We love stories about your Optimist Club. Please tell us one and we'll add it to the website.
Click here, email, or post to Facebook. Thank you!

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Keep the momentum going in your Optimist Club

What is the busiest time of the year for your Optimist Club? It seems that many clubs are especially active during the Christmas holidays and then again in April and May as we near the end of the school year. What happens next? Is there a bit of a lull while members take vacations and adjust to a new routine?

At the District level, our service doubles during the summer months. It is really a unique time as there are two administration teams in place ready to help your club succeed. The veteran team has been serving you all year long. Those lieutenant governors and district chairpersons have been there for you, ready and able to answer your questions and your district officers have hopefully been inspiring you to success.

In May, we elected a new team of lieutenant governors and in your clubs, you have elected new officers for the 2009-2010 administrative year. Let’s call them the rookie team. Our rookie team is full of fresh energy and ideas. No one has told them it can’t be done so be sure to include them in the final months of this administrative year so there is constant energy and enthusiasm for what we do as Optimists.

Attend the PNW District Convention
Right now is an exciting time for your Optimist Club and the PNW District. We replenish and reenergize ourselves and I have found that the best way to refuel our Optimistic spirit is by attending the PNW District Convention. The convention is being held in Boise Idaho, August 20-22, 2009 at the Doubletree Riverside. Some highlights include:

Thursday - For those who arrive early, you can choose to golf or take a jet-boat exploration through the Snake River Canyon and the Birds of Prey National Conservation Area. In the evening we will welcome International President Designate Mark Shriver IV and his spouse and first lady Patricia McKay, M.D. during our opening session and meet our candidates for governor-elect for 2010-2011.

Friday – Newly elected officers will receive training. There are special sessions all day for presidents-elect, secretary/treasurers-elect and lieutenant governors-elect. It is important for you to attend these sessions even if you have been an officer before. There are new ideas, new promotions and new ways of looking at things. Nothing is off-limits for discussion. A new year of transparency and communication begins here! Spouses and guests may enjoy a trip to the Idaho Botanical Garden and in the evening we will all travel to the Boise Noon Optimist Football Complex for our annual Optimist District barbecue.

Saturday – Start off the day with a flashback to the ‘50s. You won’t know if you want to eat or dance when the jukebox starts playing your favorite songs and then we’ll jitterbug right into our District Board Meeting where we elect our governor-elect for 2010-2011 and a third team of enthusiastic Optimists join in our administration to make us strong and our service continuous. There will be more opportunities for networking and learning throughout the day before we head into the Governor’s Banquet and installation of officers for our coming year.

It is a bittersweet moment when our convention comes to a close. We are both happy and sad for it marks the passing of another year. We are so blessed as Optimists that we mark our time with service and gratitude. Please don’t miss this time that we share together. Join us in Boise for this very positive time of transition.

Register online for the PNW District Optimist Convention now.
Picture: Cindi Wall, President of the Boise Noon Optimist Club can't wait to welcome you to Boise.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Junior golfers advance from the PNW Optimist District Qualifier

The Optimist Club of Hillsboro, Oregon hosted the US qualifier for the PNW District to the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships on June 22. As of this writing, seven young golfers will advance to the tournament:

  1. Bryce Wortman 10-11 Klamath Falls
  2. Dylan Wu 12-13 Medford
  3. Max Carter 14-15 Lake Oswego
  4. Calvin Green 16-18 Springfield
  5. Dominic Divito 16-18 Gresham
  6. Monica Vaughn 14-15 Reedsport
  7. Aaren Ziegler 16-18 Canby
The best score of 72 was posted by Tyler Falk, Springfield, Oregon, in the 16-18 boys division. Coming in second place was Calvin Green and Dominic Divito with 78. In the girls 16-18 division, Aaren Ziegler posted a 74.

This is the third year that the Hillsboro Optimists have hosted this event. Thanks for making it happen for the kids.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Roseburg Optimists hope you celebrate the 4th with a bang!

For the first time the Optimist Club of Roseburg, Oregon will be selling fireworks for a summer fund raiser. The tent went up Tuesday at the Wal-Mart parking lot, 2125 NW Stewart Parkway, Roseburg, OR.

According to a club spokesperson, they hope to "make a whole bunch of money we can put back into the kids in the neighborhood." Some of the projects they perform each year are Family Safety Day, the Halloween Spook-tacular and Respect for the Law Banquet.

The fireworks sold at the stand are all legal, but the club cautions that you still need to take the necessary precautions when lighting them off to prevent injuries and fires.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Auburn Optimists give Dollars to Scholars

Four graduating seniors were recognized by the Optimist Club of Auburn, WA in the annual Dollars for Scholars scholarship program. Shown here are Jim Fletcher, President, Auburn Optimist Foundation and Lucrecia Lopez, Jessica Heg, Spencer Darrington and Nathan Froelich.
Lucrecia, 18, Auburn High School graduated with a 3.52 average and plans to begin her education at Green River Community College. Jessica 18, Riverside High, graduated with a 3.27 average and will attend Pierce College at Puyallup. Spencer, 18, West Auburn High maintained a 3.18 average and will attend the Seattle Arts Institute. Nathan, 18, Auburn Mountainview graduated with a 3.59 and will attend Brigham Young University. Congratulations to all!

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Meet Mark Shriver IV, Optimist International President 2009-2010

Mark Shriver IV, Optimist International President 2009-2010 will join us in Boise for the PNW District Convention on August 20-22 fulfilling a tradition in the district of hosting the incoming president each year.

Mark has been an Optimist Club member since 1981. A very cool trivia fact about Mark is he has sponsored at least one member every year since he joined. As president he plans to encourage clubs to do more projects for children. To help achieve that goal, he has worked with ikeepsafe.org to develop a new internet safety program for children and adults. The program focuses on identity theft no matter your age.

Mark will be joined by his spouse and first lady Patricia McKay, M.D. Find out a little more about Mark in an article from the College of William and Mary Alumni News.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Meridian Optimist Club hosts Junior Golf Tournament

The Meridian Optimist Club held a pre-qualifying tournament for the PNW District Junior Optimist Golf Championships. The district tournament qualifies golfers to advance to the international tournament at the PGA National at the end of the July. The club tournament was an opportunity for local golfers to qualify for a free ride to the district event. The Meridian Optimist Club is proud to announce that five golfers, ages 14 to 18 were offered the opportunity to advance to the district tournament. From left to right, they are Mark Baer, Jacob Adams, Ian Hannu, Kathryn Buckingham and Tyler Barker.

Unfortunately, due to prior commitments, some will not be able to make the trip to Hillsboro, Oregon, but we are happy to announce that Mark Baer and Ian Hannu will represent the Meridian Optimist Club at the Pacific Northwest District Optimist Junior Golf Tournament.

Mark placed first in the boys 16-17 division with a score of 75. Ian place second with a score of 79. In boys 14-15 division, Jacob Adams placed first with a round of 87.

The girls participated in the 14-15 age division. Kathryn was the first place qualifier with a round of 75. Tyler scored 79 for the second place finish.

The Meridian Optimist Club Junior Golf Tournament was played at the Boise Ranch Golf Club. Bob Thompson served as the Tournament Chairperson. Despite the overcast skies and a touch of rain, both kids and Optimist members had a great time at the first annual tourney for Idaho.

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Start an Optimist Club this summer

Summer is here! One thing I've noticed about Optimist Clubs, especially in the PNW, is there is a big rush of activity in May and then a quiet lull for the first few weeks of summer as the children leave school, parents plan vacations, and we settle into a new routine.

This is the perfect time to start an Optimist Club! Why do you ask? Because it is a time when we can best display our need. Parents want their kids to do something fruitful for the summer months and Optimists provide positive programs for children.

Consider a starting an Optimist Club in your neighborhood subdivision. Your new club could hold recreation days in the park for kids to shoot hoops and play. Your new club might get the children involved in a neighborhood clean-up program or volunteer to walk dogs for residents who are away at work during the day. Your new Optimist Club could host a neighborhood garage sale or car wash for fund raisers. Or think about this activity and fund raiser all in one: plant a community garden!

Think how a new Optimist Club in your subdivision would boost neighborhood pride, friendships and fun. Visit http://www.newoptimistclub.com/ to find out how to get started today.

Popular Posts