UW-Whitewater/Community Optimist Club

The Kids Fishing Derby is this Saturday, June 1, from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm at the beach at Trippe Lake Park in Whitewater.

Greetings Optimists,

April showers bring May flowers. We are hopeful that May will bring some Spring-like experiences, including warmth!

There is a Club meeting on Tuesday, 5/2/2017 at 12:00 PM in UC 259A. It is with great excitement that will induct both Robin Fox and Lori Heidenreich as new members. Let’s have a terrific turnout and demonstrate that “Optimism” is alive and well. Also, Dave has lined up Kristine Wallace of the Rock River Free Clinic as our guest speaker. It is always good to hear about community-based services.

At our Wednesday evening meeting this past week our two interns shared their goals and the progress they made in their personal learning as well as highlights from their experience as Optimist interns. Thank you Anne and Kayla for your great work! Announcements about summer and fall interns will be made later this week. At our Wednesday meeting, we discussed at least five other topics—the Fishing Derby, the Gyro Stand, Baseball Playoffs, Jefferson County Fair, and upcoming Optimist scholarships/awards.

Al is requesting help from our membership for the Fishing Derby. Shopping for hot dogs, chips and soda as well as staffing the event are among the tasks. Please check in with Al and let him know how you would like to be involved. (I, Angie, have signed up to grill the hot dogs and to make sure participants get fed. Rick has contacted the DNR for fishing pamphlets, etc. Mike will assemble our participant “Goody bags.” Our intern Anne designed our flyer. Thanks one and all!).

The Gyro Stand will be staffed by our Club at the Fourth of July community celebration. Thank you Duane, Rick and Dave for launching the ordering, sign-ups, etc. We now have the dates and hours for the event. Please watch for details soon. It’s not too early to check your schedules! Thank you to Jan and Jeanine for working on a news release about our Club and the Gyro Stand.

We have been asked to staff the Baseball Playoffs held at UW-Whitewater in May. Signup sheets will be made available soon. Mark your calendars for May 17-21. This is an unexpected opportunity to raise funds to assist with our youth programming. “Take me out to the ballgame . . . “ See you there! Therese is also asking for Optimist Award/Scholarship presenters for May 15 at 8:25am (at WHS) and May 23 from 6:30pm – 8:00pm (also at WHS). Can anyone help out?

Our Club has agreed to staff the Jefferson County Fair on Wednesday, July 12 for “Kids’ Day.” Watch emails for further details—and again, make your calendars.

One other item of discussion this past Wednesday was Club officers. Are you willing to serve in a leadership role? Who could you invite to join our Club—or to take a leadership role in the Club? In the film “The American President,” the character Lewis says to his president: “People want leadership . . . They’re so thirsty for it, they’ll crawl through the desert toward a mirage, and when they discover there’s no water, they’ll drink the sand.” It is a strong statement about what happens in the absence of leadership. Would you consider taking a role in our Club leadership? We are still looking for a president for 2017-18. That said, we are very excited that Janay Alston has agreed to serve as President Elect in 2017-18! Thank you, Janay!

That is “This week in Optimism.”

Angie & Kim 🙂

Good Evening, Optimists,

Well…April Showers bring May Flowers! And…so far the weather looks to be good for the Easter Egg Hunt this Saturday, April 8. Please let Connie know if you would like to help out with our annual Easter Egg Hunt. Set up will begin at 10am, the hunt will start at 11am (complete with the Easter Bunny and McGruff), and all goodie bags will be handed out by 12:00pm!

Speaking of goodie bags, we will be stuffing 200(ish) bags on Tuesday April 4 at our noon meeting in UC 259A. Mike Flanagan will also be our guest speaker at this meeting.

There will not be a Club meeting on April 11. Instead, the Board will meet in UC 268. We have many topics to address at this meeting. Board members, please let Kim know if you can not attend.

Therese has indicated that the NCAA Division III Regional Baseball Tournament will be hosted by UW-Whitewater and that they are hoping the Optimist Club would be willing to take tickets. This would be an additional fund raising project for our club, in addition to being a nice service for us to offer. The dates of the tournament are May 17-21, and the hours look to be from 10am – 7pm on most of the days. We will need three members per shift. We will start a sign up sheet on this project very soon. By the way, Happy Opening Day tomorrow!

We are still collecting items for the Birthday Box Project for the Whitewater Food Pantry. If you are interested in contributing items, please drop them off to Kim’s Office by 8:30am on Monday, April 10. Members are also invited to help with the wrapping and stuffing part of the project on April 10 from 8:30am – 10:00am in UC 259A & B. The items will be delivered to the Pantry immediately following this wrapping session.

Mark your calendars for Saturday, June 3 for the Optimist Fishing Derby. Thank you to Al Hutchison for leading this project. The event will likely take place at Trippe Lake Park. A flyer and other promos are being designed by our interns.

That’s it for now. Have a great week–and “just keep smiling!”

Kim 🙂

Greetings, Optimists,

We hope you have had a relaxing spring break.

Here are a few tidbits related to upcoming Optimist activities:

1) We have a noon meeting this week (March 28). We will be featuring three “Youths of the Month!” We will also have a guest speaker–to be announced!

2) On Tuesday, April 4, we will stuff goodie bags for the Easter Egg Hunt, as well as host guest speaker Mike Flanagan, from the Crossman Art Gallery. Our meeting will be in our usual location–UC 259A.

3 Our Easter Egg Hunt will be Saturday, April 8, starting at 11:00am and set up begin an hour or so before the Easter Bunny arrives. Thank you to Connie for organizing this event. Sign up info will be coming out very soon!

4) The Board will meet on Tuesday, April 11 in UC 268. There will not be a Club meeting on that day. We have many topics to address at this meeting. Board members, please let Kim know if you can not attend.

5) Therese has indicated that the NCAA Division III Regional Baseball Tournament will be hosted by UW-Whitewater and that they are hoping the Optimist Club would be willing to take tickets. This would be an additional fund raising project for our club, in addition to being a nice service for us to offer. The dates of the tournament are May17-21, and times are yet to be determined. We will start a sign up sheet on this project very soon, as well.

6) Mark your calendars for Saturday, June 3 for the Optimist Fishing Derby. Thank you to Al Hutchison for leading this project. The event will likely take place at Tripp Lake. A flyer and other promos are being signed by our interns.

That’s it for now. Enjoy the rest of your day–and “just keep smiling!”

Kim 🙂

Greetings Optimists,

< Regular club meeting tomorrow, June 7. “Bring Your Own Lunch.” We’ll gather at 12 Noon in the University Center, room 261. >

Our Fishing Derby on Saturday, June 4 can only be described as a flop. Al Hutchinson volunteered to chair/organize the event and had equipment available but I was unable to send out publicity notices to the school district or Whitewater Banner. Also, the park was VERY busy that morning due to the run/walk fund raiser event for the Whitewater Police Department K9 unit.

!!! A Call for 2016-17 Club Officers. It’s time to create the slate of officers for 2016-17. I have received word from two club members they would be willing/able to be on the board as an officer or general board member next year, depending upon what time of day the monthly board meetings are held. I also want to let everyone know that I WILL continue on the board as past-president and will be more than willing to assist with weekly emails, web site updates and Facebook postings.  So…what would YOU like to do next year to contribute? Perhaps one that you’ve not held in the past? Please begin volunteering to be an officer for 2016-17. Contact me or Kim Adams if you’re willing to be an officer for next year. “Many hands make light work.”!!!

NFL “FUND CRAZR” RAFFLE TICKETS!! You can still pick up tickets for selling. We have sold (or are still selling) over 50 of the 100 tickets we received. If all club members sell 2 or 3 tickets the entire 100 tickets will be gone. By selling all 100 tickets, we’ll earn $1,200. I’m keeping a list, by ticket number, of who has picked up tickets to sell. I’ll bring the tickets with me to our next meetings until they are gone. If you know you can sell tickets but can’t be at next week’s meeting, let me know and I’ll set aside whatever number you want/need to sell. All sold ticket stubs and unsold tickets must be returned to the SWIS District before August 28.

Upcoming events needing helpers:

***Gyro Stand.*** Teshona Bennett and Duane Dickens have started organizing the Gyro Stand for next month. We’ll need someone with a truck-type vehicle and trailer hitch to volunteer to bring the trailer from Jim McLernon’s place to Whitewater for cleaning and setup the week before the event. We’ll also need helpers to deliver product each day to the stand from where ever we store the items once purchased. Teshona has created a signup spreadsheet using Google. Once I can get it moved into the club’s Google drive account, I’ll email everyone the link so we can begin signing up for work shifts.

***Jefferson County Fair Ticket selling/taking.*** I’ll help Lou Zahn organize the ticket sellers for the Jefferson County Fair.  If you can’t help with the Gyro Stand, perhaps this is the event you can help with. The Club receives payment from the Jefferson County Fair for each hour that we have a club member working at the various gates. One day of work with all of the shifts filled can really help the club budget. I’ve created a simple Google spreadsheet with the worker times/location/number needed. Once I clean it up a little, I’ll send the link out to everyone.

Our club email account is: whitewater.optimist.club@gmail.com

Don’t be surprised if you receive an email message with a link to a Google Calendar with the Club’s name. I’m creating a calendar for member use with upcoming events, speakers, project/event kickoff dates, etc.

Dates for upcoming club meetings and events:

• Tuesday, June 7, Regular club meeting, 12 Noon, UC 261.
• Tuesday, June 14, Executive Board meeting.
• Tuesday, June 21, No meeting due to UW-W “Plan-it Purple” use of entire University Center for the day.
• Tuesday, June 28, Regular club evening meeting, 5:00 PM, Jessica’s Restaurant. Speaker needed.
• Friday-Monday, July 1-4, 2016, Gyro Stand at Whitewater 4th of July Celebration.
• Tuesday, July 5, NO MEETING!
• Wednesday, July 6, Jefferson County Fair ticket selling/taking.
• Tuesday, July 12, Executive Board meeting, 12 Noon.
• Tuesday, July 19, Regular club meeting. Speaker needed.
• Tuesday, July 26, Regular club evening meeting, 5:00 PM, Jessica’s Restaurant. Speaker needed.

That’s all for tonight.

Share the Optimism,

Dave Halbach

UW-Whitewater/Community Optimist Club

whitewater.optimist.club@gmail.com

920-650-6089 or 262-472-5749

Greetings Optimists,

** You can relax, there is/was NO meeting this week!**

Hope everyone had an enjoyable Memorial Day and/or Memorial Day weekend.

The next event is the Fishing Derby on Saturday, June 4. Al Hutchinson has volunteered to chair/organize the event. We’ll need 6-8 helpers for this coming Saturday morning, and maybe even grill masters for a simple hotdog cookout for the kids who show up.

!!! A Call for 2016-17 Club Officers. It’s time to create the slate of officers for 2016-17. I have received word from two club members they would be willing/able to be on the board as an officer or general board member next year, depending upon what time of day the monthly board meetings are held. I also want to let everyone know that I WILL continue on the board as past-president and will be more than willing to assist with weekly emails, web site updates and Facebook postings.  So…what would YOU like to do next year to contribute? Perhaps one that you’ve not held  in the past? Please begin volunteering to be an officer for 2016-17. Contact me or Kim Adams if you’re willing to be an officer for next year. “Many hands make light work.”!!!

Had a nice turnout last week for the Tuesday evening meeting at Jessica’s. We heard from Amy Edmonds, UW-W Athletic Director, about the success of the various athletic programs so far this year and about the upcoming changes at the baseball stadium and football stadium.

NFL “FUND CRAZR” RAFFLE TICKETS HAVE ARRIVED!! You can still pick up tickets for selling. We have sold (or are still selling) over 50 of the 100 tickets we received. If all club members sell 2 or 3 tickets the entire 100 tickets will be gone. By selling all 100 tickets, we’ll earn $1,200. I’m keeping a list, by ticket number, of who has picked up tickets to sell. I’ll bring the tickets with me to our next meetings until they are gone. If you know you can sell tickets but can’t be at next week’s meeting, let me know and I’ll set aside whatever number you want/need to sell. All sold ticket stubs and unsold tickets must be returned to the SWIS District before August 28.

Upcoming events needing helpers:

Gyro Stand. Teshona Bennett and Duane Dickens have indicated they’ll help organize the Gyro Stand again. We’ll need someone with a truck-type vehicle and trailer hitch to volunteer to bring the trailer from Jim McLernon’s place to Whitewater for cleaning and setup the week before the event. We’ll also need helpers to deliver product each day to the stand from where ever we store the items once purchased. Teshona has created a signup spreadsheet using Google. Once I can get it moved into the club’s Google drive account, I’ll email everyone the link so we can begin signing up for work shifts.

Jefferson County Fair Ticket selling/taking. I’ll help Lou Zahn organize the ticket sellers for the Jefferson County Fair. I’ve created a simple Google spreadsheet with the worker times/location/number needed. Once I clean it up a little, I’ll send the link out to everyone.

Dates for upcoming club meetings and events:

• Tuesday, May 31 (5th Tuesday of the month). No meeting this day/week.
• Saturday, June 4, Fishing Derby, Cravath Lakefront Park, 8am-12 pm
• Tuesday, June 7, Regular club meeting, 12 Noon. Speaker needed.
• Tuesday, June 14, Executive Board meeting.
• Tuesday, June 21, No meeting due to UW-W “Plan-it Purple” use of entire University Center for the day.
• Tuesday, June 28, Regular club evening meeting, 5:00 PM, Jessica’s Restaurant. Speaker needed.
• Friday-Monday, July 1-4, 2016, Gyro Stand at Whitewater 4th of July Celebration.
• Tuesday, July 5, NO MEETING!
• Wednesday, July 6, Jefferson County Fair ticket selling/taking.
• Tuesday, July 12, Executive Board meeting, 12 Noon.
• Tuesday, July 19, Regular club meeting. Speaker needed.
• Tuesday, July 26, Regular club evening meeting, 5:00 PM, Jessica’s Restaurant. Speaker needed.

That’s all for tonight.

Share the Optimism,

Dave Halbach

UW-Whitewater/Community Optimist Club

whitewater.optimist.club@gmail.com

920-650-6089 or 262-472-5749

Greetings Optimists,

**This week’s meeting will be tomorrow, Tuesday, May 24, at 5:00 PM at Jessica’s Restaurant.   Our speaker will be Amy Edmonds, UW-W Athletic Director. Hope to see many of you there.**

A Call for 2016-17 Club Officers. It’s time to create the slate of officers for 2016-17. I have received word from two club members they would be willing/able to be on the board as an officer or general board member next year, depending upon what time of day the monthly board meetings are held. I also want to let everyone know that I WILL continue on the board as past-president and will be more than willing to assist with weekly emails, web site updates and Facebook postings.  So…what would YOU like to do next year to contribute? Perhaps one that you’ve not held  in the past? Please begin volunteering to be an officer for 2016-17. Contact me or Kim Adams if you’re willing to be an officer for next year. “Many hands make light work.”

We ended up with 47 applications and payments for the Rummage Sale this past weekend! Thanks to Jan Olson, Rick & Jeanine Fassl, Michele Filip, Josh Tepps, Hans Hahn and Carla Cheek for working on this project!

NFL “FUND CRAZR” RAFFLE TICKETS HAVE ARRIVED!! Twenty more tickets were picked up last week by club members for selling. If all club members sell 2 or 3 tickets the entire 100 tickets will be gone. By selling all 100 tickets, we’ll earn $1,200. I’m keeping a list, by ticket number, of who has picked up tickets to sell. I’ll bring the tickets with me to tomorrow night’s meeting. If you know you can sell tickets but can’t be at tomorrow’s meeting, let me know and I’ll set aside whatever number you want/need to sell. All sold ticket stubs and unsold tickets must be returned to the SWIS District before August 28.

Upcoming events needing helpers:

The next event is the Fishing Derby on Saturday, June 4. Al Hutchinson has volunteered to chair/organize the event. We’ll need press releases, prizes, 6-8 helpers for that morning, and maybe even grill masters for a simple hotdog cookout for the kids who show up.

Gyro Stand. Teshona Bennett and Duane Dickens have indicated they’ll help organize the Gyro Stand again. We’ll need someone with a truck-type vehicle and trailer hitch to volunteer to bring the trailer from Jim McLernon’s place to Whitewater for cleaning and setup the week before the event. We’ll also need helpers to deliver product each day to the stand from where ever we store the items once purchased.

Jefferson County Fair Ticket selling/taking. I’ll help Lou Zahn organize the ticket sellers for the Jefferson County Fair.

Our new club email account is: whitewater.optimist.club@gmail.com.

Don’t be surprised if you receive an email message with a link to a Google Calendar with the Club’s name. I’m creating a calendar for member use with upcoming events, speakers, project/event kickoff dates, etc.

Dates for upcoming club meetings and events include:

• Tuesday, May 31 (5^th Tuesday of the month). No meeting this day/week.
• Saturday, June 4, Fishing Derby
• Tuesday, June 7, Regular club meeting, 12 Noon. Speaker needed.
• Tuesday, June 14, Executive Board meeting.
• Tuesday, June 21, Regular club meeting, 12 Noon. Speaker needed.
• Tuesday, June 28, Regular club evening meeting, 5:00 PM, Jessica’s Restaurant. Speaker needed.
• Friday-Monday, July 1-4, 2016, Gyro Stand at Whitewater 4^th of July Celebration.
• Tuesday, July 5, NO MEETING!
• Wednesday, July 6, Jefferson County Fair ticket selling/taking.
• Tuesday, July 12, Executive Board meeting, 12 Noon.
• Tuesday, July 19, Regular club meeting. Speaker needed.
• Tuesday, July 26, Regular club evening meeting, 5:00 PM, Jessica’s Restaurant. Speaker needed.

That’s all for tonight.

Share the Optimism,

Dave Halbach

UW-Whitewater/Community Optimist Club

whitewater.optimist.club@gmail.com

920-650-6089 or 262-472-5749

Greetings Optimists,

I was mowing my yard this past Saturday around Noon. Wearing gloves while mowing was depressing enough, but then I saw a few snowflakes and that made it worse. Today feels much better outside!

This week’s meeting will be tomorrow, Tuesday, May 17, at 12 Noon in UC 259.  This is a Youth of the Month meeting with catering. Our speaker will be Dr. Glenn Hayes. Hope to see many of you there.

A Call for 2016-17 Club Officers. It’s time to create the slate of officers for 2016-17. I have received word from two club members they would be willing/able to be on the board as an officer or general board member next year, depending upon what time of day the monthly board meetings are held. I also want to let everyone know that I WILL continue on the board as past-president and will be more than willing to assist with weekly emails, web site updates and Facebook postings.  So…what would YOU like to do next year to contribute? Perhaps one that you’ve not held  in the past? Please begin volunteering to be an officer for 2016-17. Contact me or Kim Adams if you’re willing to be an officer for next year. “Many hands make light work.”

We have received 23 applications and payments for the Rummage Sale through the online signup form! Jan Olson is keeping track of the paper applications for the rummage sale. Yard signs are being picked up or delivered this week. Jan is working on combining the online signups with the paper signups for a final list. She, actually her son, is also working on possibly having a printable Google map of all the locations.

NFL “FUND CRAZR” RAFFLE TICKETS HAVE ARRIVED!! I received the pack of 100 tickets this past Tuesday and have already sold 6. If/when we sell all 100 tickets, we’ll earn $1,200. All sold ticket stubs and unsold tickets must be returned to the SWIS District before August 28.

Other upcoming events to beginning planning for:

After the City-wide Rummage Sale, the next event is the Fishing Derby on Saturday, June 4. Al Hutchinson has volunteered to chair/organize the event. Attached is a signup sheet for this event. We’ll need press releases, prizes, 6-8 helpers for that morning, and maybe even grill masters for a simple hotdog cookout for the kids who show up.

Gyro Stand. Teshona Bennett has indicated she’ll help organize the Gyro Stand again. We’ll need someone with a truck-type vehicle and trailer hitch to volunteer to bring the trailer from Jim McLernon’s place to Whitewater for cleaning and setup the week before the event.

Jefferson County Fair Ticket selling/taking. I’ll help Lou Zahn organize the ticket sellers for the Jefferson County Fair.

Our new club email account is: whitewater.optimist.club@gmail.com.

Dates for upcoming club meetings and events include:

• Tuesday, May 17, Regular club meeting. Youth of Month presentation. Our speaker will be Dr. Glenn Hayes, Director of the Warhawk Marching Band and UW-W Symphonic Wind Ensemble .
• Saturday, May 21, City-wide rummage sale.
• Tuesday, May 24, Regular club evening meeting, 5pm, Jessica’s Restaurant. Amy Edmonds, UW-W Athletic Director.
• Tuesday, May 31 (5^th Tuesday of the month). No meeting this day/week.
• Saturday, June 4, Fishing Derby
• Friday-Monday, July 1-4, 2016, Gyro Stand at Whitewater 4^th of July Celebration.
• Wednesday, July 6, Jefferson County Fair ticket selling/taking.
• Tuesday, July 12, Executive Board meeting, 12 Noon.
• Tuesday, July 19, Regular club meeting.

That’s all for tonight.

Share the Optimism,

Dave Halbach

UW-Whitewater/Community Optimist Club

whitewater.optimist.club@gmail.com

920-650-6089 or 262-472-5749