President Adam Manning welcomed everyone to the Centerville Rotary Club and led the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance. Brian Hayes provided the prayer.
Today’s announcements:
- Inspirational quote: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” Winston S. Churchill
- Thanks to our greeters today: Brian Hayes and Andi Share.
- Guests today include our first host family for incoming exchange student from Chile - Julie & Ty Wilkinson; Brad Huffman’s daughter, Bella; Joanna Garcia from the Beavercreek Club; Vimbai Mazani from the Middletown Club (and prospective member); guests of Wayne Davis - Pat Turnbull and Tyler Roark (prospective members); guests and parents of Gina Smith - Ed and Linda Werner, who just moved to Centerville.
- The next Board meeting is Monday, 7/31, 5:30 pm at Woodbourne Library.
- Pancake Breakfast committee meeting is Thursday, Aug 3, 11 am at Yankee Trace. Please join the committee as there are many ways to help. And in the words of Arnie Biondo, Sr., “Many hands make light work.” Pancake Breakfast is confirmed for the 4th Saturday in October (28th) at Centerville High School West Commons.
- Upcoming birthdays - Gina Smith and Ron Hollenbeck. Happy Birthday!
- Crissy Allums announced $1400 has been raised so far for Operation Warm. Thank you!
- Arnie Biondo is now membership chair and asked to meet with prospective members after the meeting.
Happy Bucks this quarter are going toward Hannah’s Treasure Chest for Operation Warm, providing winter coats to children in need.
Sergeant of Arms today was Pat Beckel, with help from Jim Stuart.
Happy Bucks were generously given for:
- Pat Beckel paid a fine for missing several weeks. He announced the Wall that Heals opened today at Yankee Park, and will be open 24 hrs/day through Sunday. It is 2/3 size of original wall. He also noted the success of the FREE summer concert series at Stubbs Park on Sunday nights, and noted the Wilkinson’s daughter Elyse performs at Party in the Parks, and has a beautiful voice.
- Cody Terrell for a good week at camp, but is happy to be back.
- Amy Hary was happy.
- Adam Manning generously gave for 2 coats.
- Brad Huffman for his guests, and for a great vacation in Europe, but he is happy to be home.
- Wayne Davis for guests, table mates and great turnout today.
- Joanna Garcia for allowing her to come back again!
- Scott Kujawa was happy to be here.
- Dick Hoback said he loves hot weather :-(
- Bob Sachs for Operation Warm.
- Jim Harris for Operation Warm.
- Brian Hayes generously gave for 4 coats.
- Crissy Allums for Operation Warm.
- Jackie D’Aurora was happy to be back after successful surgery.
- Harvey Smith, Elda Gotos Gay, Ron Hollenbeck, and Chuck King for Operation Warm.
- Ray Merz was thankful for the person who invented air conditioning.
- Lee Hieronymus gave Harvey’s farm report: With the dry spring hay was not as good and now with consistent rains, can’t get hay off and may not have the quality or quantity they hoped for. However, crops are doing well.
- Carol Kennard announced her 2nd retirement - her last day as Executive Director at Clark County Park District is Friday, August 4. However, she signed a contract to help with grant projects through the end of the year.
- Ron Bowersocks for making it through another July.
- Don Stewart is going on vacation next week with his wife’s side of the family, where he will be playing lots of golf.
- Gina Smith is back from vacation and is happy her parents moved to Centerville.
- Rand Oliver shared a prior exchange student, Andreas has twin daughters who have been in the hospital for a month in Ecuador, please keep them in your prayers. He shared a Dad joke: What do you call an illegally parked frog? Answer: Toad/Towed. And his son shared a dad joke with him: What do you call two black eyes and an unfinished deck? Answer: Dad, then Rand shared the story of his accident while working on his deck. Rand also gave a celebration of CWPD and quality of people who helped put up the Wall that Heals - their professionalism, hard work, and camaraderie demonstrate there is a great work culture at the Park District. And as a Viet Nam Vet, it was moving to see them share in honoring those who didn’t return home.
- Wyatt Thorp’s happy bucks were simply, “I’m a dad!” Congrats, Wyatt!
- Brad Thorp followed with, “I’m a grandpa!” And he had a great visit to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons.
- Arnie Biondo was happy to see Jackie back, and reminded all to join at the airport on August 9 to welcome our exchange student from Chile. More details to come.
Our speaker today was member, Bill Menker who is Patron Services Manager at Washington-Centerville Public Library.
Bill started by giving thanks to the club for sponsoring the Wall that Heals and for club member volunteers.
Bill shared information about our award-winning library and the mission: To inspire life-long enrichment through diverse opportunities for connecting and creating. They joined the Maker Movement which allows learning through doing where people enjoy getting together to make things. The library started with ten Maker Kits and now have more than 50. There is a lot to borrow from the library, not just books.
The Makerspace opened last year, called Creativity Commons where people can use tools for free.
At the Fixit Clinics, you can bring broken household things, learn how to disassemble and fix them rather than go to landfill. You actually participate. The program teaches people techniques and concepts. Fixit Clinic is a national organization.
First fixit-type clinic was founded in Amsterdam in 2009 and they can be found in libraries, schools, community centers, etc.
The library holds Fixit Clinics quarterly, alternating between Centerville and Woodbourne locations. They added Montgomery County Environmental Services as a partner in 2019, which helps when they need to dispose of unrepairable items. Through this program, they have diverted tons of items from the landfill.
How it works
- Sign waiver - including that it could make it worse
- Record item specifics, make, model, year, problem and weight (gets recorded in national database)
- Disassembly and diagnosis
- Repair - required to bring any required parts. Can leave and come back same day or next clinic.
- Mark designated outcome:
- Repaired
- Assessed repairable, but couldn’t here
- Not repairable - many items today are not repairable
Bill said they have a 75% successful repair rate at their Fixit Clinic. National average is 70%.
They define success by getting the community together to learn new things, sustainability, electrical concepts, engineering, electronics, etc.
Bill shared about the Right to Repair Movement - many manufacturers don’t want consumers to be able to fix items themselves - won’t provide information or parts. Legislation has been introduced to provide fair access to service information and affordable replacement parts. John Deere is one company who doesn’t share, and Apple finally started sharing information in 2021.
Next clinics are August 5 at Woodbourne Library and December 9 at Centerville Library, 1-4 pm. The are always looking for additional coaches.
Most unique item? Someone brought in a black Singer sewing machine that was over 100 years old and used by her grandmother. They got it working again.
Do they video the repair sessions for people to watch later? They don’t but
ifixit.com has several videos.
Any items they won’t do? Requirements are:
- Have to be able to bring it into library
- No combustion engines, no gasoline
- Must be clean
Most common items are vacuum cleaners, lamps, stereo equipment, VCRs, audio visual equipment.
President Manning thanked Bill for the informative presentation and announced next week’s greeters are Lee Hieronymus and Amy Hary and the speaker is Washington Township Safety Educator Scott Henry.
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