UW-Whitewater/Community Optimist Club

Dear Optimists,

Please join Vice President Jeanine Fassl at our club meeting tomorrow as we host Youth of the Month (rescheduled from last week) and guest speakers Joe Lynch and Officer Valadez, who will speak about school safety.

Next week is a big meeting as we will host a NOW meeting with style!! Please confirm with Jeanine your attendance and number of guests for the NOW meeting. This will be very important for catering purposes. Remember that the meeting is in UC 261, too!

Trivia Night is just around the corner, too (Feb. 21). We are in need of helpers and teams. Please spread the word about the event, and if you can help out, we would gladly take the assistance. See the attached sign up sheet. Jeanine will also have a hard copy at the meeting.

Board members, please note that our next meeting is Feb. 11 at 5:30pm in UC 262.

Other announcements will follow at the club meeting.

Always in Optimism,

Kim 🙂

Hello Optimists,

Though the deep freeze continues, I hope some of you will be able to join us for our January 28 meeting. Coach Lance Leipold and two of his football players will be our guest speakers. They will be sharing stories, successes, and challenges from their National Championship season. If you are able to brave the elements, please join us. Please also send an RSVP to me to indicate if you are able to attend our meeting.

We will not be having Youth of the Month tomorrow because of the school closings.

Please note the information I sent out previously regarding Trivia Night on Feb. 21. I invite you help spread the word about the event, and to feel free to form a team. Also, we are still looking for more helpers from 6:30pm – 10:00pm that evening. Please let me know if you are able to help out for even a portion of the evening.

Finally, Jeanine also continues to ask for members’ help in spreading the word about our NOW meeting on Feb. 11. PLEASE consider bring a guest to this meeting. We will have a fun and informative meeting. It is important to have a good number of guests at this meeting in order to reach our full potential through the program.

Thanks–and think warm thoughts!

In Optimism,

Kim 🙂

Warm Greetings, Optimists,

What a nice surprise to see 40 degrees today!

Here are this week’s updates:

Our meeting tomorrow will be held in the Old Main Ballroom, UC 275A. Thank you to Jeanine who will once again facilitate the meeting since I will be in LEAP workshops all day tomorrow and Wednesday.

Our guest speaker will be Denise Kaminski on her family travels in Europe. Next week, we will hear from two guest speakers on the preparations for WellFest in March.

We have a new and exciting fund raiser coming up on Friday, Feb. 21 in the Hamilton Room at 7:00pm. This will be a Trivia Night–fun for the whole family. Light refreshments and childcare will be provided at the event. A silent auction will also accompany the Trivia Night. This event will be a collaborative effort with the UW-W Student Optimist Club–and a fair to good amount of planning has already taken place. Funds raised from the event will help support the shipping of an ambulance to Burkina Faso, Africa, as well as to support the Whitewater Unified School District Family Emergency Fund. A sign up sheet will be circulated at the meeting and then also sent out via email.

Denise is seeking helpers to sell quilt raffle tickets at upcoming UW-W home basketball games. If you are available/interested to assist in this way, we would greatly appreciate it. All proceeds from the quilt raffle will be donated to the Whitewater Food Pantry. The quilt will be raffled off at the Trivia Night on February 21.

Board members, we will have a meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 15 in UC 260. I know a couple of you can’t make it, but hopefully you can still give input outside of the meeting.

There are a couple of blood drives that are coming up that Jeanine will further discuss with members. They are scheduled for Jan. 24 (Armory) and Jan. 31 (Esker). There is quite a shortage of blood right now, so if you are able to donate, please consider doing so.

Thanks for reading and keep smiling,

Kim 🙂

All–

Two things:

I meant to say no meeting on Dec. 31, and I forgot to say “Go Warhawks!”  Let’s get another national championship!!

Thanks,

Kim 🙂

Happy Ho, Ho, Ho to You, Optimists!

Our Optimist semester is winding down–but we still have some holiday service to provide.  Here are a few items to note:

*  Collection of toys for kids is today and the wrapping is at the Old Armory (beginning around 5pm).  Please contact Al Hutchison if you can help or if you have any questions.

*  The Mitten Tree presentation will take place at our club meeting tomorrow.  Please bring any contributions of mittens, gloves, hats and scarves at our meeting.  Anne Fellows has lined up school officials to receive the items.

Jeanine will be facilitating our meeting.

*  Denise will be distributing quilt raffle tickets to members who are willing to help sell them.  We have made $124 on the raffle so far (from Breakfast with Santa).  All proceeds will be contributed to the Whitewater Food Pantry. The drawing will take place on February 21 at a Trivia Night sponsored by our club and the Student Optimist Club.  This event has recently been approved by our board and could be a very large fund raiser for us, as well as a fun event to help host in the middle of winter.  Our portion of the monies raised will be donated to the Whitewater Emergency Fund.  The Student Optimists have a good start to the planning, but other assistance will be needed from our members.  More information to come soon.

*  Therese is offering an opportunity to our club to take tickets at two more events in late February and early March for the WIAC track and field and gymnastics championships.  As Therese says, at least we would be inside and warm in helping with these events.  She will have more information at the meeting tomorrow.  She may also have an update on the Academic Decathlon.

*  Please remember that we will not have club meetings on Dec. 24 and Dec. 30.  We will reconvene on Jan. 7.

Thanks, All–and have a happy and safe holiday season!

Kim 🙂

Did you know you can now see when the Club has their meetings on your smartphone. Get the free iOS app Strive from the Apple store at https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gostrive/id630833679?mt=8.  The Android version is available from play.google.com. at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.strive.gostrive. Check out all the things you can do with Strive!!

December Greetings, Optimists,

It is the week for preparing for Breakfast with Santa.  We will be stuffing goodie bags at the club meeting today, and decorating at Esker will begin at 12:00pm on Friday.  Our festive event will run from 8:00am – 11:00am on Saturday.

Our Warhawk Football Team continues to have success, so we will indeed need those football ticket takers who signed up for this Saturday, as well.  Kickoff against Linfield will be at 12:00pm.

On Monday, December 9, we will have an Optimist Holiday Social at the Lakefront Pub (in the Whitewater Room), from 5:30pm-7:00om.  We will order off the menu for dinner.  Jeanine and I hope to see several folks there.  Feel free to bring friends and family members.

Dec 10 will feature our “Gifts with a Meaning,” so if you wish, please bring a toy, book or stuffed animal that represents you and one of your interests/hobbies.  For new members, please bring it unwrapped.

Dec. 16 will include our annual wrapping of the gifts for kids in our community.  Please come out to the Armory if you have an hour or two to spare.

Please bring mittens, gloves, hats, and/or scarves to our meeting on Dec. 17 as these items with be presented to school officials for our local children.

Thanks for all the ways you contribute to our December activities.

Kim 🙂

Happy Thanksgiving Week, Optimists!

I am thankful for all of you and the common purpose we have of serving the youth and our community.

I hope to see some of you at our meeting tomorrow.  Kevin Brunner and Brienne Brown, from the Whitewater Community Foundation, will be our guest speakers.

Football ticket taking will continue for our group as our UW-Whitewater Warhawks claimed a victory over St. Norberts on Saturday. We will be hosting Franklin College (of Indiana) this Saturday for a 12:00pm kickoff.  Hopefully the weather will be a touch nicer!!

On Tuesday, Dec. 3 during our 12:00pm meeting, we will be stuffing goodie bags for Breakfast with Santa.  Santa, Mrs. Claus, Frosty and all of their helpers will be on hand on Saturday, Dec. 7 at Esker Hall for the big event.  Breakfast will be served from 8:00am – 11:00am.  Tickets are $1.00 for children and $4.00 for adults.  Many tickets will be available through the Whitewater Food Pantry.

On Monday, December 9, we will have an Optimist Holiday Social at the Lakefront Pub (in the Whitewater Room), from 5:30pm-7:00om.  We will order off the menu for dinner.  Jeanine and I hope to see several folks there.  Feel free to bring friends and family members.

Dec 10 will feature our “Gifts with a Meaning,” so if you wish, please bring a toy, book or stuffed animal that represents you and one of your interests/hobbies.  For new members, please bring it unwrapped.

Speaking of new members, please continue to invite  friends, colleagues, neighbors, etc to our meetings.  It would be great to add some new faces and willing hands to our club’s membership roster.  The board regrettably needed to vote on three resignations from our club at our meeting on Nov. 18.

Lastly–mittens, gloves, scarves and hats are needed for the children in our community.  Anne Fellows will be arranging for school officials to come to our club meeting on Dec. 17 for our annual mitten tree presentation.  Please bring any contributions of these types no later than the 17th.  A tree will be set up outside of our meeting room for the presentation.  Several other trees will be set up throughout the community.

With gratitude,

Kim 🙂