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

Club Elections

A special message to all members

Elections are just around the corner.  Actually, election results are due to be reported to the District Secretary-Treasurer by May 20.

This requirement has not been followed for several years, which has created numerous problems with notifications to Optimist International and the publishing of the District directory.

The current directory contains incorrect phone numbers, names of individuals who have not been in office for several years, and invalid email addresses.

As most of you are aware, the Optimist fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30.  In order to check the accuracy of information and have a time frame to actually publish the directory, an appropriate time limit must be followed.

Each member of the district pays dues, part of which are used for the publication of the directory, which can cost close to $1,000 or more.  It is not acceptable to me to publish a professional publication full of discrepancies.

Please do your part by having your elections at your next meeting.  If you must, call a special meeting to accomplish this task and immediately notify the District Secretary-Treasurer at 1-406-388-0168.

Governor Ted Huber
AMS&NW District 13 Optimist International

21 Top Optimist Questions (Part 3)

Our first two articles on common Optimist member questions provided answers and links to online resources. Here are last 7 common Optimist questions that we thought of:

15. Do Optimist clubs offer education scholarships?
16. Someone has asked me if our club runs an Internet Safety Program. Where can I find information about that?
17. Our club secretary passed on and I have been asked to take over. I need some immediate help. Who should I contact? What needs to be done?
18. I am moving to another community. Where can I go to find a list of Optimist Clubs?
19. I am moving to another small community that does not have an Optimist Club. What can I do to remain involved?
20. I am interested in serving on the District Team. Who should I contact?
21. Our club wants to host a future District Conference or Convention. Who should we contact?
    

15. Do Optimist clubs offer education scholarships?Optimist International offers three scolarship competitions, the Oratorical Competition, the Essay Competition, and the Communication for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Competition. Winners of those competitions are awarded scholarships that they can collect when they enter a post-secondary education institution.

16. Someone has asked me if our club runs an Internet Safety Program. Where can I find information about that?

In 2007, Optimist International partnered with ikeepsafe.org to develop an internet safety education program. You can direct interested people to our Youth Programs page on Internet Safety, and we also have a resources page for the program.

17. Our club secretary passed on and I have been asked to take over. I need some immediate help. Who should I contact? What needs to be done?

Suddenly losing a club secretary and/or treasurer due to illness, death or personal reasons can create a treamendous amount of concern. We suggest that you contact your Zone Lieutenant Governor and the District Secretary-Treasurer for assistance and guidance.

18. I am moving to another community. Where can I go to find a list of Optimist Clubs?

If you are moving to a community in Alberta, Montana, Saskatchewan or Cody Wyoming, you can refer to our online Zone and Club List or consult our District Directory. If you are moving somewhere else in North America, we wish you well on your future endeavours and recommend that you consult the Optimist International website for a complete list of all clubs.

19. I am moving to another small community that does not have an Optimist Club. What can I do to remain involved?

You have several choices ... (1) Retain your membership with your current club (once an Optimist, always an Optimist). (2) You can transfer your membership to the nearest club. (3) Retain your current membership, and on October 1st become a Friend of Optimist (FOO). Of course we have information on signing up as a FOO.

20. I am interested in serving on the District Team. Who should I contact?

Thank you for your interest. We suggest that you contact Incoming Governor Ted.

21. Our club wants to host a future District Conference or Convention. Who should we contact?

Thank you for your interest. We suggest that you contact Incoming Governor Ted.

Other Questions:

• The First Set of Common Optimist Questions
• The Second Set of Common Optimist Questions

Comments or suggestions:

Do you have a common question that you need answered or additional suggestions for the questions we listed above? We invite you to share your contribution.

21 Top Optimist Questions (Part 2)

Our first article on common Optimist member questions provided answers and links to online resources. Here are another 7 common questions:

8. Where are the District Meetings for the coming year?
9. What are Optimist Youth Programs and where can I find more information?
10. I need to provide information to prospective new members. Do you have something on what Optimists clubs do?
11. I have a club project that I want to advertise online as soon as possible. Can you help me?
12. I have been asked to build a club website but I don't know how to start. Do you have some information?
13. I am new and keep hearing all these acronyms. What is NCB, CPA, PGI, NOW, OI, OIF and CCOF?
14. Where can I get a copy of the Optimist Creed and Mission?

8. Where are the District Meetings for the coming year?

The schedule for District meetings can be found on the District Meetings page. We also publicly announce each meeting about 6-8 weeks prior on our "OptiNews" blog, and the information for the upcoming meeting is always located in the right hand column on each "OptiNews" blog page.

9. What are Optimist Youth Programs and where can I find more information?

Optimist International sponsors many international youth programs that clubs can choose to participate in. Those programs include internet safety education, education scholarship competitions, fighting childhood cancer, youth sports competitions like golf and curling, youth safety and youth appreciation. You can check out details on any of the available programs on the District Youth Programs page.

10. I need to provide information to prospective new members. Do you have something on what Optimists clubs do?

We certainly do. Here is a brief introduction on What Optimists Clubs Do that you can provide to prospective new members.

Your club should also have a supply of membership application brochures that contain information on youth programs, and you can always suggest to your club that they create their own brochure to hand out to prospective new members.

11. I have a club project that I want to advertise online as soon as possible. Can you help me?

The quickest way to get information online is to post it to your club website or blog. We also invite you to (1) post the information about the activity on the District Facebook Page. You will need a Facebook account and you must "Like" the District Facebook page to post information. (2) You can email the information including any graphic files, brochures, invitations or registration forms (all in PDF format) to optinews@gmail.com and we will post the information on the District Blog.

12. I have been asked to build a club website but I don't know how to start. Do you have some information?

We have just created a new educational blog called "Put Your Club Online" that will contain information on how to build a Facebook page, a club website/blog, a Twitter feed account, and club portal "just for members". Articles and "How-to" PDF guides will be made available in the near future.

13. I am new and keep hearing all these acronyms. What is NCB, CPA, PGI, NOW, JOOI, OI, OIF, CCOF, DFR and CFR?

I guess that all orgainizations have their own glossary of special terms. Here is what those acroynms mean:

• NCB - New Club Building
• CPA - Community Project Award
• PGI - Personal Growth & Involvement
• NOW - New Optimists Wanted
• JOOI - Junior Optimists & Octagon International
• OI - Optimist International
• OIF - Optimist International Foundation
• CCOF - Canadian Children's Optimist Foundation
• DFR - District Foundation Representative
• CFR - Club Foundation Representative

14. Where can I get a copy of the Optimist Creed and Mission?

Our Optimist Creed has a copy of the Optimist Creed, the Optimist Mission, and the Optimist Purpose. You can orders copies of the optimist Creed on business cards from Optimist Supplies.

Other Questions:

• The First Set of Common Optimist Questions
• The Third Set of Common Optimist Questions (coming soon)

Comments or suggestions:
Do you have a common question that you need answered or additional suggestions for the questions we listed above? We invite you to share your contribution.

21 Top Optimist Questions (Part 1)

In this 3-part series, we will list 21 common questions with corresponding answers and links to the appropriate online resource or service. Here are the first 7 questions:

1. I want to recruit a new member. Where can I get help?
2. I want to run a club service project. Are there any examples of Optimist service projects available?
3. Where can I locate forms online?
4. I heard that there are online course materials available. Where can I get access to those?
5. I want to build a new Optimist club and I need help. Where should I start?
6. I am trying to find the contact information for a Club President. Where should I go?
7. Someone has approached me about building a club for kids in our neighborhood. Can you provide me with some information?

1. I want to recruit a new member. Where can I get help?

Jay Strever
Membership Chair

Congratulations and thank you in advance. You should probably start by discussing this with your Club President. You can find additional information at our "New Optimists Wanted" resources and feel free to contact "Jay Strever who is the District Membership Chair. Jay can answer any question you might have.

2. I want to run a club service project. Are there any examples of Optimist service projects available?

Yes there are. Here is some online information about club project profiles and club activities.

3. Where can I locate forms online?

You will find a quick pick list of common Optimist forms and documents at on our For Our Members page. Optimist International hosts dedicated pags for forms and documents.

4. I heard that there are online course materials available. Where can I get access to those?

We have links to Optimist training materials in our "Member Training" page.

5. I want to build a new Optimist club and I need help. Where should I start?

Edie McInnes
New Club Building

Bless you. Building a new club is an noteworthy achievement that can have lasting positive affect on the community the club will serve. Not only will you introduce Optimism to a new community or neighborhood, you will help recruit 25 new members and build a legacy for you and your club. There is a wealth of available online information. First, you should discuss this with your club as it involves a commitment from them. Second, I would suggest contacting Edie McInnes, our District New Club Building Chair. Edie has built a new club and can pass along valuable tips and suggestions to ensure your success. We invite you to investigate our online resources for building a new club.

6. I am trying to find the contact information for a Club President. Where should I go?

We have several places you can look. You can try one of the following:

• Our District Directory
• Our Contact Us page includes "Contact Cards" in PDF format that you can print
• Our Zones and Clubs online list.

7. Someone has approached me about building a club for kids in our neighborhood. Can you provide me with some information?

Lee Weiszhaar
JOOI - Youth Clubs

Certainly. Optimist International has a special level of clubs for youth organized under the Junior Optimists and Octagons International (JOOI) program. Youth can build their own clubs, elect their own president and club executive, raise their own funds and run their own community service projects. Many of these clubs are organized as School extra-curricular activities. JOOI clubs provide a great opportunity for our youth to volunteer their time serving their community and it gives many youth practical leadership and management experience. You can learn more by checking out our "Youth Clubs" section on our website at []. If you are interested in starting a JOOI club, please contact our Lee Weiszhaar, our District JOOI Chair.

Other Questions:

• The Second Set of Common Optimist Questions (coming soon)
• The Third Set of Common Optimist Questions (coming soon)

Comments or suggestions:

Do you have a common question that you need answered or additional suggestions for the questions we listed above? We invite you to share your contribution.

President's Pride and CPA

President's Pride Reports and CPA Contest submissions are due for September 30, 2011.

President's Pride

Play a part in deciding Optimist International’s future by submitting this report! This information is used for prospective grants and sponsorships and helps determine what programs will receive emphasis in the coming years. This report is due to the International office no later than September 30, 2011.  You can file this report:

• download the President's Pride report and fax or mail it to the OI office, or
• club presidents or secretary's can file the report online at the optimistleaders.org website.  You have to login in and select the "President's Pride" link under the Reports section.

Community Project Awards

The Community Projects Awards (CPA) Program is an annual competition that recognizes Clubs for their community service and fundraising activities. The program stimulates membership involvement, gives the Club a reference book that can be used as a guide for organizing a similar activity in the future and assists the organization in acquiring information to share with other Clubs looking for a new project or fundraiser. Submission of a CPA entry to the District is an Honor Club requirement. Clubs can purchase a CPA submission binder package from Optimist Supplies or they can download the CPA package:

• The official rules and format of the CPA book
• The official setup of a CPA book
• The  list of CPA deadlines for 2010-2011
• The judging sheet that will be used in the District and International-level

CPA submission packages must be delivered to Activities & CPA Chair Marilyn Bushell at the 1st Quarter District Conference where they will be judged.  The District winners will be forwarded on to the OI contest.

Start Building Your Pride

The President’s Pride Report is now available online for the 2010-2011 year. Clubs can begin filling out the form to stay updated regarding Club accomplishments throughout the year. Just log in to Optimist Leaders at http://www.optimistleaders.org/. After logging in, go to the Reports link on the right side of the screen, then scroll down to the President’s Pride Report. Clubs can save changes as they go along.

Those who would rather start filling out a hard-copy form can download the form.

COER's and President Pride Report

Our year is coming to a close and deadlines are upon us. It is imperative that the Club Officer Election Report AND the President's Pride Report be submitted no later than September 30, 2010. These reports are necessary for your clubs to attain their honor status. The President's Pride Report tracks all the activities you have done for the KIDS this past year!! The COER helps the incoming district to have an up to date list of your incoming club's executive. This will also help to update the accuracy of the District directory online. Thank you for a great year and continued success in your upcoming year.

COER and President Pride Reports are available online from http://www.optimistleaders.org/.  Login, click on "Reports", and complete the applicable report.  You can also print a PDF copy of the report from http://www.optimist.org/e/member/documents4.cfm.

If you have not yet mailed your District dues payment, please mail them directly to Marilyn Bushell (incoming DST for 2010-2011) at:

Marilyn Bushell
4943 Marcombe Road NE
Calgary, AB.
T2A 4J5

Looking forward to seeing you all in Great Falls on Oct.8-9. Octoberfest awaits us all !!

YIO
Patti Welling
DST AMS&NW District 13