The club has been meeting for a number of weeks at the Valley Bistro. Our attendance has been growing. Last meeting 14 embers present and one zoom participant. Social distancing has not been a problem. Plenty of room for all.

The board has been busy conducting business. 1000.00 for clear face shields for MSD.  Our annual 1000.00 donation to Special Olympics. We have approved a new dues structure. Breakfast will no longer be included in your quarterly statement. It will be pay as you go for breakfast. Details to follow.

On June 18, 1994 the Optimist clubs of Genesee County purchased a house for Whaley to use as a satellite home for children. We spent  appx. $30,000.00 shared between 5 or 6 clubs. Over the years we have spent money and provided man hours on keeping the house in order. President Greg has been busy as of late inspecting the property and making a list of items that need to be done. There is a list and pictures provided on line and the club is starting to make our way through that list.

The first item to tackle was a basketball backboard and hoop. The pole was there but that was all. When Dan Crannie heard about the situation he volunteered his time and talents to make sure the kids had a basketball hoop and turned out perfect. It has been reported that the kids are using it regularly in this time of not much else for kids to do. GREAT JOB, DAN!

No meeting July 022020 because of holiday. Have a safe 4th

We had 6 members in attendance on Thursday with one zoom member.There was discussion in regard to honoring Doc Hale for all he has done for the WFOC.

The club is considering naming the raffle in his honor. Some names suggested were Hale the Youth, The Robert Hale Raffle for Youth and a few others. I have been trying to get in touch with Doc to get his thoughts, but I have not heard back, If anyone has any thoughts or input, please give me a call.

The date for the installation banquet has been set and the room reserved. We will meet on set.17th at Flushing Valley country club. more to follow.

There has been discussion in regard to dues. In the past you have been charged for breakfast in your quarterly statement. We are considering removing breakfast from dues and pay as you go for breakfast. This has been bought up many times in the past, there are pros and cons to both. We would like to hear your input.

Our former senior member Ron Ballard has resigned from the club.  He was installed in 1968 and has been a very active member for all of those years. Ron will be missed.

Optimist meetings have resumed at the Valley Restaurant. We had 6 members present in person and 5 members via Zoom. Jeff Dennings brought a special guest, our Michigan Governor elect, Patty.

The board of directors have recently approve a 1000.00 donation to the Boys and Girls club of Flint. The money is to used for art supplies.

There is a new dues proposal in the works. As you know the club has always charged for weekly breakfast in our quarterly dues. We will be talking about charging for optimist fees only which is approx. 100.00 per year and charging weekly for breakfast.. We are looking for YOUR feedback on this matter.

Because the corona virus is still doing it’s thing. That is why the Optimist International convention is going virtual. All member are invited to attend. The fee will be either waved or paid for by the club. More info to follow.

The 5000.00 dollar raffle is in the books.  I believe this was our 32nd year of holding the event. When we cancelled  the raffle last fall it looked like the event might not happen at all.  But , the club pulled together and made a profit of 5800.00. With everything going on, this has to be considered a huge success. A big thank you to John Losinski for chairing the event and Jim Reigle for tracking the tickets. Great job everyone.

As you are all aware, all restaurants are closed due to the Coronavirus. This means that there will be no weekly Optimist Meetings until further notice. No one knows when, but we will be meeting again when it is pronounced safe for us to meet in public,

Flushing Valley is closed as well until March 30th. There are more questions than answers in regard to the raffle. Getting the tickets and money to Jim Riegle could be complicated. President Greg is contacting the State of Mi. to see if we can postpone, or reschedule our drawing. If not, we might have a few of us meet, at a socially safe distance, in a parking lot and draw three numbers. If anyone has any thoughts or suggestions regarding the raffle or dinner, please pass them along.

Please keep Kevin “The General” Wainwright in your thoughts and prayers. Kevin has having some serious knee surgery this week. We wish you a speedy recovery, General.

We may be shut down temporarily, but we are not out of business. There will be more emails posted as events unfold, and information is released.

As your king I will  not be negligent in my duties. I will be issuing Royal proclamations, edicts and fines, if need be.

It has been leaked that our newest member, Patty Williams, will be bringing in a new member. The crown and royal sash are in peril. Could this be the end of King Mic?  Honestly, the pressure of the job is pretty taxing. A short reign might be to best. Look what it did to Jeff Dennings!

We had 12 members and no guest speaker this week. There may be a mix-up on who is speaker chair this month. So, if you have someone that might be of interest, let Greg or Mic know. Thank you.

I included Phil and Greg in the picture above because it has been a while since we have seen them. We hope you guys are having a great time.

HELP WANTED!  We have distributed over 100 tickets for our annual $5000.00 raffle. That means there are still close to 50 tickets to move. The raffle is March 26th. This is our major fundraiser.  Lets make it a success! Lets move some tickets!

There will be a small dinner the night of the drawing at Flushing Country Club. We will have approx. 15 to 20 members for dinner.  We will bring the drum and draw three tickets after the meal. The cost of the dinner has been donated so there will be no cost for food. Cash Bar.  The exact time of dinner and drawing will be announced soon. If would like to come contact Mic.

I do have some sad news. Pete Venos lost his son recently. The cause of death is yet to be determined.  Please keep Pete in your thoughts and prayers.

Some sad news to report. Jeff Dennings  father passed away recently in Florida. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family, Jeff.

Our guest speaker this morning was Sister Carol Webber. Sister Carol is celebrating her 50th year of being ordaianed to the Adrian Dominican Sisters. She is now co-founder and CEO of St. Luke N.E.W. Life Center.  They seem to be very good at educating and empowering people to become self-sufficient. This is a dedicated Lady, truly doing the Lord’s work.

Speaking of speakers, Steve Schlott has arranged for the new principle from MSD, Rex Vernon, to speak of Thursday, Feb. 27th. Our association with MSD could be much stronger. This is a great opportunity for our club to show Mr. Vernon that we are here for them. We should also suggest he or someone from MSD become a member.

5000.00 RAFFLE….. MARCH 26TH……ONLY HALF OF TICKETS ARE DISTRIBUTED.  This is our major fund raiser. Lets get busy!

Prez. Greg introduced our guest speaker, Glenn Wilson, from Communities First Inc. Glenn and his wife started the 501c3 Corp. with the belief ” quality of life starts with the community. Their focus is to create economic development opportunities, provide affordable housing, foster access to arts and cultural activities and educate families and business about the environment. CFI has already renovated, 2 closed Flint schools, into affordable housing. These people are doing great work. Good program Greg.

WE had a lite turn out on Thursday. It was a little wintery, but the brave souls that ventured out, enjoyed the warmth of our fellowship, a good breakfast and some brilliant, witty, spot-on royal fines from your KING. Thank you!. By the way, I hate the term ” spot-on” and promise to never use it again.

The $5000.00 raffle is March 26th. Almost half of the tickets have been distributed. If you have not yet picked up some tickets or just want to buy some, contact Jim Reigle. A big THANK YOU to Jim for once again distributing and tracking ticket sales. This is a huge job. The club appreciates you!

Thank you, also, to Steve Schlott who volunteered to develop, print and email a rules and sales guide for the revised raffle for 2020. As Steve points out, there is no price on the tickets. Tickets are 100.00 each. Only 150 tickets being sold.

We know many people are not comfortable selling, but, just try. People want to help kids and that is what we do best. You will be surprised at how many people will say yes. Bring up, in general conversation, that your club is having a raffle that benefits kids. I find, that if people are interested, they ask questions and, many times, will volunteer to buy a ticket. No selling required. Give it a try.

Optimist Board meeting will be Feb. 24th at 6.00pm. All members are welcome.

Dr, Jack Medemar is looking for people to show up to the Big Brothers – Big Sisters Bowling Tournament on Feb, 21st 6:00pm. Notice that I did not say “bowlers”. We are looking for people who are still able to, under their own power, throw, push or scooch a bowling ball towards the pins. Score will not matter. We may not be good but we will have fun.

See you Thursday. And would somebody please bring a guest. We need a new KIng!

Deb Hawley from St Francis Prayer Center ask for a group pic that she could post in her newsletter, She shared with us, again, how important our contribution was for local families in our area. Good Job WFOC!

Our guest speaker was Jason Bigelow from Sandbox Virtual reality, located in the Outback Plaza on Miller Rd. They have over 100 virtual reality games available for ages 4 and up. They also have a date night special for Valentines day. Good program, looks like fun. By the way Jason is in the above picture, far left. We told Jason that because he is in the group photo that he must join the club. He was given an application.

Special thoughts and prayers go out to Jeff Dennings. His dad was in rehab, but has been transferred to hospice.

Update on John Losinski. It has been reported that J-Lo tried to do a triple axle in his ice covered driveway and missed the landing. The judges gave him high points for his attempt. He also has 5 breaks in his leg and needs surgery on his hand. Get well soon, John.

5000.00 Raffle tickets are in. Please pick up your tickets and start selling. The drawing is March 26th. There will be three winners drawn. 5000.00, 1000.00 and 500.00. Not a lot of time until drawing, so please, lets get started. Also, we need to get 20 tickets to Doc Hale ASAP,

Next Board meeting is Feb. 24th, Monday at 6:00 Pm. All members are welcome.

Dr. Jack Medemar announced the Big Brothers/Big Sisters bowling tournament will be Feb. 21st. We are looking for bowlers. Contacted Dr. Jack if interested.

Michigan District meeting is Feb. 29th in Frankenmuth. Contact Lt. Governor Jack for more info.

Past pres. Phil has, very cool, long sleeve Optimist shirts for sale at 26.50 each. Optimist hats are also available at 11.00 each.

Have a great week. See you Thursday. Bring a guest.

The Honorable Judge Joseph Farah was our speaker on Thursday. The Judge always does a great job of informing the club of many legal issues in Genesee county. Most recently he has been appointed to hear cases involving civil suits for those involved with the Flint water crisis. Approx 18,000 cases. Good luck, Judge Joe. BTW nice suit!

As reported last week, John Losinski suffered a slip and fall. He had to have surgery on his ankle, which required 2 plates and some screws. Get well soon, John.

$5000.00 RAFFLE!!!!!! Tickets will be available next Thursday. The drawing will be held on March 26th at Flushing Valley Country Club. Tickets are 100.00 each. There will be three winners drawn. 5000.00, 1500.00, and 500.00. There is approx. 7 weeks to sell tickets. So, please, pick up your tickets and get them sold. No time for LOLLYGAGGING! One again, PLEASE come to club this Thursday and pick up your tickets!

The night of the raffle there will be a FREE dinner at Flushing CC for Optimist members and guest. Bring your spouse or a prospective member. It will be an Italian theme dinner buffet with cash bar. We need to have at least 15 people. Let Mic know if you can attend.

Future speakers 2/6/20…Jeremy Bigelow with Sandbox Virtual reality, 2/13/20…Glenn and Essence Wilson with Communities First and on 2/20/20 we will have Sister Carol Webber from N.E.W. Life Center.

Jeff Dennings has proposed changing or 50/50 raffle to a progressive payout. This could make a ho hum drawing a little more exciting. There will be more info and discussion on this topic.

See you Thursday. Bring a guest!

Our speaker chair on Thursday, Patty Williams, Introduced Dr. Reginald Flynn. Dr. Flynn told the story of growing up in Flint, and graduating from Beecher with a basketball scholarship to The University of South Carolina . Just before leaving for college, he was jumped and severely beaten. He left for college vowing to never return to Flint. In 2013, after much persuasion, DR. Flynn returned to Flint as Pastor of Foss Avenue Baptist Church. Upon his return he immediately went to work on many of the problems that exist in the north end. Among his endeavors are The North Flint Reinvestment Center, The Eagles Nest Academy and the North Flint Food Market, a member owned co-op. Great presentation. Thanks, Patty.

The Club received some unfortunate news about John Losinski. He, reportedly, had a very serious slip and fall accident with a number of injuries. We will have more info later. Please keep John in your Prayers.

Jeff Dennings was still in Florida helping out with his dad who is in ICU. Again, thoughts and prayers for Jeff and family.

$5000.00 RAFFLE MARCH 26, 2020 Tickets will be available soon. Start getting your list of people who have bought in past, as well as new possibilities. Like every year, we need to sell 150 tickets. We have less than 60 days. This will require a full club effort. This is still our major fund raiser. LET’S SELL SOME TICKETS!

Lt. Governor Jack reminds us that the Michigan District meeting will be Feb, 29th in Frankenmuth. Contact Jack for more info.

See you Thursday. Bring a guest