Now is the time to start working on your CPA

Hi everyone again. 

 

Please try and get a CPA submission done up for your club. This is a fun way to reflect on a important or fun community service project, youth activity or fundraiser from the current 2012-13 Optimist year.  CPA also helps down the road if your club would like to try the event again then all the information in one spot for someone else to follow.

 

The CPA submissions must be burned to CD and mailed directly to Optimist International for judging.

In the International competition, three award winners will be chosen – Best Film (for video clip entries), Best Writing in a CPA Entry (for .pdf file entries) and the Best Youth Activity.

The Best Youth Activity award will be presented to a Club that exemplifies the mission and vision of Optimist International through its service to youth. The project should be unique and innovative, meet a need of today’s young people, have an impact on the youth involved and have universal appeal, regardless of geography. All youth activity projects in both the Best Film and Best Writing in a CPA Entry category are eligible for this special award; fundraising projects will not be eligible.

International winners will receive a $500 check for their Club to utilize as they see fit. The winning projects will be featured in The Optimist magazine and on the Optimist website.

Winners will be encouraged to attend the International Convention, where their project can be showcased in the Bragger’s Hall.

You can learn more about preparing a CPA from our Optimist Academy tutorial "The Rules Have Changed ... the new CPA" which includes links to the forms needed for your CPA submission and the contest rules.

Submitted by Opt Edna Coulter, District Activities Chair
Our thanks go to Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net for sharing their digital photo with us.

District Essay Contest Winner Announced

The District Essay Contest is an Optimist International Scholarship Program and based on our District's response on this program I believe this is our most paramount project.  All regions of our District participated and we received a total of 18 Essay entries.  Many Clubs held local level contests and one club reported the upwards of 60 entries.  This is terrific news.  That means an approximate average of 500 Essays were written within in our District.  

I am pleased to announce that Ian Chang of Calgary is the District winner of the $2,500 scholarship.  The trophy presentation was made at the Calgary Dinner Club meeting on May 21st.

Now is the time to make contact with local schools to determine interest in running a local Essay Writing Contest for the youth in your community.  Refer to the Optimist International Essay Contest web page for information from this year as you plan for the 2013-14 contest.  The topic should be announced in late September / early October.

Submitted by Opt Brian Wallace, District Essay Contest Chair

Life in the Online World

Many agencies, schools run Internet Safety for younger kids.  However we have a group of kids, younger teens that are being over looked.  Optimist International has a program for these kids called "Life in the Online World". 

Part of the program includes a presentation that was recently filmed at the OI office using Octagon members.  As summer approaches and kids idle time increases I encourage all Optimists to operate the Internet Safety programs.

 Statistics show that 99% of all teens have access to the internet and 94% of students admitted to being cyber bullied and did not tell an adult. The importance of protecting the children in your community is a major undertaking and Optimists Clubs can play a vital role. In order to receive a packet, Clubs must complete the request form. One complimentary packet is available to each Club by request.

After completing the form, please mail it to:
Optimist International
Attn: Programs
4494 Lindell Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63108

You can also fax the form to (314) 735-4125.

Submitted by Opt Brian Wallace, District Internet Safety Chair

2013 Annual District Convention Invitation

You are invited to the 2013 Annual District Convention scheduled for August 22-24, 2013 in Great Falls, Montana.

Enjoy the hospitality of the Great Falls Optimist Clubs and take the opportunity to meet with the District Team led by our Governor, Nick Markowsky.

Early Registration Deadline: August 9, 2013

Hotel:  Holiday Inn & Conference Center, 400 10th Ave S, Great Falls, MT. ~ Call (406) 727-7200 for reservations.

Themes & Activities:

* Fishing Derby / Duck Race (Thursday evening)
* 70's Garb for Best Dressed Contests (Friday evening)
* Golf (Saturday afternoon)
* Governor's banquet (Saturday evening)

Agenda: 2013 Annual District Convention Agenda (coming soon)

Training:  Workshop Schedule (coming soon)

How to Register: Both a "Kids & Companion Programs" are available so you can bring the entire family. Just complete a Registration Form and book your room before they are all reserved!

Submitted by Opt Dan Petersen, Great Falls Uptown Optimist Club

AMS&NW is on the plus side ... WOW

Hello Everyone:

First of all I would like to “Congratulate” you all for helping to make our district move into the plus side. This is the first time in quite a while that we are at this stage this time of the year. Please give yourselves and all of members your club a hearty pat on the back and keep up with the good work.

We are #5 this week on the leader board and to think that the increase is due solely with Member retention as well as new Members being brought in to all of our clubs. Wait until all of the clubs that we have on the go come in. Wow and double Wow. This district is on the way up. It really is nice to see the upward climb rather than the downward decline. Once again “Congratulations.”

See you all in Billings

Soaring to Greater Heights for Children

Governor AMS&NW District 13

Nick A Markowsky

462-23 Street East

Prince Albert, SK

S6V 1P8

Ph 764-6199

Fax 764-9149

nmarkowsky [at] sasktel.net

2013 Optimist International Convention News - May 2013

Fellow Optimists

The Optimist International Convention is less than two months away and the excitement is building. The convention includes a wide variety of workshops and entertainment and is a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with Optimists from years past and make new friends. We hope to see you there!

95th Optimist International Convention

(Cincinnati, Ohio)

Club Officer Election Reports

Hello Everyone:

his memo is going out to everyone. I know that a good number of the clubs have done their elections and submitted the results.

This is just a reminder to have your elections and results completed and submitted to Optimist International by May 20, 2013. This information that you submit helps our incoming Governor get his district information before his term begins. 

Our new Optimist Academy website even has a tutorial on submitting a COER using optimistleaders.org:

Submit your COER in Optimist leaders.org

The last number of years we as a district have let this slip and in turn the incoming governor has to try and get this information at the last minute sometimes without much success thus leading to missed information being sent out to the new executives of the clubs for the new year.

Thank you for your attention to this timely and pressing matter.

See you all in Billings

Soaring to Greater Heights for Children

Governor AMS&NW District 13

Nick A Markowsky

462-23 Street East

Prince Albert, SK

S6V 1P8

Ph 764-6199

Fax 764-9149

nmarkowsky [at] sasktel.net

Remembering Bill Cummer

It is with a great deal of sadness that we announce the passing of Optimist Bill Cummer on Tuesday, May 7, 2013.  Our thoughts and prayers are with Denise Dolph and her family at this time.  Denise provided us with these words:

You may have heard already that my Dad, Bill Cummer, passed away peacefully at home on May 7 after a brief illness. The funeral service will be Friday, May 17 at 10:30 at Lakeview United Church. There will be a visitation (no open casket) Thursday, May 16 in the evening at McInnis and Holloway on Elbow Drive. The obituary will be out tomorrow in the National Post and I think tomorrow and 3 other days next week in the Calgary Herald. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Optimist Club William J. Cummer Scholarship. Details of locations and donation instructions are in the obituary.

I would appreciate it if you would forward this to your club members and other Optimists.

He will be missed by all who knew him!

Bill served 50+ years with the Optimist Club of Calgary and is fondly remembered for being a dedicated volunteer whose contributions have touched generations of youth throughout Calgary.  His passion and dedication were recently honoured by his fellow club members the last time that they hosted AMS&NW District members to a conference in Calgary.  Many of us have enjoyed and will treasure the company and fellowship that Bill always shared with every Optimist he met.

Credits:  Photo -  www.legacy.com

AMS&NW Optimist Journal Launched

We are now publishing a weekly online newspaper that brings together Optimist news and stories that may be of interest to you and your friends.  You can find it in quite a few places:

Learn more in our Web Services announcement "Did you know we published a newspaper".

• Look for a new tab at the top of the OptiNews Blog ... do you see it?
• As a dedicated page on our District website.
• And at Paper.li where it is actually hosted.

We publish a new edition every Monday at 9 am (Mountain US & Canada). Please subscribe to get a regular notice of each new edition.