Author: northcoastrotary

2022 Scholarship Awardees!

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North Coast Rotary Scholarship Awardees for 2022
Brookside – Leah Mussall, Avon – Elizabeth White, Avon Lake – Sydney Ryan, Avon Lake – Gabriela Marsala, Brookside – Nura Afaneh, Scholarship Awardees 2022 North Coast Rotary Foundation

Nura Afaneh, Leah Musall, Sydney Ryan and Elizabeth White were awarded $1000 scholarships each for their “Service Above Self.”  Their leadership roles and service to others included captaining various sports teams, President of the Avon Lake Choir program, President of BHS National Honor Society, Treasurer of Interact Service Club, volunteering at St. Mary of the Woods, Genesis House, sponsoring a club for mental health awareness and more. 

Congratulations to these graduates from Avon, Avon Lake and Brookside High Schools who stood out among the 53 well-qualified applicants for the North Coast Rotary scholarships.  

In a separate application process, Gabriel Marsala was awarded a $1000 scholarship by Marilyn Weems for her interest in continuing to study and learn the French language.   

Lauren Ksiazek, MSW, LSW, Executive Director of Lorain County Office on Aging (LCOOA)

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LCOOA Executive Director
Lauren Ksiazek

At today’s meeting, Executive Director of LCOOA, Lauren Ksiazek presented highlights from the 2021 Older Adults Needs Assessment (the last assessment was done in 2008). 

Lauren concluded with recommended actions:  To build on the Coalition for Quality Aging, to increase collaborations and partnerships, advocacy at all levels of government, to educate the public about the needs, and to develop sustainable and significant funding sources for aging services.  Lauren asked, “Who will be the Champion of this Population?” 

To further the discussion, the Executive Director has been sharing this information with multiple groups and organizations.  The survey results are available on the LCOOA website.  https://lcooa.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/LC-Older-Adults-Needs-Assessment.pdf

To learn more contact Executive Director Lauren Ksiazek at:  lksiazek@lcooa.org

The LCOOA is the primary agency for supporting Lorain County’s older adult population.  25% of Lorain County residents are aged 60 or older, and this number is expected to continue growing.  Funding for the survey was provided by the Community Foundation of Lorain County and the Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging.

North Coast Business Expo

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Rotarians enjoyed meeting with local area vendors, businesses, professionals, and non-profits at the Power of More/North Coast Chamber Business Expo held last week at Ahern’s in Avon Lake.  The club benefits from this opportunity to let others know what we do.  Through networking at this Event, we found interesting business-owners who will be invited to be a speaker at a club meeting and others who would consider joining Rotary. 

We also shared information about the 2nd annual Make Music Day celebration in Avon Lake on June 21st.  

Our thanks to Ted Esborn, Director Economic Development and Avon Lake Mayor Greg Zilka, who have provided North Coast Rotary with the opportunity to participate in the Business Expo since 2015.

Avon’s Michele Smith and Avon Lake’s Eric McFadden win 1stPlace

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This spring, many Avon and Avon Lake 7th and 8th grade students worked with their Language Arts teachers to write essays explaining their personal understanding of the 4-Way Test and how it relates to their life experiences or society.  Both school districts submitted their top six finalists to North Coast Rotary’s 4-Way Test Essay Competition. 

A committee of Rotarians reviewed and evaluated each essay for focus, content development, style, and other factors. A few of the weighty topics were truth, fairness and goodwill in society and personal relationships, wearing masks during the pandemic and the opportunities to build trust in the Avon community working with Avon’s City Council.  

To the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners, Rotary presented Award Certificates and cash prizes. 4th Place winners were also presented with Award Certificates.  

Michele Smith won 1st Place North Coast and 1st Place Avon and her essay was submitted to the District Competition.

Alexandria Balthaser won 2nd Place North Coast and 2nd Place Avon. 

Eric McFadden won 3rd Place North Coast and 1st Place Avon Lake and his essay was submitted to the District Competition. 

Bree Bodde won 2nd Place Avon Lake.

Harshal Bhavsar won 3rd Place Avon Lake.

Alexa Lopata won 3rd Place Avon.

Lilly Fay Casterline, Jacob Lecorchick, and Emmit Lotz won 4th Place for Avon Lake and Deanna Dyer, NhaTien Le, Molly Legeza won 4th Place for Avon.

Congratulations to these students for their effort and achievement, and much thanks to their Language Arts teachers.  This is the sixth year that Avon’s and Avon Lake’s 7th and 8th graders have participated in North Coast Rotary’s Essay Contest. 

2022 Speech Contest Winners

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North Coast Rotary held the club round of its 2022 Speech Contest among Avon, Avon Lake and Brookside high school students.  Early in the year, students began preparing to deliver a 5-minute speech on how an ethical decision-making tool, “The 4-Way Test” applied to their lives or society.  

Each school selected their top two students as Finalists to compete: Dylan Roof and Molly Cochran from Avon HS, Daniel Gordillo and Hope Tamoney from Avon Lake HS, and Sabrina Bibb and Lanie Prodonovich from Brookside HS. 

Three independent judges based their awards on delivery, originality, and content. Dylan Roof won 1st Place, speaking about social interactions, the human experience and mass automation.  2nd Place was awarded to Lanie Prodonovich and 3rd Place was awarded to Daniel Gordillo.  Congratulations to Dylan, Lanie and Daniel and all Finalists.

Super Bowl Squares FUNDraiser

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$20 a Square
Use the Button Below to Select Your Squares

Pay by Venmo to: @Larry-Calabrese-2 or

Pay by Check to North Coast Rotary Foundation, P.O.Box 212, Avon Lake, OH 44012

Superbowl Squares

How does it work? Once all squares have been purchased, we will randomly pick numbers from 0 – 9 for each team and assign that number to a particular row or column. These numbers represent the last number in the score of each team. Since this is a fundraiser, 50% of the proceeds will go to North Coast Rotary Foundation, and 50% will be distributed among the participants with the winning squares.

Winning breakdown for Squares:
  • 10% payout end of 1st Q
  • 10% payout end of 2nd Q
  • 10% payout end of 3rd Q
  • 20% payout end of Game

For questions, email: Larry.Calabrese@gmail.com or EStinehelfer@clevelandymca.org

Tuesday January 11th Meeting 7:30 AM Featuring Students of the Month from Avon, Avon Lake and Brookside High Schools

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North Coast Rotary will recognize three students selected by their schools for selfless acts, positively influencing others, willingness to help and more. These students will receive a congratulatory letter, certificate of achievement, Main Event gift cards and a gift certificate to a local pizza shop. The meeting starts at 7:30 AM via Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3462102767 use passcode rotary. Congratulations to North Coast Rotary Students of the Month for January 2022!