Convention
Registration Form
4th Quarter
Special Edition
Jun-Jul 2010
Bring in a new member and receive this Silver One Member Sponsor pin to proudly wear
Bring in three new members and receive this Gold Three Member Sponsor pin to proudly wear and you will truely be Promising Yourself For the Kids

the world's most dynamic coalition of youth volunteers. JOOI members represent the times well, by making their communities better - one service project at a time. With more than 18,500 members in more than 675 communities, JOOI members are constantly working to promote positive change in their communities.
...an association of more than 3,000 Optimist Clubs around the world dedicated to "Bringing Out the Best in Kids."
Optimist Clubs conduct positive service projects in their communities aimed at providing a helping hand to youth.
With their upbeat attitude, Optimist Club members help empower young people to be the best they can be. Each Optimist Club determines the needs of the young people in its community and conducts programs to meet those needs. Every year, Optimists conduct 65,000 service projects and serve well over six million young people.
If you think a civic club that supports the youth in your community is of interest to you, send an email to membership@al-la-ms.org for more information

Promise Yourself... for the kids.
There is an old, well used quote about doing things the way we have always done them and getting the results we have always gotten. Maybe it is time to give some thought to trying something new. How many "Friends of Optimist" has your club signed up?
All of us have tried recruiting a new member and were told that they would love to, but they just do not have time. The next time this happens, explain to the person that you have a solution to their problem. Give them an application to become a Friend of Optimist, and find out how sincere they really are. The Optimist Club of Starkville tried this approach when soliciting hole sponsors for their club's youth golf tournament. They ended up with eleven new members.
These new members will most likely not be attending club meetings nor showing up at your youth or fund raising activities. However, they do provide financial support to your club enabling you to reach more youth.
I know that many of you think that this is a waste of time to have a non-participating member, but this is an Optimist relationship that would not exist otherwise. By the way, a Friend of Optimist does not have to be an individual; it can be a business or organization. Who knows, maybe the next time your club needs assistance this new member may be more amenable to help, or even eventually become a regular member.
Jim
The 3rd AL-LA-MS JOOI District convention was held March 13 - 14, 2010. Everyone had a great time, both the young people and the adults. The convention was a great opportunity for the young people to meet others from across the District, develop their leadership skills, run for and/or elect district officers, and just have a good time. Dorothy Irvin, her crew and Harold Stratz did a superb job putting on the convention. Thanks to everyone involved in this successful effort.
If you have a JOOI club, start planning now to have your JOOI members attend next year's JOOI District Convention. If you don't sponsor a JOOI club - get busy and start one. The rewards are immeasurable.
Photos from the JOOI Convention are now available on-line.CLICK HERE to go to the photo gallery.
Each JOOI member attending the convention was given a raffle ticket and at the end of the convention many prizes were awarded. First prize, a Toshiba laptop, was awarded to Breana Ennis. Congratulations Breana !!!

| Governor: | Devante Richardson |
| Secretary/Treasurer: | KeeAnn Hendrix |
| District Area Lt. Gov: | Helena Williams |
| District Area Lt. Gov: | Shai'Briana Akins |
| District Area Lt. Gov: | Nicholas Johnson |
Congratulations to the new officers - we know you will have a successful JOOI year. We are proud of your accomplishment.

