Amanda Anschutz was born and raised in Stark County. She graduated from Lake High School in 1997 and then attended Grace College and Seminary in Winona Lake Indiana. Her master was Business, Communications and Marketing with a minor in Elementary Education and Social Work. Amanda and her husband, Daniel, reside in North Canton with their two daughters, Makayla (13) and Lillian (7).
In 2017 she and her husband founded Compassion Delivered, Inc. where she serves as Co-Founder & President. Compassion Delivered's mission is providing nutritional meals at no cost to people in our community who are coping with life-threatening or terminal illnesses. Amanda and Daniel believe that people (men, women, children) should not have to choose between medical care they need or suffering from the malnutrition and hunger caused by their illnesses or diseases. They, along with 13 board members and community leaders, have spent the last two years working to stand in the gap for those in this area who are battling terminal and life-threatening illnesses.
Amanda has been involved in many areas of our community, such as the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Jackson-Belden Chamber of Commerce, where she served as the president for the Jackson-Belden Young Professionals from 2008-2014. She is also a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals of Northeast Ohio. She has been on boards and committees of the following organizations - YWCA, Stark County Planning Commission, Young Professionals of Jackson Twp. and the Taste of the NFL presented by the Akron Canton Foodbank.
Prior to starting Compassion Delivered, she was a vital part of the National School Control Systems in Hudson Ohio. While working for them she became the VP of Sales and was top sales associate for four years. Amanda was named to the YStark! Twenty under 40 in 2018. She has also been recognized by WHBC 1480's 'Share the Good Stark County' for supporting our community. She was also recognized by the Progressive Auto Group in June 2017 for her community involvement, and was recognized as the Jackson-Belden Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Young Professional in 2012.
Amanda was recently asked what advice would she share and she said “Finish well. Finish everything that you’ve been given, no matter what. Don’t let yourself be complacent and unwilling to learn from others. Once you stop, it will be so much harder to start again. Care for one another, it really is the greatest gift. If you surround yourself with individuals who will encourage, support, stretch and love…you will be a success.”
Those of you who attended our Rotary meeting on March 8th heard about some disappointing trends in the membership of our club. For those of you who missed the meeting, our membership has declined by over 25% over the past five years. This loss of over 40 active members has put pressure on our club and made our ability to serve our community much more challenging. Whether due to death or illness, career changes, or a changing work environment… this is a trend that all Rotarians have to make an effort to reverse. And we have created some membership initiatives to do just that!
The Board of Directors has approved a new Organizational Membership program. This innovative program allows leaders of businesses and non-profits in the Canton community to become engaged in service to the club, manage their time, and involve others in their own organizations to get involved. We have published anOrganizational Membership brochure that provides all the highlights of this new program and have established a targeted list of prospective organizations. But we need your help!
We need every Rotarian to review the targeted list and identify the organizational leaders they know personally. Once identified, please call with the information to Lauri in our office. We will take your insight and make a coordinated effort to reach out to every person identified.
To provide further incentive to attract new members (organizational or individual) we are asking all of you to invite a prospect to an upcoming meeting. From now until the end of June, any prospect you invite to the club can attend our meeting for free! Simply let Lauri or Barb in our office know that you are bringing someone so we can plan accordingly.
During the March 15, 2019 meeting, Rotarian Mike Brown introduced the February and March Character Count recipients from McKinley High School, Jennifer Chora, Antonio Owens and Kennedy Williams.
JENNIFER CHORA
Jennifer moved to Ohio at the close of her Junior year. She had no friends or family in the high school building. It would have been easy for Jennifer to become isolated and fade into the background. Instead, Jennifer has made the most of her time there, and has truly become a standout in our building and in the community. The resilience, grit, and drive she exhibits cannot be taught, it’s birthed within a person. Obstacles and challenges have not deterred Jennifer from pursuing her dreams and goals. She has excelled academically, currently holding a 3.9 GPA, but she is also a genuinely a good person with a compassionate heart.
She is currently participating in our Rising Stars Community program which takes our upperclassmen into the Canton City elementary schools to be mentors and tutors. When her direct supervisor was asked about her thoughts and feelings about Jennifer her response was, “ I am VERY impressed! She is well-spoken and polite, is interactive with the students and courteous to both the students and the adults that are involved with the After School Program. She converses with adults easily and is outgoing. Again, I'm impressed!” Jennifer, you continue to make us proud in more ways than you can imagine. Thank you for your commitment to showing respect, fairness, and caring everywhere you go!
ANTONIO OWENS
Antonio is a young man of incredible talents, low key demeanor, and is always interested in how things work. Antonio is a member of National Honor Society, Ohio State University Young Scholars Program, and has participated in Buckeye Boys State. In addition to his academic talents, Antonio volunteers at Refuge of Hope. He also had 30 Valentines sent anonymously to students at McKinley who might not normally had have a Valentine, just to brighten up their day. Antonio will attend The Ohio State University this fall and major in Mechanical Engineering. Congratulations to Antonio Owens.
KENNEDY WILLIAMS
Kennedy has been a standout student at McKinley. She is a proud member of the McKinley Singers and has been singing since elementary school.
You may have recently seen her sing the national anthem at the Cleveland Cavs game. Her performances do not stop there. She also sings in many performances at McKinley, including at graduation, where she sang a solo, “Rise Up.” You may also run into her at Woody’s Root Beer Stand where she is a server and a cook.
Kennedy has a 3.2 Grade Point Average and has been taking College Credit Plus courses in Photography and Graphic Arts.
Kennedy’s plans after graduation are to possibly attend Tiffin University. Her major is undecided but she has many interests that include music and performing arts.
The Rotary Club of Canton participated in the All Ohio PETS (Presidents-Elect Training Seminar) in Columbus on March 8-9, 2019, where our District 6650 was recognized as being #1 for greatest participation in a state-wide service project to support 'My Very Own Blanket'. The Canton Rotary office received a "Thank You" letter dated March 11, 2019, from Jessica Rudolph, CEO and Founder of My Very Own Blanket, who writes:
"Dear Members of the Rotary Club of Canton, Every day children are removed from their homes and placed into the foster care system, usually through the sudden shock of a stranger coming into the only home they have ever known to say, "You have to leave and come with me." Often they don't even have time to collect their belongings.
"Your $500 gift will help My Very Own Blanket provide to these children, who have lost so much, a special sense of comfort and reassurance by handing them "their very own blanket." It is tangible proof that they are indeed worthy of love.
"Thank you very much for the gifts all of you contributed. It will help put blankets in the hands of many children -- something they can physically hold onto in a very unsettled time in their lives.
We are so grateful for our partnership with the Rotary Club, and we are blessed by your support."
Mark your calendar for the Rotary Club of Canton's upcoming Semi- Annual Health Screen & Wellness Fair scheduled for Saturday, April 27, 2019, from 7 am - 11 am! The event will once again be held at the Mercy Hall Auditorium located at 1320 Mercy Drive, Canton.
Registration will be open at a later date, but in the meantime, we are providing you with the opportunity to print the flyer for this event and display at your business or give to family and friends. Let's get the word out in advance to help promote this event to the public!
Please follow thisLINK to print the flyer for the April 27, 2019 event.
Mark your calendar for the upcoming District Conference! This year District 6650 will be joining District 6690 in a joint event at the Hilton Polaris in Columbus, OH on April 12-13, 2019.
Registration is now open for 2019 Better Together, District 6650 & 6690 Joint District Conference.
The 2019 Better Together, District Conference Committee has been working hard to bring you a one-of-a-kind experience.
We are excited to welcome Past RI President KR Ravi Ravindran from Sri Lanka as our Keynote Speaker for the All-Club Lunch on Friday. Other highlights of the Conference are:
House of Friendship – Meet fellow Rotarians from all around Eastern Ohio. Discover great new service projects to bring back to your home club. Enjoy entertainment and activities while making new friends.
RO-Talks – TED Talks for Rotary. Learn from Rotarians and Non-Rotarians about inspiring projects and ideas to enhance your Rotary experience.
Workshops – A wide selection of workshops are offered to inform and educate. Everything from Active Shooter Preparedness and Building a Stronger Club to Diversity, Adversity and Inclusion. You might even want to check out the Mystery Workshop with DG Scott and DG Craig, it will be fun, fun, fun!
Morning of Service – Attendees will join with over 70 Youth Exchange Students for Hands-On service projects. Packing meals for 3rd world countries and cutting old denim to be made into shoes for Ugandans are among the projects planned.
Caribbean Dinner and Dance Party – Relax and be entertained by the Canal Winchester High School Steel Drum Band while you enjoy cocktails and dinner. Then, we will dance to the sounds of Shakin’ and Stirred Live Band. Be sure to wear your Island Attire!
During the March 15, 2019 meeting, President Michelle Mullaly welcomed the 43 members and 10 guests to the meeting. The members were informed of the passing of longtime Canton Rotarian Mel Lazarus. Mel passed away on Saturday, March 9, 2019. President Michelle asked everyone to keep Mel's wife, Elaine, and family in their thoughts and prayers. There was a sympathy card available for members to sign which was then sent to the Lazarus family. She also informed the members about Rotarian Dick Smith who is in Woodlawn battling pneumonia and bronchitis.
Rotarian Wilbur Allen gave the Invocation.
Congratulations to Mark Clendenin for having the winning 50/50 ticket worth $31.00. Mark donated his winnings to the Canton Rotary Interact.
Rotarian Julia Dick filled in for Club Secretary Suzette Matthews and welcomed the following guests to the meeting: Robert Hall (speaker); Alex Dowell (guest of Stephanie Werren); Ron Haines (R-Seattle); Josh Zeiger (guest of Gary Sirak); Alex Owens (guest of Mike Brown); Jennifer Chora, Nour Kelly, Antonio Owens, Kennedy Williams and David Kliem (Character Counts and guests).
The "Happy News" was then provided by the following:
Mark Clendenin - celebrating his visit with his son in Austin, Texas
- he announced he has to leave meeting early and wanted the speaker to be aware of his early departure;
Jim Molnar - in honor of Ernie Schott and Taggarts Ice Cream being featured in the "Pre-to-3" program. This Pre-to-3 program encourages parents and caregivers to read more to children. They wanted to highlight landmark places in Stark County. Jim thanked Taggart's and Ernie for "rolling out the red carpet" and being very accommodating when the film crew came in to film;
Ernie Schott - celebrating his granddaughter who is a Freshman at GlenOak, will be going to the Championship game in Columbus. She is on the basketball team just not playing varsity;
Jim Blake - in honor of his alma mater The Ohio State University for still being in the March Madness men's basketball tournament;
Mike Abbott - in honor of his wife, Barbara, who officially became an author with the release of her new book relating to food in Stark County!
PP Rick Taylor - in honor of ALL Browns fans who are happy and a shout out to another Cleveland team -- "GO TRIBE"!
Rotarian Mike Brown took to the podium to introduce and congratulate the February and March Character Count winners, Jennifer Chora, Antonio Owens and Kennedy Williams. (*See story above)
Vice President Drew Pelger reminded everyone about taking the opportunity to vote for who they think would be this year's "Rotarian of the Year".
President Michelle then asked for a motion from the club to have President Elect Mark Rojek be the voting delegate at this year's Rotary International Convention. *A motion was made and seconded granting President Elect Mark voting privileges at the RI Convention.
President Michelle then informed everyone of the Organizational Membership and Target List info which were on the tables. She asked everyone to please take the opportunity to take one home and review.
March Speaker Chair Raquel Raderchak welcomed her speaker, Robert Hall, from Affinity Advisory Network.
President Michelle concluded the meeting with the following announcements:
everyone could turn their cell phones back on;
next week's speaker will be Amanda Anschutz, President and Co-founder of Compassion Delivered. They provide nutritional meals to people who are coping with life-threatening or terminal illnesses in our community at no cost.
The following Rotarian turned in a makeup during Friday's meeting: Bill Maddox (Perry).
Amanda Anschutz was born and raised in Stark County. She graduated from Lake High School in 1997 and then attended Grace College and Seminary in Winona Lake Indiana. Her master was Business, Communications and Marketing with a minor in Elementary Education and Social Work. Amanda and her husband, Daniel, reside in North Canton with their two daughters, Makayla (13) and Lillian (7).
Jennifer moved to Ohio at the close of her Junior year. She had no friends or family in the high school building. It would have been easy for Jennifer to become isolated and fade into the background. Instead, Jennifer has made the most of her time there, and has truly become a standout in our building and in the community. The resilience, grit, and drive she exhibits cannot be taught, it’s birthed within a person. Obstacles and challenges have not deterred Jennifer from pursuing her dreams and goals. She has excelled academically, currently holding a 3.9 GPA, but she is also a genuinely a good person with a compassionate heart.
Antonio is a young man of incredible talents, low key demeanor, and is always interested in how things work. Antonio is a member of National Honor Society, Ohio State University Young Scholars Program, and has participated in Buckeye Boys State. In addition to his academic talents, Antonio volunteers at Refuge of Hope. He also had 30 Valentines sent anonymously to students at McKinley who might not normally had have a Valentine, just to brighten up their day. Antonio will attend The Ohio State University this fall and major in Mechanical Engineering. Congratulations to Antonio Owens.
Kennedy has been a standout student at McKinley. She is a proud member of the McKinley Singers and has been singing since elementary school.
Mark your calendar for the Rotary Club of Canton's upcoming Semi- Annual Health Screen & Wellness Fair scheduled for Saturday, April 27, 2019, from 7 am - 11 am! The event will once again be held at the Mercy Hall Auditorium located at 1320 Mercy Drive, Canton..png){kind=spacer}
During the March 15, 2019 meeting, President Michelle Mullaly welcomed the 43 members and 10 guests to the meeting. The members were informed of the passing of longtime Canton Rotarian Mel Lazarus. Mel passed away on Saturday, March 9, 2019. President Michelle asked everyone to keep Mel's wife, Elaine, and family in their thoughts and prayers. There was a sympathy card available for members to sign which was then sent to the Lazarus family. She also informed the members about Rotarian Dick Smith who is in Woodlawn battling pneumonia and bronchitis. 
