DATELINE: Tuesday, July 15, 2003. President Erika Kirtdoll opened the meeting and gave the invocation then led us in the pledge of allegiance.

INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS: Rick Schpok introduced his guest Mike Smith of Niles. Welcome Mike!

BIRTHDAYS/ANNIVERSARIES: Dana Trowbridge celebrated his anniversary on July 11^th. Happy Anniversary Dana!

BRAGS: Dana Trowbridge bragged that he and his family had had a great time on vacation in New York. He said they saw the play The Lion King and went to a Mets ball game. He said the fireworks on the East River were fantastic. He also bragged on his 8 year old son, Collin who struck out all but two batters in a recent Little League tournament. Congratulations Collin! Dana also bragged on Osceola Skinner who is an excellent treasurer and has done a great job in Dana’s absence. Dana thanked him for all his help. Jazmine Kyles bragged that she became a new aunt last week. Her new niece was 8 pounds and 4 ounces. She also bragged on her brothers who were undefeated in their basketball tournament. Congratulations Guys! John Armitage bragged that a picture of his wife Lorraine was in the South Bend Tribune with a story about the Optimists handling timing races. He said it was a great story with good publicity for us but that the story mistakenly said Lorraine was a member. (Well she is in spirit!). John also bragged on his daughter-in-law who is in the area from Denver working on a health education program for young girls. John Willis bragged that last Wednesday he met with the Children’s Triathlon Committee regarding their upcoming race on August 9^th. We expect 500 kids folks. John said this is an excellent opportunity to work with kids that are 5 to 12 years old. It will be held at Pottawatomie Park and Zoo. Come out and enjoy the fun!

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Robert Todd announced that we need a program for next week and the first and last Tuesdays in August. Please contact him if you have a guest speaker in mind. John Willis announced that this weekend’s race will be at the Venetian Festival in downtown St. Joseph. Volunteers need to be there by 8 am. John has about 300 pre-registrations now, but we expect up to 800 participants. Please contact John Willis if you can help out at jwillis@nilesoptimist.org.

50/50 RAFFLE DRAWING: Dana Trowbridge conducted the 50/50 raffle. Don Boyer took home the pot! Congratulations Don!

GUEST SPEAKER: Rick Schpok introduced our guest speaker today as Ron Sather of the Four Flags Area Chamber of Commerce. Ron is the president and CEO. Ron is not a new person to our group and we were happy to have him with us today. He told us that the Chamber has members all over the area including Niles, Mishawaka and parts of South Bend. He told us about some of the events that the Chamber does annually and talked about the recent fireworks display in Niles. He said that volunteers who took donations for parking at the event raised $4,000. He said that cost of fireworks is usually about $6,000 and that the volunteers broke a record for this year. Ron reminded the group that the Chamber is a private organization and is not governmental. All dollars contributed to the Chamber are tax deductible. Ron said that the Chamber building on Fourth and Main will be 100 years old next year and that they are planning a big event in celebration. They are thinking about closing Fourth Street and having a community block party type of event. The Chamber has a full-time staff and unlike other chambers, they are open 8 to 5 five days a week. The building has three meeting rooms one of which holds about 52 people. He said that companies that are members of the chamber use the meeting rooms all the time. He also talked about how members have access to Blue Cross/Blue Shield healthcare at a reasonable cost. He said that Blue Cross/Blue Shield writes 6 out of 10 health policies in the state of Michigan. Ron also told the group how members of the Chamber are entitled to a free web page on the Chambers website. The web pages allow the site to spotlight all the businesses in the area. Ron also told us that individuals can be a member of the Chamber for just $60 a year. Ron passed around the marketing brochure that the Chamber was instrumental in having done. The brochure markets the city and townships of Niles. The main goal of the brochure is to attract new business and new residents to the area. The brochure cost a total of $52,000 to produce with $10,000 of that money coming from the Chamber and the rest from different governmental and economic development agencies in the area. Ron talked about what new businesses are opening up or have opened up in the area recently. He also talked about other development projects in the wing like the new fire and police stations, the new $21 million hospital expansion, the redevelopment of Dr. Mitchell’s Clear Choice business that amounts to about $560,000, the development of the Riverfront Café downtown, the renovation of the Bell Plaza, the development of a Lowe’s Store on S. 11^th, the development of the new TCU credit union and the new streetscaping projects downtown as well as the renovation of the downtown buildings. Ron Sather had a wealth of new information for the group. We are very happy to have had Ron with us today. Thank you Ron Sather.

CLOSING CREED: Don Boyer led the group in reciting the Closing Creed at the end of the meeting.

"Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly."

"Find the good. It’s all around you. Find it, showcase it, and you’ll start believing in it" Jesse Owens (1913 – 1980), Olympic track and field athlete

"Pessimists calculate the odds. Optimists believe they can overcome them." Ted Koppel, News anchor

TODAY IN HISTORY: July 15^th

1149: The Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem is dedicated at the site where Jesus is said to have been entombed after his crucifixion.

1916: William Boeing and Conrad Westervelt found the Pacific Aero Products Company in Seattle. The following year they rename the company the Boeing Company.

1918: Near the Marne River in northeastern France, the second Battle of the Marne in World War I begins. The Allied victory in the three-week battle halts the German drive toward Paris.

1971: President Richard M. Nixon announces his plan to visit China as a step toward reopening relations with the country

1979: In a nationally televised speech, President Jimmy Carter speaks of a "malaise" in the United States and announces steps to reduce the country's dependence on foreign energy supplies.

Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, first U.S. saint (1850)

Iris Murdoch, novelist and philosopher (1919)

Jacques Derrida, philosopher (1930)

Leon Lederman, physicist (1922)

Sir Harrison Birtwistle, composer (1934)

Linda Ronstadt, singer (1946)

Over a gynecologist's office: "Dr. Jones, at your cervix."

On a plumber's truck: "We repair what your husband fixed."

On the trucks of a local plumbing company in NE Pennsylvania: "Don't sleep with a drip. Call your plumber."

Pizza shop slogan: "7 days without pizza makes one weak."

Outside a muffler shop: "No appointment necessary. We hear you coming."

In a veterinarian's waiting room: "Be back in 5 minutes. Sit! Stay!"

Door of a plastic surgeon's office: "We can help you pick your nose!"

On an electrician's truck: "Let us remove your shorts."

In a non-smoking area: "If we see smoke, we will assume you are on fire and take appropriate action."

On a maternity room door: "Push. Push. Push."

At an optometrist's office: "If you don't see what you're looking for, you've come to the right place."

In the front yard of a funeral home: "Drive carefully. We'll wait."

I was born on this day in 1606. I painted about 60 self-portraits, of which this is one.

This self-portrait by Rembrandt van Rijn was painted in 1669, the last year of his life. It is 86 x 70.5 cm (approximately 34 x 28 in) and hangs in the National Gallery, London. Rembrandt painted a large number of self-portraits throughout his life; the later ones in particular are noted for their psychological depth and the artist’s technical skill in the use of chiaroscuro (contrasts of light and shadow).