The Gettysburg Optimist Club met Wednesday, June 1, 2016 at the Lake Heritage pavilion. President Bruce Bradshaw opened the meeting at 7:00pm with an invocation and Pledge of Allegiance. This was followed by an outstanding dinner provided by Joe MacDowell and Tom Barako.

Following the dinner President Bruce introduced our speaker for the evening, Mrs. Darlene Resh, Developmental Education Coordinator for Penn State Extension. Darlene had a very informative slide presentation explaining the function of the 4H Clubs.  She said that 4H is a youth development  non-formal education program of Penn State Cooperative Extension for youth between the ages of 8 and 18. The mission is to help young people become self-directed, productive, and contributing members of a diverse society. The 4H Club has over 1000 school enrichment participants and over 200 in the traditional program. Darlene answered questions from members at the end of her program.

President’s Report:

Bruce and his wife Sue attended the Reading is Fundamental Day on April 29 at James Getty Elementary School. Bruce and Sue distributed books to the students and presented Principal Donna Harrison with a check for $1400  from the
Gettysburg Optimist Club.

Bruce and Daryl attended the  York Optimist Olympics on May 13,representing the Club. It was a very busy day with many participants.

Bruce represented the Gettysburg Optimist Club  on May 25 at the Dollars for Scholars  Academic Awards Ceremony, held at Gettysburg High School. Two $1000 checks each were presented to Olivia Young and Antonio Rinaldi.

Many thanks to those who assisted at Soccer Parking and the Golf Tournament, both very successful days.
Anyone interested in attending the Optimist Fourth Quarter Meeting to be held in Gettysburg this summer, please
contact Bruce.

Soccer Parking: Don Davis reported that soccer parking on May 28 and 29 went very well. The proceeds totaled $4252
for the club. Thank you to everyone who helped.

Golf Tournament: Bruce reported a very successful day. The proceeds for the club came to $10155. The Mulligan Package did well,$2000, and the Auction did well,$450. Thank you everyone who assisted for a great job!

Treasurer’s Report: Tom reported : General Fund-$2942     Activity Fund -$15816.74

Dates
June 15  Speaker will be a rep from Tractor Supply.
July 6     No Meeting
July 20   Family Picnic at the Pavilion
August 17  Zone Meeting and Pig Roast  at Pavilion

The York Optimist Club Pig Roast will be June 14. Anyone interested in going, please contact Kris Accardi.

Finally……….. Joe MacDowell found the club camera! At the bottom of a cooler.

Submitted by Fred Darling

The Optimist Baseball sign is up!

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A good start to your summer season would be to attend the Gettysburg Optimist Club Meeting at 6:00 pm on Wednesday, June 1. This will be the first meeting of the year to be held in the pavilion at beautiful Lake Heritage. So come on out and enjoy the bucolic setting along with a great dinner, good fellowship, and an interesting speaker!

Perhaps many of you belong to 4H or know someone in 4H. Our speaker for the evening  will be Darlene M. Rush, 4H Youth Development Educator, Penn State  Extension. She will be discussing the various 4H programs geared toward  benefitting young people.

See you there.

If you haven’t had a chance, check out the 2016 age group basketball shots on our website. Brienna of Picture This Portrait and Special Events did an amazing job on this years photos!

A very special day observed by Bruce Bradshaw and Daryl Aurand at the York Optimist Olympics. Over 600 people including participants and volunteers made this a lasting day for each child. York Optimist Club is to be commended for their work hosting this their 24th annual Optimist Olympics. Well Done to York Optimist Club!

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The Optimist Olympics are being held in York this Friday, May 13. They need volunteers to assist in the various competitions.

Bruce Bradshaw will be attending and assisting at the Optimist Olympics. If anyone from the Optimist Club is interested in going, please contact Bruce : 717-359-7620. He has room to take people in his car-leaving at 8:00am.

Reminder: There is no Optimist Meeting on Wednesday, May 18.

Golf Tournament : Thursday, May 19

The Gettysburg Optimist Club met on May 4,2016 at the Refectory. Vice-President Darlene Brown opened the meeting at 7:05pm with an invocation and Pledge of Allegiance. This was followed by an outstanding dinner provided by Stacey Green and staff.

After dinner Vice-President Darlene introduced the speaker for the evening: Mr. Matt Sheads, Gettysburg Youth Baseball Leader. Matt spoke about the activities of the Baseball League, mentioning that there are more teams than ever. He pointed out one team has the Optimist Club printed on their uniforms, as well as 4×6 signs indicating Optimist Club support for the organization. Matt finished his talk by thanking the club for its financial support ($750) and answered questions from club members.

Treasurer’s Report: Tom Barako reported – General Fund $2958 Activity Account $10988.64
Tom asked anyone with outstanding dues to please pay as soon as possible.

Golf Tournament: Wayne Hill reported that there are several volunteer slots open. He will send an email asking for members to sign up to help. Frank Negro is finishing the programs for the tourney and checked about some sponsors such as Adams County Bank, Allianz, and Adams Electric. Tom said that he has cases of chips for the tourney. Daryl mentioned that there are still openings for foursomes for anyone interested. Ms. Nancy Scott donated a set of golf clubs to be raffled at the tournament. Thank you!

Member comments: Walt Jones mentioned that the 13th Annual Eisenhower Senior Self Improvement Breakfast will be held on Thursday, May 5, 7:30am, at the Adams County Tech Prep Building. The Optimist Club helps support this program, and all members are welcome to attend.

New Member: Pleased to announce that Brian Skidmore was welcomed as a new member of the Gettysburg Optimist Club. Brian hails from Biglerville. Welcome!!

Recognition: Congratulations to Mark Cropp and Marci Cropp for their involvement in completing the Face of America Bike Ride on April 27. This is part of World Team Sports.

Vice President Darlene Brown closed the meeting at 8:15 pm. with a reading of the Optimist Creed.

Submitted by Fred Darling.

The Gettysburg Optimist Club will meet Wednesday, May 4, at 6:00pm in the Refectory. If you need a mid-week pickup, stop by for interesting conversation and great food. See you there!

Mr. Matt Sheads, Gettysburg Youth Basketball Leader, will be joining us on May 4. He will be discussing season goals and extending a thank you to the club for our donation of $750. There will also be discussion about the Golf Tourney,(May 19), soccer parking, and the Club’s participation in the Special Olympics being held in York on May 13.

REMINDER: THERE WILL BE NO MEETING ON MAY 18.

The June 1 meeting will be the first meeting of the year to be held at the pavilion at Lake Heritage.

RIF DayThis morning April 29, 2016, Bruce Bradshaw and his wife Sue attended the start of the James Getty RIF day at the invitation of the Gettysburg PTO RIF sponsor Mike Flaherty. He and two PTO volunteers manned the front corridor lobby with tables filled with books identified for each grade level.  He was also able to meet with Mrs. Donna Harrison, the James Getty Principal and present her with the Optimist check for $1400. The RIF program provides each student three books each year with books given out from kindergarten to the fifth grade. If a student stays in the Gettysburg system he/she will have received 18 books from the Optimist supported RIF program.

 

For 15 minutes, each class was given time to choose books. Here’s the schedule:


   Book Choice(in lobby)          Olympic Relays (in gym)


  8:40am    Aurand
  8:50        Roy
  9:00        Spokus                       Sease
  9:15        Sease                          Spokus
  9:30        Fague                          Jones
  9:45        Jones                           Fague
10:00        Wampler                      Becker
10:15        Becker                         Wampler
10:30        Barrett                         Lamer
10:45        Lamer                          Barrett
11:00        Schiefer                        Moles
11:15        Moles                           Schiefer
11:30        Shellenhamer                Strausbaugh
11:45        Strausbaugh                 Shellenhamer
12:00pm   Leppo
12:30        Secrest                        Myers
12:45        Myers                         Secrest
  1:00        Daniels                        Kletz
  1:15        Kletz                           Daniels
  1:30        1/2 fifth grade

 

Bruce comments “It was a very interesting and fulfilling morning.”

 

For more images of today’s event, please visit our facebook album.

The Master’s is completed and with warmer weather approaching, it is time to start thinking about golf, and enjoying the chance to meet your neighbors and friends while supporting the youth of Gettysburg.  The Annual Gettysburg Optimist Golf Tournament is set for Thursday, 19 May, 2016 with tee off scheduled for 1:00 pm at the Links at Gettysburg.

The annual Optimist Golf Tournament features contests including a Scramble format, Longest Drive, Closest to the Pin, Green of Gold, and Putting contests with awards to the top three finishing foursomes.  Last years’ winner from the ACNB have declared their intention to defend their title predicting another victory.

The Optimist Club of Gettysburg invites the local community to join us for the afternoon. Although we come from all walks of life, Optimist Club Members share in the goal to make a difference in the lives of others, especially the youth in our region.  The Annual Golf Tournament is one of several fund raising projects the local club conducts in order to support more than 19 youth related programs throughout the Gettysburg area.

With this fundraiser, we hope to be able to bring more projects to the children of the community who need it most.  This is your opportunity to join the “Friends of Youth” in supporting programs including; Optimist Youth Basketball, Youth Appreciation, Respect for Law, Reading is Fundamental, S.T.A.R.S., GHS Outdoor Education, Gettysburg Community Theater (GCT), Holiday Family Outreach, GHS Musical Ensemble, Dollars for Scholars, Food Kitchen Meals and More, The Gettysburg Arts Council and more.  We need the support of the Gettysburg community to continue a fifty-six year tradition of providing these programs to our local youth!  Please fill out your team and mail in your entry form to insure your place to support our youth. Questions please contact Bruce Bradshaw at 359-7620 or for more information including registration paperwork, please visit here.