2019-2020 & Prior

October 1, 2019 through September 30, 2020
Current Club Schedule: Meetings on Tuesdays at Noon, held at Brixx Ice Co., 500 E. 1st St. Dayton, Ohio 45402, unless otherwise indicated. |
Please check club website bulletin board weekly for updates. (No club meetings during the holiday weeks of Christmas and New Years Day) • Meeting Schedule is on hold until further notice. • 2020 Northridge Optimist Club Golf Scramble cancelled. • Watch this Bulletin Board page for announcements. Update of August 26, 2020: Community Links: ![]() Some links of interest to the Northridge area are posted in the panel at the right (see the red buttons under "Community Links"). One of these is for the Northidge Alumni Bear Facts website published by the Northridge Alumni Association. One good way to show support of the community is to patronize the alumni businesses listed on their website: www.northridgealumni.org/id11.html The alumni website also offers an interesting history of the Northridge Community called "From Ebenezer to Northridge" by Richard D. Allen on this link: http://www.northridgealumni.org/id68.html Be sure to visit the Northridge Alumni Bear Facts website to keep up with Northridge alumni news and events in the community. |
• The need to support the education of Northridge students is still there for the 2020-2021 school year, so we hope you can still help in providing donations to this cause. To learn more about the Northridge Polar Bear Foundation Fund, and see how you can help, go to the fund page by clicking on the button at the right. Since the golf event is held for the benefit of the Polar Bear Foundation Fund, there will be no funds to add the the foundation for the coming school year without additional support from the community. | |
• The report on last year's event, with a list recognizing the 2019 donors and sponsors, is included at the bottom of the Northridge Optimist Club Golf Scramble page (CLICK HERE). Donations that are made to the Northridge Polar Bear Foundation Fund this year will be recognized in a similar manner on the club website.
• CLICK HERE to go to the school website for a video presentation honoring these students. Scroll down the home page (the video is right below the virtual graduation video - it looks like the image shown on the right). • Eight of the twenty-six students in the video were recipients of the Northridge Optimist Scholarships and Sharron Braun Cargill/Northridge Optimist Scholarships. In addition, four of them were previous contestants in our 2017 club Essay Contest when they were Freshman. Congratulation to these students for their outstanding accomplishments. |
Congratulations to the Northridge High School Class of 2020:
One Saturday, June 13th Northridge Schools released a Graduation Video on District Website and Facebook Page:
Website: website: Northridgeschools.org
Facebook: Northridge High School Class of 2020 Virtual Graduation

Northridge Optimist Club in the News:
• The issue can be seen on this link:
www.northridgeschools.org/Downloads/June_2020.pdf
Optimist Essay Contest:
• A report on the club level Optimist Essay Contest, sponsored by Optimist International, and conducted locally by Northridge Optimist Club is now posted under "Activities" on this website. (CLICK HERE). Both the original date, and the rescheduled date for the Essay Contest awards luncheon had to be postponed, so the awards were mailed to the winners, and they are being recognized with this online report. |

• There were two grant requests for the Spring cycle that were now up for consideration.
1) A leadership camp trip for the boys basketball team in June (possibly will be postponed until July).
2) Two Muse Machine performances at the school for grades 6-12, for Sept. 2020 and Nov. 2020.
• The committee approved amounts of $934 to request #1 and $750 to request #2, for a total of $1684.00. (The fund guidelines suggest an amount of approximately $1500 be granted for each cycle.
(See more on the Polar Bear Fund page on this website).
• The club Scholarship Committee, in conjunction with school counselors, selected the 2020 recipients of the Optimist Club of Dayton-Northridge Scholarship Fund scholarships. These are administered by The Dayton Foundation. A total of $6600 will be awarded, among four Northridge High School seniors, and two Miami Valley Career Technology Center seniors whose home school is Northridge. •In addition, two Northridge seniors were selected for the Sharron Braun/Cargill Northridge Optimist Scholarships, awarded by Cargill Inc. for Northridge seniors planning to attend Sinclair College. These are for $1200 per year for each student, totaling $4800 for the two year period. (See more on the Scholarships page on this website). |
Club Activities:
• With the social distancing guidelines still in place, and this week's announcement that schools will not be holding in-class sessions for the rest of this school year, club meetings will be on hold until further notice.
• Our usual projects of Northridge and MVCTC scholarships will still be awarded this year for the graduating seniors. When and how they will be presented is not yet determined, but the scholarships will be granted.
• Both the original date, and the rescheduled date for the Essay Contest awards luncheon had to be postponed, and the club is now making other plans to get the awards to the winners.
• Watch for next week's Bulletin Board to get further developments.
It was just announced by the organizers that the "Optimist Kid's Day in the Park" that had been scheduled for Saturday, August 1, 2020, has been cancelled. The program, sponsored by Kettering Noon Optimist Club, presents a day with a multitude of fun activities for kids, Kindergarten to 8th Grade, held annually at Delco Park at 1700 Delco Park Drive, in Kettering. It is planned to resume next year on August 7, 2021,
Congratulations to Superintendent Jackson!

CLICKING HERE.
Club meetings and activities are still on hold and there are no updates since the last update of March 20, March 25, and April 1 other than the fact that the school closings will last at least until May 1. The club meeting schedule is undetermined. With the closing of restaurants in addition to the schools, and the "stay at home" directive, we will have to wait and see how things develop.
Watch for email updates, and check the website Bulletin Board page for any schedule announcements.
The upcoming meeting schedule is now undetermined. With the closing of restaurants in addition to the schools, we will have to wait and see how things develop.
Watch for email updates, and check the website Bulletin Board page for any schedule announcements.
Update of March 13, 2020:
Meeting Cancellation:
Due to the school being closed, the March 17 meeting that was scheduled for the Essay Contest Awards is cancelled and will be rescheduled for a future date*.
Due to the circumstances, there will be no meeting at all on March 17th, and future meetings will be decided on a week to week basis. We were also scheduled to have lunch at the school on March 24, but with the school closing that will not be possible. As of now, we will plan to meet back at Brixx on March 24, unless circumstances change.
*The awards luncheon will be re-scheduled for Tuesday, April 28, as long as conditions permit.
Watch for email updates on all upcoming meeting dates, and check this website Bulletin Board page for the schedule as it evolves.
Meeting of March 10: Dr. Kent Harshbarger, MD, JD, MBA, CFP, made a return visit to speak at our meeting. (He last spoke at the January 18 meeting). He is the Montgomery County Coroner, and the Ohio State Coroners Association Chief Forensic Officer. He spoke about the Miami Valley Regional Crime Lab and its services to law enforcement agencies both locally and out of state. He gave some pertinent examples of medical and legal issues that interact in the investigative processes involved. He also talked about preparedness issues with regard to the Covid-19 virus, and comparisons with past viral outbreaks. As before, his interesting presentation was so full of information that the meeting time seemed to be up too quickly. It was well worth the two visits to stay informed about the Coroner's Office, and the Crime Lab. |
Polar Bear Fund: Club President Mike Gorman attended the March 9 Northridge Local Schools board meeting and presented five checks totaling $1525 for latest cycle of grants from the Northridge Polar Bear Foundation Fund. In attendance to accept the checks were all five teachers who had initiated the grant requests. This fund is an endowment with The Dayton Foundation for funding school related programs in the Northridge School system that are not covered by school district budgets. Grants are awarded three times a year, and this was the second round of grants for this school year. (See more on the Polar Bear Fund page on this website). |
The speaker at the March 3 meeting was author Dr. Randy Overbeck. Dr. Overbeck has served as a teacher, college professor and school leader for four decades, winning national accolades in both the field of education and writing. His first novel, "Leave No Child Behind" won the 2011 Silver Award for Thriller of the Year from ReadersFavorite.com. His most current work was "Blood on the Chesapeake," released last year, which is an atmospheric mystery set on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. His interesting presentation, titled “Things That Go Bump in the Night” explores how the lore of ghosts permeates various cultures, currently and throughout history. He cited several examples of stories in history, such as the legend of the “The Brown Lady of Raynham Hall”, a ghost that reportedly haunts Raynham Hall in Norfolk, England, including a photograph taken in 1936 that is claimed to capture the image of the “Brown Lady”, named for the brown brocade dress that she wore. He presented some other photographs and a video of unexplained occurrences relating to ghosts. In his presentation he also talked about the common threads that occur in the ghost lore of all cultures. |
The speaker at the February 18 meeting was Cathi Spaugy, Director of Development for Harrison Township. Cathi last spoke to our club in January of 2019, when she presented an overview of economic and community developments in the township. At that time, this included a revitalization plan, with with demolition of some vacated properties, and rehabilitation of others, in an effort to stabilize the neighborhood. Many upgrades along the North Dixie corridor were also in the works. A few months after that meeting, the devastating tornado hit the area in May, and at today's meeting Cathi talked about the significant impact that the event had on the township, and the challenges it presented. Helping the residents, and cleanup of the area were monumental tasks, and the township is still in the process of a long recovery. She lauded the many volunteers who helped with contacting residents and businesses to help determine where help was needed most, and assist in the processes to obtain aid. The township facilitated the arrangements with FEMA aid to residents, and with helping get SBA loans for businesses. The township continues with the cleanup, the tree and debris removal, and plans for demolishing buildings that are not recoverable. The resiliency of the residents will help with this ongoing process of recovery. And the aftermath has provided some new opportunities for the revitalization. |


• Many of the grocery shoppers at Walmart on Saturday, December 14 were there for the 2019 Denny Mantel Christmas Sharing Program. Some photos from the event are shown at the left. • The club wishes to thank Cargill for the generous financial support of the program, and also to the large number of Cargill employees and families who volunteered. Cargill also donated gift certificates for turkeys to give one to each family. |

• Club members approved an amount of $1875 in grants from the Northridge Polar Bear Foundation Fund. This fund is an endowment with The Dayton Foundation for funding school related programs in the Northridge School system that are not covered by school district budgets. Grants are awarded three times a year, and this is the first round of grants for this school year. This cycle of grants helps support a recognition program for academic excellence in the senior class, a "great books" program for 4th grade language arts, and another book program for 7th graders. (See more on the Polar Bear Fund page on this website). |
• The Riverdale Optimist Club hosted members of Northridge Optimist Club and Dor-Wood Optimist Club at their annual Thanksgiving week meeting on Tuesday, November 26 at the Masonic Center. Riverdale president Donna Matheney welcomed everyone to the meeting and led the group in a couple of Thanksgiving songs. Everyone enjoyed a delicious Thanksgiving style meal. • Members of Dor-Wood Optimist Club announced their annual Christmas Tree sale which begins on November 29 at the corner of E. Stroop and Marshall Roads in Kettering, from 11AM to 9PM. This fundraiser supports the Dor-Wood club's youth projects. See more at www.dorwood.org |
• Many thanks to the Riverdale Optimist Club for hosting the meeting, and to Charlie Campbell for a fun and entertaining presentation.
• The meeting of November 26 will be held at the Masonic Center, as we are visiting with the Riverdale Optimist Club for their annual Thanksgiving week meeting.
• Have a Happy Thanksgiving on the 28th!
• Members enjoyed a great program at the November 19 meeting with guest speaker Tom Nichols, Director of Media Relations for the Dayton Dragons. Tom, best known as the broadcaster of Dragons games, entertained the members with his baseball stories, and updates on the continued success of the franchise. During 20 seasons of continuing a string of 1385 consecutive sell-outs the Dragons, an historic record in all of North American sports, the team has sent 102 of its players on to the major leagues. Tom's baseball talk is always interesting, and he led a discussion about current and former team players. He presented a baseball trivia quiz, and rewarded winning members with Dragons bobble-heads and ball caps. • Tom pointed out how the Dragons present an on-field product that appeals not only to hardcore baseball fans, but also to casual fans and families, with lots of fun activities and entertaining aspects such as the team's mascots. He also stressed how the club's efforts go well beyond baseball with its community participation and involvement. Examples are a memorial tribute event that was hosted by the Dragons after the Oregon District shooting tragedy, and a naturalization ceremony that was conducted on the field at a game. • Many thanks to Tom for a great program! |
- Details and the shopping location for this year's event will be announced later.

* Update of October 14 - The November 5 club meeting will be held at The Dayton Foundation at 1401 S. Main Street from 12:00 Noon to 1:00 PM. There will not be a meeting at Brixx on that date.
Northridge Alumni website: Some links of interest to the Northridge area are posted on the Bulletin Board blog page, in the panel at the right (see the red buttons under "Other Northridge Links"). They are for The Northidge Alumni Bear Facts website, the Northridge Schools website, and the Northridge Schools facebook page. One good way to show support of the community is to patronize the alumni businesses that are listed on the alumni website: http://www.northridgealumni.org/id11.html. |
This page contains postings for the current Optimist year which goes from October 1, 2019 to September 30, 2020. See the Bulletin Board Archives blog page for archives of previous bulletin board postings. To review the club events and activities from the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 Optimist years, see the "ARCHIVES: PREVIOUS POSTINGS" in the right hand column of that page, and click on the "OCTOBER 2017" or "OCTOBER 2018" listing for the postings of those years. The archives also contain additional prior listings by month and year for prior years, as show in the list. The <<Previous link at the bottom of each page may also be used to navigate to prior postings on the Bulletin Board Archives page.
• October 1: (First meeting of 2019-2020 Optimist year) - Review of Golf Outing
• October 3 (Thursday): Dayton Presidents Club - Citizens Legion of Honor Luncheon
• October 8: Club Business
• October 15: Club Budget & Donation Planning
• October 22: Open
• October 29: Open
• November 5: Meeting at The Dayton Foundation
• November 12: Open
• November 19: Speaker - Tom Nichols, Dayton Dragons
• November 26: Visiting Riverdale Optimist Club (no meeting at Brixx)
• December 3: Review Polar Bear Fund grant requests
• December 10: Open
• December 14 (Saturday) Denny Mantel Christmas Sharing Program
• December 17: Open
• December 24: NO MEETING - Holiday Break
• December 31: NO MEETING - Holiday Break
• January 7: First meeting back after holiday break
• January 14: Open
• January 21: Open
• January 28: Speaker - Dr. Kent Harshbarger, Montgomery County Coroner
• February 4: Open
• February 11: Review Polar Bear Fund grant requests
• February 18: Cathi Spaugy, Development Director, Harrison Township
• February 25: "Travel Meeting" - not at Brixx this week - see Members' Page
• March 3: Randy Overbeck, Author of "Things that go bump in the night"
• March 10: Dr. Kent Harshbarger to return for another presentation
• March 17: Cancelled (Essay Awards rescheduled for April 28)
• March 24: To Be Determined
• March 31: TBD
• April 7: No Meeting
• April 14: No Meeting
• April 21: No Meeting
• April 28: No Meeting
- further meetings on hold