UW-Whitewater/Community Optimist Club

Happy Friday Optimists,

Our Week 5 email is being sent a touch early in order to communicate some timely information.  Please review the list:

1)  We are not going to be cleaning/organizing the Optimist Storage Room in Starin Hall this afternoon.  We have rescheduled to Friday, Nov. 8 from 3:00pm – 5:30pm.  We will also have some help from the Student Optimists.

2)  I am sad to report that Marijuana has resigned from serving as co-president, and is leaving our club.  Her letter was read at our meeting this past Tuesday.  Marijuana will surely be missed.  I know that she is an optimist wherever she goes and whatever she does.  I hope that one day, she will be able to rejoin us.  Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

3)  We do not have a club meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 29.  We do, however have a Halloween Fellowship Meeting at Angie’s and my house on Wednesday, Oct. 30 from 5:00pm – 6:15pm.  Please see the attached flyer.  It will be helpful for planning the main entree if folks could RSVP by Monday at 12:00pm.

4)  Thank you to Jeanine for coordinating our membership recruitment and NOW meeting preparations.  Thanks, too, to those who have volunteered to help Jeanine and our club.  More info to come in the near future!

5)  Please see the news release (below) that Matt Amundson sent about the new playground equipment which was installed at the Optimist Turtle Mound Park this past week.  I have been in touch with Matt to thank him for sharing the information and for giving credit to our Optimist Club.  Matt has also informed me about the date for our next payment on the playground equipment.

Thanks for reading and I hope to hear back from some of you!

Always in Optimism,

Kim 🙂

From Matt Amundson, Whitewater Parks & Rec Director.

On Wednesday, October 23rd & Thursday, October 24th volunteers joined City staff in the installation of a new playground at Optimist Turtle Mound Park. The UW-Whitewater Community Optimist Club made a $15,000 donation towards the project that was matched by the City.  A photo gallery of progress can be viewed HERE.  Surfacing material will be placed on Friday, October 25th, however, the playground will remain closed until a damaged support railing can be replaced. This is likely to happen the week of October 28th and when the yellow caution tape is removed the playground will be open.

A special thanks to volunteers that assisted with the installation including Derrick Wood, Dean Zweifel, Liesl Schultz, Russell Saunders, William Schmitz, Brian Backe, Travis Hartmann, Austin Stoltenburg, Brienne Diebolt-Brown, Duane Dickens, and Jamie Satre.  The volunteers assisted Department of Public Works staff including Rick Babcock, Kelly Freeman, Kevin Heckert, Dave Himsel, Andy Beckman, and Mike Kaspar in the installation of the equipment.

The playground includes a new main play structure for children ages 2-12, a 4-bay swing set with accessible and infant swings, and two independent components – the Kid Force Spinner and Comet Spinner.

Optimist Turtle Mound Park Equipment