Optimist Newsletter April 15

WOW! It feels like Spring is finally here. Trees are starting to bud and the tulips are starting to bloom. I have to admit I really like this time of the year. This also feels like a new beginning for our Optimist club. We can be outside for the Special Olympics and the golf tournament. We can make a renewed commitment to help youth in any way we can. As an Optimist we did commit to just that when we joined.

Take some time to help your club make the youth activities even better then they are now. Come to weekly meetings, bring a guest, help plan the activities, encourage youth, and be a leader that youth will look up to.

We also need leadership for the Optimist club. It can’t steer itself. The club needs you to be a guide. The nominating committee is working to put together a great set of officers and board members for the next year. Be willing to serve as you have been served.

May 1 - Regional Oratorical, 9:30am, Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Urbandale. "Thinking, Working and Expecting the Best"

Meet our new Members

Bianca Greazel (2^nd from right) - Is the Human Resources Assistant at Iowa Valley Community College. She is married to Lance and has a four-month-old boy, Grant. She likes being outdoors, doing sports, and spending time with her family and friends. She’s been active in the community as past director of the Sister Cities Student Exchange, MHS Cheerleader coach, Y Teen club sponsor, to list a few. She is a graduate of the University of Iowa and working on her MED at ISU. Bianca is from Stuart, Florida. She is sponsored by Bill Martin.

Jenny Hansen (2^nd from left) – Is a Personal Banker at F&M bank. She has been there for 9 years. Her hobbies are crafts, fishing and spending time with her family and being outdoors. Her husband is Ben. She has a son, Dane, 2 and a stepson, Derek, 12. She’s been involved in the community by helping out with various committees for Oktemberfest and working with children in sports. She graduated from MCC & Buena Vista University with a BA in Business management. Jenny’s hometown is Grinnell. She is sponsored by Jean Campbell.

Marshalltown Clubs - Held an Oratorical Contest on March 13th, but we had no participants.

Marshalltown Morning honored former Noon member Kileen Rezac at its Citizen of the Year Roast on April 1st. We learned that Kileen means "Little Princess" and that she and Sarah Hesmer are good friends because Sarah can reach things for Kileen. There was a record turnout for the roast.

Marshalltown Evening has its "Golden Apple" Awards Banquet coming soon. This banquet is held annually to recognized educators and staff of public and private schools. The recipients of the awards are chosen by votes by students and staff at the various schools.

The new Grinnell Optimist Club, sponsored by the Marshalltown Noon Club, is almost ready to charter. They had 23 members last week and should have the needed 25 this week. We'll arrange for an Organizational Meeting, at which an OI Area Rep will help them with the necessary paperwork. They'll elect their first set of officers and conduct their first board meeting. A Charter Banquet should be scheduled for some time in May or early June.

Ken & Theresa Walton attended the OI President's Visit in the Amana's on April 3rd. Ken received some awards on behalf of the club. (I'll get you a list.)

OI is asking us to consider contributing "A Dime a Day" to the Optimist International Foundation. Bob Wenner should have more info on this.

The Baghdad Optimist Club chartered last week. The new chapter held its organizational meeting at the former palace of Saddam Hussein, now the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) Headquarters in Baghdad. A group of 28 civilian CPA staff and Iraqi nationals attended. Several Iraqis who attended today’s meeting showed great interest in expanding the new Optimist chapter into downtown Baghdad where such civic institutions are greatly needed. The press release I read was dated April 1st, but this is not a joke. I confirmed the charter by calling Optimist International offices in St. Louis. The club is an associate club. A member of the Virginia Beach Optimist Club, who has been stationed there for close to a year, instigated the club. You can send cards of congratulations for the club to: Ron Holbrook, CPA - StratComm, APO, AE 09316. They have a great meeting place, but I expect they would also accept contributions to their treasury. Can you imagine having a fundraiser in Baghdad right now?

Personal Growth Involvement

January 15, we had a total of 9 members qualify for a new level of the Personal Growth and Involvement program (PGI). Congratulations to Jean Campbell, Jacqueline Deutmeyer, Maureen Devine, Deanna Girling, Shaurice Moorman, Amy Pieper, Masaki Shibata, Theresa Walton, and Mike Wickham for your accomplishment! We will be having another session a

All members are encouraged to review their status on their passport regularly. You are probably already qualified, or nearly so, for the next level. Just ask Pete to sign and check these levels once you are complete and notify me so I can report it to the district. Just keep being the dedicated optimist that you are and you will be "going for the Gold" in no time.

The requirements may be found on the OI Website: //www.optimist.org/Forms/pgi%20passport%20requirements.pdf

We haven’t had an actual guest day this year. You have done a good job of promoting our club and bringing guests, but we need to do something special. We will have a brochure about our club ready to hand out, we will distribute monies from the MOBI tournaments to the schools, and have a short program. That’s a lot to do, but we will plan for the extra people and time to get everyone out on time. The club is growing and there is no reason we can’t have 60 members next month. Let’s push hard for next week. – Pete Peterson

Special Projects

Boys/Girls MOBI

The net profits from 2004 MOBI were almost $7,200. The MOBI committee thanks all Optimists, family members and friends who again helped make this a big success for many kids as well as our club! Per the direction of our Optimist Board, 50 percent of the profits will be split among Anson Middle School (40%), Miller Middle School (40%) and Marshalltown High School (20%). This has been the Board policy for the past several years. The Board is considering options for the remainder of the MOBI profits and would like your input.

The boys MOBI was set back a week in hopes of attracting more teams and avoids scheduling conflicts with other tournaments. - Thanks! Larry D. Park

Megan Walton, daughter of Ken and Theresa Walton, has been accepted into the JET Program. She will spend two years in Japan teaching English. After graduating from the University of Iowa this May, she will receive an orientation in Chicago and then leave July 24^th for Japan. We wish her well!!

** Note** If any member has some exciting news, please forward it to Cyndi Barber, see email address below.

Meet our new Members

Personal Growth Involvement

Special Projects

Boys/Girls MOBI

Member’s Corner