UW-Whitewater/Community Optimist Club

Happy Spring, Optimists,

What a beautiful day!

Here are a few quick updates:

1) We have a noon meeting this Tuesday in UC 259A. It will be a catered meal. Courtney Nelson (from Downtown Whitewater) will be our guest speaker.

2) We are needing to put together a slate of officers for 2017-18. Thank you to Cort, Susan and Joyce for saying yes to joining/continuing as board members for the new Optimist year. We are still in need for volunteers for several other positions, including that of president/co-president. Please contact Kim or Angie if you would be willing to serve on the Board.

3) Congratulations and welcome to Lori Heidenreich for being our newest member! We look forward to seeing Lori at a meeting in the near future. We are hoping to induct Lori and Robin Fox on Tuesday, May 2.

4) This past Tuesday, the Board voted to donate $250 to the Campus Memory Garden in memory of all deceased members of the UW-Whitewater/Community Optimist Club. More info to come in the neat future.

5) This is a reminder that our Club is not sponsoring the City-wide rummage sale this year. This has been communicated to the Chamber and to Jim Stewart.

6) The Board also voted not to be involving other youth groups to help staff the 4th of July Gyro Stand. Rather, we will staff the booth more efficiently and will count on our members, as well as the Octagon members and UW-W Student Optimists to assist with the fundraiser. Dave Halbach will be following up with other event helpers, starting a sign up sheet, and contacting the 4th of July Committee to confirm our participation.

7) Last Monday, we delivered over 100 birthday items to the Whitewater Food Pantry. This included 67 completely wrapped and stuffed shoe boxes. Thank you to those who donated time and product to this service project. The workers at the Food Pantry were very grateful to receive the donations.

8) We will be holding 4 landscaping work sessions at Lakeview Elementary on Tuesday, April 25; Thursday, April 27; as well as Tuesday, May 2 and Thursday May 4 (all from 4pm – 8pm). If you would like to help out, please contact Kim or Angie. We will need all of the helping hand we can get for this project. Some of the money from Trivia Night will be used for this project.

9) Next Wednesday, April 26, our Club meeting will be held at 5pm at Jessica’s. Our interns (Anne and Kayla) will be our guest speakers. Please plan on joining us!

10) Speaking of our Optimist Interns, we sill be interviewing several candidates for summer and fall positions (in the coming weeks).

That’s it for now. Enjoy your week–and “Just Keep Smiling!”

Kim and Angie 🙂

Happy Sunday, Optimists,

Thank you to all Club members, Student Optimists, Kayla (our intern), and other community volunteers who helped to facilitate our Annual Optimist Easter Egg Hunt yesterday at the Middle School. A special thank you to Connie Murray for chairing the event and to her stepson for serving as our Easter Bunny. We had beautiful weather, a record turn out, and three news photographers there to cover the event. Watch for a story on the Whitewater Banner and in local papers. In the meantime, enjoy the group photo I have attached.

We do not have a Club meeting this week. Rather, we have a Board Meeting on Tuesday, April 11 at 12pm in UC 268. I will send an agenda by tomorrow evening. Please let me know if you can not participate (in person or via phone). Right now, I know of only one member who can not be there.

Angie and I are starting to work on the slate of officers for next year. Thank you to those who have said YES so far and to those who are considering a position on the Board!

In addition, thank you to those who contributed to the Birthday Box Project for the Whitewater Food Pantry. If anyone is interested in helping to stuff and label the boxes, we will be working with the Service Learning and Leadership students tomorrow from 8:30am – 10:00am in UC 259A&B. Many hands make light work–so please know we would gladly take any member’s assistance.

Another volunteer opportunity for Community Optimists, Student Optimists and Service Learning students will be to help with landscaping work sessions at Lakeview Elementary on April 25 and April 27, May 2 and May 4 from 4pm to 8pm. More information to come soon. In the meantime, feel free to contact Angie or me if you are interested in helping.

Our meeting schedule for the next few weeks is as follows:
Tuesday, April 11–Board Meeting, UC 268
Tuesday, April 18–Cub Meeting, 12pm, UC 259A (Guest Speaker: Courtney Nelson, Discover Whitewater; Youth of the Month)
Wednesday, April 25–Club Meeting, 5pm, Jessica’s Restaurant (Guest Speakers: Anne and Kayla on their work as Optimist Interns)
Tuesday, May 2–Club Meeting, 12pm, UC 259A (Induction of New Members; Guest Speaker TBD)

Angie and I will share key points from our Board meeting within the next week. There are a few important decisions that the Board will need to make this week.

Lastly, please note that our Club is the featured business for the Whitewater Chamber this week. Check out the Chamber’s web site for more details! They promoted our Easter Egg Hunt and offered to feature several Club photos.

Thank you for your commitment to being Optimists, and as always–“Just keep smiling!”

Kim and Angie 🙂

Good Evening Optimists,

Here are some very brief updates:

We do not have a Club meeting this week.  The Board will meet this Wednesday (Feb. 15) from 5-6pm at Jessica’s.  Please let me know if you can not be there.  We have a couple of important items to discuss, including the requests for the City-Wide Rummage Sale and a proposal for help with the Gyro Stand.

Here are our speakers for upcoming meetings:

February 21–Brenda O’Beirne, Counselor Ed Dept. Award

February 28–Jeremy Lade & Christina Schwab, Wheelchair Basketball

March 7–Jan Bilgen, Campus Memory Garden

The Club clothing order is in.  Thank you to Jenny for organizing it so quickly.  Please make sure you get your money to Jenny or me.  Right now, I have the running list.

Lastly, it looks like we are going to have a beautiful day for the 4th Annual Optimist Trivia Night this Friday.  Thank you to all who are contributing to the efforts.  We are very pleased to have 30 teams signed up for the event.  If you are willing to help set up for the event or to volunteer a few hours during the evening, it’s not too late to sign up.  Please contact Lanora or me.

Thanks so much–ad see many of you soon,

Just Keep Smiling!

Kim and Angie 🙂

Greetings, Optimists,

Here are a few updates for this week:

1)  Our noon meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 1 will feature guest speaker Matt Amundson.  Back by popular demand, this will  be our first of ongoing catered meetings (on Tuesdays).  Just as a reminder, we need to strive to have 15 members in attendance and paying the $7.00 for lunch in order to cover our costs.  Also, please note that we will be voting on our Club budget on Tuesday.  This was emailed last week.

2) Our Warhawk Football team is on a great run.  Frank will be emailing regarding post season ticket taking sometime soon.

3)  Thank you to those who were able to attend the Halloween Fellowship Party last Tuesday.  We were happy to present a $400 check to Mariann Scott from the Whitewater Food Pantry.  The money presented was from the remaining Trivia Night (2016) proceeds.

4)  Please note that Ken and Kate have sent out dues letter–indicating that all dues are due by Dec. 1.

5)  Our next board meeting will by on Monday, Nov. 7 at noon in UC 262.  We will not have a club meeting on Nov. 8.

6)  Kate has encouraged me to share that a student organization (C.H.I.P.​–Communicating Health In Practice) she advises is collecting new or gently used socks for a local shelter.  If you are interested in donating socks, please contact Kate or bring them to the Youth Appreciation Luncheon on Nov. 15 in UC 259A&B.  Also, please let Dave know if you are able to help chaperone the movie on Nov. 12 at 11am or let Therese know if you can assist with the bowling event on Nov. 16 from 4 – 6pm.

7)  Keep an eye out for the Breakfast with Santa sign up list.  Lanora will be organizing the list and emailing folks to sign up in the near future.  We will decorate on Dec. 2, and the event  will be held on Dec. 3.  Last week, I was able to reserve Esker Hall (and the Whitewater Room) for the Breakfast.

8)  We are celebrating a great first month of the new Optimist year as we have added six new members to our club.  We encourage you to keep inviting guests to our meetings and programs.

That’s it for this week.  Happy Halloween–and “just keep smiling!”

Thanks,

Kim and Angie 🙂

Happy October, Optimists,

Angie and I want to kick off our Week 1 email with a sincere thanks to Dave Haibach for two great years of serving as Club President!

We also echo Dave’s thank you to Rick and Jeanine Fassl for hosting our Installation Celebration this past Monday.  It was a fun evening and a great opportunity to connect with one another while enjoying gyros, and a few other treats.  We also extend our welcome to new members Stephanie, Cort and Chloe!

Tuesday, Oct. 4 will our first club meeting of the new year, and we are excited that Dave has lined up Head Football Coach Kevin Bullis as our program speaker.  We can’t wait to hear about the hopes and highlights of the year for the team–and to learn about Kevin’s take on the nail-biting win over UW-Platteville yesterday!  Please bring your own lunch to this meeting.

Thank you to the board members who were able to attend our planning session on Friday, September 30 at Casual Joe’s.  A “Calendar of Events” was started and a draft budget was presented and voted on by the board members.  Ken and Kate will be providing a few more updates to the board, and then we will present the budget to the general membership for their vote on Tuesday, Oct. 18.  Dues letters will also be sent to club members within the next few weeks.  The board voted to maintain our current dues structure.

Our interns have a long list of projects to work on for our club.  Kate and I meet with them every Monday afternoon.  Expect some updates from Rachel and Brandon at a club meeting in the near future.

Angie and I would like to invite all members and families to attend our Optimist Halloween Social on Tuesday, Oct. 25 from 5:30pm – 8:00pm at our home (640 Stonefield Lane, Whitewater).  We had a great time the last two years, and are hoping for a “Spooktacular” time this year.  We will provide the main dish and beverages and ask that those attending bring a dish to pass.

We have included Dave’s email from this past Thursday so that you can review the other good information and dates he shared.  We are still looking for a speaker for Oct. 18, so please let Dave know of any ideas you may have.  He has agreed to coordinate speakers for this new Optimist year.

Thank you to all of you for being an active part of this great organization.

Always with Optimism,

Kim and Angie 🙂

Co-Presidents, 2016-17

UW-Whitewater/Community Optimist Club

“Just Keep Smiling!”

Greetings Optimists,

Remember, NO GENERAL MEMBER MEETING this week!

The Exec Board will have their final 2015-16 meeting tomorrow, Tuesday, September 13, 2016 at 12 Noon in UC 268.

Our next general member meeting will be Tuesday, September 20, 2016. The meeting will feature “Youth of the Month” with catered lunch at $7 for each club member. Speakers will be Mark Elworthy (New School District Administrator) and Nathan Jaeger (Business Manager) regarding the upcoming Whitewater Unified School District referendum.

I’ll be bringing a guest/potential new member to our September 20 meeting. Will anyone else bring a guest? Let me know for catering purposes.

Current events needing helpers:

Warhawk Football Ticket Taking. There are still a few time slots (two?) needing workers. Check the Google spreadsheet, “2016 Football Ticket Taking,” for the last few remaining slots. Hopefully, you can use the link in the spreadsheet title in the previous sentence to edit the spreadsheet and add you name in the appropriate cells. If you have trouble entering your name, let me know and I’ll help.

*** Do you have a topic you would like to present to the club? Do you know someone who could speak to the club? Job related? Travel related? Sports related? Youth related? Let me know if you, or someone you know, would like to present. See the dates below where we need speakers. ***

Dates for upcoming club meetings and events:

• September 13, Exec Board meeting.
• September 20, 12:00pm, speakers will be Mark Elworthy (New School District Administrator) and Nathan Jaeger (Business Manager) re: the upcoming school district referendum.
• September 24, football ticket taking
• September 26; Installation Banquet hosted by Jeanine and Rick Fassl.
• October 4, 12:00pm, speaker will be Kevin Bullis, Warhawk Football coach.
• October 8 & 22; football ticket taking
• October 11, Exec Board meeting.
• October 18, 12:00pm, speaker TBD.
• October 25, 5:00 pm. Speaker TBD.
• November 1, 12:00pm, speaker TBD
• November 5; Football ticket taking
• November 7, Exec Board meeting. (New date to avoid conflict with the Presidential election on November 8)
• November 15, 12:00pm, UC 259, Youth Appreciation Luncheon.
• November 22, 5:00 pm. Speaker TBD.
• November 29, 12 Noon, UC 259A, stuff goody bags for Breakfast with Santa.
• December; Mitten tree, Toys for Kids
• December 3; Breakfast with Santa
• December 6, General member meeting, 12:00pm
• December 13, Executive Board meeting
• December 17, General member meeting, 12:00pm

That’s all for tonight.

Share the Optimism,

Dave Halbach

UW-Whitewater/Community Optimist Club

920-650-6089 or 262-472-5749

Greetings Optimists,

At our Tuesday evening meeting last week, August 23, we discussed:

• Receiving the plaque at the “Golf Fore! Whitewater Kids” on behalf of the club from the Whitewater Unified School District as 2016 “Friend of Whitewater Kids.” Pictures from the event are on the Whitewater Banner web site, about halfway down the page.
• We met our two new UW-W student interns for fall 2016, Rachel Sullivan and Brandon Lindholm.
• Reviewed the discussion from the Exec Board meeting on August 9 regarding plans for the 2016 Installation Banquet.
  • Rick and Jeanine Fassl have offered to host this year’s banquet at their home on Monday, September 26.
  • Rick suggested having gyros as part of the evening’s meal which received MANY positive responses and affirmative head-nods.
  • Social time will begin about 5:30.
  • Dinner will begin about 6:30.
  • The program will end about 8:00pm
  • Watch for more info in the upcoming weeks.
• Reviewed the Trivia Night planning meetings held this summer.

NFL “FUND CRAZR” RAFFLE TICKETS!!  Ticket sales were concluded on Thursday, August 25. In all we sold 192 tickets, returning only 8 unsold tickets. Eighteen club members sold between one and 32 tickets each!! The top sellers were Kim Simes (32 tickets), Dave Halbach (29), Jim McLernon (28), Hans Hahn (16) Duane Dickens (13), Lanora Heim (12), Jan Olson and Kate Ksobiech (10 each).  Thanks to everyone who bought and/or sold one or more tickets. As mentioned many times, the proceeds from this raffle will help our community.

Current events needing helpers:

Warhawk Football Ticket Taking. There are still a few time slots (two?) needing workers. Check the Google spreadsheet, “2016 Football Ticket Taking,” for the last few remaining slots. Hopefully, you can use the link in the spreadsheet title in the previous sentence to edit the spreadsheet and add you name in the appropriate cells. If you have trouble entering your name, let me know and I’ll help.

*** Do you have a topic you would like to present to the club? Do you know someone who could speak to the club? Job related? Travel related? Sports related? Youth related? Let me know if you, or someone you know, would like to present. See the dates below where we need speakers. ***

Dates for upcoming club meetings and events:

• September 3, 10, & 24; football ticket taking
• September 6, NO MEETING!
• September 13, Exec Board meeting.
• September 20, 12:00pm, speakers will be Mark Elworthy (New School District Administrator) and Nathan Jaeger (Business Manager) re: the upcoming school district referendum.
• September 26; Annual Banquet hosted by Jeanine and Rick Fassl.
• October 4, 12:00pm, speaker will be Kevin Bullis, Warhawk Football coach.
• October 8 & 22; football ticket taking
• October 11, Exec Board meeting.
• October 18, 12:00pm, speaker TBD.
• October 25, 5:00 pm. Speaker TBD.
• November 1, 12:00pm, speaker TBD
• November 5; Football ticket taking
• November 7, Exec Board meeting. (New date to avoid conflict with the Presidential election on November 8)
• November 15, 12:00pm, UC 259, Youth Appreciation Luncheon.
• November 22, 5:00 pm. Speaker TBD.
• November 29, 12 Noon, UC 259A, stuff goody bags for Breakfast with Santa.
• December; Mitten tree, Toys for Kids
• December 3; Breakfast with Santa

That’s all for tonight.

Share the Optimism,

Dave Halbach

UW-Whitewater/Community Optimist Club

920-650-6089 or 262-472-5749

Greetings Optimists,

Our meeting this week will be Tuesday evening, August 23, at 5:00pm at Jessica’s Restaurant. Items on the agenda include:

• Sharing the plaque I accepted yesterday at the “Golf Fore! Whitewater Kids” on behalf of the club from the Whitewater Unified School District as 2016 “Friend of Whitewater Kids.”
• Meeting our two new UW-W student interns for fall 2016.
• Collecting the last of the NFL Crazr raffle tickets.
• Selling the last of the NFL Crazr raffle tickets?
• Review the discussion at the Exec Board meeting on August 9 regarding plans for the 2016 Installation Banquet.
• Review the Trivia Night planning meetings held this summer.
• Other topics any of you have for discussion.

The proposed slate of officers and board members for 2016-17, listed below, was voted on by email and/or in-person last week. As announced in last Monday’s email, all voting ended at the Tuesday, August 16 meeting. There were 12 voted cast by club members, 5 by email and 7 in person. All 12 votes that were cast by club members were in favor of the slate of officers!! Therefore, meet your club executive board for 2016-17.

• Co-Presidents: Angie Alesci & Kim Adams
• Vice-President: Lanora Heim
• Secretary: Jan Olson
• Treasurer(s): Kate & Ken Ksobiech
• Immediate Past President: Dave Halbach
• Board Members: Linda Kinson, Susan Hiscox, and Joyce Hutchison.

President Elect for 2017-18: To be determined. (Nominations are open for this position)

Thanks to members above for agreeing to be the leadership team for 2016-17.

Current events needing helpers:

NFL “FUND CRAZR” RAFFLE TICKETS!!  Please return any money for sold tickets, ticket stubs, and any unsold tickets to me ASAP!  All sold ticket stubs, money, and unsold tickets must be returned to the SWIS District before August 28.

Warhawk Football Ticket Taking. There are still a few time slots (two?) needing workers. Check the Google spreadsheet, “2016 Football Ticket Taking,” for the last few remaining slots. Hopefully, you can use the link in the spreadsheet title in the previous sentence to edit the spreadsheet and add you name in the appropriate cells. If you have trouble entering your name, let me know and I’ll help.

*** Do you have a topic you would like to present to the club? Do you know someone who could speak to the club? Job related? Travel related? Sports related? Youth related? Let me know if you, or someone you know, would like to present. See the dates below where we need speakers. ***

>>> Note that our installation banquet will be MONDAY, September 26. <<<

We had a nice gathering of members last Tuesday, August 16 for our noon meeting. Our presenter was Tracy Wilson regarding “Working for Whitewater’s Wellness.” You can learn more at the W3 web site.

There will NOT be a club meeting next Tuesday, August 30.

Dates for upcoming club meetings and events:

• September 3, 10, & 24; football ticket taking
• September 6, NO MEETING!
• September 13, Exec Board meeting.
• September 20, 12:00pm, speakers will be Mark Elworthy (New School District Administrator) and Nathan Jaeger (Business Manager) re: the upcoming referendum.
• September 26; Annual Banquet
• October 4, 12:00pm, speaker will be Kevin Bullis, Warhawk Football coach.
• October 8 & 22; football ticket taking
• October 11, Exec Board meeting.
• October 18, 12:00pm, speaker TBD.
• October 25, 5:00 pm. Speaker TBD.
• October or November; Youth Appreciation Week
• November 1, 12:00pm, speaker TBD
• November 5; Football ticket taking
• November 8, Exec Board meeting.
• November 15, 12:00pm, speaker will be Dr. Greg Cook, re: LEAP initiative at UW-W.
• November 22, 5:00 pm. Speaker TBD.
• December; Mitten tree, Toys for Kids
• December 3; Breakfast with Santa

That’s all for tonight.

Share the Optimism,

Dave Halbach

UW-Whitewater/Community Optimist Club

920-650-6089 or 262-472-5749