids in foster care. Ohio has 16,000 foster children.
Shelly said that they tell kids that they are valued, they matter, and God has a plan. They plant seeds of hope and happiness. Other messages of hope are we need you, there is purpose for your life, you are seen, you are loved and you are worth celebrating. Anyone that comes to kids with messages of hope and happiness can help.
Birthdays matter and most people have happy memories of their birthday parties. Having a birthday party gives kids self-esteem.
The first time that she held a birthday party, it was for two boys. One boy was outgoing, and the other boy was not engaged. She asked the quiet child to pick a game and eventually reached him and then he melted into her, and she felt so much love. His mother told her that after that party all the way home all he could do was talk about the party.
Shelly said that the “Why?” for their efforts is that is all for the kids. She said she has taught kids how to make a wish before blowing out the candles on their birthday cake.
At parties if she is allowed to pray, she quotes John 4:19, “We love because he first loved us.”
Items for Birthday Parties
We Love Birthday Parties reaches about two hundred kids per month. They pack everything needed for a birthday party in tubs and go to where the kids are.
Items brought to each party include:
- Healthy Meals or Snacks
- All the party décor
- Games and crafts
- Cupcakes or donuts
- Presents valued between $15 and $25
- Treat bags for everyone
Shelly noted that currently by far kids ask for donuts over cupcakes.
Birthday Boxes for In Home Parties
Birthday Boxes are a growing need. They fill canvas storage totes with everything needed for an in-home party. About twenty-five birthday boxes each month are provided. They get forms with what the kids like and their age.
A Few Stats
- We Love Birthday Parties is in its ninth year
- We have 3 employees and 25 volunteers
- We serve 250 kids each month
- We are supported by 5 churches
- We reach kids from Piqua to Dayton
- We do 10-12 birthday locations per month
- Each party costs about $200
- We partner with 7 other agencies (LCC, REC, RFC, Clubhouse, K.I.N.D, CASA, Seeds of Hope)
North Elm Collective
We Love Birthday Parties runs “The North Elm Collective” which is an affordable rental space where parties of many types can be held for up to 100 people. It is extra affordable because you are allowed to bring in your own food. The building was purchased in 2021 and it is being renovated. The building is also used for storage, offices and workspaces. They don’t charge for the space, but they accept donations.
Example Party Types:
- Birthday Parties
- Bridal Showers
- Baby Showers
- Retirements
- Christmas
- Family Reunions
Thank You
Thank you, Shelly Calvert for telling us how We Love Birthdays is making an impact on children.
Welcome Guests
| Guest | Guest Of |
| Arushi Agrawal | Program |
| Donna Carter | Barbara Santo |
| Emily Weitz | Art Hung |
| Joan Gruss | Paula Harrison |
| Joan Schiml | Mike Bevis |
| JT Szabo | Mike Bevis |
| Julianne Marzluff | Program |
| Karen Townsend | Mike Bevis |
| Lauren Dues | Speaker |
| Shelly Calvert | Speaker |
| Shelly Mitchell | David Mitchell |
| Shivani Agrawal | Program |
| Tyler Clark | Cameron Langer |
New Member Readings and Inductions
| Name | Sponsor | 1st 2nd 3rd Reading or Induction |
| Connie Risch | Beth Duncan | 2nd Reading |
| Christina Clemmer | Tim Clemmer | 2nd Reading |
| Julie Woodruff | Bill Stone | 3rd Reading |
Happy Bucks
No time for Happy Bucks this week.
Sergeants at Arms
| Member | Infraction |
| Erin Laurito | Dropped the name tag box after last weeks meeting, but you can’t fine an active sergeant, so fine reduced to $0. |
| Gary Anderson | Complaining that the 5K turn around was not properly marked. |
| Greg Griffin | Greg Griffin sent a suggested fine through email to the wrong Erin. He sent it to Erin Dickerson instead of Sergeant Erin Laurito. |
| Mike Bevis | Driving a brand new golf cart at the golf outing while President Beth Duncan had to drive an old golf cart. |
| Art Hung | Not wearing pin in picture in the Washington Township newletter. |
| Gary Smiga | Not wearing pin in picture in the Washington Township newletter. |
Membership Anniversaries
| Member | Joined | Years |
| David Brookman | July 27, 2011 | 12 |
| Sam Holmes | July 27, 2021 | 2 |
| Jim Long | July 27, 2015 | 8 |
| Donna Robinson | July 28, 1997 | 26 |
Birthdays
| Jerry Stahley | July 27 |
| David Duncombe | July 27 |
| Katie Calloway | July 27 |
| Sandy Stevens | July 28 |
| Dan Beck | July 29 |
| Eric Parsley | July 29 |
| John Powell | July 30 |
| Steve Linder | July 30 |
| Todd Muckerheide | July 30 |
CNO Donations – 2013 through July 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.