New SWIS District Website
• The SWIS Website is incorporating the Optimist Creed with pictures, verbiage and signs and benefits of ‘Being an Optimist’.
• There is historical information of leaders, conferences, newsletters, roundtables, that can be used for support and reference.
• Also provides current information on Youth events, District Member & Club Directory, and Club Events and Accomplishments.
• In the Administrative area, there is Leadership training, in conjunction with Optimist International and other internal resources.
• Communication support is available for Optimist News, Conferences and other information for Optimists.
• A leaderboard area to provide more information to help with communication in clubs and the communities that we all serve.
• Optimist International & SWIS District continue to coordinate information for communication with Southern Wisconsin Optimists.
• Thanks to the support of ISADEX Corporation and Optimists the site was launched on March 6, 2024.
Sauk Trails - Madison
Respect for Law for West Madison Police - Great Lunch for Honoring West Madison officers. A presentation was given by police department heads of the precinct and the relationships being established in the communities being served. The two officers being honored shared about their duties and their reasons for being a police officer.
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Brodhead
Save the Children / Kid's Fun Run - Save the Children is an event introduced to our club and Optimist International by club member,Grace Policastro.
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McFarland
Fundraising for our Scholarships - The McFarland Optimists worked at a concession stand to raise funds for their scholarship programs. McFarland Optimists support area projects for youth, including Senior of the Month for a high school senior and Student of the Month for Middle School students. We also support a scholarship for a graduating senior each May. To raise funds, the club works at the Kohl Center in Madison for an intense 3 days each February for the WIAA Boys's Wrestling State Tournament.
Brodhead
Airplane Event - Youth participate in airplane flying contest after making their airplane. We have done both wooden and paper airplanes.
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Sauk Trails - Madison
Lussier - Madison Christmas Party - Sauk Trails Optimist Club of Madison both Optimists and Memorial High School JOOI Youth coordinated a Christmas Party for over 125 youth at the Lussier Center in Madison. Each child received a present, there was a juggler, Santa appeared, pictures were taken, and food was enjoyed by all present. This annual holiday event has been sponsored earlier by the West Madison Club and has now by the Sauk Trails Optimist Club - Madison. Many fundraisers were put in place and an optimist acquired many donations from large businesses in the Madison area. This is a great event and requires a lot of up-front coordination and implementation the day of the party.
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McFarland
Weekend Snack Sacks - This program aims at sending home extra food on weekends with youth in our schools who rely on the reduced lunch program for nutritional support.
The McFarland Optimist Club is launched a new effort to support children in our community. Weekend Snack Sack is a food program that will provide a supply of nutritious food for students most in need when school breakfast and lunch are not available over the weekend.
This new initiative will target approximately 30 total students from the McFarland grades K-5. As funds become available the Optimists hope to add to this initial number.
Weekend Snack Sacks will be discretely sent home from school each Friday starting in December and running through the school year. The sacks will include non-perishable food items that are easy for students to prepare or ones that need no preparation including, 2 breakfast items, 2 lunch items, 2 snacks and 2 beverages. The food is provided to children free of charge .
Funding came from the community at large as well as the McFarland High School Honor Society.
