President Rebecca Butler Mona took a few moments during the Optimist Junior Golf Championships to reflect on our inspiring Optimist Summer and look ahead at the last two months of the Optimist Year. Follow Rebecca's year as International President on her official Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Welcome to our August 2019 Leadership Hotline, highlighting the 2019 Optimist Junior Golf Championships, Oratorical World Championships, and more.

Adopted Bylaws Amendments

Convention delegates adopted several amendments to Optimist International bylaws. These changes will take effect Oct. 1.

Dues Change

The Board of Directors on June 28 approved a cost-of-living dues adjustment of 1.9%. This change is provided for in the Optimist International bylaws. This change will take effect at start of the 2019-2020 Optimist year. This change works out to be $1.24 USD.

The Board of Directors is grateful for the work and support of Optimist Members as we work to maintain financial sustainability for the future.
Save Your Louisville memories!

Photos from the 2019 Centennial Celebration Convention can be found at gallery.optimist.org . Take a look to see if we captured you or your friends!

If you attended, and have not had the chance to take the survey, please click here . Your feedback is extremely important to us and the success of future conventions.

If your Club has never been to an International Convention, please contact us at convention@optimist.org and let us know what we can do to encourage your Club to participate.
Update your Club Officers

Remember to update your Club Officers for the 2019-2020 Optimist Year! This can be done online. A current officer must login to  www.optimist.org   and click on “Reports”. Scroll down, and on the right side of the screen, you will see “Club Officer Elect Report,” and click on “Report”. You will be able to select the names of the Club Members who will be filling the leadership roles during the Optimist 2019-2020 year. If you have questions or need assistance, contact Charlotte Baker at Member Services at bakerc@optimist.org .

Optimist Junior Golf Championships

We had a busy July with three weeks of play at Trump National Doral in Miami, Florida.

Here's a look at the winners:

Boys 10 - 11 
First place : Nicholas Logis, Austin, Texas;
Second place : Luciano Follmer, Austin, Texas
Third place : Matias Saavedra, Key Biscayne, Florida

Girls 10 - 12 
First place : Sophie Han, Guangzhou, China 
Second place : Chutimon Rujiranan, Sriracha, Thailand
Third place : Alexis Faieta, Los Angeles, California

Boys 12 - 13
First place : Jack Roberts, St Marys, Georgia
Second place: Alex Huang, Foshan, China
Third place : Santiago Gomez, Bogota, Colombia

Girls 13-14
First Place: Maria Cabanillas, San Martin de los Andes, Argentina
Second Place: Alisa Inprasit, Pakchong, Thailand
Third Place: Thanchanok Iadpluem, Surat Thani, Thailand

Boys 14-15
First Place: Nashawn Tyson, Stuart, Florida
Second Place: Weston Jones, Sudbury, Massachusetts
Third Place: Eduardo Galdos, Lima Peru

Girls 15-18
First place: Haley Quickel, Middletown, Delaware
Second place: Giovanna Fernandez Lopez, Luque, Paraguay
Third place: Tagiralani Luafalealo, Honolulu, Hawaii

Boys 16-18
First place: Angel Guerra, El Tigre, Venezuela
Second place: Tradgon Mccrae, Plainville, Kansas
Third place: Kolbe Irei, Honolulu, Hawaii
 
For complete results and scores, visit www.optimist.org/golf/championships .
Oratorical World Championships

The 4th Annual Optimist International Oratorical World Championships took place July 19-20 at the Saint Louis University Center of Global Citizenship in St. Louis, Missouri.

Thank you to all Optimists who made the event successful!

Congratulations to our World Champions:

  • First Place: Alyse Saucedo, California South, West Coast Region, $15,000 scholarship
  • Second Place: Michael Morgan, Kentucky/West Virginia, Mid-Atlantic Region, $10,000 scholarship
  • Third Place: Dylan Hyun, Ohio, Northeast & Great Lakes Region, $5,000 scholarship

Each of our three Champions also won a $5,000 scholarship for winning their regional competition. The following Regional Winners also receive a $5,000 scholarship as well as our congratulations:

  • Global Region: Haiti – Israel Dorvil
  • Great Plains Region: Wisconsin/Upper Michigan – Regina Gravrok
  • Southeast Region: Alabama/Mississippi – Grace O’Grady
  • Southwest Region: Tenn/Ark – Sydni Whitfield
  • Middle America Region: Eastern Missouri – Judson Mayfield
  • Saint Lawrence Region: – Manuela Nauboussi
  • 
Visit www.optimist.org/oratorical for additional information.  
Bringing Out The Best

" Bringing Out the Best--The First Century of Optimist International (1919-2019)" by Past International President David Bruns was the hottest souvenir at the 2019 International Convention. This 600-page work chronicles the origins and accomplishments of Optimist International

If you missed Convention, you can still buy the book on Amazon.
Upcoming Webinars
The Leadership Development Committee will be having the following webinars over the next few months:

Sep 9, 2019                      B2B September Checklist: Are You Really Done?             
Daniel Rich/Sylvain Menard
The end of the Optimist year is just a few weeks away – have you done everything you set out to do? How will you know? This webinar will help you to review the goals you had for the year and evaluate your progress toward them and the goals set for the whole organization. Once you know where you stand, remember – “You are never really done until October 1”. The Registration Link is: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3322500231541158147

Webinars begin at 7 p.m. Central time. If you have any questions, please contact leadership@optimist.org
Childhood Cancer Campaign Matching Grants

The Childhood Cancer Campaign has been a significant endeavor for the OI family for many years. Many children and organizations have benefited from the caring support of Optimist to fund research at Johns Hopkins plus much-needed local projects.

Optimist International Foundation is proud to announce the re-launch of the CCC Matching Grant Program. Clubs can get a matching grant up to $1,000 to fund a local childhood cancer project. New to the effort, the scope of the matching-grant program has been broadened to include health and wellness projects that relate to childhood cancer.

Canadian Children's Optimist Foundation

Earlier this year, the Canadian Children’s Optimist Foundation sent a survey to every Canadian Optimist Club and Canadian Optimist Member. We asked for suggestions on how we can improve and they responded.

This is why the Canadian Children’s Optimist Foundation Board of Directors is revising the Recognition policies to better suit our donors’ needs and wishes. We are modifying the recognition process as its stands today to move it in the 21st century.

You may consult the survey report, conducted at no cost by an external firm, on the CCOF website here:  http://ccof-foec.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Survey.pdf .
Junior Optimist
There’s still time to charter a Junior Optimist Club for the 2018-19 year with prorated dues structure for August and September. 

Visit www.junioroptimist.org for more information. 
Targeted Membership Recruitment

August: Educators. Speak with teachers, coaches, and administrators about joining your Club. These individuals interact with youth on a daily basis and can be a great asset to your Club through these connections. Educators can join for $30 for their first year!
Our Centennial - Let's Celebrate

Each Optimist has a story to tell - it could be how you got involved, why you are still an Optimist, or an inspirational moment you had at an Optimist event. We want to hear your story! Submit an Optimist Story here . Video and written stories will be shared throughout the year on social media.

Centennial merchandise may be purchased at our official suppliers.
Official Optimist International Suppliers

United States and the Caribbean:
Shumsky
Canada:
Ansell's Awards and Specialties

Members outside of the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean may order from either vendor.
Contact the International Board of Directors 

If you have comments, concerns or suggestions for the International Board of Directors, please send to  board@optimist.org