Come out and support the Reading is Fundamental and Outdoor Education programs at the Optimist meeting tonight. We will gather at 6:30pm at Mamma Ventura’s.
April is soon upon us and hopefully we will see some warmer temps! The Optimist Club of Gettysburg will have their next regular meeting on Wednesday, April 2nd at 6:30pm at Mamma Ventura’s. We will be hosting guests from the Reading is Fundamental and Outdoor Education programs.
The Optimist Club was well taken care of last night as the Adams County Arts Council hosted our meeting and Stacey provided our meal from Biggerstaff’s Catering. Chris Gladfelter gave a very informative presentation describing all the wonderful ways that the Adams County Art Council benefits the local youth. While county funding significantly decreased last year, the Arts Council was still able to serve more than 1100 children and seniors through classes and workshops. They actually increased their services to low income families by 29%. The Arts Council also tries to bring back cultural experiences to the schools through their Roots and Wings outreach program. Upcoming events include: Dining in the Lincoln White House, CenturyLink Gettysburg ChiliBrew & BBQ2,and Tea with Mamie. For more information on these events or membership please go to adamsarts.org
Oyster Feed: The Optimist would like to thank the community for another very successful fundraiser. We received a lot of positive feedback from our guests. 218 tickets were purchased and 209 people attended this event. Final bills are being paid and monies are coming in. More than $3000 will go towards funding local youth programs. Thank you Optimists and volunteers for all your hard work! Click here to see photos from the event.
Optimist Basketball: The club finished up the basketball season on Saturday, March 15th. We had a great group of players and volunteer coaches. We appreciate all the hard work from the participants and hope to see everyone back next year. Click here to see pictures from this season.
Golf Tournament: Optimist members check your email for upcoming Golf committee meetings. Again we stress the importance of each Optimist member seeking out a sponsor and foursome. Click here for more information about the Tournament which is scheduled for Thursday, May 22nd.
Optimist of East York Pig Roast: Several members from our club will be traveling to the All-You-Can-Eat Pig Roast in York on Tuesday, March 25th. The event is located at 3562 Gillespie Dr., York. It begins at 6:30pm. Tickets are $40 for the meal and chances to win raffle prizes. Contact Walt for more information. If you would like to carpool a group will be leaving from the Peebles parking lot at 6pm.
Special Guest: Barb Kingsley attended the meeting to learn more about what our club does for the community. She is the Communications Coordinator for Gettysburg Area School District and she hopes to increase awareness between the district and the community through print and online media. Barb was gracious enough to design a very creative advertisement promoting the Oyster Feed. She has been a long-time supporter of the Optimist mission and she plans to attend future meetings to gather additional information on our club.
Upcoming meetings:
Wednesday, April 2nd at 6:30pm at Mamma Ventura’s. We will have guests from RIF and the Outdoor Education program.
Wednesday, April 16th at 6:30pm at Mamma Ventura’s. We will have guests from the Musical Theatre.
The Optimist meeting tonight will begin at 6:30pm at the Adams County Art Council building which is located on 125 S Washington St.
The East York Optimist Club Pig Roast Fundraiser is scheduled for Tuesday, March 25th at 6:30 PM. This years event will be held at 3562 Gillespie Dr., York. Tickets are $40.00 for an all you can eat menu to include; BBQ & Pulled Pork, Chicken, Potatoes, Veggies, Cole Slaw, Sheet Cake, Coffee, Beer, Water….AND A TON OF FUN! More than $1700.00 in prizes will be given away to some lucky attendees. Contact Walt Jones for your tickets to this fun-tasty event.
The next Optimist meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 19th at 6:30pm at the Adams County Art Council Building on 125 S Washington St.
Another season of Optimist Basketball came to a close Saturday, March 15th. We would like to thank the parents and volunteer coaches for their continued support. You help to make this program a success! We would also like to thank the Gettysburg Area School District for the use of their facilities. Finally, we would like to extend a big thank you to all the students who came out this year. It was a great group to work with and we hope you enjoyed playing. We look forward to seeing you next season!
It began way back in 1965 when the Optimist Club of Gettysburg sponsored the first Optimist Youth Basketball program for youngsters from the Gettysburg area. It sought to teach the fun and fundamentals of basketball to youngsters in grades 1 through 6, regardless of their individual skill level. At the start the Program rules were very simple, though some thought them to be revolutionary. All kids played, all focused on the fundamentals of the game, no score keeping and all participants were required to have fun.
Forty-nine years later and the Optimist Youth Basketball Program continues to observe the same set of rules and still reaches out to the youth of the community who want to learn the game of basketball, have fun and share an experience that forms life-long memories. The program is conducted every Saturday morning over eight weeks of winter. Currently each one-hour session is held at the Gettysburg Area Middle School between the months of January through March. The players are divided into boy and girl groups; Grades 1-3 and grades 4-6 and in some years, kindergarten. All participants are encouraged to attend, even if they cannot commit to attending all the weekly sessions. Each boy and girl receives a free basketball tee-shirt as a memento of their experience.
The Optimist Club of Gettysburg Youth Basketball Program is one of more than nineteen youth oriented programs conducted and funded by the local Optimist Club each year. Club members, parents and community volunteers act as leaders, monitors, coaches and mentors. Many of them were once young participants in earlier programs and are now coaching and mentoring their children and grandchildren. Since its inception more than 5000 area young people have participated in the annual basketball outings. This year’s 115 aspiring players will meet this Saturday morning March 8, and wrap up their season next Saturday, March 15.
The Optimist Club of Gettysburg was chartered in 1958 and continues to be dedicated to providing young people with positive activities and learning opportunities. Club members are men and women who come from all walks of life and who are united in an effort to, “To Bring out the Best in Kids!”
To learn more about the Optimist Club of Gettysburg and our many programs, activities and a membership opportunity, visit http://gettysburgoptimist.org/ , https://www.facebook.com/OptimistClubofGettysburg?ref=hl or call 717-220-3416.
The Optimist Club enjoyed a delicious pasta and seafood dinner at Mamma Ventura’s. The timing was perfect as we have seafood on the mind as we prepare for our Annual Oyster and Shrimp Feed this weekend.
Annual Oyster and Shrimp Feed: All hands on deck! All available Optimist members are asked to come out to help make this a successful fundraiser. Prep will begin at 6:30pm on Friday, March 7th. at the Gettysburg Fire Department. Band-Aids will be supplied for any shucking injuries! On Saturday, members are asked to come early to help in the kitchen. Wayne plans to be there at 9 a.m. The feeding frenzy will be from 12-3pm. Please remember to bring a dessert. Ticket sale estimates look strong so we hope to have a full house!
Optimist Basketball: There are only 2 weekends left for this youth program! This season has flown by. Kris and Mindy will coach the children from 9-1pm this Saturday before heading over to the Feed. The kids and volunteers are doing a great job. We have been scrimmaging for a larger portion of the practice and the kids and parents really seem to enjoy participating.
Golf Tournament: After the Oyster Feed, Bruce plans to be in full Golf Tournament mode. We received our first sponsorship check from the Blue & Grey! We are looking for 35 more tee/green sponsors for the tournament which is set for May 22nd. We are hoping to have 36 foursomes participating in this event. Please click on the following link: to take you to printable golf tournament information. Everyone is encouraged to find a sponsor and foursome.
Hoss’s Night Fundraiser: The next Hoss’s Night is scheduled for Saturday, March 15th. 20-25% of guest bills go to the Optimist Club. In order to participate, a patron just needs to hand the cashier our ticket or printed flyer. Fliers will be dispensed at Basketball and the Oyster Feed. Please attend to help us meet our budgeted goals. Click here for the flyer link.
Public Relations: We are having a record number of hits on Facebook in relation to the Oyster Feed, Basketball, and the Golf Tournament. Marci recently put an ad that ran on Facebook for 24 hours for just $5. The ad was to promote the Oyster Feed. It reached 1600 people in the local area who had interests in Food, Oysters, Fundraisers, Optimist, or Youth. At least 6 more tickets were sold from this ad, which is well worth the $5. Marci will plan to use this form of advertising in the future for events such as the Golf Tournament. Two ads also ran recently in the Gettysburg Times. A photographer from the paper did take some pictures last week at Basketball, so hopefully the program will receive some coverage.
Optimist of East York Pig Roast: Tuesday, March 25th at 6:30pm. This great event is All-You-Can-Eat for $40. There will also be more than $1700 in prizes, so please consider supporting another wonderful Optimist organization. Contact Walt ([email protected]) for more information.
* Tom encourages everyone to continue sending in dues.
Upcoming Meetings:
Wednesday, 3/19 at 6:30pm at the Arts Council Building on Washington St.
Wednesday, 4/2 at 6:30pm at Mamma Ventura’s (Guests: RIF/Outdoor Ed.)
Wednesday, 4/16/14 a 6:30 at Mamma Ventura’s (Guests: Musical Theatre)
Optimist Basketball is winding to a close. There are 2 practices left this Saturday and next Saturday, lets finish up strong!
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