Invocation and Pledge: Charles Zanayed

Brags:

Rudy Kappe bragged on his daughter-in-law. She has been battling bone cancer and has had a hip replaced, yet is staying active and will be attending a concert soon. Rudy is proud of her ability to maintain a positive attitude.

Dave VanStrien bragged on Optimist bell ringing for the Salvation Army. The Optimists raised $959.69!

Rudy Kappe bragged of a great scene during his bell ringing stint, as a grandmother gave each of her small grandkids a dollar and helped teach them the spirit of giving.

Dr. Todd bragged on our program guests, his former neighbors from across the street whom he is proud to have as our guests. Dr. Todd gives out toothbrushes for Halloween, and when he ran into Sarah following Halloween, he asked her why she didn't stop by for her halloween toothbrush. When told that she is "getting a little too old for that", Dr. Todd's response was that he didn't realize you could BE too old for brushing your teeth!

John Willis bragged that the Cassopolis Club has completed their first service project as a club. They sponsored the downtown Cassopolis Christmas Tree Lighting and Santa visit. He received reports that the event was well attended.

John Willis bragged on the homeschool Lego Robotics team that he has been working with. They have qualified for the Michigan state tournament in Novi this weekend. They also recently competed against 30 other teams at a competition at Notre Dame.

Michel Listenberger bragged on attending a great Strategic Planning retreat for the OI Board of Directors including speaker Joel Barker, author of "Paradigms : The Business of Discovering the Future". (I think I got that right!)

Joann Krueger bragged on taking her first swimming lesson ever this week at the age of 64. Good luck in the deep end!

News of the Day: Rob Clingaman informed us that the Seattle Seahawks scored 3 defensive touchdowns in a 42-0 rout of the Philadelphia Eagles in Monday Night Football action.

Program Guests:

Niles Basketball Star Sarah Dreher and her mom Diane.

*Soccer Meeting Tonight (Wednesday) 7pm at the YMCA.

*Cub Scout Pack 575, our sponsored pack from Ballard, will be visiting four area Nursing Homes this Friday. They are meeting at the YMCA at 6pm, and will be returning to the Y afterwards for a Pizza Party. It might be nice to have a representative of the Optimists as the pack's sponsors present.

December Board Meeting Moved to Monday, December 19th.

No official meeting Tuesday following Christmas (Dec 27th) No official meeting Tuesday following New Year's (January 3rd). Chances are good that some members will still be having lunch at Riverfront Cafe at Noon on these days so feel free to join them.

Holiday Business After Hours sponsored by the 4 Flags Chamber of Commerce, December 12th at Millenium Steakhouse 5-730pm. $5 per person, RSVP to 683-3720 or nileschamber@qtm.net by Friday 12/9.

Cassopolis Club Meeting Time and Location Change: STARTING NEXT WEEK Thursday December 15th the Cassopolis Club will be meeting in the media center at Cassopolis High School at Noon.

Optimist International Foundation Raffle tickets on sale. True 50/50, tickets are $20 each and are on sale at District meetings. Michelle and Robb are taking a collection to buy tickets on behalf of our Youth Fund.

Regional Optimist Meeting February 4th in Kalamazoo. Tom Majerek is in charge of this meeting and would like to see good attendance from Niles.

Trivia Contest to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters at St. Mark's Parish Hall Saturday January 14. $150 per table of up to 10 players, $250 first prize.

*Happy Birthday Wishes to Jack Arbanas.

Dr. Todd is always in need of Programs, please get ahold him if you have a program for us.

50/50: $14, won by Dave VanStrien.

Curious the Monkey: Michelle Morse brought us some Christmas and Biblical trivia. In 1836 Alabama became the first state to declare Christmas a legal holiday. 31% of all diamonds are sold during Christmastime. More than three Billion Christmas Cards are sent annually in the United States. 49 different foods are mentioned in the bible. The cat is the only domestic animal not mentioned in the bible. And the most children borne of one mother in the bible is 69!

The Monkey goes to... Charles Zanayed!

Program: Niles High School Basketball Phenom Sarah Dreher

Sarah Dreher is the all-time leading scorer in Niles Basketball history. She was named to 1st-Team All-State in Class B this year, the first Niles player to receive that honor. Sarah has earned herself a full-ride basketball scholarship to Western Michigan University this fall, where she plans to study Business.

Sarah tells us that she started playing YMCA basketball in third grade, though she was more interested in her Jazz and Tap classes at that age. She played both Volleyball and Basketball for many years, and was on both teams (plus softball?) her freshman year. She says that she was not very good at basketball as a freshman. She faced perhaps her most difficult decision ever as a junior, deciding to quit volleyball in order to concentrate on basketball year-round.

Sarah puts in a lot of hard work to improve her game. Even during the basketball season she squeezes in additional practice on her own time. She also works out multiple times every week. She credits the support of her mother, the encouragement of her father, and the instruction of her AU and High School coaches for much of her success. Sarah holds the Niles records for Most Points in Game (38), Most Points in a Season, and Most Points in a Career.

Sarah also participates in the Spanish Club, National Honor Society, and the Business Professionals of America.

Sarah should be very proud of the effort she has put forth in becoming the fantastic basketball player she is today. We wish her well at Western Michigan!

Next Week's Program: Homeschool Lego Robotics Team

Shirt Orders: If anyone is interested in ordering polo shirts like those awarded at the optimist banquet, please see Tom. The minimum order is 15 shirts, so we will take down names and contact people for payment if enough interest is generated to support an order. White polo shirts with the optimist logo are currently available from Tom for $10 each.