May 2002 Newsletter

Lots has been happening in "your" club this spring!! We had great weather for Special Olympics last month and lots of youth volunteers helping. Thanks everyone for helping out, this has always been one of my favorite youth projects we do as Optimists.

We will be getting an Optimist plaque to hang at Best Western Regency soon, sharing our club name and meeting time may encourage some new membership! Remember to invite friends, business associates etc. to come to an optimist meeting to find out what we do for our youth in our community. Signs are also in progress for the highway into town!!

The scholarship committee has been working behind the scenes to give out 4 scholarships to deserving students attending MCC. Watch for more information on this coming up. Thanks to Jim Buresh and Bob Wenner on the scholarship committee.

Coming up soon will be Respect for Law and Youth Appreciation. Oh, and it is "golf season", get ready for lunch out in the sunshine during the golf tournament on June 13th, it is great fun to watch talented youth who know how to hit the ball!!

See Cyndi's listing of upcoming programs here in the newsletter (Thanks program committee!) and Mark your calendars as some meeting dates are not Thursdays, please remember to attend these special events even when they are on a different day!!

Give yourselves a pat on the back, together as an optimist club you are making a positive impact on our local area youth!!

Schedule of Events

Board Meeting

June 5 – Wednesday, Board meeting, 6:30am,

Country Kitchen

Programs

May 2 – Leona Huffaker, Mediacom

May 9 – Darla Rowley, “Relay for Life”

May 16 – “Respect for Law”

May 23 – “Youth Appreciation”

May 30 – Deb Christenson, “Mosquito Control”

Other Events

May 6 – MHS – Basket of Gold Apples, Evening Optimist

Projects

May 4 – Sat. 10a.m. Zone Oratorical, Knoxville

May 18 – Sat. District Oratorical contest, after lunch, at the Sheraton Four Points in Des Moines

June 13 – Thu. Golf Tournament / lunch at the Country Club

July 4 – Tractor Pull

July 10 – Wed. meeting, PUSH bicycle riders

Zone Schedule

July 30 – Saturday, Zone 8 meeting, Marshalltown

District Schedule

May 17/18 – Fri/Sat. 3^rd Qtr mtg, Sheraton Four Points, DM

July 7-10 – International Convention, Indianapolis, Indiana

Aug. 8-11 – Iowa District Convention, Dubuque Iowa

5/6 – Floyd Harthun and Julie Shreve
5/15 – Jeff Moorman
5/12 – Mark Rohde
5/26 – Mary Langbehn

The “Golden Apple Awards”, for local educators, is Tuesday May 7 in the evening at the MHS cafeteria. Tickets are $10.00 adults and $5.00 Kids. The adult menu is chicken breast, and the kid’s menu is hamburgers. All of the Evening club members have tickets or you may purchase tickets from Steve Ford (two4ds@mchsi.com). The "Golden Apple Award" is sponsored locally by the Evening Optimist Club.

Zone 8 winners were Megan McNeill and Ryan DeZwarte, from other Optimist club(s). The Regional Oratorical contest will be Saturday, May 4, 2002, 10:00 a.m., at the Sprint Car Museum in Knoxville. The District contest will be May 18, 2002, after lunch at the District Conference, Four Points Sheraton, Des Moines. Linda Moore, Zone 8 Lt. Governor, “hopes to see someone from each club at both of these contests, even though it gets difficult as spring and golf season, etc. emerge.”

What a Great Day for Special Olympics Saturday, April 13th. Thanks to Anne and Theresa for all their organizational skills, we had great food too, Dawn. Thanks to everyone who gave up their time on a beautiful Saturday to help out. It was really wonderful to see the excitement in the faces of the participants as they competed and received their ribbons. Isn't it great to see the difference we make in someone's day by being Optimists. Thanks everyone, give yourself a big pat on the back - Mary Langbehn.

MOBI money was presented to, Anson Middle School for $1,290 accepted by Dan Terrones, Associate Principal; to Miller Middle School for $1,290 accepted by Lee Vial, Associate Principal, and Marshalltown High School for $645 accepted by Tim Bell, Athletic Director. Also, Lee Vial was presented a special plaque. The plaque read, Mr. Lee Vial, Friend of Youth, Friend of Optimist, Marshalltown Optimist Club, April 2002. Lee is retiring as Associate Principal at Miller School and the plaque was presented in appreciation of his assistance in 17 years of MOBI.

We regret to inform you that following members have moved or resigned, Jack Jewell, John Mathis (Moving), Gregg Davison, Ted Long (Moving), Bill Mauzy (Moving), and Karl Vircks. We will miss all these great Optimists!!

Thank you to the nominating committee for your hard work and thank you to all the new board members starting their term under the presidency of Ken Walton in October. You'll want to be at the installation banquet in September!! We will need a new board member with Anne taking on the Vice Presidency. Please contact Sean Ervin if you'd like to serve your club in that capacity. – Mary Langbehn

Everyone, at the Optimist Presidential visit last Saturday, Iowa District Optimist Governor Judy Boyd asked all clubs to help the Food Bank of Iowa. While many cities and counties in Iowa have food banks, there are 44 counties that do not. In these counties the Food Bank of Iowa distributes items through 265 local agencies to shelters, centers for low-income senior citizens, programs helping disabled people, infants and children's daycare and residential centers. The items that are most needed are, Canned Tuna, Canned Soups, Boxed meals, like Tuna Helper, Hamburger Helper, and Macaroni and Cheese, Personal health and hygiene items, like deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and shampoo, Non-perishable food items, like rice, pasta, instant potatoes, etc., Toilet paper - This is the #1 most needed item, because you can't buy it with food stamps. I told Governor Judy I would challenge our club to fill my Suburban with these supplies. Leroy Morford has set a goal of ten items per member for the evening club. We can do better. Please bring these items to the noon meetings or to my home. I will get them to the 3rd Qtr District Conference on May 18th. Judy will have a special truck to collect them and some PR coverage for the Optimists.