Optimist International Leadership Publication

August 2014

President's Message

President Ron Huxley recorded a special message for Clubs during the 2014 International Convention in Las Vegas. Please take a moment to listen to his words of encouragement.

Make Sure Your Club is in Good Shape

With just two months left in the Optimist year, it may be time for a little housekeeping in your Club. As new officers prepare to lead, please help them get off on the right foot. Passing important information along to them is key.

All Club Presidents should have a valid e-mail address registered with Optimist International. If you do not, please send an e-mail to [email protected]. Make sure to ask the President-Elect to register their e-mail address as well. This allows the International organization to communicate directly with your Club, so you are up to date on all news, information and events.

Informational packets will be mailed to the 2014-2015 Club Presidents at the end of the month. These packets will include details on President-Designate Garner's goals and incentives, as well as programs that will be conducted during the new Optimist year. Please encourage your Club President-Elect to carefully review the material and share the information with the Club.

Club Secretaries should also make sure Club rosters are up to date. Club Treasurers should check to see that Club finances are in good order. If your Club has not reported those new officers to Optimist International, now is the time to do it! Please contact the headquarters office at 800-500-8130 if you need assistance.

Recruiting New Members Can Make Your Club a Winner

Congratulations to the third quarter winners of President Ron Huxley's Recruitment Incentive! Every quarter, each Member that sponsors three or more new Members in that quarter has their name placed into a drawing. One winner for each Region is drawn randomly at the end of the quarter. The winner's Club will receive $250, in their name, to use for youth programs.

The third quarter winners are:

Region 1: Jane Callaghan - Optimist Club of Valley Forge-King of Prussia, PA

Region 2: Lisa White-Rodgers - Optimist Club of Athens-Luncheon, GA

Region 3: Michael Cunningham - Optimist Club of Vale-West Lincoln, NC

Region 4: Donald Good - Optimist Club of Bargersville-Center Grove, IN

Region 5: LeAnne Schneckloth - North Scott Optimist Club, IA

Region 6: Katie Sprute - Optimist Club of North Hays County, TX

Region 7: David Eller - Optimist Club of Del Mar-Solana Beach, CA

Region 8: Louise Dugal - Club Optimiste de Cap Rouge, QC

Remember the more Members in your Club who sponsor three or more new Members, the greater chance your Club has at winning the $250 prize! Keep promoting Club growth, and keep encouraging your Members to recruit more people to help bring out the best in kids!

Read the Latest Board Decisions

The Optimist International Board of Directors met on July 9 in Las Vegas. Click here to review the minutes of the meeting.

Convention Delegates Vote on Key Issues

Delegates to the 2014 convention made important decisions on several issues. Here are the results:

Issue 1: Failed

Issue 2: Adopted

Issue 3: Failed

Issue 4: Failed

Issue 5: Adopted

Click here for more details about these issues.

Reel Optimism Winners Announced at Convention

Congratulations to the South Side Optimist Club of Fort Wayne, Indiana, on winning the 2014 Reel Optimism Video Contest! The Club's Reel Optimism entry received the most votes from among the five finalists, earning the Club the grand prize of a $1,000 Club grant!

Finishing in second place was the Optimist Club of Brooklin, Ontario (received a $500 Club grant), while third place honors went to the Optimist Club of Bloomington, Minnesota (received a $250 Club grant). Club grant prizes are courtesy of the Optimist International Foundation and the Canadian Children's Optimist Foundation.

Stay tuned to www.optimist.org/ReelOptimism and Optimist publications for information about next year's contest.

Show your Club Pride

Are you proud of what your Club has accomplished this year? Then fill out a President's Pride Report and make sure all of your work is in the record books. This year's report is due to the International Office no later than September 30.

Club officers can log on to www.optimistleaders.org to fill out the online report. Click here if you prefer to print out a copy. Printed copies can be mailed or faxed to Optimist International at 314-371-6006.

Start Planning Your Club Scholarship Contests

The topics for the 2014-2015 scholarship contests are:

Essay:
"Optimism Should be a Priority"

Oratorical/CCDHH:
"How My Optimism Will Help Me Press on to Greater Achievements of the Future"

Additional information, including the contest planning guides can be found at www.optimist.org/scholarships.

Conducting a scholarship contest is a good way to get publicity and establish a relationship with the local school system. It allows your Club to meet youth you can work with in the future and parents who may be interested in becoming Optimist Members.

Optimist Golf Introduces New Champions

Hundreds of junior golfers competed in the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships, but only seven could walk away as Optimist champions.

Boys 10-11 - Kongpop Kaikaew of Thailand

Girls 10-12 - Kan Bunnabodee of Thailand

Boys 12-13 - Nattapol Udomrat of Thailand

Girls 13-14 - Saranporn Langkulgasettrin of Thailand

Boys 14-15 - Joaquin Niemann of Chile

Girls 15-18 - Fiona Liddell of Germany

Boys 16-18 - Varanyu Rattanaphiboonkij of Thailand

Complete results, photos and news stories are available under the tournament's information at www.optimist.org/golf. News items are also included on the Optimist Junior Golf Facebook page at www.facebook.com/optimist.golf and Twitter feed @OptimistGolf.

Congratulations to the 2014 champions of the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships! Thanks to all staff, volunteers, parents, and participants for making the event a tremendous success!

Introducing Optimist International endorsed WOW!Calendars™

WOW!Calendars™ are a simple and profitable way for your Club to raise money for the projects your Club supports within your community. And, they're super easy to sell!

"Our success is the product itself. We more than doubled sales this year due to people seeing the calendar from last year. We also had two businesses use the calendar as a business gift. It sells itself. Grandparents and businesses have already told us that they are looking forward to next year!"

- A 2013 Optimist Club success!

For more information, click here or email [email protected].

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� 2014 Optimist International