Hillsboro Optimist Club Monthly Social

The monthly social meeting was held Tuesday, January 28th at the Reserve in Hillsboro. Mike Ware and Bill French were speakers.

              

 (L to R:Club Member Bill French, club members enjoying the buffet at The Reserve).

Photos by: Jack Thornton

    Mike Ware, owner/CEO of MyBinding*, spoke of his relationship with the Optimists and the history of his corporation. Ware and son started MyBinding in 1998. They began by selling to print shops and school systems and launched a website in 2003. Today, less than a fifth of their sales are made in Oregon. For more information, refer to the company website or their OregonLive listing.

    Bill French spoke about a local family that provides a training program for young boxers. They practice outside in a canvass tent, attracting as many as 25 kids in a class. Bill has been instrumental in providing leadership and financial support. He is currently helping them locate a more permanent training facility. Club members with Hillsboro connections are encouraged to help.

    One member of the family, Efrain Estrada, is a light welterweight contender. Another, ninth grade Hillsboro Online Academy student Diana Estrada Diaz, just earned the gold medal in her division at the 2014 USA Boxing Junior and Youth Open Championships held in Reno, Nevada, January 6-11. Diana was also awarded the Outstanding Female Boxer of the Tournament honor and will be training and competing as part of the USA Boxing Traveling Team both nationally and internationally. For more information, refer to this article covering the youth.

Thanks to Christmas Social Volunteers

This past weekend, the Hillsboro Optimist Club hosted a smashing Holiday Party at Club Member Sue Horton's lovely home. Vice President Kathy Jungels coordinated carolers and a visit from Santa for the event.

     Photos of the event can be found on the Hillsboro Optimist Club Facebook Page. Click here to visit! For a disc of photos, contact George Waldron, the price is $5, and the proceeds will go to the Children's Cancer Fund.

Member Project Idea Collection

Member Project Idea Collection


     Club President Monte Akers asked members to contribute new ideas for projects for the upcoming year at this month's Evening Social at the Meriwether Golf Course. At the meeting, several members voiced different ideas and plans for the next year that members could volunteer with.
     When each project has been approved by the Board of Directors, the Optimist Club may move forward with planning and implementation.

• Tandem Bike Ride - Members Tony Montes and Ananda Vardhana are planning a bike ride for blind youth. Each youth will be paired with a seeing-bike-rider as they cycle along a route to be determined later.
• New Member Project - Club Secretary Tammi Hilp has received approval on a project to increase membership. When club members bring a guest to the morning meetings, the club will pay for their breakfast, and the breakfast of the member.
• Shut-In Holiday Help - Members JV Torgensen and Bill French offered the idea to find a youth that is 'shut-in' for the holidays due to illness or other complications, to provide care packages/meals/cards to help celebrate the season and lessen the negative impact of not being able to leave.
• Library Card Sign-Up Drive - Students leaving school for holiday and summer breaks will no longer have access to school libraries. A library card sign-up drive before the breaks begin will allow students access to a great educational resource. Library cards do not cost money, but the application has to be done in person at the library, or with the use of a computer which many children may not have.
• Recreation Center Scholarships  - With Christmas and summer breaks, students lose a safe place to exercise and stay healthy. P.E. teachers could be contacted at schools to choose candidates for a SHARC scholarship from the club.
• Back to School Hair Cuts  - Many families have only enough money to cover the basic back-to-school needs; books, clothes, etc. A day where retired hairdressers or volunteering hairdressers donate haircuts to children could be a great confidence booster for local children before they go back to school.
• Day at the Theater - Students entering high school are often timid of joining new clubs that will benefit them greatly in the long run, especially clubs in the arts. Sponsoring a day for select students (a list from teachers could be obtained) to attend a HART production in Hillsboro could help inspire and reward select students.
• Healthy Summer, Healthy Snacks - During the first week of free lunches at Shute Park this summer, almost 2,000 free lunches were served to hungry children. The need is great, but when children get home from a free lunch, they have little until the next day. Partnering with local farms that have too much produce, different 'healthy snack' sites could be setup throughout the summer to distribute bags of produce that are overflow for farms. 

Halloween, Optimist Style

Halloween, Optimist Style

The October 30 Evening Social for the Hillsboro Optimist Club was a merry event with costumes, food, and the joyful induction of new members.

As a special incentive for members who dressed in costumer, President Monte Akers gave out prizes for the best costumes, voted on by the other members in attendance.

L to R: Jane Austen, Cat in the Hat, Rustler, Sheriff, Larry Darryl and Darryl.