In January, we had our very first New Optimist Wanted meeting with current optimist members and five community members who are interested in Optimist.  It was a brief meeting with a lot of information.  The community members were given applications, the Optimist Creed, and an invite to our club meetings.  I felt it went very well and I am very much looking forward to having more meetings for community members to learn more about our club.

Our Optimist Club Trailer has been away for a while getting painted so we can finish it up and begin to use it as our vending trailer.  I am really hoping to have the remainder of the work for the trailer finished before Memorial Weekend so we can use it at the Strawberry Breakfast/Parade day.  The first Saturday of June we have an all you can eat Pancake, eggs, ham, etc feed at the Safeway parking lot as a fundraiser.  The trailer is now back in Lebanon, and ready to have the interior work done.  I want to personally thank Les Schwab, Western Metal Fab, City of Lebanon, Nate’s Auto Body and Paint, and many Lebanon Optimist Club Members who have donated their time and energy into our Optimist Club Trailer.

In February I attended the 2^nd Quarter District meeting in Vancouver and was excited to see what all the clubs are doing.  I was also very surprised to be nominated and awarded the 1^st Quarter Optimist of the Year award.  I was also given a HERO award for a distinguished gentleman at our club, Jim McDaniels, who has been a past president and who has encouraged and assisted with many new members joining our club.

On February 28^th, the Lebanon Chamber and Jaycees had their annual Distinguished Awards Banquet which I was able to attend and issue the Optimist of the Year award. 

(You can view a copy of the news article at http://www.lebanon-express.com/articles/2008/03/05/news/local/local02dsa.txt )

We have many Optimist members who have given so much of themselves and it was a very difficult decision to make.  We in fact almost had a tie for Optimist of the Year.  This person is always willing to help in every aspect, helps the chair of a project when needed, always pleasant, has great attention to detail, gives endlessly of time, a great mentor, has always been a supporter of fundraising activities such as the Strawberry Breakfast and the Star Spangled Celebration.  Along with being the person who has been the chair for JOYA for about three years now, I proudly announce the highest nominated Optimist member, Jessica Ruef (also a past president of Lebanon Optimist) as our Distinguished Optimist of the Year for 2007.  Among the others nominated for other awards at the banquet, we had seven others Optimist Club members nominated for other Distinguished Awards.  Lou Masog – Outstanding Community Education; Lita Dyson – Lebanon Ambassador of the Year; Betty Schmidt – Small Business of the Year; Greg Nervino (05-07 President of Lebanon Optimist) of CPI – Cornerstone Award (for donations of $7500+ in the last year); Don Thoma – Lebanon Community Foundation; Joyce Weatherly – Build Lebanon Trails; and the last person I have to talk a bit more about.  OK, so I feel like bragging.  Mainly because he is the reason I joined Optimist Club and has helped me so much for the past ten years I’ve known him.  He is a great mentor, leader, and volunteers so much of his own time.  He has offered to have our trailer located at his house so we can work on it locally.  As long as I have known him, he has always been on the go.  He is always there to help others out and to volunteer his time for special events.  Even helping my mom in her classroom for Dr Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham, and reading with the students.  I am so very proud that I could be at the banquet to watch my step-dad, Rod Sell, be nominated Man of the Year.  “Sell was named Man of the Year by the Lebanon Jaycees for his volunteer efforts with Build Lebanon Trails and work around the city including the Christmas lighting season at Ralston Park.”…  “Sell also has been active with Holidays in the Park, Lebanon Optimists, Healthy Active Lebanon and Community Health Improvement Partnership.”

It’s now March and we are preparing for a NOW event before spring break for the March for New Members.  We are having a Chamber After Hours meeting on March 20^th where we can showcase many of the events we do and speak with others about our club and what we represent.  I am looking forward to visiting with the other community and club members and watching our club grow and prosper for our community.

I also want to again welcome our newest club members and thank them for joining the Optimist family, as well as, volunteering their time and energy already in their year in Optimist.  Having motivational members is always a blessing.

Sincerely,

Christine Davies

President of Lebanon Optimist Club

Right away we were getting things rolling for the JOYA (Junior Optimist Youth Attitude Award) program, by having packets available for the schools and Optimist Club Members taking their parts in helping throughout the year up to and during the Awards Ceremony.  This year the ceremony will be held on Wednesday, May 28^th, 2008.  This is our largest event where we award the youth in the community who have been chosen as hard working, trustworthy, caring, and respectful youth.  They will be able to meet and shake hands with delegates of our community as they receive their award.  Those who have been awarded a JOYA award are able to apply for the Optimist Scholarship their senior year of High School.  This year is also our 10^th year of the JOYA Awards Ceremony program.  We do hope that the President of the United States will also send out a certificate of achievement award to be handed out to the awarded JOYA youth.

In December, we celebrated at Ralston Park “Holidays in the Park”.  This event is one of our smaller events.  In the past we have sold pie and coffee.  This year we sold hot dogs, chili, chili dogs, nachos, hot cocoa, hot coffee, and had hot water for tea available.  The weather was not a friend to anyone that day.  It was windy and rainy which made attendance to the park minimal.  And with the Oregon Civil War Football Game playing, minimal people were present at the park.

In January, we had our very first New Optimist Wanted meeting with current optimist members and five community members who are interested in Optimist.  It was a brief meeting with a lot of information.  The community members were given applications, the Optimist Creed, and an invite to our club meetings.  I felt it went very well and I am very much looking forward to having more meetings for community members to learn more about our club.

Our Optimist Club Trailer has been away for a while getting painted so we can finish it up and begin to use it as our vending trailer.  I am really hoping to have the remainder of the work for the trailer finished before Memorial Weekend so we can use it at the Strawberry Breakfast/Parade day.  The first Saturday of June we have an all you can eat Pancake, eggs, ham, etc feed at the Safeway parking lot as a fundraiser.  The trailer is now back in Lebanon, and ready to have the interior work done.  I want to personally thank Les Schwab, Western Metal Fab, City of Lebanon, Nate’s Auto Body and Paint, and many Lebanon Optimist Club Members who have donated their time and energy into our Optimist Club Trailer.

I also want to again welcome our newest club members and thank them for joining the Optimist family, as well as, volunteering their time and energy already in their year in Optimist.  Having motivational members is always a blessing.

Sincerely,

Christine Davies

Please feel free to email anytime as well.  You may email questions, comments, etc.  The email address is LebanonOptimistClub@comcast.net. 

Have a great day.