⏰ MEETING LOCATION UPDATE ⏰
Please note that our upcoming Warsaw Breakfast Optimist Club meetings will be held at a different location.
📍Grace College – Alpha Dining
200 Seminary Drive, – Winona Lake, IN 46590
📅 Wednesday Meetings

July 1 – July 8 – July 15
⏰ Same meeting time.
🍽️ Breakfast will still be available.
Please use the campus map below to help locate Alpha Dining.
We appreciate everyone’s flexibility and look forward to seeing you there!

Presiding – Brooke Hamstra

Invocation – Daren Maierle

Greeters – Rick Kerlin & Shari Benyousky

Birthdays – Mitch Reinholt

Check Presentation – Board Member – Ot Schroeder introduce Ami Pitt and Kirra Churchill/Combined Community Services Tools for School 2026 for the amount of $3,000.00 to help with their Tools for Schools project.

Announcements – Fundraisers Reminders & Updates

• Triathlon, Jeff Owens & Adam Heckaman,
• Fall Displays, Kris Williams
• Golf Outing, Chris Hanson & Chris McCray
• 4/18 Teams already registered online, sign up quickly

Mark your calendars for Kosciusko County 4H Fair – RELOCATION DATES (3):
○ 7/8, 7/15, 7/22 @ Grace College Alpha Dining

Membership – John Sloat had his 2nd reading

50/50 – $30 to Mitch Goon

Member Moment – Jim Smith & Brittany Lyon, Bill Landrigan was interviewed, he provided lots of laughs to the members. See below:

Sergeants – Jim Smith, Jeff Owens, and Abby Smith

Program – Triathlon Bags were filled and Final Preparations were made for covering the various duties of the event. We currently have 276 contestants signed up.

Optimistic Quote/Did You Know – The miracle isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start. ~ John Bingham

Next Week’s Program – Local exhibit/Andrea Granger and Dana McAfee

Presiding – Kris Williams

Greeters – Logan Anderson & Layne Sumner

Invocation – Les Pierce

Birthdays – Molly Fishel, Bruce Hanson, Kris Williams & Bill Landrigran

Guests – Jay Hinkle

Announcements –

• Fundraisers Reminders & Updates
  • Triathlon – Jeff Owens & Adam Heckaman
  • Fall Displays – Kris Williams
  • Golf Outing – Chris Hanson & Chris McCray

• Mark your calendars for Kosciusko County 4H Fair – RELOCATION DATES (3) – 7/8,7/15, 7/22 @ Grace College Alpha Dining
• Optimist International Jr Golf Championships, Indiana South District Jr Optimist GolTournament on Friday, June 19, 2026 @ Oak Tree Golf Course, 4712 US-40, Plainfield, IN 46168, online registrations are still open for golfers interested (ages 10-18)
• The Board of Directors monthly meeting was held on Monday (06/08/26)-Our Board is working on researching Directory Options for the club. The Board approved different Grant Requests that were submitted from the Quarterly cycle, totaling $8,150 to support the Youth through programs in our county. We will have more Check Presentations to share more details about the programs we are supporting!

50/50 – $45 to Bri Lawson

Membership – Angie Tom/Paul Finley

• Don Wiesehan Jr – Sponsor Randy Polston (2nd Reading)
• Marcie Arndt – Sponsor Kyrie’ Maierle Induction

Sergeants – Jeff Owens and Abby Smith fined members for bogus reasons

Program – Kerena Wilkerson/Meet Milford. The Meet Milford Board of Directors is composed of people who love, live and work in Milford and take pride in our small community. We believe that Milford is a special place, and we are working hard to keep it that way. As a board, we are committed to giving back to our community, we volunteer our time and resources, and we work together to bring community oriented events to town. We look forward to continuing to work together to make it even better!

Optimistic Quote – Live in the sunshine, swim in the sea, drink the wild air. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Next Week’s Program – Women of Valor in Training/Alma Hernandez

Presiding – Brooke Hamstra

Greeters – Mitch Goon & Chad Goon

Invocation – John Kirkpatrick

Birthdays – Tracy Horrell, Nick King,

Announcements – Fundraisers Reminders & Updates

• Triathlon (06/27/26) = 24 days Jeff Owens & Adam Heckaman
• Fall Displays (online sale starts 08/01/26) = 59 days Kris Williams
• Golf Outing (09/08/26) = 97 days Chris Hanson & Chris McCray

RELOCATION DATES – Mark your calendars for Kosciusko County 4H Fair(3) – 7/8,
7/15, 7/22 @ Grace College Alpha Dining

50/50 – $74 to John & Susan Armacost

Membership –

• Don Wiesehan Jr – Sponsor Randy Polston (2nd Reading)
• Marcie Arndt – Sponsor Kyrie’ Maierle (3rd Reading)

Membership Moment – Ron Chambers was highlighted. Ron told several stories, one of which was 74 years attendance @ the Indianapolis 500.

Program – Judge McGrath & Stephanie Godsey – Re-Entry Court Impacts on the Community. The Kosciusko County Reentry Court in Warsaw, IN, is an intensive, structured program aimed at successfully reintegrating former inmates into society and preventing recidivism. Overseen by Superior Court 1 Judge Karin McGrath, it connects high-risk, high-need defendants with critical tools like housing assistance, therapy, job readiness training, and addiction recovery resources.

The program provides a highly supervised alternative to traditional post-incarceration release, where participants face immense hurdles finding housing and employment. Key aspects of the Reentry Court include:

• Collaborative Funding: Backed by the Kosciusko County Opioid Committee and the city of Warsaw, the court continuously secures grants to fund testing, staff coordinator salaries, and recovery-focused initiatives.
• Supervision & Structure: Participants undergo intensive supervision, mandatory drug testing, and regular court meetings to track their progress.
• Resource Support: The program offers gas cards, vouchers for clothing, and loaned computers for job searching and virtual therapy.

Optimistic Quote -The best way to predict the future is to create it. – Peter Drucker
Next week’s program Meet Milford ~ Karena Wilkerson

Next Week’s Program – Meet Milford – Karena Wilkerson

Presiding – Brooke Hamstra

Greeters – Steve Fogley & Jim Kessler

Invocation – Bill Landrigran

Birthday – Michael Ray

Guest – Tonya Kempton, Vicky Owens

Announcements –

• Fundraisers Reminders & Updates
  • Triathlon 06/27/26 Jeff Owens & Adam Heckaman
  • Fall Displays online sale starts 08/01/26 Kris Williams
  • Golf Outing 09/08/26 Chris Hanson & Chris McCray

50/50 – $36.50 to Maria

Membership – Angie Tom/Paul Finley

• John Sloat – Sponsor Jim Kessler (2nd Reading)
• Kristy Owens – Sponsor Michael Rees (1st Reading)
• Don Wiesehan Jr – Sponsor Randy Polston (1st Reading)
• Allyson Taylor – Sponsor Stacey Leek (1st Reading) – COMING IN JUNE
• New Member Induction – Dana Munson

Sergeants – Abby Smith, Jim Smith and Jeff Owens harassed members with bogus $1.00 fines

Program – Cardinal Services Head Start Program – Kathryn Field, Cardinal Services

Serving Children Ages 3–5

Head Start promotes the school readiness of children 3 to 5 years old by providing comprehensive services, while emphasizing the role of parents as their child’s first and most important teacher.

Head Start is a federally funded program that provides early childhood education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low-income children and their families.

Kosciusko County Head Start (KCHS) provides seven-hour classes Monday through Thursday during the school year. We have a classroom in Mentone Elementary, Harrison Elementary, Claypool Elementary, Lincoln Elementary, and classrooms at our Warsaw location.  Classrooms are licensed, accredited by the National Association of the Education of Young Children, and on Level 4 Paths to Quality. Transportation is provided by parents to and from centers.

KCHS partners with parents to monitor their child’s health, nutritional, dental, and mental health needs and their progress in the development of all school readiness skills.

Eligible children must be 3 years old before August 1 each year.

Optimistic Quote – Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud. ~ Maya Angelou

Next Week’s Program – Re-Entry Court Impacts on the Community – Judge McGrath