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Welcome to the 2016-17 Leadership Hotline
Every month during your year of leadership, a copy of the Hotline electronic newsletter will be sent to your email. The newsletter is designed to keep you up to date with information and news that you can use during your year in office. This newsletter is sent to all Optimist leaders, from the Club to the International level. While the information will be targeted to leaders, we encourage you to share the news with other Members in your Club.
In the above video,
Optimist International President Jim Kondrasuk outlines his plans for the 2016-17 year.
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NEW! Benchmark Club Projects
Every month, Optimist International will feature a Club project in the Leadership Hotline and on the Optimist International website. The Benchmark Club Projects will highlight a successful project, along with information about the host Optimist Club.
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The Noon Optimist Club of Centerville, Ohio, shares their optimism and patriotic spirit in the community with its Avenue of Flags fundraiser. Club Members and other volunteers place American flags in front of 1500+ Centerville homes on five national holidays. Local residents subscribe for the service and the program raises significant amounts allowing the Club to fund its scholarships, community service projects and other youth-oriented activities. Read more.
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New Organization-wide Rebranding
During the International Convention in Quebec City earlier this summer, a new marketing and branding endeavor was unveiled. This rebranding program includes a new official Optimist International corporate logo that will be officially in use on October 1, 2017 (PLEASE NOTE: this is NEXT October). To view information including a short video unveiling the new logo and a Q&A session from the convention, click here.
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Update Member Information
To ensure each Optimist Member is receiving important information from Optimist International, encourage each Member to update their contact information with a leader in your Club. This includes addresses, email addresses and phone numbers. Each leader (Club President, Secretary, or Treasurer) has a log-in for Optimist Leaders to update the Members’ information. For log-in instructions, click here.
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Convention: Save the Date!
Join your Optimist friends in Albuquerque next summer for the 99th Annual Optimist International Convention, July 6-8, 2017. Together We Can in Albuquerque! Come immerse yourself in rich culture and heritage, rooted in centuries of history. Soak in blue skies and sun that shines 310 days a year - perfect for outdoor activities. Breathe in the high desert air and you'll understand why Albuquerque is a destination like no other.
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President's Pride Report
Complete the 2015-16 President's Pride Report for a chance to win $100 for your Club! The President’s Pride report highlights successful programs and activities Clubs completed in the previous year. Optimist International bases future funding and planning on the success of Club programs and activities.
The report is available on the Optimist Leaders website. The form was due online September 30, but hard copies sent, emailed or faxed to Optimist International headquarters will still be accepted. For Award purposes, submit the President's Pride report by October 15. Reports submitted after October 15 will only be used for statistic gathering.
If you have any questions, please contact the Programs Department at (800) 500-8130 or via email at [email protected].
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Follow Optimist International’s Official Social Media Channels
Make sure to follow Optimist International’s official Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Instagram channels:
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Canadian Children’s Optimist Foundation
Are you looking forward to meeting your new Canadian Children's Optimist Foundation team for 2016-17?
Visit our website to discover your District Foundation Representative, learn more about the 30th anniversary of the Women in Optimism campaign, and view our programs to start the new Optimist year on the right foot!
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Junior Optimist International
The official name change of Junior Optimist Octagon International to Junior Optimist International began October 1. Therefore, the organization should be marketed as Junior Optimists or Junior Optimist International. The new Junior Optimist International logo can be found at www.junioroptimist.org. If you have questions or need more information, email [email protected] or visit www.junioroptimist.org.
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Follow Junior Optimist International’s official social media channels for important updates, events and contests:
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Announcing Optimist International Professional Development Program
For years, the Personal Growth and Involvement (PGI) program has offered Optimists the opportunity for personal growth through their Optimist activities. Studies have shown that many people are looking for professional growth opportunities to help them in their professional careers, and employers are looking for low cost opportunities for professional development of their employees.
Several years ago, the Optimist International Leadership Development Committee began the process of revising and updating the PGI program to include professional tracks like project planning and marketing. In the end, it was decided to create a separate program called the Professional Development Program (PDP) and leave the PGI in place for those who wish to continue in that program.
The PDP will enable people to grow and develop skills as individuals, career professionals, and Optimists. The program launched on October 1. All Club Presidents will receive a mailing and the program will be available on the Optimist Leaders website. For more information, click here.
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Official Optimist International Suppliers
United States and the Caribbean:
Shumsky
Canada:
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Optimist International Oratorical World Championships
Now is the time to begin planning and promoting your Club’s Oratorical contest. The topic for the 2016-17 school year is: “What the World Gains from Optimism.” Optimist Clubs will send their Oratorical winner to the District contest, and the District winner will have a chance to compete in the second annual Optimist International Oratorical World Championships. Students have a chance to win up to $22,500 in scholarships beginning at the Club level.
For more information about the Oratorical Program, click here or email [email protected].
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Optimist Scholarship Contests
If your Club is looking for an activity that allows Members to bring out the best in youth, look no further than the Optimist scholarship contests! The Essay Contest, Oratorical and Communication for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (CCDHH) allow Members to work directly with youth, help them develop writing and speaking skills and pursue their dreams for the future. Club scholarship contests are simple to run by using the program planning guides available here and the help of your District Contest Chair!
Please note: The topics were listed incorrectly in The Optimist Fall 2016 magazine. Here are the correct scholarship topics for the 2016-17 year:
- Oratorical and CCDHH: “What the World Gains from Optimism”
- Essay: “Chasing Optimism in the Face of Challenges”
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OptiDist
OptiDist - Software for District Secretary-Treasurer has been updated!
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Contact the International Board of Directors
If you have comments, concerns or suggestions for the International Board of Directors, please send to [email protected].
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Optimist International Junior Golf
Junior Tour Events
The Optimist Junior Golf Tour 2016 Kingsville Ontario Canadian Open took place recently. Eleven golfers qualified for the 2017 Optimist International Junior Golf Championships. A huge thank you to the Tournament Coordinator, Sandy Larivee, and volunteers, Marlene Phillips, Hilda Ware, Marc Katz, Robert Schiller, Jim Pickel, Rob Pickle, and Ken & Joan Neil, and our Rules Official, Wayne Silverman, for a job well done! For results, click here.
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Green Valley Ranch Junior Golf Tour Event
The next Junior Tour event takes place in Denver at the Green Valley Ranch Golf Club on October 15-16. We are expecting approximately 90 golfers to participate. With this being a first year Junior Tour event, five spots are allotted per age division as long as the golfers meet the scoring requirement. Live scoring will feature tee times, results and hole-by-hole scores of players as they compete. For more information, click here.
Tournament of Champions
Coming up in November is the Optimist Tournament of Champions: the Junior Golf championship event for top finishers of the summer Optimist Championships, winners of Optimist District qualifiers, golfers who are included in the top 100 overall Golfweek and Junior Golf Scoreboard rankings and other top junior golfers from around the world. This tournament is a 36-hole event for male and female junior golfers ages 11-18. This competition is for the highest caliber of golfers. Optimist Junior Golf, in cooperation with Shotstat, will feature live scoring for tee times, results and the hole-by-hole scores of players as they compete. For more information, click here.
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Currency Exchange Progress Report
During the 2016 Optimist International Convention, a bylaw amendment proposal to cap the Canadian currency exchange rate at $1.20 CAD/US was presented to the convention delegates. Due to the fact that this bylaw amendment would have an adverse impact to the organization’s budget, the amendment was referred to the 2015-16 and 2016-17 Audit and Finance Committees for their review.
In light of the complexity of the currency exchange issue, an ad-hoc advisory committee was formed to assist the Audit and Finance Committee. The committee is comprised of Members from three different countries to assist with developing a fair and equitable solution to the entire Optimist membership. The Chair of the ad-hoc advisory committee is Jim Oliver, Board Director and Member of Optimist Club of Van Nuys-Airport, California. The members of the committee are Pauline Langelier, Optimist Club of Granby, Quebec South District and Patrick Prendergast, Optimist Club of Sunset Liguanea, Jamaica, Caribbean District. The staff liaison is Jacques Pelland, Senior Director of the Canadian Service Center. This committee has completed their in-depth review of the currency exchange matter and submitted their recommendations to the Audit and Finance Committee in early September 2016.
The Audit and Finance Committees have established an action plan comprised of a wide range of matters and data compilation to aid with the development of their recommendation. To date, they have held multiple teleconferences to evaluate the currency exchange issue, analyze the action plan items, and work towards completing their charge of developing a currency exchange proposal that is fair and equitable to all countries.
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See what's happening on our social sites
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