Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Future Dates
1/17 Thur. 4-H Open House in County Building
1/23 Wed. Warsaw Schools Symphony
1/25 & 26 Fri. & Sat. District Meeting in Logansport
1/26 Sat. YMCA Community Support Campaign Kickoff
2/1 Fri. First Friday downtown Fire & Ice, 4-H Chili fundraiser
2/2 Sat. TriStar Basketball at BYC
2/6 Wed. Rebecca Bazzoni / Jacob’s Ladder
2/9 Sat. Regional TriStar Basketball at BYC
2/13 Wed. no morning meeting
2/13 Wed. evening Valentine’s banquet
2/20 Wed. Lindsey Best / Big Brothers Big Sisters
2/27 Wed. Erin Porter / Limitless Playground and Splash Pad
2/21 Thur. 4-H Open House in County Building
3/8 Fri. Baker Youth Clubs Madness fundraiser at Wagon Wheel
3/13 Wed. Chad Zaucha / YMCA
3/27 Wed. Dave Hoffert / Chief Academic Officer
4/17 Wed. Warsaw High School Band
5/19/13 Sun. Car Show
6/29/13 Sat. Triathlon
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
>>>>OPENING
82 Optimists & 13 guests attended our meeting. Michael McCarty was the guest of Harry Gigous; Larry Bishop was the guest of Bob Ibach; Aaron Wilcoxson was the guest of Mary Ellen Jordan; Christon Clark and Diane Jones were the guests of Kelsi Griffith; Eric Lane was the guest of Rich Haddad; Camille Kerlin, Katie Voelz, Kathleen Frazzetta, Mercy Kauffman, Chad Goon, David Goon, and Ryan Goon were the guests of Bob Jackson.
Door Greeters: Troy Tom and Allan Kember.
Prayer: Bob Jackson led us in prayer.
Pledge was given to the American flag.
Promise yourself was said in unison.
Martin Becker led us as we sang “Hail to Optimism.”
Birthday Honorees: Ken Anderson and John Teevan. Martin Becker led us in the birthday song with our usual results.
>>>> INFORMATION
Prayer Requests: Marv Miller’s continued recovery.
Dave Illingworth’s family at the passing of his father.
Membership: Past President Jeff Owens’ assistant Toni Derry’s read Larry Bishop’s application. Past Lt. Gov. Ot Schroeder inducted Toni Derry. Trina Hoy is sponsoring Toni, and Bob Ibach is sponsoring Larry.
Our new directories are out. Many thanks go to Jim Hayes, Dr. Jason Rich, and Trina Hoy for the long hours they put into this project. Also thanks to those who advertized in our directory.
We have a new suggestion box by the badge box.
Sheriff of Attendance Bill Landrigan greeted Mike Gavin, Lecia Derrossett, and Dr. Jon Lippe.
Christmas Trees: Owens Manager Michael McCarty presented Harry Gigous and us a generous $877.40 check for the Christmas Trees Owens sold.
Lt. Governor John Sullivan invited us to attend the District Meeting on January 25 and 26 in Logansport. Let Treasurer Jennifer Dorman know if you are going.
Chad Zaucha invited us to the YMCA’s Community Support Campaign Kickoff Saturday, January 26 from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Chris Wiggins announced both our local and our regional TriStar Basketball will be at Baker Youth Club, 765 W. Market St, Warsaw, with registration at 9:30 a.m. and the event at 10 a.m. The local competition is Saturday, February 2 and the regional is Saturday, February 9. Sign-up sheets are on our tables. Please invite kids between the ages of 8 to 13. The 1st 100 kids on the 2nd will get free t-shirts.
President Elect Everett Nifong announced our Valentine’s banquet will be at the Shrine Building on February 13. There will be a cash bar at 6:30 p.m. with a Social Time (not hour) until our Premium Buffet dinner at 7 p.m. The infamous Love and Marriage Game will begin at 7:30 p.m. The $20 per person will be invoiced. Sign up sheets are on our tables.
There will be no morning meeting February 13.
Past President Jeff Owens announced our Oratorical Contest will be at Zimmer Corporate Headquarters on March 15. The topic is “Why my voice is important.” Thanks to Past President John Elliott and the Esther Pfleiderer Charitable Trust for sponsoring a prize. Major prizes are an Ipad Mini and a Nexus 7.
Past President Bob Jackson introduced us to our Octagon members: Katie Voelz, Camille Kerlin, Kathleen Frazzetta, Mercy Kauffman, Chad Goon, Ryan Goon, andDavid Goon. Their president, Kristin Quick is in Haiti delivering T-shirts they collected. They have been busy as our elves at our Santa House, collecting money and stuffed animals for Riley kids, and volunteering at Baker Youth Clubs. Today they collected $270 from us for canned food for Combined Community Services as part of their Souper Bowl of Caring. There have been up to 85 kids in attendance. Our Octagon Club is the largest in the state. Thanks go to our Octagon members and Octagon Advisors: Ot Schroeder, Jerry Clevenger, Bob Jackson, and Mitch Goon.
President Tracy Furnivall invited us to Baker Youth Club’s Madness fundraiser at the Wagon Wheel on Friday, March 8.
Past President John Elliott announced our Car Show will be downtown on Sunday, May 19, 2013.
Past Gov. Ron Donkers announced people are signing up for our Triathlon. The date has been changed to the Saturday JUST BEFORE the 4th of July. It will be Saturday, June 29, 2013. Also this year in addition to a short swim after the traditional participants, there will be kid’s races for kid’s who are 11 to 12 or 13 to 14.
Video Editor Jim Hayes showed us a video of the Robo Plow that plows a 50” path by remote control. The operator stayed home and plowed the whole neighborhood with the aid of a video camera mounted on the plow. It looks like a Lego League student has been at work.
Optibullette Editor Emeritus Wayne Snider, who wrote the Optibullette for over 40 years, sent this note about a day of fasting and prayer during the Civil War. If enough people did this today, maybe God would heal our land.
Proclamation Appointing a National Fast Day. Washington, D.C. March 30, 1863.
(Senator James Harlan of Iowa, whose daughter later married President Lincoln’s son Robert, introduced this Resolution in the Senate on March 2, 1863. The Resolution asked President Lincoln to proclaim a national day of prayer and fasting. The Resolution was adopted on March 3, and signed by Lincoln on March 30.)
By the President of the United Stated of America. A Proclamation.
Whereas, the Senate of the United States, devoutly recognizing the Supreme Authority and just Government of Almighty God, in all the affairs of men and of nations, has, by a resolution, requested the President to designate and set apart a day for National prayer and humiliation. And whereas it is the duty of nations as well as men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions, in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord. And, insomuch as we know that, by His divine law, nations like individuals are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world, may we not justly fear that awful calamity of civil war, which now desolates the land, may be but a punishment, inflicted upon us, for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole People?
We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other great nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us! It behooves us then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.
Now, therefore, in compliance with the request, and fully concurring in the views of the Senate, I do, by this proclamation, designate and set apart Thursday, the 30th, day of April, 1863, as a day of national humiliation, fasting and prayer. And I do hereby request all the People to abstain, on that day, from their ordinary secular pursuits, and to unite, at their several places of public worship and their respective homes, in keeping the day holy to the Lord, and devoted to the humble discharge of the religious duties proper to that solemn occasion. All this being done, in sincerity and truth, let us then rest humbly in the hope authorized by the Divine teachings, that the united cry of the Nation will be heard on high, and answered with blessings, no less than the pardon of our national sins, and the restoration of our now divided and suffering Country, to its former happy condition of unity and peace.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed. Done at the City of Washington, this thirtieth day of March, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the United States the eighty seventh.
By the President: Abraham Lincoln
William H. Seward, Secretary of State.
(Source: The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, edited by Roy P. Basler.)
Please pray for our Troops and Families: Capt John Arnoldbik – Army – Chaplain
Sergeants-at-Arms: John Elliott and Everett Nifong entertained us.
Angie Tom is happy to have Keegan back safe from Haiti. While he was there he and his grandfather were held up. His experience at an orphanage and working with rice farmers was so rewarding he would go back.
President Elect Everett Nifong is celebrating his granddaughter’s 6 month birthday.
Toni Derry offered to help publicize non-profit events through the radio stations of Lake City Radio.
Notre Dame fans were recognized.
Quiz Bowl Captain George Brennan was quizzed about the location of the former Gardner’s Restaurant. It was in the Owens and Company CPA building on Buffalo just north of the railroad tracks.
Mike Gavin was honored for Lake City Banks many years of serving our community.
Ed Nordstrom was in the paper again.
Chris Wiggins was in the paper publicizing our TriStar Basketball event.
The sergeants want those who have not been fined yet to incriminate themselves.
A particular row of tables was noted to have the most trash on them after a recent meeting.
Bill Landrigan will be in “jail” raising money for muscular dystrophy on February 26. In the past Coach Lichtenwalter took that spot. Coach retired and nominated Bill. Not to worry Bill. You will not be alone. John Teevan will be there with you to give you some book learning. As John says, inmates are the best students.
Program:
Christon Clark, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of Kosciusko County told us of the benefits of their programs.
Some of Habitat’s programs are:
Housing Solutions. Building solid energy efficient homes.
Critical Home Repair.
Brush with Kindness is Habitat’s version of Mayor Joe Thallemer’s vision of volunteers doing painting, landscaping, and minor facade work.
Volunteers build, repair, pick up, deconstruct, administrate, work on committees, and build on mission trips to El Salvador.
Habitat is a mortgage servicer. They collect the payments on the homes they have built. Our Habitat now has 7 mortgages which fund about a third of a house.
Habitat is a recycling opportunity. Habitat recycles from houses being torn down, toilets, and aluminum cans. They have 21 toilets in their warehouse. Lake City Bank is donating all the aluminum cans from their offices.
Low income people do not lack means but capital for home ownership.
Experts say housing expenses including utilities should not be over 30% of gross income. Many low income rentals have high utility costs. Habitat builds solid energy efficient homes. It is better to spend $1000 extra on a more efficient furnace that will pay for itself many times in lower bills.
Habitat is 100% privately funded. We can step up to be the change we seek.
Habitat provides houses, hope, and changed lives.
Christon introduced us to Diane Jones, who will live in the coming build. Diane has already gone through a lot. This new home will be a good change for her. Habit hopes to have her and her son Keatrine in the home June 30, 2013.
