Happy New Year!
Two noteworthy Optimist events take place in London in the immediate future:
On January20 the Fanshawe Optimist Club is hosting a Charter Night Party as sponsor for the new Optimist Club of Stoney-Ridge. This event is being held at Wolesley Barracks Officers' Club Mess and will feature dinner, inaugurations and dance. It promises to be a fun event and a great kick start to our newest club. Call me if you wish to join in the festivities and welcome the 17th optimist club to London and the induction of 33 Optimist members.
On Februrary 3 Mid-Western Ontario District of Optimist International holds its second Quarter Board meeting at the Sheraton Four Points Hotel in London. Highlights of this day include workshops, seminars, activity reports and a dinner banquet to present 1999-2000 club achievement awards. Oakridge is in line to receive recognitions and I encourage you to join Past President Rick for all or part of this day. It is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about Optimist programs and service to youth in our community.
Our club needs volunteers for our Youth in Government and HOBY programs. Other program and event opportunities exist to improve our club. The time requirements are not onerous and the projects cover a short time frame. Why not make a New Years resolution to call me now and talk over how you can fit in to the Optimist mix?
Yours in Optimism Jim Easton
There will be a breakfast meeting at Thames Valley Golf Course. Cost is $7. Items on the agenda:
1. District Rep, Bob House and two students will share info on HOBY program. (See article below)
2. Lt. Gov. will be present to induct new member Bob Caron.
3. Presentation of Optimist of the Year award.
4. Update on programs and events for next 3 months.
Tubing at Boler Mountain (London Ski Club). Members, family and friends are invited to participate. Individual tubes will be available for $10.00 each which is a group rate. (covers towing fees). Activities start at 6:00 p.m. and can last until 10:00 p.m. when the snack bar closes. Don't miss this chance for great fun.
Pat Moffatt
has been a member of the Oakridge Optimist Club since 1995 but his involvement with Optimism goes back to when
he was 7 years old - more on that later. Pat joined the East London Optimist Club in 1980 and became active in
the formation of a fencing club, which has seen its members compete at the Olympic level. He served as Secretary
and as President. Pat notes that he was involved in obtaining a tenant (Waldorf School) for the club's building
which went a long way to paying the bills.
Pat has been married to Barb for 30 years and they have two kids, Mike and Michelle. They moved to our area in 1987 and it was at that time that Pat took a break from his club. He was recruited by Eric Riley and joined our club in 1995. Since then he has been very active on the bingo committee and the baseball committee. He has served as an umpire, house league chair and a convener since 1990.
Pat retired from teaching in 1999 after 25 years in the technology area at Strathroy District Collegiate Institute. He began his working career in 1967 as a sheet metal apprentice for an Exeter firm. He became a licensed sheet metal mechanic and specialized in heating and cooling. He went on to be a Superintendent for Coleman Heating where he was responsible for 40 workers.
Pat has several memories of his times as an Optimist and volunteering in general. He told me that working closely with Doug (B.N.) McMaster is always an adventure. He has many fond memories of handing out awards at baseball and T-ball tournaments. While teaching at SDCI he coached boys Midget basketball, coached hockey, served on an advisory committee at UWO and was a member of the health and safety committee for the Middlesex Board. By far, his fondest sports related memory was of the year he coached the high school hockey team and defeated the Clarke Road team which was coached by a well known Oakridge Optimist. I'm sure we can convince Pat to give us the play by play on that one.
Pat told me a story from his East London days that confirm that he has a nasty side to him. He was golfing with two friends at Maple Ridge when one them hit his ball into a back yard that also contained two unfriendly German Shepherds. Pat and the other golfer came up with a plan that they would distract the dogs while the errant driver would enter the fenced yard and retrieve his ball. As soon as he entered the yard Pat and his friend walked away and the dogs soon realized they had a visitor in their yard and chased after their friend.
Back to his Optimist contact at age seven. Pat told me that he was a member of a boxing club that was organized by the Optimist Club. Its nice to hear a story about someone benefiting from the hard work of community volunteers coming back to help others.
Thanks for all your hard work and dedication to the bingo cause.
Submitted by, Rick Gillespie.
Thanks to the willingness of 14 workers to help with our last Bingo - a "midnight" affair Dec.29/30. It proved to be quite lucrative with earnings to our club of $1153.00. Missing from action was Opt. Doug McMaster, who was in the hospital recovering from chicken pox. Reports are that Doug is now home and feeling much better. It's not the same without you Doug!
St. John Ambulance - $200. They had 4 attendants on duty for a total of 36 hours during the Novice Hockey Tournament
in November.
Port Burwell Optimist Club - $500. This is to be used to set up an 18 hole Frisbee Golf Course at Fanshawe Park.
The total project will cost $1666.66 and is supported by Zone 9 clubs.
Fanshawe Optimist Club - $225. A Computer Contest will be organized for school aged children - coordinated by the
Fanshawe Optimists.
Hundreds of children in the Oakridge and surrounding area are able to enjoy the fun and exercise offered by soccer, baseball and hockey programs. This would not occur without the service offered by the coaches, conveners and committee workers. The Directors of the club have organized the following to recognize the work done by the sports committee members:
Plaques will be purchased for each sport and thereon will be displayed names and years, for the people who have served as chairpersons. If any members have easy recollection of names, which go back 10 years or so please call or email Jim with the information. These plaques will be displayed in the Oakridge arena meeting room.
Regular Dinner Meeting - Feb.15, 2001, will be a social at the "Waltzin' Weasel", located at the corner of Windermere Ave. and Adelaide St. The upstairs room has been booked and all sports committee people will be invited for finger food and beverages. Let's aim for a large turnout to show our appreciation and to enjoy the fellowship of those who help make our community a better place.
***We need a volunteer to coordinate this program! Call Pres. Jim for information.
The Youth In Government Program provides the perfect opportunity for our youth to recognize Optimist activities
and involve them in city and provincial governments and agencies.
A Youth In Government Day is supported by the Optimist Club of Oakridge Acres. This event gives young people the opportunity to gain first hand knowledge about their local or provincial government. There are many different activities and projects that are undertaken on this day.
Students are matched with city, county or provincial government officials for one morning or an entire work day. Students vote for a Mayor, Councillors and Aldermen amongst themselves and the 'elected' student officials then shadow their counterparts for the day. Discussions are held among the students regarding what they have learned from the experience.
A mock city council meeting is held with separate council committee meetings. Topics that are held include city budgeting, local crime, water pollution and building/zoning regulations. Elected students serve one-day terms in various council-reporting positions. On the designated day, they occupy the desks of the officials and learn about the problems that confront the public servant and how they are solved.
A day internship program is organized with a local government office. Participants are assigned to the supervision of one government employee and assume this individual's job duties for the day.
Next time you visit Oakridge Arena take a gander at the west wall, just to the left of the main entrance doors. President Jim has purchased new framing for our club members' photographs. Most members now have a picture on display but we are still missing a few. Opt. Don Draper always has a camera at club functions and can take a photo when needed. It is important that we get the pictures of those missing so the public realizes who we are. Also, an up-to-date "shot" can be taken for any that are not pleased with the one on display.
In 1958, actor Hugh O'Brian returned from Africa highly inspired by his visit with Dr. Albert Schweitzer. Later that year, Hugh established the Hugh O'Brian Foundation, now known as the Hugh O'Brian Leadership, to seek out and develop leadership potential in youth. The HOBY Leadership began in California. Today, there are approximately 105 seminar sites located throughout Canada, the United States, Mexico, the Bahamas, Jamaica and Japan. The program was introduced to Canada in 1983 by the Opt. Club of St. Clair Beach. Over 20,000 students worldwide benefit from HOBY seminars annually.
Each year our club sponsors grade 10 students from Oakridge S.S. and St. Thomas Aquinas S.S so that they can attend the HOBY Western Ontario Leadership Seminar. In the year 2000, it will be held April 30- May 2 at Ridgetown College. Keynote speakers include Leroy Hibbert speaking on the theme "self-esteem and Leadership" Optimist members who have attended and assisted as counselors during past seminars have deemed the experience most rewarding. If you have an interest in serving as a counselor please call Pres. Jim Easton.
Find out more about the program at the January 13th Breakfast meeting.
- An important project for us to consider!
Perhaps you read the editorial in the London Free Press, Sun. Jan.07, 2001 entitled "Shattering the myth of the generous Canadian". It quoted Statistics Canada figures indicating "less than three in 10 Canadians account for 83 per cent of volunteer work, 77 per cent of donations (charitable), and 69 per cent of civic participation. The same source showed that the key determinant of an adult's willingness to volunteer was involvement as a youth in civic activities.
Optimist International encourages clubs to sponsor, develop and coach Junior Optimist Clubs - an international volunteer organization made up of nearly 15,700 kids and teens from all over North America dedicated to helping others and changing the world. Youth Optimist Clubs - JOOI Clubs - are open to children of all ages. Alpha Clubs are for ages 6 to 9, Junior Optimist Clubs for ages 10 tol3 and Octagon Clubs for ages 14 to 18. Like the adult clubs, they are active in the communities. From exciting fund-raising projects to neighborhood clean-ups, JOOI Clubs have something for everyone.
The Ontario Education Ministry has decreed that all secondary school students must complete community service before graduation. If we could establish clubs in Oakridge S.S and St. Thomas Aquinas S.S we would indeed be helping the young people to govern their own community service time; we also would be paving the way for improvement in adult volunteerism.
OI provides lots of guidance to any member who is willing to "carry the ball and run with it"
Lost: small apricot poodle.
Reward. Neutered.
Like one of the family.
Dinner Special -- Turkey $2.35;
Chicken or Beef $2.25;
Children $2.00.
Wanted: 50 girls for stripping machine operators in factory.
Have several very old dresses from grandmother in beautiful condition
Man, honest. Will take anything.
Used Cars; Why go elsewhere to be cheated? Come here first!
Girl wanted to assist magician in cutting-off-head illusion. Blue Cross and salary.
We will oil your sewing machine and adjust tension in your home for $1.00.
An English professor wrote the words "a woman without her man is nothing"
on the blackboard and directed the students to punctuate it correctly.
The men wrote "A woman, without her man, is nothing."
The women wrote "A woman: without her, man is nothing."
The Walton's invited their new neighbors the Spit's over to dinner. During dinner Mr.Spit asked Mr.Walton what
he did for a living. 4 year old Brian Walton jumped in and said "Daddy is a fisherman!"
To which Mrs.Walton replied" Brian why do say that. Your daddy is a stock broker not a fisherman.
"No mom. Everytime we visit dad at work and he hangs up the phone he laughs, rubs his hands together and says
I just caught another fish."
Optimist Kevin Heslop reported that members of the Fanshawe Optimist Club have been playing hockey twice per month at the Lucan Arena. Their numbers have been dwindling for various reasons and they are interested in some of us joining them in February. This could be a fun match between the two clubs with the rules - non contact, no raising. They have ice time booked for February 9th and the 23rd. If you are interested in donning the old blades and seeing if you can still stick handle give Kevin a call at 472-2627
Happy Birthday to:
Rick Harriss - January 21
Happy Anniversary to:
Ab and Ahiam Chahbar - Jan.
Bob and Leone Stark - Jan 24
Congratulations to: Mike and Paula Wolowich on the birth of a baby girl, Sydney on Dec.07, 2000.
President - Jim Easton (641-0798)
V.P. Youth - Steve Cochrane (657-8865)
V.P. Ways & Means Kevin Heslop (472-2627)
Secretary - Bill Chantler (641-6483)
Treasurer - Craig Rath (673-6403)
Past President - Rick Gillespie (641-2815)
Director (1 yr.) - Peter Hegler (471-4928)
Director (1 yr.) - Doug Mackay (473-5885)
Director (1 yr.) - Rick Harriss (473-2412)
Director (2 yr.) - Sil Brecevic (657-8803)
Director (2 yr.) - Mike Wolowich (473-0769)
Director (2 yr.) - Fred Fickling (472-1062)
1.) Newsletter Staff
Editors - Bob Moldowan and Don Draper
Oakography - Rick Gillespie
President - Jim Easton
2.) Check out the website for the Oakridge Optimists.
Web address - http://www.execulink.com/~oakridge/optimist.htm
Email address - oakridge@execulink.com
Web Master is Peter Hegler
3.) Dinner Meetings held the third Thurs. of each month at the Thames Valley Golf Course unless announced otherwise. (7:00 p.m.)
4.) Board of Directors Meeting held at the Oakridge Arena on the 1st Thursday of each month at 7:00
To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.
To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.
To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble