T he Royal Optimist

Club of Kingston

(R.O.C.K), founded

September 29, 2011 was formed

by a group of young adults who

share a passion for community

involvement and assisting the

younger generation. Our primary

focus is the development and

upliftment of children. As such,

we have partnered with the Dun-

robin Primary School which has a

student population of 1387 with

a capacity for 955.

Our intention is to renovate

Dunrobin’s sick bay, bathroom

facilities and to extend our

Breakfast Feeding Program which

currently benefits some 30 stu-

dents. Our Breakfast Feeding

Program at the school, which we

started in January 2013, provides

groceries once a month to the

Guidance Counseling Depart-

ment to have them prepare a

warm and nutritious breakfast to

needy students. Thus far we have

received positive feedback from

the school on the impact this

meal has on their readiness and

focus at the start of the morning

sessions.

Along with these programmes,

we plan to develop a Vertical

Garden with drip-irrigation tech-

nology to provide fruits and veg-

etables for breakfast with the

excess being sold to the commu-

nity in an attempt to boost the

student’s appreciation for entre-

preneurship. (Con’d on pg 13)

R.O.C.K. Plans

I N S I D E T H I S

I S S U E :

Stay connected 2

Christmas Cheer 3

Accomplishments 4

Messages 8

Housekeeping 10

More cheers 12

Contact Us 15

Caribbean District News Desk

7 T H J A N U A R Y , 2 0 1 4 I S S U E 3

T A K E

N O T E

OI Leadership

summit is 22

Mar, 2014

Q2 OICD con-

ference can-

celled.

Club Oratorical

contests by

mid Feb, 14

Q2 dues due

P A G E 2

C A R I B B E A N D I S T R I C T N E W S D E S K

Barbican Pines Optimist Club https://www.facebook.com/optimists.barbicanpines?fref=ts

Caribbean District https://www.facebook.com/caribbean.optimists?fref=ts

Optimist Club of Barbados, Bridgetown https://www.facebook.com/OptimistBridgetown

http://optimistbridgetown.org/

Optimist Club of Cross Roads https://www.facebook.com/pages/Optimist-Club-of-Cross-Roads/186337188241711

Email: optimistcrossroads@outlook.com

Optimist Club of North St. Andrew https://www.facebook.com/Optimistclub.northstandrew?ref=profile

Optimist Club de Ste Lisi www.optimistclubstlucia.com

Optimist Club of UWI, Mona https://www.facebook.com/uwimonaoptimistclub

Progressive Optimist Club of Barbados https://www.facebook.com/groups/ProgressiveOptimist/

http://www.progressiveoptimist.org/

Rising Optimist Club of Moneague https://www.facebook.com/RiseOptimist

Royal Optimist Club of Kingston, The (R.O.C.K) https://www.facebook.com/rockopts

http://rockjamaica.org/

South Circle Optimist Club https://www.facebook.com/southcircleja

http://southcircleja.weebly.com/

Twitter: @SouthCircleJa

St. Ann’s Bay Optimist Club https://www.facebook.com/groups/saboptimists/

Sunset Optimist Club of Kingston https://www.facebook.com/SunsetOptimist?ref=stream

Sta

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P A G E 3

Breakfast with Santa

O n the Saturday December the 7th, Pride of Bar-

bados OC held its annual Breakfast with Santa event for

the class four children of St. Ambrose School. Like last year,

it was held at the George Washington House venue at the Historic

Garrison Savannah, St. Michael. The full complement of class four stu-

dents attended, 22 in all. They were chaperoned by the Principal

Jacqueline Andwele along with teachers Miss Lewis and Mrs Dixon.

Of course the club was well represented, with some members bringing

their kids along for the experience. The event got started at 9:00 a.m

sharp. Breakfast was served and well received by everyone.

The breakfast with Santa event is not just about breakfast or Santa. The

event is also used as an opportunity to educate the kids on the rich

heritage and historical aspects of our country. After the breakfast ses-

sion the children were taken to see a short documentary film on the

history of George Washington's stay on the property, followed by a

tour of the house and museum.

We concluded the event with a surprise gift giving session for the kids. Santa was none other than our very

own Jolly Pride Member and Treasurer, Jerry Kellman who was a hit with the kids as well as the adults.

The students expressed their excitement and thanked the President and members of the Club for the experi-

ence as they hustled back to the bus.

C A R I B B E A N D I S T R I C T N E W S D E S K

Pri

de o

f B

arb

ao

s O

C

P A G E 4

25th Anniversary Celebrations

Q uarter of a century!

That’s how long St.

Ann’s Bay has been

weaving Optimism into our

young people. And what

strides have they made in

25 years!

Just to note a few accom-

plishments, they have

formed successful clubs:

Optimist Club of St.

John's Antigua

Optimist Club of Bar-

bican Pines

Optimist Club of Wa-

terloo

Optimist Club of Har-

bour View

ALSO North St. Andrew

has produced a record

FIVE District Governors:

Errol Alliman

David Garel

Granville Newell

Judith Reid (deceased)

Gene M. Douglas

Come join North St. An-

drew in celebrating. So far,

they have had a commemo-

rative church service held

at Grace Missionary Church

in Kingston in September.

The BIG event will be the

25th Anniversary Installation

Luncheon and NOW func-

tion to be held at the Alta-

mont Court Hotel in King-

ston on Sunday, February

23, 2013, starting at 11:30

a.m.

Tickets will be JMD$3,500.00

per person.

SMS JOOI Club, BDS

On December 13th the

SMS JOC hosted 24 under-

privileged children from the

George Lamming Primary

School at the Chefette play

park in Rockley.

The event was enjoyed by

all including the12 SMS JOC

members who accompanied

the children.

Along with the party and

gifts for each child the club

donated reading books and

copy paper to the school.

Chefette Restaurants also

gave gifts to each child at

the party as a token of their

support.

SMS JOC thanks the man-

agement and staff of

Cheffette for that wonder-

ful surprise.

C A R I B B E A N D I S T R I C T N E W S D E S K

Share your stories :

Darshani@jillandee.com OR

Visit us on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/caribbean.optimists

SM

S J

OC

, BD

S

No

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A

P A G E 5

Pro

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ssiv

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C, B

DS

C A R I B B E A N D I S T R I C T N E W S D E S K

President Cleon and Optimist

Orville welcome the first

baby born for Christmas

2013. Welcome baby Dayton.

St. A

nn’s

Bay,

JA

P A G E 6

OC

Sunsi

ne C

lub

, BD

S

C A R I B B E A N D I S T R I C T N E W S D E S K

Christmas party at

St. Giles School.

Hindsbury Alpha Club, BDS

P A G E 7

Em

acip

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C: J

am

aic

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Ho

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C A R I B B E A N D I S T R I C T N E W S D E S K

Blackman & Gallop Alpha Clus, BDS

I just want to take a quick opportunity to stress the effec-

tiveness of the NOW Program in recruiting new Mem-

bers. NOW, or New Optimists Welcome, allows your

Club to identify potential Members, and invite them to din-

ner to meet with current Members and show them the bene-

fits of becoming an Optimist. NOW booklets are available

for those that want more information. These give a general

overview of how to plan and hold a NOW event, while allow-

ing Clubs to inject their own flavor.

And remember that NOW events in your District can help

you earn a card for President Ron’s Poker Tourna-

ment at the Las Vegas Convention! In both the first

and second quarters, if 30% of Clubs in your District hold a

NOW event that successfully recruits at least 1 Member, you

earn a card! Don’t forget that Clubs must report their NOW

events to Optimist International headquarters for them to

earn you a card.

If you have any questions about the NOW Program or the

Poker Tournament, just ask us! Thank you, and here’s to an

Optimistic 2014.

Joe Fetter

Membership Manager

Optimist International

4494 Lindell Blvd.

St. Louis, MO 63108

(314)371-6000 x227

Letters & Shout Outs

Transferring membership is as easy as 1-2-3:

1. The member transferring needs to be deleted from the club he is leaving.

2. The new club adds him to the roster with a $5 processing fee sent to OI.

3. Club Roster Adjustment Form can be sent to OI or emailed to bakerc@optimist.org indicating change.

(Include member’s information on the CRA form and check “Transfer”. IF the member is a Life Member, indi-

cate on the CRA. Transfers cannot be done online)

OPTI BABIES

Double the diapers, double the

pins, we proudly announce the

arrival of two Opti-babies

Baby girl Kailani Marie Antoi-

nette Fearon born to Ltg Karlene

and baby boy Carlisle Barrett

born to Optimist Paula and Cal-

man.

Welcome young Optimists!

Message from OI President Ron

“MO means My Optimism and it

stands for all the reasons I am

an Optimist.

...I am an optimist because I

cherish the friendships I’ve made

through my optimist club. I’m an

Optimist because I believe in

bringing out the best in kids.“

To all clubs who shared this

month. Keep on sharing!

P A G E 9

OC

of

Barb

ado

s, B

ridgeto

wn

C A R I B B E A N D I S T R I C T N E W S D E S K

When they realized that the

decorations were missing,

they got creative and made

everything with recycled

materials.

(Children of Sterling Children

Home)

Make Valuable Changes Organization-wide

Please take time to evaluate the Optimist International Bylaws, and

make sure they continue to effectively serve the organization. This pro-

cess allows you and your Club to help shape and improve all of Opti-

mist International.

To recommend a revision, your Club must submit a proposed amend-

ment citing the Article(s) and Section(s) and exact proposed wording

change to the Articles and Sections cited, along with a written ra-

tionale in 200 words or less for the chance.

The Club must submit the proposal on Club letterhead signed by the

Club President. The proposal may be emailed and/or faxed to the In-

ternational Office, but the original Club letter must be received by the

International Office in order for the proposal to be considered.

All submitted changes will be brought before the International Con-

vention delegates for vote and possible endorsement.

All proposed change submissions for the Bylaws must be re-

ceived at the International Office by 5:00 p.m. (CST) Friday, April 11.

Please mail them to: Dana Thomas, Executive Assistant, Optimist In-

ternational, 4494 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63108.

Housekeeping

What else is there to say?

Click here

P A G E 1 1

C A R I B B E A N D I S T R I C T N E W S D E S K

P A G E 1 2

Knuts

ford

Cir

cle

OC

, JA

P A G E 1 3 I S S U E 3

I t may not qualify for the Governor’s Project on a budget award but when the Optimist Club of St. John’s, Antigua decided that come what may they would host their annual

Christmas party for the residents of the Boys Home – they knew that there wasn’t

enough money in the kitty to do what they normally did each Christmas.

For the boys, the Optimist Christmas Party is something that they have come to expect,

complete with a gift for each of the 12 – 17 year old residents. As is the case with many

clubs the OCSJ has lost many members so what was an easily organized and financed pro-

ject for 60 members in more prosperous times was something that stretched the pockets

and luckily the imagination of the 11 or 12 active members in these economically challeng-

ing times.

Collaboration was the key to success as members reached out to their Facebook friends to

solicit gifts, while inviting members of the revoked OC of Wadadli to taste Optimism again

by donating a dish to the Christmas table and attending the activity.

Like the loaves and fish, the ham and other dishes seem to multiply while an unending sup-

ply of deserts brought smiles to the faces of all who spent their evening bringing joy to

boys, many of whom said that what they really wanted for Christmas was a family to spend

Christmas day with.

OC of St. John, Antigua

P A G E 1 4 So

uth

Cir

cle

, JA

C A R I B B E A N D I S T R I C T N E W S D E S K

After all the work with the JOOI clubs, they were going to take a

break but they decided to take a break with a cause. They partied

and raised funds. We’re very proud of our baby Optimists!

This entrepreneurship angle is in line

with our long term plan to have a

children farmers market and to edu-

cate the residents of the community

of the many possible opportunities

for urban farming.

Throughout 2013 and beyond, we

have worked assiduously and passion-

ately to plant lasting smiles on each

child’s face who we work with. We

see service as an honour and a privi-

lege.

The members of the club refer to

themselves as ROCKers and believe

in creating a fun and relaxing environ-

ment for our members as we work

hard for the benefit of our youths.

Our meetings are held every 1st and

3rd Tuesday of each month at the

Kingston YMCA located at 21 Hope

Road, starting at 6pm.

(President Garvin Grandison)

The Secretariat

36 1/2 Lyndhurst Road,

Kingston 10

Phone: 1-246-836-9005

Skype: darshaniworkman

E-mail: Darshani@jillandee.com

Whatsapp: 1-246-836-9005

Purposes of Optimism

To develop optimism as a philosophy of life

utilizing the tenets of the Optimist Creed;

to promote an active interest in good gov-

ernment and civic affairs;

to inspire respect for the law;

to promote patriotism and work for inter-

national accord and friendship among all

people;

to aid and encourage the development of

youth, in the belief that the giving of one’s

self in service to others will advance the

well-being of humankind, community life

and the world.

R.O.C.K. Plans

Bringing Out the Best In Kids We’re on the web!

http://oicaribbean.wix.com/caribbeandistrict#!

Optimist International Caribbean District