Message from the Grand Counselor - Lee Ann Firestone

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1 WINTER 2017 THE OHIOAN The official newsletter of the Ohio Grand Council GRAND OFFICERS Grand Counselor Lee Ann Firestone (330) Grand Junior Counselor Tom Smith (614) Grand Past Counselor David Van Order (614) Grand Secretary Larry Morton (419) Grand Treasurer Jerry Thomas (614) Grand Conductor Brian Ward (502) Grand Page Ken Milliser (614) Grand Sentinel John Thompson (740) Grand Chaplain Homer Huprich (330) Grand Executive Committee Chairperson Satah Akins (330) Mindy Van Order (614) Grand Membership Director Rick Gruszecki (330) The Ohioan Editor David Knapp (614) Message from the Grand Counselor - Lee Ann Firestone Hello my brothers and sisters. It s hard to believe that the holiday season is upon us and the hustle and bustle of the holidays has reached us all. I hope this will find everyone doing well and enjoying this holiday season with family and friends. It s also hard to believe how time has flown by since I became the Grand Counselor. The last couple of months have been very busy and enjoyable for me. In October, I visited Columbus Council #1 for their annual dinner and pie auction. WOW that was really enjoyable. I never attended their pie auction before and the pies looked very yummy and worth every penny for such a good charity. I also became an honorary member of Columbus Council #1 when they presented me with the golden key, in which I will cherish for many years. I also attended the Gem City Council #3 dinner that was held in Dayton, where we enjoyed very good food and fellowship. I was honored with a beautiful blanket and clock that I will hold dear to my heart in the years to come. In November, I had the honor to present a rose to all the past grand councilors and widows attending the annual Salem Council #590 dinner. During the dinner, they had a very interesting presentation from the Salem Police Department with their K9, Simon. The presentation was interesting. The officer explained both the length of training required and that to be done daily with Simon. He also demonstrated Simon doing his job finding a box that was hidden with drugs inside. It was amazing and very informative as many questions were asked and answered. In the new year, I will be busy getting things ready for the upcoming convention in June, in Boardman, Ohio. I m going with a western theme for the banquet so pull out those boots and hats and be ready for a GREAT TIME. I m also planning a trip to Wagon Trails in Vienna Ohio. Wagon Trails is an open Safari Ride (which is a big bus and is accessible for wheelchairs) that is family owned. During the ride, they make six stops and you get an opportunity to feed camels, deer, longhorns, llamas, zebras and ostriches and others. When the time gets closer, I will share more information regarding this trip during my convention. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and the Happiest New Year. Fraternally yours, Lee Ann Firestone Ohio Grand Counselor During this season of giving, let us take time to slow down and enjoy the simple things. May this wonderful time of the year touch your heart in a spacial way. Wishing you much happiness today and throughout the New Year.

2 Ohio Fraternalist of the Year Committee accepting nominations The committee is accepting applications/nominations for Ohio Fraternalist of the year. Nominations must be received by February 1, There are many hard working and dedicated UCT members in your council. Now is the time to nominate them for Ohio Fraternalist of the Year! If you have any questions please contact any of the committee members. A nomination form is included with this newsletter. Richard Gruszecki Lester Butch Fritz Homer Huprich richardgruszecki@sbcglobal.net lfritzjr2@gmail.com hhuprich42@yahoo.com Alliance Council 264 Annual Past Counselors and Ladies Night March 4, 2017 Plan to attend Alliance Council 264 s Annual Past Counselor Dinner and Ladies Night held Saturday, March 4, 2017 at the First Christian Church, 1141 W. Beech St., Alliance, OH Dinner will start at 6:30 p.m. More details will be send out later closer to the event date. Any questions can be directed to Rick Gruszecki at (330) or richardgruszecki@sbcglobal.net. Ohio Executive Board meeting set for March 4 in Alliance The Spring meeting of the Ohio Executive Board is planned for March 4, 2017 at 2 p.m. at the Comfort Inn Alliance. Details of the agenda and grand treasurer s report will be send out at a later date before the event date. For those staying over night, hotel reservations can be made at the Comfort Inn Alliance, 2500 W. State St., Alliance OH, by calling (330) Be sure to mention you re with UCT. Room rates are tax for a king or 2 doubles. Grand Page Ken Milliser of Columbus Council 1, left, and Rosella Fortener of Gem City Council 3, Dayton are sharing a laugh at the Fall Ohio Grand Executive meeting held at the Vandalia Masonic Lodge, Oct. 15, 2016 in Vandalia, OH. t A Message fromt the Grand Membership Director Paving the Path to UCT - Lighting Our Future Happy Holidays to all, I hope you have a safe and good holiday season spending time with family and friends. Paving the Path to UCT/Lighting Our Future is starting it s 9th month. There are four months left for our Ohio councils to determine their outcome in this year s membership program. SUPREME + OHIO GRAND = TOTAL STATUS AWARD AWARD AWARD COMMUNITY $ $ = $ BRONZE $ $ = $ SILVER $ $ = $ GOLD $ $ = $1, Several councils are working on their Medal of Honor status. The money is on the table for everyone! Any questions feel free to contact me at (330) I know of six councils who have benefited from years past. I encourage more councils to check out the Medal of Honor program. We all do great work in promoting UCT and have the opportunity to collect the proper recognition and rewards we deserve. Fraternally yours Richard Gruszecki, PGC / Membership Director OHIO GRAND CONVENTION June 7-10, 2017 If you haven t already, make your hotel reservations before MAY 7, Be sure to let them know you are with UCT Ohio Convention. Holiday Inn Boardman 7410 South Ave., Youngstown, OH Phone: (330) Nightly Rate: $ tax Check in is 3 p.m. Check out is Noon Please direct any questions to Rick Gruszecki at (330) More details will be provided in the Spring issue of The Ohion newsletter. Kudos to UCT s M.J. Terapak Council 144 in Columbus, Ohio, whose members volunteered at the 18th annual Come Home for the Holidays silent auction and wine tasting event to benefit the Homeless Families Foundation! More than $170,000 was raised and will be used to educate and nurture children while empowering families to achieve stable housing and self-sufficiency. Great job, Council 144! Pictured, left, are members Kathy Gensel, Julie Van Order, Mindy Van Order, and Barb Stephens. t

3 AROUND Congratulations to M.J. Terapak Council 144 in Columbus, Ohio, for another successful fundraiser benefiting Flying Horse Farms camp for seriously ill children! The council raised $1,000 by selling raffle tickets for an Amish country weekend getaway. This year s winner is Mark Langford, left, pictured here receiving his prize from council president Jeff Dollin. Since 2011 Council 144 has raised around $5,000 to benefit this truly worthy organization. Flying Horse Farms is part of the SeriousFun Children s Network of camps that provides transformative camping experiences for children with serious, sometimes lifethreatening illnesses free of charge. OHIO Columbus, Ohio Council 1 Great job to the members who turned out for Council 1 s Bar 23 happy hour fundraising event for the Mid-Ohio Foodbank! Over $800 in donations and food contributions was raised to help hungry individuals in Central Ohio. Pictured, left, are: Brent Ralston, Matt Banal, Past International President Tom Smith, Jim Edwards, the Mid-Ohio Foodbank s Phil Smith, and Jimmy Bohus. A BIG congrats to Fraternal Council 380 in Jackson, Ohio, whose photo of members assembling personal care packages for the Jackson County Homelessness Committee to distribute to area homeless individuals is the $500 winner of the July-September quarter of the UCT Photo Contest! In addition to this project, the council had a busy summer delivering food and toys to the Jackson County Dog Pound, buying and boxing up craft supplies for students at Child s Garden Day Care, and collecting books for Kosair Charities. Salem Council #590 hosts annual Ladies Social & Grand Counselor s Night Nov. 5th The Council had 43 in attendance for the wonderful dinner and the opportunity to hear and see speaker Patrolman Garber from the Salem police department and his dog Patrolman K9 Simon, to discuss Drug Enforcement. K9 Simon started his service August 6, 2016 after receiving six weeks training together with his friend Patrolman Garber and certified in state of Ohio and nationally. K9 Simon is trained in narcotic detection, tracking, criminal apprehension, area searches, building searches, article searches and obedience. The evening also honored Grand Counselor Lee Ann Firestone and husband Alan along with presenting roses to PGC s present and widows of PGC s also present, pictured below. Gem City Council #3 hosts dance for those with intellectual disabilities Dayton Council Gem City #3 hosted a Halloween Dance for the Intellectually Disabled clients from the workshops and group homes in the Montgomery County area. We had enlisted the help of another non-profit organization that was looking for the opportunity to volunteer for a good cause. So members of Eagles Aerie #3031 came to Northview School in Dayton, Ohio to assist with the dance and to help serve the 250 clients that attended the dance, hotdogs, chips and drinks. Gem City Council has been hosting the annual Halloween Dance for more that forty years. This has become an event that all of the clients look forward to every year. Members of Gem City Council #3 pictured above include : Joan Klopfenstein, Mike Klopfenstein, David Lee, Brian Ward, Rosella Fortener, Connie Ward, Bruce Petry and Keith Ward.

4 David Knaspp 2491 Gardenia Dr. Columbus, OH UPCOMINGevents mark your calendars March 4, Ohio Grand Executive Meeting, 2 p.m. at the Comfort Inn Alliance, Carnation City Mall, 2500 W. State St., Alliance, OH Phone: (330) for reservations. March 4, Alliance Council 261 Annual Past Counselors and Ladies Night Dinner, 6:30 p.m. at the First Christian Church, 1141 W. Beech St., Alliance, OH Phone Sarah Akins at (330) between 6-10 p.m. or at sakins6168@yahoo.com to make reservations. June 7-10, Ohio Grand Convention, Holiday Inn Boardman, 7410 South Ave., Youngstown, OH Phone: (330) for reservations. July 3-6, UCT Convention, Hyatt Regency Greenville, SC. Phone (402) for reservations. Be sure to tell them you are with UCT. Reservation deadline is June 8, Make reservations online at THE OHIOAN - The next issue will be sent out mid April Please send all news articles to David Knapp at dknapp3@columbus.rr.com or dknapp@uct.org by March 31. Please access the Ohio Grand website at for additional news, past newsletters and events, or access Facebook and search the UCT Ohio Grand group page. Fraternal Coordinator Ann Marshall to retire UCT s Fraternal Coordinator Ann Marshall, known to many members as their UCT lifeline, is set to retire at the end of February 2017, after 16 years of employment. Ann is an integral part of the fraternal team and will be missed. Ann says that while she s found her job responsibilities like coordinating UCT s Fraternal Fund and scholarship programs and promoting special projects like Join Hands Day rewarding, working with UCT officers and members is what she has liked best and what she ll miss the most. Everyone is so appreciative of any little thing I do for them. And, it never ceases to amaze me the connection our members have to one another and UCT staff and how years and miles just don t seem to affect those connections, she said. Ann s immediate retirement plans include lots of reading, sewing and Netflix and maybe taking some painting classes or auditing classes at The Ohio State University. She and Cheyenne, Wyoming, member Jo Ann Pauli are also planning a trip together. The Ohio Grand will miss Ann very much and wish her all the joy and hapiness that a happy retirement can bring.

5 Ohio Grand Fraternalist of the Year Nomination Form Please type or print all information Date: Nominee s Name: Council No.: Street Address: City: State/Prov.: Phone No.: ( ) Occupation: Nominator s Name: Council No.: Street Address: City: State/Prov.: Phone No.: ( ) Occupation: 1. State the single most significant reason why this person is being nominated for the Ohio Grand Fraternalist of the Year. 2. In what ways has the nominee, either through his/her local council or as an individual, participated in community activities. Please give details. 1

6 3. Describe how the nominee has encouraged the council and other members to support fraternal and community projects. 4. About how much time does the nominee devote to UCT involvement each year? To charitable and community service work? 5. How has the nominee s accomplishments affected the council, the Order and local community? 6. Please enclose any additional relevant details and materials (letters, newspaper clippings, photocopies, etc.) that support why this nominee should be named the Ohio Grand Fraternalist of the Year. Mail or completed nomination form to: Rick Gruszecki St., Rt. 62 P.O. Box 82 Beloit, OH Phone: (330) richardgruszecki@sbcglobal.net 2