President Sofie Ameloot welcomed everyone to the Centerville Rotary Club, meeting and led reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance. Brian Hayes provided the prayer.
Today’s quote provided by Don Overly: "Nothing is impossible. The word itself says 'I'm possible." Audrey Hepburn
Today’s announcements:
- Thanks to our greeter today, Lee Hieronymus
- Welcome today’s guests - James Metz, Washington Township Planner, guest of Brad Huffman; Gina Smith’s guests, daughter Hadley & Gino; and our Assistant Governor, Steve Silverberg
- Golf fundraising update: we’re at $14,500 of the $16,000 goal. Thanks to everyone who has supported our fundraisers! See a total list below.
- Our Golf Outing is scheduled for May 9 and we need volunteers to help that day. Please let Kelly know how you can help.
- Dale Berry is being recognized with the Founders Award by the Centerville-Washington Foundation on Wednesday, May 28, 11 am - 1 pm at Yankee Trace. Invitations will be out soon, or you can register HERE. Previous honorees from our club include Bob Daley, Sally Beals, Joyce Young, and Harvey Smith.
- Action taken at the Board meeting this week:
- $2,500 approved for an Orchard at CHS, a project of the Environmental Science class plus $2,000 District grant requested
- $450 approved to fly a drone at our major events for social media
- $1,000 approved to purchase additional library books
- Jake Hensel approved as the newest member
- Brian Hayes asked all to pay your bill
- Frank Perez congratulated all on the fundraising efforts for the Golf Outing, and now we need teams. This year you can sign up on the website. Get your foursome together and register!
- Brad Thorp reported for the Education Committee. We received 4 applicants for college and 2 for trade scholarships. Interviews will take place next week and the scholarships will be presented to students at the CHS ceremony on May 15. He noted we need one more member for the committee.
- This is our service week. Can stay after today’s meeting to assemble blankets or take home to do. We give them to Agape for foster care kids.
- Bill Menker announced last Saturday’s litter pick up was postponed due to weather and is rescheduled for May 3.
- Park District landscape bed maintenance on April 26, 9 am-12p at Yankee and Oak Grove Parks.
- Next Social will be on May 20, 5 pm at Old Bag of Nails
Happy Bucks this quarter will go to Operation Warm for winter coats for children.
Brad Thorp was our Sergeant at Arms with assistance by Brian Hayes.
Happy Bucks were generously given for:
- Carol K for the great weather
- Gina S for the guests and she’s leaving for an author event
- Sofie A announced daughter Delphine’s 1st year of college is done and she will be home Sunday
- Brad H for his guest, a great Key West trip, and his kids coming back from college soon
- Kristin for being late
- Kelly M for Sofie’s fundraising committee, the publicity ad hoc committee, and the Foundation ad hoc committee - lots of good work is going on in the club
- Lee H warned to watch out for big tractors on the road this time of year. Give them room or they’ll take you with them
- Elda GG was happy
- Mark K for guests and a glorious Easter weekend
- Ron H for Operation Warm and his younger brother’s birthday
- Adam M was happy to see family on Easter, and confessed to a hit and run this morning (poor squirrel!)
- Chuck K for today’s guests and submitting three District grants - coats, books, and orchard
- Uriah A for today’s guests, and after Saturday’s service projects come to the Family Adventure Day at the RecPlex where he’ll be serving hot dogs
- Rose (guest speaker) is going on her first vacation with a grandchild
- Socks B was happy for a plethora of happiness reasons from the club today
- Bob D for so many service-oriented leaders in the Club
- Dale B for everything mentioned already
- Jeff S started at a BNI meeting and Arbor Day celebration today, and will have a grandparents mini vacation in FL this weekend
- Jim H for Operation Warm, guests, and other happiness
- Bob F was in Florida for 3 months and is now back in Ohio
- Ernie H for the Sugar Maple Festival in Bellbrook this weekend. (Ohio’s first festival of the year.)
Our speakers today were Dean and Rosaleen Waggenspack, authors of the book, The Ledge and the Abyss.
Dean and Rose shared the story of Dean’s unexpected injury while on vacation and everything that fell into place to saved him.
Rose & Dean were in St Croix for a family vacation with their son, Stephen. They were exploring a tide pool created by volcanic rock.
Waves came over the rock and Dean went down a hole unexpectedly, where he was deposited in a pitch dark cave with water up to his armpits. He could feel rock all around him with no way to get out. He was trapped for 40 minutes and thought he would die there. Rose & Stephen assumed he was dead but they went for help.
A tour group showed up and when they told them what had happened, the Tour Guides said they’d find him. One came back saying Dean was alive and talking. They started looking for a rope, which no one had on them. Then a guy (Ben) showed up in a jeep, and he had a rope in his car that he had put in that morning.
Dean said he felt hopeless until he heard a voice - it was Carl (Tour Guide) yelling for him.
He could feel rock around him, and a drop off beside him. Waves would pick up him up and set him back on the ledge. He had to walk around the rock wall and they used a rope to pull him up a waterfall to get out. He was in poor shape and had to wait over an hour for a helicopter to arrive and then it took 45 min to pick him up because of rock cliffs. This was the first time that Coast Guard crew worked together.
Their son was also in the tide pool and almost drowned, but his mom pulled him out. He went around and collected phone numbers of rescuers so his dad could thank them later.
All funds from sale of the book go to the hospital in St Croix that treated Dean. The facility was not in the best shape, but the professionals were really great.
The book tells the story of the accident and the set of events that saved Dean’s life, along with the ordinary people who stepped up to help.
The book sections:
The fall
The rescue
The Search for Meaning
All funds received from the book sale are donated to the hospital where he was treated. The Waggenspacks hope to help people understand how the little things you do can have a big impact on others. They believe that miracles happen when a bunch of little moments come in line.
They have a fund, the Rose & Dean Fund, under the Dayton Foundation that they use to collect funds for the hospital. Donations can be made directly to the fund.
The accident happened in November. They went back in April so Dean could meet/interview his rescuers.
President Ameloot thanked the Waggenspacks for sharing their story. She reminded everyone that each week we pay for 40 meals and have around 30 people show up. Bring others so we don’t waste those meals.
.png)
