|
Larry Elmore addresses
Optimists on the importance
of advising kids on college admissions.

Optimists Clean & Polish
Concession Stands in
Preparation for Football & Soccer Seasons

Optimist Memorial
Scholarship Winners Presented

Pictured above are (left) Andrew
Pierce and his family and (right) Jaleesa Evans and her mother. Andrew and
Jaleesa were the 2010 winners of $3,000.00 Henderson Optimist Memorial
Scholarships. Each was selected by a blind panel of judges assessing their
academic and civic backgrounds. Congratulations to the students and their
families. (10/10/10)
Respect for Law Program
honors many local Individuals who
"Product and Serve" the safety and well being of our community. Police,
deputies, fireman both employed and volunteer were recognized. Betty Bobbitt
and Eric Pierce headed up the celebration.











Optimists greet public at Roses &
Gather funds for CCC.
Saturday, June 12, 2010, Henderson
Optimists worked in rotation to give local folks the opportunity to support
our efforts to combat cancer and fund university research and care. By 2:00
over three hundred had been given by local residents to the Childhood Cancer
Campaign.

 


 
Pictures for the early stage of the
CCC. Jon & Tommy & Jane were working crowd well.
(Pictures courtesy of J & T productions.)
 


 
(Pictures courtesy J of J&J
Productions)
Jon Dorsey poses with
Guest Speaker Nick Long

Nick Long, area coordinator, gave a
presentation on scouting in our area. This is the 100th anniversary of Boy
Scouting in America and Nick gave us an update on all of the activities
going on to celebrate century of Scouting in our country.
Jerry Delbridge
congratulates his
new Optimist Member, John Pecora

Henderson Optimist Club
announces
Essay Contest Winners
Pictured below are the winners of
this year's top
three out of 42 entries in the Essay Contest

Cheryl Elman proudly joins the top
three Essay winners.



Optimists Enjoy and very
lively Dixieland
concert at April 13th Meeting

.



Optimists Visit Oxford
Masonic Home

Above the club explores the new museum
recalling the decades of development of the outstanding home for young
people. Below we see the energy and liveliness of some of the young
people as well as a collection of wonderful dolls. A typical room for each
individual resident is also recorded.




Sgt. Lloyd Watkins
addresses the Optimist Club

Pictured about are Sgt. Lloyd Watkins
and Sheriff Peter White with club president Jon Dorsey. Jerry Delbridge
introduced Sgt. Watkins who have a knowledgeable and detailed talk on crime
in our community and across our country. He answered questions from the club
and offered many insights on the causes and of cures for crime.
Gary Morgan Presents
Program on Initiatives to Improve
housing and skills training in our community.

Pictured above (left to right) are
Optimist President Jon Dorsey, Gary Morgan & Steve Craft. Steve invited our
speaker who presented a fine presentation.
Mr. Morgan is the Director the the
Gateway Community Development Corporation. In his speech he explained three
initiatives underway in Henderson and Vance County to allow lower income
individuals to improve their housing and rural individual to do likewise.
Gateway is also supporting a program that offers occupational training for
individuals in the building trades industry. Mr. Morgan would welcome
contacts about the good work going on the the community Call 252-492-6298 or
email him at director@gatewaycdc@ncol.net.
New Optimist Officers
Inducted for 2009-2010

President Jon Dorsey with
Lt. Governor Carey Foster. Carey
conducted the induction for the new officers.

New Officers for 2009, left
to right: Bob Hubbard, Tommy Haithcock, Thurman Murphy, Jon Dorsey
(President), Kay Ayscue (Past President) , Carey Foster (Lt. Governor),
Ellen Foster (District
Officer), Denise Usher, and Fred Carswell.
|
2009-2010 Optimist President Jon Dorsey.
To read a message of greeting from Jon,
click on his picture.
u Click
here to read the 2006-2007 North Carolina East
Winning Essay by Henderson's own Kathleen Carswell. You will need Adobe Acrobat
to open the document.
u
You can also to the "Calendar" page on our
Henderson Web site. Click
Here.
(The Summer conference information will come later.) It is suggested that you go through Thurman
Murphy to
book your accommodations and registrations.
u
Go to an Optimist
International Convention! Applications are available at
www.Optimist.org. Below are the dates and places of
up-coming Optimist International Conventions:
- July 7-10, 2010 in Denver, Colorado
- July 3-6, 2011in Baltimore, Maryland
-
July 11-14, 2012 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin July 3-6, 2013 in Cincinnati, Ohio
u
Need
to access the Members' Directory?
The user
name is "Optimist" and the password is the one-word,
lowercase name of our first president. (seven letters in all.)
u
For Photos on last year's Valentine Party,
Click on:
Photo Gallery 5.
u
About the Henderson Optimist Club
& "Bringing out
the Best in Kids":
Would you like to learn more about the Henderson
Optimist Club?
Click here to read about the
officers, the history, and other useful information. Click
here to send us an email:
Contact Us.
u
Contact Us:
If you would like to submit an item for our calendar, please click here
to
Contact Us.
u Meetings:
Regular club meetings take place on
the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 6:15 p.m. at the
Henderson Country Club at the end of Country Club Drive.
The Executive Board meets the third Tuesday of
each month at 6:15 p.m., In a month with five Tuesdays, a Social is held.
It may or may not take place on that fifth Tuesday.
Return to top
of this page
Click on Thumbnail
image(s) to view larger photo.
Trish and Bob Verne
Present
"Kisses for Cancer Program"

Trish gives Thurman a "Kiss."

Past NC East Governor Bob Verne holds
Dottie's hand and gives her a kiss also.

Trish Verne, NC East District Childhood Cancer
Campaign Chair,presented a the "Kisses for Cancer" program that began in
the Chapel Hill Optimist Club and is spreading across Optimist clubs in
Eastern North Carolina. Optimist and JOOI club members solicit funds at
grocery stores and department stores in exchange for Hersey's candy
kisses. Chapel Hill takes a business approach to the effort. Records are
kept by the location, weather, and the shifts on which money is
collected. They have developed strategies for location and advertising
as well as methods for encouraging appropriate contributions. Chapel
Hill and other clubs have raised thousands of dollars with this
initiative.
Our Henderson Childhood Cancer Committee has
secured the vests and other equipment needed for the effort an plan to
try out the program in the near future. We thank Trish and Bob for their
informative and inspirational program.
Return to top of this
page.
Thank you
letter addressed to Secretary/Treasurer
Thurman Murphy for our contribution to
Duke Medical Center for Childhood Cancer
|
I want to formally express my thanks for
your recent generous
contribution from the Optimist Club of
Henderson to the Road
to Life Fund of the Division of Pediatric
Hematology-Oncology
at Duke Children's Hospital. It is truly
gratifying to know that there
is such dedication in our
community and State in support of our
efforts to provide
outstanding care to children with cancer and blood disorders.
Your generosity reinforces our daily efforts on behalf
of our
patients. I would be delighted to speak with you more
about our
efforts, to show you and around Duke Children's
Hospital, or to
come speak to your group. Please do not hesitate
to contact me
at any time to set something up.
I can assure you that we will put your
contribution to good
use, helping our patients and their
families endure their
difficult journeys towards a cure. On
behalf of my colleagues,
thank you again for your thoughtfulness and continued support.
Best Regards,
Dan Wechsler, MD, PhD Chair, Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Associate Professor of
Pediatrics, Duke University Medical Center
|
Optimists
arrive in high style in Williamsburg

Northern
Vance Wins Optimist Bowl


President Eric Pierce presented
the Optimist Bowl Trophy and wisely stepped out of the way. Northern
Vance, breaking a long drought, won the game 42 to 0.

Leslie Carswell introduces our guest speaker, Dr. David Mack.

Dr. David Mack
Dr. David Mack is a Medical Oncologist
who works from
Duke University through Maria Parham Medical Center. He
presented a well-received program on all phases of adult cancer
with expert
knowledge and layman's language. Clearly an optimist
at heart, Dr. Mack was
drawn to his field by the opportunity to be
a positive and reinforcing force
in people's lives.
Dr. Mack presented a broad picture of
cancer in general and often
filled in the details with reference to both
research and personal
experiences from his patients. He stressed the
environmental
influences that make us prone to get cancers while
acknowledging
the hereditary contributions. His optimism shown through as he
highlighted the ever-growing survival and even cure-rate that
has been going
on for the last 30-40 years. Finally, he stressed
the that we need to attend
to the potential of getting cancer by
looking for signs of cancer early and
often in our lives. The earlier
the detection of a cancer generally the
greater the opportunity for
survival and/or cure.
We thank Dr. Mack for a thoroughly
professional yet easily
understood presentation on the current status of
cancer in
our society and lives.
Optimists
given award for service to our friends from Oxford

Carol Dorsey & Kay Ayscue
receive award.
Gary Morgan
presents program on Initiatives
by the Gateway Rural Development Corporation
to improve housing in local communities

Mr. Morgan told of his "conversion" to
religions and civil service after an extensive and successful career in
private business and educational administrative positions. He outlined his
commitment to improving the substandard housing situations of many of our
area's citizens. He explained various plans the USDA Rural Development
Housing Repairs Program. The program invites individual citizens, civic
groups, and churches to link their efforts to his organization's goals and
efforts. To contact him call 252-492-6298, fax him at 252-492-9088, or come
by the headquarters at 314 S. Garnett Street in Henderson.
The Henderson Optimist Club
appreciates this fine presentation and wishes Gary well in his efforts to
make our community a better place to work and live.
Optimist
Faces in the Crowd
at Durham Bulls' Game in June
courtesy of B&B Productions




Ed White
accepts Recognition
for Optimist Attend & Win and
Read & Win Programs at Aycock Elementary

A "standing room only" audience honored the
achievements
of all Aycock Elemetary Students on June 9, 2009
 
 
In the pictures above Aycock Principal
Laura Rigsby presents Ed White with a recognition packet honoring the club's
year-long support of students who have excellent attendance and
outstanding reading.
A drawing was held among those students in the lower and upper grades who
had perfect attendance and no tardies for the entire year. Ed presented the
bicycles and received an unexpected 'THANK YOU" from one of the students.

Above is the Chowan-Edenton Optimist
Club performing one of its many, many service projects. This one was at the
fantastic "2009 Pilgrimage of Homes" in its community. Among its efforts are
providing fireworks for the Fourth of July and supporting local youth
sports. Way to go guys. Theirs is one more local Optimist Club "Bringing out
the Best in Kids."
Return to top of this page.
Spouses' Night & ELVIS IS
IN THE HOUSE!

Woody Caudle
introduces "The King!"


Every king has an entourage &
Elvis's was beautiful and spirited!
For more pictures of the evening with Elvis,
Click Here.
Author and Educator
Addresses Club


Beth C. Carroll
spoke to the club on her latest book. She explained the process she follows
to write and prepare the elements and action in the work. She gave tips and
suggestions on writing and publishing. Beth is the daughter of Optimist
member John Capps pictured above at the right. Club president Jon Dorsey
stands at Beth's left.
Academic Awards at Eaton
Johnson Middle School

Principal and Optimist Member
Larry Webb leads the Awards Assembly
in which several Optimist Attendance Awards were presented.
For more pictures, Click
Here.

Halloween is Optimist
Party Time!



More Gouls and Optimists:
Click Here.
|