Dr. Jeff Graham began his career in education as a Physics teacher at Highland and Wadsworth high schools from 1993 to 1999 before moving on to administrative roles, serving as assistant principal of Medina High School from 1999 to 2001, and then principal of Medina High School from 2001 to 2003. He has served as superintendent of Woodridge Local Schools from 2003 to 2010, superintendent of Parma City Schools from 2010 to 2015, superintendent of Lorain City Schools from 2015 to 2018, regional superintendent of 15 schools in the "Best Practices" portfolio for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, and superintendent of the Canton City Schools since June 2019.
Dr. Graham's collaborative leadership style has helped recreate school districts by bringing people together to pass levies, build critical community partnerships, expand wraparound services, improve communication and engagement, and increase opportunities for students to achieve. His commitment to transparency and open communication can be seen through his regularly scheduled listening sessions with various student groups, staff luncheons, parent forums, and open dialogue sessions throughout the community.
Dr. Graham has been elected by a vote of fellow superintendent members to serve as president of the following superintendent associations: Akron Area School Superintendents’ Association (first person to be elected to serve two consecutive terms), Greater Cleveland Schools’ Superintendents’ Association, Ohio Schools’ Council, Chairman of the Six District Educational Compact Executive Committee, and member the Governance Committee of the First Ring Superintendents’ Collaborative. Dr. Graham has also served as a member of the BASA Legislative Committee and Ohio School Leadership Institute, and as a BASA mentor to new superintendents.
During the February 28, 2020, meeting, President Mark Rojek (sponsor) introduced our newest member, Dallas Godfrey, to the Rotary Club of Canton. President Mark had the following to say about Dallas:
"Dallas Godfrey is a recent Ohio transplant by way of North Carolina, moving here to work with Cleveland Cavalier Properties, including our hometown Canton Charge. Dallas focuses on community and marketing based partnerships for the team, having previously spent time with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Charlotte Knights organizations. His passion for the sports industry comes from the friendly competition that drives different communities together. Dallas first learned about the Rotary Club through a close relative and is eager to get involved as much as possible to make a positive impact in our community. As Dallas is a new resident of Northeast Ohio, please feel free to pass along you favorite restaurant recommendations, as he is a self-proclaimed 'professional food taster'."
On March 20, 2020, Rotarians will be voting on the incoming 2020-2021 Rotary year Board of Directors. As published in the last three editions of the Rotogram, the following Rotarians have been nominated for possible election to the Board for the term starting on July 1st: Jon Adland, Wilbur Allen, Paul Hervey and David Roberts.
Julia Dick has been nominated for Vice President for 2020 - 21. Below is Julia's bio:
Julia Dick is President of MOLA Productions, a marketing firm she founded in 1987 in Atlanta. She also handles sales and marketing for L. A. Dick Imports, LLC, an importer and distributor of curated boutique Italian wines. A Rotarian since 1992, Julia has more than thirty years experience in advertising, public relations and event management, and specializes in crisis communications. She is a journalism graduate of the University of Kansas and received a masters degree from Northern Arizona University. She has served on the board of directors of several local and national organizations and is past president of the Public Relations Society of America Akron Chapter. She is married to Larry Dick and lives in Canton.
May 16, 2020, will be the District 6650 Conference held at the Kent Conference Center in Jackson Township! This assembly of clubs will be an event you will not want to miss. District 6650 Governor Dan Morgan is asking all club members, their spouses/partners, family, friends and neighbors to attend the District Conference this year. This action-packed day will start at 9:30 AM and end at 8:30 PM.
Registration is now open. Registering prior to March 15th will give you the Early-Bird price! Please follow this LINK to view some of the details for this year's District Conference. To register click on the "Register Now" at the bottom left hand side of the page to access registration.
During the meeting on February 14, 2020, Rotarian Steve Fettman informed the members of the upcoming fundraiser to benefit the Philomatheon Society of the Blind. This event will take place on Tuesday, April 7, 2020, from 11 am - 10 pm at Taggarts Ice Cream located at 1401 Fulton Rd. N.W., Canton.
A percentage of each sale will be donated to the Philomatheon Society of the Blind. Don't miss your chance to help this worthwhile cause while enjoying great food and possibly a Bittner (yum!) or other Taggart's home-made ice cream for dessert!
Our intrepid Canton Rotary team bowls THIS Saturday March 7th at Park Centre Lanes: Team Captain Shawn Dougherty, Bruce Schorsten, James Boggs, Drew Pelger, and President Mark Rojek.
SHAWN AND HIS TEAM WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOUR SUPPORT! Shawn will have donation slips at the meeting this week. In addition, each of our bowlers has their own donation page on the JA of North Central Ohio website, where you can make on-line donations. Feel free to contact each bowler or Shawn to get those links. As a quick alternative, you can go to this link to donate on the Canton Rotary Team page:
Canton Rotary has supported Junior Achievement many years. JA brings business and professional people into local classrooms to mentor young people on money, business, and what it takes to get and keep a job. JA's mission ties in nicely with Rotary's emphasis on sharing vocational knowledge and enhancing the development of our young people.
During the February 28, 2020, meeting, President Mark Rojek welcomed the 49 members and 5 guests to the meeting.
Rotarian Jeff Scott gave the Invocation.
Thank you to the following for their "service" during the meeting: Greeters - Kurt Goodenberger, Sam Shaheen: Attendance - Mark Clendenin; Piano - Bill Sparks; Photographer - PP Paul White.
Congratulations to Rotarian Jim Molnar for having the winning 50/50 ticket worth $50.00.
Club Assistant Secretary Paula Mastroianni welcomed the following guests to the meeting: Andrew Meyer (speaker); Stephanie Cargill (guest of Paula Mastroianni); Mitchell Baxter (guest of Mark Rojek); Richard Regula (Massillon Rotarian); Chylece Head (guest of Mark Clendenin).
President Elect Drew Pelger took the opportunity to inform everyone the he would be taking the "POLAR PLUNGE" the following day...with temps expected in the teens! He invited everyone to brave the weather and come out to support Drew and his daughter, Brynn, who would be jumping in the frigid water with him. All were invited to meet after at the Winking Lizard for a 'warm-up' party. *Past President Virginia Neutzling then made a final push to ask for donations to help President Elect Drew reach his goal...he was only $75 short at the start of the meeting! With PP Virginia's help, Drew was successfully able to raise an additional $100 to push him over the top. PP Virginia stated this was the first time in a long time that a President Elect had met the goal they had set for themselves in their Charitable Fund Drive! Way to go PE Drew, and a 'thank you' to everyone who graciously donated to this worthy drive.
President Mark then welcomed new incoming member, Dallas Godfrey, to the Rotary Club of Canton. (*see story above).
Raquel Raderchak, chairwoman of the Oktoberfest Committee gave a brief update on the beginnings of this year's event. She is looking for additional Rotarians to help on this committee.
Bill Liber, chairman of the Golf Outing Committee announced a committee meeting at the conclusion of the meeting to start the process for this year's event scheduled for June 26, 2020.
Chylece Head, Community Development Manager at the American Cancer Society (North Central Region), attended the meeting to make a very special presentation to Vice President Mark Clendenin. Mark took the 'Real Men Wear Pink' challenge to raise money for the American Cancer Society and was being recognized for his significant community support.
Vice President Mark Clendenin then introduced and welcomed the speaker for the meeting, Andrew Meyer from WKSU.
President Mark concluded the meeting with the following announcements:
next week's speaker will be Jeff Graham, Superintendent of Canton City Schools, speaking on the "State of the Schools, Vision, Mission".
anyone interested in helping out with this year's Golf Outing, was asked to stay for the committee meeting;
reminder of PE Drew's jump in the lake and after party the next day
The following turned in a makeup during Friday's meeting: Bob Matthews (3-Venice Nokomis, FL); Suzette Matthews (Massillon, Jackson); PP Dan Matthews (Massillon, Jackson); VP Mark Clendenin (Austintown); PDG/PP Bob Pattison (12 - Cocoa Beach Rotary).
The following will receive a makeup for attending the Golf Committee meeting on Friday, February 28, 2020: Bill Liber, Drew Pelger, Jim Molnar, Dallas Godfrey, Mark Rojek, Kurt Goodenberger, Ernie Schott, Brad Carpenter, Shawn Dougherty, Mark Clendenin.
Where in the world has the year gone? I never stop being impressed with all each of you are doing. Talk about unsung heroes. Our communities and world are so lucky to have each of you connecting with each other, connecting with members of your communities and connecting with the world.
Barb Loudon, her team and the Salem Club conducted a first class RYLA Conference this past weekend at the Avalon Inn in Warren, Ohio. One hundred and eight students benefited from this leadership institute. I enjoyed the closing ceremony and could feel how much of an impact Barb and her team had upon these young adults. They will not forget the leadership skills learned, the friendships made and the fun they had. Numerous students commented that they were introverted and did not want to come but so glad they did. The program helped them come out of their shell and make so many friends. Thank you to the Rotarians and volunteers for all your hard work and the impact you made on our future leaders. You not only help to connect the world but made it a better place.
March is Water, Sanitation and Hygiene month. This is a theme that helps us realize just how much our Foundation contributions impact the world. As a young Rotarian, I did not feel that I made much of an impact. Then I heard about every Rotarian every year program. I started giving $8.33 per month and suddenly realized that when my money was combined with all my fellow Rotarian’s money, we truly were changing the world. Every 7 seconds a child dies form drinking unclean water. A polio vaccine is only $.60. As Vicky and I became more financially successful we increased our donations. I am sure you will agree with us that we are very proud to be part of such an amazing foundation.
In conclusion, even though we have had much success this year, please do not forget the need to keep our focus on increasing our membership. Our district is currently up 12 members from our start to 1784. Our work is not done! Share the story of Rotary with your family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. We currently are at 30% female in District 6650. Let push it to 50% female. We have some clubs with a negative membership. We cannot end the year with any club with negative growth in the red. Hold a membership event at the evening program of our 2020 Conference. Invite prospective members to our event and let them feel our excitement.
If you have not signed up yet, please click on the link below and register now!
March is the month we celebrate Rotaract — and this has been quite a year for our young partners in service.
Last spring, the Council on Legislation elevated Rotaract in our constitution: Rotary International is now the association of both Rotary clubs and Rotaract clubs. Then in October, the Rotary Board of Directors eliminated the artificial Rotaract age limit and took other steps to break down barriers that were preventing Rotaract from growing in some parts of the world.
These steps were long overdue, because Rotaract is a vision of what Rotary must become. Not only do we need to open our doors to our young colleagues, but we also have to open our ears and minds to the Rotary experience they find most engaging. That is one of the best ways we will meaningfully grow Rotary.
When I say grow Rotary, I mean it in many ways. We need to grow our service and to grow the impact of our projects. Most importantly, however, we need to grow our membership, so that we can achieve more. Rotaractors provide this opportunity, not only because they can transition to Rotary at the time that is right for them, but also because they understand what it will take to attract others like them.
Business as usual will not work for us anymore. Bringing in more members to replace the ones we lose is not the answer. It is like pouring more water into a bucket full of holes. We need to address the root causes of member loss in many parts of the world: member engagement that is not what it should be, and our member demographic that skews steadily older.
It is time to make some fundamental changes. We already know what the barriers are to an engaged and diverse membership. It is time to act on what we know: creating new membership models, opening new paths to Rotary membership, and building new Rotary and Rotaract clubs where the existing clubs do not meet a current need.
New club models represent an opportunity to connect with a more diverse group of individuals — particularly those who are unable or unwilling to join our traditional clubs. While new club models have been emerging for some time, it is up to district governors to make them a reality. In January at the International Assembly, our incoming district governors took part in an exercise called Build Your Own Club Model. It was a wonderful experience that put them in the right frame of mind for the work ahead.
Ultimately, however, it will be up to Rotaractors and young Rotarians to create new club models that are most meaningful to the next generation. We may think we know what young people want from Rotary clubs in the future, but I am confident that what young people say will surprise us. It will be our job to support their innovation, for it will help us grow Rotary as Rotary Connects the World.
March 6, 2020
During the February 28, 2020, meeting, President Mark Rojek (sponsor) introduced our newest member, Dallas Godfrey, to the Rotary Club of Canton. President Mark had the following to say about Dallas:
Julia Dick is President of MOLA Productions, a marketing firm she founded in 1987 in Atlanta. She also handles sales and marketing for L. A. Dick Imports, LLC, an importer and distributor of curated boutique Italian wines. A Rotarian since 1992, Julia has more than thirty years experience in advertising, public relations and event management, and specializes in crisis communications. She is a journalism graduate of the University of Kansas and received a masters degree from Northern Arizona University. She has served on the board of directors of several local and national organizations and is past president of the Public Relations Society of America Akron Chapter. She is married to Larry Dick and lives in Canton. 
GREGOREK, MICHAEL J. Mar 08
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Our intrepid Canton Rotary team bowls .jpg)
During the February 28, 2020, meeting, President Mark Rojek welcomed the 49 members and 5 guests to the meeting. 
Where in the world has the year gone? I never stop being impressed with all each of you are doing. Talk about unsung heroes. Our communities and world are so lucky to have each of you connecting with each other, connecting with members of your communities and connecting with the world..jpg)
Mark Daniel Maloney
