President Chuck King thanked our official greeter and helper.
President King announced the winners of the 4-Way Test Contest. Three Alter High School students took the prizes. First place went to Anna Sweeney, with the topic Mental Health; Second place was a tie with India Murphy on Expelled for Hair Braids, and Anna Brown, on Gossip. The First place winner gets $100 and goes on to the final contest, while the two second place winners will each get $75 from our club, he said.
President King presented a check to Lee Truesdale for the FoodBank for $1,517.
The three Paul Harris pin recipients absent from last week's presentation by Frank Scott, were called up and presented with their new pins.
It was mentioned that Don Overly, who received his Paul Harris plus 7 pin, was the club's first president in 1972.
Joyce Young received her Paul Harris plus 6 pin and Mike Wier received his Paul Harris plus 2 pin.
The Senneys will be hosting an event at Zinks, Tuesday March 31st from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. featuring guest speaker Andra Watkins, a best-selling author and motivational speaker, who spoke to the club August, 2018. If interested, RSVP Jeff at jsenneny@pselaw.com.
President King said Service Days will be in late April and include Hannah's Treasure Chest, the Food Bank, Project Read, and Shoes for the Shoe-less.
Ron Hollenbeck was absent last week as he went with Greg Bixler to Florida to meet with and hopefully partner with clubs there to do more projects in Africa to provide clean and fresh water. He said they were able to hook up with a company called ECHO, based in Florida. It helps small farmers around the world who farm on five acres or less. That's 70 percent of the farmers, he said. They help them collect water, and supply seeds from a seed vault. He said they have helped 5,481 people in the last year, with hands-on and practical training.
They have been around for 25 years in West and East Africa and Southeast Asia, he said.
Greg Bixler is now in nine countries and has installed 115 pumps and has 37 more to go in, he said. They have endorsements from both governmental and non governmental agencies, he said.
President King said the District Conference will be April 23-25 in Wilmington,OH. The project on the 25th from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. will be supporting "Sleep in Heavenly Peace," a project building beds for children who don't have any. Mike Watkins from Butler County was our guest speaker Dec. 5. They are hoping for 150 people to participate. Our board approved donating $500 to help fund materials.
District grant requests are due at the end of April. Operation Warm, Dictionaries and Thesauri, are on the agenda and possibly Caring cradle/cuddle cot.
Closing reports for Operation Warm showed we supplied 534 coats, and received $2,500 from the district to help with our purchase.
We got a $1,700 district grant that helped us buy and distribute 864 Thesauri and 792 Dictionaries.
He said there might be a chance to ask for a grant for a cooling bed as Doc Herman used for their still born child so they could be with it for a few days instead of just hours.
President King said Susan Schnell has taken the lead for RYLA for the club. In Mark Febus's absence, Sofie Ameloot contacted Liz Cameron at CHS and Interact students were sent the information and forms required. Sofie, Susan, and Mark are planning to meet with the Interact club this week. The deadline for students to submit applications was March 13. Three students will be chosen and there was a March 25 deadline for those selected to submit completed health forms and release of liability forms, but those dates might be moved back a day or so, he said.
President King said new members Dawayne Kirkman, Jill Reid, and Bill Menker are expected to be inducted next week.
Happy Bucks this Quarter go to the Alzheimer's Association.
Vice President Brian Hayes asked what was this Quarter's Happy Bucks for, and when he did he got a big laugh when someone shouted out the Alzheimer's Association.
Brian was standing in for Erich Eggers, our Sgt-at-Arms, and helped Gerry Eastabrooks, our club treasurer with the collecting of the Happy Bucks.
Brian said he had a sad dollar to give as his cruise to Hawaii was cancelled because of the recent virus scare.
Don Stewart gave noting that his daughter had come home to compete in a dance competition over the weekend and had to report to him that she left no gas in the car.
Others gave, ...Jim Stuart, Sury, Mark Febus who said he had a cruise to the Caribbean
planned. Jeff Senney said he had laser surgery recently and got back 20/20 vision. Others were just Happy, as Matt Kuhn. Mike Wier announced a number of upcoming concerts...one on March 12 at Bellbrook High School at 7 o'clock. One on March 22 in Springboro with the Columbus Brass Band, and one at the Masonic Temple. See him for more details.
Joyce Young said she was Happy to be back and we all are happy to see her back, as some expressed with their Happy Bucks. Terry Hanauer said his daughter was married Saturday. Lee Hieronymus gave $5 "to honor each of these lovely ladies at the table." Ron gave to honor the 4-Way-Test winners, and Sophie gave for having everyone home again. Susan Schnell gave for UD and wore their colors in honor of all their recent wins. She said something about March 21 and a pancake breakfast to help the Centerville band, etc. Elda Gotos Gay gave for the 4-Way-Test winners. Jill Reid gave to say the Rec Center still needs camp counselors for the summer.
Our Speaker of the Week was Lisa Hansford, Executive Director of The Castle in Centerville.
Vice President Brian Hayes introduced Lisa, and explained The Castle as a support group for the mentally disabled. The building used looks like a Castle, hence the name. He said Lisa has been executive director since Oct. 2016. She has a master's degree in conflict management and administration in mental health.
Lisa said she's been a social worker for over 20 years. She has a masters degree in conflict analysis and personal conflict. The Castle was started in 1987 and incorporated in 1993, she said. It moved to a non-profit on N. Main Street 26 years ago, she said.
She said the people who come go on two outings a month. There are 30 people on an outing. They have gone to a Dragon's game, and for many this was the first time attending a sporting event, she said. Many have schizophrenia. They've signed up 1,000 people since they started. Usually 30 people a day drop in. They are either driven there by someone, take a bus, or drive themselves.
a long-term mental disorder of a type involving a breakdown in the relation between thought, emotion, and behavior, leading to faulty perception, inappropriate actions and feelings, withdrawal from reality and personal relationships into fantasy and delusion, and a sense of mental fragmentation.
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(in general use) a mentality or approach characterized by inconsistent or contradictory elements.
"Gibraltar's schizophrenia continues to be fed by colonial pride"
Lisa showed a video of the clients, some of them daring to go on a zip line. This has meant life changes for some of the people, she said. One woman said: ""If I can zip line, I can do anything."
She went with her sister to Paris, Lisa said.
They needed an elevator at The Castle, and now have one, she said. The Castle is run through private donations. They also get some help through Wright State, churches and grocery stores, and grants.
The clients have camped out and stepped out of their comfort zones to get rid of their fears, Lisa said. She said one in four people suffer from a mental illness. Many say The Castle is a home away from home, she said.
It allows them to socialize. "We all need socialization," she said, "a support system." With a support system there's a 25 percent chance of recovery, she said. Through grants and private donations they've finally bought their property, she said. They had been renting it.
They took out pavers this year and made a cement paveway to make things more accessible, she said. They have a staff of five and 10 to 15 volunteers.
Mike Fanelli, a volunteer, was walking his dog one day, when they discovered The Castle and from then on he became a volunteer, she said. In the video he said that many families give up on living with someone with a mental illness and put them in group homes. If you go camping together you know someone cares about you, he said. They do Bingo, play checkers and play pool. He helps teach classes, fix lunch, and goes on trips with the groups.