Erin Dickerson’s Prayer
Grace – giving people what they need, not just what they have earned.
Lord,
We struggle with the concept of Grace. You love us, care for us, and provide for us, even though we rarely deserve it. With grace, our mistakes serve a purpose. We learn from them. We grow from them. Because of your grace, we can do good works and share the love and care you show us with the world, making it a little better one act at a time.
Amen.
Thank you to Julie Walling Noeth for Headshot Photos
Professional photographer and CNO member Julie Walling Noeth snapped headshots for 50 members today. Thank you, Julie, for your generosity. She brought in her lights and backdrop to go along with her professional camera.
Announcements
Christmas Tree Lot Opens in 90 Days
Greg Griffin said the Christmas Tree lot opens in 90 days. Trees are ordered and they will sell out in 14 days or less. Tree Delivery Day is 11/23/2024 and trees go on sale 11/29/2024.
Players Box Sessions Begin September 3 and 10
Stan Fronzaglia announced the upcoming sessions for Players Box, starting on September 3 and September 10. You can register online at playersbox.org. Call Stan if you have any questions.
CHS Spirit Chain
Avery Sarver and Olivia Voss, seniors from CHS, were here today raising funds for the annual Spirit Chain competition with Fairmount High School. The two of them raised $9,000 last year and they have a personal team goal this year of $15,000. Last year CHS raised $86,000 in total for all teams. Today, Avery and Olivia collected $2000 in donations from CNO members at lunch. The board of directors matches this donation, so today they collected $4000 from CNO. The competition ends on September 19, 2024.
Charities Spirit Chain 2024 Supports:
- Diabetes Dayton
- Food for the Journey
- We Care Arts
- Battle Buddies
- YWCA
When Plans Change: Megan Sparks’ Inspiring Journey of Advocacy and Resilience
CNO Member Glen Brendel introduced Megan Sparks, a parent of a child with special needs who is very involved in our community. Megan Sparks has been a school board member for Centerville City Schools since January, 2018. She has a Master’s degree in Education and a Bachelor’s degree in Human Ecology from The Ohio State University. As a second-generation Elk and a mother to five children, Megan has learned to work hard and stand up for her values and beliefs. On the school board, she serves as the Legislative Liaison. She advocates for families with special needs and serves in numerous volunteer roles.
Megan Sparks is Involved In:
- Board of Education
- BOE Student Representatives
- Elks with Special Needs
- Centerville’s Special Olympics track and gymnastics teams
- The Destination Imagination Program
- PTO
- Academic Volunteer program
- Various volunteer work through Incarnation Parish
Slides
The slide deck has several photos and information that is not listed in this article.
You can view the slide deck of the presentation here.
Summary of Megan’s Speech Titled “God Laughs”
Her entire speech can be read below this summary.
Megan Sparks delivered a speech titled “God Laughs,” inspired by Woody Allen’s quote, “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.” She recounted her journey from aspiring to be an astronaut to becoming an advocate for special needs children, particularly her son Zac, who is diagnosed with autism. Megan shared how her life plans were often redirected, leading her to find her true calling.
Initially, Megan aimed to become an astronaut but struggled with math and chemistry in college. This led her to volunteer with homeless children, sparking a passion for education. Her involvement with the Special Olympics, coaching various sports, eventually brought her together with her husband, who also became a volunteer.
The diagnosis of her son Zac with autism was a turning point. Though initially devastated, Megan found support within the special needs community, inspiring her to advocate for Zac and others like him. Her efforts led to new programs in her community, including a special needs team in Destination Imagination.
Megan now serves on the school board, advocating for all students in her district. She emphasized the importance of passing a levy for Centerville City Schools to maintain quality education. She concluded with a quote from Erma Bombeck, highlighting her dedication to using all her talents for the greater good.
God Laughs by Megan Sparks
The following is the complete speech from Megan Sparks in her own words:
I am calling this talk, “God Laughs” because Woody Allen once said, “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.” If this is true, then I must be one of God’s favorite comedians…
I am an Elk through and through. My dad graduated from CHS in 1960. I went to Cline Elementary when it was a K-5 building, then Magsig, and finally CHS where I graduated in 1999. When I was in elementary school, I wanted to be a nun and a nurse, but it wasn’t until the 7th grade that I found my true calling…. I was going to be an…… astronaut. By the time I was ready to go to OSU, I had my future all planned. I was going to join the Air Force ROTC, earn a degree in Aeronautical Engineering, become a test pilot, and then become an astronaut for NASA… God began to chuckle.
When I arrived at The Ohio State University, I hung a poster of a space shuttle above my dorm room desk, with a post-it note that read 3.8. I knew that was the GPA that I needed in order to reach my goal. Freshman year was great, and I was confident. Math had given me a run for my money, but with freshman forgiveness, I was able to retake the math class and improve my grade.
Sophomore year was more of a challenge. In math class my beloved numbers were replaced with symbols, and I was so afraid that I was going to burn down the chemistry lab that I began to fail the class. Despite all the office hours, help sessions, and study groups that I joined, my brain just did not understand.
It was also during this time that I began to feel that I wasn’t doing enough with my life. Since middle school, I had always been very involved and I wanted to start volunteering so that I could give back, so I did some research and found the Homeless Family Foundation. This organization had an after-school program where you could help kids who were experiencing homelessness with their homework. I filled out the application, talked to the director and was approved to volunteer with these students.
On my first day of volunteering, I went to the classroom and the teacher told me that I could work with this little second grader who was sitting at a table, hunched over with his coat on. I walked over to him and found out that his name was Shae, and we started working. I got him to take his coat off and after we were done with his schoolwork, we played games until it was time to leave. I had a lot of fun hanging out with him and it was amazing to see him smile, considering everything he was going through.
After everyone left, the teacher and I cleaned up the classroom. She told me that I had a gift, that she had never seen Shae interact with any volunteer like that before and she had never seen him take off his coat for anyone. The compliment made me feel good, but I didn’t’ really dwell on it. I continued to volunteer, and I just fell in love working with these kids. God has set his plan into motion.
One evening I was sitting in a help session for Chemistry, and I had one of the biggest revelations of my life…. “I am never going to understand this.” I immediately got up and started packing up my things. The TA that was leading the group asked if I was ok. I smiled at him and told him that I was “great” and then went home and dropped the class. I met with the Guidance Counselor later that week and changed my major to Human Ecology… I started the track to education. Shae had inspired me to become a teacher. If I could be on one of those long-lost people shows, it would be Shae that I would try to find. As a second grader he changed my life.
I graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in Human Ecology and a Masters in Early Childhood Education. Unfortunately, I graduated during the recession, so I could not find a job in Ohio. Most of my classmates found jobs in other states, but I wanted to come home to Centerville. Actually, I wanted to go live in Montana after reading A River Runs Through It in my Environmental Lit class my senior year at CHS, but my mother kindly reminded me how much I hate winter, so that idea was vetoed, and I went with my second choice, warm and cheerful Centerville.
I found a job at a small private preschool, which did not pay a lot, so to help supplement my income, I worked at McDonald’s in the evenings. I had worked there all through High School and during my breaks during my college years, so they were happy to take me back. While working there I met a young man named Adam, who was special needs. Adam’s mother told me about the Special Olympics Program, so I called and asked to volunteer. My first volunteer coaching opportunity was with basketball. I played for a couple years when I was young, but I didn’t really know the sport, so I was more of a cheerleader that first season. After Basketball came track. The track coach had young adults volunteer before, but they never stayed, so he was hesitant to let me volunteer. Eighteen years later, I am serving as the head coach. After track season came baseball, followed by TOP Soccer. By the time I met my husband I was working two jobs and coaching year-round. If he really wanted to see me, then he had no choice but to volunteer to coach too.
In August of 2007, we were married. At our wedding, one of my Special Olympics athletes served as our alter server. He was a great rebounder, so it was no surprise at our reception that he caught the garter belt. In May of 2009, we were expecting our first child, and I knew right away that we would name him Zachariah. We were so excited, and I had so many plans for Zac! I hung a picture of Jim Tressel up in his Nursery because he was going to play football at OSU. He would be a Special Olympics coach and coach right next to me until he left for college. I bought children’s CD’s in Japanese, German, Korean, Italian and Spanish because he would speak a variety of languages…I planned and God chuckled.
By the time Zac was 16 months old, we knew something was off. He met all his milestones at the cutoff point, except speech. He still wasn’t talking. In fact, the only time he would babble would be during Mass. After Church the little old ladies would joke that he was giving his own homily, but I was concerned. This was the only time he was trying to communicate with us, and he seemed “off,” like he was in his own little world.
When he was 19 months old, we were able to get him into a special developmental pediatrician. The doctor spent 20 minutes talking to us and then “played” with Zac for “20 minutes.” When she was done with her assessment, she told us that Zac had classic autism, he needed genetic testing, he would have to be tested for fragile X, he would have to be tested for mental retardation when he was 5, she had no idea if he would ever make it to college, and that we should not have more children because this would be more predominate in a second child, here is your packet, the lab is down the hall…. I looked at her with horror, I was five months pregnant with our second child.
As a parent, nothing will prepare you for a diagnosis like this. You mourn the child that you thought that you were going to have. It is almost as if your child had died; I cried so hard. I remember praying the rosary every day, begging the Blessed Mother to go to her Son and ask Him to heal mine. I wanted my son back and all the plans that I had for him.
The day after Zac was diagnosed, we were back in our pediatrician’s office, telling him that we wanted a second opinion. He told us the wait for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital was long, but he was willing to put in the referral for us.
John and I had been Team Managing Destination Imagination for three years at this point. We had a meeting scheduled that night and I stayed with Zac in his room, crying my eyes out. This wasn’t fair, Zac would never be able to do DI, and we worked so hard to be good coaches, we were only going to be able to coach other people’s children. God Giggled.
By Sunday night I was a wreck. I was supposed to coach Special Olympics Basketball that night, but I couldn’t do it; it was too painful to see those kids. I felt so guilty feeling that way, but I couldn’t help it. I was Dale Weikel’s assistant coach, so I called him to tell him that I was not able to make it that night. Instead of Dale picking up, it was his wife, Jayne. I told Jayne about the diagnosis, and that I did not have it in me to coach that night. Instead of being sympathetic, I got Jayne’s stern teacher voice as she said “Ok, you can have this evening off, but you will be back next week. You have a degree and have been trained in this haven’t you? You put on those big girl panties, and you teach that child. We will see you next week.”
Those were not the words that I wanted I hear, but those were the words that I needed. I went back to basketball the following week. We enrolled Zac in Help Me Grow and they showed me how to work with him. When his brother Nic came along, I put him in a bouncer next to Zac and I kept working. I was lucky, because I had already been involved in the Special Needs Community as a Coach, I was never alone. I was able to get advice and learn how to advocate for my child.
I also saw how Zac was inspiring people. The Centerville Library began a Special Needs Story Time because Zac had been going to story time since he was six months old and the library saw that they needed to offer something for this population. When he was in the second grade, he was old enough to be on a Destination Imagination (DI) competitive team, so Centerville created the first special needs DI team in the World. Your organization has given support to us over the years, and we truly appreciate it. You will be happy to know that with that support we became the first special needs team to present at a State Tournament and we will be the first Special Needs Team to go to Global’s this Spring. Other states are looking at what we are doing, and they are being inspired to include special needs individuals in their programs as well. At Church they began a Special Needs Class because of Zac. Zac participates in all the sports that I started coaching eighteen years ago and some new ones. He is on the Centerville High School Cross County team and the Track Team. This summer he swam for Black Oak. Zac was born different and he is inspiring the world to be different too.
In Spring of 2017, I received an e-mail about a school board member stepping down and the board looking for applicants to replace him. My husband and I always talked about me running for the school board someday, when the kids were older, so I was shocked when he told me to apply. I got a letter a few weeks letter that said that I did not get the position. When I told John, he just looked at me and said “Well, it looks like you are running in November,” so I did, and I won.
I not only advocate for my child now, but for the 8,200 children in our district. This year I was appointed to be the Ohio School Board Association Federal Legislative Advocacy Group Member for District 10, and in about two weeks, I will be going to Washington DC to advocate for all the Ohio District 10 Students. In November I will be presenting at the Ohio School Board Association Capital Conference about having a Special Needs DI program in other districts.
For years I made God laugh by telling him my plans. I knew exactly what I was going to do and how I was going to achieve it. If He had listened to me, I would not be standing here today. So many people do not know their purpose in life, but I do. I was made to be Zac’s mom and to advocate for children like him.
I was also made to remind all of you that there will be a levy for Centerville City Schools on the ballot in November and I encourage all of you to support it. Please support it for kids like Zac, please help keep our district a great school district for all our kids and our future. We have already failed two levies and as a result, we have cut 48 positions across the district for this school year, which impacts all areas of our operations. If the levy in November does not pass, our next chance for new revenue from local taxes will be in the calendar year 2026, this would mean more cuts would be necessary. It is crucial that our community stays informed and knows the facts because there is a great deal at stake with this issue. I invite all of you to come to one of our community meetings, to learn more about how important this levy is to our district. Please vote “Yes” for Centerville City Schools.
I would like to leave you with a quote by Erma Bombeck, which has become my life’s mantra. She once said, “When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and I could say, ‘I used everything you gave me.’
Thank you for having me today.
Thank You
Thank you, Megan Sparks, for telling us about all the good you do for our community, especially for kids with special needs.
Welcome Guests
| Guest | Guest Of |
| Arline Danial | Bob Glavin |
| Chelsea Stinnett | Maha Kashani |
| Craig Cooper | Erin Laurito |
| Dave Roer | Maha Kashani |
| Dennis Murray | Maha Kashani |
| Diane Bradburne | Gary Smiga |
| John Sparks | Maha Kashani |
| Kelli Peters | Maha Kashani |
| Megan Sparks | Speaker |
| Tony Danial | Bob Glavin |
| Wesley Calloway | Katie Calloway |
| Greg Clark | Steve Mays |
| Mark Sarver | Joan Cordonnier |
New Member Readings and Inductions
| Name | Sponsor | 1st 2nd 3rd Reading or Induction |
| Tony Danial | Bob Glavin | 1st Reading |
| Arline Danial | Bob Glavin | 1st Reading |
| Diane Bradburne | Gary Smiga | Induction |
Happy Bucks
| Member | Reason |
| Gary Smiga | Gary was the Principal at Cline Elementary when today’s speaker and member of the school board Megan Sparks was a student at Cline. |
Sergeants at Arms
| Member | Infraction |
| Diane Bradburne | She is a new member and now she has been fined. |
| Don Kelley | Left the money bag of his fantasy sports league at Yankee Trace last week. |
| Beth Duncan | Pushing Kelly Stone into the pool during the rubber duck race at the summer social event last Saturday. |
| Bill Stone | Not saving Kelly from getting pushed into the pool at the party. |
| Gary Hansen | Having his grandson at today’s meeting. |
| Bob Duffy | Sat at the birthday table when it was not his birthday. |
| Dave Kay | Sat at the birthday table when it was not his birthday. |
| Debe Dockins | Left her devilled egg plate at the summer social last Saturday. |
Club Membership Anniversaries
| Member | Joined | Years |
| Jeff Busch | August 31, 2001 | 23 |
| Ken Peacock | August 31, 2001 | 23 |
| Gary Anderson | September 1, 1979 | 45 |
| Frank DePalma | September 1, 1979 | 45 |
| Jerry Stahley | September 1, 1986 | 38 |
| Drew Mckenzie | September 1, 1987 | 37 |
| Larry Lynde | September 1, 1988 | 36 |
Birthdays
| Terry Lewis | August 26 |
| Rick Kempfer | August 28 |
| Scott Rheaume | August 28 |
| Julie Cochran | August 31 |
| Jesse Lightle | August 31 |
| Chris McAlpine | August 31 |
| Jim Mogan | August 31 |
CNO Donations – Since 2013
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
Links to PowerPoint and Pictures
CLICK HERE to see the PowerPoint Slides from this week’s meeting