December 2024 North Coast Navigator

DECEMBER 2024

Cleveland Council 733 Setting Up the Nativity Scene Downtown

Empowering Catholic men to live their faith and serve their family, parish, community and country.

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FR. McGIVNEY GUILD

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DECEMBER 2024

HIS LIFE: PARISH PRIEST Father McGivney was who was on death row for assigned as curate (assistant) shooting and killing a police of St. Mary's Church, the first officer while drunk. Father Catholic parish in the busy McGivney visited the port city of New Haven. There condemned man daily to offer he faced challenges related to guidance, prayer and Mass in a priest shortage, parish debt, the city jail over many months, illnesses, and hostility toward with a profound effect. The Catholics. The church became young man’s change of heart a lightning rod for antiwas so marked that local Catholic derision, expressed in newspapers hailed Father a New York Times headline, McGivney’s ministry.

“How an Aristocratic Avenue Was Blemished by a Roman After Mass on execution day, Church Edifice.” Against this the priest's grief was profound. backdrop, Father McGivney Smith comforted him, saying, navigated relationships with “Father, your saintly non-Catholics gracefully, while ministrations have enabled me striving to prevent the to meet death without a culture’s hostility from eroding tremor. Do not fear for me, I the faith of his people. must not break down now.”

Father McGivney walked with Sought out for his wise him to the end, leading him in counsel, and instrumental in a prayer and blessing him at the number of conversions to scaffold.

Catholicism, Father McGivney had a gift for touching hearts For more information, please and leading souls to God. check out the Father McGivney Guild.

In a notable case that gained widespread press coverage, he ministered to James “Chip” Smith, a 21-year-old Catholic God, our Father, protector of the poor and defender of the widow and orphan, you called your priest, Blessed Michael McGivney, to be an apostle of Christian family life and to lead the young to the generous service of their neighbor. Through the example of his life and virtue, may we follow your Son, Jesus Christ, more closely, fulfilling his commandment of charity and building up his Body which is the Church.

Let the inspiration of your servant prompt us to greater confidence in your love so that we may continue his work of caring for the needy and the outcast. We humbly ask that you glorify Blessed Michael McGivney on earth according to the design of your holy will. Through his intercession, grant the favor I now present (here make your request). Through Christ our Lord. Amen

HIS VISION, YOUR MISSION You can play a key role in advancing Father McGivney’s cause by joining the Guild for free and praying for his intercession and canonization. May Father McGivney intercede for you!

The Father Michael J. McGivney Guild serves as a source for information about the life, works and spirituality of Father McGivney. The Guild publishes a quarterly newsletter and offers a weekly Mass for the intentions of members.

Click HERE to Join!

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GROWING OUR FAITH

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DECEMBER 2024

FAITH FORMATION The first 24 days of December fall during the liturgical season known as of Advent and are represented by the liturgical color purple—a symbol of penance, mortification and the sorrow of a contrite heart. The remaining days of December mark the beginning of the Christmas season. The liturgical color changes to white or gold — a symbol of joy, purity and innocence.

The Reason for the Season The month of December is filled with expectation and celebration. Preparation is the key word for the first 24 days of December. Everyone is getting ready for Christmas — shopping and decorating, baking and cleaning. Too often, however, we are so busy with the material preparations that we lose sight of the real reason for our activity.

Christmas is a Christian feast — and we must reclaim it as such!

In the same way that a family eagerly prepares for a baby, so in Advent should we prepare for the coming of the Christ Child. We should keep Advent as a season of waiting and longing, of conversion and of hope and keep our thoughts on the incredible love and humility of our God in taking on the flesh of the Virgin Mary. Let us not forget to prepare a peaceful place in our hearts wherein our Savior may come to dwell.

The best person we can turn to for help during Advent is Mary, Christ's and our Mother.

She awaited the day of His birth with more eagerness than any other human being. Her preparation was complete in every respect. Let's crown our preparation and borrow something of Mary's prayerfulness, her purity and whole-hearted submission to God's will.

COR Corner

The month of December is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception.

The Holy Father's Intentions for the Month of December 2024 For Pilgrims of Hope: We pray that this Jubilee Year strengthens our faith, helping us to recognize the Risen Christ in our daily lives and that it may transform us into pilgrims of Christian hope (See also http:// www.popesprayerusa.net/)

Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly addressed the annual plenary assembly of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Baltimore Nov. 13, offering the Order’s assistance in the bishops’ evangelization efforts and asking for their support of the Cor initiative.

Amid the “modern crisis of isolation that comes from ruptured relationships,” Supreme Knight Kelly said, “Catholics need places to grow in friendship with God and one another — places where they can commit together to answer our Lord’s call to evangelize. This is the insight that led us to create the Cor initiative.”

“Men of all ages are hungry for spiritual community. And we know many priests want to set up small groups to meet that need, but they can’t quite do it on their own. Cor is the solution,” the supreme knight told the bishops. “It enables priests to draw on the structure and resources of the Knights of Columbus, getting small groups off the ground quickly, and — importantly — sustaining them over time.” The supreme knight asked the bishops for their help spreading the word about Cor in the dioceses and among their priests, and promised that the Knights will continue to carry out Blessed Michael McGivney’s mission in support of the Church and the family. For more information, click HERE.

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee.

This item 12537 digitally provided courtesy of CatholicCulture.org

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OHIO STATE COUNCIL

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DECEMBER 2024

STATE OFFICER REPORT I have sat down and started this article at least a dozen times.

Nothing that I seem to write makes much sense, but now it is crunch time and I need to go to print.

wreath. Although we do not light the candles, we do put each in the wreath as the weeks progress. It provides a visual to keep our eyes on the birth of Christ.

State Convention plans are starting to come together. Each of our teams are planning to put together an event that will showcase Cleveland and the Councils throughout the diocese surrounding area as well as The sadness of the passing of are hosting their Christmas provide great time for fellowship Brother Nick Gresko has it me Parties. What a great time to get and fun. You and your councils are hard. I have known Nick for together with friends—old and welcome to join in the fun. Several almost 15 years. Nick was that new—and have some laughs. Plus, councils have already stated that person that could drive you nuts, you never know when Santa may they are “All In.” If you or your but he made sense. Even if it was stop by for the kids. From Kathy councils are interested, give me a just a little warped. Nick was the and I to all of you, have a blessed call, text, or email. We would love one that nominated me at the 2019 Advent and Christmas Season. to have you!

State Convention for State Warden. He, along with his fellow ******************************** ******************************** brothers, Stew and Matt, made up the henchman for Cashman last Free throw contests should be Cleveland is in a great position. year. They came back this year getting ready to run here in We have councils recruiting, we are and were ready to be the January. If your council is hosting starting new councils, many of you henchman again. We filmed just a a contest, please make sure that are putting your faith into action, couple of weeks ago. Now, heaven your Youth Protection is up-to-date and COR gives us the chance to as gained a dedicated Browns fan and, if you are at diocesan location, grow in our faith. This is a great that will be pushing for some someone has Virtus training. time to be a member of the KofC. divine intervention. God knows we Sorry, it is required.

Ask a friend to join today. You need it. To Alicia, our hearts go never know where your Experience out to you and, in true KofC ******************************** of Lifetime will come from. fashion, we are always here for you. Nick, thank you for Last year, Ca$hman burst into ******************************** everything. Your and Alicia’s your lives. Together, we were able friendship means a lot to Kathy to raise over $1 Million for our Finally, as we get set to turn the and I. You will be missed. charities and defeat the calendar to 2025, let us remember Accountant. I am sure that the all of those that have gone home to ******************************** Adventures of Ca$hman are not the Lord this year. Let the peace over yet. Who knows what villains of Christ help us through these HAPPY NEW YEAR! are out there looking to stop Ohio times until we meet again!

KofC members from raising $1 Yes, Advent is here and we start Million again? Be prepared.

Have a Blessed Advent and Merry the new liturgical year. Every Christmas! God Bless, year, Advent puts us on a journey We are looking for locations to host that leads us to the birth of our the West, East, and South side Jim Savior, Lord Jesus Christ. We can ticket distributions. If your council open our hearts to accept Him in is interested, please contact Jim. our lives. One of the best parts of Advent in our house is the Advent ******************************** 4

GROWTH

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DECEMBER 2024

GROWTH REPORT Cleveland continues to move forward with recruiting new members into the Order. Currently, there are 123-New Members YTD with a growth percentage of 1.57%. That puts Cleveland clearly in second place behind Columbus.

Here are a couple of incentives to get your recruitment engines fired up: • • •

•

Council with the highest percentage of growth from now till the end of the fraternal year will receive a $50 gift card to host a party for your members.

We are introducing the Gresko Memorial Award to be given to councils in the Cleveland Diocese that achieve 100% of their Supreme Quota and a $25 gift card.

Host a live Exemplification of Charity, Unity, and Fraternity and be entered into a drawing for a $25 gift cards to Walmart. The Exemplification MUST be on the state website and a State Form 450 completed by your District Deputy to be eligible.

District Deputies whose district makes their growth quota will receive a $25 gift card.

Let us continue to invite men and their families to join our Order so that we can continue serving our church, grow in faith, and make the world a better place.

Upcoming Exemplification Schedule Below is the current Exemplification schedule for the Cleveland Diocese. Please register your Exemplification by visiting www.kofcohio.org. If you would like to schedule the Diocesan Exemp Team, please contact Jim Maslach at 440-7859838 or via email at kofcjkm@gmail.com Date

Candidate Call

Start Time

Location

12/11/2024 6:55 PM

7:00 PM

State Online via Zoom

12/19/2024 6:30 PM

7:00 PM

Fr. Maruskin Council 10936 (Stow)

ORDER GROWTH As of November 30, 2024 Ohio July 1: 55,313 Ohio Growth: 673 (33.65%) % Growth: 1.22% Cleveland July 1: 7,831 Cleveland Growth: 123 (46.31%) % Growth: 1.57% % Growth is a measure of the YTD gain compared against the July 1st membership number.

TOP-5 % GROWTH YTD Gain against the July 1 Membership Excluding New Councils

1. 2643 Lakewood (6.98%) 2. 14406 Our Lady of Charity (5.62%) 3. 4847 Brunswick (5.29%) 4. 8320 John Carroll (5.13%) 5. 15901 St. Adalbert (4.76%) TOP-5 TOTAL NEW MEMBERS Excluding New Councils

1. 4847 Brunswick (11) 2. 774 Elyria, 2643 Lakewood (6) 3. 14551 St. Hilary, 14406 Our Lady of Charity (5) TOP-5 DISTRICTS 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

DD #22 Jim Maslach (35) DD #24 Tom Donovan (13) DD #19 Tom Goodhart (11) DD #21 Patrick Gale (10) DD #33 George Metz (9)

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DISTRICT DEPUTIES

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DECEMBER 2024

DISTRICT DEPUTY NEWS Worthy District Deputies Thank you for your continued service to our church and Order. Here are some upcoming events that may requiring your action or response.

Registration for January 3-5 DD meeting in Columbus. Attendance is mandatory unless otherwise excused; in either event please register by visiting the District Deputy Meeting page on the state website.

The State District Deputy Director has requested survey information from each of your Councils within your district. See attached document. Note items 3 - 6 in the attached form for each Council the following: The information is requested: (3). Council Number (4). Date(s) the Drive is scheduled (5). Do they need assistance in conducting the Church Drive?

(6). The name and contact info for the Grand Knight, Membership Director, or Chairman leading the event.

Once completed, forward the survey information to me. The intent is to have all the survey information completed and submitted PRIOR to the January Meeting.

There are a few Councils missing visitation reports. Please enter them if you have not. Also, if you have not visited a Council yet, you have only December. The requirement is one Council visit per quarter and reports must be entered within seven days of your visit.

Please remind your Council's to use the correct forms for both Keep Christ in Christmas and Council Free Throw.

See Attached or State/Supreme website. I am requesting you bring

your District Award winning Keep Christ in Christmas entrants to the January meeting if at all humanly possible.

Please remind your councils if they need more rulers for Measure up, please specify how many packs they will need and forward request to me by December 20th as they will be distributed to you at the January meeting.

Please begin thinking about when you would like to meet with Jim and me for our 10 minute one-on-one in January at the DD meeting. As of right now we As you discern and eventually make a will have six slots immediately after decision, feel free in notifying either Friday evening training session myself or Jim directly. Jim will be normally starting at 9:30 or 10 PM and scheduling 1-on-1 discussions in early the remaining slots on Saturday.

April. Stay tuned for more Please respond with your preference. information.

The Diocesan or Regional Free Throw Tournament will be held at Elyria Catholic High School from 1 to 5 PM on Sunday March 2nd. Please disburse the Regional Free Throw 2025 hand out to your Councils. I would like to personally thank DeWitt Gober for coordinating with Elyria Catholic High School to host this event.

Thank you for all that you do and God Bless.

Teran 440-665-4078

I know April 30, 2025 sounds so far ahead in the Future but trust me it will be here before we know it and I am sure I will be reminding you of the date soon enough.

As we prepare for next year's administration and the following two years, Jim and I are requesting you prayerfully discern your future intentions on serving as District Deputy in 2025 - 2027. We cannot promise you, you will have the same District due to potential retirements and re-assignments but will do the best we can to keep you in your current District.

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Worthy Chapter Delegates, Grand Knights, Financial Secretaries and Brother KnightsOn December 13 at 7 PM, the Chapter will host the annual Christmas get together at the 4130 Hall with our wives or spouses. A short meeting will start before the dinner.

For those attending, we ask you to sign up at the following URL, along with bringing any desert or Hors d'oeuvres to be shared. We need an accurate Count to be able to order the correct amount of food for those attending. https://fs22.formsite.com/stambrose/qk5pqokysp/index Also, It is our pleasure to invite you, your council members, to come out and show our appreciation for our seminarians, deacons, priests, and bishops at the 2025 Clergy Appreciation Dinner on Friday, January 31, 2025.

Teran Taggart Chapter President adm5893@gmail.com 440-665-4078

This year we are planning a great event to show that the Knights of Columbus here in the Cleveland Diocese continue to support our clergy and thank them for answering their call to serve our Lord and Church.

The event will be in the Founders Room with the doors opening at 5:00 PM. There will be a prayer service at 5:45 PM followed by a social, dinner, and brief program. Seating is limited.

Jim Maslach Chapter Vice President kofcjkm@gmail.com 440-785-9838

The event is PRE-REGISTRATION ONLY. No walk-ins, please.

Pre-registration will close on Friday, January 10, 2025 at the Chapter Meeting. The cost is $35 per person for Chapter member councils and $40 per person for non-Chapter member councils.

There is eight (8) per a table. Please invite your deacons and priests. Click here to reserve your seat or use the QR code to the right.

We are openly requesting monetary donations to support the open bar. Please send your donation to Jim Maslach.

Nominations for Greater Cleveland Clergy of the Year is now OPEN. The nomination form is available by contacting Jim Maslach. The form is both MS Word document and fillable PDF. Please forward nomination to Jim Maslach by January 1, 2025.

Tom Donovan Chapter Secretary td3430@att.net 216-650-4213

We are excited to have this opportunity to show our show our support and appreciation for all that are priests do for us. Please come out and join us. If there are any questions, please see the flyer below or feel free to contact Jim Maslach via phone/text at 440-7859838 or email at kofcjkm@gmail.com.

Thank you, Greater Cleveland Chapter

Martin Steward Chapter Treasurer martinasteward@gmail.com Chapter Meetings Second Friday of Month 7:00 PM Rosary 7:30 PM Meeting Visit www.kofccleveland.org

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PROGRAMS

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DECEMBER 2024

KNIGHTS IN ACTION Brunswick Council 4847 Brunswick Knights of Columbus Council 4847 teamed up with Project Warmth at St. Ambrose Parish in Brunswick, Oh and St. Colette Parish in Brunswick, Ohio. In August the Knights of Columbus ordered two Cases of Coats from Knight Gear. Our Council also held a Coat Collection in September at St. Colette Catholic Church in Brunswick. In all the Council purchased and collected around 200 coats for School Age Children.

Our Council took the coats we purchased and collected and combined them with the coats collected by Project Warmth. Of the 1300 Coats total collected 200 of them came from the Knights of Columbus. On November 14th and 15th Knights including Grand Knight Dave Heilman helped sort and bag Coats and load the truck up for Distribution on November 18th and 19th. On November 18th Knights SK Denny Broadway, GK/SK Dave Heilman, Mike Izzo, and SK Shawn Lipp helped distribute coats at One Hope NEO on Fulton Ave. on Cleveland's West side. They were joined by Project Warmth Volunteers Linda Knight, Kim Harrington, and Kate Vento. On November 19th SK Anthony Comella, PFN Joined Linda, Kim, Kate, and students from St. Ambrose on the second night of distribution at One Hope NEO. On Saturday, November 23, 2024 Knights GK Dave Heilman, SK Mark Kesslem, SK Shawn Lipp, and SK Anthony Comella helped finish bagging and up the remaining coats for distribution Next Week.

Cuyahoga Falls Council 2362 AKRON, Ohio (WOIO) - The Peter Maurin Center is not only feeding the homeless, but trying to keep them warm this winter. They’re asking for donations during the month November, in hopes of replenishing a depleting stock.

In order to help them do that, six neighboring towns are setting up donation boxes in their city halls.

“This is truly needed in every community, not just Akron,” said Stow Mayor John Pribonic. You can donate now through Dec. 15. Or, you can go to one of the drive up distribution days. If you live in Stow, Silver Lake or Tallmadge, you can drop your donations off at city hall on Saturday, Dec. 7.

If you live in Cuyahoga Falls, Munroe or Hudson, you can bring your donations to city hall on Saturday, Dec. 14. On these days, you can drop off donations between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Once donations are collected, the Peter Maurin Center steps in. “Men and women go out to the campsites and check in with the homeless individuals and say what do you need, assess them individually and give them what they need,” said Mike Rauh.

These donations will also help out neighboring cities, all they have to do is call.

“They’ll send a representative out, talk to this person, ask them some questions, no pressure,” said Pribonic.

(Aria Janel. (2024, November 12). These Northeast Ohio cities are collecting winter essentials for the homeless: How to donate. Https://Www.cleveland19.com; Cleveland 19 News. https://www.cleveland19.com/2024/11/12/these-northeast -ohio-cities-are-collecting-winter-essentials-homeless-how-donate/)

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Willoughby Council 2886 Putting Up the Nativity Scene

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TRAINING

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DECEMBER 2024

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES Fraternal Trainers provide important support for Fraternal Leaders; training can be tailored to meet the needs of both new and seasoned officers, as well as any members who are interested in advancing to officer roles in the future.

Fraternal Trainers provide officer training at both the district and council level, online and in-person. To sign up for training sessions from Supreme, visit the state website (www.kofcohio.org) under FOR MEMBERS and scroll down to Training Opportunities or click the registration links below.

Also, check out the additional training opportunities on the state website under FOR MEMBERS. There is state specific training for eMembership and Member Management and Billing. There is also a link to Supreme’s Fraternal Video Library that is full of answers to your everyday questions.

Topic/Registration Link

December 2, 2024 8:00 PM | Navigating Council Forms Completing council forms should be one of the easiest tasks for a council officer. However, due to the number of forms available it can be quite challenging. In this webinar we will look at the most common council forms, highlighting how and where to find them, how to complete them, how to submit them, and how to make corrections or additions.

Register

December 10, 2024 8:00 PM | Transitioning from Online to Council Membership You have done some successful recruitment. You have prospects wanting to join. What do you do next? In this webinar we will discuss transitioning those prospects to members and finally to your Council. Covered will be processes for both the Prospect and Candidate tabs. We will take you step by step, for both e-members and for the members you gather from the events you do.

Register

December 11, 2024 10:00 PM | Grand Knight Advanced Training Grand Knight Advanced Training builds off the "Hard Skills" of council leadership taught in the 3-part Grand Knight Training. The Advanced Training aims to enhance the "Soft Skills" of council leadership by integrating the core virtues of Charity, Unity, and Fraternity into our identity and interpersonal relationships as Knights of Columbus leaders.

Register

December 17, 2024 8:00 PM | Membership Retention Retention of members is an ongoing challenge that many councils struggle to meet. Retention is much more than collecting dues and attending meetings. Retention is about engagement. Properly engaged members will develop into strong leaders and members for life. Please join us for some thoughts and suggestions on membership engagement and retention.

Register

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UPCOMING EVENTS

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DECEMBER 2024

DIOCESAN CALENDAR OF EVENTS

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DIOCESAN INFO

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DECEMBER 2024

STATE & DIOCESAN DIRECTORY 559 Walnut St Leetonia, OH 44431

State Deputy

Jeff Kiliany

jtktg@yahoo.com

Immediate Past State Deputy Support Our Seminarians 2024-2025

Mark Siracusa

15398 Silver Pine Ct Perrysburg, OH 43551

cuzza52@gmail.com

State Secretary

State Per Capita

Mike Felerski

1580 Gelhot Dr. #234 Fairfield, OH 45014

mfelerski@icloud.com

State Treasurer / DD #22

733, 2643, 2790, 4217, 18527, 18565, Super Cash 2025

Jim Maslach

4927 Autumnwood Ln Brunswick, OH 44212

440-785-9838 kofcjkm@gmail.com

State Advocate

Matching Funds 2024

Chris Sarka

7239 Winterbek Ave New Albany, OH 43054

c_sarka@hotmail.com

State Warden

Measure Up 2025

Tony Offenberger

15200 Muskingum River tonyoffenberger@gmail.com Rd Lowell, OH 45744

College Council Coordinator / DD #33

310, 2726, 8320, 15023, 15737

George Metz

440-449-0081

georgegmetz@aol.com

Growth Coordinator / DD #28 Inactive Councils

Mike Incorvati

330-671-1490

mbaincorvati@hotmail.com

DD Coordinator / DD #29

Inactive Councils

Teran Taggart

440-665-4078

ADM5893@YAHOO.COM

Council Rejuvenation / DD #32

789, 3541, 5506

Robert Walsh

216-533-1134

rewalsh731@aol.com

Past State Deputy (2015-17)

Robert Collins, Jr

216-410-7174

rfcollinsjr@gmail.com

Past State Deputy (2003-05)

Roland Bator

330-225-7354

rbator4591@msn.com

General Agent

Jason Staas

800-484-0304

jason.staas@kofc.org

COR Director Cleveland

Ty Tyjewski

440-867-4503

TYKNIGHT4847@GMAIL.COM

State Website Director

Tom Buehner

216-554-0722

tom.buehner@gmail.com

District Deputy #19

3213, 3410, 4664, 14111, Tom Goodhart

330-773-9379

MLTRG@ATT.NET

District Deputy #20

637, 774, 3269, 4891, 7970, 8369

DeWitt Gober

440-541-3317

DD20GOBER@GMAIL.COM

District Deputy #21

4731, 13984, 14416, 15901, 16373, 16376

Patrick Gale

440-382-1177

FLAGDAY66@WOWWAY.COM

District Deputy #23

947, 3304, 14714, 15942

John Brown

330-610-0308

trouter0523@gmail.com

District Deputy #24

4168, 4847, 10792, 11464, 14769

Tom Donovan

216-650-4213

TD3430@ATT.NET

District Deputy #25

2362, 3529, 5613, 10936, Mike Rauh 13517

330-256-3038

MIKERAUH58@GMAIL.COM

District Deputy #26

3970, 14406, 15056, 15614, 16137, 16279

Ron Snyder

216-396-1200

SNYDERCRESTON@AOL.CO M

District Deputy #27

2886, 3164, 4498, 4801, 5405, 13755

Tim Daley

216-486-1298

tdaley1861@aol.com

District Deputy #30

547, 14054, 14255, 14551

Paul Visnosky

216-798-8791

PVFONHOME@YMAIL.COM

District Deputy #31

2803, 4130, 4893, 5106, 5559, 11831

Jerry Nowesnick

440-336-0039

nowesnick@gmail.com

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