Future Dates
08/25 help Scholarship committee
08/28 Safe Assured ID @ Day at Lake
08/28 Cruizin Hoosiers Car Show
09/08 Get on Board @ Kosc. Co. Com. Foundation
09/11 Safe Assured ID @ Center Lake
9/11 “2 Bourbon & Back”
>>>>OPENING
77 Optimists & 6 guests attended our meeting: Janie Cope & Tim Berry guests of Don Kenipe; Mike Foreman & Steve Wilson guests of Sam Whitaker; Edna Bruner & Jan Martin guests of Lecia Derrossett. Door Greeter: Bart Templeton.
Prayer was offered by Bob Jackson.
Pledge was given to the American Flag.
Promise yourself was said in unison.
Birthday Honoree: Steve Wilson. Martin Becker led us as we sang the birthday song with great results.
Mystery Person: Darrell Johnson reported 5 people shook his hand.
>>>> INFORMATION
Prayer List: Rick Kerlin’s daughter’s recovery from heart surgery. Jim Hayes’ mother, Norma’s cancer recovery.
Membership: Past Pres. Jim Reeve inducted Lecia Nunez Derrossett, who was sponsored by Everett Ni-fong .
Sherriff Bill Landrigan is getting us here. It was good to see Mike Hall, Steve Wilson, & Mike Fore-man.
Trace Hansen needs volunteers to work our Safe As-sured ID booth at the Day at the Lake at the fair-grounds in shifts between 11am & 3pm on Aug. 28 and also at the Family Safety Day at Center Lake Park in 2 hour shifts from 10am to 4pm on Sept 11 Over 100 people were enrolled each of the last 3 years. Email Trace at tracesk8s@yahoo.com.
Art Gakstatter is looking for help at the Cruizin Hoo-siers car show for the Boys & Girls Club at Petros Aug. 28. Shifts are from 11:30am to 1:30pm, 1:30pm to 4pm, & 4pm to 6:30pm.
Come 1 hour early to next week’s meeting to help Kevin Weaver & our scholarship committee sort the many applications they have received.
Jason Rich is working on the new club directory. Please check your information and notify Jason.
Past Pres. Jeff Owens is looking for volunteers to recruit new members for our club at the Kosciusko County Community Foundation’s Sept. 8th “Get on Board” event.
Luke Becknell invited us to cycle for Cystic Fibro-sis in his “2 Bourbon & Back” on 9/11. www.becknell.org
Salute to Optimist: Stacey Cox honored Mary Ann Gradeless and Nick Deeter.
Sergeant-at-Arms: Lyle Enyeart & Merl Heckaman collected happy dollars from us. Dr. David Haines recited the names of his 17 grandchildren. Sam Whitaker’s son is playing football. Martin Becker has his 4th grandchild. Trace Hansen is happy for 3 things: His dad, Bruce is interim principal at South Whitley. His skating team won. He is engaged! John Elliott remembered caddying for Rich Haddad’s grandfather and his friend, Danny Thomas. Merl found a place we can park things. Jim Hayes enter-tained us with videos of how to load a Bobcat onto a truck & how to use squirrels as clay pigeons.
John Ames won $35 in our 50/50.
Please pray for our Troops and Families:
Bryan Kenipe – Army Infantry – Kuwait
Program: Don Kenipe’s daughter, Janie Cope brought Indiana Auditor Tim Berry to speak to us. Tim had bad news and good news. The bad news is that Indiana’s revenue is down 12.3% the last 2 years. The $957 million revenue shortfall in 2010 was made up by using $499 million from our re-serves and $458 million in spending cuts.
The good news is that the cuts are coming mostly from the State’s operating fund. Education is the largest part of the state’s budget & the minority of the cutting is in that area. The state’s payroll is the smallest it has been since 1976. Our state has an outsized part of the 50 states’ reserves, because of how our shortfall has been handled.

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