Centerville eBulletin 08 27 15 (Aug 27, 2015)

The GREETERS

09/03/15 Robin Parker and Don Stewart

09/10/15 Erich Eggers and Don Gerhardt

09/17/15 Dan Johnson and Gary Kuntz

09/24/15 Ann Blackburn and Butch Spencer

If you cannot greet on the day assigned, contact Kitty and she will schedule a replacement.

08/27/15

Club President Brad Thorp opened the Centerville Rotary Club meeting at The Clubhouse at Yankee Trace by leading the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. Sivaji Subramaniam gave the prayer, and Brad led the singing of God Bless America, which was an awesome rendition, perhaps because of the large size of the room or the filling of that space with great voices.

The guests at the meeting included: Our speaker, Sean M.J. Mitchell of the Daybreak shelter in Dayton; Assistant District Governor Wendy Kissel of Middletown Rotary; Al Scott of Miamisburg Rotary; recuperating from a fall, Walter Senney, father of Jeff Senney; and Regina Beckel, wife of member Pat Beckel, who will be working out of his insurance agency, starting in Springfield.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

President Brad was back at the helm, having returned from two weeks in Alaska. He said he was impressed with the size of Alaska, which is more than twice the size of Texas. He said Denali National Park has six million acres, and he saw six grizzlies, 14 moose, and caribou and dolphins, along with "a lot of hitchhikers."

Brad said that at the club's Monday Board meeting, they learned that the District will give the club a $1,500 grant for the dictionaries and thesaurus books and has given a $1,000 grant for Operation Warm and $500 for Habitat Project Read. No international project money has been granted, but the club hopes to partner with another club to work in that direction.

Pat Berkel subbed for Sgt.-at-Arms Erich Eggers, wearing a pink shirt, that member Ron Hollenbeck made fun of while standing by Pat, also making it impossible to get a picture of Pat without putting him in the dark because of the reflecting tape on Ron's new Rotarian at Work vest. Ron stands to the right of Pat, but you can't see him, as to get a clear picture without adjusting the camera, he had to be cut out of the camera's view. Sorry Ron.

Boyd Preston said our club will have its Bob Evans Community Fundraiser day on Tuesday, Sept. 1 from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Bob Evans will donate 15 percent of sales when you present the flyer regarding same to Bob Evans at time of check out.

Brad said the pancake breakfast tickets should be available at the next meeting. He said members are reminded that the club is trying to have everyone participate in a service project and said Daybreak would be one option in the Spring.

Happy Bucks: Happy Bucks are still going to Operation Warm

Pat said 54 more coats are needed. At the last meeting that Happy Bucks were donated, $753 was collected. Boyd offered to pay for five coats at this meeting and others offered to buy one or two coats or parts of a coat, so our goal is getting near.

You can almost see Ron in this picture...and you can make out the vest if you try hard enough

Speaker: Sean M.J. Mitchell, of Daybreak

Boyd Preston introduced our speaker, noting that he graduated from Milton High School and the University of Toleldo, studying communications. He has worked for Daybreak for the past eight years, starting out as a case manager, and now working with the group's outreach program. He is on the Miami Valley Association of Volunteers and the Hope Road Board that advocates for kids to help them travel the right paths.

Sean began by thanking the club for inviting him to speak at the meeting and being a group that believes in giving back to the community.

He said Daybreak has evolved over the years from a small building on Wayne Avenue to an enlarged program that includes Emergency services, dealing with youths with mental health and other problems, a housing program with 24 apartments in Dayton and 30 apartments scattered about the area. Those coming to Daybreak are taught life skills and such things as knowing how to weatherize their home, pay bills, and keep a clean house.

Sean said homelessness often stems from a lack of employment, so they have an extensive employment program, teaching youth how to set goals, study, and keep a job. The program has a dog treat bakery in which the youth can learn packaging, do baking, and do team work, etc.

Sean showed a video in which a number of young people gave testimonials on how the Daybreak programs have helped them. One young woman needed a place to be able to sleep through the night without fear of her single mom fighting with her over various matters. Another suffered from depression because of her home situation. A young man ended up sleeping in his car when his parents both passed away. He had to learn how to make a home for himself, and Daybreak helped him do that, he said. Someone can feed you as a child, but Daybreak gives you the spoon so that you can eat on your own, he said.

Another young man who became a member of the National Guard, was in a family of seven children. He got adopted at age 12 and was separated from his siblings. He left the family after high school and knew that he could either choose a man's homeless shelter or Daybreak. Daybreak was the answer to him finding his way in the world, he said. He said they answer the question of "what can you do to better yourself."

Another woman who is a hospice employee now went to Daybreak to ask for assistance in paying her rent for a month. A single mom, she was raising her son alone. Daybreak told her they could help her for a longer period. Not only could she pay her rent, but she could also now focus on her son and try to give him a better life than she had, she said.

Sean said forty years ago Daybreak was just a little house on Wayne Avenue but now has up to 85 clients. The outreach program hands out food and blankets and offers laundry and shower facilities and provides transportation where needed.

The bakers of the dog treats go to festivals selling treats, he said.

People can help with donations of money and other needed items such as tooth brushes and tooth paste and foods easy to fix. The program ends at age 25 but goes up to age 19 in the shelter, he said.

According to the program's Web site: Daybreak was established in 1975 in Dayton, Ohio as an emergency shelter for runaway and homeless youth. Today, Daybreak operates the Miami Valley’s only 24-hour crisis hotline and emergency youth shelter and has grown to include outreach, prevention, transitional housing, life-skills education, and other follow-up services for runaway, throwaway, and homeless youth. Daybreak is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.