It's that beautiful time of year again. Seen on Fifty Road in Winona. The picture doesn't really do it justice!
--------------------------------------------------One of the sad casualties of the coronavirus has been the service club sector.
Many of you have supported our Stoney Creek Optimist Club at Ham Rolls, Turkey Rolls, and at the Winona Peach Festival. So, I'm sharing a letter from our new President-Elect, Al Woods.
"September 28, 2020
Hello Optimists,
I trust all is well with everyone and you are staying safe in this unprecedented
situation we are experiencing. Our lives have been completely turned upside down
and the ‘normal’ we once had will probably be no more. And it has been six long
months since we’ve had an opportunity to socialize together.
And we are about to enter a new Optimist year.
Recent events indicate that the Province is moving in the wrong direction as Covid19 cases continue to increase. As a result, it may be some time before we are able
to meet face to face and carry out any events where gathering would be required.
So, I just want to take a few minutes of your time to bring everyone up to date with
a ‘state of the club’ in this environment.
There were some hopes that we would be able to re-occupy our hall, but that now
seems out of reach for some time. This is a double whammy, as we can’t enjoy it,
and we are losing a lot of rental income. Since our area entered Stage 3, almost two
dozen requests have been received for rental opportunities which we have had to
turn down. Rental income always went a long way to paying the bills to maintain the
hall – hydro, gas, communications, garbage pickup, insurance, plus a few upgrades
in the hall. It costs the club in the vicinity of $800 each month just to pay the bills.
We lost three major fundraising opportunities since March – ham roll, Little League
Baseball food booth and of course the Peach Festival. These events were worth
$20,000 to $25,000 to the club with which we were able to fund the many
community projects that we used to help ‘bring out the best in kids’.
However, Optimism knows no boundaries. The Board of Directors has been meeting
monthly via Zoom, and although the agenda for these meetings has been limited,
we have solved a few problems and have met all of our District and International
obligations. And brought on stream a great Board of Directors team for 2020/2021.
This team will be tasked, with help from every member, to keep the club afloat until
we can resume operations in what will no doubt be a new ‘normal’.
Communication: For the next few months, communication will be digital and virtual
– Facebook, website, Rocky Ditch Journal and Zoom. Our current President, Optimist
Jenn will be administrating our social media – including Portalbuzz – and Optimist
Shelley D’Angelo will be our newsletter editor. Contact information with Jenn and
Shelley, and with the Board, and with all members is available via the ‘People’ tab in
The Optimist Club of Stoney Creek
890 Queenston Road,
P.O. Box. 66605, SCPO
Stoney Creek, Ontario – L8G 5E5
Phone – 905-662-2355
Friend of Youth and Serving the Community in Which We Live
1954 – 2020
www.stoneycreekoptimists.ca
stoneycreekoptimists@gmail.ca
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
the website.
Until further notice all of our meetings will be via Zoom, including
general member meetings. I know this will be an issue initially for some members,
but it is our only alternative for now.
Finances: We are not broke, as some very wise members in years past put together
a nest egg for that ‘rainy day’. However, as we are all Optimists, I would like to think
that, while we may be on the cusp of that ‘rainy day’, there are some creative
thinkers in the club that can bring some fundraising projects to the table. There are
no bad ideas, only ideas that may need to be worked and/or reworked. One that we
have been discussing is a virtual turkey roll – members get the cards, sell the circles
and we conduct the wheel spin live on Facebook or Zoom, or recording the event on
YouTube. More on club ambitions after our first Board meeting on October 7.
Dues: In a few days’ notices will be going out to request the 2020/2021 dues. You
may ask “why pay dues when I can’t socialize with other members or participate in
projects”. I can’t answer that question, only to say this environment won’t last
forever and we really need to maintain the fantastic image our club has in the
community of Stoney Creek. That image will be tested in the coming days, but with
a great Board and various talents of all our members, we can keep the shine on that
image.
We all need to thank Optimist President Jenn. Jenn had a great year underway, only
to be ‘sabotaged” by Covid-19. Great plans for a banner year got sidelined after only
six months. It wasn’t until well into June before we knew those plans were not to
be.
As we close out 2019/2020, I look forward to a different but interesting year.
Yours in Optimism
President-Elect Al"
Many service clubs were already experiencing member loss - ours has been an exception. In contrast to many clubs, we have a group of enthusiastic, young members who are keen to keep up our traditional place in the community. Some day we'll be able to do that again.
And we have some financial resources that will keep us alive until we can operate effectively again. A lot of service clubs do not and I expect many will fade away.
But our issues are mild compared to those who need service club help. In this environment the vulnerable are sadly left behind.
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So, Trump is personally on the hook for over $400,000,000. Probably to Russian oligarchs. Tomorrow's debate should be "interesting".
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Enjoy the fall colours. Stay well.
