Celebrate 50 years of the Optimist International Foundation with a donation

Throughout 2021, the Optimist International Foundation (OIF) will celebrate its 50th Anniversary. It has commissioned special artwork from artist Jeff Hansen, an interesting young man who met many Optimist Club members at the Optimist International Convention in Louisville, KY.  Jeff had multiple health conditions from birth and succumbed this year to complications of the brain tumor he had lived with since a child. 

Please consider honoring both the Optimist International Foundation and Jeff's memory by making a donation to the OIF of $50 and receiving its 50th Anniversary pin. 

Click here to purchase the pin.

Scarves, ties, and other items featuring Jeff's unique style are also for sale and all money raised benefits the Childhood Health and Wellness Campaign. 

Go here to purchase these special items.

As is the OIF's way, it helps Optimist Clubs help Youth. At this time there are two grant opportunities to which  Optimist Clubs may apply.

Club Grant Application – You may submit an application for a Matching Grant to start up a new project this year. The amount requested can range from $250 to $1,000. The Club Grant program is a long-standing effort by OIF to assist Clubs in helping more in their communities. The application can be found on the OIF website by clicking here. The deadline for application submission is March 15, 2021.

Childhood Health and Wellness – This new Grant program, which grew out of the Childhood Cancer Campaign, is accepting applications for the second grant cycle. The deadline for applications is April 30, 2021. The next consideration cycle after that ends on August 30, 2021. The application can be found on the OIF website by clicking here. The process will award $250 – $1,000 for a Matching Grant in one of the four focus areas:

• Healthy Lifestyles (Child Obesity, Healthy Eating, Physical Fitness, Happy Heart Advice, March of Dimes)
• Chronic Diseases (Childhood Cancer, Juvenile Diabetes, HIV, Multiple Sclerosis, Muscular Dystrophy, Sickle Cell Anemia)
• Mental Health (Depression, Bullying, Abuse)
• Disabilities – Physical, Intellectual, & Developmental (Autism, Special Olympics)

Optimist Clubs and their members are the principal donors to the Optimist International Foundation. To make giving fun during this time of celebration, the OIF is hosting an online auction. The auction ends on March 11, 2021. 

Please go here to make a bid: Optimist International Foundation Auction 2021. 

District meeting emphasizes Honor Club today, tomorrow and always

One week ago, over one hundred Optimist Club members and guests gathered for the PNW District 3rd Quarter Meeting in Kennewick, Washington. While there, Governor Dick Disney provided motivation for them to return to their home clubs and complete the District goal of 100% Honor Clubs.

But other things happened as well. First, we heard from some of the top young public speakers in the West Coast Region. All spoke on the topic "How my optimism will help me press on to 'greater achievements of the future.'"

Seven students participated in the Communications Contest for Deaf and Hard of Hearing. In the oral competition, Katya Nesdoly received the first place award of $2,500 scholarship. In the signing competition, Miguel Peregrino was awarded first place. He also received a $2,500 scholarship.

Seven students also competed in the Optimist Oratorical Contest. The PNW District awarded first place and a $2,500 scholarship to Lochlan Frederick; second place and a $1,500 scholarship to Lamisa Hasan; and third place and a $1,000 scholarship to Saara Meghi.

Steve Skodak, Executive Director, Optimist International made an official visit to the district for the third quarter meeting. It was a perfect tie-in for understanding how our donations to the Optimist International Foundation and Canadian Children's Optimist Foundation provide support to Optimist Clubs by funding scholarships, among other things. Steve also made a presentation  "Know your Prospects" and explained an excellent generational approach membership retention and recruitment for our Optimist Clubs to follow.

In district business, Governor-elect Michael Gray notified the assembly that the zone alignments would stay the same in 2015-2016 and lieutenant governors were elected as follows:
Zone 1, British Columbia - Al Kersey
Zone 2, Idaho - Dolores "Doe" Schamp
Zone 3, Oregon - Ben Deremer
Zone 4, Washington - Monique Connors

Reports were given by current lieutenant governors and committee chairs and all were in agreement
that the PNW District is celebrating a fantastic Honor Club year. According to Governor Dick and West Coast Region Vice President Ed Murphy, the PNW District, as of this meeting, is only one member away from being at even for membership growth. It is a perfect setting to begin the final fourth quarter drive to Honor Club.

Governor Dick announced the PNW District - Optimist International Convention will be held August 13-15, 2015 at the La Quinta Inn & Suites, Tacoma, Washington. We are honored to have as the international guests Optimist International President Ken Garner and his spouse Patsy. Registration was approved at $115 by August 6, 2015 and $130 after that date and at the door.
Registration is now open.
Download the "at a glance" program. 

Refreshed and energized, Optimist Club members headed home to do more good things in their communities and to earn Honor Club recognition so that they may continue to serve for many years into the future.


Follow the PNW Optimist District on Facebook. #pnwoptimistclubs

Why do we have an Optimist International Foundation?

Steve Skodak, CFRE

Steve Skodak, Executive Director, Optimist International Foundation will join the PNW District in
Kennewick, WA for the 3rd Quarter District Meeting. According to Governor Dick Disney, this meeting is an opportune time for all to appreciate what the Foundations do for us - Help Optimists Help Children.

The Optimist International Foundations award $150,000 in new scholarships annually. However, the amount that is disbursed every year can often exceed that amount as students enroll in college or university and request their scholarship be directed to their education. Since 2008, $1,616,479 has gone to student education at places such as Harvard, Stanford and Yale as well as many smaller private universities and state colleges, large and small.

Every year, District Foundation Representatives are appointed to help the Foundations (Optimist International Foundation in the US and Children's Optimist Foundation in Canada) meet its funding needs. The scholarship support is only part of the picture. The Foundations also provide funding to support other Optimist International programs, especially membership and marketing initiatives.

Newer to the list of services are initiatives to provide grants directly to Optimist Clubs for program purposes. There are club grant awards through both foundations and the Reel Optimism Contest that displays the enthusiasm and great work of our clubs.

You can learn more about how  your individual and club donation can help Optimist International do even more. Plan to meet Steve May 15-16, 2015 in Kennewick. Register now.

Optimist International Foundation Elections

The Optimist International Foundation (US) invites you to vote for a new member of the Board of Directors. Each year, one person is added to this esteemed group Optimist Club members who have shown a dedication to the mission of the Foundation through exceptional philanthropy.

This year, the candidates are Melvin Bannister of Columbia, South Carolina, Eddie Murphy, Jr. of La Mesa, California and Fred Wallace of Portland, Oregon.

To be eligible to vote, Optimist Club members in the US must have contribute at least $36.50 in the 2013-2014 administrative year. Click here to vote now.

Start a new Optimist Club program

Does your Optimist Club have a great idea for a new program and does it need a little seed money to get it going?

If yes, the Optimist Club grant program from the Optimist International Foundation is for you.

The program awards $500 grants to Optimist Clubs that are served by the Optimist International Foundation. The awards are based on need, creativity and the ability for the program to increase awareness and membership in the local Optimist Club. It is important that the project be new to the club and community.

The complete rules and application can be accessed online at the Optimist International Foundation Club Grant page.

Last year, the Middleton Area Optimist Club was awarded an Optimist International Foundation Grant. The club matched the money with advertising sales from its popular Movies in the Park program to host an Optimist Family Fair  in Middleton, Idaho.

The Optimist Family Fair invited businesses to set-up booths and host free child and family-friendly games at the last Free Movie in the Park in 2014, "Frozen." Following the "Frozen" theme, there was "Frozen" karaoke and a "Frozen" photo booth, along with a cakewalk, bubble gum blowing contest, among other things. As a bonus and draw, the Middleton Area Optimist Club purchased and served free pizza to the crowd and sponsored a bounce house for the kiddos to enjoy.

According to Linda Vaught Jackson, the author of the successful grant, the purpose of the program was increase awareness of the Middleton Area Optimist Club. "The Optimist Family Fair strategically coincided with the club's third anniversary and gave us a great platform to say thank you for letting us serve the community," explained Linda.

"We consistently said that we can do more of these events if you join us; join the Middleton Area Optimist Club, " she concluded.

The Club Grant is a relatively new program for the Optimist International Foundation. It helps Optimists help more children on a local level by helping with those critical start-up costs. By instilling a funding match criteria, it also helps provide a  method by which the program can be funded in the future.

US clubs, find out more at this link and apply.

Reel Optimism returns

The Reel Optimism contest returns in 2015 with an expanded entry pool. Junior Optimists will now be competing against the adult Optimist Clubs to produce a 3-minute video about the joys of belonging to a club under the Optimist International umbrella. 

In a release on November 26, 2014, the Optimist International Foundation shared the following information:

The third annual Club video contest asks Members to finish the following sentence "Optimists bring out the best..." 

The Reel Optimism Video Contest is expanding to include adult and youth (JOOI) Clubs. In each category, there will be a 30 Second Challenge and a Club Showcase contest (3:00 minutes or less). Videos can be submitted between February 15th and April 15th. Be on the lookout for more details about the contest in our December newsletter and the winter Optimist Magazine.

Club grants will be awarded to the winners of the contest, courtesy of Optimist International Foundation, Optimist International and the Canadian Children's Optimist Foundation.

Now is the time to create a task force made up of your most creative members. Ask them to put on their writer, director and producer hats and share just what it means to bring out the best. 

A message from the PNW District-Optimist International Foundation Representative

Contributed by Fred Wallace, PNW District Optimist International Foundation Rep (US)

Dear fellow Optimist,

As Thanksgiving Day approaches, a day to celebrate our thanks for all the things Optimism has given us, we are again reminded how special this day is and to honor the important people in our lives. On this day, we show our love and gratefulness to the Optimist Foundation in many ways. With all the support we provide to children as members of Optimist Clubs and as Friends of Youth, we are constantly reminded of the bond between ourselves and youth.

To all the Members who make our world a better place, I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving Day, and God’s blessing in abundance.

To honor your Family or special person in your life, please consider making a donation(s) to the Optimist International Foundation (OIF) so we can continue to support all of the scholarships and other youth programs that are supported by your generous donations.

There are so many of you who do so very much with your Optimist Clubs but have never made a contribution to the OIF. If you can afford something as small as $5.00 (or more), please consider doing so this Thanksgiving Day. You really can make a difference with a small donation. I think every Youth would see this type of gift not only unique but VERY special as well.

Being a full-time volunteer is one of the highest salaried jobs... since the payment is pure love. ~Mildred B. Vermont

Click here > Make your contribution today! < Click here

As always, THANK YOU for your thoughtfulness and kindness.

Sincerely,

Fred A. Wallace
PNW District OIF Representative
Cougar_17047@msn.com

Pink shirts for optimism

Caldwell Optimist Club member Casey Crookham shared this awesome picture on his Facebook page. It's a shot of six young ladies taking a break from their hard work at the Caldwell Night Rodeo. Members of the Caldwell Optimist Club-sponsored soccer league, they were on hand to help the Optimist Club with their fundraising booth.

What could be better than smiling youths helping out with an Optimist Club program? How about smiling young ladies in great pink Optimist International shirts.

I don't know about you, but I want one. Perhaps the Caldwell Optimist Club might bring some pink Optimist International shirts to the next quarterly meeting and donate the funds raised to the Optimist International Foundation. Would you buy one? Let us know!

The greatest thing about being an optimist is...

Optimist International, along with the Optimist International Foundation and Canadian Children's Optimist Foundation, ask you and your Optimist Club to complete the sentence, "The greatest thing about being an optimist is...," for the 2nd annual Reel Optimism video awards.

The grand prize is a $1,000 Club grant. Deadline for submission: March 15, 2014. Put on your director's hat and show us what's great about being an optimist. For complete details and contest rules, please visit: http://www.optimist.org/reeloptimism/.

Optimist International Foundation invites you to vote

The Optimist International Foundation invites eligible Optimist Club members in the US to vote online for the Board of Directors.

According to the Optimist International Foundation website, those eligible to vote are:

Any Optimist member in good standing that has made a contribution to the Foundation of $36.50 or more in the 2011-2012 Optimist Year is eligible to cast a vote. Also, any Club in good standing that has made a contribution to the Foundation of $365.00 or more in the 2011-2012 Optimist Year may submit one vote; this Club vote must be made by the Club’s Foundation Representative.

The candidates are:

• T. Don Crall - a businessman and college professor from Bixby, Oklahoma
• Samuel J. Keiffer - a retired bank president from Pueblo, Colorado
• Stephen T. Schuneman - USAF, retired from Spotsylvania, Virginia

One candidate will be elected to join the Board at this time. Please go here to cast your vote now.  (http://oifoundation.org/)

The Optimist International Foundation asks for your support

As 2012 came to a close, the Optimist International Foundation shared 10 Optimistic Reflections with10 consecutive emails that looked back at the work that was done in our communities thanks to the support of the Foundation. In its final message, it said:

“The Foundation is extremely thankful for all the high points the past year has brought! Some of the highlights to mention would include:

• A fantastic 40th Anniversary celebration, in which the committee raised over $25,000 to support the Foundation.
• Welcoming another great Board Member to the team.
• A raise in unrestricted giving over this past year.
• The Foundation being able to give $85,000 towards Youth Club Programs, $160,472 to Club Grant Program Grants, and $579,571 towards Charitable, Literary and Educational Programs

The Foundation would not have great moments like these to share without the generosity and support of our donors and volunteers. It is through the gifts that you all so selflessly give that makes a difference for Optimist International Foundation. In turn, this enables the Foundation to give support to Optimist International and allows us all to continue to make a difference in the lives of the children we serve.

'Helping Optimists Help Kids' not only describes our mission- it is a phrase that also describes our passion. If you would like to partner with the Optimist International Foundation this holiday season in working towards our mission, please click here.”

It’s the right and optimistic thing to do. As we say goodbye to 2012 and hello to 2013, please consider giving your support to the Optimist International Foundation. Thank you.

Donate now at: http://oifoundation.org/donate-now/

If you live in Canada, the Canadian Children's Optimist Foundation may be found here: http://fondationoptimistedesenfantscanadiens.org/index.php?lang=en 

Benefit BBQ for the Optimist International Foundation

The Optimist International Foundation is celebrating its 40th Anniversary and the PNW District has been challenged to raise $4,000 in honor of this achievement.

Gay Enyeart and Steve Andersen have combined forces to produce the Backyard Blues & BBQ Benefit and you are invited!

The festivities will take place on Saturday, September 22, 2012, 4:00 to 7:00 p.m in Oregon City, Oregon. Please enlarge the photo for full details.

Only 100 tickets are available for this great event. Get yours today by calling 503.381.9655.

Picture this for only a dime-a-day

Approximately half of the attendees at the first quarter meeting made a special donation to the Optimist International Foundation Dime-a-Day Plus program.

PNW District Optimist members contribute to the
Dime-a-Day Plus program in Hood River

According to District Foundation Rep (DFR) Ed Murphy, including this group, fifty-two individuals in the PNW District have already fulfilled their commitment. The Dime-a-Day Plus program is in honor of the 40th Anniversary of the Optimist International Foundation. Donors are asked to give just a little bit more - $40.00 instead of $36.50.

Dime-a-Day and Dime-a-Day Plus contributions are unrestricted donations to the Optimist International Foundations. They fund education programs and materials for Optimist Clubs like the Internet Safety Program.

The Foundations allow you to honor or memorialize your Optimist Club members

The Optimist International Foundations offer banner patches in memory of or in honor of our respected fellow Optimist Club Members.  These patches provide an ongoing memory of their service to your club and community and the contributions allow the Optimist International Foundationx to continue to provide ongoing support to our Optimist Clubs.

Patches are available beginning at the $100 contribution level.  Download the PDF form here.

The Optimist Club of Vancouver, Washington is accepting donations in memory of Al Gross and all contributions will be forwarded to the Optimist International Foundation.  Please contact club treasurer Dick Fisher for information. 

If your Optimist Club has lost a member and you would like their memory to be recognized by others in the District via this blog, please forward the information to us and we will post it in an appropriate manner.  Thank you.

Foundation print presented to the Twin Falls Optimist Club

It's that time of year when we celebrate the ongoing success of our Optimist Clubs. 

Our club presidents serve from October 1 to September 30, but it insn't until second quarter -approximately February - when we recognize their awesomeness with awards.  I know, we don't do what we do for awards, but awards exist as a thank you for making your contribution to the enduring qualities of your Optimist Club.  What we recognize are the positive qualities that will help your club and Optimist International remain vital in the years to come.

At a recent visit to the Twin Falls Optimist Club, Governor Linda Jackson and Club President Donald Bohrn presented immediate Past President Luree Evans with the Optimist International Foundation print. 

A-tisket, A-tasket

Please donate a basket.

That is the request of our District Foundation Representative Steve Andersen.  The Great Basket Auction will be held at our 2nd Quarter District Meeting, February 20 at the Shilo Inn-Airport, Portland. 

Here are the official words from Steve:

Gift Basket Contest & Auction

Each club attending the 2nd quarter conference in Portland is highly encouraged to create a gift basket filled with fun stuff to be auctioned during the conference. The club sponsoring the basket with the largest final bid will be credited a $100.00 donation to the OI Foundation. The balance of the auction proceeds will then be split between the Childhood Cancer Campaign and the OI Foundation. Ask your club members to gather basket items NOW!

Register today to join us in Portland.

Did you know that A -Tisket, A-Tasket was recorded by Ella Fitzgerald?  Enjoy it here.