DATELINE: Tuesday, December 10, 2002. President Kirtdoll opened the meeting and asked Marsha Pedzinski to give the invocation and lead us in the pledge of allegiance.

INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS: There were no guests today other than the guest speaker.

BIRTHDAYS: President Kirtdoll asked if we had any birthdays for this week. She announced that today was her mother’s Birthday. Happy Birthday. The group expressed a wish that the President would bring her mom to an Optimist meeting sometime soon.

SECOND READING: Mike Listenberger conducted a Second Reading for Ray Curtis. Ray is married to Elaine Curtis and has two grown children, Christine and Scott. Ray is a former City Club member and is currently retired. He and his wife are well known for their environmental concerns. They are both botanists who live near Niles High School. We are looking forward to Ray becoming a member of the Niles Noon Optimist Club.

BRAGS: Len Votava bragged on a great Thanksgiving Day dinner that Past President Tom Majerek helped prepare. Seems they cooked a TURKDUCKEN. A TURKDUCKEN is a boneless stuffed chicken stuffed into a boneless duck stuck into a mostly boneless turkey. You get three kinds of meat in every slice and it is very good. Len said it was a great experience. John Willis said that the next step is to stuff the turkducken into a sheep and stuff the sheep into a camel. Len also bragged that for the last several years his Knights of Columbus group out of Elkhart have prepared Christmas Food Baskets. This year they were able to prepare 320 Food Baskets! This is their biggest year ever. He said that this is a very good program and he is very happy to be involved. Past President Majerek bragged on Uncle Tom Votava who is one of the top bird watchers in the country and who has documented proof that he has seen more than 6,000 types of live birds. He also bragged that the Fighting Irish had won three games in the last 7 days. Past President Majerek bragged also that the Grateful Optimists had just completed a fund raiser where they were able to raise over $1,000! Way to Go Grateful Optimists! Michel Listenberger bragged that his alma mater, Indiana University had won a game last night with a score of 7 to 0. Mark Whittaker bragged that he ran into the most committed lady at the Salvation Army Bell Ringing on Saturday. Seems he had to diligently try to get her to take a break just so he could ring the bell for 45 minutes. He said that it was almost impossible and seemed like a Seinfeld episode in his endeavors to get her to give that bell up – it was a job as she was a very dedicated bell ringer. Jon Martin bragged on the Stop the Violence Coalition who held a gun buy back at the S.W. Michigan Volunteer Center over the weekend. Seems they did pretty well in that the policemen were able to buy back 32 guns, 11 rifles and 22 hand guns. Great Job!! John Willis bragged that Lucille Markel said she wanted to put a donation in the Salvation Army kettle on a day when the Optimists are ringing the bell. President Kirtdoll bragged that her boss, Optimist Bill Haslett, was able to make today’s meeting.

FOR ALL THE MARBLES: Osceola Skinner conducted the 50/50 raffle. Rick Scphok won a chance at the more than $150 pot. L L L L L L L He did not pull the Joker. He pulled the Nine of © . Try your luck again the next time Rick. Don’t Forget next week on December 17^th we will draw until someone wins the pot. That way one Optimist will have some extra shopping money for Christmas. Everyone should show up that day and buy lots of tickets.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: REMINDER - Sgt At Arms Andy Plym announced previously that everyone is to wear Green and White on December 17^th in honor of the Christmas Holiday. Failure to wear the required colors will result in double fines. Robert Todd announced that we still need guest speakers for the middle two weeks in January and for all the months beyond. Please contact him. THERE WILL BE NO NOON OPTIMIST MEETINGS ON TUESDAY DECEMBER 24^TH OR TUESDAY DECEMBER 31^ST. Osceola Skinner announced the dedication of the "Professional Bell Ringer" we had over the weekend. John Willis announced that the Soccer Committee had a meeting last night and will have another meeting Wednesday night at 6pm to get ready for the upcoming Soccer Season. The meeting is at the YMCA.

GUEST SPEAKER: Jon Martin introduced today’s guest as Pat Leonard of the Volunteer Center of Southwestern Michigan. Pat told the group that she is the Youth Volunteer Coordinator for the Volunteer Center. She coordinates with youth ranging from 10 to 18 years of age. Pat’s job is to also find volunteer opportunities for teenagers and sometimes even those a bit younger. The Volunteer Center serves Berrien Cass and Van Buren Counties. Pat travels between the center in St. Joseph, Niles, Cassopolis and sometimes in Van Buren County too. Right now Pat is administering the Prudential Youth Leadership Institute. This is a unique training program designed to provide youth with the knowledge and skills to make a difference in their community. They receive training that is typically available only to corporate executives and government leaders to help them recognize and take advantage of opportunities to make the world a better place. This information will be extremely valuable to youth in whatever career path they choose. Students learn about leadership through fun, interactive exercises in areas like goal setting, team building, project planning and decision making. At the end of the program the students complete a community service project that is completely created and implemented by their class. They may decide to help the homeless, clean up a park, educate others on an important issue facing teens today or a host of other activities. Pat said that the first Prudential Youth Leadership Institute will be held in Benton Harbor starting December 31^st. They will concentrate on team building and problem solving. She reminded us that youth are indeed our future and that society can’t be at a stand still; we need good kids to take over. This year the Volunteer Center has had more than 1,200 youth volunteers in Berrien and Cass Counties. This is a dramatic increase in that they normally average about 700 a year. She says that kids more than ever want to help. Most kids are very good children, they just need guidance and opportunity to do what is right. Most kids will volunteer about 45 hours a year with the consent of their parents. Pat said that there are many organizations out there trying to help train our future leaders and that is good. This program is just another avenue to help in that endeavor. The Volunteer Center Youth Leadership activities are nationwide. In addition to this program, Pat gave the group the 2003 Wish Book. The Wish Book contains requests from various agencies. These requests list what these agencies need including food, clothing, baby items, items for children, money, TVs, computers etc. The agencies always list the small items they need and one big item on their Wish List. Some of the agencies listed are: The American Red Cross, Animal Service League, Senior Centers, Cancer Services, The Council for Children, Link Crisis Intervention Center, Safe Shelter and a host of others. Our thanks to Pat Leonard for being our guest speaker today. Please come back and visit us soon.

"Anger is a fuel. It is meant to be acted on, not acted out." Julia Cameron, Writer

"Life is like playing a violin solo in public and learning the instrument as one goes on." Samuel Butler (1935 – 1902) Writer

TODAY IN HISTORY: December 10^th

1869: Wyoming becomes the first state to adopt woman suffrage.

1898: In France, the Treaty of Paris is signed, ending the Spanish-American War and granting the United States its first overseas empire.

1901: The first Nobel Prizes are awarded in Stockholm, Sweden, in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and peace.

1902: The Aswan Dam on the Nile in Egypt officially opens, having been started in 1898. It is the largest dam in the world.

1948: The United Nations adopts the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, marking the birth of the modern human rights movement.

Why are 1984 bottles of whiskey more valuable than 1977 bottles of whiskey?

Because there are 7 more of them. It is easy to assume that the numbers are dates rather than quantities.