Centerville eBulletin 06 08 2017 (Jun 06, 2017)

Rotary's Theme for 2017-18

The GREETERS:

07/06/2017 Jack Durnbaugh and Brad Huffman

07/13/2017 Frank Perez and Don Gerhardt

07/20/2017 Graham Ross and Lee Hieronymus

07/27/2017 Dave Trout and Mark Febus

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

Meeting on 06/29/2017

Jennifer Gibbs and Harvey Smith greeted this day at Benham's Grove. Harvey is seen here greeting Kim Senft-Paras, Club Foundation Director. Jennifer is behind them with out-going club president Ron Hollenbeck.

Brian Hayes is greeted by Jen Gibbs. Jen is standing in too much light for the camera.

The "Peach" man is back. Peachy Metzner, aka Mark Metzner, our new club president, returned for the installation of new officers. He has been on a leave of absence, working on health issues.

And it's with the great Peachy smile and a bottle of water that Peachy celebrates his return to the club.

The Centerville Rotary Club met at noon at Benham's Grove for the passing of the presidential baton and the installation of the new board members for the 2017-2018 club year. Outgoing club president Ron Hollenbeck led the Pledge of Allegiance, Ray Merz led the prayer, and Brad Thorp led the singing of God Bless America.

Today's guests included: President Ron Hollenbeck's wife Lori Hollenbeck.

Lori is seen here on the left. The rest from L to R are: Ron Hollenbeck, Jack Workman, Don Gerhardt, John Callander, Tom Broadwell, Jim Harris and Irene Ullmer.The next picture shows a few of the same people a bit better.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Club President Ron Hollenbeck gave a few announcements at the outset of the meeting.

He held up the thank-you notes written by our exchange student Saloni Bagwani, who now is back in India. She wrote one to each member, so if you have not picked up your note yet, see Ron at one of the next meetings.

Ron reminded those who plan to ride with Lee Hieronymus on the 1927 fire truck in the Americana July 4th parade, to meet him behind the city building at 9:30 a.m. that day. Super Soakers are welcome.

Ron then announced to everyone's delight that "The Peach man is back today."

Ron also noted that the club will not be meeting at Yankee Trace on Aug. 17 because of a large event being held there. The club will meet on that day at GraceWorks. More about that later, he said.

Before handing the engraved baton to our new club president Peachy, Ron paused to take a look back at what the club has been doing over the past year and more. He mentioned Boyd Preston's efforts, with the help of others, to make our Service Days "something big."

The House of Bread saw how much the club steps up to the plate, when others did not show up to help the day our six volunteers were there recently. Hannah's Treasure Chest has benefited from refurbishing and repainting, and DayBreak has seen our members baking and making and packaging product. The club has contributed How-to books to Habitat for Humanity at the dedication of houses to the new owners, to help them maintain the house and ownership. With about ten collection bins around the area, the club has collected several thousand donated books for Project Read, that then go out to schools and organizations to help with literacy.

Just recently, Ron learned that our third water pump furnished with contributions from club members, has been installed by Design Outreach. They said they will be sending us information about the two installed in Mali, Africa.

Ron said we were a bronze contributor for the Rotary 30/31 joint institute, and contributed to the Abraham Lincoln statute at Courthouse Square in Dayton, and sent three students to RYLA, and gave out five $2,000 Rotary student scholarships, and got Ray's picture in the paper with several of the students who received the scholarships, etc.

Ron said that at the last board meeting the board, which had set as a goal of having $100,000 in the Centerville Rotary Education Foundation, made the last donation to that fund to reach that goal, for investment purposes.

The club has supported the CHS Interact Club which didn't exist until our ever-hard-working Kim Senft-Paras got it going again, he said.....and here the club members all applauded loudly, as they had at the new Peachy is back.

Our literacy program in which we give dictionaries and thesauri to third and fifth graders in the school district, included 750 and 800 dictionaries and thesauri, Ron said. Our Operation Warm donated 441 new coats last year, and we have donated 1,350 coats over the past four years, he said. Our pancake breakfast, our biggest fund-raiser is going into the hands of club member Adam Manning, managing Carrabbas, who knows a thing or two about the food business.

The club also adopted 20 families at Christmas time, providing them with gifts.

Saloni, our Indian exchange student, is now back home.

Membership grew by 15 members but we lost seven of them, two through the death of members Fred Weir and John Laufersweiler.

The club had 16 new Paul Harris Fellows and 13 members moved up to the next Paul Harris level.

Ron said he wished to thank the current board members, and called them up to be recognized: Kim Senft-Paras, wearing two hats, as Youth Services Director and New Generations Director; Carol Kennard, Club Affairs Director; Brad Thorp, Immediate Past President; Mark Balsan, Club Secretary (absent this day); Gerry Eastabrooks, Club Treasurer; and seasoned veterans, Harvey Smith and Sivaji Subramaniam. Ann Blackburn was also called up for her great job at recruiting new members for the club. He also called up Kitty Ullmer, who writes and edits the club's e-Bulletin...(with Carol Kennard doing the top photo headers in the Bulletin).

Carol is seen in the picture below taking some of this weeks toppers. She was assisted by club member Judy Budi, as Carol was in a number of the group photos of board members.

Here's the board group honored, with photo taken by Kitty. Judy took one with me in it...They are holding gift pens presented by Ron. His wife Lori, who sat by me at the table, told me Ron made all the pens. He is a wood shaper, who crafted each from special woods. Wow...They not only look good but they write well too.

As the group gathered the tables filled up. At left table is Boyd Preston and Chuck King. At table on right is Butch Spencer and Lee Hieronymus.

Here we see L to R: Carol Kennard, Butch Spencer, Lee Hieronymus, Frank Perez, Doug Bockrath, Ray Merz, and Judy Budi.

Here are: Rick Terhune, Deb Dulaney, Jeff Senney, Harvey Smith, Dave Trout, and Ed Flohre.

And here's Jim Briggs, Dale Berry, Brian Bergmann, Gerry Eastabrooks, Phil Raynes, Bob Fry and the Peach man himself.

The light shines brighter on these folks: Brian Hayes, Brad Huffman, Arnie Biondo, Mark Febus, Jen Gibbs, Kisha Taylor, and Joyce Young.

Here you see Bob Fry better in the turquoise blue shirt, and Adam Manning with the badge on at the next table...Raj Grandhi is to the right.

Here we see Sally Beals, Doc Hoback, Kim Senft-Paras, Boyd Preston and Chuck King.

This again shows most of the pen recipients.

These people were clapping for Peachy, our new president, whose name had just been called.

Peachy is now at the left in this picture.

And now Ann Blackburn has joined the group. New member recruiter of excellence. (P.S. If you flip through these pictures fast, it can almost seem like a video.)

And now for the grand finale: Ron passes the engraved baton to Peachy, who Harvey then installs as our new president.

Peachy gives his name as Peachy Metzner, but Harvey makes him go back and be sweared in as Mark Metner...Peachy being his AKA.

No, Peachy is not giving it back...We just needed another picture of the passing of the baton.

And this was the actual oath taking.

Peachy then presided over the end of the meeting, thanking all the members for their support and for their fellowship and good wishes on his health issues.

The new board is sworn in. Sgt.-at-Arms Erich Eggers was absent from the meeting, but will again fill that job. The new board includes Boyd Preston as president-elect, Chuck King as vice president, Gerry Eastabrooks as treasurer, Mark Balsan (absent) as secretary, Kim Senft-Paras as Director of Club Foundation, Mark Febus and Rebecca Quinones (absent) sharing the job of New Generations Director, Frank Perez, director of community services, Brad Huffman, director of club affairs, Joyce Young, director of Rotary Foundation. Boyd, Frank and Chuck were all part of getting three grant applications, which have been approved. They are all pictured at the top of this Bulletin.

And Peachy has the last word. He said though we will not have a youth exchange student in the upcoming year, he hopes that work continues with that program in planning for the coming years. And Ron was presented with a present for his excellent year of service.

Ron has his present and looks like he is opening it.

Kidos to Ron Hollenbeck, who has done a terrific job as club president.