The 50th President, slate of Officers, and Board Members were recently installed at a special BBQ get together at Donner Lake. The weather was perfect, the skies were clear of smoke, and all attendees enjoyed a wonderful tri-tip dinner and a piece of the 50th anniversary cake.

The Truckee Optimist Club was officially chartered by Optimist International on Nov. 30, 1971. The goal of the Truckee Optimist Club is to support programs for the youth of our community, and by providing hope and positive vision to bring out the best in them.

Since its beginning, the Truckee Optimist Club has raised over $2 million dollars at their fundraisers. The Club has distributed their profits to local youth programs via scholarships (academic and vocational), grants, sponsorships, and special request awards. The Club supports education, the arts, music and drama programs, as well as sports teams, school extracurricular activities, and more.

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“It is an honor to be serving as the new President of the Optimist Club of Truckee,” said incoming President Angelo Tenorio. “We are looking forward to an exciting year and to get back to our normal flow of fundraisers such as the Brew Fest, Air Show, and Christmas Tree lot.”

The new Executive Board was sworn in by Stacey Justesen (now past President), and included: Angelo Tenorio, President; Jim Conlin, 1st Vice President; Anna Grahn-Nilsson 2nd Vice President (Membership Chair); Pat McKechnie, Treasurer; Ali Freeman, Secretary.

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Also sworn in were the following Board of Directors: Paul Trenholm, Kelly Bennett, Barbara Wong, Rob Koster, Todd Wold, Mike Hoopengarden, Jeneine Gustafson, and Kathy Schegg.

Currently the Optimist Club has approximately 60 members, both men and women. Many of the members are people who have received support from the club in the past (i.e. former students, educators, coaches, scholarship recipients, parents of youth who were supported by the Optimists and now wish to give back to today’s local youth).

“The Optimist Club is continuously reaching out for new members,” according to Anna Grahn-Nilsson, Membership Chair. “Whether you are a long time local, or a new member of the community, we would like to discuss membership with you.” Anna can be reached at 530-414-0363 or go to http://www.truckeeoptimist.com for additional information.

The next Truckee Optimist fundraiser will be their Christmas Tree lot at Crossroads Shopping Center. “We will be open for business beginning Saturday afternoon, Nov. 27,” according to Dan O’Gorman, Christmas Tree Sales Chair. “We encourage our customers to purchase their trees early this year due to a possible shortage of trees because of drought, and transportation delays. We will do our best to have the best selection possible.”

The Truckee Optimist Club, along with the Kidzone Museum, and Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 1073 are currently promoting the continuation of the Truckee Tahoe Air Show & Family Festival. “We ask that you show your support for the show by going to the Truckee Tahoe Air Show & Family Festival web page at http://www.supporttheairshow.com and/or attend the Oct. 27 Truckee Tahoe Airport Board of Directors Meeting,” said Norm Nicholls, Optimist member and a part of the Air Show planning committee.

Source: Truckee Optimist Club