DATELINE: Tuesday, February 25, 2003. President Erika Kirtdoll opened the meeting and asked Michel Listenberger to give the invocation and lead us in the pledge of allegiance.

INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS: Our guests today included Niles High School students who are winners of our Optimist Essay Contest. Katy Burrows introduced her parents Don and Cathy Burrows. Wendy Simonton introduced her grandmother Audrey and her mother Joyce. Past President Tom Majerek introduced his guest Angela Basset from the Niles Daily Star. Sherry Bunch introduced her guests Rick Martinez from the South Bend Tribune who was a judge for the Optimist Essay Contest and Agnes Geiger also from the South Bend Tribune.

BIRTHDAYS: Susan Cipares celebrated her birthday last Tuesday and Robert Todd celebrated his birthday on February 19^th. Also, Amy McKean’s birthday was February 23^rd and John Willis also had a birthday this month. HAPPY BIRTHDAY OPTIMISTS!

FIRST READING: President Kirtdoll conducted a First Reading for membership for Lori Ryan. Lori is the Athletic Director for the Niles School System. She is not married and has 2 cats. Although she works in Niles she lives in another city. Lori was recently one of our guest speakers.

BRAGS: John Willis bragged on President Kirtdoll who has recruited another soccer coach – Bob Rhynard’s son Ryan will be coming in to coach Optimist Soccer again. John also bragged on guest Rick Martinez who is also a soccer coach. Michel Listenberger bragged on Andy Plym and the Plym Foundation which gave the Junior Optimists $1,000 towards their trip to the Optimist Convention in Kansas City this year. President Kirtdoll bragged on Diane Bass because of the flowers she was able to get to Max Vandenberg’s funeral on short notice. Everyone said how beautiful the flowers were. Osceola Skinner also bragged on Diane Bass for her quick response in getting Visitor Badges to today’s meeting.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Sgt. At Arms Andrew Plym announced that members should get ready to put on the Green for St. Patrick’s Day. Green will be required for the meeting of March 11^th. As usual, fines will be doubled to 50 cents for those not in compliance. John Willis announced that we are still in need of coaches for Optimist Soccer. Coaches are needed for the all girl teams from 3^rd grade to 8^th grade and for the "co-ed" Kindergarten teams. Please contact John if you or someone you know can coach soccer this year. President Kirtdoll announced the next board meeting is Monday, March 10^th. Also don’t forget that Tri-Star Basketball will be held on Saturday, March 22^nd. We need volunteers to help out that morning at the YMCA. Amy McKean is the chairman of this event.

AWARDS: Dana Trowbridge and Past President Tom Majerek reviewed some of the awards that the Niles Optimists received at the recent Quarterly District Meeting. We Cleaned Up! Tom received the Builder of Excellence Award for building the new club the Grateful Optimists. With that award he received free registration to the Kansas City convention. Tom also received an Honor Club President Award and a Distinguished Club President Award. He actually received these two awards 2 years in a row, which had not happened for us since Michel Listenberger did it in 1986 and 1987. Tom also received the Distinguished Lt. Governor Award. The Noon Optimists received the First in Zone Award and received a ribbon for the Club’s achievement. The club also won a Friend of Youth Patch and the awards for Distinguished Secretary-Treasurer and Honored Secretary-Treasurer which were presented to Diane Bass. Michel Listenberger won the Governor’s Award for JOOI Honor Club. We also received a great note from Fatima Platter, our former state president. Past President Majerek passed around MSU (Mentoring, Supporting and Understanding) Pins to all the members in attendance. Great Work Optimists!

50/50 RAFFLE DRAWING: Dana Trowbridge conducted the 50/50 raffle. Sherry Bunch won the pot. Congratulations Sherry!

GUEST SPEAKERS: Sherry Bunch introduced two of the winners of the Optimist Essay Contest. Sherry also offered congratulations to Optimist Betty Perkins and Carol Thompson at Niles High School for their participation in getting 20 students to enter the contest. The theme was "When our Freedom is Threatened". All of the participants received participation certificates. The third place winner was Kevin Doss who received a bronze medallion and a Chemical Bank Deposit worth $10 when he opens a student savings account there. Kathy Burrows was the 2^nd place winner and will receive a silver medallion and a $15 Chemical Bank Opening Deposit. Wendy Simonton was the 1^st place winner and she received a gold medallion, a $25 Chemical Bank Opening Deposit and a 6 month family membership to the YMCA. Past President Tom Majerek stated that since the Niles Optimists could only sponsor one student to the district essay contest that our sister club the Grateful Optimists would sponsor the 2^nd place winner.

Katy Burrows is a senior who plans to enter Grand Valley State College. Katy read her essay which stated that some people don’t have freedom of religion in other countries but here although we have some freedom of religion; bibles have been taken out of the school. People aren’t allowed to do witnessing at work or school unless it is on their breaks. She is a member of a bible study group at school but they can’t advertise where or when they meet. America doesn’t have it as bad as other countries, but we are systematically taking away our own freedoms. The freedom of religion offers challenges to us every day.

Wendy Simonton is also a senior and valedictorian of her class. She plans to attend Albion College. She wrote her essay in the first person narrative. It was the story of a young person who lived in a country where the government was the ultimate authority on everything. The young boy was not allowed to ask questions of a religious nature. In fact, one day he came across a half burned picture of two hands together with palms facing each other and endeavored to ask what the picture was. Others told him to forget the picture and to not ask what the palm to palm hand symbol meant. Finally there was a missionary fronting as a shopkeeper who told him the truth about worshipping. After a time the young man escaped from his country and landed in the U.S. He was so happy now that he could go to church and that he could study the bible. He enrolled in school. One day he put his hands together, palm to palm, to pray. The teacher smiled at him and said, "you can’t do that here. Prayer is not allowed in schools".

Our thanks to Wendy and Katy for being with us today to read their winning essays. Good luck to you both.

CLOSING CREED: Sherry Bunch led the group in reciting the Closing Creed at the end of the meeting.

"Think like a man of action, act like a man of thought." Henri-Louis Bergson (1859 – 1941) Philosopher

TODAY IN HISTORY: February 25^th

1601: Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, is executed (beheaded) for high treason after his revolt against Queen Elizabeth I of England's ministers.

1760: English soldier and colonial administrator Robert Clive leaves India to return to England.

1919: Oregon is the first state to impose a state tax on gasoline (one cent a gallon).

1964: Boxer Cassius Clay beats Sonny Liston after six rounds in Miami, Florida, to win the world heavyweight boxing title. The same year Clay announces his conversion to Islam, changing his name to Muhammad Ali.

1986: President Ferdinand Marcos flees the Philippines, and the opposition leader, Corazon Aquino, is sworn in as president.

1998: Bob Dylan wins three awards, including album of the year for Time Out of Mind, and his son Jakob wins two awards at the 40th annual Grammy Awards in New York City.

Carlo Goldoni, Italian playwright (1707)

Pierre Renoir, French impressionist painter (1841)

John Foster Dulles, secretary of state (1888)

Myra Hess, British pianist (1890)

Neil Jordan, Irish film director, screenwriter, and novelist (1950)

You can use three identical digits in a simple addition sum so that the total is 12. You cannot use the digit 4, so what is the answer?

11 + 1 = 12.

British author Anthony Burgess gained fame for his futuristic novel A Clockwork Orange (1962). A motion picture based on the novel was released in 1971.