President Frank Perez welcomed everyone to the Centerville Rotary Club and led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance. Harvey Smith shared a prayer with the group.

President Frank Perez provided these announcements.

 

 

Sofie Ameloot announced we will write thank you notes for sponsors of the golf outing after today’s meeting. Please stay to help if you can.

 

Ron Hollenbeck shared there was a program on Malawi wildlife rescue on National Geographic yesterday, and it was good to see the topography of the area. The global grant approved for 20 Life Pumps for $307,000 had the first disbursement approved. The funds will now go to Design Outreach to implement and start to install the wells.

 

Pat Beckel announced the first Party in the Park is tomorrow night from 6:30-8:30 pm at Stubbs Park. They will be showing Back to the Future on the big screen. Lots of outdoor fun will be presented 3x this summer.

 

 

Pat Beckel was our Sergeant at Arms today and introduced our guests: Mike Hess who was neighbor of Ray Merz and is his current dentist and prospective member. Boyd Preston introduced his guest, Larry Marchand who is VP Sales at United Grinding in Miamisburg, and a prospective member.

 

Boyd asked what the fine is for being on front page of DDN. Pat Beckel then paid a $20 fine. And Judy Budi also paid a fine for being in the Dayton Business Journal. Graceworks was recognized as being the 37th largest company in the area and they also had an article about their challenges coming out of COVID.

 

 

 

 

Judy Budi:

I want to welcome our guests to the Centerville Rotary Club scholarship winners’ luncheon. We congratulate all of the graduates and their proud families for everything these students have accomplished. It has been a tough senior year and your resilience is commendable.

During our interviews of the students we shared a bit of information about the club.  Rotary is an International Service organization with clubs around the globe focused on clean water and sanitation projects; polio irradiation; basic education and literacy; peace and conflict resolution; maternal and child health; and economic and community development. Interact and Rotaract are the branches of Rotary established to encourage young adults to participate in community service at an early age. There is an Interact Club at Centerville High School. Our graduates might want to consider joining their respective university’s Rotaract Club.

The Centerville Rotary Club’s Educational Foundation provides scholarships to graduating seniors from the Centerville/Washington Township community.  Criteria for these awards is based on financial need, participation in service oriented projects and potential for success in college or trade school. Since 1975, we have awarded over $240,000.00 in scholarship money.

Members of the Foundation Committee are Sofie Ameloot, Deb Dulaney, Mark Febus, Harvey Smith, and Ray Merz. Deb is our secretary and I am the chair person. Rotary member Brad Thorp is our Investment Manager. I also want to thank Centerville High School Counselor Samantha Stingley for her assistance this year as we worked through this with school. We conducted the interviews via Zoom but since that time, the health orders have been modified and we are now able to meet them and their family members that joined them. Thank you notes received.

 

The money for the scholarships traditionally comes from the pancake breakfast but this year the golf outing supports the program.

 

I want to thank Kim Senft-Paras and her daughters for selecting the books. – supporting one of the Rotary areas of interest, literacy

 

 

I will introduce 4 of the 5 recipients. Jeffrey Zhang is out of town this week and send a taped message. Jeffrey grew up in rural Iowa and saw first hand the health disparities of living in rural America on Medicaid. Her parents were immigrants and completed advanced degrees which ultimately led them to Dayton. Jeffrey volunteers at the Chinese School mentoring and supporting individuals learning English. Jeffrey plans to attend the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business with a double major in finance and healthcare. He wants to impact the health disparities of rural America in the future. After Centerville’s HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) chapter closed his sophomore year, he started a new community service oriented chapter which now has 35 students and worked this year to raise awareness of antibiotics and opioid addiction. He was active in Science Olympiad and Science Bowl and mentored special education students in United Sound.

 

The book selected for Jeffrey:

My Own Country by Abraham Verghese: A story of medicine in the American heartland and confronting one's deepest prejudices and fears. Nestled in the Smoky Mountains of eastern Tennessee, the town of Johnson City had always seemed exempt from the anxieties of modern American life. But when the local hospital treated its first AIDS patient, a crisis that had once seemed an “urban problem” had arrived in the town to stay.

 

 

Jade Eilers- Jade is here with her Mom Alisha Eilers.  Jade plans to attend Butler University in Indianapolis and major in Strategic Communications and Journalism. Jade works at Bob Evans. She has been involved in many service opportunities and I can’t list them all. Because of her father’s addiction and lack of involvement in her life, she has a passion for a drug free world and messages for youth to prevent addiction and enhance self esteem. She has been a national presenter in schools on anti-bullying and anti drug messages, she has spoken at the United nation on International Drug Prevention Day and is active in Bold. She has been a leader of the Ohio Youth-led Prevention Network at the statehouse and volunteers at Daybreak. In addition Jade has appeared in productions and was Miss Ohio High School America in 2020 and Miss Teen Ohio International in 2019. She is also in the National Honor Society.

One of her references noted jade is an exceptional student whose rare balance e of achievement, leadership, community service, and strong character make her truly stand out above her peers. Another noted that one day, Jade will be a leader in the field of her choosing and she will continue to serve as a positive role model for youth.- to watch her create change as a youth advocate.

 

The Book selected for Jade is:

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi:

Novel about a Ghanaian family in the USA, the main character is the daughter who is pursuing her PhD in neuroscience studying addiction because her brother died of a heroin overdose as a teen

 

Jade gave thanks to the club for our support, noted she will attend Butler University and hopes to one day be a successful reporter or news anchor. She wants to encourage teens to believe in themselves; has seen too many turn to negative things to deal with stress. She encourages them to talk about their feelings, and know they are not alone.

 

 

Kenny Hughes- Kenny is here with his parents Mark and Elizabeth Hughes. He plans to attend the University of Cincinnati and major in marketing. He chose UC because of the great co-op program. He has been part of the Marketing Career Tech Program and participated in DECA creating two different marketing campaigns. Kenny works at DLM. He is active in Boy Scouts and achieved his Eagle Scout in December 2020. His project was the refinish the 9 large rolling uniform cabinets. He has been awarded the Arrow of Light Award and served as an assistant Patrol Leader. He was a member of the Jazz Band where is was designated trumpet section leader, and multiple other band and symphony related groups. He has volunteered for United Sound and really enjoyed he volunteer work with Joyride (exclusive car club for children with disability) and the Schneider House of Hope. There are other volunteer activities he included in his application. This guy stays busy. His scout leader describes him as an outstanding young man.

The book selected for Kenny:

The Culture Code: the secrets of highly successful groups by Daniel Coyle: A New York Times bestseller, the author of The Talent Code unlocks the secrets of highly successful groups and provides tomorrow’s leaders with the tools to build a cohesive, motivated culture.

 

Kenny thanked the club and noted he hopes to one day be a marketing manager, and turn his passions into community service to make the world a better place.

 

 

Olivia Meintel- Olivia is joined today by her mom Megan Rosenbeck. Olivia has 3 younger brothers. She plans to attend Xavier University and become a teacher with a sign language minor. Her social studies teacher has inspired her to be a teacher. She works at DLM. She volunteered at Bethany Village escorting residents to church and activities prior to Covid and with Safetyville. She is a member of the  Interact Club and the French Club in which she served as an officer and is in the National and French Honor Society’s.

One of her references noted that Olivia has the intelligence, compassion and drive to be extremely successful and will bring a great deal to anything she is involved in.

 

Daughters of Yalta: The Churchills, Roosevelts and Harrimans: a story of love and war by Catherine Grace Katz: The experience of the daughters of Churchill, FDR, and the American ambassador to Russia at the Yalta conference at the end of WWII.

 

Olivia said she will attend Xavier University to become a teacher; Mr. Rogers at CHS inspired her to go into teaching history. She hopes to help educate youth to stand up for injustices they see.

 

 

Eleanor Yates-McEwan plans to attend the University of Dayton and ultimately pursue a pathway to law school. She will major in philosophy. She currently works at Siebenthaler’s Nursery as a cashier. Eleanor shared with the Committee how her involvement in Mock trail influenced her desire to be an attorney and that she feels that law with be a way to promote integrity and serve as an advocate for others. She listed 4 awards she received though these competitions both at Centerville and Ohio. She plays the cello and has been active in several Orchestra groups at the high school and Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. She has competed in several cello solo competitions. She also volunteers with United Sound and is the French and National Honor Societies.

 

Her mock trial coach spoke to Eleanor’s ability to think on her feet, think critically, absorb complicated and nuanced materials, be prepared, provide humor and support to her team. She is very prepared and confident. He further noted that her creativity, mixed with her scholastic aptitude and down to earth nature make Eleanor a well-rounded person that people want to have as their friend. Not only do I expect her to succeed in her studies at college, I expect she will enrich the campus community.

 

Eleanor that had her dictionary at the interview, showing the committee she remembered getting it in 3rd grade!

 

The book selected for Eleanor:

 Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson: Bryan Stevenson was a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending those most desperate and in need: the poor, the wrongly condemned, and women and children trapped in the farthest reaches of our criminal justice system. One of his first cases was that of Walter McMillian, a young man who was sentenced to die for a notorious murder he insisted he did not commit. The case drew Bryan into a tangle of conspiracy, political machination, and legal brinksmanship—and transformed his understanding of mercy and justice forever. Just Mercy is at once an unforgettable account of an idealistic, gifted young lawyer’s coming of age, a moving window into the lives of those he has defended, and an inspiring argument for compassion in the pursuit of true justice

 

Eleanor said thanks to the club, noted she is happy to meet everyone and that the scholarship means a lot. She wants to learn how to solve problems and felt law was best way to make the world better. She wants to focus on civil rights, human rights, and environmental protection, noting we have to have a world to live on.

 

Judy then wished all students the best and encouraged them to keep in touch.

 

Frank congratulated all of our scholarship winners, noting when the year started with Covid, not sure what all we could do. But it was decided early on that we would make sure we did the scholarship program. Ray recognized Judy for her leadership of this committee.     

 

Frank then led the group in reciting the 4 Way Test and wished everyone a good week.