August 2018 Optimizer
The Optimizer
August 2018
Menomonee Falls Optimist Club
https://fallsoptimistclub.org/
In this issue
- August Meeting Schedule
- President’s Thoughts
- Up-coming Activities and Events
- Calendar
- A Guide to Selling Packer Raffle Tickets
- Football Crazr Raffle
- Popcorn Wagon
- DYW State Program
- Executive Board
- Board Briefings
- Optimist After Five
- Past Events
- July 3 Parade
- Optimist Meeting Photos
- This Month in Club History
- Excerpts From Thank You Notes
- How to Publish Optimist News
—- August Meeting schedule —-
All meetings are at 7:15 am at the Community Center except as noted.
- August 1 Picnic. Shepherd’s Waters. 4:00, supper at 5:30.
- August 8 Making his first ever visit to our club, we’ll welcome Aaron Mills, radio voice of the Milwaukee Admirals.
- August 15 We have two talented young women to speak at this meeting. Kailee Doherty, our 2019 Distinguished Young Women Winner, will talk about her experiences representing our Club, including her recent participation in the DYW State Contest. Rohitha Punathil, our Oratorical contest winner will entertain us with her speech.
- August 22 Students from the Menomonee Falls Baptist School Music Group will join us per a recommendation from Club member Ed Veth. After a short history about how they started, who’s involved, etc., they’ll play several selections for us, including a patriotic piece…or two!
- August 29 MFHS Head Football Coach Dan Lutz and some of his players will give us a “chalk talk” on their upcoming season. We’re also hoping to have a special guest join us that day! Any guesses?
—- President’s Thoughts —-
Happy August my Optimistic friends!!
Wow!! July was jam packed with our WONDERFUL parade and the awesome meetings!! It is always nice to meet the kids that our donations touch and this month those kids were from the Patio Players Summer Camp & the MFHS Fast Pitch team. And if you missed the Holy Cross Nativity collection, I would highly recommend you make a point of going to see it on your own. Really, hard to believe one couple collected ALL of the unique Nativities.
I am so looking forward to our picnic Aug 1 to celebrate another great year of Optimism!!
And I look forward to all the guest speakers our Speakers Committee has in store for us as we prepare for another school year and supporting our youth!!
Your OPTIMISTIC President,
Lynette
—- Upcoming Activities and Events—-
- All summer Popcorn Wagon. Open every night 6:30 to 9:00.
- Now until August 14 Sell Football Crazr Raffle Tickets
- Now until August 29 Sell Packer Raffle Tickets
- August 11 Distinguished Young Women State program. 3:00 p.m. at the South Milwaukee Performing Art Center.
- September 10 Packer Raffle Tailgate. 5:15 p.m. at Village Bowl. Drawing at 7:30 p.m.
- September 26 Installation Banquet. More info to follow.
A Guide to Selling Packer Raffle Tickets
- Be sure that your buyer is aware of what the Menomonee Falls Optimist Club is about. We are a Community based Charitable Organization focused on sponsoring youth programs and awarding scholarships to Deserving High School Graduates. 100% of the funds we raise goes back to the kids. Remember our motto: “Friend of Youth”
- Be aware of what the Grand Prize encompasses: Eight tickets to the Packer game of your choice at Lambeau Field Limousine transportation including food and refreshments Packer apparel Tailgate party at Bart Starr Plaza before the game $1,000 cash
- Cash Prizes for winners 2 thru 17: 2nd – $1,000 3rd – $600 4th – $400 5th thru 17th – $250 The 18th winner receives a free entry into next year’s raffle. NOTE: SINCE THERE ARE ONLY 350 TICKETS IN THE RAFFLE THE ODDS OF WINNING a PRIZE ARE 1 in 20 – A great sales pitch!
- Once your buyer knows what he is supporting and asks “how much?” you are ready to collect the $100. If they give you the “too much” response suggest that they split the cost two ways with someone else or four ways with three other couples to cover the eight tickets to the game. The price of a ticket can be as low as $12.50 per person. NOTE: STATE OF WISCONSIN GAMING REGULATIONS REQUIRE THAT ONLY ONE PERSON’S NAME CAN APPEAR ON A TICKET. Be sure to let your buyer know this!
- Finally, tell the buyer that the purchase of a raffle ticket includes one free entry to the Tailgate Party and Raffle Drawing on September 10th at Village Bowl starting at 5:15 pm with free beer, soda and buffet. The Drawing will be at 7:30. Door prizes worth over $2,000 in total value will be given to some lucky attendees. The buyer must present his/her ticket at the door for ONE free entry. Anyone else wishing to attend will be asked for a $10.00 donation to the club to help offset the cost of the food and refreshments.
- It’s always easier to sell to someone who has never heard of our contest or entered in the past. Try concentrating on “new” entries.
- Sometimes just going through your list of e-mail address and sending out a blanket letter (with flyer attached) nets new buyers. Ed Schlumpf, committee chair, has gotten seven new customers in the past couple of years, including one from Indiana this year. (Remember we will provide transportation from anywhere in Wisconsin, so out-of-state winners need only to get to our border.)
George Koonce former Packer Star Linebacker will be our special guest
Football Crazr Raffle
We are on the final weeks of the NFL Football Crazr Raffle selling time. All ticket stubs and monies should be in by August 14th. We still have time to sell so please do your best and help with this fund raiser for the club. All tickets must be accounted for, sold or unsold. Bring to a Wednesday meeting or make arrangements with Jan Barbera or Larry Hebbring to turn in. jbarbera@wi.rr.com or ljhebbring@gmail.com
We still have more tickets to sell if you need some.
Larry Hebbring
Popcorn Wagon
The ever-popular popcorn wagon is open every evening from 6:30 to 9:00, located in the Piggly Wiggly parking lot. Stop in for some tasty popcorn. Tell your friends. It’s a great fund-raiser for the club. Thank you to the team captains, all of the members who pop, and Larry Podolske and his committee for their continuous attention to keep it running and stocked with all of the supplies.
Distinguished Young Women
Kailee Doherty, Distinguished Young Woman of Menomonee Falls for 2019, will represent Menomonee Falls at the Wisconsin State Program on Saturday, August 11, 2018. Kailee is the daughter of Bryan and Linda Doherty. She will perform a vocal aria for her talent. She will be visiting the club on August 15th to give us a recap of the state program as well as her experience at Badger State.
Kailee has been hard at work this summer working on her fitness routine at the WAC. She continues to fine tune her talent and brushed up on some current events and interview skills in preparation for the competition.
The 61st Distinguished Young Women of Wisconsin showcase takes place at 3:00 p.m. at the South Milwaukee Performing Art Center. Ticket information can be found by contacting the box office at 414.766.5049 or online at https://southmilwaukeepac.org.
The 2019 contestants have participated in the Memorial Day and Independence Day Parades. They are also taking advantage of free popcorn at the wagon.
—– Executive Board —–
Board Briefings – July 17, 2018
President Lynette Shepherd led the Board meeting on Tuesday, July 17, 2018. Meeting synopsis is as follows:
No donation requests.
Larry Podolske provided Treasurer Report and discussed recent Independence Day Parade. Larry provided and discussed an expense analysis for the recent parade, including reduced popcorn and cotton candy sales. Board also discussed length of parade, number of units in parade, and decrease in bucket brigade money collected. The following ideas for future parades were discussed by the board:
- Possibility of bucket brigade walking with individuals who sell cotton candy/popcorn
- Having a banner walk down the street in the beginning of the parade with cost of parade and/or noting that donations are accepted
- Possibility of a small flier/handout being created that discusses what the Optimist Club is about, cost of parade, what donation proceeds go to, etc. This flier could then be handed out to parade goers by those with the bucket brigade or by others prior to the bucket brigade walking through the crowd.
No Committee Reports and Budgets.
Unfinished Business – Informational Items:
- Night meetings – Speakers committee will take over night meetings. Night meetings will not be quarterly, but rather as needed.
- Optimist After 5 – They meet the 3rd Tuesday of each month.
- Will amend bylaws for review/vote at next meeting regarding guidelines for President position, such as ability to repeat as President and how often.
New Business:
- We will invite Steve Fleming to next board meeting to discuss further the Independence Day Parade
- Popcorn Wagon – There seems to be an electrical issue with wagon. Club member Denny will look into this.
The Board meets the third Tuesday of every month at 7:00 a.m. Members include:
- President Lynette Shepherd
- 1st Vice President Jeanine Dederich
- 2nd Vice President Dustin Koehler
- Treasurer Larry Podolske
- Past President Don Gorzek
- Past Presidents Council Dan Schwind
- Board Members: Sue Carney, Dave Curran, Tom Dueppen, Kathryn Hoff, Chris O’Reilly, Barb Schmit
Dustin Koehler
Optimist After Five
The August meeting of OA5 is planned and we’re very excited to invite Optimist members and non-members to join us for Optimist Night at Uptown Art in Sussex. The studio is in a strip mall off of 164 and HWY K. The date is August 21st at 6:00 pm. Open paint starts at $15 per person for an 8×10 canvas or 1 wine glass to paint. Upgrades to larger sizes or wood boards are available at the door. This is not an instructor led class, however our new member, Montana Mariscal, works at Uptown, and another employee will be there to assist everyone who needs it. Open paint includes step-by-step instruction cards for about 150+ different paintings.
We are allowed to bring in our own food, however please do not bring in any beverages of any kind. There is a full bar! Please register in advance! You can do so here: Register here!
In other news, we started working on our second fundraiser for the fall. Anyone interested in working on Retro Arcade night fundraiser (video games, pizza, music and fun!), should reach out to Shannon (shannon.dederich@gmail.com) and we’ll get you set up with the team! We’re just in the beginning stages, so lots of opportunity to help brainstorm a really great event!
—- Past Events —-
July 3 Parade
The July 3rd parade was a huge success once again. Thanks to all the volunteers who gave their time and energy to make this possible.
The first thank you goes to Mother Nature. The weather was perfect that night.
Thanks to our parade chairperson, Steve Fleming, and the parade committee which consists of Larry Hebbring, Tony Bawiec, Terry Fitzsimmons, Larry Podolske, and Ann Freudenthal.
This parade would not happen without the services of the Menomonee Falls Police Department. Sargeant Steven Sanders is the department’s liaison with the parade team for the Land Grab and the parade. Thanks to Steve and all the officers involved.
And now all the volunteers, many who helped out in multiple areas before and during the parade. These are listed in no particular order. Some are from the Optimist After 5, the new Sussex, Lisbon, Lannon, Butler club, and family and friends of members. We welcome and thank all our volunteers. I apologize if I have neglected to name someone for this list.
Kirsten Sperl, Dustin Koehler, Barb Schmit, Karen Nelson, Kathy Matthiessen, Al Matthiessen, Del Kreuser, Rick Kohl, Jerry Mislang, Kathy Mislang, Mary Wenzel, Kim Wenzel, Charlie Keller, Dani Ernst, Montana Mariscal, Mary Mulder, Jimmy Walsh, Diane Matuzak, Meg Latus, Sarah Nolan, Landon Nolan, Kathryn Hoff, Linda Wagner, Kathie Jensen, Jason Husslein, Lenny Kimmel, Debbie Kimmel, Arlen Herink, Carl Trapp, Donna Bosch, Joy Fricke, John Yusko, Lance Newman, Rose Schwartz, Don Derivan, Tom Rutledge, Scott Byington, Tom Drobka, Tammy Pinter, Rob Pinter, John Thomas, Marcia Hebbring, Laurie Pollpeter, Jeanine Dederich, Dennis Dederich, Faith Vanderhorst, Sue Carney, Anna Listwan, Sarah Kimmel, Rema Kunnath, Ratnasing Punathil, Corey Golla, Jody Golla, Joanne Wanner, Cindy Harvey, Gail Heinecke, Jim Lowe, Ross Sharkey, Cathy Sharkey, Linda Christman, Sharon Ellis, Jerry Ellis, Kristy Gruenwald, Jane Hathaway, Bill Hathaway, Linda Podolske, Chris Derivan, Carol Schulteis, Chad Johnson, Jim Foster, Jim White, Gabby Krueger, Don Gorzek, Paul Lindemann, Jim Newman, Jon Cline, Barry Landowski, and Randy Stelpflug.
Hope to see everyone again next year.
Ann Freudenthal
—- Optimist Club Meeting Photos by Don Gorzek —-
Christmas in July
Falls Patio Players Summer Camp
Our Club annually donates money to the CE & Rec Dept Safety Town program, club member, and Director of Community Education & Recreation, Jason Husslein told us about this worthwhile summer program. Candice Southcott, Recreation Supervisor, also joined us to describe the Middle School Lock In.
The Greater Metro Conference and WIAA State Semifinalist MFHS Fastpitch Team were our guests at our July 25,2018 meeting. Head Coach Lou Sanicola received a team plaque for the team’s accomplishments presented by Todd Paulus.
—- This Month in Club History —
August 15, 2002 (16 years ago) – Jeff Steliga wins out over 10 other participants in the first annual miniature golf competition staged at The Ranch. Barb Lowe’s net score of 58 for 18 holes at Wanaki wins the Lenny Bentzein Memorial Trophy using Ed Schlumpf’s “Peoria” scoring system.
Submitted by Jerry Mislang from the 40 Year History Program – courtesy of Ed Schlumpf
—- Excerpts from thank you notes —-
Tyhanna Curtain and Amma – MFHS Debate Team – ”…thank you for this donation that helped send us to Washington D.C. for the 2018 National Debate Tournament…we couldn’t have done it without you!”
Kenzie Poetzel – MFHS Scholarship Winner – “I am grateful to be able to use this money to attend the school of my dreams… The Optimist Club provided me so many opportunities throughout my career at MFHS and I’m very thankful.”
Diane Gariepy – Retiring Quest Teacher – “It has been an honor to be connected to all of you and your organization for the last 13 years… Please allow me to say ‘thank you’ again for acknowledging my At-Risk Students from Quest. By listening to their stories, respecting them and offering scholarships to them, you all gave them a priceless gift of allowing them to shine in public.”
Jordan Bonenberger – MFHS Scholarship Winner – “I’d like to express my gratitude for your financial support through the…Optimist Club Scholarship. I embrace the Optimist Creed ‘think only of the best, work only for the best and expect only the best.”
Robyn Turtenwald – her Father Lew Tietz’s passing – “…your flowers were beautiful and your support is immeasurable.”
Harleen Arora – MFHS Scholarship Winner – “Thank you for selecting me…I will be attending UW-Madison to become a doctor. Thanks to you, I’m one step closer to that goal!”
Scarlett Stujenske – Patio Players summer Camp – “Thank you for giving me one of your scholarships, I had a Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious time!”
—- How to Publish Optimist News –—-
There are multiple venues for publishing Optimist news and events the community and to the Optimist members. It is important to get the word out so everyone is aware of the events we sponsor to benefit the youth of the community. Committee chairs are responsible for writing the articles and sending them via email to the people listed below:
- NEWSLETTER Jerry Mislang no later than the 25th of each month – jerry.mislang@prodigy.net
- NEWSPAPERS Kim Wenzel three or more weeks prior to your event, as quickly as possible after an event – kfwenzel87@gmail.com
- FACEBOOK Cathy Sharkey, Dawn Mariscal or Lynette Shepherd – csharkey224@yahoo.com, dmariscal@wi.rr.com, llshep4ma@gmail.com
- WEBSITE Beth Saunders – bethjsaunders@gmail.com