January Project Spotlight

Iceless Curling For Fun and Food

Oakland Community College — Auburn Hills Optimist Club, in Auburn Hills, Michigan, already supports several annual service projects, including Friendly Forest Halloween, SCAMP (a special needs camp for kids and adults), the Clarkston Optimist July 4^th Parade, and a “Socks & Shoes” event every November. 

But, in 2023, the Club decided to add a new service project to that list.

After learning about iceless curling at the International Convention held in Reno, Nevada, in 2022, the Michigan District 17 leadership team decided to purchase two sets of iceless curling equipment for the Michigan Childhood Health and Wellness Committee. On seeing the activity's popularity at one of the committee's events, the OCC — Auburn Hills Optimist Club decided to get in on the fun, renting the equipment for a canned food drive on Valentine’s Day.

The event proved popular, with the Club collecting 210 pounds of canned food and some additional monetary donations for the North Lighthouse Food Pantry in Clarkston, Michigan.

“Thanks for the support from Al Kersey, iceless curling’s OI champion. Al has shown what fun iceless curling can be and its effect on youth involvement,” the Club said. “This event can be undertaken inside a gym or in a school hallway or on a carpeted hotel floor. The equipment can be set up within 15 minutes and is ready for use on a clean gym floor.”

Convention Live Band

International President Tracy Huxley and First Gentleman Nigel Small will host the annual convention banquet on Monday, June 24, and we are very excited to announce this year's live band – The Madhatters. 

Niagara Falls natives, the rock quartet "oozes with melodic instrumentals and larger-than-life vocals," according to the band's website. "The Madhatters have mastered the live show with their beyond-accurate portrayal of covers" and have shared a bill with Bruce Springsteen and Smash Mouth, among other popular artists.

Learn more at madhattersband.ca/

Upcoming Webinars

Optimist Institute: Educating, Inspiring, and Engaging ALL Members

Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. CST

Presented by Heather Myers 

Click here to register

Restated Bylaws: How to Have Your Voice Heard

Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. CST

Presented by the Governance Committee

Click here to register

Communicating Across Generations

Feb. 12, at 7 p.m. CST

Presented by Pam Moehl 

Click here to register