Meadowbrook High Interact Club inducts new members

Pictured: Interact Distinguished Service Citations—Levi Snyder and Cody Gann.

Pictured: Meadowbrook Interact 2010 inductees--back row: Tyler Tickle, Devon Cork, Karli Tellop, Macie Penrod, Miranda Miser, Rachel Jirles, Jessica George, Erica Clouse; front row: Katie Kovalchic, Katlynn Tonnous, Kaila Czigans, Erikka King, Erin Smith, Trislyn Treherne, Bria Graham, Tessa Bickford.

Reading for April 27: April Rotarian, "The view from San Quentin," p. 30.

Additional meetings:

• Chicken BBQ planned for April 24--CANCELLED.
• April 29, 12N, Plus 1 Pizza, Board meeting.

The Byesville Rotary sponsored Interact Club at Meadowbrook High School inducted 18 new members on Tuesday. Rotary members attended the induction ceremony which was held at the high school library.

To qualify for membership, students interested in joining Interact were required to attend all Interact meetings held during the school year. They were also asked to volunteer as workers at two Rotary sponsored events such as the chicken barbeques or the Christmas food basket program. Rotary members were able to meet most of the new inductees at these work events.

The 18 new members inducted are: Tessa Bickford, Erica Clouse, Devon Cork, Kaila Czigans, Jessica George, Bria Graham, Rachel Jirles, Erikka King, Katie Kovalchik, Miranda Miser, Macie Penrod, Erin Smith, Karli Tellop, Tyler Tickle, Katlynn Tonnous, and Trislyn Treherne.

Interact Clubs are Rotary’s service clubs for young people ages 14-18. These clubs are a good opportunity for students to get involved in community service and to get acquainted with local business and community leaders. The clubs are sponsored by a local Rotary making them true “partners in service” and key members of the Rotary family. The Meadowbrook club is the only Interact Club in Guernsey County.

Principal Dalton Summers, Interact Director, also awarded Distinguished Service Citations to club members for their enthusiasm, willingness to work on club projects and dependability. Award winners for 2010 are Kody Gann and Levi Snyder.

The club’s next meeting will be 7:30 am, April 27, at the Stop Nine Senior Center at 60313 (GPS use 60299) Southgate Road, Byesville. Anyone interested in learning more about the Byesville Rotary can call Membership Chairs Marty Patchen, 740-685-3828, or Larry Miller, 740-439-2767.

Byesville Roatry learns about MWCD plans for maintenance

Pictured: Chuck Fair, Speaker Host; Darrin Lautenschleger Public Affairs Administrator, JWCD; Joe Waske, Pres. Elect.

No readings for next week. Special meeting at:

Meadowbrook High School Library for Interact Induction at 7;30 am.

Donates and coffee.

Darrin Lautenschleger, Public Affairs Administrator of the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD), spoke to the Byesville Rotary about MWCD goals in the coming years. Established in 1933, MWCD’s original goals were to reduce loss of lives and property by creating a system of dams and permanent lakes or reservoirs within the 18 counties forming the district.

Currently, The MWCD is responsible for 14 reservoirs and dams. It partners with the Army Corp of Engineers to develop and maintain the dams. It functions as a political subdivision of Ohio. The MWCD is the largest conservancy district in Ohio.

The system of dams and reservoirs developed over 70 years ago is beginning to show its age. MWCD is developing plans to maintain and repair different elements of the system. In addition, MWCD is working to solve problems associated with sedimentation, erosion and water quality.

Failure to maintain the system of dams and reservoirs can have significant economic consequences. The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers estimates that the MWCD flood control system saved about $475 million in property damages during 2004. In addition to preventing serious flooding, the lakes in the MWCD attract 5.5 million visitors every year who spend money at local businesses.

The club’s next meeting will be 7:30 am, April 20, at the Meadowbrook High School Library. Anyone interested in learning more about the Byesville Rotary can call Membership Chairs Marty Patchen, 740-685-3828, or Larry Miller, 740-439-2767.

Byesville Rotary welcomes new member

Pictured: Marty Patchen, Membership Chair, Jim Vaughan, new member sponsor, Darlene Miser, new member, Phyliss Jeffries, Byesville Rotary President.

Reading for next meeting:

• April Rotarian, "The Rotarian conversation with Greg Mortenson," p. 36.

Events:

• April 20--Interact induction at Meadowbrook High School library, 7;30.
• April 24--proposed date for first chicken BBQ--workers needed, see Bill Hartley
• April 30--Health Screening at Methodist Activity Center--appointment required.
• May 2--Annual golf Outing Fundraiser--3 person teams needed, call Larry Miller

Byesville Rotary is pleased to welcome Darlene Miser to the club. Darlene is a local businessperson and owner of M&M Delivery and M&M Feed and Supply.

Phyliss Jeffries reported that the club’s Breakfast with the Easter Bunny served doubled the number of people served compared to last year.

The club’s next fund raiser is their Annual Golf Outing which will be held on Sunday, May 2, 8:00am at Wildfire in New Concord. Club members are recruiting 3 person teams. Fees are $55 per person. Lunch and cash prizes are included in the fee. Monies raised by this fundraiser will support scholarships given by the club to Meadowbrook High School seniors.

Anyone interested in participating in the golf outing can contact Larry Miller at 740-439-7606 or lmiller@pebo.com, Trent Black at 685-2525, or Trevor Black at 685-2550.

The health screening the club co-sponsors with SEORMC will be held April 30. Appointments are required. Call 740-435-2900 beginning April 19 to schedule an appointment.

Club members began planning for their first chicken BBQ of the season. A tentative date has been set and volunteers are needed to work.

The club’s Interact club will hold its induction ceremony Tuesday, April 20, 7:30 am at Meadowbrook High School. This event will take the place of the weekly meeting. Members are encouraged to attend in support of the students participating in this group.
The club’s next meeting will be 7:30 am, April 13, at the Stop Nine Senior Center at 60313 (GPS use 60299) Southgate Road, Byesville. Anyone interested in learning more about the Byesville Rotary can call Membership Chairs Marty Patchen, 740-685-3828, or Larry Miller, 740-439-2767.

Easter Bunny Breakfasts with Byesville Rotary

Dr. Joe Smith, Byesville Rotarian; Charney Fitz, Coordinator of Adult Basic and Literacy Education (ABLE); Stevie Fairchild, Adult Education Coordinator for the Guernsey County Literacy Council; Joe Waske, Pres.-Elect, Byesville Rotary.

Byesville Rotary Easter Bunny encourages Caroline Gilligan to read.

Readings for next week:

• March Rotarian, "Social networking," p. 23.
• April Rotarian, "President's message," p. 1.

Jim Vaughan reported that preparations for “Breakfast with the Easter Bunny” are complete. He said that Harvey, the big Easter Bunny is looking forward to greeting local children. Breakfast will be served on Saturday, April 3, at the Stop Nine Senior Center on Southgate Road in Byesville from 9:00am-11:00am.

The breakfast menu is hot pancakes, sausage, and eggs served with juice and coffee. Pictures with the bunny are complementary with purchase of breakfast. Allie Beros will be taking the pictures. The Easter Bunny will give each child an Easter egg filled with treats from the bunny.

March is Literacy Month in the Rotary calendar. Byesville Rotary invited three speakers to their morning meeting to talk about the importance of being able to read and write.

Dr. Joe Smith, Byesville Rotary member and retired educator, defined literacy as “The level of reading and writing skills necessary to participate fully in daily life.” Communities with higher literacy rates are also communities more likely to be chosen for economic development. These communities also typically establish and support public institutions such as libraries, K-12 schools and higher education, parks and community services. The members of literate communities are healthier and live in more peaceful environments.

These observations are reinforced by the fact that 98% of the people who cannot read or write—about 900 million-- live in developing countries. In the United State, 40 million workers cannot read well enough to keep up with technology improvements in their workplace.

Services are available locally to help people learn to read or write or to help people improve their reading and writing skills.

Charney Fitz, Coordinator of Adult Basic and Literacy Education (ABLE) reported that in Guernsey County “the illiteracy rate is 11% of the population….” ABLE provides tutors for adults who want to improve reading skills. For more information call 1-800-350-1242 or 740-454-7242.

Stevie Fairchild, Adult Education Coordinator for the Guernsey County Literacy Council, also provides reading tutoring locally. Recently 20 people sponsored by her organization were trained in a multi-sensory approach to reading which has proved successful. For more information, contact 740-439-3558.

The club’s next meeting will be 7:30 am, April 6, at the Stop Nine Senior Center at 60313 (GPS use 60299) Southgate Road, Byesville. Anyone interested in learning more about the Byesville Rotary can call Membership Chairs Marty Patchen, 740-685-3828, or Larry Miller, 740-439-2767.

Byesville Rotary supports Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month

Pictured: 1) Tonya Hitchens, Dir. Of Service and Supports Administration and Medicaid Services; Robbie Davis, Crystal Linkhorn, Tim Stclair, and Charity Rambo—members of the Guernsey Independent Stars; Phyliss Jeffries, Byesville Rotary Pres.


2) Tonya Hitchens, Dir. Of Service and Supports Administration and Medicaid Services; Patty Davis, Special Olympics participant; Phyliss Jeffries, Byesville Rotary Pres.; Yolando Christian, Special Olympics participant; Vivienne Barrows, Recreation Coordinator.

Readings: none for next week.

Activities: Bring a donation of syrup for the Bunny Breakfast.

March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. In recognition of the challenges facing people with disabilities and their accomplishments in overcoming their disabilities, representatives from the Guernsey County Developmental Disabilities (DD) were invited to speak at the March Byesville Rotary meetings.

Robbie Davis, Crystal Linkhorn, Charity Rambo, and Tim St. Clair are all members of the Guernsey Independent Stars—a self advocacy group. Members of this group work with DD staff to set goals that lead to personal independence.

Charity Rambo told the Rotary, “If you have a disability, you can do anything you put your mind to.” She has put her mind to many things. As a result, she serves as vice president of the Independent Stars, works at Guernsey Industries, lives in a group home and participates in volunteer projects such as raking and bagging leaves at Jackson Park.

Crystal Linkhorn told Rotary that being blind, “…does not limit what you can do.” She serves as secretary for the Independent Stars, has a Facebook page, and is the spokesperson for DD Awareness Month. She demonstrated that technology can help. She owns a Netbook with sound that enables her to keep in touch with others via email.

Patty Davis and Yolando Christian talked to the Rotary about the Special Olympics. This program is open to anyone 8 years old and up who is eligible for DD services. Sports offered include competitive swimming which is offered August-December; basketball offered October-May; Bowling offered January –April, and track offered March-May.

The Guernsey County Special Olympics is accredited through Special Olympics Ohio. Athletes must be registered in order to compete. Vivienne Barrows, Recreation Coordinator and coach, said Guernsey County usually has about 15 athletes qualify for the Special Olympics. This program helps participants learn new skills and provides positive social and community interaction and support. Yolando said that she participates in “…track, walks every day and has lost 80 pounds.”

For more information about the Special Olympics program, call Kerrie Laferre, 740-439-4451.
The club’s next meeting will be 7:30 am, March 30, at the Stop Nine Senior Center at 60313 (GPS use 60299) Southgate Road, Byesville. Anyone interested in learning more about the Byesville Rotary can call Membership Chairs Marty Patchen, 740-685-3828, or Larry Miller, 740-439-2767.

Guernsey County Developmental Disabilities staff visits Byesville Rotary

Pictured: Kelly Brown, Supervisor of Guernsey County Board of Developmental Disabilities, Stephanie Neuhart, Business Manager, Phyliss Jeffries, Pres. Byesville Rotary, Tanya Hitchens, Speaker Host.

Readings for March 16: None. Rich will be acting Master at Arms. He has promised a mystery. The clue is " These boots are made for walking. If you wear the wrong color, you may pay."

Kelly Brown, Supervisor of Guernsey County Board of Developmental Disabilities (formerly Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities) stated, “Our mission is to enhance the lives of individuals with developmental disabilities.” The DD staff works to meet this mission by using all available resources as effectively as possible.

The DD provides a variety of services to developmentally disabled children and adults and to their families. Four departments provide the majority of services.

Early Intervention focuses on children from birth -2 years who have developmental delays and/or specific medical conditions. Help Me Grow teaches parents how to use play to help a child’s development. The Golden Rule School is the most visible program. The staff focuses on insuring that each child in the school is provided opportunities to reach his or her potential. The school provides one program for children and young people ages 7-22, and a pre-school program, Bright Beginnings, for children 3-6.

Service and Support Administration (SSA) provides an interface between community service agencies and children 3 and above and adults with developmental disabilities and their families. An important part of this service is to develop goals for individual success which will enable individuals to live successfully as part of the larger community.

DD activities are financed through various agencies. Local funding, provided by 2 continuing levies, contributes 35-40% of the DD budget. State funding comes through a patchwork of agencies such as the State Department of Education, the Health Department, and the Department of Developmental Disabilities. The DD Business Manager, Stephanie Neuhart, balances all the different sources of support and keeps the books straight. Additionally, she works to increase funding by writing grants for special projects and needs.

More information about the DD is available at 740-439-4451 or http://www.guernseycountydd.org/

During a short business meeting, rotary members were introduced to Catherine Jirles, The President of the club’s Interact Club, which is a Rotary sponsored organization for high school students. Dan Navicky reported that the Annual Health Screening will be limited to 120 participants. It will be held April 30.

The club’s next meeting will be 7:30 am, March 16, at the Stop Nine Senior Center at 60313 (GPS use 60299) Southgate Road, Byesville. Anyone interested in learning more about the Byesville Rotary can call Membership Chairs Marty Patchen, 740-685-3828, or Larry Miller, 740-439-2767.

Byesville Rotary plans 2ed annual “Breakfast with the Easter Bunny”

Pictured: The Easter Bunny and Alli Beros, photographer at “Breakfast with the Ester Bunny.”

Reading for March 9:

• February Rotarian, "Is peace possible?, p. 59.

Additional activities:

• March 9, 8:30 am--short "Breakfast with the Bunny Committee" meeting.
• Members asked to donate bottle of syrup or make cash donation toward the purchase of an inflatable Easter bunny.

Byesville Rotary members were updated on progress of current service projects during the monthly business meeting.

On Saturday, April 3, 9-11:00am, the club will host “Breakfast with the Easter Bunny” at the Stop Nine Senior Center on Southgate Road. The breakfast menu is pancakes, sausage, eggs, juice and coffee. Members are asked to donate a bottle of maple syrup or make a donation towards the Easter decorations for the breakfast. Alli Beros, a local photograph, has volunteered to take pictures of children with the Easter Bunny.

Dan Navicky, chair of the Health Screening Committee, reported that plans are completed for the annual health screening sponsored by the club and Southeastern Med. He passed out information pamphlets. Registration for the clinic will begin April 19.

Jim Bakos, chair of the Scholarship Committee, reported that applications for scholarships have been sent out. Deadline for submissions is April 7.

Jamie Hopps, chair of the Lifeline Ohio Committee, showed club members the informational materials about organ donation she will be displaying at the Health Screening. She also passed out pins to each of the club members who are signed up as organ donors.

The club’s next meeting will be 7:30 am, March 9, at the Stop Nine Senior Center at 60313 (GPS use 60299) Southgate Road, Byesville. Anyone interested in learning more about the Byesville Rotary can call Membership Chairs Marty Patchen, 740-685-3828, or Larry Miller, 740-439-2767.