Downtown Optimist Club of Columbia
Zoom/In Person Meeting Newsletter
Monday, November 15, 2021
at Senior Citizen Center
Members attend in person: President Tony Parisio, Jerry Sullivan, Rick McKernan, Steve Klein, Carl Scott, Red Leighton, John Jones, Steve Winter, Mary Dewey, Charlie Langreder, Ken Oster, Larry Fick, and Deb Swanegan. By zoom Scott Stager
Prayer- Deb Swanegan and Pledge – Mary Dewey
Birthday/Anniversary: Steve Winter’s 63th birthday
Paying the Pig: Rick McKernan paid $.25 for Jerry and Chuck for cooking the hamburgers for the baseball players, $.25 for each Adam, Steve, Carl and Jim for all their hard work on Saturday.
Tony let us know that we got a check for $39.00 for 3 new members from the East Missouri Optimist District. He also read Thanks you card from Shirley Beckett from the Jim Becketts’s bench that is located near her apartment at Lenoir Apartments.
Board Meeting on Thursday, November 18th. There is NO funding request. Therefore, we might not have a board meeting this month. NO BOARD MEETING this month
Steve Winter talked about the Koeze Nuts:
2nd order of Koeze Nuts came in this morning and unload. Some boxes were damaged give him a couple of days to go through the boxes that are damaged. He will be putting the orders together at 6:15 pm on Wednesday, November 17. Steve would like to Thank the following people who help Wednesday. Carl Scott, Larry Fick, Jerry Sullivan, Kelly Schilling, Sandra Searcy-Davis and her daughter Gidget, Becca and myself. If I missed anyone, please forgive me. We started at 6:15 and were done by 8:15.
Christmas Trees:
We wanted to thank all 42 baseball players who came out on Saturday, November 13 to help unload and drill the Christmas trees. We had 2 loads of tree that came in on Saturday. All the trees are drilled and ready to for sale for Black Friday. The baseball team stayed to unload the 2nd truck that was late. They had it unloaded in 8 minutes. Then went on to the football game.
The 3th and 4th load of trees will come in sometime between November 15th and 18th during the day and will need help unloading them at short notice. The drilling of the trees will start the next day Sunday, November 14th. The hours of drilling will be from 8:00 to 11:30 am or 12:00 pm stop for lunch. Then start back up at 1:00 to 4:00 pm. This will be the hours until all the trees are drilled and ready to sell on Black Friday, November 26th.
We will need extra help the first week of sale which Black Friday and our busy weekend. C.O. will adding more slots for this on the sign up sheet. We need to check with other organization to see if they can up with drilling and selling of tree to help us save money from hiring out to other people in the community.
Mary Dewey would like Carl Scott for helping ringing the red kettle bell today at the Pro Bass Shop.
We talked about couple of places we could meet at beside the Senior Citizen Center, which we pay $2.00 a person for the room. We will check into J & J café where they don’t charge for the room. We also look at Shakespeare’s Pizza about their meeting rooms.
Rick McKernan talk about Sleep Heaven Peace that Curtis Porter Zone 2 Lt. Governor wants to see Central Missouri. There are already chapters here in Missouri they are located in North Kansas City, South East Kansas City, Springfield, Wentzville, Rolla, Marshfield, Mary Height and Poplar Bluff. Debbie and I will love to be on the committee we love to see kids happy to have their own bed to sleep on than the floor in their house. Here is some information about the Sleep Heaven Peace. Website to see more: www.shpbeds.org
HELPING CHILDREN IN NEED
SLEEP BETTER
We fully believe that a bed is a basic need for the proper physical, emotional, and mental support that a child needs. When it was brought to our attention that the need for beds went far beyond our own neighborhoods, we stepped up and took initiative. We’re a national organization answering the call to a national problem.
All children deserve a safe, comfortable place to lay their heads. In Idaho and across the U.S., too many boys and girls go without a bed – or even a pillow – to sleep on. These children end up sleeping on couches, blankets, and even floors. This can affect their happiness and health.
That’s where Sleep in Heavenly Peace comes in. We’re a group of volunteers dedicated to building, assembling and delivering top-notch bunk beds to children and families in need. Our organization has grown steadily over time, and we’re working on opening more chapters in different states to serve more people. No kid sleeps on the floor in our town®.
Building Beds for Kids in Need
Participating in one of our Build Days is an exciting experience. There’s always something to do from the moment you arrive, sign in, and get your safety gear until the last SHP logo is branded on the final headboard of the day. Volunteers – under the guidance of SHP chapter team members – build bunks in an assembly line setup. There are stations for sawing, sanding, drilling, assembling, staining, and branding the wood. What started as a pile of raw lumber from the hardware store becomes ready-to-deliver bunks for kids in need.
Bed Deliveries
Once the bunks are built, they serve no good until they’re delivered. As exciting and fun as building bunks can be, giving beds to kids is why we do what we do. Volunteers who help deliver beds get to see first-hand the direct impact their efforts can have on a kid’s life. For some, it will be the first time they’ve ever slept in a bed of their own.
Because bed deliveries can be sensitive situations, Chapter Presidents will coordinate a small group of volunteers from each build to be a part of the process.
Bedding Drives
Did you know that we provide each child that we deliver a bed to with a brand new pillow, sheet set, and comforter? You can help us with this ongoing need by hosting a bedding drive! It’s as simple as requesting the participation of your friends and family in donating bedding for the benefit of local kids in your area. Alternatively, you can host a bedding drive by reaching out to a business, church, or other organization that would be interested in supporting Sleep in Heavenly Peace. To sign up as a bedding drive volunteer, find your local Chapter and let them know you’d like to be a bedding drive volunteer.
Closed with the Optimist Creed by Jerry Sullivan.
Meeting end at 1:00 pm
Tony Parisio – President
Downtown Optimist Club 