Minutes_26_1st | Louisvillerotary Com

Louisville Rotary Club
Meeting Minutes
January 14, 2026
With Open Arms, Jubilant Jim Dutter called this week’s Rotary lunch meeting to order at the Louisville Eagles. Faithfully, President Dutter led the club in prayer, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and Four-Way Test.Announcements Say It Isn’t So, but it’s almost time for Second Fridays – and that’s not just Second Hand News!

President Dutter distributed a list of music for this summer that includes tributes to Journey, Hall and Oates and Fleetwood Mac.

Guests

There were enough guests in attendance today to make even Sara Smile: Officer Steve Miller was in attendance. The club presented him with a check for his program, “Fishing with a Cop.” Officer Miller encouraged everyone to attend the program. He says it’s not Only the Young that can attend and the program certainly isn’t just for Private Eyes. Officer Miller thanked the club for the gift and shared that his partner K-9 Sadie is retiring and will be honored at the next City Council meeting. Other honored guests were Tristan Stutler, Sally Samblanet and Karen Crislip.

Jim Dutter, Karen Crislip, Sally Samblanet and Greg Anderson

Happy Dollars
There were rumors that Rotarians left their stuff at Cynthia’s house post-Christmas party. Cynthia says to take your stuff or we’re Never Going Back Again. She also says that Wheel in the Sky keeps on turnin’, but she DOES know where she will be every Second Friday starting in the Spring.

- Rob Johnson and Barb DeJacimo encouraged club members to attend this evening’s Special Olympics game at the School. Rob and Barb agree it’s their favorite event of the year.

- Mark Sigler led the club in an inspired rendition of America, The Beautiful.

The Program

Sally Samblanet and Karen Crislip were presented a grant award from the club for the Louisville Community Cupboard. As many of you know, after the church closed that hosted the Community Cupboard, they were forced to Go Their Own Way. Sally and her dedicated crew refused to break The Chain of over 20 years serving the community. As the Cupboard was looking to find a new location, despair set in and their Dreams were almost lost. Enter Corey Street and the City of Louisville, who said, Don’t Stop Believin.’ We can put the Community Cupboard in the Constitution Center. The Community Cupboard opened several weeks ago in the new location. Well, the Landslide of new donations and people won’t bring them down! The Community Cupboard is open on the First and Third Fridays of each month. Most of their food they are able purchase on their own with donations. Much of the food comes from Giant Eagle, Green Farms and the Akron-Canton Food Bank. A big Thank You to Midlake Products for picking up and delivering the food. Sally thanked the club for their support and gifts. As we went our Separate Ways, Rotarians left Hypnotized and thankful for all of the great work being done by the Louisville Community Cupboard.Coming

Scooter Israel, Steve Miller and Jim Dutter.

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Date: 01/21/2026

Call to Order Unite for Good

Prayer/Pledge of Allegiance

Four Way Test

Happy Dollars

- Cindy Fisher, While at a marketing conference in Arizona she had the fortune of going to the observatory in Gilbert and discovered that the Gilbert Observatory was constructed through funding from the Gilbert Rotary for the 100th Anniversary of Rotary International. Neat to see the works of another Rotary. Her husband saw Jupiter through a telescope for the first time.

- Rob Johnson, City Council is now streaming the meetings online through Spotlight Media. The Concession stand was installed. The new patio was approved on Mill and will be a great addition especially for 2nd Friday’s

Song- Mark Sigler

The Wheels on the Bus in honor of Speaker Cliff Varian of Kidwatch

Guests- Cliff Varian - Kid Watch
Hannah Rich - Kozy Kabin Koffee

Rotary for Reading-Brock,

- Dolly Parton Imagination Library, gives children a book a month from birth to age 5. The District Rotary chose this as the 2026 charity. Donations can be earmarked specifically for the Louisville Area.

- Need for Flag assembler coordinator (Dr. Terry it suggested that it should be someone that wasn’t in attendance)

- Need for a Trail Cleanup Coordinator

- Need for a Pancake Day Coordinator

- Bell Stores made a $10,000 donation to the amphitheater thanks to Randy’s persistence

- Let’s honor Al Gress and Greg Parris for their service to our club and community- Jared did a nice article on the Facebook Page on Al Gress.

Speaker:
Cliff Varian Kidwatch

Cliff was born and raised in East Canton. Cliff self proclaims that he hit the family lottery as he still is close with his parents and his dad was honored with a memorial at East Canton Schools. Kidwatch also has the best families. Kidwatch was started in 1971as a basic church preschool then the Kidwatch part of it was added in 1985. It is a part of the ministry to the public through Paradise and is a 501c3. It provides service to families of over 400 students. The infant/toddler program is in the old St. Louis school building and offers services for 6 ½ weeks to 2 ½ years. Currently there are 48 participants in that program, 7 staff and a wait list of 35.The 2 ½ - 5 program runs from 6:30 am to 5:00 pm and has 6 classes and 2 teachers.

They charge $7/hour and their fees are only charged based on the time that the child is present.The Preschool program runs from 9-12 and offers the same curriculum that the North Nim Preschool Program offers. In fact when the North Nim program is full then they refer parents to Kidwatch. Recently KidWatch acquired the East Canton PreSchool program. They are housed for free at the East Canton School facility but retain their 501c3 status. 45 families were added through that program. There are morning and afternoon programs offered. Many in-home child care providers have partnered with Kidwatch to provide preschool.

Cliff is also affiliated with Varian Orchards. The Varian orchard has been established since 1914. Cliff is the 5th Generation to operate the Orchard. He resides on the property with his parents and his wife and 4 kids. Additionally, Cliff is a realtor and owns several properties in the area. Cliff has been a worship leader at Paradise United Church of Christ for 20 years.

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Date: 02/04/2026

Call to Order "Unite for Good"

Prayer/Pledge of Allegiance

Four Way Test

Happy Dollars

- Joan Aljancic tonight is Senior Night for Girls Basketball, 3 Senior girls this year.

-Song, Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Introduction of Guests- Tristan Stutler

Financial Report- The club’s balance sheet is running ahead of last year.

Amphitheater- Randy reported that there were 2 checks for $1,000 and 1 check from a member for $100 as well as a check from the Eagles for $7500 totaling $9,600 for the week. The current fundraising has led to a balance of over $452k. Another donor called in as a result of the article Cindy Fisher wrote in the Louisville Neighbors magazine. There is a government grant and a T Mobile grant that is still outstanding. Until notification of the results of the government grant, the gathering of the bids will have to be postponed.

District contest inspiring all clubs to get 8 new members in 8 weeks. If we do that we will get into a drawing for $1,000.

The club will match member donations by members up to a total of $500 for Dolly Parton’s imagination. Lets all try to give $20

3 job openings within the club: 2 At Large openings and 1 Sergeant At Arms.

The club is looking to see if we can move upstairs in an effort to be more ADA accessible.

Speaker David Wertz, LHS Basketball Coach Dave Wertz grew up in the Perry/ Jackson area. He went to Perry High School and his father has been the Basketball coach for Jackson High for 38 years. In college he secured a student teaching position as a Louisville Sub at the Louisville Middle School. He then applied for the opening of the Social Studies teacher for 8th grade at the middle school. He was called back ½ hour after the interview and was offered the position.

Initially he lived in Perry and commuted to Louisville from there but decided to move to Louisville in 2022. He has been a proud member of the community for 3 years. When he was hired, he immediately asked Coach Sigfreid if there was anything open for him in the coaching staff. The 1st year he coached Freshman then he moved up to coaching JV and now the head coach. The path to coaching started with his dad as a coach at Jackson and watching on the sidelines. He got the love of the game at the High School level.

He is celebrating his 26th birthday today and has been coaching basketball for 8 years. He has seen many of the current players when he coached youth camp. He has coached 2nd-6th grade and 7th-12th grade basketball camps. When he began assembling his staff for this year he wanted to have himself surrounded by experienced coaches, people that will stretch him not just yes man to him.

His staff is comprised of: Drew Meister: offensive coach, Corey Perez - great edition to staff, Derek Bailey- Jr. Coach Trent Dagen- has all heart for the game. At the Middle School Level : Mac Aljancic 8th grade coach is a huge addition to the team and has been undefeated so far this year. Overall the team is 8-10 with some losses. 15 away games was not ideal. Next year there will be a change in the matchups. This year there were NO returning Varsity players so it was a very young team. The team had lots of learning curves and unfortunately a lot of injuries.

Additionally Caleb Balkum became ineligible to play due to a rule change regarding residency. Caleb will be able to play next season. Brandon Sanders and Cody Zahler were both ill for 2 weeks with the flu. 2 of the past 3 games were played without starter Zac Bolen due to a foot injury.

His expectations for the team are to gain as much experience as possible. This year’s goal is to play a district championship game and win. 2 of the Seniors are out and 1 is injured but he is giving them the best time possible creating leadership and team unification. Seniors on the team: Gabe Stoffer, Colton Norris- leads thru example, Zac Bolden - injured his foot and is out for the season but stayed positive, Luke Bolden - got a concussion.

Underclass: Cohen Rogers increased scoring, highest assist leader, Colton Dougherty -Most physically ready, Max Maddie: starter and offense, Kaden Bolden- offensive threat 6’4 had to pull out of rotation this year but will be back next year, Drake Wilson- starting point guard, Branden Sanders- 3 spot learning and adapting, Jake Baker- Very coachable battles for rebounds, Blake Carr- has put in a lot of work, Cody Zahler, phenomenal all around but twisted ankle, Chase Wilson- gritty and competitive leader on JR level, Noah Ickes- 6’4 freshman super competitive out with back injury. Next year all 5 starters are returning. Losing 4 seniors but not as drastic as this past year.

Very excited for tournament time and is excited about being a leader of young men. He is not married and has no kids so he has lots of time to dedicate to the team. The goal is to work and do our best to pick up momentum against Central Catholic.Bob Hiller will be 85 in the Spring and will be withdrawing from the club. He is committing to still doing the flag route.

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Feb 11 Kirk Greaves

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Feb 18 Youth Exchange Students

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Feb 25 evening with Challenger Baseball and RYLA

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March 4 Business Meeting

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March 18, Delores Pressley

Happy Dollars

- Cindy Fisher, the 4 way speech contestants were phenomenal! Very impressive youth!
- Rob Johnson, the youth had amazing speeches at the Speech and Debate dinner.
- Greg Anderson- Nicole Israel has an announcement

Nicole Israel - got ENGAGED! No solid date yet.

Song- Star Spangled Banner
Introduction of Guests- Delores Presley
Rotoball- Denny Valentine

Speaker: Delores Presley with She Elevates. First uncross your mental arms. What to Uncross: your preconceived notions of your spouse, AI, politics, people you don’t know, youth. The program’s goal is to work with young women in high school to raise self esteem. 1 out of 3 teenage girls struggle with self esteem and confidence. The Non Profit utitlizes academy programs and projects like building blessing boxes, having conferences like Confidence, CUpcakes and Conversations as learning tools for the girls. After the conference one of the attendees admitted that she had been a bully and committed to not being a bully.

The program is always looking for volunteers. Obstacles to Self Esteem are so prevalent including social media and school. 1 in 5 kids don’t have enough food. The Academy usually has 60 girls this year there will be between 40-50. Over the years thousands of 8-15 year olds have been helped.

DECF

D-Decide: Make a decision on what you want to do.

E-Engage: Be 100% engaged in everything you do.

C-Commit: Make a commitment.
F- Focus & Follow thru: your fortune is made in the follow through. You weren't created to watch life, you were created to make it happen.

Delores was an educator by trade and was on the Oprah Winfrey show for teachers and was awarded $25k

March 25, Evening Meeting
Mayor Corey Street

Happy Dollars

- Barb said Shannon is the greatest neighbor and best friend she took care of her after
surgery.
- Glen Heiller's granddaughter from Connecticut competed in Minneapolis against
800 teams and her team got silver.
- Shannon was so impressed with the projects. Every single student answered her
question the same way that the project absolutely changed their thinking.
- Greg announced 4/6 is the deadline to register to vote. 4/7 you can start early voting, 5/2
ballots must be received. The renewal is for the same amount as the current and will
not raise taxes.
- Mark - Pizza challenge this Sunday in Canton presented by Canton Rotary on the site of the former Freeze
Electric and should be a great time.

Song- Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Introduction of Guests- Jeff Sigler, Jared’s daughter (Roselyn), Guy Guidone

Rotoball- Cynthia Kerchner

Speaker: Mayor Corey Street

As well as being the Mayor, he is a busy man. He and his wife Monica have 3 girls all under 5. They are aspiring Rotarians and one of them will become a member once the kids are out of diapers. He believes that the Rotary is a model group because it is a force for the common good. Organizations like the Rotary and the City Council really care about the community. Thank you to the members of the Rotary and to Brock for reaching out to him to speak. It is humbling to see so many involved that he has known since he himself was in diapers. It is special to be involved in a small town. Ultimately that is why he wanted to be Mayor.

He wants the town to continue to be a special place that people want to continue to live in the next 25 years. He wants the town to be a place where his girls will want to live when they grow up. He is a big supporter of the flag program and the pancake breakfast especially when there is power! Monica is his wife and with the 3 girls there is never a boring night. His family is very active. The Mayor’s position only pays a few hundred dollars per month and he is definitely not quitting his day job. During the day he is an elementary school Principal for Tusky Valley. Tusky Valley is a 4.5 star district and encompasses 11 different zip codes. His elementary school has 2700 students and is the largest in the district.

Corey is a Louisville High School graduate. He was a Varsity Singer and Class President. He attended Slippery Rock University and was involved in organizing community events. During the 1st 2 years after college he worked at Louisville High School. Due to budget cuts he was moved to North Nimshillen and worked as a Kindergarten teacher for 5 years. Those career changes ended up leading to the position that he currently has. Even though things didn't go necessarily by his choice, it brought him to exactly where he needed to be. During his previous terms on council, they quadrupled the road paving budget, made the fire station a priority but ran into some road blocks. Building costs went up during covid. The new fire department building got built anyway without any increase in the taxes. It
is built to the top of industry standards. The parks department received an actual budget and an actual commission with members from the community. Now when there is an issue in one of the parks, it gets addressed. 1⁄4 million was spent on drainage of the soccer fields. The Hall of Fame uses the fields as back up. The police and fire coverage Issue 6 passed with a 0.5% substitute tax. Water and sewer rated unaffected was no longer the case. Issue 6 moved money to the general fund for roads,
parks, and the fire station.

Mr. Street said ultimately his goal is to have new buildings and be on the cutting edge. He would like to bring more housing to Louisville and be a growing community. He said we will get there by having a council that works as a team. If we stay the same we actually go backwards. He is grateful to have a terrific council and a great city administrator. We have to have a growth mindset. Ask what kind of industry to bring in. Some of it will be hard work and good luck. The only thing you can control between events and outcome? The City Council is here to control our response as a community and put the odds in our favor.

The new Fire Station and the new Library send the right signal that the community is in a strong financial position. The park Amphitheater is huge. The new design really has the WOW factor and matches the infrastructure. Thank you to the Rotary! He can’t wait till it is completed. Glad the city could help. The Baseball field concession stand is up. He would put Metzger Park up against the other parks in Stark County. The trail has a beautiful access point at the Fire Station. Aljancic park has come a long way and is a great
park for families. City Hall was built before the ADA. The facility is outdated, has been flooded, and has asbestos, HVAC and electrical issues. Estimated cost to repair is 4.17 million at minimum. 4.3 million would be needed to do a complete rebuild. Mayor Street invites anyone for a tour of the city hall building to witness the current need.

Currently the council was able to institute the Community Entertainment District in the downtown area. It allows a business to purchase a liquor license for $2500 to be available to use to entice business owners. Visit Canton promoted Umbrella Alley on the front cover of their magazine. Umbrella Alley is also featured on a sign at the Turnpike rest stops. The city is trying to say yes to partnerships and the city wants to work with the township for the greater good of all. The city will participate in the 250th birthday of America. As far as the tax cuts - he would like to reduce the burden from being double taxed. Currently due to the tax changes occurring at the state level he has to wait and see what happens with the taxes before he can institute cuts. He is rallying for term limits for the Mayor and the Council. He has encouraged complete transparency of this administration and is embracing several media modalities from streaming city council meetings to writing a column in the magazine to social media posts. The Mayor ended the meeting by introducing the former mayors and the current council members present at the meeting.

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