Share optimism with a Facebook post

Governor Dick Disney captured this photo of the Middleton Area Optimist Club during his visit on January 26, 2015. All decked out in their club shirts, they make quite an optimistic impression. The club shared the picture today on Facebook along with a message inviting the community to come to meet them at the next Optimist Club meeting, February 2, 2015, 6:30 p.m. at the Middleton Rural Fire District.

It's important to send out reminders for your members and invitations for the community on a regular basis and Facebook is a great outlet for both. Be inviting and welcoming, and your Optimist Club will grow. As of this writing, the Middleton Area Optimist Club is +6 in membership, so I'd say something is working for them!

Share your optimism with your community by inviting them to join your Optimist Club today.

Post by Middleton Area Optimist Club.

On the Idaho trail with Governor Dick Disney

Governor Dick Disney, President
Tom Crawford, McCall Optimist Club

There are a lot of different tasks that a district governor attends to each year on behalf of their district.

Some are administrative, crossing t's and dotting i's to be sure that every club and every member is accounted for with the international office. Some are planning, making certain that district meetings are informative and enjoyable for all. Some are challenging, empowering district leaders and club officers to make their Optimist Clubs the best service club in the community.

But most of all, the duties of a district governor are fun and heartwarming. Those powerful emotions come from meeting new people across the wide span of the PNW District and learning about the important projects that each Optimist Club performs in their communities.

Governor-elect Mike Gray, Governor
Dick Disney, Caldwell Optimist Club

In order to partake of those fun, heartwarming duties, Governor Dick Disney left his home-base in the West Tacoma, WA Optimist Club on Monday, January 19, 2015 to visit a number of Optimist Clubs in Idaho, Zone 2. His travelogue included:

Tuesday - McCall Optimist Club, President Tom Crawford presiding
Wednesday morning - Meridian Optimist Club, President Trenna Bowman Garcia presiding
Wednesday afternoon - Caldwell Optimist Club, President Doe Schamp presiding
Thursday - Twin Falls Optimist Club, Past President Danae Klimes presiding

Governor Dick Disney, President Lisa
Peterson, Boise Noon Optimist Club

Monday - Middleton Area Optimist Club, President Peter Cabrera presiding

As of this post, he hopes to visit the La Grande, Oregon Optimist Club on his return to Washington.

During the trip, Governor Dick  met hundreds of Optimist Club members and learned of many important club and community activities. While every club has its special flavor, he was especially interested in the club programs
offered by those that follow a traditional meeting model. When clubs invite speakers into their meetings, they learn of community needs and celebrations and can map out a way that the Optimist Club can help or participate. Club speakers also learn of the Optimist Club as they listen to committee reports and calendar updates and the projects of an active club encourages them to join.

Governor Dick Disney, Past President
Danae Klimes, Twin Falls
Optimist Club

For instance, at the Twin Falls Optimist Club meeting, the speaker was there to describe the new Wellness Tree Clinic that had recently opened to benefit those without insurance, especially those that fall in the Idaho Medicaid coverage gap. While Arne Walker waited to make his presentation, he saw one new member be inducted into the club and met four others who had already turned in their application and would be inducted soon. You bet he left with an application in hand, and I bet it's completed and returned next week!

When we share fellowship, we grow. When we share optimism, we grow. When we share our positive thoughts and deeds, we grow.

Because no trip to Twin Falls is
complete without seeing Shoshone
Falls, Past Governor Linda Vaught and
Governor Dick Disney stopped by on
the way out of town. 

Governor Dick will be making plans to visit Oregon, Washington and British Columbia soon. If you would like him to make a trip to your Optimist Club, please send him a message and he'll get you added to his calendar today.

The Jerome Optimist Club kicks off Coats for Kids drive

Rick Matkin, member of the Caldwell Optimist Club and lieutenant governor of Zone 2 - Idaho, visited the Jerome Optimist Club last week. He was there just in time to capture two significant events.

First, President Sheri Mitchell presented the Optimist of the Year award to Marsha Martin. Marsha is a newer member of the club who stepped up immediately to help as the club secretary-treasurer in 2013-2014. Congratulations Marsha!

Second, the Jerome Optimist Club kicked off its Coats for Kids program with a donation from Randy and Lori Steadham. Representing the Snake River Corvettes Club, they brought a number of coats collected by the club. With a winter advisory in effect, they will be put to immediate use. Thanks Lori, Randy and the Corvettes.

HOBY students served by Boise Noon and Caldwell Optimist Clubs

HOBY youth leaders at the College of Idaho, 2014

For many years (I'm not going to guess how many), the Boise Noon Optimist Club has served lunch to the Hugh O'Brian Youth (HOBY) Leaders in Idaho during their week-long leadership camp. About four years ago, the program moved to the College of Idaho campus in Caldwell so the Boise Noon Optimists contacted the Caldwell Optimist Club to get them involved in the fun. On Saturday, June 7, 2014, the Caldwell and Boise Noon Optimist Clubs were there in full force to celebrate the achievements of these outstanding students.

The HOBY program is endorsed by Optimist International. "Founded in 1958, HOBY’s mission is to inspire and develop our global community of youth and volunteers to a life dedicated to leadership, service and innovation," reads the About page on the HOBY website. It's easy to imagine why an Optimist Club would want to influence these young leaders.

Over the years, the HOBY program has grown and developed and now offers multiple leadership development conferences and camps to participants and alumni along with scholarships and community service opportunities. It's another way to empower accomplished students to do even more by becoming peer leaders, mentors and strong community servants.

Find out if your Optimist Club can be involved with a HOBY program in your area at this link. 

Idaho Optimists to gather on March 8

Optimist Club members in the Idaho region heard from Governor Fred Wallace last evening regarding the meeting that will be held at Wahooz on Saturday, March 8, 2014.

Unlike the other regional get-togethers, attendees, please be aware, this one will begin at 10:00 a.m. and end at 3:00 p.m. See the agenda here. 

Wahooz has a number of family-friendly activities for visitors including bowling, go-carts, miniature golf, arcade, laser tag and in the summer months, a water park. While it was imagined that the participants might enjoy some friendly competition with a bowling tournament or the like, according to the agenda and Governor Fred's note, any playtime will be extracurricular. Wahooz has a special 3-hour wristband for attendees for only $15 and the park assures us that attendees and their families can take advantage of this opportunity. You may want to have your family and friends meet you at 3:00 p.m.

Governor Fred wants to emphasize that the agenda has been created to provide information that you need to make your Optimist Club successful including scholarship program participation rules, membership recruitment and retention ideas and website familiarization, among other things. Immediate Past Governor Larry Blackburn will also present awards for accomplishment in the 2012-2013 Optimist administrative year.

Come see the Middleton Area and Twin Falls Optimist Clubs receive Distinguished Optimist Club awards. You'll make friends, share stories and build the enthusiasm to make your Optimist Club even stronger and more engaged that it already is in your community.

Caldwell's Larry Blackburn reaches out as friend of youth

The Idaho Press Tribune recently devoted an article to our very own Immediate Past Governor Larry Blackburn in a feature section that highlights seniors you should know. The article, written by Eryn Shay Johnson, captures Larry's active calendar and passion for serving his community. It also gave a great shout out to Optimist Clubs.

Please click here to read the full article online. 

Please click here to read an archived copy.

Meridian Optimist Club donates to the CCDHH scholarship program

The Meridian Optimist Club announced the results of its iPad drawing today, just in time for Christmas giving or receiving.Andrea Shaul was named the winner. Congratulations Andrea!

But another winner is the PNW District's CCDHH Scholarship program. The Meridian Optimist Club also announced that $700 raised in the drawing was earmarked for this special program, the only contest in Optimist International that supports both deaf and hard of hearing students who sign and those who speak with $2,500 awards.

Thank you Meridian Optimist Club!

Post by Meridian Optimist Club.

Holidays are the busy season for the Meridian Optimist Club

Optimist Clubs are getting ready for the holidays and none more so than the Meridian Optimist Club where members kicked off their annual salute to the season with the long-running food drive on Friday, November 22, 2013.

For thirty-two years, the club has been serving families in need in their community by creating food baskets. Twenty or so years ago (the exact date isn't for sure, they just know it's just been done this way for a long time), the Meridian Optimist Club engaged the school district to help with the food drive and with help from the students, barrels upon barrels are collected and redistributed in the community.

Over the years, food baskets have turned into cartons and crates as hundreds of pounds of canned goods are often given to individual families.

The Meridian Optimist Club supplements the canned food drive with fresh milk, potatoes, bread and a turkey or ham. This year, thirty families received deliveries from the Optimists and the remaining canned goods went straight to the Meridian Food Bank to help others in need.

Next on the Meridian Optimist Club's calendar of events is the annual Christmas Tree lot. Trees will arrive this Saturday, November 30, 2013 and sales will begin that day.

If you live in the Boise Valley, stop by for a fresh tree. You'll find them at the corner of Meridian Road and Overland, just west of Walgreens.

Baby, it's cold outside!

It's amazing how quickly the cold weather hit Idaho and that means that the Optimist Clubs of Jerome and Twin Falls were thrown into overdrive as they scrambled to get their Coats for Kids drive underway.

The Twin Falls Optimist Club reached out to the local television station and began advertising for donations.



They also applied for a Powering Lives grant with Idaho Power. Committee Chair Patsy Bland shared the Coats for Kids story on the Idaho Power Facebook page and asked her friends and the public to vote for the club to win. Click on over and give them a vote!

In Jerome, President Sheri Mitchell went a little softer with her sell, reaching out to club members and community stakeholders to express the need. In the monthly newsletter, she wrote,

"The Jerome Optimist Club has chaired the Coats for Kids project for 38 years and still running strong. Coat barrels are located at the Jerome Wal-Mart (north entrance), the Jerome Library and the Jerome Middle School. Also assisting the Jerome Optimist Club is the Snake River Corvette Club, Falls City 4 H Club, JMS Leadership Students, Jerome Girl Scouts and Brownies, Horizon/Jefferson Elementary and Wal-Mart. PLEASE remember kids come in every size so adult coats are needed too. For a coat please call Sheri 308-3264."

According to Sheri, the Jerome Optimist Club has already delivered 122 coats this year.

Your donations will help keep kids warm this year. If you can give, please contact the club presidents at the following links: Twin Falls Optimist Club     Jerome Optimist Club .

Optimist football - it can touch your heart

Football is a passion for some of the Optimist Clubs in Idaho including Boise, Nampa, Mountain Home, Emmett and Horseshoe Bend. It's that last club that recently shared some Optimist football history with me.

Deb Miller, a charter member of the Horseshoe Bend Optimist Club shared this picture of four generations of her family being involved in Optimist Football as players and coaches.  Shown are the members and coaches of the flag football team. She explained that her son, John Wolsleben is the head coach and his father, John, and Grandpa, Ben are the assistant coaches. The second player from the right is John's little brother Jerrod and not shown in the picture, is John's daughter Ashlyn, an Optimist Football cheerleader.

Horseshoe Bend Optimist Club Football

According to Deb, this story of Optimist mentoring touches her heart. I'm sure you'll agree, as I do, that it touches yours too. 

Thanks for sharing, Deb!

Welcome to Idaho for the PNW District Convention

On August 11 - 13, 2013, Pacific Northwest Optimist Clubs will gather for the annual District Convention. Governor Larry Blackburn and the Optimist Club of McCall are looking forward to welcoming all comers to Idaho for the unique blend of social activities, training, and governance that make Optimist District meetings special.

Opening ceremonies will commence on Sunday, August 11, at 7:00 p.m. at the Hunt Lodge. Monday will feature training for club and district officers-elect and committee chairpersons and Tuesday will feature the election of the district governor for 2014-2015. Additionally, PNW Optimist Clubs will be asked to consider revisions to the district policies and a dues increase of $2.00 per member may be proposed.

The district convention features special social activities not found at other meetings. On Monday evening, August 12, the McCall Optimist Club will host a barbecue picnic at Ponderosa State Park. It is a short  eight minute drive from the hotel and transportation will be available. On Tuesday morning, August 13, the old-timers invite us to breakfast at the Hunt Lodge where we will be entertained with the theme "Mountain People." Costumes are encouraged! Tuesday evening, August 13, the convention will wrap-up with the Governor's Banquet and an opportunity to be inspired by Optimist International President J.C. St-Onge.

It's a special honor to receive a visit from the international president during his or her administrative year. We welcome you to Idaho, Mr. St-Onge.

And welcome to all. We'll see you soon.

It's not too late to register. Click here for details. 

Optimists gamble for a good cause in Idaho

The Meridian Optimist Club is gearing up for a weekend of casino-style fun. That's right, on Saturday, February 23, 2013,  for the 5th year in a row, the club will host Luck o' the Irish Casino Night. This is a joint fund raiser with the Meridian Firefighters and the Meridian Food Bank. Proceeds also benefit the Meridian Optimist Youth Training Center.

It's a fun evening with blackjack, roulette, craps, and poker. Plus there are raffles and prizes for lucky winners. Click to enlarge the flyer and find out more.

In case one night of gambling for a good cause isn't enough, the Twin Falls Optimist Club will host its famous 37th Annual Lost Wages fund raiser on March 8, 2013 at Canyon Crest Event Center. Click here to learn more.

Optimist elves at work

Last weekend, Optimist Club member and GMPRD Director Tim O'Meara invited the Middleton Area Optimist Club to assist the Greater Middleton Parks and Recreation District at Santa's Workshop.

Santa's Workshop was an opportunity for children to build toys with the volunteers from the community. It took place right before the holiday parade and helped get everyone in the spirit of the season.

Shown here are some of the Optimist Club elves and their little helpers at work. 

Top: Tim O'Meara

Middle: Peter Cabrera

Bottom: Steve Thompson

Thanks to Becky O'Meara for the pictures. 

Like the Middleton Area Optimist Club on Facebook and see even more photos! 

Gary Oyler, you're going to Disneyland

Membership chairperson Dick Brodie sends greetings to one and all with the following message: 

We just got back from the Hood River Board meeting and a good time was had by everyone! 

Our winner for the “Trip for Two to Disneyland or $500 cash” for bringing in New Members is Gary Oyler from Elmore County, Idaho.

Way to go Gary! Please contact Past Governor Bill French at 503-936-8311. 

We now have a new contest for this year “ For a Trip for Two to Las Vegas in March” starting now and ending March 1st, 2013. More details to follow,  but get started early and sponsor that New Member you have always wanted to join your Club and maybe “You will be the lucky winner like Gary and be able to get into the warm sunshine in Vegas this March!

Junior America's Cup in Idaho

Golfers in the Junior Linkster program from British Columbia, associated with the Optimist Junior Golf program in the PNW District, are in Idaho this week to participate in the Junior America's Cup. Led by team captain Harry White, the junior golfers will tee off on Tuesday, July 24 at approximately 9:00 a.m at Banbury Golf Course. They are competing against 15 other teams from Alberta, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

Children are the unsung heroes of the future

"Children: America's Unsung Heroes of our Future" - It's a simple statement that says so much about why Optimist Clubs and their members do what they do every day to bring out the best in children. 

Children are unsung heroes today. They persist through the challenges of childhood, frustrate us as teens and always make us smile.

Children are also the unsung heroes of our future for they will grow up to be our first responders, our physicians, accountants, educators, politicians, community builders, soldiers, small business owners, thought leaders, mothers, fathers and friends. Yes, hopefully, they will also grow up to be good citizens and Optimist Club members.

"Children: America's Unsung Heroes of our Future" is the theme for
the Middleton Area Optimist Club 4th of July Parade float

Thanks to club member Brooke Winston for designing, building and so aptly naming the Middleton Area Optimist Club float for the community's 4th of July Parade and celebration. We can't wait to see the finished product, adorned with kiddos, in the parade.

Find out more about the festival coordinated by the Middleton, Idaho Chamber of Commerce.

Why enter the CCDHH?

The PNW District-Optimist International Communications Contest for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (CCDHH) was held on May 19, 2012 in Newport, Oregon. A young, but veteran competitor was Daniel Leigmann of Kelowna, British Columbia. I discovered this video on YouTube where Daniel discusses why he likes to compete in the contest.

Spoiler alert: It's not about the scholarship! It is about the opportunity to improve oneself.



Ken Ryan served as the co-chair of the event for Canada, joining Kirk Farnsworth for the US. Ken provided the following information about the contest.

We split the CCDHH into two catagories, and the following are the results:
Signing – a.s.l.
First Cameron Epp – Langley B.C.
SECOND KEVIN MOUNTAIN – BURNABY B.C.
THIRD LAUREN MARSHALL – IDAHO
ORAL
FIRST DANIEL LEIGMANN – KELOWNA B.C.
ECOND ANDREW WESTERLUND – NORTH VANCOUVER
THIRD CASSIDY FLAKE – IDAHO

(The information was copied and pasted from Ken's message. I'm not sure if the capitalization was significant, so I left it intact.) 


Click here to watch the video on YouTube. 

It's the most eggs-citing time of the year

Where's the golden egg? 

The Twin Falls, Jerome, Meridian and Middleton Area Optimist Clubs in Idaho are busy preparing for the fastest service project of the year. Scheduled to take place at different times on Saturday morning, April 7, each one of the projects have an anticipated running time of 60 seconds.

According to Robin Stanhope, editor of the Twin Falls Blab, one minute is about  how long it takes for the kiddos to find every egg that has been hidden for their hunting pleasure at an Optimist Club Easter Egg Hunt.

Known by different names, such as "Scrambles," "Hunts," or "Egg-offs," according to reports, each club is planning on hiding 2,000 to 4,000 eggs for the eligible hunters to find with special prizes for finding "golden eggs."

If you need to bring a smile to your face, join one of the Optimist Easter Egg-stravaganzas in your community. If you want to bring a smile to others, start a project on behalf of your Optimist Club. It's fun. It's quick. It's appreciated.



As of this post, these are the only Optimist Easter Egg Hunts known by the author. If your club is planning one, please leave the details in the comment section so that your community and other PNW Optimist Clubs know all about it. 


Photo credit

Be motivated like a Bronco

Ian Johnson proposes
at the Fiesta Bowl

You might say it was "the other kiss" heard around the world caught live on ESPN. Following the Boise State victory at the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, running back Ian Johnson proposed to his girlfriend and now wife Chrissy.

Together they have gone on to be advocates for Boise State University and the football program.

The Pacific Northwest District - Optimist International is excited to announce that Chrissy and Ian Johnson will join us for the 2nd Quarter Regional Meeting in Twin Falls on February 11.

Ian will speak about his career at Boise State and in the NFL. He'll also talk about thinking outside of the box and staying motivated.

You don't want to miss this meeting. Click here for the full Twin Falls agenda. Click here to register now.

Governor-elect Larry Blackburn sends thanks to Brad Lorondo of the BSU Athletic Department for assisting with arrangements. He also says, "C'mon,Optimists. Bring your friends. It's more fun with 101."

Idaho Students Jump for JOOI

At Vision Charter School, 508 students try to break a world record

The new Junior Optimist Club at Vision Charter School in Middleton/Caldwell, Idaho participated in the worldwide program "Let's Jump" to help break the world record for the greatest number of people doing jumping jacks at one time.

With their leadership, 508 students were motivated to "Jump for JOOI" on Wednesday morning. In addition to helping to break the world record, the students thought it was a great way to raise awareness for their new club.

Sponsored by the Middleton Area Optimist Club, the new JOOI Club will officially charter on October 24.