OPTIMIST CLUB OF ORANGEVILLE

New Membership Kit

The Optimist Creed

Promise Yourself:

To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.

To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.

To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.

To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.

To think only of the best, to work only for the best and expect only the best.

To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past and press onto the greater achievements of the future.

To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature a smile.

To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.

To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

OPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL Ò

Welcome to our New Member

Becoming a member of the Optimist Club of Orangeville means that you have chosen to volunteer your service to benefit our community. There is no greater opportunity for participation in community affairs and service than in an Optimist club.

The purpose of an Optimist club is to develop Optimism as a philosophy of life; to promote an active interest in good government and civic affairs; to inspire respect for the law; to promote patriotism and work for international accord and friendship among all people; to aid and encourage the development of youth, in the belief that the giving of one’s self in service to others will advance the well-being of man, his community and world.

The Optimist Club of Orangeville strives to meet these objectives and our members have developed their own personal mission statement to meet the individual needs of our club.

Mission Statement

The Optimists of Orangeville serve our community through activities that encourage the development of youth.

Through active participation, our members enjoy fellowship, opportunities for personal growth and a sense of common purpose.

Introduction

Our club has served the youth of Orangeville for over 25 years. As a new member, we want you to learn about our history, structure and purpose. We want you to clearly understand what we expect from you and what you can expect as a member of our club. Our members work as a team and we continually evaluate our purpose and performance to ensure we meet the needs of both the community and our members. We need your active participation and input to continue building upon our success in Orangeville.

A member fulfils his/her role through active participation in projects, attendance at meetings and social activities, serving on club committee’s and/or boards and by inviting others to join in the club’s pursuit of our mission.

We are committed to creating a more optimistic future for our youth and that is what differentiates Optimist Clubs from any other volunteer organization. Membership will allow you to develop new social and working relationships with individuals from all walks of life, within your community. The opportunity to develop and demonstrate leadership skills locally, regionally, nationally and internationally, as well as the satisfaction of making our community a better place to live and work. Whether you are searching for an outlet to help your community, for personal development or rewarding camaraderie, you’ll find what you desire within the Optimist Club of Orangeville.

History

The Optimist Club of Newmarket organized the Optimist Club Of Orangeville on September 29th, 1970 following sponsorship. The club began with 35 charter members and there are currently 5 remaining; George Cousins, Gord Crockford, Bruce Haw, Morris Jorgensen and David Tilson. Our present membership stands at 47. There are 5 other clubs in our District including the Optimist Clubs of Brampton, Caledon, Erin, Mississauga and the New Vision Club of Greater Toronto.

We meet occasionally with the other clubs in our District, to share new ideas and join in fellowship. Our club is but one of more than 4,200 other Optimist clubs worldwide.

Club Structure

Our club is managed by a Board of Directors, which includes the President, President- Elect, Past-President, two Vice-Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer and 6 Directors (3- 2 year and 3- 1 year positions). These are all elected positions.

Board of Directors

The entire Board determines operating policies and ensures they conform to our bylaws, establishes short and long-term plans, addresses membership issues, monitors club committee’s, sets annual budgets and deals with financial issues.

Any club member not on the Board may also attend these meetings, which are held on the last Wednesday of each month, or as required by the Board.

President

The president co-ordinates and encourages participation of club members, facilitates the implementation of club policies and programs, presides at dinner and board meetings and represents our club within our community and through Optimist International.

President-Elect

This position was added in 1995 and is held for a one-year period. The President-Elect is selected each year a new President is elected. They are designated to become President at the end of their development in this position. They assist the President in fulfilling their obligations and in doing so develop the necessary knowledge and leadership skills to lead the club in the following year. Simply put, they “shadow” the President to ensure leadership consistency from year to year.

Vice-Presidents (2 Positions)

The Vice-Presidents liase between the Board and Committees, preside at club activities during the absence of the President, serve on the Board of Directors and assist the President in fulfilling their obligations.

Secretary

The secretary maintains minutes of club and board meetings, maintains records, handles correspondence and maintains attendance and award records.

Treasurer

This individual maintains the financial records of the club, disperses funds, prepares the annual budget and handles any other monetary issues.

Committee Chairs

Once each year, club members sign up as members on a number of our committee’s. One member assumes the role of chair and one as co-chair. The chair directs his committee to ensure projects are completed. The co-chair assists the chair in this endeavour and is then expected to chair that same committee in the following year. The “hands-on” experience by the co-chair will ensure program consistency in the following year.

Current Committee’s

· Christmas in the Park: This program is run in conjunction with the Orangeville Seniors Centre. Together we create a Christmas light display in Kay-Cee Gardens Park, which is enjoyed by all residents of Orangeville.

· Orangeville Fun Run An organized running event to raise funds for specific projects/charities.

· Maple Syrup Festival A 2-day spring festival held at the Island Lake Conservation Area. We conduct interpretative tours of Maple Syrup production, offer children’s activities and sell syrup and food as a means of raising funds for the club.

· Jack Rabbits A cross-country skiing program run for youths at Monora Park.

· Youth Appreciation A program designed to recognize outstanding and positive contributions of the youth in our community.

· Respect for Law The importance of law enforcement and citizen support are highlighted by special events May 1-7 each year.

· Bike Rodeo In conjunction with the Orangeville Police Service, our club conducts bicycle safety inspections and a yearly rodeo to teach safe cycling to youth. This is normally held in May each year.

· Tri-Star Baseball A baseball skills competition for youth.

· Junior World of Golf Youth participates in local golf tournaments with an opportunity to continue on regionally or nationally.

· Oratorical Contest Public speaking contest for youth. Winners are chosen by our and can continue to zone and district competitions.

· Christmas Parade Members build a parade float for the annual Orangeville Santa Claus parade.

· Children’s Christmas Party This is traditionally a “Breakfast with Santa” party for the families of our members. We also invite other service providers i.e., Big Brothers, Big Sisters, Family transition Place and other less fortunate children living in our community.

· H.O.B.Y. We financially support Orangeville youth who participate in this leadership program.

· Finance Club members develop fund-raising initiatives, set budgets and make general financial decisions in co-operation with the Board of Directors.

· Bar Members are responsible for properly operating a licensed bar our regular dinner meetings and other events.

· Program Committee develops the programs for each of our dinner meetings.

· Membership Committee is responsible for addressing membership issues, tracking participation, attracting and inducting new members.

· Fellowship Responsible for developing programs to foster fellowship within the club. This includes social activities, Finesmaster, Sergeant at Arms, Captain Clean etc., and monitoring family situations and responding appropriately

· Phone Responsible for contacting members to encourage attendance at meetings and activities.

· Bulletin/Public Relations Responsible for writing a monthly club newsletter for delivery to the members and ensuring media coverage of our activities.

In addition to the above noted committee’s, our club assists and sponsors a number of other organizations in the Orangeville area. This might include providing financial assistance, participating in events or providing manpower to assist with other activities. Some of these groups include; 3rd Orangeville Scouts, Big Brothers, minor hockey, baseball and soccer, Orangeville Police and Fire-fighters, Family Transition Place, Orangeville Seniors and a host of other organizations.

MEETINGS AND FINANCIAL COMMITMENTS

MEETINGS

Our club has dinner meetings on the first and third Wednesday of each month at the Orangeville Seniors Centre, 26 Bythia Street, Orangeville. We do not have dinner meetings during the months of June, July or August. The meetings begin at 6:30 p.m., and are called to order by the President at 7:00 p.m. Greeters are regularly assigned to greet members arriving for the meeting. This is an ideal way for new members to meet the other Optimists. We then sing the national anthem, toast the monarch and have invocation. We then commence with a served meal.

During the meal we conduct a fines session. A club member is selected as a Finesmaster to levy appropriate fines against the members. He has a Sergeant at Arms, who is responsible for collecting the fines. The fines session is very light-hearted and designed to stimulate fellowship, enhance camaraderie and improve speaking skills. Members try to fine one another for comments, behaviour etc.., usually stemming from past Optimist activities. The Finesmaster then levies fines, usually in the range of 10 to 25 cents. The proceeds of the fines pot are then donated to the Optimist International Foundation. The fines sessions are very funny and should not be considered intimidating to new members. As you get to know more about your fellow Optimists you will look forward to this opportunity at each meeting.

Following dinner, the President makes any announcements and asks for very brief program summaries from the Committee chairs in attendance. We then commence with our program, which varies at each meeting. The meeting usually wraps up between 9:30 and 10:00 p.m., and is followed by some fellowship.

You are not required to attend every activity or dinner meeting, however your consistent attendance adds to the enthusiasm of meetings and activities. The phone committee contacts members, several days before meetings, to ascertain whether you will be attending. This is done to encourage your attendance and to provide the number of attendees for our caterer. If you commit yourself, but fail to show, you will still be billed for your meal, since the club must pay these costs. Attendance is taken at the meetings to track participation and ensure accuracy of our billing records.

There are a number of social events held throughout the year and you will receive appropriate notification of these events. There are also a number of “spouses nights’, when you can bring your spouse to the dinner meeting, and spouses are always welcome and encouraged to participate in regular club activities and social events. The success of our club relies upon the

active participation of its members. We will examine excessive absenteeism to measure your level of commitment or to address problems.

FINANCIAL COMMITMENT

Membership in our club requires payment of annual dues and meals. The annual dues pay for operating and administrative expenses, dues assessed by the District and Optimist International, bulletin publication and monthly Optimist magazines, are $120 per year. Meals are currently charged at $10.50 per person/ per dinner meeting. If you attend all the dinner meetings throughout the year, your total financial commitment, including dues, will be approximately $330.00.

The only additional costs, beyond these annual charges, will be your initiation fee of $25, payable prior to your induction into the club and payment for a criminal records check by the Orangeville Police Service. Since we work closely with children, a criminal records check, is necessary to maintain our high ethical standards in the community.

The dues are payable up front in October and the meals are pre-paid in October, January and June. Any missed meals will be adjusted during these 3 billings.

To support our obligations to the community, it is necessary that our club engage in fund-raising activities. We continually seek out opportunities to raise money, which can be used to maintain or expand our programs in the Orangeville area. You will be expected to assist in our fund-raising efforts, however we work hard to keep the “fun” in fund-raising and not allow this necessity to deter from our mission.

AWARDS

There are a number of awards available to the club from Optimist International, for meeting specific requirements and promoting excellence in Optimism. Details of these awards are noted in your the new member kit you will receive from Optimist International.

Locally, our club has a number of awards to recognize excellence in our organization including the President’s Award and Optimist of the Year. Hopefully, your hard work will be recognized with one of these prestigious awards.

CLUB INITIATION

Once you become familiar with our purpose and the daily operation of our club, we trust you will be impressed with our dedication to Optimism and service to our community. If you wish to join our organization, our membership committee will review your application. Once accepted, you will be inducted into our club at a regular meeting. You will receive your membership certificate, Optimist vest, pin and name badge. You will be assigned to a mentor, who will ensure you are familiar with all aspects of our club and become a valued member of the organization. Your membership will then be evaluated at 6 months and yearly thereafter, to ensure that you are actively involved in our activities and that the club continues to fulfil your personal needs. We look forward to your involvement.