President Dan Rodriguez rang the bell at 7:00 am on the nose, and then handled the invocation duties himself. He delivered a message regarding our call to promote an interest in good government. Encouraging the youth and communities we serve to be inquisitive and active participants in our democracy will benefit us all. He then led the approximately 43 Optimists and one guest on Zoom in the Pledge of Allegiance.
This is the gas station in Estes Park with wind damage that Bryce mentioned in this morning’s meeting. There were quite a few of power outages as well across Estes Park plus a very large power outage in the Glen Haven area This is the gas station at Mary’s Lake Road at Moraine Ave. (just east of where highway 34 splits to the
YMCA camp and Rocky Mtn Nat’l Park). We have heard that there were 100 mph+ winds. This is taken from the Otherside Restaurant’s parking lot and was in the Trail Gazette newspaper of Estes Park.
Also from Greg regarding Covid19 shots from Salud Clinic, which was discussed at this morning's Zoom meeting: "I am getting some feedback now from MSOC members calling Salud and getting a voice message. Same thing happened to us but we received a call back. Hopefully they are not running out of vaccine. I just heard that Estes Park Health is getting more vaccine but they couldn't get a date from Larimer county. Aren't communications wonderful *!?#. I think you really have to act fast with the Covid situation." Editors Note: For more information on vaccinations visit:(https://covid19.colorado.gov/vaccine).
Dr. Bob Finkelmeier submitted this link to the YourTube streaming of Gary Miller's funeral on Saturday, January 17:
If you didn’t attend Gary Miller’s Funeral service you may have missed this. There is a nice visual tribute of his life and family at the very end of this Youtube clip – about 1:15 into the clip.
Karl Geil reminded us that the Brain Bowl is coming upon Saturday, January 30th. Important training dates are:
Brain Bowl Virtual Reader Training: If you are a reader and did not participate in Saturday’s virtual training session, here is the link for Tuesday, 19 JAN 2021, 6-9 PM:
Scorekeeper training will be: Saturday, January 23rd at 9:00 am. You will receive an invitation next week. Watch your g-mail (sign up for a g-mail account if you haven’t) for time sensitive messages from Gunar Neumann! Thank you
Andy Towt gave a Dime a Day report, and shared that Perry Allen is the first person to join OI’s President’s Clubthis year. Four other Monaco South members have donated so far and Andy will get the pins to them at the next in person meeting. If you are going to contribute to Dime a Day, please make your check payable to Optimist International Foundation. Then please mail your check to Andy - he will fill out the application form on your behalf.
Andy is at 1646 S Nile Court Aurora, CO 80012. It took me about 35 seconds to find Andy’s address going to the club website and logging into the member area. The whole directory is there and can be down loaded as a pdf. If you would like to get your hands
on a printed copy, President Dan has many copies of the newest version (newest print version, that is) at his business, Signarama, located at 2200 S. Monaco Pkwy. The store iso pen 9:00 - 5:00 Monday - Friday. Walk in and declare “I am an Optimist!”, and you’ll begiven a copy (and possibly some strange looks)
Phil Perington let us know that there will be an essay contest Zoom meeting tomorrow to go over the logistics with the different clubs in the district that are participating.
Tom Kramis shared a Christmas tree lot recap. This year the tree lot efforts resulted in a $16,000 profit for the club. Considering we had only a 2 1/2 week selling season, and there were some large expenses, that is a very good result. A new generator system and
equipment was a large expense this year, as well as getting new tires on the trailer and building new tree racks. Greg Young announced that Byron Hazelton, President of Hazelton Construction, donated $200 to the club in memory of Gary Miller. Hazelton had supported the tree lot by donating a generator in the past.
Our own Jon Wachter, Lt. Governor of Zone 5, gave us a District update. Coming up on February 6th will be the 2nd Quarter Virtual District Conference, which will be from 9:00 am - 12:30 pm. The conference will provide a formal update on the Essay and Oratorical contests, as well as CCDHH and Jr. Golf. A focus of the conference will be on ideas to help support autism organizations. This will be a live, Virtual event, Registration fee is $10, but if you send a copy of your registration to Greg Young, he will credit your Monaco South account $10. You can also donate to the conference charity, Autism, and you can buy “Funraiser” tickets to enter the drawing for one of several “Baskets of Love,” perfect for your SO on Valentines Day (must be present at 12:15 to claim your winnings). Go to https://www.optimistcowy.org/conferences/ to register and pay by credit card; you will be sent a link by email.
Bob Avery reported on Boy Scout Eagle Project judging. He sent an email to past participants on the new process. There will not be a banquet this year, but likely some type of an event to acknowledge the outstanding projects. Also, there will be an inaugural class of female Eagle Scouts recognized on February 8th, which is the official birthday of scouting.
Donlie Smith update - Bob Avery spoke to Donlie this week and he is in good spirits though struggling physically with his kidney issues. He’s taking phone calls, and keep him in your thoughts and prayers.(303-745-3210)
Today’s speaker was Laurie Spurling, a librarian with the Denver Public Library. She wanted to give us an update on what the library is up to and the resources they have available. She is familiar with our club, as she has been a judge for History Day competitions in the past. The Denver library branches are closed, but they are operating curb side pickup services. There has been a large uptick in demand for library e-cards, and rises in usage of renting audio books and films. Bookmobiles are going to senior centers and also to homebound readers The main web page for the library is: http://denverlibrary.org
Laurie shared her screen to walk us through some of the highlights. And there were many! Here are some examples:
*There is a 24-hour chat feature available, and during normal business hours you can chat with a librarian
*Personalized reading lists can be created for children, teens or adults, in English and Spanish.
*There is a 24 hour story line and also an adult literature line.
*You can find tools to navigate unemployment resources, learn how to start a new business, and to find food services.
*There is a an e-programming calendar, listing events, support groups and classes patents/trademarks questions, those interested in starting or managing foundations/nonprofits can all request a one on one visit with librarian.
*Kanopy is an app to stream films, a service on the site that is limited to Denver residents.
*CQ Researcher offers in-depth analysis of topics in the news ranging from social and teen issues to environment, health, education, science and technology. Covers all sides of the issues. Great for school assignments. Under research, then databases, then under the letter “U”, Udemy is a very poplar tool. It is a learning platform that offers a wide range of courses in the fields of Cloud, Computing, Data Science, Development, IT Operations, Leadership & Management, Marketing, Personal Development, Project Management and Operations. The majority of courses offer a Udemy certificate of completion.
Overdrive is a service on the website with a large collection of eBooks. The books can be downloaded to phones, computers, or iPads. From the Denver Library site, you can follow a link to the Overdrive webpage. Access to the books are rentals, not purchases. You can
request to have the download for 7, 14 or 21 days. E-Books can be renewed also, unless there is a wait list. Publishers can restrict the total number of downloads a
library can have access too, so a wait list is possible. You can also request to find a book if you don’t see it listed. If you are new to eBooks and interested in learning more, there is a class called “Getting started with e-books” on January 27th - see all of the details here:
The library branches have started taking book donations again. If you have books to donate, call the branch first to be sure and to make an appointment, or use the Ask
Us feature on the website. Laurie gave an engaging and very informative presentation, and fielded a good number of questions from the club. If you don’t have a library card, get one!
You do not have to be a Denver city or county resident toget a Denver Library card. Act now!
Close/Optimist Creed
President Dan asked for our attention for a different approach to the conclusion of our meeting. He shared a video from the Optimist International website, which featured each stanza of the creed being recited in multiple different languages. It was a wonderful display of the global reach of our organization and our mission - there many different ways to pledge to “Promise Yourself”!
Tommy Lasorda
“My wife tells me one day, ‘I think you love baseball more than you love me.’ I say, ‘Well, I guess that’s true, but hey, I love you more than football and hockey.’”
Editor’s Notes
Thomas Charles Lasorda loved baseball. And like many of the great managers, he didn’t have a distinguished playing career. In parts of three seasons in MLB (1954-1956), he managed to compile a pitching record of 0-4 with a 6.48 ERA. The first two of those years were with the Brooklyn Dodgers, the last with the Kansas City Athletics. He was mostly a reliever, though in his one MLB start (with the Dodgers) he was removed in the first inning after throwing three wild pitches.
In 1956 he played for the Yankees organization, in the minor league affiliate Denver Bears. While there, he played for Ralph Houk, and was said to be profoundly influenced by Houk and his managerial style. He would later say, “Ralph told me if you treat players like human beings, they will play like Superman.”
He was hired by the Dodgers as a scout in 1960, and as a coach in 1966. Right at the end of the 1976 season, upon Walter Alston’s retirement, he was named manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. And those Dodgers would win the NL pennant the next two seasons. In his 21 years at the helm there, he won World Series in 1981 and 1988. He won 4 NL pennants, 8 division titles, and managed 9 Rookies-of-the-Year. Career record 1599-1439… and was ejected 48 times.
Tommy was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997. He passed away last Friday, January 8th, at 93. Yes, no one ever bled Dodger blue quite like Tommy did. And I’m not sure anyone ever loved baseball as much as Tommy did.
“I bleed Dodger blue, and when I die I’m going to that great Dodger in the sky.” (or maybe he’s going to be that great Dodger in the sky!)
From Greg Hurd
