Optimist Club of Perdido Bay

Grits and Bits

“Bringing Out the Best in Kids”
2010-2011

February 2011 Cl ub # 29 -108 P .O. B ox 87 Lillian, AL. 36 549

M eets Every Saturday M orni ng at the Lillian Co m m uni ty Cl ub 7:00 AM
AL/L A/M S G overno r Arthur M ack Lt. G overnor B en Spencer
Editor: Sally M cKinney
www.lillian.org/ocpb.htm

Optimists… Please ask yourself this question.

Are YOU a Taker or a GIVER?
January has brought us some bitter cold and NO I’m not talking about
the weather, I’m referring to my state of mind after the January 8, board
meeting, where it was revealed that our President Elect was stepping down
and we all knew our “ACTING” Vice President wasn’t going to step up –
and neither was anyone else on the board. - This has sent cold chills down
my spine for the past 20 days.
I’m truly trying to not let it influence my feelings about our “CLUB
MISSION.” “Bringing Out the Best in KIDs” and Helping our Community.
Because this is why I became a member and why I was honored to be
asked to serve on the board, serve as Vice President, serve as President
Elect and for the past 16 months serve as president. But, I and other 8.1
other members can NOT do this.
With that being said and with saying I have been “CAUTIONED”
and even told not to say the following, because this is a “VOLUNTEER”
organization and “That’s the way volunteer organizations are,” (ten percent
of the “organization” does the 99 % of the work.
WELL, I don’t see it that way. I honestly feel it is my obligation to
keep you informed of any and all the club’s business, the good as well as
the bad. In my opinion this is the BAD. Someone needs to step-up to the
President Elect position – NOW! For two reasons - #1 To learn what is
required of being club president.(Optimist, District even has a weekend of
(Continued on page 2)
training in August). #2 I will assume that although none raised a hand when
Mike Russell asked “Who wanted the club to fold”, that you really wanted to
answer in the positive, “You don’t really want an Optimist club” (helping KIDs
AND Community) – rather you would prefer a social club or NO club at all.
OR - From me to you – YOU elected me, YOU reelected me, YOU
filled out a survey and YOU set on your pockets with your mouths closed,
through the entire club business meeting - YOU SILENTLY INDICATED
YOU WANTED THE WEEKLY MEETINGS TO REMAIN the SAME (at 7:00
AM with an interesting program/speaker), and also YOU WANTED ALL THE
CLUB PROGRAMS to REMAIN INTACTED. IT CAN’T HAPPEN without
more help from YOU or the new members YOU bring into the club.
Maybe you just don’t realize that to just have a normal weekly breakfast
meeting requires, someone or several someone’s give you 45 to 50 man-
hours (M-H) a week, to give you what YOU want, that’s 2600 (M-H) a year.
Add the Mullet Festival’s 2500 (M-H), The Wood Boat Show’s 320 (M-H), the
Illumination of Autism’s 300 (M-H), the Installation dinner’s 110 (M-H) and
Law & Order day’s 70 (M-H). then toss-in the 20,000 (M-H) we spend
supporting our 23 KIDs Programs. Ladies and gentlemen that equals 25,900
man-hours, we have 91 members. Soooo if your not contributing a minimum
of 284.61 hours a year / 5.473 hours a week, you fall into the taker column…
Are the lights coming on?
I do want to say THANK-YOU, to all you “GIVERS, how ever big or
small. Apologize to the members who have, worn these shoes, sat in this
seat, in the past, without all of my whining. – Frustration is my biggest enemy.
Frustration always make me come off sounding or even being negative, even
when I don’t want to be. I have loved working with all of you and think a team
approach is the best way to do anything worth doing. I do not believe I, or
anyone else, should be dominated or subjected to the emotional manipulation
of those members who choose to “wear out their back pockets” while a small
minority do all the work. Please let’s work together as friends and neighbors
vs master and slave.
I am planning to miss meetings: February 26th (birthday party), May
14 /21st (cruise), June 18th/25th/July 2nd/9 th/16th (Cancun timeshare). If you
th

resolve this problem by April 15th, I plan to work with you as much as I
possibly can, if you don’t resolve the vacancy. I plan to start looking for a
more equitable organization to contribute my time.
GOD BLESS. Optimistically, bill c…
 2010-2011 OFFICERS
President
Bill Cornell 962-2855
Acting President Elect
Sonny Keigley
Acting Vice-President
Dick Erwin
Secretary
Sally McKinney
Treasurer
Ken Sanders
Past President
Andy Wilkinson
Special Advisor
Dr. Theresa Hardin and Coach Whitney Stevens of Rosinton Lee Hoffman
Elementary School were thrilled with their certificates pre- DIRECTORS
sented by Da Prez Bill Cornell. The school sponsors a yearly Rod Benton 1 Yr.
5K run and will encourage their runners to participate in the Lynn Neff 1 Yr.
Annual Run for the Mullet. James Wright 1 Yr.
Dan Church 2 Yr.
Rod Haught 2 Yr.
Mel Whitehurst 2 Yr.

Dr. Chuck COMING UP

Holmes talked February
Educator of the
about his newest
Year Award
book, “What
You Really Need March
Essay Contest
to Know About Health Fair
Economics”. Special Olympics
Oratory Contest
April Pass it on,
Elberta Elementary check out
Hot Dog Day our website at:
Law & Order Day http://www.lillian.org/
Kids Easter Party ocpb.htm
Optimists learned
about a new way to
take vitamins by Upcoming Events/Speakers
using Vitamist Spray
Supplements. Opti- Feb. 5 Sen. Tripp Pittman
mist Buzz Morley
suggested this
Alabama State Legislative
speaker, Bobbie Update
Brisse. Do you Feb. 12 Kevin King & Mike Smiley
know someone
who would be an
National Flight Academy
interesting speaker? Feb. 19 Educator of the Year
Call Bill Broach,
279-7953. Feb. 26 Olive Hearon & Nicky Brown
“Lillian Links to the Past”
 The Optimist Creed Kitchen Korner
Promise Yourself: Feb. 5 & 12 — Team 2
To be so strong that nothing can disturb Gale Highland
your peace of mind. Jerry Watkins
Richard Sullivan
To talk health, happiness and prosper- Ed Kish
ity to every person you meet. Dan Church
To make all your friends feel that there Dick Martin
is something in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything Feb. 19 & 26 — Team 3
Dick Erwin
and make your optimism come true. Richard Summerville
To think only of the best, to work only Mel Whitehurst
for the best, and to expect only the best. Skip Gruber
To be just as enthusiastic about the Harry Passmore
success of others as you are about your Bob Ginn
Andy Wilkinson
own.
To forget the mistakes of the past March 5 & 12 —Team 4
and press on to the greater achievements Harry Lach
of the future. Cliff Horn
To wear a cheerful countenance at all George Price
Stan Fertig
times and give every living creature you Lynn Neff
meet a smile. Wayne Gruenloh
To give so much time to the improve- Ruth Henderson
ment of yourself that you have no time to
criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble
for anger, too strong for fear, and too Pass it on, check out our website:
happy to permit the presence of trouble. http://www.lillian.org/ocpb.htm
O.I.

“Happy Birthday to You!”

“LOOK”
February Birthdays
New O ptimists Wanted
TALK to friends, neighbors 5th Paul Leigeber
P LAN ahead-membership applications 7th Michael Land
available on information table 16th Bradley Byrne
SP ECIAL spousal membership 18th Donald Leslie
applications offer great savings 19th Sonny Keigley
21st James Baxter
REM EM BER -the more members, the 22nd Glen Seering
more we can help kids and 27th Bill Cornell
no one does it better than the
OP TIM IST CLUB OF P ERDIDO BAY