Phather Phil’s Prayer
Heavenly Father it’s a brand new year. Help us make it another year to remember. As Optimist we are blessed with the perfect game plan. We recite it every week – The Optimist Creed. The thoughts behind the words are beautiful, but if not taken to heart, remain just words. Grant us the commitment to live our lives according to the precepts of our Creed and realize that out there we could be the only bible someone reads. Remove our unfounded prejudices and let us walk thru the coming year to the beat of a better drummer. With Your help Lord we can get er done. Amen!
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All Photos from the Meeting are Here
Today’s Guests
| Guest | Guest Of |
| Judge Erik Blaine | Speaker |
| Kate Bowling | Jim Long |
| Jill Cordonnier | Joan Cordonnier |
| Becca Dryden | Kelly Stone |
| Gresham Dryden | Kelly Stone |
| Kenny Henning | Speaker Guest |
| Beth McAlpine | Chris McAlpine |
| Chase McAlpine | Jay McAlpine |
| Katie McAlpine | Jay McAlpine |
| Lily McAlpine | Jay McAlpine |
Today’s Speaker
The speaker today was the honorable Judge Erik Blaine. He is a part of a group of volunteer lawyers that provides “Wills for Heroes” and “Wills for Veterans”. Members of both of these groups often do not have the means to provide proper estate planning for their families. Since his involvement which began in 2008, over 1250 first responders (including police, firefighters, EMTs) and veterans have been helped. Additionally, he puts on programs at schools for 5th-12th graders to help them to understand the issues surrounding cyber-bullying and sexting. He uses and asks others involved in the law to use optimism in their approach to how the law is interpreted and applied. An example would be a first time offender of cyber bullying not always getting criminally convicted, but instead getting help. Judge Blaine also discussed the opioid crisis. He wants us all to make sure we openly discuss the issue to remove stigma and to guide those who need help towards that help. All of the programs he helps with need our help in spreading the word that they exist. He also reminds us that jury duty is one of the most important civic duties in which we can participate.
Birthdays
| Member | Birthday |
| Rafael Santillan | January 01 |
| Sonny Singhvi | January 01 |
| Joseph Madden | January 03 |
| Ted Humphrey | January 07 |
| Laura Caschera | January 08 |
Membership Anniversaries
| Member | Month | Day | Joined | # Years |
| James Rumford | January | 1 | 01/01/1990 | 28 |
| Paul Stull | January | 1 | 01/01/1970 | 48 (Wow!) |
| Bob Duffy | January | 1 | 01/01/1988 | 30 |
| Will Cale | January | 1 | 01/01/1976 | 42 |
| John Carroll | January | 3 | 01/03/2012 | 6 |
| Greg McAfee | January | 7 | 01/07/2008 | 10 |
| John Speers | January | 7 | 01/07/2008 | 10 |
New Member Readings and Inductions
| Name | Sponsor | 1st 2nd 3rd Reading or Induction |
| Cindy Gaboury | Jean Pummill | Induction |
Sergeants at Arms
| Member | Infraction |
| Chris McAlpine | Forgetting name badge, starting meeting late, not teaching daughter good financial practices (would not sell bell and gavel) |
| Bob Burkman | Littering at the Holiday Party when giving speech for Christian Lawson Award |
| Bill Stone | Stealing Santa’s bell at the Holiday Party |
| Cindy Gaboury | Missing Forte singing Happy Birthday to her at the Holiday Party |
| Beth Duncan | Destroying Optimist property (old name tag with previous name) |
| Scott Langer | Late |
| Stan Fronzaglia | Cell phone going off during speaker |
| Charlie Tapp | Lost his cell phone |
| Christine Balsan | Buying a Christmas Tree at a lot other than Optimist lot |
| Each table | Fined for people who did not come due to cold weather |
Happy Bucks!
| Member Name | Reason |
| Bob Burkman | 55th Wedding Anniversary |
| Chris McAlpine | 10th Wedding Anniversary |
| Gary Smiga | Praised Lily McAlpine for not selling the bell and gavel to the bad guys. |
| Kelly Stone | Grandbaby number 7 is on the way. |
| Jean Pummill | Excited that Cindy Gaboury has been inducted into CNO again. |