The guests at the meeting included: Dottie Overly, wife of Don Overly; Andy Merz, son of Ray Merz; Doug Bockrath, a former member who has had his application to rejoin the club accepted. Greg Birkemeyer, Assistant District 6670 Governor.

 

Before the meeting, the Pancake Committee members met to review the successful Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser 

held Oct. 22 at Centerville High School. They talked about what was most successful and how well the changes made this year benefited the smooth running of the event. They also looked at where there was less success, such as

in getting enough volunteers, and the need to have just Rotarians be the Greeters. Below is a picture of the hard-working group who helped put everything together to add to our success.

 

 

The Centerville Rotary Club met at noon at the Clubhouse at Yankee Trace Golf Course. President Ron Hollenbeck led the Pledge of Allegiance, Ray Merz gave the prayer, and Brad Thorp led the singing of God Bless America.

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS: 

 

At a previous meeting Club President Ron Hollenbeck reminded members of the upcoming Rotary Leadership Institute Nov. 5.

 

Ron said we should be thinking of our pick for the Rotarian of the Year Award, as next week we will be nominating the Rotarian of the Year. Doug Bockrath will also become a member of the club next week.

 

Boyd Preston noted at the last meeting that Friday, Nov. 18, will be our next service day at the House of Bread. Volunteers are needed from 9 to 2 p.m. to help with making and serving a warm meal to those in need.

 

Jim Hester spoke about the youth exchange, noting that three families are needed to host each exchange student. Our exchange student Saloni Bagwani needs a host parent from December 2016 thru February 2017 and a host parent from March 2017 thru May 2017. One host family has dropped out and Saloni will next be with host Ram Nunna.

You can contact Jim Hester at jhester@lcnb.com or 740-505-8547

 or Kim Senft-Paras at kparas@wcpl.lib.oh.us or 937-610-4420

 or Rebecca Quinones at moverebecca@gmail.com or 850-374-2943

 

Carol Kennard, a super co-chair of the Pancake Breakfast committee, noted that the tickets sold at the door were lower than last year's number, but the tips were higher, 70 percent higher, probably because the guests all got great service. "We didn't have a line ever," she said.

Sophia, the 11-year-old daughter of Rebecca Quinones, who helped serve, stole everybody's heart, Carol said.

Carol said 900 people came to eat pancakes and the club raised more than $19,000 with the help of the pancake eaters and sponsors. "It was a great event," she said. 

 

President Ron Hollenbeck said the club received a letter from Cassandra of Daybreak regarding our Happy Bucks contribution to Daybreak. She thanked the club and said that at Daybreak she learned about the health care field and that our contribution helped make a difference in her life and outlook.

 

Our Assistant District Governor Greg Birkemeyer was back again, having attended our last meeting and our Pancake Breakfast, only this time he came bearing a gift of a $3,200 district grant, money the club had applied for to help with our grant projects.

 

Greg explained the way the Rotary Foundation works. Every year clubs give to the annual Foundation fund, and three years from now 50 percent comes back to the club. Our club gave $19,000 last year and this year's goal is $20,000, he said. Greg said the Foundation is also still working to eradicate Polio. This is National Polio Week, he said. He said he had an aunt who couldn't walk because of Polio. She reached the age of 74 and he spent about seven years driving his aunt get to places she needed to go. Bill Gates still gives $2 for every dollar Rotary gives, he said. He noted that this is the 100th year for the Rotary Foundation, started by Paul Harris and a few business friends of his. The first donation was $26.50, which is about $536 now, he said. If everyone in the District gives at least $26.50 to the Foundation, there would be $150,000 in grant money three years from now, he said.

Greg said 25 grants totaling $40,000 were awarded throughout the district.

HAPPY BUCKS:

Sgt-at-Arms Erich Eggers was absent so member Pat Beckel collected Happy Bucks for A Day of Caring, 365. 

Pat said he had missed a number of meetings, though he and his boys helped at the Pancake Breakfast, so he was starting off the Happy Buck with his giving. He claimed that this Pancake Breakfast "was the best one we've ever had." He said Sofia, the child of Rebecca Quinones, helped make his day. She was so efficient that everyone else paled though they also did their jobs well. His two boys also helped out in an outstanding way.

Brian Hayes gave Happy Bucks for all the compliments he got on his red suede jacket.

Shelley Fisher gave five Happy Bucks for a number of things, including the beautiful entrance at the Pancake Breakfast and A Day of Caring, 365.

Raj Grandhi gave Happy Bucks and Carol Kennard gave $20 for being Happy and seeing Pancake Breakfast Day go so well and for her Nittany Lions beating the OSU Buckeyes, and she called out Dick Hoback for e-mailing her and claiming victory for OSU in advance of the final outcome.

Dick Hoback gave $10 for missing the Pancake Breakfast while being on a Disney Cruise with his grandchildren, and also mentioned that Jim Harris had hip surgery and thus was not at our meeting.

Peachy gave for the Pancake Breakfast and for seeing Jeff Senney scoot around with his knee on a scooter taking pictures of the people at the breakfast, and not just staying home for recovery. Jeff's wife also helped as a voluteer as she has every year. 

Boyd Preston thanked the Pancake Breakfast folks and Kim Senft-Paras gave a number of thanks including going to Cline Elementary School and helping hand out dictionaries to the third graders. "They were so excited at getting those dictionaries," she said.

Don Stewart gave $5 for the way the kitchen staff worked together and for Ray and him delivering dictionaries to the children at Driscoll Elementary.

Lee Hieronymus gave $20 for Don Gerhardt getting the gas for the pancake grills and Chuck King gave to tell of a Kiwanis Club member taking one of our place mats to see how we did things and see if they can do their job better. He also talked of helping give out dictionaries at Cline Elementary School.

Rick Terhune gave thanks for the batter mixers and John Callander and Don Overly gave Happy Bucks, mentioning OSU, and Bridget Herzog gave for Sofia's great service at the Pancake Breakfast A woman running the gifted program in the schools told her she never had seen someone work that hard with so much intellect and so engaging, and said that she would love to have someone like her in the gifted program. 

Mark Febus gave Happy Bucks and Ray Merz gave for his youngest son Andy who was his wheels for the day, with Ray not being able to drive for having had surgery for carpel tunnel syndrome in his one arm. He and Don Stewart delivered books at Driscoll, he said, and also he had a relative who just had her 103rd birthday. She flew her own airplane until she was 95, he said.

Jennifer Webb said she has a son in the gifted program and a daughter with straight A's. Both made the competitive basketball team, she said. 

Rebecca Quinones thanked her whole family, for help at the Pancake Breakfast, including her daughter Isabel, who helped seat people as they came in.

Mike Weir said he went on a cruise and found a Rotary Club symbol announcing a Rotary meeting on board ship. He went to the meeting place but was the only Rotarian to attend, he said.

Jeff Senney gave for being able to stand up now, though the scooter gets him around, and for 11-year-old Sofia, the star of the serving crew.

Jennifer Webb gave $10 for her first year working the Pancake Breakfast and a number of other items including the Jersey Boys...etc.

Tracie Hoker gave and then our president Ron Hollenbeck gave $20 for the Pancake Breakfast and the guys hauling all the heavy stuff back to the storage barn.

Pat Beckel and Peachy and Boyd appear next in my notes with a $4 notation and Boyd circled, and all I know is that Boyd then began talking about a Ted Talks video he wanted us all to see. 

It showed a number of scenarios pointing out how much better people feel when they don't spend money on themselves, but on other people. Money doesn't always bring happiness, but it can help to spread joy if you spend it right, the video points out. Spending too much can get us into debt and make us anti-social, but helping others with our spending can bring joy and health and other good things about. The amount spent isn't all that important in bringing happiness. It's the giving and sharing that help bring joy, as we see how others benefit. It was also found that when people were given money in a team situation to spend on themselves or each other, there was much more satisfaction when the spending was on each other. I am reminded of a time when an aunt and uncle from Michigan visited our home in Dayton with their three young children. Their mother gave each of them the same amount of money to buy something for themselves. The two boys decided they would pool their money to get their younger sister what she wanted. This was at no urging from their mother or the young girl. The boys couldn't have been more than six or seven years old. I was a bit older and yet extremely impressed at their selflessness at that age. Obviously I have never forgotten what Gene and Rick did for their sister Brenda. They continued in their giving ways as adults and Rick goes each year on a big charity/walk/drive in Upper Michigan.

Ron said "it personally makes me feel good that we have 414 coats this year" to help keep kids warm...from Operation Warm Coats and our Happy Bucks. The new coats are being distributed through Hannah's Treasure Chest and local social agencies.

Another salute goes out to Sofia Quinones and the volunteers from Interact and member's families who gave so generously of their time and services during Pancake Breakfast Day. We salute our sponsors and the helping staff at Centerville High School, who not only helped during the Breakfast serving time, but before and after in setup  and take down of tables, and removing used containers, etc. 

The meeting was adjourned with the club members reciting the Four-Way Rotary Test