President Arnie Biondo welcomed everyone to the Centerville Rotary Club and lead the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance. Ray Merz provided the prayer.

 

 

The quote for today: " I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples."

                  Mother Teresa

 

President Biondo had the following announcements:

 

Adam Manning shared about the All Ohio PETS (President-Elect Training). He discovered how organized our club is and said many are struggling with membership. Kudos to the club. Arnie was a facilitator and said it was interesting to see what other clubs are doing. The Springboro club has one speaker a month  and work on projects the other weeks.

 

Ron Hollenbeck said he has been sharing about the Heart to Heart program at many other clubs and still hasn’t found anyone who was aware of it.

 

Bob Sachs reported on the Golf Outing planning.

President Biondo said the Board meets next Tuesday 5:30 pm at Woodbourne Library. New members were reminded attendance at a Board meeting is one requirement to fulfill to get the new member ribbon removed.

 

 

The CHS Culinary Arts Management Team teacher and students shared a summary of a presentation that won 1st place at the recent Ohio ProStart Invitational. Mark Mitrovich instructor, introduced two of the four-person team - James Owsley and Andreas Meza.

 

Their concept was for a Solorio’s Restaurante with a focus on Latino culture. In marketing the restaurant, they developed a Tacos for Tots where they would donate 55% of funds to schools in food deserts.  Olé Email Loyalty Club would give perks to members. The students are responsible for developing marketing, return on investment, profitability, and floor plan design.

 

The curriculum is sponsored by the Ohio Restaurant Association. They will next compete nationally in Washington, D.C.

 

James said they won last year so had more confidence going in this year. They had a unique story with Andreas’ family connection. Judges love incorporating real life stories.

 

President Biondo noted the Board will consider making a donation to the team for their trip to Washington, D.C.

 

 

 

Happy Bucks were given generously for:

 

 

 

Nancy said she was a High School classmate with Lisa Goris-May! The main goal of the Good Works Farm is supporting families living with developmental disabilities.

 

Nancy is the founder and director of operations at Good Works Farm, which is located in Spring Valley Township, just outside of Waynesville. She grew up in suburbia, and has had to learn all about farming.

 

 

The farm started in 2012 as a way of support for her son, Sam, who has autism. 1 in 6 children are diagnosed with a developmental disability, she said, and there are a lack of services.

 

Sam was born with a metabolic disorder that caused autism and other issues. At age 25, he is still living at home. Early on, Nancy visited some group homes and didn’t like what she saw. She and her husband decided to do something different for their son.

 

 

Everyone is here for a reason to do good works.

 

 

In 2015, they started a summer day camp for ages 5+ with disabilities and their siblings, in partnership with someone who owned a farm. It started with 20 campers and quickly grew to 48 campers and they outgrew the space.

 

So they sold their house and bought a farm. The Good Works Farm provides many services:

 

 

They are looking to grow housing opportunities, but she’s not sure what that might look like.

 

Nancy said they are always looking for volunteers for summer camps, board members, advisors, help dig a pond, help with animals, or to purchase needed items from their Amazon wish list.

 

 

The morning is spent doing chores, and in the afternoon, they volunteer out in the community. The students have become best friends, who love to hang out together. When the group is out in the community, you can’t always tell who is staff and who is a client - that’s on purpose.

 

The farm has chickens, goats, rabbits, and a pig.

 

Nancy closed with these thoughts: Seeds of opportunity are planted and then independence grows. We see people, not their label.

 

For more information or to get involved, visit goodworksfarm.org