WHY?

During the conversations I have with Optimist Members, both current and prospective, the question of "Why?" comes up.  "Why should I be a Member?"  "Why should I be an Optimist leader?"  "Why should volunteers pay dues?" and so on.

These are great questions and should be addressed on a regular basis.  They are completely appropriate, especially when approached optimistically in search of an answer and not just as an attack. That being noted please take a minute and look through the entire Hotline for answers to the following questions:

• Why should you perform more service projects, such as golf tournaments, to celebrate the youth of your community?  Read about the 2015 Hugh Cranford All-Scholastic Team, a group of aspiring junior golfers honored for their achievements off the course.
• Why should you attend the Optimist International convention?  Read about hands-on opportunities in New Orleans to participate in to change lives in the New Orleans community, and in your own.
• Why should your Club grow outside of your community?  Read the New Club efforts and the achievements of Certified Club Builders in new communities.
• Why should each Member care if Optimist International grows to 100,000 Members?  Look to the 100 by 100 article and be sure to tune in to the Opening Ceremonies at convention.

This Hotline issue is in no way all inclusive of all the "Why's" nor is it intended to be.  I would encourage each Club, District and Zone to address the "Why's" in their community in good candid meetings and resolve to move forward with possible answers.

Why do this?  Why not!

Ken Garner

Live from New Orleans

Select events of the 2015 International Convention will be streamed live. The July Board of Directors meeting, the Opening Ceremonies, and the Business Sessions will be streaming live on the Optimist channel at optimist.org/stream.

Here are approximate times for each event. If you are unable to attend, tune in to the live

streams:

Board of Directors Meeting:

8:30am-5pm Wednesday, July 8

Opening Ceremonies:

7-9pm Thursday, July 9

First Business Session:

9-11:30am Saturday, July 11

Second/Closing Business Session:

1:30-4pm Saturday, July 11

Volunteer Opportunities

Save the Children Service Project: Get Ready. Get Safe. Prep Rally

Join us and learn everything you need to run a Prep Rally, Save the Children's program that teaches children and families about emergency preparedness through play. Stay after the training for a volunteer project-we'll be putting together 500 disaster supply kits for children in New Orleans. This FREE event will be open to adult convention attendees and guests in addition to the youth Members who are attending the JOOI Convention. To confirm your attendance, you must RSVP no later than June 26. To submit an RSVP, click here. For more information regarding the activities planned, visit Optimist International's Save the Children Prep Rally Facebook event page.

Café Hope is in need of up to 14 volunteers each day to assist in painting two class rooms for the students enrolled in their unique program. Volunteers will be served lunch prepared by the staff of Café Hope. Café Hope is a non-profit restaurant based out of New Orleans that teaches at-risk young adults culinary skills. This FREE event will be open to adult convention attendees and guests. To confirm your attendance, you must RSVP no later than June 26. To submit an RSVP, click here. For more information regarding the activities planned, visit Optimist International's Café Hope Service Project Facebook event page.

District & Club Trainer Classes

Featured Convention Workshops

Plan to attend the below workshops at convention. For the full list of workshops, click here.

The Optimist International Activities Committee & Saint Louis University invites you to the Convention Workshop and to visit the table in the House of Optimism:

Optimist International and Saint Louis University have partnered to host an exciting new enhancement to the Optimist Oratorical Contest and scholarships.  Each Optimist District will have the exciting opportunity to send one of their District Oratorical Winners to St. Louis to compete with the winners of the Districts in their Region for a $10,000 scholarship.   The winner of each Region (8) will compete with the winner from Saint Louis University's Global Region for a $15,000, $10,000, or $5,000 World Championship scholarship.  There is the potential for a student to win $27,500 in scholarships!  Make sure you come to this workshop to see how your Club can be a part of this exciting new venture by taking  your current Club's Oratorical Contest to new heights or to learn how to get your Club involved if you don't yet conduct an Oratorical Contest.

The workshop is aimed to help prevent the growing number of injuries, including concussions, among athletes. The training includes concussion safety tips and guidelines for managing these injuries. The presenter will also review best practices to support injury recovery including gradual return to learn and play procedures. With the increasing number of sport concussions among athletes and the complexity of head injuries, this workshop is extremely educational and recommended for Optimist sports Clubs.

Hydration and Heat Related Illness will help Optimist sport Clubs understand two preventable sports injuries - heat-related illness and dehydration. The workshop will review the guidelines and suggestions for preventing, recognizing, and managing the potentially dangerous, and sometimes deadly, effects of playing in hot or humid conditions. The presenter will also review what it means to be "hydrated" and the guidelines to proper hydration.

For Optimist sports Clubs, keeping athletes, volunteers and spectators safe during activities is very important. The presentation will focus on the important things to know about lightning, interesting facts, and common myths. There are many misconceptions about lightning and when conditions are safe for activities. The presenter will review lightning policies that are currently in place and the various ways to monitor lightning strikes. The workshop will cover the importance of being prepared for the unexpected and having a lightning action plan in place. Finally, the presentation will review what to do in the event of a lightning strike. Determining a Lightning and Emergency Action Plan ahead of time is beneficial. This workshop acts as a guide to outline safety options tailored to local circumstances, available equipment, and evacuation options.

Lacrosse, Curling and Golf are now part of TRI-STAR. Get off the couch and attend the expanded sports workshop!

Raising funds for those all-important youth and community service projects is a vital part of every Optimist Club's activities.  While it can be a fulfilling and worthwhile endeavor, it can be overwhelming and confusing if you are not sure where to start or how to stay on track.  During this session, faculty will present everything you need to know about the basics of fundraising.  Along the way we will introduce a few successful ideas that can be implemented quickly at the Club level.  This is your opportunity to energize your fundraising efforts.  Be sure to join us!

This workshop will answer your questions regarding how to achieve your leadership goals though service at the Optimist International level.  This includes being appointed to International-level committees, becoming a trainer, running for the Board of Directors, being selected as an Optimist International Vice President or International President.  Candidate Qualifications Committee members will be on hand to enlighten you!

Global Entry Program

Optimist International is excited to introduce the Global Entry Program to help make your travels a breeze to all Optimist Members.

What is Global Entry?

Global Entry is a program developed by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to expedite entry into the U.S. for low-risk, pre-screened international travelers. Upon arriving in the U.S., members proceed directly to the automated Global Entry kiosk - bypassing passport control lines and paper customs declarations. Global Entry is now available at over 40 major U.S. airports. For a complete list of locations you can visit the Global Entry website. 

A non-refundable application fee of $100 per applicant will be charged at the time of application. If approved, membership is valid for five years. Here's how the application/approval process works:

1. Complete an application online and pay the non-refundable application fee
2. If conditionally approved after review, you can call a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office or go online to schedule an interview. 
3. If at least 50 Optimist Members participate, you can go online to schedule an interview that will take place during the OI Annual Convention in New Orleans. To sign up to participate, click here.
4. Participate in the in-person interview during which a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer will review your application and verify identification documents and eligibility.
5. If approved, the officer will take your photo, obtain fingerprint information, and introduce you to the program.

If you have ever wanted to bypass the long lines at customs and border control, here's your chance and Optimist International is making the process even easier! 

Don't forget about the 2016 Annual Convention being held in Quebec.

For more information on Global Entry and TSA Pre-Check, visit the following websites:

www.globalentry.gov

www.tsa.gov/tsa-precheck

Motorized Scooter and Wheelchair Rentals at Convention

Contact Darren at Mr. Wheelchair, (800) 548-9672 or (504) 834-2810 to receive a special offer for a $30 discount per scooter rental from the website price. For example: 3-day rental is $180 discounted to $150, 4-day rental is $200 discounted to $170, etc. Members calling to rent need only mention the Optimist International convention. Mr. Wheelchair offers a wide selection of walkers, manual wheelchairs, scooters, power wheelchairs, custom wheelchairs and custom medical equipment. 

One of the great legacies of an Optimist leader is to create something that will last for years to come. An example would be to create a successful JOOI Youth Club in your community.  Optimist International and JOOI as an organization are in business to directly affect the young people in various communities.  Let's build Optimist Clubs, and let's build Youth Clubs.

Creating a new Youth Club is not difficult.  JOOI has a wonderful product to sell to our youth, and if we do the due diligence of preparation, the young people will come.  They want to serve.  They want to lead.  They want to have fun.  Here are five simple steps to help you get started:

1. Gain Club support.  Make sure Youth Clubs are explained to Club Members and most everyone in the Optimist Club are on board.  This certainly doesn't mean that all Members take part in the Youth Club, but they understand the benefits to the community kids.
2. Find a JOOI liaison from the Club.  Think about events where young people were present.  Determine which Club Members were approaching the young people and creating conversations.  Those are the people to choose to best work with the Youth Club.
3. Gain support from the schools, churches or other civic associations. It's always best to enlist the help of others!
4. Acquire lists of candidates. Potential Youth Club members can come from schools, churches, Oratorical or Essay contests, etc.  You can contact students through community organizations.
5. The Result?  You are 100% ready to start your Youth Club in early September when your youth, your Club, and your community are excited about the exciting new endeavor.

This is a simplified list of what it takes to get started.  Optimist International has many publications with details and tips for success.  The key is to get started and summertime is the perfect time to do so. 

Contact Youth Club Director Amy Keller at 314-371-6000 ext. 218 or [email protected] for more information, tips and advice to get started and put you in contact with experienced youth club builders to learn from their experiences.

Optimist International is proud to see many of our Members achieving Level 10 in the Personal Growth and Involvement Program (PGI)! In order to be recognized for PGI Level 10 at the International Convention in New Orleans, submit the fulfilled requirements/recognition forms no later than June 26, 2015. Unfortunately, late submissions cannot be accepted. Submit the forms via fax to 314-735-4114 or e-mail to [email protected].

Congratulations to Dale Fox and Ruth Nelson from the Kansas District for being the most recent Optimist Members to achieve the status of Certified Club Builder! They obtained this honor by attending a training course and building multiple Optimist Clubs. 

Thank you Dale and Ruth for helping to spread Optimism to new communities! 

After reviewing the qualifications of a record number of impressive applicants, the Optimist Junior Golf Committee has selected the following exceptional student athletes for the 2015 Hugh Cranford All-Scholastic Team:

• Ian Buchanan: Charlottesville, Virginia
• Kate Harper: Isle of Palms, South Carolina
• Owen Miklos: Hudson, Ohio
• Reva Morris: Newbury, Ohio
• Paul (Jing Cheng) Lei: Middleton, Massachusetts - also the recipient of the "Bringing Out the Best in Kids" Community Service Award

This team exemplified an impressive balance of academics, golf and community service. For full biographies of the team, along with more information about the Hugh Cranford All-Scholastic Team, click here.

Optimist International's Board of Directors has set a goal of 100,000 Members by the organization's 100th year in 2019.  Your Club is urged to do its part in setting its own goal of increasing its membership between now and our 100 year anniversary. Each Member effectively impacts the lives of 35 children a year. With 100,000 Members, Optimist International can impact 3.5 million youth yearly. Help assure that your Club, along with the entire organization, will be "Bringing Out the Best in Kids" well into the future.