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THE BLOOMFIELD HILLS OPTIMIST CLUB P.O. Box 781 Bloomfield Hills, MI 48303 NAVIGATION
	CURRENT MEMBER NEWS Do you know a person who would make a wonderful member? Bring them to a weekly breakfast meeting or any of our other activities and introduce them to the rest of the membership. This is easy, free and it’s a great way to recruit new members. If any member has anything to add to these comments about what happened at these meeting, please email me and I will insert them. Norm Smith February 18, 2010 February 11, 2010 Our board meeting highlights included setting a date for establishing charitable contributions with the money left over from Holiday Wish and a discussion of our upcoming Comedy Castle fund raiser. See here. February 4, 2010 The three winners of the Essay Contest read their papers to the group made up of parents and teachers. First place went to the young lady who won our oratorical last year. January 28, 2010 We went to OLHSA to read to the pre school, kinder garden ad 1st grade kids. January 21, 2010 Board meeting with honor guest from the West Bloomfield Club Lou. January 14, 2010 The morning was filled with speakers from OLHSA, and the Pontiac Academy for Excellence as we said thanks to all of our sponsors of presents for the Holiday Wish Program. There were an estimated 50 in attendence. January 7, 2010 Without a speaker, we had a general discussion of up and coming events. December 17, 2009 The Kingswood-Cranbrook Madrigal Singers Entertained the club as a Christmas Special. December 10, 2009 Holiday Wish Week, Crews Picking up and delivering gifts. Our Sentiments as expressed by our Fern Garcia... I may not see you all as much these days, with my travel-Michigan requirements…as my closest friends will attest. I am never so proud, and so humble, of who I am that when I take one of the oars and pull my weight for Children’s Wish. I do not know of a community service project that has more potential for propagating good than this one. We reach children with so much more than the packages we deliver…we deliver a message that people out there care. That is the magic. We let them feel the impact of voluntary good will. We allow them to feel that they are appreciated, that they are worthy to be loved. I know in the years since this small idea originated in Ann Arbor in 1978, and adopted by the BHOC in ’89, there have to be hundreds of kids whose life has been made better, because they passed it on. Two years ago, picking up packages at an office that was facing financial hardship, one of the young workers told me she was once the beneficiary of this project, that she is now making sure she harnesses the energy and good will of those around her. Close your eyes, you are a drop that fell into a quiet pool… and you became the ripple that reached out and infected others with the spirit of possibilities. This year, we had Head Start parents working and helping. One of them, Mike Boynton, had turned his back on the negative and on the ill-will of his former friends, going home quietly after work, avoiding “all the bad stuff”, and still “never seem(s) to get out of Pontiac.” He “saw” us, he felt that we are no different. He has reached out and called me twice for advice. Why? Because no one “like me” had ever offered it, and he was just curious enough to test the water. He felt the ripple. Thank you to all my friends, and in particular, Brian, for carrying the torch of this project, and, while it is an Herculean effort on Brian’s part, you notice that the army always shows up to wage the war on apathy, and, not surprisingly, we always win. May God continue to light your path. Merry Christmas…that is my Christmas Wish. Am I being perfectly politically incorrect? Oh, good. I learned it from that languid guy 2000 years ago. Utter irreverence for non-sense. Fernando J. Garcia December 3, 2009 Our member Roi Chinn, Candidate for State Senate talked about his qualifications and ideas for our State Senate District. November 19, 2009 Chief Piche took us on a tour of the new Bloomfield Township facilities. The Bunking facilities were great and the new electronic meeting and training equipment is truly state of the art. November 12, 2009 The board meeting reviewed recent events and then focused on Holiday Wish which now underway. November 5, 2009 Dr. Jacqueline Cassell, CAO/Superintendent Pontiac Academy for Excellence gave us an excellent rundown on the academy. They now have 1380 students K-12 from all over North Oakland County. Their goal is graduate all students. October 30, 2009 The District Quarterly meeting was held at the Centerpoint Marriott with our zone being the host clubs. A few dozen people visited the hospitality suite set up by our club along with other zone clubs. October 29, 2009 Several Members read to the children at OLHSA Head Start Program. October 22, 2009 Youth Appreciation was well attended by students, parents and counselors from 9 schools both public and private. Go to the PIC/EVENTS page. Motivational Speaker Michael Wickett talked about you can be what you want to be. October 15, 2009 David Blume, Gave us an update on the Home town newspapers and the Eccentric and the reasons we need them. October 8, 2009 Board Meeting October 1, 2009 Jim Wolfe, a teaching consultant, gave us a slide show of he and his wife's visit to the Galapagos Island. It was fascinating and to extensive to detail here. Sept 24, 2009 A number of members showed up at OLHSA to read to the kids at Head Start. Sept 19, 2009 At our Chili Cook off Installation Diner a good time was had by all . We had about 40 attendees at Tamara's house with 10 chili entries. The men beat the women at Bocce Ball after a slow start. An exciting game. Sept 17, 2009 Past OI District Governor gave us a great run down on the new OI program of Internet Safety for Kids which is being run with the State of Michigan. See the Home Page. Sept 10, 2009 Our Board Meeting covered finances, a recap of Sand Castles and other recent events. The installation dinner will be at Tamara's as a chili cook off with a Bocce Ball contest. We will be conserving cash until after Holiday Wish is over. Sept 3, 2009 Caroline Shinkle, winner of our and the State’s Oratorical Contest spoke. Aug 27, 2009 Dr. Thomas Brunk, an historian and expert on Pewabic Pottery, spook to us about Pewabic Pottery. He was most interesting as he has studied this for years and is currently writing a book about it. Here’s to Thursday. I’ll get out an announcement early next week. Visit http://www.pewabic.org/ for history and store. This is another story of Detroit's early years and the people who made things happen. Aug 20, 2009 Jeff Sadowski, How his firm defended the Professor who invented the intermittent windshield wiper. Jeff Sadowski, is an attorney with the law firm Howard and Howard and will tell us how he and his firm defended (even showing clips from the trial) Dr. Robt. Kearns, the professor at Wayne State University who invented the intermittent windshield wiper and sued the auto companies to defend his patent. See the movie with Greg Kinear, Flash of Genius, to learn more about Dr. Kearns and H&H. Aug 16, 2009 Wow, another sunny day and another great showing for the optimist. we were strong, organized, and hot. Thanks to our chairmen, Stuart McCormack and Ted Wilson; runners Judy Vindici, Karen Miller, Adela Knedlik, Val Wilson, Alice and Norm Smith, Barb McCormack, Tamara Tazzia , Jeff DuPeron, and Jay Cravens. I think we served 650 hot dogs? Correct me if wrong. It was fast and efficient. Thanks to everyone. Thanks to Ted and Stuart and Norm for 3 cookers. What a blessing that was and Barb, way to go on opening those buns. see you all on Thur. Tamara Aug 15, 2009 Hello to all optimist,what a great day, we had 17 strong. Our chair Karen was awesome. members Stuart McCormick, Ted and VAl Wilson, Norm Smith, Jeff DuPeron and brother Terry, Roi Chin, Jay Cravens, Judy Vindici, Tamara Taaia, two of Karens Miller's friends, Ginger Capobianco ,Dan Gilbert, Jim Keller and Dave Piche. Way to go. Thanks to all. Tamara Aug 13, 2009 Board Meeting. Aug 6, 2009 Don Burlett, President of the local Audubon Society, told us about birds in our backyard and around the world. I was told that his was wonderful program. July 30, 2009 David Nisbet Stewart, composer, who spoke to us about a recent performance, his compositions and and the art of composing music. Very interesting. July 25, 2009 Heart of the Hills Run. There were 600 runners this an increase of 50% from last year. July 23, 2009 Terry DuPeron speaking to us about Fund Raising Ideas. July 9, 2009 Dr, Avi Desai MD F.C.C.P. Spoke to us about sleep therapy and how they can study your sleep apnea and other problems with getting a good nights sleep, July 2, 2009 Cam Ayoub, Director of Sand Castles gave us a good overview of the Sand Castle program. June 25, 2009 - A visit from our Lt. Governor was the highlight of the meeting. A discussion of the district plans and the next district meeting at Shanty Creek ensued. The Shanty Creek meeting should be great. June 18, 2009 - Eli Zaret regaled us with stories from his time in Detroit Sports starting from 1974 when he graduated from U of M. Insights into sports and reporting personalities were enjoyed by everyone. Pistons, Tigers, Lions and Redwings were all fodder for his stories. A great speaker. See "Member or Guest Events" under "Events/Pics" for picture June 11, 2009 - The Respect for Education celebration brought educators from all over the district as we honored Bert Okma. Bert helped found the International Academy Baccalaureate program and has seen it to today as one of the best programs in the country. See the pictures under Events/Pics tab. June 4, 2009 - Our monthly Board meeting covered our usual topics as we wind down the year. Respect for Education, The Texas Hold-em Fund Raiserwhich is on hold, The Heart of the Hills run, The Dream Cruise and Sand Castles. May 28, 2009 - Few members showed up for reading to the pre school children. This was our last day for reading for the summer. May 21, 2009 - Today's meeting "Respect for Law" honoring Officer Corey Donberger, Lasher High School Liason Officer, was attended by his chief and township officials. A number of people spoke to his integrity and skills in handling what could be a tough job. Pictures will be available in a couple of days. May 18, 2009 - Greetings Fellow Optimists, Just a quick note of congratulations to Ted Wilson and Jayne Hammond for all their efforts on our behalf of the club and the Fire Department Charities yesterday. This was our best showing yet and it was masterfully executed! Many thanks as well to all of our members who volunteered, attended dinner, golfed, sponsored holes, donated items, sold tickets and asked their friends, family and coworkers to join the fun. In this business climate, you all proved how effective our small but mighty club can be. Most encouragingly, it sure seems that the "new team" running the event kept the best of our past practices and made some new changes for the better! It was hard to imagine how things would transition without Leo at the helm, but he sure seemed to be having a good time and did not appear to be missing his obligations at the microphone! Finally, Ted did a super job speaking for the club at the event and telling everyone about who we are and what we do. Very professional and effective. Just like our group. Thanks Ted! Congratulations and thank you to all who were there and supported us! Yours in Optimism, Brian May 12, 2009 - At the board meeting we discussed the coming schedule. Caroline Shinkle of Cranbrook Kingswood School, our Oratorical Winner will compete at the District meeting in Port Huron and we will "comp" her parents dinners, Respect for Law will be in the Marriott Grill with 9 potential guests, The golf outing is full with room for more hole sponsors (our "take" will be lower this year), Steve Gaynor will be a guest at Respect for Education with Brooks Patterson as a possible guest, A sing up sheet for the Texas Hold'em Fundraiser was past around. There will be training and we could use more volunteers. The Heart of the Hills Run, the Dream Cruise and Sandcastles are all on schedule. And, finally, our finances are under control, although we will have less to distribute this year. Bob Dempster will be preparing T Shirts for the Victory Games. See the following for the Urban Garden Explosion in Pontiac. May 7, 2009 - Mel Vanderburg, Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. Mel took us on a trip up Mt. Kilimanjaro in words and pictures. It was something to see. Although not a technically difficult climb, there was danger from altitude sickness which can kill you quickly. He also explained why the snows on Kilimanjaro are melting because of lack of moisture and heat from the volcano. Mel VanderBrug 248-240-5770 Mel@VanderBrugs.com Excellent presentation. April 30, 2009 - Reading to the kids today. April 23, 2009 - Rich Homberg, Pres. Managing Dir, Detroit Public TV. Rich provided us with a fascinating view of WTVS - TV variety of programming. A very eclectic group. www.dptv.org for more info. April 16, 2009 - Ryan Husch, Michigan Victory Games explained how Michigan Victory Games provides and sports outlet for disabled and handicapped individuals in Michigan. Look in the "Guest Events" section of "EVENTS" for their literature. April 9, 2009 - Todays Board Meeting was rather uneventful. The coming events are the Golf Outing and Respect for Law. Both appear to be under control. There was no Treasurer's Report. April 2, 2009 - Operation Smile, Dr. Rick Persiani, Operation Smile. Dr. Persiani is part of 35 teams of dentists, nurses and others who travel the world repairing cleft palates for third world children, all paid for out of grants from various organizations. He also has organized a local organization that provides dental insurance for 6,000 local children who do not qualify for Medicaid or cannot afford insurance. We have been invited to a thank you dinner for Bloomfield Youth Guidance at the Bloomfield Hunt Club on April 22, 2009 at 6:30 PM. Cost is $30 which the club will reimburse. We will be participating in a optimist gaming night at the St Regis Hotel June 25th to 28th. We need volunteers to help. March 26, 2009 - John Buckert, "Protecting Your Invention with Patents". John explained the in's and out's of patent protection and stopping others from stealing your ideas. See an attorney. March 19, 2009 - Our Oratorical Contest had a great turnout with 3 schools and 6 students participating. Go to EVENTS "Oratorical Pics 09". Thanks to our three judges, Kathy Coe, Dale Carnegie Traning, www.michigan.dalecarnegie.com kathy_Coe@dalecarnegie.com 248-652-4944; Ann Redner, ANN Redner Creative, ann@annrednercreative.com, 248-375-0528; Lynn Selwa, SendOutCards, www.sendsomejoy.com, lynn@sendsomejoy.com, 734-277-6382. March 12, 2009 - The Oratorical Contest is coming up next week. There will be no March Head Start Reading because of conflicts. May will be the last Head Start Reading Day for the summer. The next big event is the Golf Outing May 18th and we need sponsors. The entry fee was dropped to $125 from $150. Stuart McCormick is our first hole sponsor, covering the "Hole in Ones". There have been changes to the prize drawing to make it faster. More to come. March 5, 2009 - Again your author was on the road and missed this meeting. Donna Marie of “Speaking w/ Confidence" was our speaker. Any additional comments would be appreciated. February 26, 2009 - Your author was on the road and missed this meeting. Any information from the members would be of help. February 19, 2009 - Up coming events and our finances were reviewed. No unusual events. The need for sponsors for the Golf outing was emphasized. February 12, 2009 - Scott Suomela ran an excellent Essay Contest. We had 28 essays from 6 schools submitted and judged by Patricia Presto from Lake Shore Schools, Lori Bell from Henry Ford Medical Center and Cynthia Casey from Waterford Schools. The winners were Ashley Maiorana from Detroit Country Day in first, Hailey Dotterer from Academy of the Sacred Heart in second and Hillary Hafke from Cranbrook Schools in third. First place received a $250 scholarship from the club and a chance at the district prize of $650. February 5, 2009 - Rocky Martina from World of Glass Co. For thirty years, Rocky has been creating and restoring the leaded glass in most of the historic buildings in Detroit such as the Opera House, the Fox Theatre, the Masonic Temple, The Michigan Opera Theatre, and Elwood Grill and others. His stories were fascinating. January 29, 2009 - We had a good time reading to the kids. January 22, 2009 - The Holiday Wish "Thank You" breakfast was well attended by about 60 honorees. Speakers included a recipients mother, Jacqueline Cassell, PAE Superintendent, teachers and others. Starr Commonwealth also attended. Brian MacKenzie did a marvelous job along with Ron Borngasser and Adela from OLHSA. See the pictures in the Picture Index. l January 15, 2009 - Bill Stark, Dir. of Ctr. for Alt. Fuels at Macomb Comm.College talked to us about ethanol fuels although questions about wind and solar ate up most of the time. There is a trend to move from corn to cellulose ethanol but there is a long way to go before we have energy independence. He may be contacted at starkw@macomb.edu January 8, 2009 - The board meeting reviewed our fiscal position and all upcoming events. It was announced that the Tri-Star Basketball event for this year was canceled because of low participation. We may try to run one at the Pontiac Academy when their new gym is open next year. Another thought was a joint event with other clubs, perhaps at the Palace. December 10, 11, 12, 13, 2008 - Holiday Wish presents were picked up Wednesday, Thursday and Friday by 2 crews of 8 ending with 5 crews of 3 or 4. All was done by early Friday. About 20 members and guests shopped and wrapped for 70 left over kids on Saturday. All in all this was one of the smoothest and least confusing of all our annual events. Congratulations to Brian MacKenzie, Ted Wilson, Phyllis Zimmerman, Mike Cowdry, Bob Dempster and Adela Knedlik for a very successful season. Bob's truck and crew shortened the work load for everyone. We provided presents for 2800 children from 87 different sponsors plus a number of uncounted others. The value at $40 per present equals $112,000. We collected $11,000 cash and spent $11,500 from our treasury with more money to come in. Our most successful year ever. Our Boy Scout Troop was also very helpful in assembling 120 bicycles. December 11, 2008 - Guests were Mike Martin from Head Start, Kristin Herrick from OLSHA, Steve Hanna from OLSHA and Jerry Sedik from OLSHA. I am sure these names are not spelled correctly. The collection of gifts is going great, and if gifts are not provided, than cash has been given. We may be able to finance all the remaining gifts from the cash gifts, leaving the treasury for our other projects. Many companies, like Microsoft, are also providing matching gifts. December 4, 2008 - Theresa Brune of Simplify It, LLC, speaking to us about organizing our business and home and avoiding holiday havoc. Ms. Brune is a professional Organizer whose motto is "Your Mess is our success". She can be contacted at Theresa@SimplifyItLLC.com and her website is www.SimplifyItLLC.com. November 27, 2008 - Thanksgiving November 20, 2008 - Leonard Renier, Wealth & Wisdom Institute, speaking to us on Saving Money in Today’s Economy. How to avoid the ten transfers of wealth. A primer on how to increase your savings. November 14, 2008 - Eleven members participated in the Hospitality Suite Friday night and a good time was had by all. November 13, 2008 - The Board Meeting covered our finances, the successful Youth Appreciation, and the upcoming Holiday Wish program. Scotty Suomela will handle the upcoming Essay Contest and Jay Cravens will do the Oratorical Contest. A plea was sent out for member participation in the hospitality suite for the district meeting Friday night.. November 6, 2008 - Our member Gordon Glidden's company US Inspect has added a Home Energy Audit service to their offerings. Gordon spoke to us with a power point presentation with infra red pictures of homes showing where we lose heat. There are many things we can do to save energy money that will pay for themselves in short order. The following is the page of the US Inspect website that talks about the service. www.usinspect.com/Energy/Home_Energy_Service.asp. Call 734-433-0853 October 30, 2008 - Our Youth Appreciation program for 2008 was a great success due to the efforts of Laura Marshall. We had 9 schools with 36 students and parents for over 100 attendees. Go to Youth_Appreciation_2008_1.htm. After the program several optimist when to Cranbrook to plant a Memorial Tree. You may recall that early in the spring we discussed OI's Childhood Cancer Campaign and the Earth Day Campaign. At the time Miles Levin, a Cranbrook student, had recently died of sarcoma. He was awarded the Leadership in Courage Award by the Sarcoma Foundation of America for his inspiration to other sarcoma patients. The post humus award was accepted by his parents. We agreed that it would be a great opportunity to plant a tree in keeping with Earth Day and honoring this young man who died of cancer far too soon. Karen Miller and Jane Hammond have been responsible for following through with our commitment. CRANBROOK TREE PLANTING we will be traveling to Cranbrook to view the tree planting. BHOC will be purchasing a variety of White Spruce tree and Cranbrook will be designating the location for the planting. It would be wonderful and a show of support to not only attend the Youth Appreciation Breakfast but to visit Cranbrook to participate in the tree planting in honor of this very brave young man. October 23, 2008 - Our speaker was Jacqueline Montague with www.Peoplemovers.org. Peoplemovers is a networking opportunity for charities in the community and is described as a life-changing community of individuals and organizations creating a healthy world through healthy communities. Jacque's phone is 520-255-0836 and her email is jmontaque@peoplemovers.com . October 16, 2008 - Matthew Menely, District Exec, Detroit Area Council, Boy Scouts America (BSA) spoke to us about what the boy scouts are doing with the Cub Scouts, the Boy Scouts, the Explorers and Ventureing. You can learn more at http://www.scouting.org/. The Detroit Area Council is located at 1776 West Warren, Detroit, MI 48208, 313-361-1291 Fax 313-897-9870. His e-mail is mmenely@dacbsa.org. October 9, 2008 - The October Board Meeting headed by the new President Tamara Tazzia covered our finances, Youth Appreciation, headed by Laura Marshall, the November District Meeting at the Marriott, Holiday Wish (we need more sponsors), by Brian Mackenzie and Head Start reading. The next Head Start reading day will be October 23rd. October 2, 2008 - Our guest speaker was Bill Christensen one of 4 helicopter pilots with the Oakland County Sheriff's Aviation Unit. He showed how their infra red detection is used in law enforcement. Their abilities are amazing. They can cover as much ground as 12 officers in patrol cars. Bill's email is christensenw@oakgov.com and his phone is 248-886-1807. Tours can be arranged. Sept 27, 2008 - Our Installation dinner party was well attended and a good time was had by all. We had a chilly cook off and Bocci Ball for all. The following emails say it all. ALL RISE!!!! What a spectacular event Saturday night hosted by our new president, TAMARA TAZZIA. For those of you who missed it, you missed a great party and a Star Trek swearing in of the administrative team. Of course, all are on Tamara's committees. You also missed a great end to Brian's year with the presentation of his caricature (hopefully, he'll bring it to Thursday's meeting for all to enjoy). We also presented to Leo Chartier on his retirement from the Bloomfield Township Fire Department - also a wonderful caricature. Brian will bring it to Thursday's meeting for signing by those who were unable to be present on Saturday. Brian acknowledged the contributions Leo has made over the years, coming forward with the Fire Dept. Charities at the golf outings and especially Children's Wish. Leo will be missed!! Brian's year was a great year - Tamara has big shoes to fill even in high heels - but she will easily excel without a doubt. Tamara will hold her first official meeting Thursday as the new President and the following Thursday will be Tamara's first board meeting as President. Please come and support our new President. See you Thursday~ paz It was a great honor having our incoming Governor of the Michigan District, Mike Seltzer, install our new team last nite. Following up on his theme, I am looking forward to an especially "stellar" year with our new Captain Tamara! As Captain Piccard would say to get under way at the start of a new adventure on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise - "Engage" and off we go to where no man has gone before! I can't wait! It is going to be another fantastic year! Thanks for all the party goers, we are now $850.00 to the good for the club side. Brian Sept 25, 2008 - Twelve Optimists gathered at the Head Start headquarters at OLHSA Thursday morning and spent an hour reading to the children. A very rewarding day. This outreach will be a monthly event in the place of our regular meeting. See Press Release. Sept 18, 2008 - William D. Stark, Dir. for the Center for Alternative Fuels of Oakland Community College will speak to us on alternative fuels – strategies, costs, considerations, etc. Bill spoke to us about wind power and the need to increase the use of it. There are thoughts for wind farms in the middle of Lake Michigan as well as on land. He has been invited back so he could complete his presentation. 586-445-7905 Fax 586-445-7070 starkw@macomb.edu. Sept 11, 2008 - Board Meeting. Re reviewed the minutes and financial reports. We are in good shape. The DeLosh golf outing was able to raise about $17,000 for Mike. We also disbursed about $5,200 to various charities. Sept 4, 2008 - Dave Lingholm from ADT spoke to us on Personal and Home Safety. Dave had some good suggestions for personal safety both at home and on the road. One idea is if you are attack in a parking lot is to yell "fire" instead of "help". People will respond more readily to that call. The ADT website is www.adt.com phone 248-629-3215 dingholm@adt.com . Aug 28, 2008 - John Swatosh, Deputy Director, Regional Transit Authority, spoke to us about mass transportation. He is the Deputy Director of the Detroit Regional Mass Transit organization. You can find a lot of information by Googleing "Detroit Regional Mass Transit. I was not able to find a website for direct information. John's e-mail is drmt2006@sbcglobal.net. See Picture Button. Aug 21, 2008 - Barbara Kilkka, Field Director, Youth for Understanding, prepares young people for their responsibilities and opportunities in a changing, interdependent world. Discover the world of Exchange Students at www.yfu-usa.org. Two students were present. Andres from Finland and Laurie from Germany, both at Andover High School. The program started in 1950 after WWII to help the youth of Germany see the US as not bad country. Germany is the biggest program to this day and the program is now in 60 countries. Aug 17, 2008 - "Sandcastles was a rousing success once again. The weather was wonderful. In spite of some confusion on the part of the Camp with timing and location, the Optimists came through and served 300 hungry people. We had 18 volunteers - 12 Optimists, 3 Optimist spouses, 2 new Optimist members yet to be sworn in and even a daughter, a record!! I cannot thank you enough for all the help. Many hands make light work. Phyllis Zimmerman" Thanks Phyllis you did a good job. Check out the PICTURE INDEX Aug 16, 2008 - Dream Cruise Aug 14, 2008 - Andrew Corwell, Coast Guard Academy Cadet speaking on the Coast Guard and his summer adventures. He is 3rd class and is in his 2nd year in a Mechanical Engineering curriculum. He described his experience working the Coast Guard cutter "Eagle" along with pictures of other activities such as pepper spray training. It looks like an exciting career. Look them up at http://www.uscg.mil/ Aug 7, 2008 - Justin Fisette, from the Executive Management Team, speaking on the Dream Cruise. A new development this year is a juried display of 50 of the elite classic cars at the 13 mile and Woodward lot. July 31, 2008 - We had Fern Garcia was a no show because of business needs and so Bob Dempster filled in with a further discussion about the new dream cruise CD. July 26, 2008 - We had 405 participants and exceptional weather for the race. It appears that all participants thought the event was a very positive one. Again this year we had over 70 volunteers that really made the run very organized and a good experience for the runners. We have set the date for next years race, it is Saturday, July 25. Another successful event. July 24, 2008 - Miss communication with our guest speaker Justin Fisette caused a no speaker day, but there was plenty to discuss about including the Dream Cruise (and the CD sale), The DeLosh golf outing which netted about $12,000 for Mike DeLosh, the Sand Castles August event and other items. We had one new member and a guest who is a potential member. Amazingly, we had 21 members and guests present, which is a record for July. Mr. Fisette will attend next week. July 17, 2008 - Scott Myers, Mktg. & PR Dir., for the Gem Theater spoke to us about the “Gem” in Detroit. It was a very interesting presentation. The theatres are available for group rentals and can be used for fund raisers. Their website is www.gemtheatre.com. Some pictures are available here. July 10, 2008 - The July board meeting covered the Heart of the Hills Run which was being run by Mike Cowdry and the Recreation department and discussed Sand Castles. We also reviewed preparations for the Dream Cruise. June 26, 2008 - Assistant Oakland County Prosecutor Robert Giles came and talked about his campaign against child sexual assualt. He is running for Oakland County Circuit Judge. His web site is www.gilesforjudge.org and his email is gilesforjudge@yahoo.com June 19, 2008 - With no speaker today, we had a talk around wherein everyone had 4-5 minutes to talk about themselves. All being bashful, we ran over the end of the meeting by several minutes even with efforts to close down. It was announced that the Delosh outing has raised about $9,000 so far. We need more golfers. See the "Delosh" button on the mail page. June 12, 2008 - The board meeting reviewed the up coming events. President MacKenzie will be up north for the summer and will hand off the reins to Tamara Tazzia, vice President, who will take over. The golf outing netted about $12,500 for the Foundation. We also raised about $600 for the childhood cancer drive. The Bloomfield Fire Department Charities raised a similar amount for their causes. June 5, 2008 - Paul Good, Community and Government Relations Manager for the Detroit Zoo spoke about how great the Zoo is and how it ranks nationally with is in the top 5 zoos. For a great deal of information go to www.detroitzoo.org. Volunteers welcome. The big issue is the millage election coming in August of 1 mil which would be about $10 per $200,000 house. It is very badly needed. 248-541-5717 x 3234 pgood@dzs.org May 29, 2008 - Connie Sidor, Deputy Director for Grantee Programs at OLHSA, was our speaker. She told us the history of Head Start and it's objectives and you can contact her through the Oakland Livingstone Human Service Agency. Her story was too complex to relate here but they perform a very important function for the growth of our children and their future success. May 22, 2008 - Crystal Thomas, Docent, gave us a wonderful history of the History of the Kirk in the Hills Church and how it was founded. See the following link for all you want to know. http://www.kirkinthehills.org/templates/cuskirkinthehills/default.asp?id=25103 MAY 19, 2008 - First and foremost - congrats to Leo and all his helpers for making this another fabulous Golf Outing. For those members and friends who were there, what a great time we all had. For those who missed it, sorry you missed a great day. Thank you to all who participated. Special Kudos to Ted Wilson and Fern Garcia, over $600 was raised from the sale of the special pins for the Childhood Cancer Campaign. We had 144 golfers and at dinner about 180. It was windy and cool but everyone had a great time. The filet was done to perfection and there were prizes for all participants. There are too many contributors to list all of them here but a special thanks to Carl's Golfland for their contributions and Dempster Designs for his t-shirt designs. MAY 15, 2008 - Jim Tuman, Don’t Postpone Joy – The Size of Your Funeral will be Dependent on the Weather. Jim's message was live for today to the best of your ability for tomorrow may not come. Ten minutes after you die, you may be forgotten so make an impact on others today and live your dreams. Particulars -- MSU grad. Director -- Positive School Support Program. Developed 3 nat’l programs about youth, women & returning vets. 14 world leaders invited him to talk about the breakdown of families. Featured in all nat’l weekly news magazines and daily papers & recently named by Det. News “Michiganian of the Year”. Seeks balance in his life with diverse activities: famine relief worker in Ethiopia, roadee with Journey, circus clown, rodeo rider, symphony musician, cake decorator, parade enthusiast. Spoken to 2M+ students in 1300+ schools nationwide. Appeared on all major networks including The Today Show, Nat’l PM Magazine and Oprah Winfrey MAY 8, 2008 - The board meeting covered a very large agenda including the golf outing, the Heart of the Hills Run, the Mike DeLosh Golf Outing, The Dream Cruise, Sand Castles, the By Laws update, Empower Mind program, various donations from the foundation and the Cranbrook Meeting Room. It has been determined that we cannot afford to accept the Cranbrook invitation but will be open in the future to cooperation with them in various community projects. MAY 1, 2008 - Respect for Law, Officer Jermaine Bolden, BTPD, Andover School Liaison Officer has been with the Bloomfield Township Plolice Department for 8 years. His job is to represent the Department in a positive light within the education community. His dedication and skills, as both a trainer of young officers and a mentor to young people, are valuable to this community. He is married to a Troy teacher and his father is a retired State Police chief. In 2004 he was officer of the year in the Township Department. He graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 1995. APRIL 24, 2008 - "Respect for Education" was the order of the day and there was no better honoree than Dr.Todd Evans from the Pontiac Academy for Excellence. He has taken the Academy from a few students to 12 grades with 1100 students. This year they will graduate 45 Seniors, all college bound and no drop outs. The Academy does not have "drop outs" but rather "drop ins". There is not room here to list all the Doctor's accomplishments and the honors he has achieved since being born into a poor family in North Carolina. Enough said! APRIL 17, 2008 - We had the usual breakfast at the Marriott and adjourned at 8 AM to the Cranbrook Institute of Science to tour their meeting rooms. The possible move will be discussed at the next board meeting. We also discussed alternatives at the Marriott which does have possibilities if we need more room. APRIL 10, 2008 - There was a crowded docket for the board meeting including the By Law revisions, Respect for Education, Respect for Law, the Golf Outing, Woodward Dream Cruise, support for the Mike DeLosh Charity Golf Outing, support for Kimberly Kassner's Empower Your Mind and the tour of the Cranbrook Institute of Science meeting rooms. Next meeting May 8th. APRIL 3, 2008 - Kimberly Kassner, "Empower Mind" Empowering the minds of youth. It may be simplistic to say we all learn either left or right brain or perhaps a combination of the two but Kimberly's methods involve identifying children who are having difficulty learning because their learning does not match the teaching style they are experiencing. Our club will finance a workshop for students from Pontiac Academy and Star Commonwealth. See Empower Mind or www.empowermind.com Click cancel on the password request. See her you tube story at http://www.youtube.com/empowermind You may have to paste this into your brower. MARCH 27, 2008 - Chuck Moss, State Representative, Talking about our state legislature and the "insanity" that goes on there. He covered many subjects including taxes and business development. MARCH 20, 2008 - Jim Berline, "The changing face of advertising. The Berline Group located on Long Lake across from the post office is a $100 million dollar agency dealing primarily in non-automotive companies. There is apparently no web site available. Three new members were inducted. Susan Csernits, Diane Reis-Harnisch and Jayne A. Hammond. Give them a big welcome. See the Picture Index for an Installation Picture. MARCH 13, 2008 - Our annual Oratorical Contest March 13-2008 was a big success with 8 students from 2 schools giving presentations. We want to thank both Detroit Country Day and Cranbrook for their participation and congratulate all of the students on their presentations. Special congratulations to the winner, Michael Gunawan of Detroit County Day. MARCH 9, 2008 - The Tri Star Basketball Tournament was held at the Bloomfield Hills Middle School with Mike Cowdrey as chairman. Attendance was a little light this year, perhaps because of the Sunday date. A good time was had by all and we will have a even better time next year. MARCH 6, 2008 - A lot of future planning was discussed including elections, the golf outing, respect for education and law, etc. We approved 2 new members, Diane Harnisch and Jane Hammond. February 28, 2008 - Rick Bayliss, CEO of Oakland Hills Country Club, gave us great detail for the upcoming PGA Championships in August, and presented the storied tradition of OHCC as not only a part of the history of golf, but with a quest statement to continue to lead and be a part of the history of golf. He mentioned that the club is vital, and with tough times, the waiting list, which is down to two years, has more interested prospective members given the shorter time to approval. There are more than 1,000 current members. February 21, 2008 - The Essay Contest was held with three excellent winners. Pictures. More details to follow February 14, 2008 - Board Meeting. February 7, 2008 - Robert Greenstone of Greenstone Jewelers spoke about owning and buying jewelery. January 31, 2008 - Wendy Evans (DIA Speakers Bureau) speaking to us about the “New” DIA. Wendy gave a great presentation complete with photos. Everyone should go! January 24, 2007 - Approximately 70 Optimists and friends celebrated a very successful Holiday Wish Program for 2007. President Brian MacKenzie introduced honored guests Ron Borngesser, CEO of OLSHA-North Oakland; Pam McLean, Assistant Director of Family Services (Head Start) of Hazel Park and Pontiac Head Start Teachers; Dr. Todd Evans of the Pontiac Academy of Excellence and Jason Elliot, Kindergarten Teacher at the Pontiac Academy. Many of the Sixty Nine organizations as well as many individuals and volunteers were honored. In addition, the Eagle Scout who earned his Eagle Scout Badge helping us assemble 70 bikes was introduced. It was a fitting end to the 2007 season and now we start thinking of 2008. Visit PAE's Website for more pictures. http://www.pontiacacademy.org/ January 17, 2007 - Mike Stafford Ph.D., Director of the Cranbrook Institute of Science, had pictures of the excavation of the Mastadon found by constuction contractors at a location which is now under the parking lot of the Walmart at Adams Road and M59. He talked about the Archeology dig summer classes sponsored by Meijers in the Greenville area. The science institute has about 200,000 visitors each year. Call and arrange for a group. Email mstafford@cranbrook.edu website http://science.cranbrook.edu/ January 10, 2007 - The usual subjects were discussed and details of future events are available in the Winter Newsletter. See the link above. DECEMBER 20, 2007 - Good cheer and congratulations were all around. We had a record crowd in attendance at the meeting. A special treat in the form of a performance of "The Archers", a quartet of young men from Cranbrook Kingswood, was presented. They sang 6 or 7 Christmas and seasonal songs. A standing ovation all around. A standing "O" for our Holiday Wish. DECEMBER 12, 13, 14, 15, & 17 - A wonderful time (?) was had buy all participants as we picked up and delivered 2700 presents to Head Start, the Pontiac Academy for Excellence and Starr Commonwealth. Saturday was spent shopping and wrapping the few presents our corporate sponsors did not cover. A record and a job well done. There were smiles all around at our sponsors and in the club. The Thank You Breakfast is scheduled for January 24th. There were just too many special jobs done by individuals and organizations to list here but everyone knows who they are. DECEMBER 6, 2007 - Two new members were installed at recent meetings. Jay Cravens the new City Manager for Bloomfield Hills who gave a report on happenings in the city and Scott Suomela a returning member who had moved to Traverse City a few years ago and has returned. Scott works for UBS in Birmingham and is a past president of the club. NOVEMBER 29, 2007 - Bill McElhone, Exec. Dir. Birmingham Museum & Park. History of Birmingham, A history of Birmingham is available at the Hunter house at 500 W. Maple in Birmingham. The first owners of land were Messrs Hamilton, Willets, Peirce and Hunter, each buying a quarter section (160 Acres) meeting at Pierce and Maple Streets in downtown Birmingham. There is no Website available that I can find. The name of Birmingham came into use around 1830. The section around town known as Woodward now was a diversion for the railroad so it did not go down Old Woodward. NOVEMBER 15, 2007 - Our speaker today cancelled. There was continued discussion concerning the logistics of the Holiday Wish program. We have run out of names and are reaching out to our sources. Last years sponsors are all warmly enthusiastic and Brian is receiving a lot of hugs. Tamara and Brian reported on the Motown Conference at the St. Regis. AWESOME. NOVEMBER 8 2007 - Our guest today was Lance Waldorf who has served his country for twenty years as a commissioned officer (Major) in the United States Army and Army Reserve. He has had two tours in Afghanistan as a civil affairs officer coordinating humanitarian assistance and as a diplomat to the Afgan government. One of the difficulties "we" have in Afghanistan is getting the true story about our role there out to the U.S. public. Lance was awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious service for his accomplishments. Lance's civilian occupation is as a Chartered Financial Consultant with Merrill Lynch's Auburn Hills office. He can be contacted at 800-333-9167 or lance_waldorf@ml.com . NOVEMBER 1, 2007 - Today was a board meeting where the principal focus was on the up coming Holiday Wish. We are winding up to speed and we need help. Contact Brian MacKenzie at 248-505-8400 for information. President MacKenzie reported on Children’s Holiday Wish. This year’s target is approximately 2,700, of which 1,700 are already committed, with an additional 700 to be confirmed. The Club has a combination of 175 bikes/Barbie Dolls in inventory leaving approximately 125 to 150 children to cover. Volunteers for pick up and delivery for 12/11-12/15 are necessary. Ted Wilson reported that Leap Pads are on sale for $20 and at least 30-40 could be obtained at that price as well as Pound Puppies which he believes to be a requested item this year. The Club approved Ted’s purchase of the Leap Pads and Pound Puppies. Ted also reported that 75 bikes will be available for pick up following the meeting on 11/15 and requests volunteers to pick up and deliver to Organic for assembly by the Boy Scouts. Link to older news items. Here. OUR 2007-2008 BHOC OFFICERS Brian MacKenzie & Tamara Tazzia-Co–Presidents Tamara Tazzia– Vice President Jay Craven-Vice President Elect Phylis Zimmerman – Secretary Stuart McCormick – Treasurer

CURRENT MEMBER NEWS

Do you know a person who would make a wonderful member? Bring them to a weekly breakfast meeting or any of our other activities and introduce them to the rest of the membership. This is easy, free and it’s a great way to recruit new members. If any member has anything to add to these comments about what happened at these meeting, please email me and I will insert them. Norm Smith

February 18, 2010

February 11, 2010 Our board meeting highlights included setting a date for establishing charitable contributions with the money left over from Holiday Wish and a discussion of our upcoming Comedy Castle fund raiser. See here.

February 4, 2010 The three winners of the Essay Contest read their papers to the group made up of parents and teachers. First place went to the young lady who won our oratorical last year.

January 28, 2010 We went to OLHSA to read to the pre school, kinder garden ad 1st grade kids.

January 21, 2010 Board meeting with honor guest from the West Bloomfield Club Lou.

January 14, 2010 The morning was filled with speakers from OLHSA, and the Pontiac Academy for Excellence as we said thanks to all of our sponsors of presents for the Holiday Wish Program. There were an estimated 50 in attendence.

January 7, 2010 Without a speaker, we had a general discussion of up and coming events.

December 17, 2009 The Kingswood-Cranbrook Madrigal Singers Entertained the club as a Christmas Special.

December 10, 2009 Holiday Wish Week, Crews Picking up and delivering gifts. Our Sentiments as expressed by our Fern Garcia...

I may not see you all as much these days, with my travel-Michigan requirements…as my closest friends will attest. I am never so proud, and so humble, of who I am that when I take one of the oars and pull my weight for Children’s Wish.

I do not know of a community service project that has more potential for propagating good than this one. We reach children with so much more than the packages we deliver…we deliver a message that people out there care.

That is the magic. We let them feel the impact of voluntary good will. We allow them to feel that they are appreciated, that they are worthy to be loved. I know in the years since this small idea originated in Ann Arbor in 1978, and adopted by the BHOC in ’89, there have to be hundreds of kids whose life has been made better, because they passed it on.

Two years ago, picking up packages at an office that was facing financial hardship, one of the young workers told me she was once the beneficiary of this project, that she is now making sure she harnesses the energy and good will of those around her.

Close your eyes, you are a drop that fell into a quiet pool… and you became the ripple that reached out and infected others with the spirit of possibilities.

This year, we had Head Start parents working and helping. One of them, Mike Boynton, had turned his back on the negative and on the ill-will of his former friends, going home quietly after work, avoiding “all the bad stuff”, and still “never seem(s) to get out of Pontiac.” He “saw” us, he felt that we are no different. He has reached out and called me twice for advice. Why? Because no one “like me” had ever offered it, and he was just curious enough to test the water. He felt the ripple.

Thank you to all my friends, and in particular, Brian, for carrying the torch of this project, and, while it is an Herculean effort on Brian’s part, you notice that the army always shows up to wage the war on apathy, and, not surprisingly, we always win.

May God continue to light your path. Merry Christmas…that is my Christmas Wish. Am I being perfectly politically incorrect? Oh, good. I learned it from that languid guy 2000 years ago. Utter irreverence for non-sense.

Fernando J. Garcia

December 3, 2009 Our member Roi Chinn, Candidate for State Senate talked about his qualifications and ideas for our State Senate District.

November 19, 2009 Chief Piche took us on a tour of the new Bloomfield Township facilities. The Bunking facilities were great and the new electronic meeting and training equipment is truly state of the art.

November 12, 2009 The board meeting reviewed recent events and then focused on Holiday Wish which now underway.

November 5, 2009 Dr. Jacqueline Cassell, CAO/Superintendent Pontiac Academy for Excellence gave us an excellent rundown on the academy. They now have 1380 students K-12 from all over North Oakland County. Their goal is graduate all students.

October 30, 2009 The District Quarterly meeting was held at the Centerpoint Marriott with our zone being the host clubs. A few dozen people visited the hospitality suite set up by our club along with other zone clubs.

October 29, 2009 Several Members read to the children at OLHSA Head Start Program.

October 22, 2009 Youth Appreciation was well attended by students, parents and counselors from 9 schools both public and private. Go to the PIC/EVENTS page. Motivational Speaker Michael Wickett talked about you can be what you want to be.

October 15, 2009 David Blume, Gave us an update on the Home town newspapers and the Eccentric and the reasons we need them.

October 8, 2009 Board Meeting

October 1, 2009 Jim Wolfe, a teaching consultant, gave us a slide show of he and his wife's visit to the Galapagos Island. It was fascinating and to extensive to detail here.

Sept 24, 2009 A number of members showed up at OLHSA to read to the kids at Head Start.

Sept 19, 2009 At our Chili Cook off Installation Diner a good time was had by all . We had about 40 attendees at Tamara's house with 10 chili entries. The men beat the women at Bocce Ball after a slow start. An exciting game.

Sept 17, 2009 Past OI District Governor gave us a great run down on the new OI program of Internet Safety for Kids which is being run with the State of Michigan. See the Home Page.

Sept 10, 2009 Our Board Meeting covered finances, a recap of Sand Castles and other recent events. The installation dinner will be at Tamara's as a chili cook off with a Bocce Ball contest. We will be conserving cash until after Holiday Wish is over.

Sept 3, 2009 Caroline Shinkle, winner of our and the State’s Oratorical Contest spoke.

Aug 27, 2009 Dr. Thomas Brunk, an historian and expert on Pewabic Pottery, spook to us about Pewabic Pottery. He was most interesting as he has studied this for years and is currently writing a book about it. Here’s to Thursday. I’ll get out an announcement early next week. Visit http://www.pewabic.org/ for history and store. This is another story of Detroit's early years and the people who made things happen.

Aug 20, 2009 Jeff Sadowski, How his firm defended the Professor who invented the intermittent windshield wiper. Jeff Sadowski, is an attorney with the law firm Howard and Howard and will tell us how he and his firm defended (even showing clips from the trial) Dr. Robt. Kearns, the professor at Wayne State University who invented the intermittent windshield wiper and sued the auto companies to defend his patent. See the movie with Greg Kinear, Flash of Genius, to learn more about Dr. Kearns and H&H.

Aug 16, 2009 Wow, another sunny day and another great showing for the optimist. we were strong, organized, and hot. Thanks to our chairmen, Stuart McCormack and Ted Wilson; runners Judy Vindici, Karen Miller, Adela Knedlik, Val Wilson, Alice and Norm Smith, Barb McCormack, Tamara Tazzia , Jeff DuPeron, and Jay Cravens. I think we served 650 hot dogs? Correct me if wrong. It was fast and efficient. Thanks to everyone. Thanks to Ted and Stuart and Norm for 3 cookers. What a blessing that was and Barb, way to go on opening those buns. see you all on Thur. Tamara

Aug 15, 2009 Hello to all optimist,what a great day, we had 17 strong. Our chair Karen was awesome.
members Stuart McCormick, Ted and VAl Wilson, Norm Smith, Jeff DuPeron and brother Terry, Roi Chin, Jay Cravens, Judy Vindici, Tamara Taaia, two of Karens Miller's friends, Ginger Capobianco ,Dan Gilbert, Jim Keller and Dave Piche. Way to go. Thanks to all. Tamara

Aug 13, 2009 Board Meeting.

Aug 6, 2009 Don Burlett, President of the local Audubon Society, told us about birds in our backyard and around the world. I was told that his was wonderful program.

July 30, 2009 David Nisbet Stewart, composer, who spoke to us about a recent performance, his compositions and and the art of composing music. Very interesting.

July 25, 2009 Heart of the Hills Run. There were 600 runners this an increase of 50% from last year.

July 23, 2009 Terry DuPeron speaking to us about Fund Raising Ideas.

July 9, 2009 Dr, Avi Desai MD F.C.C.P. Spoke to us about sleep therapy and how they can study your sleep apnea and other problems with getting a good nights sleep,

July 2, 2009 Cam Ayoub, Director of Sand Castles gave us a good overview of the Sand Castle program.

June 25, 2009 - A visit from our Lt. Governor was the highlight of the meeting. A discussion of the district plans and the next district meeting at Shanty Creek ensued. The Shanty Creek meeting should be great.

June 18, 2009 - Eli Zaret regaled us with stories from his time in Detroit Sports starting from 1974 when he graduated from U of M. Insights into sports and reporting personalities were enjoyed by everyone. Pistons, Tigers, Lions and Redwings were all fodder for his stories. A great speaker. See "Member or Guest Events" under "Events/Pics" for picture

June 11, 2009 - The Respect for Education celebration brought educators from all over the district as we honored Bert Okma. Bert helped found the International Academy Baccalaureate program and has seen it to today as one of the best programs in the country. See the pictures under Events/Pics tab.

June 4, 2009 - Our monthly Board meeting covered our usual topics as we wind down the year. Respect for Education, The Texas Hold-em Fund Raiserwhich is on hold, The Heart of the Hills run, The Dream Cruise and Sand Castles.

May 28, 2009 - Few members showed up for reading to the pre school children. This was our last day for reading for the summer.

May 21, 2009 - Today's meeting "Respect for Law" honoring Officer Corey Donberger, Lasher High School Liason Officer, was attended by his chief and township officials. A number of people spoke to his integrity and skills in handling what could be a tough job. Pictures will be available in a couple of days.

May 18, 2009 - Greetings Fellow Optimists,

Just a quick note of congratulations to Ted Wilson and Jayne Hammond for all their efforts on our behalf of the club and the Fire Department Charities yesterday.

This was our best showing yet and it was masterfully executed!

Many thanks as well to all of our members who volunteered, attended dinner, golfed, sponsored holes, donated items, sold tickets and asked their friends, family and coworkers to join the fun. In this business climate, you all proved how effective our small but mighty club can be.

Most encouragingly, it sure seems that the "new team" running the event kept the best of our past practices and made some new changes for the better! It was hard to imagine how things would transition without Leo at the helm, but he sure seemed to be having a good time and did not appear to be missing his obligations at the microphone! Finally, Ted did a super job speaking for the club at the event and telling everyone about who we are and what we do. Very professional and effective. Just like our group. Thanks Ted!

Congratulations and thank you to all who were there and supported us!

Yours in Optimism,

Brian

May 12, 2009 - At the board meeting we discussed the coming schedule. Caroline Shinkle of Cranbrook Kingswood School, our Oratorical Winner will compete at the District meeting in Port Huron and we will "comp" her parents dinners, Respect for Law will be in the Marriott Grill with 9 potential guests, The golf outing is full with room for more hole sponsors (our "take" will be lower this year), Steve Gaynor will be a guest at Respect for Education with Brooks Patterson as a possible guest, A sing up sheet for the Texas Hold'em Fundraiser was past around. There will be training and we could use more volunteers. The Heart of the Hills Run, the Dream Cruise and Sandcastles are all on schedule. And, finally, our finances are under control, although we will have less to distribute this year. Bob Dempster will be preparing T Shirts for the Victory Games. See the following for the Urban Garden Explosion in Pontiac.

May 7, 2009 - Mel Vanderburg, Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. Mel took us on a trip up Mt. Kilimanjaro in words and pictures. It was something to see. Although not a technically difficult climb, there was danger from altitude sickness which can kill you quickly. He also explained why the snows on Kilimanjaro are melting because of lack of moisture and heat from the volcano. Mel VanderBrug 248-240-5770 Mel@VanderBrugs.com Excellent presentation.

April 30, 2009 - Reading to the kids today.

April 23, 2009 - Rich Homberg, Pres. Managing Dir, Detroit Public TV. Rich provided us with a fascinating view of WTVS - TV variety of programming. A very eclectic group. www.dptv.org for more info.

April 16, 2009 - Ryan Husch, Michigan Victory Games explained how Michigan Victory Games provides and sports outlet for disabled and handicapped individuals in Michigan. Look in the "Guest Events" section of "EVENTS" for their literature.

April 9, 2009 - Todays Board Meeting was rather uneventful. The coming events are the Golf Outing and Respect for Law. Both appear to be under control. There was no Treasurer's Report.

April 2, 2009 - Operation Smile, Dr. Rick Persiani, Operation Smile. Dr. Persiani is part of 35 teams of dentists, nurses and others who travel the world repairing cleft palates for third world children, all paid for out of grants from various organizations. He also has organized a local organization that provides dental insurance for 6,000 local children who do not qualify for Medicaid or cannot afford insurance.

We have been invited to a thank you dinner for Bloomfield Youth Guidance at the Bloomfield Hunt Club on April 22, 2009 at 6:30 PM. Cost is $30 which the club will reimburse.

We will be participating in a optimist gaming night at the St Regis Hotel June 25th to 28th. We need volunteers to help.

March 26, 2009 - John Buckert, "Protecting Your Invention with Patents". John explained the in's and out's of patent protection and stopping others from stealing your ideas. See an attorney.

March 19, 2009 - Our Oratorical Contest had a great turnout with 3 schools and 6 students participating. Go to EVENTS "Oratorical Pics 09". Thanks to our three judges, Kathy Coe, Dale Carnegie Traning, www.michigan.dalecarnegie.com kathy_Coe@dalecarnegie.com 248-652-4944; Ann Redner, ANN Redner Creative, ann@annrednercreative.com, 248-375-0528; Lynn Selwa, SendOutCards, www.sendsomejoy.com, lynn@sendsomejoy.com, 734-277-6382.

March 12, 2009 - The Oratorical Contest is coming up next week. There will be no March Head Start Reading because of conflicts. May will be the last Head Start Reading Day for the summer. The next big event is the Golf Outing May 18th and we need sponsors. The entry fee was dropped to $125 from $150. Stuart McCormick is our first hole sponsor, covering the "Hole in Ones". There have been changes to the prize drawing to make it faster. More to come.

March 5, 2009 - Again your author was on the road and missed this meeting. Donna Marie of “Speaking w/ Confidence" was our speaker. Any additional comments would be appreciated.

February 26, 2009 - Your author was on the road and missed this meeting. Any information from the members would be of help.

February 19, 2009 - Up coming events and our finances were reviewed. No unusual events. The need for sponsors for the Golf outing was emphasized.

February 12, 2009 - Scott Suomela ran an excellent Essay Contest. We had 28 essays from 6 schools submitted and judged by Patricia Presto from Lake Shore Schools, Lori Bell from Henry Ford Medical Center and Cynthia Casey from Waterford Schools. The winners were Ashley Maiorana from Detroit Country Day in first, Hailey Dotterer from Academy of the Sacred Heart in second and Hillary Hafke from Cranbrook Schools in third. First place received a $250 scholarship from the club and a chance at the district prize of $650.

February 5, 2009 - Rocky Martina from World of Glass Co. For thirty years, Rocky has been creating and restoring the leaded glass in most of the historic buildings in Detroit such as the Opera House, the Fox Theatre, the Masonic Temple, The Michigan Opera Theatre, and Elwood Grill and others. His stories were fascinating.

January 29, 2009 - We had a good time reading to the kids.

January 22, 2009 - The Holiday Wish "Thank You" breakfast was well attended by about 60 honorees. Speakers included a recipients mother, Jacqueline Cassell, PAE Superintendent, teachers and others. Starr Commonwealth also attended. Brian MacKenzie did a marvelous job along with Ron Borngasser and Adela from OLHSA. See the pictures in the Picture Index. l

January 15, 2009 - Bill Stark, Dir. of Ctr. for Alt. Fuels at Macomb Comm.College talked to us about ethanol fuels although questions about wind and solar ate up most of the time. There is a trend to move from corn to cellulose ethanol but there is a long way to go before we have energy independence. He may be contacted at starkw@macomb.edu

January 8, 2009 - The board meeting reviewed our fiscal position and all upcoming events. It was announced that the Tri-Star Basketball event for this year was canceled because of low participation. We may try to run one at the Pontiac Academy when their new gym is open next year. Another thought was a joint event with other clubs, perhaps at the Palace.

December 10, 11, 12, 13, 2008 - Holiday Wish presents were picked up Wednesday, Thursday and Friday by 2 crews of 8 ending with 5 crews of 3 or 4. All was done by early Friday. About 20 members and guests shopped and wrapped for 70 left over kids on Saturday. All in all this was one of the smoothest and least confusing of all our annual events. Congratulations to Brian MacKenzie, Ted Wilson, Phyllis Zimmerman, Mike Cowdry, Bob Dempster and Adela Knedlik for a very successful season. Bob's truck and crew shortened the work load for everyone. We provided presents for 2800 children from 87 different sponsors plus a number of uncounted others. The value at $40 per present equals $112,000. We collected $11,000 cash and spent $11,500 from our treasury with more money to come in. Our most successful year ever. Our Boy Scout Troop was also very helpful in assembling 120 bicycles.

December 11, 2008 - Guests were Mike Martin from Head Start, Kristin Herrick from OLSHA, Steve Hanna from OLSHA and Jerry Sedik from OLSHA. I am sure these names are not spelled correctly. The collection of gifts is going great, and if gifts are not provided, than cash has been given. We may be able to finance all the remaining gifts from the cash gifts, leaving the treasury for our other projects. Many companies, like Microsoft, are also providing matching gifts.

December 4, 2008 - Theresa Brune of Simplify It, LLC, speaking to us about organizing our business and home and avoiding holiday havoc. Ms. Brune is a professional Organizer whose motto is "Your Mess is our success". She can be contacted at Theresa@SimplifyItLLC.com and her website is www.SimplifyItLLC.com.

November 27, 2008 - Thanksgiving

November 20, 2008 - Leonard Renier, Wealth & Wisdom Institute, speaking to us on Saving Money in Today’s Economy. How to avoid the ten transfers of wealth. A primer on how to increase your savings.

November 14, 2008 - Eleven members participated in the Hospitality Suite Friday night and a good time was had by all.

November 13, 2008 - The Board Meeting covered our finances, the successful Youth Appreciation, and the upcoming Holiday Wish program. Scotty Suomela will handle the upcoming Essay Contest and Jay Cravens will do the Oratorical Contest. A plea was sent out for member participation in the hospitality suite for the district meeting Friday night..

November 6, 2008 - Our member Gordon Glidden's company US Inspect has added a Home Energy Audit service to their offerings. Gordon spoke to us with a power point presentation with infra red pictures of homes showing where we lose heat. There are many things we can do to save energy money that will pay for themselves in short order. The following is the page of the US Inspect website that talks about the service. www.usinspect.com/Energy/Home_Energy_Service.asp. Call 734-433-0853

October 30, 2008 - Our Youth Appreciation program for 2008 was a great success due to the efforts of Laura Marshall. We had 9 schools with 36 students and parents for over 100 attendees. Go to Youth_Appreciation_2008_1.htm. After the program several optimist when to Cranbrook to plant a Memorial Tree.

You may recall that early in the spring we discussed OI's Childhood Cancer Campaign and the Earth Day Campaign. At the time Miles Levin, a Cranbrook student, had recently died of sarcoma. He was awarded the Leadership in Courage Award by the Sarcoma Foundation of America for his inspiration to other sarcoma patients. The post humus award was accepted by his parents. We agreed that it would be a great opportunity to plant a tree in keeping with Earth Day and honoring this young man who died of cancer far too soon. Karen Miller and Jane Hammond have been responsible for following through with our commitment. CRANBROOK TREE PLANTING

we will be traveling to Cranbrook to view the tree planting. BHOC will be purchasing a variety of White Spruce tree and Cranbrook will be designating the location for the planting.

It would be wonderful and a show of support to not only attend the Youth Appreciation Breakfast but to visit Cranbrook to participate in the tree planting in honor of this very brave young man.

October 23, 2008 - Our speaker was Jacqueline Montague with www.Peoplemovers.org. Peoplemovers is a networking opportunity for charities in the community and is described as a life-changing community of individuals and organizations creating a healthy world through healthy communities. Jacque's phone is 520-255-0836 and her email is jmontaque@peoplemovers.com .

October 16, 2008 - Matthew Menely, District Exec, Detroit Area Council, Boy Scouts America (BSA) spoke to us about what the boy scouts are doing with the Cub Scouts, the Boy Scouts, the Explorers and Ventureing. You can learn more at http://www.scouting.org/. The Detroit Area Council is located at 1776 West Warren, Detroit, MI 48208, 313-361-1291 Fax 313-897-9870. His e-mail is mmenely@dacbsa.org.

October 9, 2008 - The October Board Meeting headed by the new President Tamara Tazzia covered our finances, Youth Appreciation, headed by Laura Marshall, the November District Meeting at the Marriott, Holiday Wish (we need more sponsors), by Brian Mackenzie and Head Start reading. The next Head Start reading day will be October 23rd.

October 2, 2008 - Our guest speaker was Bill Christensen one of 4 helicopter pilots with the Oakland County Sheriff's Aviation Unit. He showed how their infra red detection is used in law enforcement. Their abilities are amazing. They can cover as much ground as 12 officers in patrol cars. Bill's email is christensenw@oakgov.com and his phone is 248-886-1807. Tours can be arranged.

Sept 27, 2008 - Our Installation dinner party was well attended and a good time was had by all. We had a chilly cook off and Bocci Ball for all. The following emails say it all.

ALL RISE!!!!

What a spectacular event Saturday night hosted by our new president, TAMARA TAZZIA. For those of you who missed it, you missed a great party and a Star Trek swearing in of the administrative team. Of course, all are on Tamara's committees. You also missed a great end to Brian's year with the presentation of his caricature (hopefully, he'll bring it to Thursday's meeting for all to enjoy).

We also presented to Leo Chartier on his retirement from the Bloomfield Township Fire Department - also a wonderful caricature. Brian will bring it to Thursday's meeting for signing by those who were unable to be present on Saturday. Brian acknowledged the contributions Leo has made over the years, coming forward with the Fire Dept. Charities at the golf outings and especially Children's Wish. Leo will be missed!!

Brian's year was a great year - Tamara has big shoes to fill even in high heels - but she will easily excel without a doubt. Tamara will hold her first official meeting Thursday as the new President and the following Thursday will be Tamara's first board meeting as President. Please come and support our new President.

See you Thursday~

paz

It was a great honor having our incoming Governor of the Michigan District, Mike Seltzer, install our new team last nite. Following up on his theme, I am looking forward to an especially "stellar" year with our new Captain Tamara! As Captain Piccard would say to get under way at the start of a new adventure on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise - "Engage" and off we go to where no man has gone before!

I can't wait! It is going to be another fantastic year! Thanks for all the party goers, we are now $850.00 to the good for the club side.

Brian

Sept 25, 2008 - Twelve Optimists gathered at the Head Start headquarters at OLHSA Thursday morning and spent an hour reading to the children. A very rewarding day. This outreach will be a monthly event in the place of our regular meeting. See Press Release.

Sept 18, 2008 - William D. Stark, Dir. for the Center for Alternative Fuels of Oakland Community College will speak to us on alternative fuels – strategies, costs, considerations, etc. Bill spoke to us about wind power and the need to increase the use of it. There are thoughts for wind farms in the middle of Lake Michigan as well as on land. He has been invited back so he could complete his presentation. 586-445-7905 Fax 586-445-7070 starkw@macomb.edu.

Sept 11, 2008 - Board Meeting. Re reviewed the minutes and financial reports. We are in good shape. The DeLosh golf outing was able to raise about $17,000 for Mike. We also disbursed about $5,200 to various charities.

Sept 4, 2008 - Dave Lingholm from ADT spoke to us on Personal and Home Safety. Dave had some good suggestions for personal safety both at home and on the road. One idea is if you are attack in a parking lot is to yell "fire" instead of "help". People will respond more readily to that call. The ADT website is www.adt.com phone 248-629-3215 dingholm@adt.com .

Aug 28, 2008 - John Swatosh, Deputy Director, Regional Transit Authority, spoke to us about mass transportation. He is the Deputy Director of the Detroit Regional Mass Transit organization. You can find a lot of information by Googleing "Detroit Regional Mass Transit. I was not able to find a website for direct information. John's e-mail is drmt2006@sbcglobal.net. See Picture Button.

Aug 21, 2008 - Barbara Kilkka, Field Director, Youth for Understanding, prepares young people for their responsibilities and opportunities in a changing, interdependent world. Discover the world of Exchange Students at www.yfu-usa.org. Two students were present. Andres from Finland and Laurie from Germany, both at Andover High School. The program started in 1950 after WWII to help the youth of Germany see the US as not bad country. Germany is the biggest program to this day and the program is now in 60 countries.

Aug 17, 2008 - "Sandcastles was a rousing success once again. The weather was wonderful. In spite of some confusion on the part of the Camp with timing and location, the Optimists came through and served 300 hungry people. We had 18 volunteers - 12 Optimists, 3 Optimist spouses, 2 new Optimist members yet to be sworn in and even a daughter, a record!! I cannot thank you enough for all the help. Many hands make light work. Phyllis Zimmerman" Thanks Phyllis you did a good job. Check out the PICTURE INDEX

Aug 16, 2008 - Dream Cruise

Aug 14, 2008 - Andrew Corwell, Coast Guard Academy Cadet speaking on the Coast Guard and his summer adventures. He is 3rd class and is in his 2nd year in a Mechanical Engineering curriculum. He described his experience working the Coast Guard cutter "Eagle" along with pictures of other activities such as pepper spray training. It looks like an exciting career. Look them up at http://www.uscg.mil/

Aug 7, 2008 - Justin Fisette, from the Executive Management Team, speaking on the Dream Cruise. A new development this year is a juried display of 50 of the elite classic cars at the 13 mile and Woodward lot.

July 31, 2008 - We had Fern Garcia was a no show because of business needs and so Bob Dempster filled in with a further discussion about the new dream cruise CD.

July 26, 2008 - We had 405 participants and exceptional weather for the race. It appears that all participants thought the event was a very positive one. Again this year we had over 70 volunteers that really made the run very organized and a good experience for the runners. We have set the date for next years race, it is Saturday, July 25. Another successful event.

July 24, 2008 - Miss communication with our guest speaker Justin Fisette caused a no speaker day, but there was plenty to discuss about including the Dream Cruise (and the CD sale), The DeLosh golf outing which netted about $12,000 for Mike DeLosh, the Sand Castles August event and other items. We had one new member and a guest who is a potential member. Amazingly, we had 21 members and guests present, which is a record for July. Mr. Fisette will attend next week.

July 17, 2008 - Scott Myers, Mktg. & PR Dir., for the Gem Theater spoke to us about the “Gem” in Detroit. It was a very interesting presentation. The theatres are available for group rentals and can be used for fund raisers. Their website is www.gemtheatre.com. Some pictures are available here.

July 10, 2008 - The July board meeting covered the Heart of the Hills Run which was being run by Mike Cowdry and the Recreation department and discussed Sand Castles. We also reviewed preparations for the Dream Cruise.

June 26, 2008 - Assistant Oakland County Prosecutor Robert Giles came and talked about his campaign against child sexual assualt. He is running for Oakland County Circuit Judge. His web site is www.gilesforjudge.org and his email is gilesforjudge@yahoo.com

June 19, 2008 - With no speaker today, we had a talk around wherein everyone had 4-5 minutes to talk about themselves. All being bashful, we ran over the end of the meeting by several minutes even with efforts to close down. It was announced that the Delosh outing has raised about $9,000 so far. We need more golfers. See the "Delosh" button on the mail page.

June 12, 2008 - The board meeting reviewed the up coming events. President MacKenzie will be up north for the summer and will hand off the reins to Tamara Tazzia, vice President, who will take over. The golf outing netted about $12,500 for the Foundation. We also raised about $600 for the childhood cancer drive. The Bloomfield Fire Department Charities raised a similar amount for their causes.

June 5, 2008 - Paul Good, Community and Government Relations Manager for the Detroit Zoo spoke about how great the Zoo is and how it ranks nationally with is in the top 5 zoos. For a great deal of information go to www.detroitzoo.org. Volunteers welcome. The big issue is the millage election coming in August of 1 mil which would be about $10 per $200,000 house. It is very badly needed. 248-541-5717 x 3234 pgood@dzs.org

May 29, 2008 - Connie Sidor, Deputy Director for Grantee Programs at OLHSA, was our speaker. She told us the history of Head Start and it's objectives and you can contact her through the Oakland Livingstone Human Service Agency. Her story was too complex to relate here but they perform a very important function for the growth of our children and their future success.

May 22, 2008 - Crystal Thomas, Docent, gave us a wonderful history of the History of the Kirk in the Hills Church and how it was founded. See the following link for all you want to know. http://www.kirkinthehills.org/templates/cuskirkinthehills/default.asp?id=25103

MAY 19, 2008 - First and foremost - congrats to Leo and all his helpers for making this another fabulous Golf Outing. For those members and friends who were there, what a great time we all had. For those who missed it, sorry you missed a great day. Thank you to all who participated. Special Kudos to Ted Wilson and Fern Garcia, over $600 was raised from the sale of the special pins for the Childhood Cancer Campaign. We had 144 golfers and at dinner about 180. It was windy and cool but everyone had a great time. The filet was done to perfection and there were prizes for all participants. There are too many contributors to list all of them here but a special thanks to Carl's Golfland for their contributions and Dempster Designs for his t-shirt designs.

MAY 15, 2008 - Jim Tuman, Don’t Postpone Joy – The Size of Your Funeral will be Dependent on the Weather. Jim's message was live for today to the best of your ability for tomorrow may not come. Ten minutes after you die, you may be forgotten so make an impact on others today and live your dreams. Particulars -- MSU grad. Director -- Positive School Support Program. Developed 3 nat’l programs about youth, women & returning vets. 14 world leaders invited him to talk about the breakdown of families. Featured in all nat’l weekly news magazines and daily papers & recently named by Det. News “Michiganian of the Year”. Seeks balance in his life with diverse activities: famine relief worker in Ethiopia, roadee with Journey, circus clown, rodeo rider, symphony musician, cake decorator, parade enthusiast. Spoken to 2M+ students in 1300+ schools nationwide. Appeared on all major networks including The Today Show, Nat’l PM Magazine and Oprah Winfrey

MAY 8, 2008 - The board meeting covered a very large agenda including the golf outing, the Heart of the Hills Run, the Mike DeLosh Golf Outing, The Dream Cruise, Sand Castles, the By Laws update, Empower Mind program, various donations from the foundation and the Cranbrook Meeting Room. It has been determined that we cannot afford to accept the Cranbrook invitation but will be open in the future to cooperation with them in various community projects.

MAY 1, 2008 - Respect for Law, Officer Jermaine Bolden, BTPD, Andover School Liaison Officer has been with the Bloomfield Township Plolice Department for 8 years. His job is to represent the Department in a positive light within the education community. His dedication and skills, as both a trainer of young officers and a mentor to young people, are valuable to this community. He is married to a Troy teacher and his father is a retired State Police chief. In 2004 he was officer of the year in the Township Department. He graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 1995.

APRIL 24, 2008 - "Respect for Education" was the order of the day and there was no better honoree than Dr.Todd Evans from the Pontiac Academy for Excellence. He has taken the Academy from a few students to 12 grades with 1100 students. This year they will graduate 45 Seniors, all college bound and no drop outs. The Academy does not have "drop outs" but rather "drop ins". There is not room here to list all the Doctor's accomplishments and the honors he has achieved since being born into a poor family in North Carolina. Enough said!

APRIL 17, 2008 - We had the usual breakfast at the Marriott and adjourned at 8 AM to the Cranbrook Institute of Science to tour their meeting rooms. The possible move will be discussed at the next board meeting. We also discussed alternatives at the Marriott which does have possibilities if we need more room.

APRIL 10, 2008 - There was a crowded docket for the board meeting including the By Law revisions, Respect for Education, Respect for Law, the Golf Outing, Woodward Dream Cruise, support for the Mike DeLosh Charity Golf Outing, support for Kimberly Kassner's Empower Your Mind and the tour of the Cranbrook Institute of Science meeting rooms. Next meeting May 8th.

APRIL 3, 2008 - Kimberly Kassner, "Empower Mind" Empowering the minds of youth. It may be simplistic to say we all learn either left or right brain or perhaps a combination of the two but Kimberly's methods involve identifying children who are having difficulty learning because their learning does not match the teaching style they are experiencing. Our club will finance a workshop for students from Pontiac Academy and Star Commonwealth. See Empower Mind or www.empowermind.com Click cancel on the password request. See her you tube story at http://www.youtube.com/empowermind You may have to paste this into your brower.

MARCH 27, 2008 - Chuck Moss, State Representative, Talking about our state legislature and the "insanity" that goes on there. He covered many subjects including taxes and business development.

MARCH 20, 2008 - Jim Berline, "The changing face of advertising. The Berline Group located on Long Lake across from the post office is a $100 million dollar agency dealing primarily in non-automotive companies. There is apparently no web site available.

Three new members were inducted. Susan Csernits, Diane Reis-Harnisch and Jayne A. Hammond. Give them a big welcome. See the Picture Index for an Installation Picture.

MARCH 13, 2008 - Our annual Oratorical Contest March 13-2008 was a big success with 8 students from 2 schools giving presentations. We want to thank both Detroit Country Day and Cranbrook for their participation and congratulate all of the students on their presentations. Special congratulations to the winner, Michael Gunawan of Detroit County Day.

MARCH 9, 2008 - The Tri Star Basketball Tournament was held at the Bloomfield Hills Middle School with Mike Cowdrey as chairman. Attendance was a little light this year, perhaps because of the Sunday date. A good time was had by all and we will have a even better time next year.

MARCH 6, 2008 - A lot of future planning was discussed including elections, the golf outing, respect for education and law, etc. We approved 2 new members, Diane Harnisch and Jane Hammond.

February 28, 2008 - Rick Bayliss, CEO of Oakland Hills Country Club, gave us great detail for the upcoming
PGA Championships in August, and presented the storied tradition of OHCC as not only a part of the
history of golf, but with a quest statement to continue to lead and be a part of the history of golf. He
mentioned that the club is vital, and with tough times, the waiting list, which is down to two years,
has more interested prospective members given the shorter time to approval. There are more than
1,000 current members.

February 21, 2008 - The Essay Contest was held with three excellent winners. Pictures. More details to follow

February 14, 2008 - Board Meeting.

February 7, 2008 - Robert Greenstone of Greenstone Jewelers spoke about owning and buying jewelery.

January 31, 2008 - Wendy Evans (DIA Speakers Bureau) speaking to us about the “New” DIA. Wendy gave a great presentation complete with photos. Everyone should go!

January 24, 2007 - Approximately 70 Optimists and friends celebrated a very successful Holiday Wish Program for 2007. President Brian MacKenzie introduced honored guests Ron Borngesser, CEO of OLSHA-North Oakland; Pam McLean, Assistant Director of Family Services (Head Start) of Hazel Park and Pontiac Head Start Teachers; Dr. Todd Evans of the Pontiac Academy of Excellence and Jason Elliot, Kindergarten Teacher at the Pontiac Academy. Many of the Sixty Nine organizations as well as many individuals and volunteers were honored. In addition, the Eagle Scout who earned his Eagle Scout Badge helping us assemble 70 bikes was introduced. It was a fitting end to the 2007 season and now we start thinking of 2008. Visit PAE's Website for more pictures. http://www.pontiacacademy.org/

January 17, 2007 - Mike Stafford Ph.D., Director of the Cranbrook Institute of Science, had pictures of the excavation of the Mastadon found by constuction contractors at a location which is now under the parking lot of the Walmart at Adams Road and M59. He talked about the Archeology dig summer classes sponsored by Meijers in the Greenville area. The science institute has about 200,000 visitors each year. Call and arrange for a group. Email mstafford@cranbrook.edu website http://science.cranbrook.edu/

January 10, 2007 - The usual subjects were discussed and details of future events are available in the Winter Newsletter. See the link above.

DECEMBER 20, 2007 - Good cheer and congratulations were all around. We had a record crowd in attendance at the meeting. A special treat in the form of a performance of "The Archers", a quartet of young men from Cranbrook Kingswood, was presented. They sang 6 or 7 Christmas and seasonal songs. A standing ovation all around. A standing "O" for our Holiday Wish.

DECEMBER 12, 13, 14, 15, & 17 - A wonderful time (?) was had buy all participants as we picked up and delivered 2700 presents to Head Start, the Pontiac Academy for Excellence and Starr Commonwealth. Saturday was spent shopping and wrapping the few presents our corporate sponsors did not cover. A record and a job well done. There were smiles all around at our sponsors and in the club. The Thank You Breakfast is scheduled for January 24th. There were just too many special jobs done by individuals and organizations to list here but everyone knows who they are.

DECEMBER 6, 2007 - Two new members were installed at recent meetings. Jay Cravens the new City Manager for Bloomfield Hills who gave a report on happenings in the city and Scott Suomela a returning member who had moved to Traverse City a few years ago and has returned. Scott works for UBS in Birmingham and is a past president of the club.

NOVEMBER 29, 2007 - Bill McElhone, Exec. Dir. Birmingham Museum & Park. History of Birmingham, A history of Birmingham is available at the Hunter house at 500 W. Maple in Birmingham. The first owners of land were Messrs Hamilton, Willets, Peirce and Hunter, each buying a quarter section (160 Acres) meeting at Pierce and Maple Streets in downtown Birmingham. There is no Website available that I can find. The name of Birmingham came into use around 1830. The section around town known as Woodward now was a diversion for the railroad so it did not go down Old Woodward.

NOVEMBER 15, 2007 - Our speaker today cancelled. There was continued discussion concerning the logistics of the Holiday Wish program. We have run out of names and are reaching out to our sources. Last years sponsors are all warmly enthusiastic and Brian is receiving a lot of hugs. Tamara and Brian reported on the Motown Conference at the St. Regis. AWESOME.

NOVEMBER 8 2007 - Our guest today was Lance Waldorf who has served his country for twenty years as a commissioned officer (Major) in the United States Army and Army Reserve. He has had two tours in Afghanistan as a civil affairs officer coordinating humanitarian assistance and as a diplomat to the Afgan government. One of the difficulties "we" have in Afghanistan is getting the true story about our role there out to the U.S. public. Lance was awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious service for his accomplishments. Lance's civilian occupation is as a Chartered Financial Consultant with Merrill Lynch's Auburn Hills office. He can be contacted at 800-333-9167 or lance_waldorf@ml.com .

NOVEMBER 1, 2007 - Today was a board meeting where the principal focus was on the up coming Holiday Wish. We are winding up to speed and we need help. Contact Brian MacKenzie at 248-505-8400 for information. President MacKenzie reported on Children’s Holiday Wish. This year’s target is approximately 2,700, of which 1,700 are already committed, with an additional 700 to be confirmed. The Club has a combination of 175 bikes/Barbie Dolls in inventory leaving approximately 125 to 150 children to cover. Volunteers for pick up and delivery for 12/11-12/15 are necessary. Ted Wilson reported that Leap Pads are on sale for $20 and at least 30-40 could be obtained at that price as well as Pound Puppies which he believes to be a requested item this year. The Club approved Ted’s purchase of the Leap Pads and Pound Puppies. Ted also reported that 75 bikes will be available for pick up following the meeting on 11/15 and requests volunteers to pick up and deliver to Organic for assembly by the Boy Scouts.

Link to older news items. Here.

OUR 2007-2008 BHOC OFFICERS

Brian MacKenzie & Tamara Tazzia-Co–Presidents

Tamara Tazzia– Vice President

Jay Craven-Vice President Elect

Phylis Zimmerman – Secretary

Stuart McCormick – Treasurer