Dan, seen above on the right, explained what Hannah's Treasure Chest is all about for those new to the community and club. He said it gathers donated items, from toys to clothing and car seats and bedding, to get to those in need through areas social agencies. The families do not come to Hannah's but work through the social agencies, he said. They have a large warehouse area with everything organized by age and gender. The agency tries to help children in need, he said. Their group met there on March 11 and included Arnie Biondo and his wife Nancy, Dick Hoback and Ann Blackburn. They painted a room to be used by new mothers who volunteer. They also painted a hallway and wall. They were there about four hours, Rob said. They also helped with organization.

John Callander spoke of the group who volunteered at the House of Bread in Dayton. Jack Workman, who always helps out there for Rotary, is seen sitting below.

John said what they took away from their experience this time was a sore back and frozen feet and hands. They had to empty a packed freezer that was zero degrees, he said. Cleaning out the freezer was one of the worst jobs they have had there, as they usually all work at just preparing and/or serving the meal. He said he knew they were helping the charity, as no one else wants to do that job. He said they do get to eat a good stir-fry meal there, as most everything ends up in stir fry and they even had oysters in it this time. And there was some filet mignon. They served 200 people a warm lunch and knew that for some it would be the only meal they had until the next day. He said many have plastic bags in their pockets to put things in for later. It is something everyone should experience, he said. A large crew of Rotarians helped out at various tasks. He named them off rapidly, as Sara, Lee, Don, Jennifer, Mark, Rebbeca, Jeff Senney...the picture taker...and Deb...

Gerry Eastabrooks spoke about the group's work at Daybreak. The baker didn't show up, so they ended up packaging the dog biscuits, she said.

Gerry described Daybreak as a shelter for homeless teens, anyone from 8 to 10, up to about age 24. The kids get three meals a day and learn working skills in the bakery. The younger kids are kept separate from the older ones, she said. They were given a tour of the facilities. The rent is $450 a month but the youth pay $40 and get tokens for other things they do and learn to help pay for the rest of their stay, which can be up to 90 days, she said. Tokens can be for going to school, going to a counselor, social interaction, etc. The facility used to be on Wayne Avenue, but was moved to a new facility. Interact kids from CHS were impressed by the rooms and how in one a young man had hung up all his track medals and ribbons, and had his room neat as a pin, Kim Senft-Paras said, who said they met the on-site staff. Profits from the sale of the homemade dog biscuits (which can be bought at the Antiques Mall behind Sam's Club, and the Second Street Market, among other places), go to Daybreak to support the program. Bags at the Antiques Mall sell for $5 and have different ingredients, from peanut butter to apples and cheese, etc. They come in different shapes, from hearts, to bones, etc. 

Eric Eggers spoke of a second group that worked at Hannah's Treasure Chest.

Erich said that his group, which included Joyce, Harvey, John Beals, Ron, Peachie and Raj, did some repairs. They installed a handrail and put hinges on donation boxes. They helped find a roof leak and worked on a mailing list for the organization. He noted that Hannah's Treasure Chest is also working with us to get all the winter coats our club purchases to the children in need, usually around 300 coats each winter. 

Frank Perez, otherwise known as the box man...for leaping into the three big boxes at the end of the day to hand up the books no one could reach...spoke of Project Read. Erich Eggers and Centerville City Manager Greg Horn, retiring from his city job in July, are also seen in this picture.

Frank said those helping included, Kitty and her mom Irene, Jim Harris, Chuck, Boyd and his wife, and Mike. He told how the group sorted the three huge boxes of children's books by grade level for reading by looking at each book. In the three hours the group was there, along with a few other volunteers, including Chip Houghton, the original owner of Look at a Book, now turned over to a volunteer group with profits going to Project Read, sorted and packaged 4,800 books, he said. "We had a good time and worked very hard," he said. "I would highly recommend working at Project Read." 

Jim Hester spoke of the Rotary Service Day at the Food Pantry at St Vincent dePaul

Jim said there were 36,000 baskets/bags of food donated to St. Vincent dePaul's Food Bank. They needed to sort out the canned goods and created an assembly line to then pack the cans for donating. They worked from 8:20 a.m. to 10:30, done a half hour earlier than expected, he said. He said he and his wife found the work very rewarding, as did the others who participated in the program. People come and get food for their families through the program, he said.

Boyd Preston spoke again at the end, noting that he has gotten a lot of feedback from the organizations we help, noting that the Rotarians have done what they cannot find others to do, such as painting a room and cleaning out a freezer. He said they say we make a huge difference in the lives of others, and that they are grateful for that. It is also getting the word out into the community that this is what Rotary is about: Service above Self, he said. 

Pictures of the groups at their various sites can be viewed on the Centerville Rotary Facebook page. 

The club members ended the meeting by reciting the words of Rotary's Four-Way Test.