Meridian Optimist Club Bulletin PO Box 681 * Meridian, Idaho 83680 Meets Wednesdays, 7:00 a.m. – JB’s Restaurant at Meridian Road and I-84

Hello Members! The 2016-17 year kicked off with a wonderful Installation and Awards Banquet that was held at Rick’s Press Room on Sunday, October 2nd. Thank you Rick and Julie! What an awesome night and a super great meal! The new “Regime” was sworn in by Past Governor Larry Blackburn. Thank you Larry!

Vol. 40 Issue 3 November 2016 Officers President Kimberly Bowers President Elect Vacant Vice President Gail Van Patton Secretary/Treasurer Bill Garcia Past President Eddie Solorzano Board of Directors Mike Harris Darla Solorzano Trenna Bowman Garcia Kirk Farnsworth Terry Farnsworth Bert Moore Committee Chairs Darla Solorzano Casino Table Rentals Mike Harris Essay Contest Bill Garcia Oratorical Contest Trenna Bowman Garcia & Kimberly Bowers Easter Egg Hunt Kirk Farnsworth Christmas Trees

L – R. Bill Garcia, Secretary/Treasurer, Mike Harris, Board Director, Trenna Bowman Garcia, Board Director, Bert Moore, Board Director, Gail Van Patten, Vice President, Kimberly Bowers, President, Eddie Solorzano, Immediate Past President, Darla Solorzano, Board Member and Kirk Farnsworth, Board Member. Terry Farnsworth went missing on us! She is a current Board Member as well! Thank you to all of you that came out that evening! It is always great to see our fellow Optimists and I hope everyone had a great time! Wow! Two weeks after the Installation Banquet was the first quarter Pacific Northwest District board meeting (which the Meridian Optimist Club is a part of) with the new District’s Regime in place as well. The meeting was led by our new Governor, Rick Matkin. It was held at the Clover Island Inn, located pretty much in the middle of the Columbia River near Kennewick, WA. The consensus was it was one of the best district meetings! First Lady Lynn Viner had a training session with the topic of “Leadership; the

District Officers Governor Rick Matkin Secretary-Treasurer Sharon Gray Governor-elect Bruce Gilbertson Optimist of Salem Oregon Lt. Governor Dolores Schamp International President Jim Kondrasuk Optimist Club of East Madison-

Rungs on the Ladder.” It was an excellent session! Following her up was Governor Rick Matkin with his training session, and his topic was “Talking with Purpose.” This was another great session! If you ever have the time, try to attend one of these district meetings. You will learn so much about optimism and the networking with other clubs is very enlightening! Hearing about their individual projects, there is so much going on out there! And the bonus, all members’ registrations are paid for by the club! Gun Club News: At the October 19th board of directors meeting, Gail Van Patten reported that the registration starts on October 21st. At this time there were 5 slots to be filled. She anticipates that they will fill up. She also reported that there are a lot of new coaches which all are pleased with. Bert Moore then reported that the 12 Guns of Christmas is going well and he has confirmed three dates to sell tickets at Sportsman’s Warehouse which are November 5th, November 19th and December 3rd. Next up! The Holiday Food Baskets! At this time we have five schools on board that are collecting the non-perishable food items for the club. The club will be purchasing the perishables such at turkeys, potatoes, bread, milk and other items. Delivery and pick up of the non -perishables from the schools are being handled by Tom McKinstry through November 17th. The food will be sorted and delivered out of the cafeteria at Meridian Middle School (Tentative). We would like all hands on deck please! Thank you so much Tom for all your help! Following right behind the Holiday Food Baskets, Christmas Trees! They will be arriving Saturday, November 26th and we need all hands on deck here as well. It’s a big job unloading the trees. The unloading will begin at 9:00 a.m. with set up following. The lot hours are Monday – Friday, 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. If you are interested in volunteering at the lot (and it is always a great time!), please contact myself, Kim Bowers at 407-0988 or [email protected]. You may also contact Bill Garcia at 870-7975 or at [email protected]. A RUNDOWN ON THE DATES OF THE UPCOMING EVENTS Board of Directors Meeting Time: 7:00 p.m. Place: TBD All members are welcome to attend board meetings!

Monona, WI

The Optimist Creed Promise yourself 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 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. by Christian D. Larson

Happy Birthday November Babies!

November 16, 2016:

November 18 & 19, 2016:

Holiday Food Baskets – sorting/boxing/delivering Meridian Middle School Cafeteria (Tentative) Friday, November 18, 2016 – 12:00 p.m. Saturday, November 19, 2016 – 8:30 a.m. until all is delivered! Please note above the cafeteria is tentative. We will keep you updated if location changes.

November 25, 2016:

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

November 26, 2016: Christmas Tree delivery/unloading/setup Lot location: Near the corner of Overland and Meridian Roads, behind Walgreens Monday – Friday – 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. Saturdays & Sundays – 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. The lot runs until all trees are gone!

Calvin Barrett 11/8 Al Borden 11/18 Sheena Garcia 11/13 Trenna Trenna Bowman Garcia 11/3 Bob Nelson 11/7

November 29, 2016:

Larry Gebert with KTVB Channel 7 will be shooting a broadcast at the tree lot at 10:00 a.m. Everyone is welcome to join in on the fun! Be there by 9:30 a.m.

November 30, 2016:

Meridian Optimist Club/Larry Gebert airs

30 and under for $30 As membership declines in all service organizations worldwide, Optimist international is running a 30 and under for $30 campaign. This means any new traditional Member age 30 and under that joins an Optimist Club between October 1, 2016 and September 30, 2017 will receive this special dues offer of $30 for the first year. So if you know someone under 30 and would get involved, ask them to join us at a weekly meeting and learn about the club! These young people will have new great ideas and energy! The worst someone can tell us is “no,” so just ask!

Please join us Wednesdays, at JB’s Restaurant at 7:00 a.m. for fun and fellowship. If you have something to add to the bulletin, please send the information to Kim at [email protected] by the 20th of the month. Your information will show up in the following month’s bulletin.

The OptiBull ©2014 All rights reserved ∙ Meridian Optimist Club ∙ PO Box 681 ∙ Meridian, ID 83680 ∙ www.meridianoptimist.org