ATTENTION: There will be no Rotary meeting when the West Geauga schools are closed for inclement weather because the Mayfield United Methodist Church will also be closed that day.
This morning’s speaker was Geauga County Coroner Dr. John Urbancic, introduced by Fred Nevar.
It was an interesting opportunity to hear directly from someone serving an important role in Geauga County and learn a little more about a part of county government most of us don’t encounter very often.
We also covered upcoming club business, including our Christmas decoration work party, fundraising updates, and the next few weeks of speakers and events.
That’s one of the things I enjoy about Rotary—you never really know what you’re going to learn on a Wednesday morning.
And somehow they continue allowing the tree guy to attend.
And a very important footnote: Alexa and Silver Skillet Cafe in Chesterland once again provided what may be the best breakfast a room full of hardworking Rotarians could possibly ask for.
At this point, I’m fairly certain Silver Skillet is responsible for a measurable percentage of Geauga West Rotary’s Wednesday morning productivity.
🎉 Celebrating Community, Service, and Connection! 🎉
What an incredible evening at the 2026 Burton-Middlefield Rotary Appreciation Dinner!
Events like this remind us of the power of local unity. We extend our deepest, heartfelt thank you to all of our amazing sponsors—your generous support, resources, and unwavering commitment make our work possible and drive real change across our county.
We also want to shine a well-deserved spotlight on all the dedicated nonprofit organizations and community leaders who work tirelessly alongside us every day. From supporting our first responders and youth to strengthening local families and honoring our neighbors, your passion makes our community a safer, stronger, and more compassionate place for everyone.
When local businesses, non-profits, and volunteers come together, extraordinary things happen. Thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate service above self! 💙💛
#BurtonMiddlefieldRotary
The Burton-Middlefield Rotary Club started the Chesterland Rotary Club on March 16, 1990.
Master of Cermonies, Past District Governor (PDG) and Burton-Middlefield Rotary President-Elect Dale Smith.
Burton-Middlefield Rotary President Jeff Pascoe expressing his gratitude to all individuals and organizations who participated and supported the 2026 Maple Splash Fundraiser.
Burton Middlefield Past President and PDG Bob Johnson awards Geauga West Rotary Club Past President Bob Voss and President Jim Zeitz a check for $3,000 for their club's particpation selling tickets for the Maple Splash Raffle! Awesome! Thank you B-M Rotary Club!
Geauga West Rotary member and global leader Josh Sens was our guest speaker this morning. Josh is the Co-Founder of the Conscious Capital Foundation and collaborated with Lawrence Ford on the book “The World Does(n't) Need You." He has been on a mission to empower young girls and women all across the country and the world. His most recent initiative “Girls Save the World” has taken root in Dallas, Texas and is slowly spreading around the country and the world. Check out this link: Leadership in Motion Route 66 | Girls Save the World to learn more about his ambitious mission to create leadership opportunities for all young girls to develop them into future leaders & entrepreneurs so they can reach their potential and achieve their dreams no matter how big or small. Great job filling in on such short notice this morning Josh! Your mission truly reflects the Rotary motto of “Service-Above-Self!"
Please take the time to read the attached Resolution that was presented to West Geauga Local Schools Superintendent, Dr. Nancy Benincasa this morning at our rotary meeting. CONGRATULATIONS!
RESOLUTION OF COMMENDATION HONORING WEST GEAUGA LOCAL SCHOOLS For Excellence in Education and Outstanding Achievement WHEREAS, the Geauga West Rotary Club proudly recognizes that the strength of our community and the promise of our future are deeply rooted in the quality of education provided to our children; and WHEREAS, West Geauga Local Schools has distinguished itself through an extraordinary commitment to academic excellence, student achievement, and the preparation of young people for success in college, careers, the workforce, military service, and life; and WHEREAS, West Geauga Local Schools has earned the remarkable distinction of being the only school district in the State of Ohio to receive a five-star rating in every category of the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce State Report Card; and WHEREAS, West Geauga Local Schools achieved the highest possible five-star rating in all six report-card components: Achievement, Progress, Gap Closing, Early Literacy, Graduation, and College, Career, Workforce and Military Readiness; and WHEREAS, the district’s exceptional performance placed West Geauga Local Schools 13th among 607 public school districts throughout the State of Ohio, with an outstanding Performance Index score of 108.9, while also tying for the highest overall star rating in the state; and WHEREAS, such an extraordinary record of achievement does not occur by chance, but reflects the dedication, vision, perseverance, and collaboration of West Geauga Local Schools’ students, teachers, administrators, support staff, Board of Education, parents, families, and community; and WHEREAS, the accomplishments of West Geauga Local Schools bring great credit to the students and educators who have earned them and serve as a source of pride for the entire West Geauga community and Geauga County; and WHEREAS, the Geauga West Rotary Club, guided by its commitment to Service Above Self, believes that excellence in education deserves to be recognized, celebrated, and encouraged; and NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Geauga West Rotary Club hereby extends its highest commendation and sincere congratulations to West Geauga Local Schools for this extraordinary demonstration of educational excellence and for achieving a distinction that places the district among the highest-performing public school systems in the State of Ohio. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Geauga West Rotary Club recognizes and honors the collective achievement of the West Geauga Local Schools’ students, educators, administrators, staff, Board of Education, parents, families, and community whose dedication has made this accomplishment possible. BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the Geauga West Rotary Club proudly presents this Resolution of Commendation as an expression of its admiration, appreciation, and community pride, and extends its best wishes to West Geauga Local Schools for continued excellence and continued success in inspiring and preparing generations of students to come. Presented this ______ day of __________________, 2026, by the Geauga West Rotary Club, in recognition of an exceptional achievement in public education. __________________________________ President, Geauga West Rotary Club __________________________________ Secretary, Geauga West Rotary Club
SERVICE ABOVE SELF
Geauga West Rotary President, Jim Zeitz; Dr. Nancy Benincasa; Geauga West Rotary Foundation Chair, John Zachariah; Geauga West Rotary Past President, Bob Voss
President Zeitz signs the Resolution before presenting it to Dr. Benincasa.
Our speaker on Wednesday was Maria Raymond, who is bookkeeper for member Andrew Blaschke's Red Eft Arborist, LTD.
She is the owner of Square One Bookkeeping, a Northeast Ohio bookkeeping firm serving businesses in the Cleveland, Twinsburg, and surrounding areas. Maria helps business owners gain a clearer understanding of their finances through accurate bookkeeping, financial reporting, expense and cash-flow tracking, account reconciliation, and tax-ready financial records. Her focus is on taking the day-to-day burden of bookkeeping off business owners while giving them reliable financial information they can actually use to make better decisions.
Through Square One Bookkeeping, Maria works closely with entrepreneurs and small-business owners to organize their financial records, improve financial visibility, and build systems that allow them to spend less time worrying about their books and more time growing their businesses.
Maria will be joining us to share her experience and perspective on bookkeeping, financial organization, and the importance of understanding the numbers behind a successful business.
We are so excited and pleased to announce that West Geauga School Superintendent Dr. Nancy Benincasa is officially our newest member of the Geauga West Rotary Club! Past President and current Foundation Treasurer Ed Slane performed the induction ceremony at our meeting yesterday morning. LET"S ALL GIVE A BIG ROTARY WELCOME TO NANCY!
Dr. Benincasa's club sponsor Bob Voss pinning her with the official Rotary pin!
Pictured (l-r): Immediate Past Club President and current Foundation Chair Bob Voss, Dr. Nancy Benincasa and current Club President Jim Zeitz
Geauga Leadership Director, Meredith Ashkettle was our guest speaker this past Weds morning. She and Youth Institute Program Manager Tammy Tucker came to inform our club about all the many good things the Geauga Leadership Program is doing throughout Geauga County. Meredith is no stranger to Rotary and has collaborated with all four Geauga Rotary clubs in the past. Some of the new leadership programs they recently initiated with high school students and young adults are of particular interest to our club. We look forward to finding mutual ways we can support each other's missions in the future!
Geauga County Sherrif's Office has just recently completed the training program for new K-9 Officer Duran who just received a protective Kevlar vest compliments of the Rotary Clubs of Geauga County! So proud to be part of this group effort led by Jeff Pascoe, Past President of the Burton-Middlefield Rotary Club!
Pictured: Geauga West Rotary Club President Jim Zeitz and Geauga West Rotary Foundation Chairman Bob Voss presenting a $1,500 check to Phi Caris who sits on the Board of Directors for In-Step with Horses. This is the final installment of the $5,000 grant awarded to this non-profit group in 2024-2025. In-Step with Horses delivers equine assisted therapy to hundreds of eligible children and adults throughout Geauga County. Their main facility is located on Wilson Mills Rd. right here in Chesterland!
Dr. Nancy Benincasa attended the Geauga West Rotary Club meeting on Weds to share her jubilation as well as feelings of exhaustion getting through the first day of school on Tuesday! Thankfully, all students arrived on time and got home safely due to the amazing bus drivers hired by the school board! She then provided us with an update on the new and exciting happenings at West Geauga. We are always grateful when Dr. Benincasa takes time out of her busy schedule to attend our club meetings to support Rotary and the many school related activities and long-standing Rotary traditions we collaborate with the school such as the H.S. Interact club (approx. 125 members!); Breakfast with Santa; Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) Program; Rotary Youth Leadership Assembly (RYLA); Dictionary (Literacy) Project for 2nd Graders; 4-Way Speech Contest; Speech and Debate Curriculum; etc.
This morning we were honored to have Geauga County Prosecutor Jim Flaiz as our guest speaker. We are truly blessed and very fortunate to have such a conscientious individual elected to serve in this position and all citizens in Geauga County are the beneficiaries. Jim talked about his responsibilities overseeing the Prosecutor's Office and how cases make it to a Grand Jury. We all learned a lot about the legal process and can be proud that Geauga County is tough on crime! Jim fielded a ton of questions from the audience and shed some light on numerous topics. He is a good steward of our taxpayer dollars, and through his leadership, we can all be assured that justice is being served well in Geauga County!
James R. Flaiz is the 40th Prosecuting Attorney of Geauga County.
He is a proud South Russell resident for more than 23 years who has dedicated his career to serving the community he calls home. A graduate of Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin High School, The Ohio State University, and the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, Jim brings deep local roots and a sharp legal mind to everything he does. Before being elected Geauga County Prosecutor in 2012, he spent six years on South Russell Village Council, where he chaired the Safety Committee, served on the Finance Committee, and represented Council on the Planning Commission. As an attorney, Jim’s practice spanned juvenile law, criminal defense, mediation, and general civil litigation. He also stepped up as a Guardian ad Litem for abused and neglected children and served as both an Acting Judge and substitute prosecutor in Chardon Municipal Court. Jim’s leadership extends well beyond the courtroom. He’s a Past President of the Geauga County Bar Association, and a two-time Past President of the Geauga County Law Library Board of Trustees. He’s also an active member of the Lake County Bar Association, the Ohio State Bar Association, the Chagrin Valley Jaycees, and The Ohio State University Alumni Association.
The Geauga West Rotary Club's annual golf outing at St. Denis golf course was another great day of fun and fellowship! First, a BIG THANK YOU to Bob Somrak for spearheading the event again and to each and every club member who volunteered in any way that day to make it a big success! We want to especially thank Cliff Babcock at Junction Auto Family for offering a choice of two vehicles (Buick Envista and Jeep Compass) as prizes for a hole in one! In addition, to all our business owners and individual sponsors who donated a HUGE THANK YOU!
Once again, the golf course was on excellent shape and there were three teams who tied for 1st place with a score of -13. The eventual winner was determined by our tie breaker rules to be Team Caris. Congratulations to Phil Caris, his son Michael, Brian and Aaron Kucia. Well done!
We also had a long drive pro (Trevor Scott) who was hitting drives on the #6 Par 5 hole to raise money for rotary. He was absolutely AMAZING and hit the ball farther than any human being I have ever seen!! The #6 hole is approx. 500 yards long. He hit our drive to within 20 yds. of the green! That's a ridiculous 480 yard drive!!!! Sure there was some wind behind him and yes the course was dry, but come on! That's UNBELIEVABLE!
We also had a putting contest that netted about $700 this year. This year's winner was Dan O'Connor who won $100 and the second place went to Bob Voss who won $50. Dan literally beat Bob by ½" in the putt off! As a result, Dan had a chance to sink a 50' putt for $10,000 on the # 9 green. He gave it a valiant effort but ended up missing by only a few feet. Congratulations Dan!
Overall, the weather was exceptional with sunny to partly cloudy skies all day long. While it was hot and humid, there was plenty of refreshments and food throughout the day to keep our players and volunteers hydrated and satiated!
A BIG THANK YOU also goes to Frank Arco owner of Rise-and Dine for catering the brunch and for Terry Nagy Co-Owner of Purpose Brew Works for the keg of Hoptimist IPA beer on the turn! I don't want to miss anyone who helped out that day, so a HUMONGUS THANK YOU to all our members who helped at the registration table, set up and cleaned up, grilled hot dogs and brats for golfers on the turn, drove around the drink cart all day long, were hole in one witnesses or ran closest to the pin game on #8 or sold raffle tickets! You ALL made this day a big success!
Lastly, THANK YOU to all the golfers who played!
Congratulations Team Caris!
The Champions Bag that gets signed by the winning team. There are 30 years of winners on this bag!
Our Club's 1st President Wayne Williams!
Past President Wayne Williams and Charter member and also Past President Vince Slusarz!
On Saturday the West Geauga Kiwanis Club with the support of the local Lion's club partnered to hold an antique car show and flea market at Eddy's Fruit Farm all to benefit the Geauga Co. Veterans Food Pantry. Our Rotary Club generously donated our 20'x40' tent for the event. As you can see it was a beautiful day and many people came out to enjoy burgers, hot dogs, grilled corn and ice cream all for only $10! You can't beat that. Congratulations to our fellow brethren Kiwanis volunteers!
The Mayfield Methodist Church finally got its steeple back where it belongs after blowing down in a windstorm last year! The Geauga West Rotary club meets here every Weds. at 7:00AM with breakfast catered by the Silver Skillet. Please feel free to join us any time! Check out our calendar for guest speakers. We are very fortunate to attract some to the most interesting people in the county to come speak to us about what is happening in their private business or our county government.
After a whirlwind three weeks in the USA, Martim Frances Sanchez heads back to his hometown Pamplona, Spain to host Caleb Wright. Host parents Gabe and Stehpanie Wright did an amazing job making Martin feel at home and provided him with experiences he will cherish the rest of his life to include visiting: Washington DC, NC outer banks, Niagara Falls and our capital Columbus, OH. In addition, they got to watch hos home country of Spain win the FIFA world soccer championship!! Now Caleb will get to enjoy the benefits of being spoiled by Martin's parent for the next three weeks! Safe travels Caleb. Our club looks forward to hearing all about your trip to Spain when you return!
Past President Bob Voss was the winner of the grand prize 2025 Chevy Silverado 1500 extended Cab 4WD Truck! Congrats Bob and good luck in making your decision whether to keep the truck or take the cash!
The Burton-Middlefield Maple Splash Festival was a huge success Saturday at Century Village Museum in Burton. There were live bands, food trucks and plenty of local organizations and non-profits present all in support of Rotary and their communities all across Geauga County. Congratulations to the Burton-Middlefield club for all their hard work and efforts. A special shout out to Larry and Sue Fox & Kathy and Craig Vatty for their collective countless hours throughout the year to make that day memorable. The weather was nearly prefect which made the turn out even better. Some estimated about 1,500 people were in attendance throughout the day from 2-9pm. Our Geauga West Rotary club assisted with the kids games. There were two bouncy houses and several fun games the kids could play and win prizes for their skills. The giant velcro target was a big attraction and the kids couldn't stop kicking and throwing velcro balls that would stick to the over-sized target. Seen in the one picture are Rotarians Mike Talty and Ed Slane attempting to get the balls off the bullseye target. Despite Ed being about 6'5" tall, even he needed a ladder to get the balls stuck at the top!
The West Geauga Kiwanis Club hosted another amazing 4th of July Parade in Chesterland today! The parade route began at St. Anselm's Church and ended at the West Geauga High School. The weather was nearly perfect with an occasional slight breeze. Thankfully, the temp was not as hot as the past 3 days of nearly 100 degrees! The Geauga West Rotary Club performed their 36 year long standing traditional “Briefcase Brigade” which was a big hit with the large crowds lining Rt. 306. The West Geauga H.S. Interact club was also present to lend a hand in support of the GW Rotary Club. Thank you to all who attended to celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the USA!
New Geauga West Rotarian Kevin Currutt. Patriot or Pirate?!
Geauga West Rotarians Lisa Luoma, Ben Pintabona and Bob Somrak, Jr.
We were so blessed to have Mark Jemison as our guest speaker at this past Wednesday's regular rotary club breakfast meeting. Here is Mark's bio:
Mark has dedicated more than three decades to distinguished service in the United States Marine Corps as both a Marine officer and military attorney. A graduate of The Citadel and the University of Akron School of Law, he earned his commission through the Marine Corps Platoon Leaders Class program in 1993 and has since served in a series of increasingly significant leadership positions.
Throughout his career, Markhas served as a prosecutor, defense counsel, legal assistance attorney, Staff Judge Advocate, executive officer, Inspector General, and senior leader in Marine Forces Reserve. His operational experience includes deployments to Djibouti, Africa, where he served as Staff Judge Advocate for U.S. Marine Forces Central Command, and to Afghanistan in support of combat operations with I Marine Expeditionary Force.
In addition to his operational service, Mark is a graduate of the Air War College, where he earned a Master’s degree in Strategic Studies. He has held key assignments at Headquarters Marine Corps and Marine Forces Reserve, culminating in his current position as Branch Head for Reserve Affairs Manpower at Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, where he helps shape personnel policy and readiness for the Marine Corps Reserve.
His exemplary service has been recognized with some of the nation’s highest military decorations, including the Legion of Merit (with Gold Star), the Meritorious Service Medal (with Gold Star), the Bronze Star Medal, and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (with two Gold Stars).
Mark shared his personal experiences while he was stationed in Afghanistan. He mentioned right away that homesickness was a constant battle. He also expressed how exceptional our young marines are and who performed extraordinary military operations under unimaginable stressful situations with such incredible skill and bravery. He went on to say that what makes our country so special and different is that we are governed by the rule of law……very different from Afghanistan.
Rotary International Youth Exchange (RYE) student Martin Sanchez Frances from Spain just arrived for the 6wk. short-term exchange program. Martin will be staying with host family Gabe and Stephanie Wright and their 16yr. old son Caleb and two younger daughters. Welcome to the USA Martin! I know you will have a great time sightseeing and traveling around the country with the Wright Family. Our rotary club looks forward to eventually meeting you and formally giving you our warm welcome!
Jim Zeitz started off his Rotary Year as President of the Geauga West Rotary Club at his first weekly club meeting held at the Mayfield Church on July 1st.
Our very own Chelsea Talty was selected by District Governor Bob Oborn for the Governor's “Award of Excellence” at the 2025-2026 District Awards and 2026-2027 Governor Induction/Banner Exchange event held on Mon., June 29th at the Sleepy Hollow Golf Club. Chelsea has served as the District Interact Chair for several years as well as a member on the District Conference of Clubs Committee and District Interaction annual event! Congratulations Chelsea! Well Deserved!
Geauga West Rotary Club held its Changing of the Guard at the Great Blue Heron Lodge at the Rookery Park on Weds. June 24th. It was a fun and intimate setting for the club to say farewell to President Bob Voss and his outgoing officers and board and induct the President-Elect Jim Zeitz and his new officers and board. Past President and Foundation Chair Ed Slane presided over the induction ceremony. All outgoing board members received a rotary license plate and plate holder for their dedication and outstanding efforts over the 2025-2026 year. In addition, prior to the induction ceremony, Derek Taylor was given a Lifetime Achievement Award for his 36 years of service to the Chesterland/Geauga West Rotary Club! He was deeply touched and left speechless by the honor.
Outgoing President Bob Voss receives a plaque from incoming President Jim Zeitz for his year of service.
Ed Slane inducting President- Elect Jim Zeitz.
Newly inducted President 2026-2027 Jim Zeitz pins his President-Elect Mike Talty.
Ed Slane inducts Jim Zeitz's 2026-2027 officers and board.
Outgoing officers and board receive Rotary plate and holder for their year of service!
President Bob Voss presents Derek B. Taylor a Lifetime Achievement Award for 36 years of outstanding service above self! Congratulations Derek!
This past Weds. our Rotary club took a field trip to the In-Step with Horses Training Facility located at 7212 Wilson Mills Rd. in Chesterland. What a beautifully maintained barn and grounds! Our club has chosen to heavily support this organization due to all the wonderful equine assisted therapy they offer to a wide variety of children and adults who are developmentally disabled, veterans with post traumatic syndrome or to any child or adult struggling with other mental health challenges. Horses can be more effective than traditional therapy held in an office with a counselor. There is something relaxing and healing being around these big animals that helps to reduce stress and increase self-esteem and confidence. Our Rotary club is hoping to help purchase another therapy horse through the procurement of a Rotary District Grant in the amount of approx. $7,600. Thank you for all the incredible work that this organization is doing to help so many children and adults in Geauga County heal from their mental health trauma!
Clinical Director and Master's Certificate in Equine Assisted Mental Health, Sarah Swiger welcomes the Rotary Club and answers questions on the work they do at In-Step with Horses facility.
Getting last-minute instructions on how to engage and be safe with the therapy horses out in their natural environment.
This past Weds. we had one of our new rotary members talk to the club about what he does for a living. Kevin Currutt is a Wealth Management Financial Advisor for Lakefront Capital. A few of the subjects he touched upon were Business & Personal Planning, Exit Planning, Group Life Insurance and Disability Income Insurance. While much of what Kevin discusses with his clients is serious business, he was able to interject some levity while conveying the importance of taking steps now to start preparing to protect your and your family's future should something unforeseen happen to you i.e. - accident, injury, medical crisis or death.
Kevin also discussed the importance of setting up your estate properly to avoid Probate Court and how to put your house in order before you are incapacitated and unable to do so for yourself. Please give Kevin a call to discuss your needs at his cell #: (435) 901-1145 or work #:(216) 802-0909
We were honored to have retired Geauga County Public Defender Bob Umholtz as our guest speaker this morning. He gave us a chilling detailed account of Chesterland 15yr. old foster child Marcus Moore who murdered a clerk and injured another at the Clark Gas station back in 2000. Bob talked about “retributive” and “restorative” justice and how both can possibly be delivered. Marcus was sentenced to 33 yrs. to life in prison for the murder. He is eligible for parole in a few years. Bob has decided to represent him again should he need legal counsel.
This past Weds. guest speaker was Jason Abate from Abate Floral & Landscaping right here in Chesterland. The Abate Family has been operating their farm and floral/landscaping business for 5 generations! Jason gave us a very nice overview of the many challenges he and his family face trying to maintain their family farm and business each year due to a myriad of seen and unforeseen circumstances. It is very apparent when you meet Jason that his great grandparents, grandparents and parents had a profound influence on him that molded his strong work ethic he is trying to instill in his two sons age 19 & 14. There is no substitute for having your own family operation and the benefit of working together to build the American Dream. Thank you, Jason, for sharing your story with us!
We were honored to have Judge Matt Rambo as our guest speaker on May 13th. He is pictured here with Club Foundation Chair John Zachariah and President-Elect Jim Zeitz.
Here is Judge Rambo's bio:
Judge Matt Rambo was born and raised in the Toledo area of Northwest Ohio. He attended The Ohio State University where he earned a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering in 2002 and Law Degree in 2005. After law school he served as a Magistrate for the Court of Claims of Ohio from 2006-2013. He then served as a Staff Attorney in the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court and transitioned to private practice in 2018. In 2021 he was elected as a Russell Township Trustee and in 2024 he was elected as a Judge of Geauga County Court of Common Pleas. He currently resides in Russell with his wife of nearly 16 years and two sons.
Geauga West Rotary Club President-Elect Jim Zeitz distributed approx. 150 dictionaries to the 2nd graders at Westwood Elementary school this past Monday. This Literacy Project started over 20 years ago by deceased Past President Jim Kisicki our long-time and beloved actor/Rotarian. He cherished the opportunity of giving the students their first personal dictionary that they could keep and put their name on it. He was a master of charming the kids with his illuminating stories of all the incredible amount of important information and facts contained in the dictionary/encyclopedia to include the world's longest word - over a half a page long that no one can pronounce!
Jim has taken over the responsibility for this special literacy project after Jim Kisicki passed away in 2017. He calculated that our Rotary club has distributed approx. 6,000 dictionaries to 2nd and 3rd graders over the past 20 years! What a wonderful legacy to our children and community!
The Geauga West Rotary Club members help out by serving the Chesterland area Senior Citizens at their Appreciation Luncheon held at the West Geauga Middle School Cafeteria on Weds May 12th. Our Rotary club has been assisting the West Geauga School administration for many years trying to make this day a little extra special for those seniors in attendance. As you can see by the look on our faces, we are truly enjoying ourselves at this event by showing our thanks, appreciation and gratitude to the many seniors in our community!
Lisa Luoma - service with a smile!
Mike Talty - 2026-2027 President-Elect!
(L-R) Jeff Huntsberger, John Zachariah and Rich Luschin
(L-R) Skip Claypool and starting July 1st President Jim Zeitz
I want to thank each and every one of our club members and guests for making our annual "FUN"raising event a huge success! Our “Rotary Roundup and Run for the Roses” with door prizes, silent and Chinese auction items, $5 side board, Derby race raffle, dinner catered by Cove Creek BBQ, live entertainment by Anthony Pappaleo, Maple Museum Tours and Monty the In-Step with Horses therapy horse to greet everyone as they entered! To boot, our cowboy/Kentucky Derby Themed event in the Century Village Museum Lennah Bond Building was all decorated and gave the feeling of being back in time at the OK Corral or in an old time Saloon or Churchill Downs betting on the Kentucky Derby race! It was a lot of work to pull it off but well worth the effort.! (more pics to follow!)
Wow! What a weekend it was at our District 6630 Conference of Clubs. As you know, every Spring all clubs are encouraged to attend this event representing all 50 clubs in our district. Current District Governor Bob Oborn did an outstanding job organizing this year's event. And Terry Speck will serve as our next District Governor as of July 1st, 2026!
This year's conference was no disappointment. It began of Friday at 3:00PM with the Business Meeting and Celebration of Life Service t 4:00PM. Then dinner's guest speaker was Wisdom Oddo who is a world peace fellow whose Peace Jam Program in Ghana, Africa is planting seeds of promoting peace throughout the world!
Saturday was a day packed with breakout sessions and the luncheon was all about the youth and all the many programs District 6630 offers to engage them in local and worldwide service projects. Our very own Chelsea Talty serves as the District Chair of the Interact activities and programs that happen at the conference. She did a great job as emcee, and our West Geauga Interact President Ryan Berdis offered a moving “moment of inspiration” to the crowd. That was followed by all the parade of all Rotary Youth Exchange students in bound and outbaound this coming year (we have W.G. student Caleb Wright going to Spain for the short-term program). That was followed by the highlight of the luncheaon when the 4-way Speech Contest finishers of 1st, 2nd and 3rd place give their speeches to the crowd. (W.G. sophomore student Ananya Balasubramanian finished in the top 10 for her first time competing in the District 4-Way Speech Contest.) I was blown away the AMAZING talent these young students possess! I'll try to post the videos of their speeches as soon as I can. After lunch the Interact student's project was to assemble instant lunches for Pack Away Hunger a group that provides sealed packages to food pantries all across NE Ohio. In Less than 2 hours the Rotary members and Interact students packed over 24,000 meals that serve up to 6 people per pack! That's an unbelievable total of feeding more than 144,000 people!!!! Talk about having an IMAPACT!
Then at dinner our keynote speaker was none other than Katie Spotz. She is world renown for her endurance feats raising awareness of the need for clean water in the world. She plans to row across the Pacific Ocean which will take about 8 months and her goal is to raise over 1 million dollars! Katie talked about some of her other incredible endurance races and feats she has accomplished. She has another book out and is about to break another world record by a woman. The first to row across the Pacific. Talk about INSPIRATIONAL! God Speed Katie!
Sue Fox and Joe Keough were our guest speakers this morning and talked about Trauma Support for 1st Responders. Sue is Co-Founder of First Responder Code 4 Wellness. Joe is a retired deputy at the Geauga Sherrif's Office.
This presentation introduces First Responder Code 4 Wellness, a Geauga-based 501(c)(3) dedicated to "the first responder to the first responder." Unlike traditional clinical programs, Code 4 Wellness operates as a mobile outreach service, meeting police, fire, EMS, corrections, and dispatch personnel directly at their stations. The team will discuss the critical need for peer-led, trauma-informed support and how their "boots on the ground" model is breaking down barriers to mental health and wellness by providing professional, direct support without the usual platitudes.
Sue Fox
Co-Founder, First Responder Code 4 Wellness Sue Fox co-founded Code 4 Wellness to bridge the gap between first responders and the specialized support they deserve. With a background as a former volunteer for a sheriff’s department crisis response team and a former board member of the Lake Health Hospitals Foundation, Sue brings deep experience in community advocacy. She holds professional certifications in Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training, Mental Health First Aid, and is a QPR Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Instructor. Her mission is to provide grounded, professional outreach that addresses the unique realities of the first responder profession.
Joe Keough
Retired Deputy, Geauga County Sheriff’s Office Joe Keough serves as a vital bridge between the wellness mission and the law enforcement community. As a retired Deputy with the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office, Joe brings decades of local experience and an intimate understanding of the long-term impact of a career in emergency services. His involvement ensures that the organization’s outreach is rooted in the lived experience of Geauga County’s own first responders, helping to foster trust and open dialogue within the ranks.
This Weds. morning's weekly club meeting we had Geauga Co. & Lake Co. Dept. of Health Commissioner Adam Litke come present some of his responsibilities and issues he and his staff face on a daily basis. Many of his duties revolve around septic and well regulations i.e.- approvals, inspections and monitoring maintenance compliance; restaurant health and food safety regulations i.e. - licensing and inspections, monitoring compliance; and property health and safety regulations i.e. - inspections and monitoring of hazardous situations that could harm neighbors of the community at large. Adam gave many recent examples of real-life situations and what his Dept. needed to do to mitigate or successfully resolve the problem. Often these situations are contentious between a property owner and the County officials sometimes requiring litigation and exorbitant costs to properly rectify the problem. Some issues had a simple solution i.e. - routinely pump your septic tank. Other problems can be very costly to resolve i.e. - install a new septic system or drill a new well, etc. He talked a little about the process of condemning a home due to a hoarding situation where the home was either dangerous or hazardous to the health of immediate neighbors or when property owners neglect leaking oil tanks that may have leached into the water aquifer creating a potential contaminated water supply for the surrounding community. It was a very informative presentation!
Our guest speakers this past Weds were from the organization T.O.T. “Teaching Our Traditions”. Kenny Leonardi is Founder and CEO of this organization and Tanya Birman is the current Program Manager.
Our guest speaker this week was Amy Goletz the owner of Avonlea Gardens & Inn located on Fowlers Mill Rd. in the heart of the Fowlers Mill Historic District about 100 yds. north of Mayfield Rd. in Munson Twp. Amy and her husband Joe and three children all pitch in to manage the nursery and beautiful historic Victorian Airbnb. They sell approx. 500 different varieties of native plants! All are meticulously and systematically organized on their website where you can order just about anything you are looking to plant. Amy is an expert in the field and will help guide you on all your gardening needs. Amy is especially knowledgeable about the types of trees, plants, shrubs that will promote not only a beautiful landscape but also will be beneficial to the sensitive ecosystem and balance between your greenery and all the many helpful insects, bees and birds! This was one of the most educational, informative and illuminating presentations our rotary club has ever had. Thank you!
At our Weds. weekly Rotary club meeting, we held a 4-Way Speech Contest for four West Geauga H.S. students. The students were asked to give a 5-7 minute speech about any topic of their choosing. However, they had to apply the Rotary 4-Way Test to their subject. First, "Is it the Truth?; Second, Is it Fair to all concerned?; Third, Will it build Good will and better friendships?; Fourth, Will it be beneficial to all concerned?"
The four students were competing for a chance to advance to the District 4-Way Speech Contest held at Springfield H.S on April 18th. There are about 250 Rotary Clubs in Ohio, and each club can enter at least one student. The winner and runner up then have the opportunity to give their speech at the Rotary District Conference luncheon at the Cleveland East Mariotte on Sat. April 25th.
The Contestants were Paul Barras, Aurora Pavick, Ananya Balasubramanian and current West Geauga Interact President, Ryan Berdis. After the students gave their speeches, the judges determined that Paul and Ananya would advance to compete in the District Contest! Each Student received a $25 gift card for competing and the club will pick up the $150 registration fee for the two students who are going to the district contest. Congratulations to all four students and Good Luck to Paul and Ananya!
(L-R) Ms. O'Janpa, Paul Barras, Aurora Pavick, Ananya Balasubramanian, Ryan Berdis, Ms. Talty, Ms. Balasubramanian.
Well, it's OFFICIAL! Jim Zeitz was duly sworn in to assume the leadership of our club for the Rotary Year starting July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027! He attended the ALL- OHIO President Elect Training Seminar (PETS) in Columbus this weekend along with 250 of his fellow Presidents-Elect throughout Ohio. Jim would like to give a brief update to you on Weds. morning before the 4-Way Speech Contest begins. He will also unveil the new Rotary Themed Banner for his Presidential Year. Congratulations Jim and THANK YOU for everything you have done for our club and for making my Presidential year a successful one!
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine were present at All-Ohio PETS last week to raise money for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library Project. All four District Governors had a contest to see which District could raise the most money. As you can see, the total raised was over $150,000! THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to this very worthy literacy project!
At our weekly Wednesday morning Rotary club meeting we were happy to welcome Dr. Steven Oluic as our distinguished guest speaker. Dr. Oluic is the Chair of the Geauga County Mental Health and Recovery Board and provided us with an overview of the state of mental health & recovery services from a board chairman's perspective.
Dr. Steven Oluić is a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel with 27 years of service—including over a decade overseas in places like Bosnia, Iraq, Korea, Germany, and Mauritania—Dr. Oluić wrapped up his military career as Assistant Dean of Strategy and Policy at West Point, where he also taught as an Associate Professor of Geography. Highly decorated, his awards include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, seven Meritorious Service Medals, and more—testaments to leadership in combat engineering and beyond.A dedicated scholar, he holds a B.A. from Case Western Reserve, an M.S. from the University of Cincinnati, and a Ph.D. from Kent State. He’s authored a book, numerous articles, and chapters, earning prestigious invitations to speak at the State Department, the FBI, Columbia University, and others. In 2016, he was selected as a Fulbright Scholar for exchanges in Russia.Blending battlefield experience, academic rigor, and global insight, Dr. Oluić offers a unique perspective on strategy, security, and international affairs.
At the very end of his presentation, Dr. Oluic mentioned he was running for county commissioner. Since that was a political endorsement, he was fined and needed to pay restitution by “Feeding our Rotary Pig” whose funds, in turn, will be used to provide Thanksgiving food baskets to several families in need right here in Geauga County.
For those members who were not able to attend this Weds weekly club meeting, here is a brief recap:
First, Membership Chair Ed Slane performed the induction ceremony for new member Dave Saggio. WELCOME DAVE! Your background in IT already proved to come in handy when I needed troubleshooting with our computer before the meeting even began! A shout out to Jeff Huntsberger for sponsoring Dave. This is a big part of Rotary. All new members MUST be sponsored by a current member of the club! We are looking forward to getting to know you better Dave and THANK YOU for bringing your talent, time and treasurer to our club!
The induction ceremony was quickly followed by Foundation Chair John Zachariah who awarded Rich Luschian and Jay Jones with Paul Harris Fellowships! It is a high honor to receive a Paul Harris Fellowship award because it means that member has donated at least $1,000 to Rotary International! Congratulations again to both gentlemen!
Then John introduced our guest speaker the Hon. Judge Matt Lynch. What a very informative talk Judge Lynch gave about our judicial system and how it works at the local, district, state and federal level. It is truly amazing how complicated the judicial branch of our government is and how it processes cases and does its best to see that "Lady Justice is Blind” in our country. Of course, there are always pressures that all judges receive in effort to persuade or dissuade them from ruling a certain way on a highly controversial case. We also learned that it is important to exercise your right to vote for your local and state judges and make an effort to find out their positions before casting your ballot. After fielding many thought-provoking questions from our members, I feel we all left with a much deeper appreciation for the work that all of our elected judges do on a daily basis all across this great land to uphold the laws of our Constitution to the best of their ability and conscience.
Therapist Sarah Swiger, from In Step with Horses was our guest speaker at our Weds. morning meeting. Sarah gave the club an update on the status of the $5,000 grant the organization received last year from the Geauga West Rotary Foundation and expressed her gratitude for the funding which enabled them to expand services and purchase many needed items for their equine therapy program. Last year, approx. 360 individuals received either individual or group equine assisted services which was a significant increase from the previous year. Sarah explained the many ways horses can help an individual to increase their confidence and self-esteem and actually shorten the time it takes to improve their overall well-being or trust levels. Horses are not judgmental but do give important feedback depending on how the person around them is feeling. Horses can provide clues to the therapists to focus on specific areas of treatment and how to help process certain emotions. The psychological bond that is created between the horse and individual becomes stronger and serves as a mutual benefit for each other. Simply put, horses are natural healers!
Ryan Berdis, West Geauga HS Interact President attended our morning meeting to bring our club up to speed on the myriad activities and projects his club is engaged in and planning at this time! It was amazing to hear about the breadth and scope of the service projects and the diversity of organizations they are actively trying to support through raising awareness and funds for these various groups. Some of the projects are school-related efforts, such as collecting recyclable waste at the school and bringing it the Chester Twp. Recycle Center., separating out aluminum cans from the recyclable waste specifically for ABC (Aluminum Cans for Burned Children) to help burned victims, stocking a school supply closet for teachers to utilize throughout the year when a student needs something so it doesn't have to come out of the teacher's pocket; putting together baskets for children who are removed from home by Child Protection so they have an emergency backpack of age-appropriate personal items they will need to make the transition to foster care easier; spend a day at a local nursing home engaging the seniors to participate in arts and crafts or other appropriate recreational opportunities, and many more worthwhile projects!
West Geauga High School teacher Cindy O'Janpa was our guest speaker at our Weds morning's meeting. She talked to us about the school's new public speaking program that was launched last semester. She informed us that the new pilot program was a success with about 6 students ranging from Freshman to Seniors who are mastering the skills and self-confidence necessary to improve their ability to speak in large public settings. Similar to the Toastmasters program the philosophy is to get the students to learn how to formulate their ideas and opinions in writing and then be able to articulate them effectively in front of an audience. While this task can present challenges, the lesson these students are learning will help them throughout their careers and life in general. Thank you, Cindy, for implementing this much needed class into the WGHS curriculum!
Club Foundation Chair John Zachariah and Club President Bob Voss presented member Bob Somrak, Jr. with a Paul Harris Fellowship Certificate and lapel pin at our Weds. club meeting this week. Anyone that personally contributes $1,000 to the Rotary International Paul Harris fund is eligible to receive this award. Congratulations Bob! It was much deserved and long overdue!
At our weekly club meeting this past Weds, Membership Chair Ed Slane inducted Kevin Currutt into our club! Kevin is a registered financial professional working with Northwestern Mutual Investment Services in Cleveland. He is a native of Chesterland and attended West Geauga Schools. Apart from a relatively brief stint in Wyoming, he has spent most of his life in our area. He knew Dan Peck and Andrew Blaschke from high school. Dan introduced him to the Rotary Club and is his sponsor. We are pleased to have Kevin as a member and are excited to see what role he will play and impact he will have on our club! We are all looking forward to getting to know him better. Congratulations Kevin!
Rotary is the world's premier international humanitarian service organization We are a diverse global network of community, business, and professional leaders who address relevant social causes to change lives and build goodwill and peace at home and abroad.
We work with the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and national governments toward our top goal of eradicating polio worldwide.
We also focus our time, energy, and efforts on service projects encompassing the following:
The Geauga West Rotary Club hosted special guest speaker Laura Bartchak who is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Harriet Tubman Movement. The Harriet Tubman Movement is an advocacy group dedicated to helping people along the road to freedom. This group serves persons who have been victims of human trafficking – sex trafficking, prostitution, and other forms of exploitation. (https://www.harriettubmanmovement.org/ )
Ms. Bartchak gave an excellent power point and video presentation that gave the audience a strong grasp on the subject of Human and Sex Trafficking in the country and, in particular, here in NE Ohio. This is a widespread and underreported crime that continues to exploit and subject many of our youth and young adults into a life of servitude at the hands of people who make a living abusing their victims. If you think this does not happen in Geauga County, then you would be dead wrong. Chester Twp. Police Chief Craig Young provided a case that happened recently right here in Chesterland involving two girls. Thankfully, they were rescued due to being reported and the Harriet Tubman organization partnered with the police to provide these two girls the help and assistance they needed to begin getting their lives on a track of safety, security and normalcy.
Geauga West Rotary President Bob Voss is seen here receiving his Paul Harris Fellow +3 lapel pin from Foundation Chair John Zachariah. Paul Harris was a lawyer in Chicago who started the first Rotary Club in 1905. Over the past 120 years, Rotary has grown to be the oldest, largest volunteer service organization in the world with approx. 1.4 million members, 45,000 clubs in 200 countries! Achieving a Paul Harris Fellow (PHF) award signifies donating at least $1,000 to Rotary International (RI). A PHF+3 level indicates contributions totally at least $4,000 to RI. Congratulations Bob!
A big THANK YOU! to Jeff and Sally Huntsberger for hosting our club Christmas Party at their home last Saturday Dec. 20th. Despite Sally freshly recovering from her very recent hip replacement surgery, she was all dressed up and filled with Christmas cheer as she eagerly awaited and greeted all guests at the door. She truly is a "Bionic Woman!" In addition, I'd like to thank Bob Piecenski again for catering the party and it goes without saying that there was PLENTYof food for everyone to enjoy! We also had a former member, and a few wives join the party (Larry & Debbie Corbus and Loretta Pitorak). It's so nice to stay connected! We are all part of the Rotary Family! There were just over 20 people who were able to attend the party, and it was a nice way to end the year by celebrating all the things we accomplished in 2025 in Rotary and our personal lives. We have so much to be thankful for and we are truly blessed!
On behalf of the Geauga West Rotary Club, Skip and Pam Claypool exemplified Rotary's motto of "Service Above Self" by preparing and delivering one large pan of turkey casserole to the residents living at the Next Step Geauga Home located on Aquilla Rd. in Claridon Twp. Program Director Andrea Pollock, who is also a member of the GW Rotary Club, is always appreciative of the many generous offerings of volunteer service and assistance from the four Rotary clubs in Geauga County. "The Next Step Program is a community-based initiative that provides stable housing and individualized case management services for young adults aged 18-24 who are victims of crime and have experienced trauma. The program aims to support these young adults in their transition to self-sufficiency by offering case plans, housing, employment, education, transportation and health care support." The Next Step program has been in existence in Geauga County for over 10 years and can accommodate 8-10 young adults living at this home.
On Dec. 10th and Dec. 17th, Josh Sens and Dan Peck were officially inducted as two of Geauga West Rotary Club's newest members! Josh is no stranger to Rotary as his son Aiden was heavily involved in the West Geauga H.S. Interact Club and RYLA program. Dan was a former member of our club many years ago and has recently rededicated himself to get back involved with our rotary club once again. Josh comes from an extensive background in the financial world and has played a pivotal role collaborating with Lawrence Ford in writing the newly released book "The World Doesn't Need You!" Dan has owned and managed several local businesses such as; Apex Landscaping and Painting Solutions. We are very fortunate to have two talented entrepreneurs as members and look forward to seeing how their involvement will impact our club and community in positive ways! Welcome abord Josh and Dan!
The Geauga West Rotary Club and West Geauga Interact club rolled up their sleeves to ring the bell for the Salvation Army "Red Kettle" Campaign on Sat. Dec. 13th at the Giant Eagle and DrugMart locations. The four Geauga County Rotary Clubs (Chardon, Burton-Middlefield, Chagrin Valley and Geauga West) have partnered with the Salvation Army for many decades to help raise funds to assist those most in need in our communities. 100% of the funds collected in the red kettles remain in Geauga County to help our neighbors who desperately need assistance to survive at this time of year. The help comes in many forms ( i.e.- food, heat, electricity, rent assistance, etc.)
The weather was cold and snowy most of the day, but that maybe worked to our advantage as many of the patrons were in the Christmas spirit and even the Grinch's appearance did not sour the festive mood! A big THANK YOU! to all the Interact Students and Rotary club members who stood post for an hour ringing the bell. The final amount raised at DrugMart and Giant Eagle has not been officially tallied, but it appears the total will eclipse $2,500! In addition, our Rotary club always makes a $500 donation bringing the total to more than $3,000 raised for the Salvation Army this year! That beats last year's total by $500!
Geauga County Magistrate Abbey King was our guest speaker this weds at our weekly Rotary club meeting. She gave us an excellent review and comprehensive summary on our Juvenile Court system in Geauga County. We learned about the many challenges that come with adjudicating young children and teenagers who find themselves in trouble with the law. It was heartbreaking to hear the types of cases that come before her in court which can range from truancy from school, engaging in delinquent acts of theft or violence, continually disobeying parents or other authority figures, to taking illegal drugs or finding themselves in sexually or physically abusive situations at home with their parents. Many of the initial interventions administered by the court with these first-time young children and teenage offenders are geared to help them learn tough lessons without severe punishment or penalty. However, as a minor child creeps closer to the age of becoming an legal adult at the age of 18, then the consequences can be detrimental and potentially cause irreversible psychological damage for the rest of that person's life. It is not a job for the faint of heart, and we are proud that Ms. King sits on the bench of Chardon Juvenile Court as Magistrate to give these kids an opportunity to get support and turn their behavior around before it's too late!
The Geauga West Rotary Club held its 33rd annual pancake Breakfast with Santa at the West Geauga HS on Sat. Dec 6th. The Rotary members and WG Interact students all pitched in to help make the event a huge success! It took all hands on deck starting with decorating the cafeteria Friday afternoon and serving on Sat. from 8:30AM until 12:30PM. There was a total of 413 adults and children who attended the all-you-can-eat blueberry, chocolate chip and plain pancakes with Richard’s maple syrup; sausage; O.J., apple juice, white/chocolate milk, coffee and cookies all for only $8.00!! Of course, the “Big Guy” Santa was there to take pictures with all the good little boys and girls and make sure their stockings are full and they get all the toys and goodies on their Christmas list! Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer was also in the house to ensure Santa’s sleigh makes it to every one of those children’s houses this year! Overall, it was a very festive setting with the kids playing games, enjoying face painting, balloon twisting and the WG choir singing Christmas carols! The ambiance captured the true meaning of the holiday season and the spirit of Rotary’s motto of “Service-Above-Self.” Thanks again to every rotary member and interact student who volunteered to give a little something back the community we so dearly love! Merry Christmas everyone!
Winterfest 2025 is officially in the books! And, what a wonderful evening at Parkside it was on Saturday! The snowstorm on Thanksgiving gave the park just the right “glow” which set the stage for the Christmas Holiday lighting! (Also glowing were all the children wearing glow in the dark necklaces courtesy of the GW Rotary club!) The park couldn't have looked more festive with parents and the kids enjoying the winter wonderland. The bonfire was roaring, the hot chocolate and hot cider was flowing too! Police chief Young was grilling hot dogs and Twp. Administrator Purchase, along with Trustees Mazzurco and Richter were serving up S’mores! Val Mahalick and our local Girl Scout troops sang several Christmas carols, and Sam Mathews and our local Boy Scout troop lit luminaries along the walkway. The Geauga West Rotary Club was also serving popcorn and cookies to go with the hot chocolate and hot cider! Master of Ceremonies and GW Rotarian Bob Somrak did an excellent job keeping pace with the evening's event and culminated with the announcement of the arrival of Santa who helped with the countdown for the lighting and later passed out candy canes to all the good little girls and boys! What a beautiful scene it was after all the lights on the fence, gazebo, tree, lamp posts and displays all lit up in unison. It was purely magical!
On November 22 members of the Geauga West Rotary Club assembled and delivered seven holiday food baskets to Geauga County families in need. In addition to a turkey, each basket was chocked full of healthy festive foods as well as savory treats. The assembly and delivery crews were a mix of seasoned holiday basket veterans and new faces. Big thanks to Bob Piecenski for sourcing the turkeys, Phil Caris for sourcing the perishable foods and packing, Skip Claypool for getting the turkeys to the assembly line and packing, to Mike, Tyler, and Luke Talty for assembly line and delivery work, and Jay and Loren Jones for delivery.
Doug and Lauren Levin owners of Turney's ACE Hardware store in Chesterland were our guest speakers on Wednesday morning. They provided the club with the wonderful history of their family's local hardware store. Turney's Hardware is a family-owned and -operated business that was established in 1960 in Chesterland, Ohio. Did you know it is the #1 grossing ACE Hardware store in Ohio and one the top in the entire USA!!! It is by no accident that Turney's has grown to become this successful. It all started with Lauren and Doug's parents who have worked extremely hard and smart to position their hardware store to be at the top. While their original name has changed, the way they treat their customers and staff remains the secret sauce to their continued success!
Winterfest is always held on the first Saturday after Thanksgiving. This year is no different. November 29th at approx. 5:00PM hundreds of adults and children will gather at Parkside for the ceremonial Holiday lighting of the park. There will be plenty of food and drink for young and old alike i.e.- hot chocolate and hot cider; popcorn & cookies served up by the members of the Geauga West Rotary Club. The Rotary club is responsible for decorating the park each year with the support of our Township Trustees and Park Board. Preliminary decorating has already begun and there is more to come! The police chief will be serving hot dogs again this year and the township will be serving S'Mores!
The Boy Scouts are placing luminaries along the walkway, and the Girl Scouts will be singing Christmas Carols too! There will be a bonfire (weather permitting) to keep every warm and toasty. Finally, Santa Claus will be making a cameo appearance after the park is lit to give all the eager children candy canes!
A special thanks to Bernie Stark a Chesterland resident for donating this year's Christmas Tree and to Rich Luschin, Fred Nevar, Jim Zeitz, Andrew Blaschke and Kevin Conway for lending a hand decorating on Friday! Also, a Big Thanks to Very Good Pizza for giving us sustenance by delivering 3 pizzas to the park to help keep us strong!
H&M Landscaping Founder and Senior Vice President Mark Mazzurco started his landscaping business while he was still a student at West Geauga H.S. in 1988. Unfortunately, Mark was unable be here this morning, so his brother Joe Mazzuco was our "pinch" guest speaker! Joe eventually joined the family landscaping business by partnering with his brother. The Mazzurco brothers grew their homegrown landscaping venture to more than 25 million dollars a year in business! As our population continues to age, more people will require help with cutting the grass, leaf removal and snowplowing. Take your pick! One day, we all will need help! Thanks for sharing your personal and family success story and what hard work can do and where it will take you in this amazing land of opportunity, we call the United States of America!
Toby Larson who is leader with the Boy Scout Troop 3104 came to speak to our club this morning. He provided a nice concise summary of what the Boy Scouts are up to in Chesterland and Geauga County. He and Sam Matthews request financial assistance from our club to help fund the Pinewood Derby Race every year. The Geauga West Rotary Club is always receptive to helping our important local organizations to ensure the continued levels of activities and opportunities they provide small kids and teenagers in the Chesterland area.
The Geauga West Rotary Club is pleased to announce that Phil Caris was inducted into our club this morning by Past President and Membership Chair Ed Slane. Phil is no stranger to Rotary and was a member of another club for many years. However, since retiring and moving back to the area he has been attending our breakfast meetings and decided to reengage with Rotary once again. And, we are very glad about that decision! Phil is also a board member on the "In Step with Horses" Organization. He is a very active member in the community with a focus on service and giving back to others in need. Welcome aboard Phil!
The Geauga West Rotary Club donated $500 to the United Methodist Mayfield Church this morning to help offset some of their operational expense for providing our club with such a wonderful place to host our weekly rotary club meetings. Steve Vegel, Dir. of Plant Operations received the check on behalf of the church. Steve is present just about every Wednesday morning at 7:00AM to assist with any issue that arises with the facility. He is a dedicated employee of the church and has a big caring and giving heart. Thanks Steve and the United Methodist Mayfield Church for helping our Rotary club thrive!
Todd and his wife Patricia (Trish) are beekeepers and have been caring for honeybees and selling honeybee products for 15 years mainly in Munson Twp., Geauga, Ashtabula and Lake County. Todd is an expert in the field of caring for bees and ensuring not only their survival over the winter but thriving during the pollination season in order to reap the benefits of harvesting their honey, wax and other natural products made from these tireless workers! We learned about many facets of the stewardship of honeybees and their essential daily habits, etc. Thank you, Todd, for sharing your passion and pure reverence of the honeybee and their magical busy world not typically seen by us!
Approximately 500 children dressed in costume for an early Halloween Trick or Treat celebration at the Geauga West Rec. Council Camp last Saturday evening. The Geauga West Rotary Club along with many other groups and parents were there to give the little trick or treaters a good scare and, of course, some candy! Thanks to Lisa Luoma, Skip Claypool, Mike Talty, George Zender and Andrew Blaschke for helping out with the event and dressing in costume for the occasion! Who let the Dogs Out! Woof! Woof!
This week's guest speaker was Dr. Karen Hale from the Burton Century Village Museum. She and two of her staffers were in attendance dressed in period clothing to inform our club about all the events and activities happening there throughout the year. The information Dr. Hale presented was very interesting and showcased the rich history that is a huge part of our heritage in Geauga County. Every building located in Century Village Museum were moved there from somewhere in Geauga County. The oldest cabin dates all the way back to 1798! The ladies also brought with them some interesting artifacts and items that were commonly used back in the early 19th century. It was fascinating to hear how people lived in the early 1800's when Geauga County was founded and starting to become inhabited. Many local names that are still living in the county today are direct descendants of the early settlers over 200 years ago! Thank you again Dr. Hale and your staff for taking the time to get up so early on a Wednesday morning to come speak to our club and inform us of your important mission at the Burton Century Village Museum. As a strong advocate and proponent of preserving our local history in Geauga County, our club is planning to have it annual fundraiser at the Lennah Bond building on May 2nd, 2026! There will be more information to come but please save the date!!
On Sat. Sept 27th, the Chagrin Valley Rotary Club held a fundraiser call "Putts for Peace" at the Golf Dome Mini-Golf course in Bainbridge Twp. A total of 32 golfers, male & female, of all ages played in the fundraising event. If you have never played this putt-putt course, then I urge you to give it a try. It will challenge the best of golfers! The course is in excellent shape with undulating fairways and greens with water hazards galore! Bob Voss and his wife Kate attended the event and played as a twosome. While their total score of 108 did not win the combined twosome low score, Bob's individual score of 47 was the lowest of the day! By the way, Par is 47 for this course! Congratulations Bob! Carrie Heppner, President of the Chagrin Valley Rotary Club and chairman of the event Charlie McGibbony made an impromptu visit to our club meeting this morning to present Bob with the first-place trophy, sleeve of balls and a Chagrin Valley Rotary hat!
Katie Davis from the West Geauga Schools Levy Committee was our featured guest speaker this morning. She did a masterful job educating our members on the pros/cons and complexities of Issue 16 on the ballot this Nov. 4th. It is a "Substitute" levy that will combine two co-existing "Emergency" levies. It will not increase property taxes and still capture the state's 12.5% rollback money for the school district! After fielding many questions, it seemed pretty clear that Issue 16 is poised to be approved by the voters of the West Geauga School System! We wish Katie and the entire West Geauga School system the very best of luck!
WOW! A BIG shout out and congratulations to Superintendent Dr. Nancy Benincasa and the entire West Geauga High School board and staff for an unprecedented report card! Keep Wolverine Pride going strong!
The 5th Annual West Geauga Interact Volleyball Tournament is now officially in the books. And what a gorgeous afternoon it was for the outdoor sand volleyball tourney held at Parkside in Chesterland. Over 75 West Geauga students attended the event. Bob Piecenski owner of "Very Good Pizza" provided enough pizza for the kids to last them for a week! A big "THANK YOU" to Chelsea & Mike Talty and Fred Nevar from the Geauga West Rotary club for helping organize and referee the games! The tournament winner this year was team "Volleybubus!” Congratulations!
Rotary Foundation Committe Chair John Zachariah awarded three club members with Paul Harris Fellow Recognition awards this morning! Ben Pintabona who became a Paul Harris Fellow for the first time; Fred Nevar who is a Paul Harris plus 2 and Jeff Huntsberger who reach Paul Harris plus 4 level. A member must donate $1,000 in order to become a Paul Harris Fellow. You attain a higher level with each $1,000 you contribute to Rotary International. All donations to the Paul Harris fund are invested by Rotary International for three years and then the interest earned are returned back to the home District to become available as matching funds for local projects! It is an amazing opportunity for local giving to be maximized for the benefit of our communities all across the world! Thank you to our two Charter members Ben and Fred and the club's first member Jeff for their contributions and prestigious awards!
This past Weds. Sept. 17th District 6630 Governor Bob Oborn paid a visit to our club. He shared his background and expressed his sole purpose was to assist all clubs in our district to be successful. Bob has always led by example and wears his heart on his sleeve when it comes to his passion for Rotary! We are so fortunate to have him at the helm as our District Governor, and he is working hard to ensure we as Rotarians "Unite for Good!" all over the world!
West Geauga School Superintendent Dr. Nancy Benincasa was our guest speaker this morning. She gave us an excellent overview of the current status of the WG school system which is currently ranked in the top 12 out of 864 high schools in the state of Ohio! Wow! She explained the myriad of courses, programs, and other activities offered as well as the upcoming levy that will be placed on the ballot this November. The program is in very good overall scholastic and financial shape. WestG Treasurer/CFO Karen Pavlat was also in attandence to address any fiscal questions. Parents can be proud and excited with the new innovative courses offered and individualized approach to educating their children. In addition, Dr. Benincasa recognizes the importance of having the support of our Rotary Club with regard to the Literacy programs offered in the school i.e. - 3rd grade dictionary project and Power of the Pen program. Our club is also interested in assisting the school implement a required speech or debate class in the 9th grade. It was good to hear from the Superintendent and be reassured that parents are receiving quality services for their taxpayer dollars! Thank you, Nancy, for coming to our meeting this morning. We are thankful for our long-term relationship with the West Geauga schools and look forward our ongoing partnership with you and your staff to continue the traditions in place and creating new opportunities in the future!
Frank Lanza from the Chagrin Valley Rotary club was our guest speaker Weds. morning. Frank has been a rotary member for 44years! In addition, he has been a member of the Chagrin Chamber of Commerce for about as long and started his business the Highway Garage on Washington St. about 45 years ago too! Frank is a dynamic speaker and did not disappoint us with his command of the information and facts surrounding 529 Funds. These funds are intended for parents to save money for their children's college education someday. Well, Frank not only educated all four of his kids but all eight of his grandchildren as well. Now there aren't any more family members that can utilize the massive amount of 529 funds he has accumulated in his account over the past 30 years. He is attempting to change state and federal legislation tax laws that will eliminate the 10% penalty for early withdrawal of these funds as well as the tax on any funds withdrawn that are not utilized for educational purposes. He has spoken to congressman David Joyce and State senator Bernie Moreno to get support for these changes. Frank would like for all parents who are no longer using their 529 funds to be able to donate the entire amount in their accounts to the local Rotary Foundations which are 501(c)(3) tax exempt organizations so that the entire 100% of the funds can be used to educate students who are not related and may not be attending accredited colleges or universities. Frank wants to see the funds go to teach our youth to get into the trades and reward them for working in jobs that require them to "work with their hands!" It is a great idea whose time has come, and our club wholeheartedly supports this effort. We wish Frank the best of luck as his home club and foundation has already begun to implement this pilot program so he can point out to our legislators that it works! Go get 'em Frank!
The Geauga West, Burton-Middlefield and Chardon Rotary Clubs all coordinated to volunteer staffing the Geauga County Rotary Fair booth in the Merchant Hall 2 building this year. It was a great idea, and many older and even some younger adults came up to share their prior experiences with Rotary, Rotaract and Interact! The weather for all five days of the fair couldn't have been better - cool and sunny. I'm guessing another attendance record will be set this year! There were many families with small children who also loved stopping at our booth to get a Geauga West logo mini-football, a glow necklace or a build-your-own mini airplane kit that we were giving away!
Past Geauga West Rotary member Eric Wittine was our guest speaker at last Weds. club meeting. Eric is an amazing individual who fluently speaks several languages and has been traveling to Guatemala on previous missions sponsored by the Mayfield Methodist Church to help build houses for families who lost everything in the recent earthquakes. Eric just returned from a mission where he and a group of volunteers helped the local Guatemalans build a church and four houses in one week! The Geauga West Rotary Club is proud of the missionary work he and the Mayfield Church has done and have supported their missions in the past. President Bob Voss informed Mr. Wittine that the club board has approved $500 to offset expenses incurred on this past mission or towards future missions.
Geauga YMCA Staff member Deb Drenik was gracious enough to be our guest speaker at our club meeting last Weds. Aug. 20th. She shared the many programs offered by the YMCA and then gave us a comprehensive tour of the entire facility. This community resource is truly one of a kind and everyone should check into individual or family memberships. The YMCA offers so many programs and opportunities for you to stay healthy and active! Don't delay and take the first step by giving Deb a call today at (440) 285-7543!
The Geauga West Rotary Club is pleased to introduce our two newest members of the club. Terry Nagy and Kevin Conway were officially inducted as members at our Wednesday weekly meeting. Past Assistant District 6630 Governor and Past Geauga West President Ed Slane did the honors by performing the formal induction ceremony. Ed is currently serving as our club's membership chair. The club's 2025-2026 goal is to add 10 new members! We're well on our way to meeting that goal.
Terry and Kevin offered a little background about themselves. Both are residents of Chesterland. Kevin works for Patio Enclosures and Terry, a retired engineer by profession, is very close to opening the Purpose Brew Works, with his business partner, on Mayfield Rd. just east of Rt. 306. We are blessed to have two incredible individuals as Rotarians and members of our club! Welcome Terry and Kevin!
What a beautiful, sunny, hot day it was for the Geauga West Rotary Club's 34th annual golf outing which was held at St. Denis Golf Course in Chardon on Weds. July 30th. The outing always begins with a delicious catered brunch by Frank Arco of Rise-N-Dine in Chesterland. Rotary club Past President Ed Slane was the "Ultimate Grill Master" and provided grilled ballpark hot dogs, brats and Italian sausages for lunch to everyone on the turn! Then, after the golf scramble was over, everyone retreated to the air-conditioned party room for appetizers and drinks. Dinner was catered by St. Denis staff which consisted of pulled pork and BBQ chicken with garlic potatoes and vegetables.
There were three team tied for first place with a score of -11. The eventual winner (as calculated by going back to the lowest handicap hole) was the Chester Township Road Department team! Congratulations! (see pic below)
There was also a putting contest before the 12:00 shot gun scramble. 1st Place winner was Bob Voss and 2nd Place went to Bob Somrak. The winner advanced for a chance to sink a 50ft. putt for $10,000. So, close to going in!
Our 34th annual golf outing is scheduled for next week! July 30th at St. Denis golf course. Please see flyer below and make every effort to support this important fundraiser. There is still room for your Foursome! See you out on the links!
This week's club meeting speaker was Skip Claypool. He gave a well-crafted power point presentation on House Bill 335 which seeks to modify the law governing county budget commissions, property taxation, county sales taxation, and alternative apportionment formulas for local government and public library funds. He focused on the issues surrounding local property taxes and the effort currently underway to change the way Ohio funds public services, such as, public education. Skip was able to condense the 180-page H.B. 335 into manageable segments making it understandable how our property taxes are levied, and which form of tax might be utilized to make funding public education constitutional and, hopefully, more affordable for property owners in the future. For more information go to: H.B. 335. Nice job Skip!
The Geauga West Rotary club played in the Hillcrest Sunrise Rotary club's annual golf outing at Pine Ridge on Friday. Members Fred Nevar, Jim Zeitz and Bob Voss played in the event and are standing in front of the hole our club sponsored. The weather was almost perfect for a change - cool and cloudy with temps in the low 70's! Our team came out hot birdying 4 of the first 6 holes but couldn't make another birdie putt until the last hole. Our final score was -5 under par. The winning team finished -12 under and the second-place team finished -11. The Hillcrest Sunrise club put on an excellent outing with fantastic food, silent auction prizes, booze cart, 50/50 cash raffle and a putting contest. Bob Voss won the putting contest by beating out another player who also made the 40 ft. putt to advance to the putt-off. Congrats to Bob and the West Geauga Rotary club for participating in the outing and for making the Hillcrest's outing a success!
Josh Sens of Conscious Capital was our guest speaker this past Wednesday. His son Aidan just graduated from West Geauga High School and was a very active Interact Student with the Rotary Youth Leadership Award program at the district level for the past two years. His dad talked about a new business venture with the assistance of Lawrence Ford the "Shaman of Wall Street." Josh explained how his career path and hard work has led him to financial success but was somehow still lacking in personal fulfillment. He is attempting to structure a company with investment and marketing partners to help people learn how to navigate pursuing personal rewarding careers while feeling excited about how they are impacting their community and the world.
Josh triggered many questions from the guests and members in attendance as we all search for personal meaning while trying to do good in the world! Sounds just like the philosophy of Rotary in many ways. Service above self and targeted in ways that YOU believe are important to give your TIME, TALENT and TREASURE! Josh ended with the belief that we are all put of this planet for a reason, and he would like to help people find out what that is to maximize their God-given potential and live in harmony with whatever may be there life's pursuit.
The Maple Splash Festival was a huge success on Sat., July 12th at the Burton Century Village. The Burton-Middlefield Rotary Club did an outstanding job running the raffle and the event. The weather was hot and sunny, and a gentle breeze kept blowing all day to keep everyone from becoming too overheated. There were over 40 local private and other non-profit businesses who set up booths at the festival as well.
Over 7,500 maple splash tickets were sold along with a 50/50 cash raffle that totaled almost $30,000! There were approx. 100 Chinese auction items as well as other incredible raffle prizes. I do not have the final revenue totals from Larry Fox, Maple Splash Chairman, but it looks like they might break another record!
The festival started at 2:00PM and lasted until 9:00PM. There were live bands and several food trucks and an ice cream truck too! Our club assisted with the "Kids Zone" by playing four different games with the kiddos. There was a huge velcro soccer target that seemed to attract most of the kid's attention. A big thanks and appreciation to Mike & Chelsea Talty and the Clover Electric Employees, Jim & Paula Zeitz, Derek Taylor and Geauga West Rotary Club First Lady Kate Wheeler for volunteering their time to play with the kids and hand out prizes all day!
D&S Automotive Managers Mark Metz and Amy Marsh were our rotary guest speakers at our weekly Weds. club meeting on July 9th. One shop is located in Geauga County on Fifth St. in Chardon near the Walmart. They also have five other shops located in Mentor, East Mentor, North Ridgeville, Elyria and Kirtland.
D&S Automotive has been satisfying customers with their outstanding auto repair service for almost 50 years. They provide quick and reasonable estimates and stand 100% behind all work they perform with their guaranteed warranty on the work they perform. They have virtually all 5-star reviews which is a testament to the type of dedicated, caring and professional people employed at D&S.
We wish them all the best!
CHARDON’S NUMBER-ONE AUTO REPAIR CENTER
Chardon, Ohio, is home to the number-one collision repair shop in Geauga County, D&S Automotive. If your car needs repairs after an accident, or just small cosmetic repairs like dings or dents, D&S can handle all of your auto body needs. We handle all aspects of body work, right down to windshield repair and replacement.
Our Chardon location is now a Tesla-Lite Certified Repair Facility, providing cosmetic repairs on parts, including bumpers, trunks, side mirrors, wheels, and glass. At this time, we do not provide collision repair or body work for Tesla vehicles—those services can be found at our Mentor location only.
Contact D&S Automotive in Chardon today and find out why we are a Progressive Insurance Preferred Body Shop and Geauga County’s top choice for auto body repair and accessory installation. We also service Hambden for collision repairs!
Liberty Camp CEO Linda O'Brien receives a check for $500 from the Geauga West Rotary club to help fund the 2025 one-week, half day summer camp program in Geauga and Lake County. Hundreds of children from the second to seventh grade return every year to learn more about the history and founding of our country. The mission is to educate kids of the early trials and tribulations that our country went through in its infancy and how it relates to the many struggles we are still faced with today. One of the goals is to teach the kids that their right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are inalienable rights that come from God and are not bestowed upon them by any one man.
Happy 249th Birthday America!!! Once again, the Geauga West Rotary club participated in Chesterland's 4th of July parade. What a beautiful day it was too! The club's briefcase brigade was the hit of the parade dazzling spectators with their brilliant, choreographed dance routine. The large inflatable rotary sign was a new prominent feature this year in the bed of Andrew Blaschke's (RED EFT Arborists owner) truck and trailer he was pulling while candy was being tossed to the children along the parade route. The West Geauga Interact club led the procession as they do every year!
The Geauga West Rotary Club held its Changing of the Guard event at Veterans Legacy Woods Park on June 25, 2025. The event is to celebrate Past President Ed Slane for his accomplishments during his term July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025. Thank you again Ed for your dedication and leadership throughout the year and how you miraculously managed to "pull a rabbit out of your hat" keeping our club moving forward in a positive direction with our magician-like prowess in keeping with your rotary year's theme "The Magic of Rotary!"
We also inducted the new President Bob Voss and his officers and directors for his term commencing July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026. This is Bob's second term as President of the club as he served 20 years ago in 2005-2006. The club also celebrated its 35th anniversary as a rotary club that started on March 16, 1990 and was chartered by the Burton-Middlefield club. There are still three charter members in our club who were there when it all began 35 years ago (Fred Nevar, Joy Black and Ben Pintabona)
On Tuesday, President Ed Slane, President-Elect Bob Voss and Charter/Club Member of 35 yrs. Fred Nevar tackled refurbishing the three benches the club donated to the West Geauga High School and Middle School. Approximately 18 years ago, our club donated and installed two benches on behalf of the club and one bench on behalf of the West Geauga Interact club.
The weather has taken its toll over the years as this is not the first time they needed a face-lift. I am now proud to report that all three benches are looking pretty spiffy again! As you can see, the results are dramatic! Andrew Blaschke will clean up under the benches, lay down a weed barrier and spread mulch to add the final touches on the project. Add this to the long list of successful projects and events completed under Ed Slane's leadership!
The Chester Township Officials held a solemn but beautiful Memorial Day Service at the Chester Twp. Cemetery on May 26th at 10:00AM. Approximately two hundred residents were in attendance on the warm and sunny morning. The Geauga West Rotary Club recently completed its service project to honor our veterans at the cemetery which included installation of a new flagpole, granite boulder with bronze plaque inscribed with the immortal words of President Harry S. Truman, and garden area of annuals and perennials surrounding the flagpole. Kudos to club members Jim Zeitz (wife Paula) and Terry Palermo for all their help with the project. Job well done!
The Geauga West Rotary Club recently installed an additional 20 engraved commemorative bricks around the gazebo in Parkside park! The engraved bricks are still for sale and have been part of an ongoing fundraiser for the club over the years. Fred Nevar lends a hand by delivering the engraved bricks to the gazebo.
My name is Jim Zeitz, the current president of the Geauga West Rotary Club for the 2026 – 2027 term. My wife and I have lived in Chesterland for 46 years.We have three sons, all married and we have 4 grandchildren and 1 great granddaughter.
I have been busy getting up to speed with all the duties of president.I was president before, in the 2009 – 2010 term.I thought it would be easier now with email, Wi-Fi, cell phones and social media, but it is much more time consuming.Luckily, I have a good team backing me up.
There is a lull now but we are about to enter our busy season.We will be working on decorating the township gazebo and walkway for Winterfest on November 28, Santa’s Breakfast on December 5 and bell ringing at Giant Eagle for Geauga United Way on December 12.Also in November, we will be delivering Thanksgiving baskets to needy families in Geauga County.
Scan through our website for pictures and stories of past events and speakers at our Wednesday morning meetings.Stay tuned for more updates in the future.
WEDNESDAY MORNING WITH GEAUGA WEST ROTARY.
Message From the Geauga West Rotary President
