Gavin Almuti receiving Donlie P Smith Outstanding Eagle Scout Project Award trophy. L-R Bob Avery, Gavin Almuti, Chuck Brasfeild Council Executive and Chris Sherry Council President
President Casey Funk announcing the District Award Winners and Donlie P Smith Award winner.
COLORADO ROCKIES FUND RAISER
Michael Chavez reminds us of the upcoming Rockies baseball game on June 16. We still need a few people to work!. This is a Sunday game. Need to be there by 10:00 a.m. too set up. Friends and neighbors are welcome.(Must be 16) Free ticket to game! Sign up now
Michael also mentioned that MSOC and Tamarac will once again staff a hydrations station on Sunday June 30. Location is yet to be announced but will be in the vicinity of Longmont. Put this on your calendar and enjoy an early Sunday morning wakeup.
NEW MEMBER ORIENTATION
According to Bill Morgan, there will be an orientation for new members via Zoom on Wednesday, May 15. New members have been notified of the meeting, but all are invited to attend. Call Bill (303-868-4384) for details on how to join Zoom meetings.
LOTTERY
Phil Perington announced that the annual lottery fund raiser will occur on August 16. Dan Rodriguez is busy printing 550 tickets. At $20 per ticket that amounts to $11000 of which $5,000 will be given in prize money. (1st Place=$2,000 - 2nd Place=$1,000 -20 prizes of $100 each. Ticket sales will start as soon as Dan can get the tickets printed.
Gary Jerman announced that he is collecting used sporting equipment to give to the immigrant kids in the Southeast Denver area. If you have such things in closets, garages, basements, see Gary. Gary will also take monetary contributions.
Kevin Dempsey has been working with Habitat for Humanity since 1999 and wants to set up a time for the MSOC to participate in helping build low cost housing in the Denver Metro area.
A show of hands indicated that there is some interest. Kevin will make arrangements for our club to participate in this activity during this summer.
JUNIOR GOLF
From Bob Meyer
Joe Marci and I are the Colorado-Wyoming District Optimist Junior Golf Program Co-chairmen.
Each year, approximately 700 junior golfers (boys and girls ages 10 – 18) travel from around the world to play in the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships (commonly referred to as THE OPTIMIST). THE OPTIMIST brings together some of the world’s most talented young competitors, many of whom have the potential to become leading collegiate and professional golfers in the future. More information about THE OPTIMIST and the Optimist Junior Golf Program is available at
https://www.optimist.org/golf/.
In the Colorado-Wyoming District, we will be holding three qualifying tournaments in May and June 2024 to send 59 junior golfers to THE 2024 OPTIMIST. Our ongoing involvement with the Junior Golf program of the Colorado Section of the PGA produced a record number of entrants in our 2023 district qualifiers. We’re hoping to have a field size of around 300 for our three qualifying tournaments in 2024. We also have 20 additional 2024 OPTIMIST slots from a 36-hole Optimist Junior Golf Tour event that we held in October 2023 at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club.
If we are to send all 59 junior golfers to the 2024 OPTIMIST (and continue to provide financial support to all of them…$ 1,000 for seven age group winners and $ 500 for the other 52 qualifiers), we need to expand our fundraising activities. One of our fundraising events is an adult scramble to be held Wednesday, May 22, at Meadow Hills Golf Course in Aurora. An entry form for the scramble is attached to this email. After the tournament, lunch and a silent auction will be held. The silent auction includes dozens of donated foursomes from area golf courses.
NEW MEMBERS NEEDED
Frank Middleton reminded us that the lifeblood of the club is new members. With that in mind he is promising a crisp $50 bill to anyone who brings in three members. The $15 OI administrative charge will be waived through the month of May.
SPEAKER
Our speaker today was Tamara Rollinson, Deputy Director of Communications with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). Tamara provided some interesting information regarding CDOT:
-
Transportation impacts our lives each day—from the bridges you cross to the signs you read to the construction reports you follow. A good transportation system allows us to get to work, enjoy recreational activities and access health care. It allows companies to provide products and services to consumers.
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) exists to ensure that Colorado has a safe and efficient highway system by building and maintaining interstates, U.S. highways and state highways.
To accomplish this goal, CDOT conducts three primary services:
- snow and ice operations
- roadway maintenance and preservation
- construction management
Motorists often believe that CDOT maintains local and residential roads, including neighborhood streets. However, cities and counties are responsible for local and residential roads—not CDOT.
However, CDOT provides much more:
- traffic monitoring
- avalanche control
- rockfall mitigation
- transit development and grants
- traffic safety education for impaired driving, teen driving, distracted driving, work zone safety, seat belts and more
- Maintains, repairs and plows over 23,000 total lane miles of highway
- Maintains 3,447 bridges
- Oversees 28 billion miles of vehicle travel annually
- Plows about 6 million lane miles each year
- Spends $69 million annually on snow removal
- Keeps over 35 mountains passes open year-round
- Monitors 278 of 522 avalanche paths
- Administers about $11 million in federal grants for transit operators and $41 million in federal aviation grants for airports
- Manages over $5 million in federal grants for safe driving programs
Thanks to Tamara for an informative and professional presentation!
DRAWING
There was $40 to be had today. Just draw the Five of Hearts. Our speaker held the first ticket pulled and took a cup of money as did 5 others. The two who chose to try for the big money were unsuccessful, as was Gary Strowbridge, who was wearing his name tag. Next pot $50!
FUN STUFF
avin Almuti from Troop 199 is the Donlie P Smith Outstanding Eagle Scout Project Award Winner for the Greater Colorado Council. Receiving a $1,000.00 from President Casey Funk. From L-R is Casey Funk, Bob Avery, Gavin Almuti, and Chuck Brasfeild, Council Executive.
information about the Colorado-Wyoming District Optimist Junior Golf Program is available at 
