DATELINE: Tuesday, January 21, 2003. President Erika Kirtdoll opened the meeting and asked Vice President Liz Capron to give the invocation and lead us in the pledge of allegiance.

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

BIRTHDAYS: Donald Boyer celebrated a birthday on Monday, January 20th. President Erika Kirtdoll will celebrate her birthday this Friday, January 24^th. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DON AND ERIKA!

BRAGS: Dave Morse bragged on an elderly woman who deserves lots of honors and who about 40 years ago decided she was not going to stand up on the bus because no seats were available at the rear – so she sat down and started a movement. Dave bragged on Rosa Parks who is called the "mother of the civil rights movement". Liz Capron bragged on a blonde lady driving down the road who noticed a truck was losing part of its load. When she pulled up adjacent to the truck she told the driver that he was losing stuff off the rear of his truck. Seemed the guy did nothing about it. So when the lady pulled next to him at the next light, she yelled again at him and told him he was losing part of his load off the truck. Again, it seemed he did nothing. When the lady pulled up to him at the third light she told him once again that he was losing his load. The driver finally yelled back, "This is a SALT TRUCK lady!" Good one Liz. John Willis bragged on the great brownies and cookies President Kirtdoll brought to today’s meeting. He also bragged on how well she held a straight face when she lied that she was turning the OLD AGE of 30. (You’ll never be younger Madam President!) Dana Trowbridge bragged on Dave Morse who helped work on the Duck Race contest last year. Dana said that one of the winners of a prize from last year’s race was Dave’s wife Karen. Seems like the Morse’s were very patient because Dana had just presented them with the prize today - a certificate for Signal Travel and Tours. Thanks for being patient.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Sherry Bunch announced that the Optimist Essay Contest was well underway. She said that all of the information had been delivered to the schools. She admonished Optimists who knew of potential candidates to encourage them to go to their school counseling offices and pick up the application and information. The deadline for the Optimist Essay contest is February 3^rd. Robert Todd announced that we are filled up for guest speakers for February. We now need to schedule speakers for the month of March and beyond. Please contact him if you would like to schedule a guest speaker. Past President Tom Majerek announced that the next District Meeting is on February 22^nd and will be held in Clinton Township. He also distributed District Pins with the MSU Logo on them. MSU stands for Mentoring, Supporting and Understanding. Members receiving the special District pins where newest members Carol Milburn and Susan Armstrong. Jazmine Kyles received a pin for taking over the Youth of the Month program. Sherry Bunch received one for working on the Optimist Essay contest. Derrick Middleton received a pin because we hadn’t seen him in a while. And Sgt. At Arms Andy Plym received a pin so that he could stop fining everybody. John Willis announced that soccer registration will be held this Saturday from 9 am to Noon at the YMCA. President Kirtdoll read the volunteer schedule for this Saturday. John also announced that he is still wrangling with our Internet Service Provider, but that our website should be back up and running soon. Osceola Skinner informed the group that Dennis Middleton was going in to have a non-serious MRI and that he should be back at the meetings next week. Don’t forget the upcoming Big Brothers/Big Sisters Bowl for Kids Sake. The bowling event takes place April 5^th and 6^th at Shula’s Lanes, but teams must be formed now. Contact Carol Milburn if you want to form a bowling team for the Bowl for Kids Sake.

50/50 RAFFLE DRAWING: Dana Trowbridge conducted the 50/50 raffle. Carol Milburn won the $11 pot. Congratulations Carol! Let’s make the pot even bigger next week.

GUEST SPEAKER: Past President Tom Majerek introduced today’s guest speaker as, Bill Mock of American Express Financial Services. Bill talked to the group about investing in their child’s college education. He said that the most important thing is to lay the groundwork for your savings goals. You must first assess your current situation by asking yourself where you are now and then determining where you need to be. Set financial goals and determine how much you need to save. He said that then you must invest wisely. The stock market can be very reliable if you are wise in your financial planning. Bill said that most plans work on a 5% increase per year but that in actuality the cost of education is increasing around 6% per year. You must be able to ask yourself do you want to plan on the government being able to help you out or do you want to be able to help yourself. Today, about 50% of all student aid is in the form of loans. College loans aren’t so bad, within reason. They have the advantage of teaching students to do well in school and helping them to achieve their goals and stay focused in order to help repay the loan. Bill said that pre-applications for federal student loans should begin in March of the child’s senior year of high school. This allows the government and you to know how much money will be needed. Bill talked about types of financial aid including scholarships, loans, grants and work study. He said that savings bonds are good, but are not always the best way to save money for school. They usually turn out to not be enough for four years of college and have to be subsidized with loans or other assessable assets. Assessable assets are stocks and bonds, certificates of deposits, savings, trust funds, etc. Non-assessable assets are not to be used to fix the heater or for college funds. They are annuities, life insurance, retirement plans, home/farm equity, etc. Bill also briefly discussed some tax incentives such as the Hope Scholarship and Lifetime Learning Tax credits, Coverdell Education Savings Plans, Education Loan interest deductions and 529 plans. He said that when you are investing for college funding you need to look at financial aid eligibility, manage tax issues, keep control of your money, reassess your situation from time to time and consider the whole picture. He said that when spending smartly you have to decide whose money to spend first, what are the tax issues, when to liquidate and how much to spend. Once you have achieved your goal you can then begin to enjoy the fruits of your labor by being able to send your children to college without worrying about mortgaging your home or taking out extensive loans. Our thanks to Bill Mock for being our guest speaker today and discussing ways of saving for our children’s college education.

CLOSING CREED: Carol Milburn led the group in reciting the Closing Creed at the end of the meeting.

"Your purse should not be closed so tightly that a kind impulse is not able to open it." Cicero (106 43B.C) Orator and Statesman

"You can’t hit a target if you don’t have it clearly in sight." Jo-Ellan Dimitrius and Mark Mazzarella from "Put Your Best Foot Forward"

TODAY IN HISTORY: January 21^st

1793: Louis XVI is executed by guillotine for treason.

1915: The Kiwanis International worldwide service club is chartered in Detroit, Michigan.

1924: Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin dies at age 54.

1954: The first nuclear-powered submarine, the Nautilus, is launched by the United States at Groton, Connecticut. It is also the largest submarine, at 97 m (319 ft) long.

1966: Beatle George Harrison and Patricia Ann Boyd marry after meeting on the set of A Hard Day's Night.

1976: The first Concordes simultaneously take flight from London and Paris, with commercial passengers onboard.

Ethan Allen, patriot of the American Revolution (1738)

Christian Dior, French couturier (1905)

Jack Nickalus, professional golfer (1940)

Placido Domingo, opera singer (1941)

Geena Davis, actor (1957)

In 1987 a crane collapsed in a residential area of Liverpool at lunchtime, yet nobody saw or heard anything. Why not?

A bird collapsing is not a particularly spectacular event.