Mission Statement. By providing hope and positive vision, Optimists bring out the best in youth, our communities and ourselves.
Vision Statement. Optimist International will be recognized worldwide as the premier volunteer organization that values all children and helps them develop to their full potential.
It's Friday, September 27 and the reign of President Casey Funk is rapidly coming to a close. Greeters today are Robert Wardlaw and Al Gapuzan. President Casey confers with soon to be President, Harry Fegley, perhaps counseling him on the joys and sorrows of the office. Casey takes everyone by surprise by launching into the invocation and Pledge, all by himself.
GUESTS
Our guest today is Ulie Kappus, a long-time member of the University Hills Optimist Club which, says Ulie is about to disband their club, which was chartered in 2005. Ulie is an avid fisherman and hangs out at some of the nearby Front Range Mountain lakes. He would be happy to give fishing lessons to anyone interested. At 84 years young he is still going strong and is checking out MSOC in his quest to continue as an Optimist.
In his previous life, he was a water engineer. Welcome Ulie and come on back!
Also in the house (although not quite a guest, since he has been a member since 2009, was Brian Williams, who was able to take time from his busy schedule to attend the meeting. Good to see you, Brian
PRESIDENT'S CORNER
President Casey used this last meeting to acknowledge the importance of all the new members who joined this year and praised the cohesiveness of the club members in participating in all the activities in which the club is involved. He thanked the Board of Directors for helping him throughout the year and said that, for the most part, he had enjoyed the great adventures.
CELEBRATION/INSTALLATION
Larry Pulaski reminded us of the event tomorrow at the Meadow Hills Golf Course Club House, beginning at around 11:00 a.m. Phil Perington reminded Past Presidents to wear their Blue Jackets, or be fined $20.
Don Thomson said that McMeen has changed the way they present Super Citizen Award and moved the presentation to before regular school hours, in order to ensure that teachers maximized their time in actually teaching. How this will work remains to be seen. Joe Marci said he had presented the awards at Most Precious Blood last Tuesday.
Tom Glazier presented Andy Towt, the current OI Foundation Representative with a check for $36.50 from Perry Allen (who was with us via Zoom) who now becomes a member of the Dime-a-Day Club. Perry was previously the OIF Foundation Rep. and achieved fame and glory as a tenacious proponent of Dime-a-Day. (Perry is now has joined a Kiwanis Club in his new location, since the Optimist Club there is less than stellar.
Karl Geil reports that, while visiting his grandchild in California, he dropped in to a meeting of the Riverside Optimist Club, which has one million dollars in the bank and is about to disband their club. Karl did not say whether he had talked to them about sharing the wealth with a very worthwhile Optimist Club in Colorado!
JOHN YOUNG MEMORIAL FUND
Pat Bush is taking donations to the OI Foundation, in memory of John Young. If you would like a tax receipt, make check payable to OI Foundation and get it to Pat by October 4, so can mail in one package to the Foundation. (It takes about 1-2 months to process these funds.
DRAWING
As always, the year started with 52 cards in the deck, every week the "lucky card" was retired until, in the 52nd week, only one card was left. Would someone be lucky enough to pull the right card from a one card deck? Yes! John Burnett was the lucky guy who won $20. Brand new deck next week! (John shown here receiving 20 one-dollar bills from Noel Hasselgren.)
The meeting ended with the recitation of The Optimist Creed!
CELEBRATE YOUR OPTIMISM BANQUET
It was a splendid afternoon at the Meadow Hills Golf Course Banquet room. Heartfelt thanks go to Past President Larry Pulaski and his wife, Ashley, for organizing the entire event. The room was nearly filled with 50 Optimists and guests. Notable attendees included Governor-Designate Bill Ashbee and Lt Governor Zone 5 Linda Williams, with President Casey's mother, Joan, as a special guest. Abigail Nicholas, a Past Governor, served as the master of ceremonies.
Gordon Close, the owner of the Rocky Mountain Music Museum, and his band, Close 'n Counters, provided the musical entertainment.
Following a sumptuous lunch featuring Chicken Piccata and Chicken Parmigiana, President Casey Funk offered a concise recap of his tenure as Club President. He also honored Robert Wardlaw with the Optimist of the Year award and George Buzick with the Marlin Kent Eternal Optimist Award.
Bill Ashbee conducted the installation of the officers and Board of Directors for the 2024-2025 term. President-Elect Harry Fegley shared his vision and goals for the club's upcoming year, emphasizing the enhancement of the club's camaraderie and the increased visibility of its community activities.
In a ceremonial gesture, Phil Perington, a Past President, summoned all Past Presidents, donned in their blue jackets symbolizing their dedication to the club, to bestow Casey with his blue jacket, which he will officially don on Tuesday. Everyone enjoyed the festivities immensely.
Congratulations to Casey for a job well done and Good Luck to Harry in the coming year!
Meetings will be held at the American Legion Hall 5400 E Yale Ave. While there be no two way communication, you may observe (and listen to) the meeting on Zoom
PLEASE NOTE: Some Friday meetings will be simulcast on Zoom in “listen and watch only” mode. All members are encouraged to attend the live meeting when possible.
Optimist Club of Monaco South 2023-2024 48th Year — Chartered in 1976
2023-2023Officers Casey Funk, President
Matt Nelson, Vice President
Tom Glazier, Vice President
Jake Baker, Secretary
Pat Bush, Treasurer
Larry Pulaski, Immediate Past President
Directors:
Second Year: Vaughan Kendall, George Buzick, Tom Hoch, Ken Jeung,
First Year: Carl Brown, Al Gapuzan, Greg Holt, Mario Sani
PAST PRESIDENTS
Bob Rhue 1976-77
Jerry Whitlow 1977-78
Bill Kosena 1978-79
Duane Wehrer 1979-80
Curt Jefferies 1980-81
Frank Middleton 1981-82
John Young 1982-83
Pat Bush 1983-84
Bob Hugo 1984-85
Tom Mauro 1985-86
Curt Lorenzen 1986-87
Oscar Sorensen 1987-88
Lupe Salinas 1988-89
Bob Avery 1989-90
Bill Litchfield 1990-91
Bill Walters 1991-92
Kent Gloor 1992-93
Gary Strowbridge 1993-94
Mark Metevia 1994-95
Bob Safe 1995-96
Tom Overton 1996-97
Peter Dimond 1997-98
Ralph Symalla 1998-99
Cy Regan 1999-00
Stan Cohen 2000-01
Don St. John 2001-02
Jack Rife 2002-03
Karl Geil 2003-04
Bryce Slaby 2004-05
Donlie Smith 2005-06
Paul Bernard 2006-07
Greg Young 2007-08
Phil Perington 2008-09
Ron Cisco 2009-10
Ed Collins 2010-11
Randy Marcove 2011-12
Paul Simon 2012-13
Jon Wachter 2013-14
John Oss 2014-15
Michael Chavez 2015-16
Craig Eley 2016-17
Jim Easton 2017-18
Everett Gardner 2018-19
Bob Meyer 2019-20
Dan Rodriguez 2020-2021
Tom Kramis 2021-2022
Larry Pulaski 2022-2023
T H E O P T I M I S T C R E E D — Promise Yourself . . . To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet. To make all your friends feel that there is something in them. To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true. To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best. To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own. To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future. To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile. To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others. To be too large for worry, too noble foranger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
Our guest today is Ulie Kappus, a long-time member of the University Hills Optimist Club which, says Ulie is about to disband their club, which was chartered in 2005. Ulie is an avid fisherman and hangs out at some of the nearby Front Range Mountain lakes. He would be happy to give fishing lessons to anyone interested. At 84 years young he is still going strong and is checking out MSOC in his quest to continue as an Optimist.
Don Thomson said that McMeen has changed the way they present Super Citizen Award and moved the presentation to before regular school hours, in order to ensure that teachers maximized their time in actually teaching. How this will work remains to be seen. Joe Marci said he had presented the awards at Most Precious Blood last Tuesday. 
Glazier presented Andy Towt, the current OI Foundation Representative with a check for $36.50 from Perry Allen (who was with us via Zoom) who now becomes a member of the Dime-a-Day Club. Perry was previously the OIF Foundation Rep. and achieved fame and glory as a tenacious proponent of Dime-a-Day. (Perry is now has joined a Kiwanis Club in his new location, since the Optimist Club there is less than stellar.
