UW-Whitewater/Community Optimist Club

October 4. 2017, Optimist Club Meeting, Guest Speaker: Erica Schepp

Erica Schepp, Director of UW-Whitewater Children’s Center, was the guest speaker for our Club meeting on Wednesday, October 4.  Erica explained that the center is the only childcare provider in Whitewater accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.  The center serves children of faculty, staff, students, and community members.  She discussed a new program on campus where students can earn 1-3 college credits by working with children at the center, based upon the hours worked per week.  Erica and her staff are planning to improve the center’s “Sensory Room,” which provides a safe and therapeutic place for the children to learn calming skills. Some of the proceeds from the 2018 Trivia Night will be used to update the room with swings that hang from the ceiling as individual pods for children needing a quiet space to relax, and installing both a light lab and a large magnetic wall with ramps and pathways, to help improve a variety of motor skills.  This is your proceeds at work!

Choton Basu (from the UW-W College of Business and Economics) was the guest speaker for our Club meeting on September 19, 2017, he discussed his innovative app called “Strive On”. The Strive On app was developed 3 years ago by Choton and his colleagues, and since then has been growing rapidly. It is an interactive app that gets people involved and learning about the community. There are beacons and/or geofences placed around a location that bring up a notification on a person’s mobile device that offer a “story” about the specific location to enrich the user’s experience. The app has even more opportunities in the near future, as there is development on a hands-free mode, and a setting to track business operations, and user involvement. We look forward to working with Choton in the future by adding Optimist Club information on to the app.

In the board meeting held on September 13, 2017 a new slate of officers was approved. The incoming Co-Presidents are Dave Halbach and Janay Alston. There is no President Elect at this time. The Immediate Past President is Kim Adams. Vice President is another open position. Olson will continue to serve as Secretary, and Kate and Ken Ksobiech will return as Co-Treasurers. Susan Hiscox, Joyce Hutchinson, and Linda Kinson are the at-large board members. Any club members interested in stepping into the role of President Elect for or Vice President should contact Dave Halbach immediately (halbachd@uww.edu). The new optimist year begins on October 1, 2017.

As elected at the board meeting on September 13, 2017 the Optimist club has two new presidents, Dave Halbach and Janay Alston, also known as DJ! The new Optimist year beings on October 1, with the first meeting of the new season being on Oct. 4 at noon in UC 259A. New/potential members are always welcome! There will be an installation party for the new board and club members on September 27, 2017. Check out the installation flyer for more information. Dave and Janay will be working together soon to bring some new and fun ideas to the Club. Congrats and thanks, Dave and Janay!

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Check out our installation flyer to find details about the installation celebration on September 27, 2017!

Brienne Diebolt-Brown (Left) and Lacey  Reichwald  (Right), members of the  Executive Board of the Whitewater Grocery Company gave a presentation about goals for a new Grocery in Whitewater

It was a beautiful Tuesday for Optimists who attended the Noon meeting on September 5, 2017.  Not only were three potential new members in attendance, but every seat in the room was filled.  Guest speakers Lacey Reichwald and Brienne Diebolt-Brown, members of the Executive Board of the Whitewater Grocery Company, gave a brief presentation about prospects for a new grocery in Whitewater.  Their plan is to fill gaps in the grocery needs of the community and not directly compete with Walmart.  For further details, or to become one of many owners of the Whitewater Grocery Company, visit www.whitewatergrocery.co.

For more information about the UW-Whitewater/Community Optimist Club, contact co-president, Kim Adams, at adamsk@uww.edu or (608) 201-2151.

Janay Newman is our Spring 2018 Optimist Club Intern! She is from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is a senior with a Public Relations major, and Marketing minor. Janay indicates that she is an optimist–“My reason is in the name: ‘Optimist’ Club.  I am so happy that I have been given the opportunity to help others in the Whitewater community and to simply do good for those around me.”  She says “One thing that I love about Whitewater is that everyone seems to be associated through at least one mutual connection, leading to a high sense of community.  Being from a larger town, I think that I really missed out on that feeling while growing up, but being in Whitewater gives me a chance to catch up.” Janay’s goals for the year are to “utilize my skills learned from classes and other job opportunities, and channel them into my position with the Optimist Club to do my personal best.”

To give so much time to improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others is the statement from the Optimist Creed that best describes her.  Janay says, “I find that many people spend a lot of their days comparing or competing, while they forget to simply be their best selves, including myself.  I think that this statement is a great reminder to be kind to others, while always working on self-improvement.” Welcome Janay!

Katie Gaulrapp is one of our other Fall 2017 Optimist Club interns! She is from Monroe, Wisconsin, and is a Corporate and Health Communications major, with a Family, Health, and Disabilities Studies minor.  Katie is optimistic because “My health has challenged me in every aspect of my life; when it kicks me to the ground, I pick myself up and work harder.” Katie said she “loves Whitewater because of its strong community.”  Katie’s goals for the year are to “serve others and familiarize myself with the other Optimist Club members.”

The Optimist Creed quote to Promise yourself to look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true epitomizes Katie’s outlook. Katie said, “I find that this statement explains my attitude towards life, and I encourage others to see it this way as well.” Welcome Katie!