President Sofie Ameloot welcomed everyone to the Centerville Rotary Club and led reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance. PDG Harvey Smith provided the prayer.
Quote of the day (provided by Don Overly): "He (or she ) who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life," Mary Lou Retton
Potential members Julie Eversole & Mark Kottman with President Ameloot.
Interact Club Advisor Ben Lawson, with Interact Officers Ben Edwards & Nate Borgerding.
Announcements:
- Thanks to today’s greeters, Adam Manning & Boyd Preston.
- Welcome today’s guests: Julie Eversole & Mark Kottman, prospective members; Ben Lawson Interact advisor, and Ben Edwards & Nate Borgerding, Interact officers; and Steve Silverberg, Assistant Governor.
- Thanks to those who attended the MLK Breakfast on Monday. Lynda Blackmon Lowery told her amazing story of being only 14 years old when she participated in the “Bloody Sunday” march over the Edmund Pettis bridge. She was beaten by the police and received 35 stitches. She was then the youngest to participate in the march from Selma to Montgomery (54 miles.) Thanks to the Centerville-Washington Diversity Council for setting up these incredible programs.
- First full week in February will be a Service Week. There are three opportunities to put together journals for Crayons to Classrooms & blankets for My Very Own Blanket, given to foster children. No sewing skills required.
- Monday, Feb 3; 4:30-6:15 pm at Yankee Trace
- Wednesday, Feb 5; 5-7 pm at Dayton Diaper Depot
- 2175 Leiter Road, Miamisburg
- Saturday, Feb 8; 9:30-11:30 am at Dayton Diaper Depot office
- 2175 Leiter Road, Miamisburg
- Thanks to Boyd, Ron, Adam, and Crissy for serving on the Bylaws review committee
- Youth Exchange poster was placed on the tables to help find another host family for Enzyme. Arnie took her to North Carolina this past weekend to meet with the new outbound students. Please take copies of the flyer to hang at your church’s bulletin board or give to friends.
- You can still join us for the annual Rotary Foundation Dinner with Mark Maloney, former Rotary International President, on January 30 at the Beavercreek Country Club. Registration is available on DACdb.
- Our next RLI session will be this Saturday January 25, 2025, at the Laurel Oaks Campus. Please mark your calendar and plan to attend and continue your RLI curriculum.
- We will have a Club Assembly on Feb 6, which will also be the kick off for our golf tournament.
- Jeff Senney announced our next social will also be on February 6, at Zinks Meats & Fine Wine, 4:30 - 7:30 pm. We will provide wine & finger foods.
Happy Bucks this quarter will go for Rotary District 5300 Fire Relief (LA area)
Brad Thorp was Sergeant at Arms today, with assistance by Brian Hayes.
Brad noted he talked to his friend (DG for Rotary District 5300), who said they are seeing overwhelming support already, and truly appreciates our club’s support.
Happy Bucks were generously given by:
- Jim Stuart was tired after having to work remotely because of the cold weather
- Kristin Hutton was excited her son is 99% potty trained!
- Lee Hieronymus had no farm report today but noted Harvey is interested in the environment and cows so stay tuned for next week’s farm report.
- Adam Manning was happy to be back from Florida.
- Uriah Anderson is excited to go ice fishing next weekend - in Ohio!
- Harvey Smith for CA fires
- Elda Gotos Gay was happy
- Carol Kennard was happy
- John Carroll for Ben Lawson, who is an awesome teacher, the students here today, and was happy to talk about the Centerville Education Foundation.
- Sofie Ameloot was happy for Julie & Mark being here and today’s speakers
- Wyatt Thorp will be in Florida the next couple of weeks, and his son is 0% potty trained :-)
- Chuck King was happy
- Brian Hayes gave last week’s pledge
- Jim Harris gave last week’s pledge and encouraged the students to share information about our scholarship program with others.
- Dale Berry is on the board of CWHistory, who is preserving history by producing Podcasts of community leaders. The latest episode features Carol & John Kennard
- Steve Silverberg was happy to be working with this club and is impressed with our work to assist with the CA fire recovery.
- Jeff Senney for CA fires, and is happy Mark is joining our group
- Mark Kottman was happy to be here and hopes his application is accepted
- Gina Smith for today’s guests & the new members
- Crissy Allums celebrated the OSU Buckeyes winning a National Championship
- Brad Thorp for Carol & John Kennard, and noted Carol is like the “team mom” for our Rotary club.
Our speakers today were Dr. Chelsea VanHorn Stinnett, Trustee & John Carroll, Coordinating Principal at CHS, sharing information about the Centerville Education Foundation (CEF).
Chelsea explained the main focus of the CEF is to award grants for students & staff.
2024 Hall of Fame
They award grants to teachers, bus drivers, custodians, and all staff. Education is the foundation of the future of our community
It is the mission of the Centerville Education Foundation to generate and distribute financial resources and other resources for enrichment programs and projects aimed at enhancing and increasing educational opportunities for students, faculty, and staff in the Centerville City Schools.
Chelsea said she chose to return to live in Centerville because of the quality schools.
What do they do?
- Fundraise for teacher grants & scholarships (creative things beyond curriculum requirements)
- Honor the excellence in their educators, students, and community members during the annual Hall of Fame event. Teacher awards, Excellence awards by building, Alumni, Community Advocate, and Lifetime achievement. The Hall of Fame list is now listed on their website.
- Highlight the excellence of Centerville City Schools throughout the community. Web presence. Also looking for new members on board.
How to get involved:
Donations:
Most donations go toward teacher grants. Every dime goes back to the community/students.
Partners
Partnerships in awareness and work in tandem with the School District. If you have an idea of project, let them know. They are currently accepting applications for Trustees - people who are invested in the school system.
The Hall of Fame Event will take place on April 30 at Yankee Trace. It is open to the public.
John Carroll shared some of the best projects awarded:
- Schools are becoming increasingly diverse. Elementary Schools looked for books, toys, and dolls representing diversity of the school
- Market garden farm next to CHS. Environmental Science teacher got a grant to develop and manage the farm.
- Engineering tools such as plasma cutters, 3-D printers, etc.
- Pollinator gardens at most buildings now. Bird feeders that bring birds close to windows for viewing.
- STEAM projects.
The CEF was founded in 1983 when people wanted to do endowments for those who make an impact. There is a Dave McDaniel scholarship, honoring a long-time principal of CHS. There is also a fund for underprivileged students. They are happy to partner with families who want to serve kids and they can help you set up a fund.
Teacher grants amount to around $15,000 per year. They raise $15,000-20,000 each year and hope to double that in the next 5 years to expand scholarships and teacher grants.
It is all locally funded. Building grants are generally up to $1,000.
Some endowments are managed by The Dayton Foundation, but some of the funds are managed by local financial people.
They are looking for trustees who have fundraising experience.
You can sign up for their newsletter - they won’t bombard you with too many asks.
John thanked Rotary for supporting CEF through a program sponsorship each year.
President Ameloot thanked Chelsea and John for sharing the information, led reciting of the Four-Way Test, and wished all a good week.
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