northridge optimist club bulletin board

Schedule Updates:
Please note the changes that have been made to our meeting schedule and locations. Refer to the Current Club Schedule at the bottom of this page to check on updates. Check this Bulletin Board page weekly for current information. 

Meeting Place Move:
Another good meeting at Brixx. The April 14 meeting was our third meeting at  Brixx Ice Company, 500 E. First Street in downtown Dayton (across the street from Fifth/Third Field).  The attendance has been good at these meeting, with eleven members and two guests this week. The meals are excellent, with a wide variety of selections on the menu. Come to a meeting, and check it out!

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Meeting Programs:

• The speaker at the April 14 meeting was Dr. Judy Hennessey, Superintendent, CEO, and founder of Dayton Early College Academy. DECA is based on an early college concept for students conceived by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Dr. Hennessey receives a certificate of thanks from President Alan

It is in its 12th year at the high school level, and seeks to involve students by providing a more personalized environment, a rigorous academic curriculum, an introduction into the community, and the opportunity to earn college credit in high school. Parental involvement is required, and each student must maintain the standards of the program to continue.  The DECA program is aimed primarily at students who may not otherwise have an opportunity to reach college. 82% of DECA students will be first generation college students. 100% of the 2014 graduates are college bound or serving in the military. 

 The success of the program brought a realization that reaching students at an earlier age could yield even greater success. DECA Prep was instituted to start with kids of Kindergarten age. DECA Prep is now in its 3rd year. The current number of students in DECA and DECA Prep is about 1000, with a goal of reaching up to 1600 students. Dr. Hennessey related several individual success stories, and also spoke about community involvement. 

Dr. Hennessey addresses the group

There are several ways in which community members can help with the success of the DECA program:
• Donate event tickets - these can be used to introduce students to cultural resources in the community
• Monetary donations
• Volunteering time and expertise - to support DECA projects and programs 
• Business or Vocational experiences - allow a student to "shadow" your activity at work

For more information, visit the DECA website at www.daytonearlycollege.org. If you are interested in providing support, such as for the above items, contact Dr. Hennessey at jhennessey@daytonearlycollege.org. 

• Next Week: The speaker at the April 21 meeting will be Gary Smiga of College Promise. 

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Scholarship Scramble:

The date of the 32nd Annual Scholarship Scramble golf outing fund raiser is Friday, September 11, 2015. The promotional flyer/registration form, and the sponsor sign-up form are now posted on the website for downloading in the "Activities" section (CLICK HERE) or below.

download Promotional Flyer & Golfer Registration form

download Sponsor/Donor information & sign-up form

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Outstanding Club Member Awards:
Coming up in May is the Presidents Club Outstanding Club Member Breakfast. Each year the Dayton Presidents Club hosts a breakfast meeting to honor outstanding members of all service clubs in the Dayton area. Mike Gorman and Chris Young are the recipients from our club this year. The event will be on Thursday, May 14 at 7:00 AM at the Presidential Banquet Center, 4548 Presidential Way, Kettering, OH 45429.  Tickets are needed, so please conatact President Alan if you wish to attend.  (There will not be a regular Tuesday that week, in lieu of this Thursday event).

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Community Links:

Some links of interest to the Northridge area are posted 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 their website: http://www.northridgealumni.org/id11.html. They also offer 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 events in the community.

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Current Club Schedule:
(Meeting locations are currently being revised - see notations below, and check schedule weekly for updates)
* See location notations below

• April 21: Speaker - Gary Smiga, College Promise *(location at Brixx Ice Co.)
• April 28: MVCTC Scholarship Awards Luncheon at Miami Valley Technology Center, 11:45 AM
• May 5: Program Pending *(location at Brixx Ice Co.) 
• May 12:  No Meeting this day (see information regarding Presidents Club on May 14)
• May 19: Open - speaker needed *(location at Brixx Ice Co.) 
• May 26: Open = speaker needed *(location at Brixx Ice Co.)
• June 2: Speaker - Monnie Bush, Pres./CEO of Victory Project *(location at Brixx Ice Co.)
• June 9: Open - speaker needed *(location at Brixx Ice Co.)
• June 15: Open - speaker needed *(location at Brixx Ice Co.)
• June 22: Open - speaker needed *(location at Brixx Ice Co.)
• June 29: Open - speaker needed *(location at Brixx Ice Co.)