Empowering Independence: Addressing Barriers to Aging in Place
Co-Sponsor: St Leonard


Date: March 13, 2025
Time: 6:00 - 8:00 pm

Location: Franciscan Center, 8200 Provincial Way, Centerville, OH 45458


Join us for our next Voices and Stories panel discussion to share conversation and promote understanding. As the global population ages, the desire for older adults to "age in place"—to remain in their homes or their desired communities as they grow older—becomes an increasingly important topic of discussion. This panel will explore the concept of aging in place, addressing the various physical, emotional, and societal challenges that arise as individuals strive to maintain independence and quality of life in their familiar surroundings.

Panelists:

  • Natalynne Baker, Executive Senior Vice President, St Mary Development Corporation
  • Arnie Biondo, a Del Mar Encore Fellow with The Dayton Foundation working with the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission (MVRPC) on Age-Friendly Communities.
  • Holly Elkins-Lopez, Program Manager for the Alzheimer’s Association Miami Valley Chapter

Our panel of experts will discuss:

  1. The Benefits of Aging in Place: Why is it important for older adults to remain in their homes? 
  2. Barriers to Aging in Place: What are the obstacles that prevent older adults from aging in place? 
  1. Other Challenges:  What other challenges do older residents face?
  2. How can you help?: What can local governments, communities, service groups, and neighbors do to help older residents stay active and engaged? 

Following the panel discussion, visit with several community organizations that provide services to older adults.

Monday, January 20, 2025

Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, Ms. JoAnne Bland will not be able to join us. While we will certainly miss her, we are excited to announce that her sister, Lynda Blackmon Lowery, will be stepping in as our keynote speaker. We look forward to hearing her inspiring message! 

Lynda Blackmon Lowery has been a key figure in the civil rights movement since the early 1960s. A member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), she marched in pivotal events like "Bloody Sunday" and "Turn Around Tuesday" and was the youngest marcher in the historic Selma to Montgomery March. Beaten on the Edmund Pettus Bridge during Bloody Sunday, she required 35 stitches. Her early activism against Jim Crow laid the foundation for her lifelong work in civil and human rights. She is also the author of Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom: My Story of the 1965 Selma Voting Rights March.

For more information about Ms Lowery, please see these links:

MLK Breakfast Page

NPR All Things Considered

Facing History and Ourselves

Although it may be chilly outside Monday morning, but Yankee Trace will be warm with fellowship, understanding, and acceptance. We look forward to welcoming you for this engaging and inspiring presentation!

The annual breakfast, made possible by generous community sponsors, will take place at 7:30
AM at the Golf Club at Yankee Trace. Tickets are $25 and although we are sold out, we have been able to add a couple more tickets. They will go FAST! Use the link below today!

The mission of the Centerville-Washington Diversity Council is to celebrate and promote an
inclusive, diverse, and welcoming community for people who live, work, and worship in
Centerville and Washington Township.

Information about the council is available at www.cwtdiversity.org and on Facebook and
Instagram or by contacting Jason Riley, Council Chair, at cwdcchair@gmail.com.

Thanks to our 2025 Sponsors!

If you missed this program, you can now watch it on YouTube, thanks to the Miami Valley Communications Council!

Join us for our next program!

VOICES & STORIES Series: Bring a friend and don't forget to register. Interpreters in Spanish, Arabic and Persian available. ASL interpreter available thanks to Community Services for the Deaf. Need more information? Email cwdcchair@gmail.com.

Journeys of Belonging: Immigration Stories & New Beginnings

Co-sponsored by Welcome Dayton

Date: September 19, 2024

Time: 6:00 -7:00pm

Location: Centerville High School Central Theatre, 500 E Franklin St, Centerville, OH 45459. Enter through the front doors. 

Event Hashtags: #WelcomingWeek

Join us for our next Voices and Stories panel discussion to share conversation and promote understanding. We will learn more about Immigration by hearing the stories, challenges, and achievements  of Immigrant individuals in our community.

Welcoming America has announced September 12-22 as Welcoming Week. Celebrated in communities around the United States, Welcoming Week is an annual campaign that connects neighbors and fosters a mutual understanding between immigrants and non-immigrants to build a deeper sense of belonging for all. In honor of Welcoming Week, the Centerville-Washington Diversity Council will host its next installment in the Voices and Stories panel series entitled Journeys of Belonging, Immigration Stories and New Beginnings. The panelists are community members who will share their immigration stories. Come join us to learn about and celebrate the strengths and differences that make up our community.

Panelists:

  • Gulzada Anwari, Wright State University graduate who emigrated from Afghanistan as a high school student.
  • Selena Ghaben, Centerville High School 2020 graduate, Ohio State University graduate, who emigrated from Palestine. 
  • Jeanette Horwitz, Welcome Dayton coordinator, former Centerville City Schools' parent, who emigrated from Sweden in 1992.
  • Dr. Jose Torres, Hospitalist at UC Health, former Centerville City Schools parent and volunteer, who emigrated from Mexico as a child. 

The panelists will provide their unique perspective and insight while sharing their personal experiences during this meaningful conversation. This is an opportunity to learn and connect with like-minded advocates dedicated to promoting an inclusive and accepting community.

Revisit some of our past programs here!

We celebrated Pride Month by discussing the achievements, challenges, and rights of the LGBTQIA+ individuals in our community.

The panelists for this program included AJ Kessler, Southwest Ohio Manager of CareSource Life Services; Lily Murray, Reference & Instruction Librarian, Sinclair College; Chris Reid, Director, Volunteer Services and Spiritual Care, Miami Valley Hospital; Michelle Wilkey, Pastor, Harmony Creek Church.

The panelists provided their unique perspective and insight while sharing their personal experiences during this meaningful conversation. This was an opportunity to learn and connect with like-minded advocates dedicated to promoting an inclusive and accepting community.

The Honorable Judge Walter H. Rice presented the keynote address for the 22nd annual Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast hosted by the Centerville-Washington Diversity Council. 

His topic on Monday, January 15, 2024 was “What will we do tomorrow and the rest of the year to honor his legacy?” 

Judge Rice began his law career as an Assistant County Prosecutor for Montgomery County, Ohio. He has held many positions including: associate with the law firm of Gallon & Miller; Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for Montgomery County; Judge of the Dayton Municipal Court; and Judge of the Court of Montgomery County Common Pleas.

In 1980, Judge Rice was sworn in as Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, at Dayton, having been appointed to that position by President Carter. Judge Rice served as Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio from 1996 to 2003.

Judge Rice has a history of community involvement including sponsoring interracial dialogues, preserving historic buildings on the Dayton VA Campus, assisting citizens returning from prison to successfully reintegrate in the community, and raising funds for the creation of the Paul Laurence Dunbar statue. 

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