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 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.

Revised District Directory Now Available

The latest revisions to the District Directory are now available for download.

DST Marilyn has highlighted in yellow all of the changes so they will be easy to spot. We thank those clubs for contacting DST Marilyn or Optimist Gord with updates to their club contact information.

Please review your personal and club information and report any changes to DST Marilyn.

Producing the original version of the District Directory is a time consuming task and the DST relies on the changes that club submit through Club Officer Election Reports.  This is a subtle reminder for clubs to submit their COER immediately after their club elections this spring.  Changes throughout the year should be submitted to OI using the Club Roster Adjustment (CRA) forms, and you can email changes to the DST.

District Contact Cards Updated

The District Contact Cards have been revised effective November 10, 2010 to reflect changes in names, email addresses and phone numbers.  Tim's Governor Pin has also been used on all the cards.

District Team for 2010-11

Governor
Tim Bell
Res: (403) 660-4060

Secretary-Treasurer
Marilyn Bushell
Res: (403) 248-9181


Or click on "Tim's Team Contact Card"  (just revised November 10th, 2010) for a complete phone and email list of our District Team, or


Zone Contact Cards for 2010-11

Contact cards are now available for each Zone:

Zone 1 Contact Card   ~   Zone 2 Contact Card   ~   Zone 3 Contact Card

Zone 4 Contact Card   ~   Zone 5 Contact Card   ~   Zone 6 Contact Card

Zone 7 Contact Card   ~   Zone 8 Contact Card   ~   Zone 9 Contact Card

Latest Revisions - District Directory & Contact Cards

I am pleased to advise everyone that updated editions are now available for the District Directory and Darryl's Team Contact Card.

The latest additions include the changes submitted by clubs, and the addition of the contacts for the new East Central Alberta and Penhold and District Optimist Clubs.

In addition, we have also created Zone Contact Cards:

Zone 1  ~  Zone 2  ~  Zone 3  ~  Zone 4  ~  Zone 5

Zone 6  ~  Zone 7  ~  Zone 8  ~  Zone 9

Originally submitted by DST Patti Welling

Revised District Directory Available

I am pleased to announce that a revised District Directory and Darryl's Team Contact Card are now available for download.

Please review the contact information for yourself and your club and email me the revisions.

In addition, we are asking for submissions for changes to District Policies that are published in the District Directory. Please submit your recommended changes to Gov Darryl or DST Patti.

Originally submitted by DST Patti Welling