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Monday, August 19, 2019

The 2019 PNW District Optimist Convention in brief

Once each year, Optimist Clubs in the Pacific Northwest District come together to celebrate their
achievements and make plans for the future at the District Convention. One of the biggest items on the weekend's to-do list is to elect a Governor-elect.

eddie solorzano governor pnw optimist
We're excited to let you know at the 2019 PNW District Optimist Convention in Victoria, BC, Eddie Solorzano was elected to serve as Governor-elect 2019-2020. He will automatically ascend to Governor on October 1, 2020.

Eddie is a member of the Meridian Optimist Club. He has served as club president and lieutenant governor. Not long after joining ten years ago, he and his spouse Darla began attending district meetings. He commented in his acceptance speech, "I've seen the District in good times and not so good times. I like good times better. I'll work to make the District the best it can be, and with your help, we'll make it happen."

Although growth is the primary function of a district governor, they also play a large role in meeting planning. This year, Governor Ben DeRemer has also taken on a primary role in administration and bureaucracy. The convention business session and board of directors meeting reflected these goals.

Two policy amendments were brought before the assembly and approved. The first aligns voting procedures with Optimist International bylaws and the second established a position on the executive committee called governor-in-training. No one took on that position at the convention although it will be revisited at the first quarter meeting in October.

Delegates also had the special honor of hearing from Optimist International President-elect Mark Weinsoff. Mark led the officers-elect training on Friday and inspired the group on Saturday with his presentations on optimism, reminding us that the first purpose of Optimist International, and the reason Optimist Clubs were first formed, was to develop optimism as a philosophy of life. Among other things, he shared ways to have more optimistic meetings using the Optimist Creed for inspiration. He also introduced the concept of mindfulness by saying, "Optimism can be broken down into three things: gratitude, mindfulness, and hope."

Glenda Standeven, President, Chilliwack Optimist Club, presented the scholarship topics for 2019-2020 and shared some ideas for getting more participation at the club-level program. Her tip was to find a champion at a school and then to nurture, celebrate, encourage them to continue to help the students and club to connect.

Members of the Victoria Optimist Club and Victoria Evening Optimist Club provided hospitality at the registration desk and especially in the hospitality room. They gave wonderful raspberry jam to all attendees and gave a number of auction items to benefit the Canadian Children's Optimist Foundation and the Optimist International Foundation. Thank you, and acting Mayor of Victoria Marianne Alto for welcoming the PNW District to the island community.

While there were fewer attendees at this meeting than any meetings in recent memory, we are hopeful that our positive message will resonate with the incoming officers. We'll be reaching out to make ourselves available for your Optimist Club growth. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out here.

Thank you to the delegates who chose to be with the District for the Convention, and congratulations to our newly elected governor-elect Eddie Solorzano. We also send special a special thank you and sincere appreciation to Mark Weinsoff for sharing his optimism with the PNW District Optimist Clubs this year.




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