Back to Optimist Business

It’s time for the Gettysburg Optimist Club to get back to business after a month of vacations, holiday and the Optimist Family Night.  Wednesday, August 1 is the first regular business meeting in August and the first regular meeting since late June.  As the Optimist year begins to wind its way to a new administration, there remains some very important business to complete.

Walt Jones and Kris Accardi will be preparing the meal for those who attend the meeting next Wednesday, and expectations are rising for a grand culinary experience.  Nancy Forgang will be in attendance to present the details on the Meals and More Program.  We will be presenting her with a contribution to this important youth project.

Other topics for discussion will include; the upcoming Optimist Zone 7 meeting on August 15, finalizing the slate of officers and directors for the 2012-2013 Optimist Year, the upcoming Fall Soccer Parking Project and approving the recipient of the Family Night Trivia contest donation.

Members who are willing to step up and take a leadership role for the coming year should contact Craig Sweet at [email protected].

So mark your calendar, grab a prospective member and come spend an evening with the “Friends of Youth”.  The event gets underway at 6:30 pm at the Lake Heritage Pavilion.

See you there,

J. Mark

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Gettysburg Optimist Family Night Fellowship

Nearly 30 Gettysburg Optimists and their family members shared a great evening of food, fun and fellowship on Wednesday, July11.  The event was held at the home of Wayne and Sue Hill in Gettysburg where Wayne demonstrated his considerable skills on the barbecue grill.

Traditionally the annual Family Night is the only meeting of the Gettysburg Optimist Club in the month of July and is dedicated to bringing the families of members together for a festive evening of casual conversation and fine food.  But dedicated Optimist members are never able to miss an opportunity to lend their financial support to a deserving charity, and this years event was no exception.

After a fine dinner the group gathered around the pool for a late evening Trivia Contest.  The trivia master for the evening, Tom Barako, divided the group into four teams and challenged them with questions on American history and World literature (taking some descriptive liberties here).  The winning team of Bill Pyron, Katie Barako, Mark and Beverly Grazulewicz and Don and Ginny Davis demonstrated their remarkable knowledge of the subject matter and earned the opportunity to select a deserving charitable organization for a $1000.00 contribution from the Optimist Club.  They will be announcing the recipient of the donation at the regular membership meeting on Wednesday, August 1, at the Lake Heritage Pavilion.

Our sincere appreciation to Wayne and Sue Hill for opening their home and hosting the Optimist of Gettysburg Family Night Fellowship.

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It’s Time for Optimist Family Night!

It’s happening next Wednesday, July 11th, and it takes place at Wayne and Sue Hill’s home at 10 Oak Trail in Gettysburg.  The Annual Optimist of Gettysburg Family Night is one of the most popular member events of the year.  Wayne will be preparing chicken quarters on the grill and all attendees will be asked to bring a favorite side dish or desert to share.  Please let us know by Monday, July 9th ([email protected]) if you are planning on attending so we may communicate what each member can contribute to the menu.

The pool is open and the water should be warm, given the hot summer temperatures we are experiencing.  The traditional “Optimist Family Trivia Contest” will be held and the winner (or winners) will have the opportunity to select a favorite charity to receive an Optimist Club donation.  The invitation is open to all members and is also a great opportunity to invite prospective members.

So pack up the family, a few lawn chairs, your bathing suits, towels and your appetite and join us for an evening of great food and the finest in Optimist fellowship. Dinner and the evenings festivities will get underway at 6:30pm.

We’re all looking forward to seeing you!

 

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“Well Dr. Franklin. What have you given us?”

On June 11, 1776, the Second Continental Congress at a meeting in Philadelphia selected a committee which included Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman and Robert R. Livingston.  They were charged with drafting a document that would formally sever ties between the colonies and Great Britain.  The final draft, written by the hand of Thomas Jefferson and known as The Declaration of Independence, was officially adopted by the Continental Congress by a unanimous vote on July 4th. After its passage, Ben Franklin was asked, “Well Dr. Franklin.  What have you given us?” He replied, “You have a republic, Madame.  If you can keep it”.  And so, the great experiment in American Democracy was born.

In 1870, Congress established July, 4th (Independence Day) as an official holiday and ever since we Americans celebrate the birth of our nation with parades, barbecues, festivals and fireworks.  Too often, lost in the celebrations is the meanings of the words that many of us were taught to recite in grade school  “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Few at the time gave much prediction that this fledgling group of 13 colonies, through their Continental Congress, had much hope for even a brief period of success with their new republic.  But the constitutional government that followed with its individual liberty, elected representatives and limited powers survived the challenges of time, opposition and war.  On June 24, 1826, Thomas Jefferson sent his last letter to Congress in celebration of the 50th anniversary of The Declaration of Independence. In it he wrote,

“May it be to the world, what I believe it will be … the signal of arousing men to burst the chains … and to assume the blessings and security of self-government. That form, which we have substituted, restores the free right to the unbounded exercise of reason and freedom of opinion. All eyes are opened, or opening, to the rights of man. … For ourselves, let the annual return of this day forever refresh our recollections of these rights, and an undiminished devotion to them.”

In celebrating this July 4th holiday let us rededicate ourselves to the basic fundamentals of our great society and work together in unity to resolve the many challenges facing our nation in these modern times.

As Optimist Club members let us remind our youth of the truly unique gift that has been granted to us in The Declaration of Independence; the rights of individual freedom, liberty, justice and the pursuit of happiness.

May you all have a wonderfully memorable and safe Independence Day celebration.

Yours in Optimism,

Mark Cropp, President

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Caton & Jared’s Alex’s Lemonade Stand

It is time for the 7th Annual Alex’s Lemonade Stand in Gettysburg.  Optimist members will remember Caton and Jared’s visit and presentation to the Optimist Club earlier this year when they received the Club’s donation to their cause.  The winners of the Optimist Family Trivia Contest at last summers Optimist Family Night selected Caton and Jared’s Alex’s Lemonade Stand as the recipient of the clubs Family Night donation.

Caton Raffensperger and Jared Herr have been raising money for childhood cancer  for most of their young lives.  Since their start in 2006 the duo has raised more than $30,000.00 for the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation.  This years effort will be held on Friday, July 6, 3:00-6:00 and Saturday, July 7, 1:00-6:00.  The stand is located on Caton’s Grandma’s Front Porch at 429 Baltimore Street in Gettysburg.

Please join Caton and Jared for the 7th Annual ALEX’S LEMONADE STAND to raise money to help fight childhood cancer one cup at a time. Personal and business donations are welcomed.  Additional information may be found by visiting http://www.alexslemonade.org/mypage/85683.

 

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