GATEway News

GATEway News SERVING OPTIMIST CLUBS IN GEORGIA AND TENNESSEE Volume 1

Issue 2

November, 2021

Conference and Convention Sites GATEway District Optimist International 2021-2022 GATEway First Quarter Conference – October 15-17, 2021 Embassy Suites at Chattanooga Hamilton Place 2321 Lifestyle Way Chattanooga, TN 37421 423-602-5100 RATE: $125.00 + tax 2021-2022 GATEway District Kick-Off

GATEway Second Quarter Conference – February 11-13, 2022 Hotel Indigo Athens 500 College Avenue Athens, GA 30601 706-546-0430 RATE: $115.00 + tax GATEway District Hall of Fame Recognition 2020-2021 Awards Banquet

GATEway Third Quarter One Day Conference – April or May 2022 Date to be Determined Courtyard by Marriott 180 Barnes Avenue Carrollton, GA 30117 678-664-5200 RATE: To Be Determined GATEway District Essay Contest Presentation GATEway District Oratorical Contest GATEway District Communications Contest for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing

GATEway District Convention – August 4-7, 2022 Unicoi State Park & Lodge 1788 Highway 356 Helen, GA 30545 1-800-573-9659 RATE: $139.00 + $12.00 resort fee + tax Lieutenant Governor-Elect Training Officer-Elect Training District Governor Election GATEway District Optimist of the Year Recognition

News Stories Needed !

Do you have local club news? Do you have committee news? Do you have other Optimist news? Send stories and photos to Dianna Johnson at ddjohnson@juno.com or Gerald Johnson at geraldjohnson@juno.com Next issue deadline is November 10th.

Notes from the First Lady Dianna Johnson: This month is Thanksgiving. Although we are thankful every day for the blessing we receive (or at least we should be), we take time out during this month to gather and acknowledge this thankfulness.

Most of us will gather with family for a big meal. In our family everyone has that one special recipe that is requested. I have included mine here for you. I love this recipe because it is easy and well loved. It is a sweet treat.

Take a moment every day to be thankful for all we have. I know that Gerald and I are thankful to be blessed with the many Optimist friends we have made. Have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving holiday!

Pineapple-Cheese Casserole 2 (20 oz) cans chunk pineapple 1 c. sugar 6 tablespoons All purpose flour 2 c. sharp cheddar, grated ¼ c. melted butter 1 c. crushed Ritz crackers Drain pineapple and reserve the liquid.

Mix sugar, flour, and 6 tablespoons reserved juice together. Add cheese and pineapple and mix well.

Pour into greased casserole dish.

Mix crushed crackers with butter and sprinkle on top.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. (time varies depending on oven)

Make an Optimist Christmas Gift List !

November is a time of Thanksgiving, and I am thankful for each of my fellow GATEway Optimist and for their dedication to serve the youth and families of each of our GATEway Optimist communities!

December and Christmas will be here before we know it! A time of giving and sharing. We all look forward to gift giving and celebrating the joy of the season.

It has been along time since I have made a list of gifts that I would like for Christmas. As adults we are more concerned about what gifts we can share with others. And I have never been one to ask for gifts for myself.

But I do have a gift suggestion for you this year. Why not share your Optimism. We all love our Optimist Creed and the encouragement it brings us daily……why not gift that to someone that is important to you?

You can do this in several different ways. First you can simply invite someone to join you at your local Optimist Club and ask them to become a member. What a great, no cost gift for a friend. Or you could financially sponsor them by paying the cost of their first year’s membership.

And then there is the option of asking them to become a Friend of Optimist and participate in your local club. You can let them pay the $100 cost or you could gift it to them. What a terrific way to honor a friend and give them the gift of Optimism. Also, by doing this you are also giving a great gift to your local club…. a new FOO Member and the $40 cash rebate your club will receive from Optimist International.

Give the gift of Optimism this Christmas. Help your club grow and expand its community service. Share your Optimism with a friend. I can not think of a better Christmas gift!

Merry Christmas Gerald Johnson GATEway Governor

Optimist Kids’ Day In The Park

By H. Nick Prillaman, Jr.

On October 23, 2021 seven GATEway Dis-

trict Optimist Clubs, led by the North Perimeter Club in partnership with the City of Sandy Springs, Georgia met at the Morgan Falls Park Athletic Fields to launch their first ever “Optimist Kids’ Day In The Park”. It was a perfect Fall day for this inaugural event of what is to become an annual oldfashioned family day in the park, featuring fun and games for all ages. Conceived as a family-oriented event, each child had to be accompanied by a family member or guardian. We welcomed approximately one hundred children and seventy adults. Everyone had a great time and expressed their appreciation.

The seven Optimist Clubs involved in sponsoring this event were North Perimeter, Tucker, EmoryDecatur, Sawnee-Cumming, Atlanta Meet Up, Carrollton, and the Ya Ya Express. Special kudos go out to Doc Eaton and Eddie Lummus of the Kennesaw-Acworth Club who built our “Pumpkin Bowling” games and Jim and Barbara Mayhew who got up at the crack of dawn to bring them down to the park. This was certainly beyond the call of duty! Also, a big thank you goes out to the Tucker Club who provided us with the use of two tables and two portable canopies.

Along with pumpkin bowling, Kids’ Day In The Park featured games such as cornhole, ladder golf, ring toss, and a bean bag can toss. Another highlight for the attendees was a professional magician and three bicycle give-away drawings.

Many of the children came dressed in their Halloween costumes. Candy treats were provided at each venue and there were also glow stick and bubble blowing solution prizes given out to the game winners.

Right from the start Past Zone 5 Lieutenant Governor Charlie Romano from the Atlanta Meet Up Club and his Club’s President Bryan McGee and numerous other Optimist Club members arrived to assist in setting up the event. I still cannot believe North Perimeter member Sam Adolphine was able to get 100 folding chairs in the back of his Volvo SUV. It

an amazing sight to see all those chairs come out of the back of that vehicle.

Also, a special thank you goes to Gwen Gable, who spent numerous hours assisting me in strategizing, organizing and implementing the final event. Gwen’s council and suggestions were invaluable in making the event the success it was. Another tireless worker was my brother-in-law, Michael Jaloway, a true optimist at heart, who helped construct the games, load and unload the truck, and assisting wherever else he was needed during the event. And last but not least, Bill Comer who co-chaired this event with me. From working with the City of Sandy Springs to getting the donated biscuits and sandwiches from Chick-fil-A, Bill worked constantly to make sure this event came off without a hitch.

As the hour struck 9:00 a.m. children and their families began to arrive. Dottie Prillaman a member of the Ya Ya Express, Mary Allen from Sawnee-Cumming, and Brenda James a Recreation and Parks Department volunteer had registration in full swing. Each child had to be registered along with their parents. As part of our security program, children were identified by a yellow wrist band, adults by a blue one, and the Optimists and volunteers wore red bands.

Governor Gerald Johnson, First Lady Dianna, Past Governor Deanna Morrow, Aaron Johnson, and Terry Sparks representing the Carrollton Club promoted child safety and awareness by providing each family with a children’s identity kit.

Past Governor and Vice President-Elect Gwen Gable from the Emory Decatur Club, Past Governor Mary Still from the Tucker Club, along with a Sandy Springs Recreation and Parks staff volunteer introduced the young participants to the art of pumpkin decorating. This was one of our most popular venues.

Each child participating in this activity was given a blank drawing of a pumpkin and using a variety of art materials produced an array of very creative pumpkin faces.

The Sawnee-Cumming Club was well represented by their President Carol Martin, International Board Member and Past Governor Russ Thomas and members Mary Allen and April Ferguson. These four dynamos were involved in the event from start to finish.

Not only did they help set up and take down the event, each of these members immediately involved themselves in one of the many activities. Carol and April conducted the bean bag can toss game, Russ assisted Alex Wittig from the Emory-Decatur Club, and several of the volunteers from the Recreation and Parks Department with the cornhole and ladder golf games, and Mary helped with registration.

Our very own Zone 5 Lieutenant Governor Christy Buss and District Foundation Representative Kathy Forster representing the Tucker Optimist Club as well as the Ya Yas, conducted egg and spoon races. I understand fellow Tucker Club member and Immediate Past Governor Albert Still was quite adept at moving an egg and spoon across the race course. Albert, along with his grandson Alex, was also spied resetting the pins for the pumpkin bowling games. The Tucker Club really helped make this day a great success.

Another highlight of the event was the face painting venue. Who knew Albert and Mary’s granddaughter Katie, a member of the Tucker Optimist Club, was so talented. Assisted by Past Governor Gwen Gable and Past Governor Deanna Morrow these three Picasso’s produced some real masterpieces – from small icons to full facial decorations.

Chick-fil-A was kind enough to donate chicken biscuits and chicken sandwiches for the event. And where there’s food you’ll find North Perimeter Club members Bill Comer, John Gould, Jim Godfrey, Steve Croft, and his son David close by making sure everyone had a hot sandwich and water to drink. Again, a special thank you to Bill for arranging with Chick-fil-A for the complimentary biscuits and sandwiches and gift cards. They added a special touch to the event.

Optimist Kids’ Day In The Park was a multi-club project, giving the North Perimeter Club the personnel necessary to host such a large event successfully. By working together, clubs have the ability to increase their human and physical resources enabling them to have a larger outreach and impact on the community they serve.

An added bonus generated by this project was the opportunity for the North Perimeter Club to utilize it as a WOW event, a recruiting tool to introduce the club and its mission to the Sandy Springs community and potential members. Each adult attending the event was given a brochure promoting the North Perimeter Club and its activities within the North Perimeter and Sandy Springs Community.

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who helped make this project a big success!!

Pumpkin Decorating At the first quarter Gateway District Conference in Chattanooga, Tennessee members divided up into zones and decorated pumpkins for the Monster Bash to be held Saturday night. This team building effort was not only a fun event, but raised over $1,000.00 for the Optimist International Foundation when the pumpkins were auctioned at the end of the evening.

The highest bid went to a pumpkin designed by Zone 5 under the leadership of artist Past Governor Mary Still and Past Governor Gwen Gable.

The Zone 5 Atlanta Braves Pumpkin brought $300 for the OI Foundation and was presented to the Districts number one Braves Fan for his son Andrew. And as we all know the “Good Luck” Gateway Braves Pumpkin was a winner for the World Series Championship Atlanta Braves!

CHILDHOOD CANCER IS STILL AN OPTIMIST PRIORITY MATCHING GRANTS are available!

Hello, My GATEway Optimists Friends, my name is Michele Sansenbach and I am your GATEway District Childhood Health and Wellness Program Chairperson As you may or not know, in cooperation with Optimist International, Optimist Clubs have developed an allencompassing program called “Childhood Health and Wellness Program.”

What does this entail?

Optimist Clubs throughout the world have recognized a broad range of childhood health-related issues.

The Childhood Health & Wellness Program will build on the highly successful Childhood Cancer Campaign to expand our impact. Clubs and Districts will now have the opportunity to initiate projects and services to improve the quality of life for children in their communities across a broader spectrum of needs.

Childhood Health & Wellness will include four focus areas (not limited to the examples below): • Healthy Lifestyles (Child Obesity, Healthy Eating, Physical Fitness, Happy Heart Advice, March of Dimes) • Chronic Diseases (Childhood Cancer, Juvenile Diabetes, HIV, Multiple Sclerosis, Muscular Dystrophy, Sickle Cell Anemia) • Mental Health (Depression, Bullying, Abuse) Disabilities – Physical, Intellectual & Developmental (Autism, Special Olympics) It is estimated that there will be 13.7 million cases of childhood cancer between 2021-2050. Unless there are major improvements in diagnosis and treatments, of this. We can make a difference by investing in our Childhood Health and Wellness Program, Cancer is not the only adversary to our kids!

There is an Optimist International Foundation Matching Grant Program for CHILDHOOD HEALTH & WELLNESS found on the OI web page: https://www.oifoundation.org/downloads/Childhood_Health_Wellness_Grant_Application_Fillable.pdf

Have Questions about Optimist International Foundation? Call Kathy Forster at 256-371-0062.

GATEWAY CCDHH CONTEST Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Optimists could help heal the young suffering from DEAFNESS. Until deafness is no longer a problem for children, Optimist Clubs sponsor the CCDHH contest for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

The contest speech is presented orally or by signing. Winners receive a scholarship to help further their education.

Optimist International provides guidelines for us to follow when conducting the contest. We ask that if you plan to have a CCDHH Contest that you follow all the rules as directed.

Please DO Not combine the CCDHH Contest with the Oratorical Contest. Judges and interpreters must come from the deaf community and be able to judge oral and signing speeches. Successful programs usually happen when clubs work with their local school system's programs for the deaf. A recent Audiogram must be included in the student’s contest application.

As of now we are not planning any contests before the first of next year. If Covid problems continue in our school systems, there will only be club contests.

We will not conduct Zone or District Contests that might put our contestants in harms way. Heaven knows the young people have enough problems without us adding more!

Please contact Ellen Strait [straitl@cox.net] for further information. Application forms may be found on line from Optimist International.

Thank You, Ellen Strait Gateway District Chair CCDHH

“Staying Optimistic in Challenging Times”

HALL OF FAME

IN REMEMBRANCE

MARK O SHRIVER IV

Distinquished Governor 1989-1990

Optimist International President 2009-2010

Mark Shriver made an indelible mark on Optimism in the GATEway District and at the international level. He was a Builder of Excellence of 7 clubs, including Woodstock Midday, of which he was an active member until his passing in October. Mark mostly worked behind the scenes at the club level, cheering on members to be more active or showing them how to improve their leadership skills in the club or district level. Although records show that he only sponsored 33 club members over the years, that doesn’t include the hundreds of members he recruited while building new clubs. He continuously brought fresh ideas to the club for new projects and encouraged members to figure out how to implement them.

Mark served many roles at the club level, served as a Distinguished Lt Governor, and Distinguished Governor along with almost every leadership role at the district level, including Candidate Qualifications where he mentored future district and international leaders. Internationally, he served as a Vice President, Board Member, and in the 2009-2010 Optimist year, Mark realized his dream to served as International President.

During the past few years, Mark continued to serve at the club level, even after moving to Virginia by keeping in touch with his local club via email and Zoom.

Mark’s legacy will live on in the actions of all the Optimists he served with, mentored, or encouraged. Thousands of children’s lives have certainly been touched because of the life of our friend Mark Shriver. He will truly be missed.

Mary Ellen Bell Charter Member Woodstock Midday Optimist Club

Mark Shriver will really be missed by members of his home club, Woodstock Midday, and by Optimists throughout the organization. I remember one incident especially when he and I were talking about the fact that I liked to collect coins from different countries I visited. A while later he went to Italy and remembered that I collected foreign coins so he brought me some.

Michael Ely Woodstock Midday Optimist Member

Mark Shriver was an Optimist’s Optimist. He lived the Creed and followed its tenants of service. Mark served in many offices during the time he was an Optimist member. Mark was local club president many times, he was District Chair of several committees during multiple years, He was a Past Distinguished Governor, he was a six-time builder of excellence for building new clubs. Mark was a mentor to numerous District Leaders.

Mark was a friend of all Optimist!

At Optimist International his service mirrored his District work. He was a Vice President, a board member several times, Mark chaired many international committees, and Mark was a Past International President.

Mark mentored and was a friend of numerous Optimist all across the international organization. Mark was an Optimist and he worked to build Optimism in everyone he served with.

Mark will be missed!

Gerald Johnson Governor GATEway Districtd

2021 GATEway 1st Quarter Conference

Local Club News …..

Sawnee Cumming Optimist Club cleaning the roads of Forsyth County…..

JOI Clubs at the Zoo …..

The Gateway District JOI Clubs gathered at the Atlanta Zoo on October 30th to volunteer for the annual Boo At The Zoo event. Before they started working, the members gathered with advisers and JOI Club District Chairs Randy O’Dell and Cheryl Kearney. District Governor Gerald Johnson installed the District officers and charged the members to continue to expand their community service and membership.

Installations Of 2021—2022 Club Officers GATEway district Governor, Gerald Johnson installs the new club officers of the Senoia, Georgia Optimist Club

The 2024=2022 Officers of the Optimist Club of Carrollton, Georgia take their oath of office.

Optimist leaders of the Woodstock Midday Optimist Club were installed on October 6th by Governor Gerald Johnson.

Governor Gerald Johnson installed the new officers for the Riverside Macon Optimist Club in October..

Officers of the Hope 4 Tomorrow Optimist Club of Pike County, Georgia were installed on October the 19th.

Zone 11 First Quarter Zone Meeting with Lt. Governor Sarah Moore.

Zone Four First Quarter Zone Meeting with Lt. Governor Donna Johnson.

Temple, Georgia Optimist Club 2021 Cornhole Tournament …..

GATEway News

Page 34

Volume 1

Issue 2

Page 35

The Optimist Creed Promise Yourself GATEway Optimist P. O. Box 1160 Carrollton, Georgia 30112 Gerald Johnson, Governor 770-437-0000 geraldjohnson@juno.com

To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.

To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.

To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.

To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.

To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best.

To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.

To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.

To give so much time to the improvement 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 happy to permit the presence of trouble.