Welcome to the new year! I am honored to serve as your Governor this year. I've been an Optimist for over 30 years. Along the way, I've started an adult club in Delaware, served twice as President of the Optimist Club of York County, held the position of Lt. Governor for Zone 7, and served as the JOI District Advisor, and currently advise the Community Junior Optimist Club of York County.
This will be the year of change - and with change comes opportunity. To thrive, we must adapt to the need's of today's members while staying true to our mission of serving youth and communities. Change isn't always easy, but I promise to support you as we try new approaches.
How do we attract new members? Fewer meetings. More project-based gatherings. Club within Clubs. And most importantly - learning to Just Ask. Yes, sometimes the answer will be no, but every "ask"plants a seed. Neighbors, friends, coworkers - invite them in. We can and must grow.
Each Club President will receive a New Member Worksheet created by the Optimist International Growth Chair. I encourage every member to complete it and bring it to your kickoff meeting in October. This is how growth begins - by identifying, inviting and welcoming.
This will also be the year of JOI! Our seven active JOI Clubs are doing remarkable work, serving both their schools and their communities. Together, they represent 207 young people - our future leaders. We will highlight their projects at our quarterly meetings and celebrate their contributions.
But we don't want to stop there. Have you reached out to schools in your community? Would they be interested in starting a JOI Club? We have all the resources ready, and I will personally walk you through the process. Let's grow our JOI Family in 2025-2026 and continue teaching the next generation the joy of service.
This year, several of our Clubs will reach major milestones. At our quarterly meetings, we'll honor their history, celebrate their impact, and yes - we'll celebrate with cake! Because Optimism is about joy, recognition, and community.
Our Optimist International President, Tom Kendo, has given us a theme for this year: Be the Change. Together, we can strengthen our Clubs, which in turn strengthens our communities. We can do this. We will do this. Just Ask - and Be the Change.
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The Optimist Leadership Academy (OLA) is focused on identifying and developing Members that have the potential to be good leaders at the District and International levels of our organization. OLA is a nine-month program that consists of sessions that center on primary leadership skills with a new skill set being focused on monthly. Each month, October - May, will focus on a different set of skills necessary to be a successful leader. In June, the entire group will come together in-person for the final session
We are so excited to let you know that Connie Sohnleitner, from Club 02100, has been accepted and confirmed as a member of the 2024-2025 Optimist Leadership Academy (OLA)! OLA will begin on October 1 and end just prior to our International Convention in St. Louis. Being selected for OLA is a huge honor. We ask that you please be sure to encourage and support Connie throughout the year.