State Representative Thomas West serves the 49th House District, a diverse district that consists of a portion of Stark County, including Canton and most of Massillon. Rep. West served as a Canton City Council member for 13 years before he was elected to the state legislature.
While serving on Canton City Council, West acted as the Chairman of the Annexation Committee and a member of the Capital Improvement Committee, Special Improvement District and Canton Community Improvement Corporation. He worked on issues surrounding landlord and tenant disputes and various other local ordinances and issues during his time as councilman.
Before serving in local government, Rep. West worked as a mental health professional for over 25 years. During that time he served a range of communities in a variety of roles – both at the individual direct client services level as a licensed clinical social worker and at the macro-level as an advocate, founder, and program administrator. His work in the community has garnered both local and national recognition. His experience as a social worker enables him to bring a unique perspective to the legislature – of which he is very proud. His passion for ensuring people have the tools and opportunities to live a life of dignity is apparent through his time of service to the community.
As state representative, Rep. West has worked diligently to pass a variety of bipartisan bills, including legislation to create a children’s behavioral healthcare network and legislation to prevent another Ohioan from dying in a tragic accident such as the one that occurred to Dallas Swogger.
In addition to serving in several legislative committees in his role as state representative, West was appointed to the Ohio Commission on Fatherhood, Ohio Advisory on Aging and the Governor’s Executive Workforce Board.
West earned a Bachelors and Masters of Social Work from the University of Akron after earning a degree in Business Administration from Mount Union College.
West and his wife have two children and reside in Canton.
At our Zoom meeting on December 4, 2020, President Drew Pelger opened the meeting by welcoming a total of 26 Canton Rotarians to our virtual meeting, as well as our speaker, Bill Eddins, Head Coach for Women's Golf at Malone University.
Club Secretary Paula Mastroianni presented some interesting historical facts for the day, including that, in 1915, the first official Rotary flag was reportedly flown in Kansas City, Missouri.
Paula also received "Happy Bucks" from PP Mark Rojek, PP Rick Taylor, President-Elect Mark Clendenin and herself..
Announcements:
President Drew reminded everyone about our club's "Brew Card" event and the club's Pack The Bus project.
Steve Fettman introduced our speaker, Bill Eddins, Head Women's Golf Coach for Malone University.
One of the longest running projects of our club has been our support of the Philomatheon Society for the Blind. Our projects have ranged from aiding their organization with the Lincoln Highway Garage Sale, various maintenance projects at their building, assisting in their annual fund raisers, and hosting an annual cookout or Halloween party for their members.
This year, as we know, was a bit more of a challenge due to Covid. After brainstorming with the staff at the Philomatheon Society, the Rotary committee put together holiday baskets for the members. The baskets included a warm, fluffy throw blanket , a festive holiday mug, coffee, teas, hot chocolate (with, of course, marshmallows), cookies, biscotti, holiday popcorn, and chocolates.
Also included in the baskets was a holiday sentiment in Braille or large type from the Rotary Club wishing the member a happy holiday season along with a list of everything included in the basket.
On Saturday, December 5, committee members personally delivered the baskets to 59 members. We divided up into five groups and tackled Stark County. From Carrollton to Uniontown to Alliance, the crew was able to accomplish our goal.
The committee would like to thank the Rotary members for their donations that allow us to continue this Rotary tradition.
A special thank you to Jodi Fettman for organizing the baskets and her attention to details.
Pictured: (front) Frank Fleischer (Second row) Wilbur Allen, Judy Haverstock, Jodi Fettman (Back row) Zak Fettman, Steve Fettman, Dave Roberts, and Tim Haverstock Not pictured: Paul Hervey
Thank you to all who donated to Pack the Bus! We reached my goal of $1,000. Along with our District Grant we accumulated $3,800 to help combat hunger in Canton. As you know, because of the pandemic, we did not have our in-person food drive, so the additional money was very helpful.
Chrissi Sedmock, principal of Allen Elementary (and Ernie Schott’s daughter), is part of a nonprofit called Feed Kids First. Their goal is to feed Canton City School students and their families. This year, we have donated the money directly to them. They will provide food for the holiday break to families at Allen, Belden, and Macgregor schools in Canton City School District.
Next year, we will be back in person for a food drive and in-person delivery! Until then, thank you and STAY SAFE!
All Rotarians in the District should have received a special envelope in mid-November by postal mail with information about our PHF Challenge and new Double Your Donation contests. Please review the letter and consider donating to The Rotary Foundation to do “Good in the World” and your local community. Feel free to email questions to me.
Paul Harris Fellow Challenge:
For each $20 donated to The Rotary Foundation, you have a chance to win the prestigious Paul Harris Fellow Recognition for you, your spouse, or a friend. The more you donate, the more chances to win.
Double Your Donation:
Donate $100 or more and gift your matching Foundation Points to a fellow Rotarian. You both receive the donor credit toward your first or next Paul Harris Fellow recognition level.
Consider working as a group to honor a special Rotarian. You will also be entered multiple times into the PHF Challenge for each $20 donated.
You must return the letter that I sent to you to participate in the contest by January 1, 2021. Can’t find the letter? Email me at Peter@salemrad.com, and I will send you a copy by email.
As you are aware, our annual Canton Rotary Oktoberfest, a major fundraiser for our Charitable Fund, was another casualty of the pandemic. So instead slinging beer, we are selling the Canton Rotary Brew Card.
The Brew Card is on sale now and can be purchased for only $20 via the event page on our Facebook page or through Eventbrite (see link below). Proceeds go to our Canton Rotary Charitable Fund.
The Brew Card provides discounts on food and/or merchandise at nine (9) local and regional breweries and brewpubs.
Please note that these deals are valid through June 30, 2021, so they'll still be valid when outdoor dining is re-opened and we hope we are all more comfortable visiting these breweries!
With that in mind, they make GREAT GIFTS for any beer lover or gourmand on your list, while supporting the Canton Rotary Charitable Fund and our local breweries during this difficult time.
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This year, as we know, was a bit more of a challenge due to Covid. After brainstorming with the staff at the Philomatheon Society, the Rotary committee put together holiday baskets for the members. The baskets included a warm, fluffy throw blanket , a festive holiday mug, coffee, teas, hot chocolate (with, of course, marshmallows), cookies, biscotti, holiday popcorn, and chocolates.
