05/24/2018  Frank Perez and Tom Broadwell

05/31/2018  Don Gerhardt and Sofie Ameloot

06/07/2018  Greg Horn and Dan Johnson

06/14/2018  Katie Neubert and Carol Kennard

 

Our official greeters today were Tom Broadwell and Frank Perez. Tom arrived first and greeted a lot of guests this day. Important ones at that...Here's Tom with Jim Briggs and John Callander.

 

And here's our own Dale Berry with none other than our District Governor Mark Mabelitini, of the Sidney Rotary, come bearing gifts...

 

Doc Hoback arrived and is signing in.

 

Jim Briggs is always a stand-in greeter and is seen greeting our president-elect Boyd Preston.

 

While inside the room our Vice President Chuck King talks with President Peachy Metzner and Jim Harris, who has been setting up again this month.

 

And another important guest, Frank Scott of the Dayton Rotary, arrives. He's been helping Kim Forster gather support for a global Rotary scholarship to study in London.

 

Brad Thorp arrives ready to lead us in singing My Country Tis of Thee again, just for Mike Wier, our music man, who likes us to vary our song, but was not there last week when we did. Behind him you see Kim Forster coming in, who will speak to the club and thank us for offering to serve as her host club for the Rotary global scholarship.

 

And here's our speaker of the day, JoBeth Hopp, executive director of Threads of Miami Valley, a non-profit organization run with 100 percent volunteers, designed to supply free clothes, coats, shoes, etc., to under-resourced individuals in Montgomery County. 

 

Another guest came with JoBeth, Randy Patton, president of the board for Threads of

Miami Valley.

 

Here Tom Broadwell is seen greeting another guest, Carol Hughes, of the Springboro Rotary, who has been appointed to become our Assistant District Governor next year. She is also president of the Springboro Chamber of Commerce.

 

Centerville High School Principal Jack Durnbaugh is shown here with Tom.

 

And ever-lovely Dottie Overly, wife of member Don Overly, is shown here with an especially-lovely coiffure this day.

 

And Eric Beach arrives with a big grin. And the hair behind him belongs to Tom, but looks like his, but then it would be an updo.

 

Our other official greeter for the day Frank Perez arrives and chats with Boyd.

 

He suggests taking a selfie with the photographer, so we do. 

 

Then Frank comes in to greet some of the guests who arrived before he did.

 

Jack and Harvey Smith join in conversation.

 

And Ben is bringing in the lunch, wraps with ham and cheese this day. (Or turkey?)

 

A return guest is Noe Camp, daughter of Sofie Ameloot.

 

 

President Peachy Metzner presided over the meeting.

 

 

Our District Governor Mark Mabelitini of the Sidney Rotary Club brought a candle to light in memory of the recently deceased Rotarians in our club, Rick Terhune, Jack Workman, and John Laufersweiler, so that these dedicated members can be remembered one more time. 

 

 

Our District Governor then presented our club president with a token pin for his work as president and with a small white banner and two certificates for the club, one recognizing our work to end polio, and the other for being one of the top three clubs in the district in per capita giving for the Rotary Foundation. Our club gave $239.20 per capita, while the top Mason-Deerfield club gave $273.29 per capita, and the third highest club, the Vandalia Rotary, gave $227.56 per capita. 

 

And in another generous gesture, DG Mabelitini presented honorary club member Irene Ullmer with a pin with Rotary's current motto, Making a Difference, noting that her help with the club is appreciated by all. 

 

President Peachy thanked our three retired ministers, Harvey Smith, Ray Merz, and Sivaji Subramaniam for the memorial service they conducted for our deceased members at our last meeting May 17 at the memorial grove outside the Kennard Nature Nook on McEwen Road in Washington Twp.  He also thanked our district governor for the honor of his presence and the presentations. 

 

Carol Hughes then came up to speak and tell us about herself. She is president of the Springboro Chamber of Commerce and has been appointed assistant district governor for next year. She said she is from England (Coventry in England's Midlands) and emigrated to America in 1993 when her children were 5, 7, 9, and 11. Her parents had come to the area for jobs at General Electric in Evendale earlier. Now they are all married or engaged, she said, and all off the payroll. She said she has had three different careers, as a teacher in the Lebanon and Springboro area, with the YMCAs in Lebanon, Butler County and Springboro for 15 years, and now as president of the Springboro Chamber of Commerce.

Carol said she promises to give 100 percent as our district's assistant governor. Then she told all the things she is expected to do just for our club.

DG Mabelitini said he put on all his extra weight visiting 52 clubs in 41 days. Some had lunches, some breakfasts, and some full-blown buffets.

Carol said she is expected to visit our club three or four times a year and to help us develop our goals and become one of the most efficient clubs. She is to help coordinate the district's clubs and give the strengths and weaknesses of our club and work with the incoming president Boyd Preston (a born leader), etc.

 

Kimberly Forster (After seeing her last name spelled several different ways in the past, I asked Kim how she spells it, and it is as you see it here, with one r and no e between the r and s), a former Centerville High School grad, came to let us know her better and thank us personally for agreeing to be her host club for a global Rotary grant she applied for to study at the School of Economics in London. She will also study international studies and when returning, go to law school, she said.

In 2009, as a Centerville High School student, she went on a week-long Centerville Rotary-sponsored trip to Brazil along with Rotarian Don Gerhardt and others to help set up a computer lab, she said. That inspired her to go back to Brazil later on a Fulbright scholarship.

 

President Peachy said she should let her parents know they are welcome to come and visit our club at any time.

 

The next board meeting is June 18 at the Centerville-Washington Park District office, Peachy said.

Peachy noted that Rebecca's wagon had some generous donations of PB and applesauce to donate to the House of Bread, but you can still bring in peanut butter and applesauce next week to help with the lunches needed for school children once the summer break begins. Pat Beckel's insurance office in Centerville can also be your drop-off point, he said.

 

Lee Hieronymus noted at a previous meeting that the Americana Festival on July 4th means he will be driving the fire truck in the parade and needs fellow riders to help squirt the crowd. He said those joining in on the fun should meet him at the Centerville City Building at 9:30 a.m. that morning. Bring any Super Soakers you might have, he said. Water will be provided.

 

Peachy said that the June 28 meeting at Benham's Grove will be when he throws...err..hands...he corrected himself...the baton to Boyd as the new president of the club. They are working on the program, he said.

He reminded everyone of the club get-together at the Rumble Seat in the evening of this day.

He also noted that he had received a Thank You from Brigid's Path for the check we gave them from our Happy Bucks donations.

 

 

Rebecca Quinones helped our Sgt.-at-Arms Eric Eggers collect the Happy Bucks.

In introducing our guests to the club, Erich had Rebecca introduce her husband Carlos to the group. She said, "He's the luckiest man in the world." 

Then Erich recognized the rest of our guests, including Noe Camp, who came with her mom, club member Sofie Ameloot. And Rebecca gave a shout out to Noe and her mom as part of the crew who helped her with drywall in her basement. 

Erich gave for Dr. Dave's chiropractic help in keeping him from pain while he golfs.

Lee Hieronymus gave and then Ron Hollenbeck gave, talking about going to Haiti to start the process of getting more pumps for safe water there, and then noting how Jim Briggs likes to wear wild socks, gave him a wrapped present, which fellow Rotarians urged him to open up and to their delight found that the socks feature Jim's face all over them, as seen in the picture below:

 

President Peachy gave, noting he is both happy and sad, as he has just three more weeks with the grandkids...tired, tired, tired...they make him at times...but also joy, joy, joy.

Chuck King gave and Joyce gave, and Mark Balsan, and Mike Wier...and I couldn't hear them all, except Mike said something about God Save the Queen, whose tune we borrowed from the British for our own tune of patriotism.

Brian Hayes was just happy, and well-dressed as ever...and Dale Berry said he was glad to be back in town. Greg Horn said tongue in cheek, that he had turkey today while his mouth had been watering for chicken for months...as if we had chicken at EVERY meal...and what's this about turkey, when some of us at least had ham? 

Our DG Mark said he was happy to be here and a number of members gave for our guests, and Carol gave for missing next week's meeting as she will be in Rhode Island to see her daughter dance there for the last time before moving to Pittsburgh. and I think it was Kim who said she gets to visit her daughter and grandson.

Centerville Principal Jack Durnbaugh gave to talk about Nick Huffman, 13, a junior, a baseball standout, going to Clemson after his freshman year...not clear on all the details here..

 

Judy Budi gave and Doug Brockman, and Katie Neubert, noting that all the proceeds from a concert at Miami Gaming would be going to SICSA. K-99.1 is sponsoring 4 bands, she said. And she also said that on Saturday the Lift Your Leg charity walk/run, which last year had 500 dogs, would be at Centerville High School.

And Frank Scott gave, thanking guests and our club for helping out.

And Boyd gave for Ron Hollenbeck going to Haiti to make contacts for getting water pumps there.

And Arnie Biondo gave for Noe Camp being at the club and for Mike Wier and Don Stewart wearing bright orange shirts, Illinois colors. He also gave credit for Carol Kennard's 33 years as Park Director, for the Park District being one of four finalists for a national park district award..."All her work is coming to fruition," he said. 

 

 

JoBeth said the program is a volunteer-based community effort. It's a non-profit organization, a 501 (c) (3) program that is 100 percent volunteer led.

The program gives free clothing, shoes, coats, and small appliances, etc, to under-resourced individuals in Montgomery County. For the past ten years they have been in operation, starting in 2008. It all started with an annual clothing drive, but in 2011 the Miamisburg Christian Church, 33 Lawrence Ave., opened its doors to allow them to work out of there. There is no minimum income requirement and is open to anyone in need, regardless of where they live or come from, she said.

Clients include families referred by local school districts, patients of behavioral health facilities, fire victims, and the homeless.

The organization supplies clothing to similar outreach groups and assists local first-responders in crisis situations. Grandparents often end up with the children when the children's parents are drug offenders or recovering addicts, she said.

She gave as an example: "Last night a lady came who had no appointment. She came from 

Artemis House, a shelter for victims of domestic violence. She came with two children, who only had the clothes on their backs," she said. "In 45 minutes she had clothing, a toiletry kit and some books."

Another family was in a fire and could move in with another family, but it didn't have bedding enough for them. 

She said they serve about 100 families a week and the family can come every three months. 

She cited statistics that state one in five families in Montgomery County live in poverty.  In Dayton it's more like one one three families, she said. She said 53 percent of all children in Dayton live in poverty.

Volunteers are needed to help with sorting, client sessions, administrative support, setting up 45 minute appointment for clients, picking up donations, etc. She said they are going mobile with an event this summer. They need men's jeans and T-shirts and collared shirts, and financial support.

Also needed are extra small shoes and coats and extra large coats and shoes.

They are located on a bus line, which makes the program accessible for those without a car.

She showed the following slides to help explain the program.

And