And here our soon-to-be inducted new member Mark Gerken comes in. He's Toledo born, but lived in various American cities before moving here.
And now two well-suited men stop to speak. It's non other than Jim Briggs and Centerville's new City Manager Wayne Davis.
And now you see one of the rectangular tables members were sitting at. Judy Budi, Carol Kennard, Kim Senft-Paras, and Joyce Young can be seen here.
And then at a round table we find Dale Berry, Brad Thorp and Pat Beckel.
President Peachy and Wayne talk as Dan Johnson enters the picture.
And Brian Hayes comes in dressed for the 32 degree cold outside....
And not to be outdone, Rebecca Quinones arrives in plaid with sunglasses on her head. Despite the sun, it was very cold and windy.
And Deb Dulaney is really dressed up too.
Steak anyone? The tables shook until the real knives arrived to help cut the meat.
And Raj Grandhi arrives with gusto and a big smile on his face.
Today's Guests included:
Dottie Overly, wife of Don Overly; and our newest member Mark Gerken, who was immediately sworn in with the aid of PDG Harvey Smith; and our guest speaker Judy Hadley, who came to speak on the Rotary Action Group Against Slavery.
We all know Dottie...so below you see Mark Gerken.
And here you see Judy Hadley in the picture below.
The Centerville Rotary Club met at The Golf Club at Yankee Trace at noon. President Peachy (Mark) Metzner led the Pledge of Allegiance; Brian Hayes made reference to the Christmas season, a time of mixed blessings and often loss and sadness, along with joy, asking for comfort and strength and love and charity, and Brad Thorp led another great rendition of God Bless America, sung by club members.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
President Peachy Metzner started with the induction of new member Mark Gerken.
Pat Beckel, Mark's sponsor reaches out to give Mark rabbit ears in the picture, but Mark is hidden by Harvey Smith.
And here we see PDG Harvey Smith telling how Mark is joining not only our club, but a world-wide organization of 1.2 million members, that has been involved in the eradication of Polio. Only three countries still have not gotten rid of Polio at this point in time.
And here the club members stand in recognition of our newest member.
And Pat Beckel shows his true colors, lauding his friend for his wanting to join the club to help in the community and do charity work.
Mark was asked to say something about himself and he started by saying he was born in Toledo, Ohio. He was inducted on a day when Pearl Harbor was attacked and he said he gives much honor to Veterans for their sacrifices. He said he has two daughters and relocated recently to Centerville after living in various places around the country. He works for Service Master in insurance restoration from such things as fire, water, etc. He said he wants to give back to the community and is excited about the charitable aspect of this club.
And then Peachy asked that the yellow tags from two of our new members be removed by their sponsors, as they had completed all the requirements of the new members. Ann Blackburn removed Sofie Ameloot's yellow ribbon and Sivaji Subramaniam removed Wayne Davis's ribbon.
Here we see Sivaji having a little trouble getting Wayne's ribbon loose from his member badge. Sofie is seated, having had her ribbon removed by Ann, who is seated to her right in the picture.
And here we see Sivaji with the yellow ribbon in his hands.
Peachy then asked Boyd to take a minute talking to the club.
Here is Boyd asking anyone who has not signed up for the Christmas dinner to do so....The dinner begins with drinks at 6, dinner at 7 and the Centerville Jazz Band playing at 7:30 p.m. Dress is business casual....depending on your business, as one member shouted out. Club awards will be at the end.
Peachy said at a previous club meeting that club member Joyce Young has retired after 20-plus years as a Washington Twp. Trustee and that a retirement celebration will be held in her honor at the West Rec Enrichment Center on Dec. 15 from 4 to 6 p.m.
Frank Perez was collecting gifts brought in for the 25 Adopt-a-Family wish lists. Dec. 7 was the first turn-in date for the gifts. Monday, Dec. 11th is the second drop off date.
HAPPY BUCKS:
Erich Eggers, our Sgt.-at-Arms, has been collecting Happy Bucks for BOGG, Because of God's Grace, which helps those in need with food and activities, etc. Gerry Eastabrooks passes the cup.
Peachy said the first quarter of next year the Happy Bucks will go to Brigid's Path, and the second quarter's Happy Bucks will go to Living Incentives, a group that emphasizes literacy and helps people get their GEDs. The third quarter will be devoted to Operation Warm, as in the past, he said.
He said new members might want to attend the Jan. 16th board meeting to get one of their requirements to have their yellow ribbon removed out of the way. All members are invited to attend board meetings, which are usually on a Monday, he said. This one will be on a Tuesday because of the MLK Holiday Monday, Jan. 15. The club always reserves a table at that holiday function, he said.
The first meeting of the year on Jan. 4 will be devoted to a Club Assembly.
The second meeting on Jan. 11 will feature Martha Boice as our speaker. She has dedicated her life to helping preserve Centerville/Washington Twp. historic buildings and sites and has been nominated for the Walk of Fame in Dayton.
Peachy said the District Governor sent some information his way about next year's District Conference. There will be no auctioning off of backets, so hold the wine, he said. And there will be no collection of new shoes. Instead they would like to have one large service project, he said. They want to bring back the kids camp, which is what Rotary is all about, family, and kids, he said. The Interact Club and the Rotoract Club are examples. There will be no large sit down dinner on Friday, but instead there will be food trucks.
Peachy began the Happy Bucks giving by saying he was "just Peachy." Good to hear that.
Phil Raynes said he is mostly a quiet guy but he wanted to give an inspirational speech for once.
He said our club needs to get a Rotary Bowling team together. He said he went bowling with the Dayton area bowling club on Monday and only scored a 92. But he wants everyone to know that "if you have hope and persistance, you don't need athleticism." The next time he bowled he scored in the 200s, he said.
Raj Grandhi's name is next to honoring Pearl Harbor Day and Boyd mentioned Pearl Harbor and Harvey mentioned Mark being a new member.
Mike Wier mentioned a number of concerts he will be in with the Brass Band over the holidays. On the 11th he said he'd be at Troy High School. On the 17th, a Sunday, he said they would be at the Methodist Church across from Fairmont High School. And then he'd be playing in Bellefontaine.
Judy Budi gave for Mark being a new member and Pearl Harbor Day and Carol Kennard gave for recognition by the Ohio Parks and Recreation for their work on the park property in Clark County, and also received first place as Planner for the Governor's Award.
This excerpt was taken from the Internet:
Ohio Parks and Recreation Association (OPRA) has announced its 2017 Annual Awards of Excellence winners and a number of local agencies have been recognized.
Locally, the Clark County Park District won a 1st place award in the Natural Resources & Conservation category for the Mad River Gorge & Nature Preserve project.
For decades, people had been trespassing to climb on the rock cliffs in Clark County. After partnering with representatives from local governments, businesses, climbing organizations and individuals who had a passion for preserving the climbing cliffs, the Clark County Park District received a Clean Ohio Conservation Fund grant to purchase three properties, preserving close to 78 acres of woods, meadow, river, former railroad trail, and natural dolomite cliffs.
Carol Kennard, Executive Director for the Park District explains, “Partnering with the Ohio Climbers Coalition provided knowledge and volunteers to help manage the climbing. Connecting with The Access Fund and Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics as well, brought national attention to the site while advocating for safe climbing and encouraging respect for the natural environment.” On a weekend in May, over 200 volunteers and 60 sponsors came together to build trails, clean up the former dump sites below the cliffs, and remove invasive species, officially opening the Mad River Gorge & Nature Preserve. “The community at large embraced the new nature preserve immediately, and the partnerships developed will help ensure its success as a destination location for outdoor enthusiasts,” said Kennard.
Kim gave for her library's recognition. The Washington-Centerville Public Libraries won a 5-star top billing. Ohio does well as the Internet shows.
STATES WITH MOST AND FEWEST STARS
The 2017 Star Libraries are found in 40 states scattered across the country geographically. The top four states, ranked by their numbers of Star Libraries, are New York (31), Ohio (25), Illinois (22), and California (13). There is a tie for fifth place between Kansas and Massachusetts (12 each). The Top Ten Star Library states are rounded out by Nebraska and Texas (11 each), Alabama (10), and Colorado (8). Like these Top Ten states, the remaining 30 Star Library states traverse the nation and are in every major geographical region.
Joyce Young gave a couple Happy Bucks, for the opening of Doc Dave's sports clinic and being proud of her grandson on his engineering exam.
Dave Trout gave $10 for his grandson at Kenyon College getting an ward in speech and getting to go to the UN Assembly for two days this week. He was also in the National Honor Society. He mentioned a relative in China, and said if you spoke English three times, they sent you back.
Jim Harris gave $5 for his birthday in December, and Sivaji gave for the removal of the ribbons, and Irene Ullmer, at 94, held up her dollar and when Gerry came to collect it, mom held tight and said, "You're always wanting money," to the laughter of the group. She did give the Happy Buck to Gerry. Doc Dave said he was just happy and Brad Thorp gave for his birthday, and Patrick Beckel gave for a trip he took to Hawaii. He also said he was bringing his wife to the Christmas Party and he asked "that you all shut up." He also gave for his friend Mark becoming a member.
Dan Johnson gave for going to Doc Dave's new clinic at the grand opening, noting that he won a raffle prize, a session with Doc Dave.
And Doc Dave thanked all the support he got from Rotary members at the grand opening.
Wayne gave and they called on him again and he said that's okay but he wasn't giving again.
Rebecca said the Interact Club at Centerville High School is collecting books again to take to an area school, where they also read to some of the students.
Jeff Senney gave $5 Happy Bucks, saying something about breaking ground for restroom spots marked off for a nature nook.
Ann Blackburn also promoted a Rotary bowling team, noting that Phil said he scored a 91 then a 205. "I am consistant," she said. "I am 75." Then she noted how much fun it is, whatever your score. She also gave for new member Mark. Brian Hayes said he was just Happy, and Ron Hollenbeck gave to make a quick announcement, noting that they need someone to step up for the 2018-2018 club leadership. "Let me or Peachy know," he said. "It is a great opportunity." He also welcomed Mark.
Then there was mention of a sister-in-law to..Carrollton?...and Andy being good, and Ray Merz...and a comment from someone else: "My mother used to say that too."..something about being a good brother...and then someone said, "You must have had another brother..."
Dr. Dave then thanked the Rotarians who supported his clinic's grand opening.
And then there was someone going to leave for somewhere in four weeks, and then Brad Huff gave for his daughter, a 13-year old who stands five-foot-eight, and was going to be in a basketball game, but he noted she plays in a league in the Columbus area.
Today's Speaker, Judy Hadley, discussing Rotary Action Group Against Slavery.
Member Chuck King introduced our speaker, noting that she was born and grew up in Columbus, Ohio. She has a bachelor of science in education from OSU and an M.A. and Doctor of Ministry from the United Theological Seminary. She taught in the Columbus school system for two years, in the Arlington, Mass. school system for a year, in Oakwood for a year, and was on the United Methodist Council on Evangelism for eight years. She has been with Christ United Methodist Church in Kettering for 20 years. She is married to Robert Hadley, a retired attorney, and has three children. She is a member of the Kettering Rotary and presently serves as chaplain to the Order of St. Luke, an interdenominational group focused on prayer. She also leads grief recovery groups, weekly prayer services, and an anti-human trafficking group. In her spare time she is a watercolor artist, he said.
Judy said she attended the International Rotary Convention with her husband, where she learned about the Rotary Action Group Against Slavery. She said she became involved in learning more and trying to work against such slavery about seven years ago. She said world-wide the numbers reach into the millions. Slavery is controlling people by force, with the intention of getting money. The drug trade surpasses the slave trade, but the human slave trade is in second place, she said. There is forced labor, on farms, in factories, construction, landscaping, in hotels, etc. And then there is sex trafficking. The average person thinks this involves just prostitutes and people in countries like Thailand and India, but "it is right here in Ohio," she said. The fourth largest city in the country for human trafficking is Toledo, Ohio, she said. What helps are the two highways, 70 and 75, which allows the traffickers to be out of the state in two hours. They are stopping at the truck stops and in our area at the malls and sports venues when big events occur.
She said there is a coalition of sixty different groups working in the Miami Valley area that meet once a month to try to create awareness about the human trafficking. They've developed a curriculum for high schools to use and 27 schools around the area at the high school level have created an awareness of what is happening. They are also working with Senators and Representatives to get laws, and in October went to Washington D.C. and talked to them about what they want to see happen in Ohio. She said the sheriff's office said 1,000 young people in Ohio were trafficking. How do they get the runaways? They are alone and have nowhere to go, she said. Malls are at the Interstates. She said they raised money to do a mall campaign and put posters in the malls. They had them in the Dayton and Fairfield Malls for several months, she said. The biggest event for the trafficking is the NCAA Tournament, she said. "Two thousand women are trafficked in for that event." They've put posters in UD Arena and the malls, she said. March Madness also brings them into hotels, she said.
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