Michel acknowledged some special guests at the event. From the Decatur Optimist Club the Past President/Board Member Larry Ralston and President Blaine Rex graced the group with their presence. Our M.C. also asked each Niles past president in attendance to stand. They were: Robert Rhynard, Robert Todd, Osceola Skinner, Lloyd Phillips, William Haslett, Tom Majerek, and John Willis. Past or Present District Officers were: Michel Listenberger, John Willis, Tom Majerek, Osceola Skinner and Robert Rhynard. Charter Members who attended were: John Armitage, Maurice Nelson and Andrew Plym.

PAST PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS: After a wonderful dinner the M.C. introduced Immediate Past President Tom Majerek. Tom first told a truly rousing joke that many will remember for a long time. He then talked to the group about his experiences as an Optimist member and president. He spoke of his goals in life and how the Optimist Club had helped him realize some of those goals through serving the youth of our community. Tom talked about some of his accomplishments over the two year period of his rein including obtaining the status of Distinguished Club and Honor Club. He thanked individual club members who had helped to make this a great club and realize those goals. He also thanked his father and mother for their support and help. Tom then thanked his wife Nancy Majerek for being so supportive and helping him in his endeavors.

PRESENTATIONS: Immediate Past President Tom Majerek presented very unique engraved metal awards to many in the audience including: previous board of director members, club officers, event chairpersons and assistant chairpersons, his mentors over the past two years and his mother and wife who deserved special recognition. He also presented our Guest Speaker, State Governor Jerry Woodthorp and his lovely wife Deb Woodthorp with special gifts for coming out to be our guests. President Erika Kirtdoll then presented special pins to the following: Board of Directors received Director’s pins, Officers received their respective office pins, Tom Majerek received a gold filled Lt. Governor’s pin, the Distinguished Club pin and the Honor Club Pin. She said that Past President Majerek would be presented with a plaque at a later time. Governor Jerry Woodthorp presented the Presidential Citation to Michel Listenberger. Congratulations Mr. Listenberger!

PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS: President Kirtdoll spoke to the group about her goals and aspirations for the Niles Noon Optimists in the current year. She said that a very good foundation was laid for her by the most recent previous presidents. She said that during Dr. Todd’s reign as president he had cleaned house of all non-paying members and that our membership had fallen because of it. However, he was laying the framework for Past President Majerek to come in and build it up again. President Kirtdoll said that we have 75 solid members due to President Majerek’s good leadership abilities and that would allow us to simply maintain that quota during her tenure. She talked about all the wonderful programs that the club is involved in and promised to keep the momentum going. Those projects include: Tri-Star Soccer, Tri-Star Baseball, Essay Contest, Oratorical contests, Soccer program, Optimist Youth Festival, Dragon Boat races, Triathlon, Jr. Optimist Golf, Lucky Duck Race and a whole lot more. She said that indeed Tom would be a hard one to follow, but that she would devote her energies to making the year a good one. President Kirtdoll also thanked her boss William Haslett for bringing the Optimist Club to her attention and for his wonderful support of her volunteer activities. She then thanked her husband Tim Kirtdoll and her mother for their help and support.

INSTALLATION: Governor Jerry Woodthorp led the installation of the 2002 – 2003 Officers and Board of Directors by instructing them on their duties before they took their oaths of offices.

MEMBER INDUCTION: Mark Whittaker was inducted into the club by Governor Jerry Woodthorp. Mark very proudly took the Optimist Pledge. Welcome to the Niles Noon Optimist Club Mark!!

MAIN SPEAKER’S ADDRESS: Michel Listenberger introduced today’s guest speaker as Jerry Woodthorp, Michigan State Governor. Jerry was a very, very entertaining and funny person. He talked about how he got involved with the Optimists 7 years prior and he talked about how the Optimist Club has been a perfect fit for him. Jerry says that his passion is helping kids. He says he very much enjoys working with them and talking with them. He said that his goals are always to Mentor young people, Support their endeavors and Understand their feelings. He said that he wanted us to remember those three things when it comes to youth. Just remember Mentoring, Supporting and Understanding, (MSU -Jerry is an ardent Michigan State University fan). He told the group about an Optimist Club in Adrian, MI. He said that they only had 22 members and that there largest fund raiser is a cookie sale that they have each Valentine’s day. Jerry said he recalls telling them that they could do more in their club. He talked about how one member stood up and said, "We do a lot" and proceeded to tell him how just a few ladies baked over 600 dozen cookies each year. They would completely sell out of these cookies and the community had come to really look for to Valentine cookie time. He says they were able to show him how a project that he though was small had made a huge impact on the community. Buying those cookies was the community’s way of supporting an organization working to help young people in their city. In fact, as the ladies got older and some could no longer bake the community started asking, "Where’s our Optimist Valentine cookies?" He said that the Niles Club is also a well respected club in the community through our many efforts to help youths. He said that the community doesn’t just think of soccer, they think of Optimist Soccer. Jerry told the group many other fun and humorous stories including one about how he met his wife Deb. Those present were overjoyed with his address. There’s no way to describe it other than to say, "If you weren’t there, you should have been there!"

50/50 RAFFLE: Dana Trowbridge conducted the 50/50 raffle. David VanStrien won a $52 pot. Congratulations David. $53 went into the Youth Fund

1871: The great Chicago fire starts.

1919: Sixty-three planes take off from San Francisco and New York in the first transcontinental air race in the United States.

1928: Police raid 20 speakeasies in New York City in an effort to crack down on illegal liquor sales.

1956: New York Yankees pitcher Donald James Larson pitches the first perfect game in a World Series--no walks, no hits, no runs.

If it rained forty days and forty nights, and the animals entered in pairs at a rate of thirty pairs per day, how many days did it take Moses to get all 360 animals into the ark?

Sometimes we don't know where to go,
Or where our path may lead,
But there is One who guides us,
And provides our every need.

1. If you've got melted chocolate all over your hands, you're eating it too slowly.
2. Chocolate covered raisins, cherries, orange slices & strawberries all count as fruit, so eat as many as you want.
3. The problem: How to get 2 pounds of chocolate home from the store in a hot car. The solution: Eat it in the parking lot.
4. Diet tip: Eat a chocolate bar before each meal. It'll take the edge off your appetite and you'll eat less.
5. If calories are an issue, store your chocolate on top of the fridge. Calories are afraid of heights, and they will jump out of the chocolate to protect themselves.
6. If I eat equal amounts of dark chocolate and white chocolate, is that a balanced diet? Don't they actually counteract each other?
7. Money talks. Chocolate sings.
8. Chocolate has many preservatives. Preservatives make you look younger.
9. Q. Why is there no such organization as Chocoholics Anonymous? A. Because no one wants to quit.
10. Put "eat chocolate" at the top of your list of things to do today. That way, at least you'll get one thing done.
11. A nice box of chocolates can provide your total daily intake of calories in one place. Isn't that handy?
12. If you can't eat all your chocolate, it will keep in the freezer. But if you can't eat all your chocolate, what's wrong with you?

A very old gentleman walks up to this house of ill repute and rings the doorbell. A young lady comes to the door and says, "Can I help you?" "Yes" says the gentlemen, "I’d like to avail myself of your services". She looks at him and says, "Well come on in. How old are you anyway?" The man says, "I’m 92" She says, "Well yeah, o.k. you’ve had it" The man looks around and says, "I did? Well who do I pay?"