-The History of The Optimist Club of Boyertown, page #1-

Optimist Club of Boyertown, #02030 Celebrating 50+ Years of Bringing Out the Best in Kids…AND THEN SOME

1954 through 2007

For over 50 years, the Optimist Club of Boyertown has dedicated itself to serving the youth of the Boyertown Community. The Club was founded for one main reason, to do whatever it could for the youth of the community. Over the years the Club’s programs have evolved and grown, as did the Club’s membership and the number of youth the Club serves, but the focus on youth and their development has remained constant. Long-time member John Breidenbach compiled this history of the Club in an effort to preserve the Club’s history. As time

goes by, it is important to remember where this great club came from and how it got to where it is today. Mr. Breidenbach utilized the program from the Club’s 25th anniversary celebration, and Mr. Breidenbach utilized his own records, OpTalks, Board Minutes and input from fellow members. Christine (Hoffman) Schaeffer and John Breidenbach continue to work on compiling a more extensive history of the Club. And so the Optimist Club of Boyertown is born…The Club was chartered on March 31, 1954 with 25 members (all men). The initial activities included:

• Trip to a Philadelphia Phillies Game • Christmas Party • Fishing Rodeo • Trip to Albright College • Sample Fair

1955-1956…"Growing pains began to disappear after inactive members were dropped and new members for new blood brought us a better reckoning of our strength."

• Membership started the year at 23 and ended with 41 • Club was Incorporated • Received the following recognitions: Boys Work, Membership, Attendance and Life

Membership awards • Craig Landis won the first "Boy of the Year" Award from the District • Opti-Mrs. Club organized • New activities included: Swimming Contest, Cross Country Run, Oratorical Contest,

Local and county Golf Tournament (Children), Boy of the Month Award, Boy of the Year Award, Bowling Tournament, Fishing Rodeo, Marble Tournament

-The History of The Optimist Club of Boyertown, page #2-

1956-1957…"We were not point wise and as a result, our District standing was no indication of the fine work being done in this community."

• Building Fund established to build a facility to house a gymnasium • New activities included: Biddy Basketball, Adult Basketball, The Home Show Project

1957-1958…" The ultimate goal of all Optimist Clubs was reached this year under the guidance of President Ken as we obtained Honor Club status."

• The Optimist Club of Birdsboro was built with 39 members • Boyertown was first in the District • Won District honors for its Boys Work • Kenneth Royer received " Distinguished President " award • Melvin Kuser became Life Member • New Activities: Piggy Bowl, Operated Teen dances, weight lifting and Woody Rhoads

Fund. 1958-1959

• New Activities: Midget - Mite football started 1959-1960

• Built the Norchester Optimist Club in 1959-1960. • Achieved Honor Club Status • Boyertown was first in the District • Won District Achievement Award • New Activities: Essay Contest (Boys)

1960-1961

• Optimist of the Year instituted • New Activities: Organized an Explorer Post dedicated to the restoration of a Model "T"

Ford. 1961-1962

• New Activities: Las Vegas Night, Fall-out Shelter Committee 1962-1963

• New Activities: Christmas Tree Sales, Square Dance, Bike Rodeo 1963-1964

• New Activities: None 1964-1965

• The Club Article on Berks County High School Golf appeared in the OI magazine • Opti-Mrs. was disbanded • New Activities: Creative Arts Award, Croquet Tournament, four day tennis clinic,

antique car restoration

-The History of The Optimist Club of Boyertown, page #3-

1965-1966 • New Activities: Fun Night, annual Inter-Service Club Meeting launched

1966-1967

• This was the year of the Boyertown Centennial. Many club activities centered around this event, including the award winning float and a Brothers-of-the-Brush contest.

• New Activities: planted trees in the Community Park, marathon race. 1967-1968

• Sponsored Holiday Ball Queen winner, Bonnie Linderman • New Activities: Boy Scout Merit Badge counselor program.

1968-1969

• OI re-organized its administrative structure, thus, making Charles Brendlinger the Club’s longest serving President.

• Second Holiday Ball Queen winner sponsored by club, Nancy Quigley. • New Activities: None

1969-1970

• Present OpTalk Format instituted • New Activities: Slow Pitch softball team

1970-1971

• New Activities: Trees donated to Memorial at Fairview Cemetery 1971-1972

• Scrapbook about the Biddy Basketball Program receives second place at the Optimist International convention in Canada

• Preston McCain served as first member to hold a district post as Boy’s Work Chairman • Opti-Mrs. Reorganized • New Activities: None

1972-1973

• New Activities: Girls Oratorical Contest started 1973-1974

• New Activities: None 1974-1975

• 3rd Holiday Ball Queen winner sponsored by club, Susan Standhart • New Activities: Girls Softball, Garage Sale, Hunter Safety

1975-1976

• Peter Mercer served as Lt. Governor of Zone 7 • New Activities: Window Painting Contest

-The History of The Optimist Club of Boyertown, page #4-

1976-1977 • New Activities: None

1977-1978 • Kenneth Snyder served as Lt. Governor of Zone 7 • New Activities: Girls Softball

1978-1979

• 25th Anniversary celebrated with a banquet at the Elks Club in Pottstown on May 12, 1979

• New Activities: None March 2004

• The Optimist Club of Boyertown celebrated its 50th Anniversary with a celebration dinner and dance.

• Inaugural season of Boy’s Lacrosse begins using fields at Douglas Park (through the cooperation of the Boyertown Soccer Club)

March 2005

Inaugural season of the Girl’s Lacrosse begins using fields at the Boyertown Area Junior High East Center (through the cooperation of Principal Andrew Ruppert)

May 2005

• The Optimist Club of Boyertown elected its first female President, Christine Schaeffer. October 1, 2005

• The Club started the 2005-2006 Optimist year off right by chartering the FIRST new Optimist Club in all of Optimist International. Alvernia Optimist Outreach Club of Reading, PA was formed at 12:01 a.m. on October 1, 2005. Chrissy Schaeffer (then President) and Jack Creswell (then PAUD Governor and member of the Daniel Boone Optimist Club) were the Builders of Excellence.

January 2006

• Eighth grader and local youth Brittany Seidt was selected by the Club to represent the Club, the Pennsylvania/Upper Delaware District of Optimist International, and Optimist International in the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California. Brittany was one of six youth from across the country selected to ride on the Optimist International Float…Anything is Possible. President Christine Schaeffer traveled to the parade with Brittany and the rest of her family. The group was part of a very historic event because it rained on parade day…for the first time in 50 years!!!!

-The History of The Optimist Club of Boyertown, page #5-

March 2006 • The Club unveiled its official website thanks to Media Fusion in Boyertown.

www.boyertownoptimist.org • Along with the website came the Club’s new official logo (again THANK YOU to Media

Fusion of Boyertown):

October 2006

• The Club holds its 50th Annual Boyertown Optimist Piggy Bowl • The Club was recognized as the NUMBER ONE club in all of Optimist International for

the 2005-2006 year.

-The History of The Optimist Club of Boyertown, page #6-

Overview of the Club’s Major Programs Basketball Program Basketball was started in 1956-1957, with eight teams for boys only. Girls teams were organized in early 1970s and there are now 250 children playing on anywhere from 13 to 15 boys teams and eight to 10 girls teams. This has long been a “learning” program totally controlled by the Optimist Club of Boyertown. There is no outside competition. A foul shooting tournament was started to get players interested in this aspect of the sport since a lot of games are lost at this juncture. An Industrial league was run in the community and we put six teams on the floor for boys past school age. Bicycle Safety Bicycle Safety Started About 1959 and ended because of lack of participation in 1997 Cheerleading Program

Cheerleading was started by the Opti-Mrs. In the 1960’s with approximately 15 to 20 participants between two teams. In 1998 Christine (Hoffman) Schaeffer took over as chair of this program and it grew from 89 to 125 participants. For the 2002 season there were actually more cheerleaders involved in the program then there were football players involved in football program. In 2003 there were 146 cheerleaders on six teams with 11 coaches and many parent volunteers. In 2005 there were approximately 150 cheerleaders on six teams. In 2006 Stephanie (Prete) Bill took over as chair of this program and again the program set a registration record with over 165 girls on 11 teams and over 20 coaches.

Cross Country Cross Country started 1955 and ended several years later. Football Program

Football was started in 1957 with two teams (one Midget and one Mite). Our original team colors were royal blue and yellow/gold. In 1959 there were 51 boys rostered. In 1989 the program was almost given to a parents group because it was felt that soccer would be the sport of choice. We now have 11 teams with 300+ participants. In 1959 we had four coaches. In the year 2003 we had 35+ coaches.

-The History of The Optimist Club of Boyertown, page #7-

In 2003 the Club financed the refurbishment of the Boyertown Area Senior High Memorial Stadium field and two practice fields. During this year the Club also approved the change in team colors from the original blue and yellow/gold to Boyertown’s red and black. Major fund-raising initiatives were undertaken to finance the field project and the new uniforms for both football players and cheerleaders.

Piggy Bowl The Piggy Bowl was founded early on as a fund-raiser. However, it has grown to the point that we serve approximately 600 children in one day. Piggy Bowl participants now only include football players, but also included are cheerleaders, the Midget-Mite Princess, the Legionette Twirlers, and Twirling Reflections twirlers. Games start around 10 o’clock in the morning and finish around 10 o’clock at night.

Midget-Mite Piggy Bowl Princess Essay Contest The essay contest is conducted as a means of awarding a deserving young lady the honor of being the Midget-Mite Princess. The winner also receives a one hundred dollar savings bond and participates in the Boyertown Halloween Parade as well as the Piggy Bowl Event. Recent Midget-Mite Piggy Bowl Princess Winners

2003 Kali Rosenberry (6th Grade) 2004 Gina Perone (6th Grade) 2005 Olivia Miller (6th Grade) 2006 Taylor Molchan (5th Grade)

Lacrosse- Boy’s 2004 was the inaugural season for the Boy’s Lacrosse program. Co-Chaired by Brian and Linda Heimbach the program is 90 plus boys strong. The teams practice and play at the Douglass Park in Gilbertsville. The program holds an annual tournament in June, which is a major fund-raiser for the program. Brian and Linda Heimbach assisted Audrey Nettles with the inaugural season of the Girl’s Lacrosse program in 2005. Lacrosse- Girl’s 2005 was the inaugural season for the Girl’s Lacrosse program. Chaired by Audrey Nettles, the program is 50 plus girls strong. The program enrolls girls in grades three through six. The teams practice and play at the Boyertown Area Junior High East Center. Oratorical Contest The Oratorical Contest was a long time program and we had two state winners. Mrs. Jane Stahl ran this for the Club and produced many fine candidates. One year one of the participants was injured in an automobile accident and could not compete. Mrs. Stahl asked a boy just two weeks before the contest if he would do the oration the other boy had written. The “fill-in” had never given a public speech in his life. All of this was not known until after the contest. This young man won first place amongst the boys. He refused to go further in the contest since he did not write the oration. Upon hearing this, the Executive Board of Directors of Pennsylvania Upper Delaware District, awarded him an Honorable Mention for what he had undertaken.

-The History of The Optimist Club of Boyertown, page #8-

Softball Program The Club started Girls Softball March 1978 with five teams. William Spade and William Vendetti founded this program. It was intra-mural in concept and there was no outside competition. It was designed to be a teaching program. The program has grown to the point that in 19--- the Club built four softball fields at the Boyertown Area Junior High East Center under the chairmanship of Robert Brightbill. Today there are 12 teams with girls from ages seven to 14. Swim Meet The annual swim meet started in 1956 and ended in 1970 after the Borough of Boyertown started a competitive team. It was held at the old American Legion Pool on South Reading Avenue. When the Borough of Boyertown built a new pool at the Borough Park participation dropped because the swim team got most of the trophies. It was stated that they used our contest as practice.

-The History of The Optimist Club of Boyertown, page #9-

“Volunteer Hours” Research Project In 1996 Frank Morgan, Sr. compiled statistics about our programs that showed how many volunteer hours were worked by the members and the athletic program’s coaches. 1995: Man Hours devoted to the Children ACTIVITIES MAN HOURS Basketball - All Star 128 Basketball - Tri-Star 115 Basketball Program 3,280 Bike Safety 80 Essay Contest 55 Football – Cheerleading 500 Football- pass, punt & kick 640 Football Program 1,920 Meetings: 2,760 Optalk 24 Optimist Clothing 100 Softball - All Star 130 Softball – Program 3,170 Youth Partnership 340 Miscellaneous 1,000 TOTAL 14,442 FUND-RAISERS MAN HOURS Christmas Trees 732 Football - Piggy Bowl 90 Fundays 70 Golf Outing 240 Monte Carlo 415 TOTAL 1,547 It is estimated that the total man/hours given by members and associate members is more than doubled, possibly tripled, today. The number of children going through our programs has gone from an estimated 300 to 400 to an estimated 1,600 by the end of 2004. The most unique part of the Optimist Club of Boyertown’s activities is that we run and fund all of our programs. The norm is for a sponsorship of a team or two.

-The History of The Optimist Club of Boyertown, page #10-

Merits and Awards The following are the Presidents who have earned Honor or Distinguished awards. NAME AWARD YEAR Kenneth Royer Distinguished 1957-1958 Roy Geiger Distinguished 1959-1960 Richard Arnsberger Distinguished 1995-1996 Walter Pickell Honor 1997-1998 Ronald Peterson Honor 2001-2002 Richard Grant Honor 2002-2003 J. Edward Carns Honor 2003-2004 Christine (Hoffman) Schaeffer Double Distinguished 2005-2006 ***Any omissions are deeply regretted The following are Secretaries who have won awards: NAME YEAR AWARD Foster DelGrosso 1959-1960 Distinguished Kenneth Snyder 1973-1974 Distinguished Phillip McKenna 1975-1976 Distinguished Gene Green 1986-1987 Distinguished John Breidenbach 1995-1996 Outstanding and Distinguished John Breidenbach 1997-1998 Outstanding and Honor John Breidenbach 1998-1999 Outstanding John Breidenbach 2000-2001 Outstanding Christine Hoffman 2001-2002 Outstanding and Honor Christine Hoffman 2002-2003 Outstanding and Honor John Breidenbach 2003-2004 Outstanding and Honor John Breidenbach 2005-2006 Outstanding and Distinguished ***Any omissions are deeply regretted Over the years the Club has furnished their District with the following Lt. Governors: NAME YEAR NOTES Peter Mercer 1975-1976 Kenneth Snyder 1976-1977 John Breidenbach 1990 to replace Howard Heath who passed away James Himes 1993-1994 John Breidenbach 1998 to replace Monica Ford Walter Pickell 1998-1999 John Breidenbach 2001-2002 Honor, Distinguished & Outstanding John Breidenbach 2002-2003 Christine Schaeffer 2006-2007 Western Pennsylvania Zone (Zone 8)

-The History of The Optimist Club of Boyertown, page #11-

Honor Club status was achieved numerous times over the years even though it was not necessarily the goal of the Club. The philosophy of the organization has been to provide opportunities for the youth of the Boyertown Area School District. What awards it receives are secondary. For example, for a number of years the football program was not recognized by Optimist International as a program that received points, but the program was, and still remains, one of the largest and well-known programs the Club sponsors. In 2001-2002 the cheerleading program placed first place in the district’s Community Project Awards (CPA) competition. International President’s Recognition NAME YEAR Phillip Haddad 1995-1996 Christine (Hoffman) Schaeffer 2001-2002 Board of Directors Award NAME YEAR Donna Brightbill 1997-1998 Robert Brightbill 1997-1998 Wendy Miller 1998-1999 David Levengood 1999-2000 John Breidenbach 2000-2001 Carl Yescavage 2001-2002 Todd Slonacker 2001-2002 Richard Krupp 2002-2003 Walter Pickell 2003-2004 Christine (Hoffman) Schaeffer 2005-2006 Optimist of the Year YEAR Name 1960 - 1961 Bruce Bernhart 1961 - 1962 Calvin Rambo 1962 - 1963 Lee Moyer 1963 - 1964 George Unger 1964 - 1965 Jacob Hartline 1965 - 1966 Carl Yescavage 1966 - 1967 Raymond Fulmer 1967 - 1968 Preston McCain 1968 - 1969 Bruce Landis 1969 - 1970 John Breidenbach 1970 - 1971 William Vendetti 1971 - 1972 Richard Frey 1972 - 1973 Roy Geiger 1973 - 1974 Burton Brenner 1974 - 1975 Kenneth Snyder 1975 - 1976 Larry Rush

-The History of The Optimist Club of Boyertown, page #12-

Optimist of the Year (continued) YEAR Name 1976 - 1977 Peter Mercer 1977 - 1978 Phillip McKenna 1978 - 1979 William Spade 1979 - 1980 James Himes 1980 - 1981 Joseph Vendetti 1981 - 1982 Gerald Yerger 1982 - 1983 Gene Green 1983 - 1984 Lee Fulmer 1984 - 1985 James Stephens 1985 - 1986 David Levengood 1986 - 1987 John Varady 1987 - 1988 William Truman 1988 - 1989 Robert Brightbill 1989 - 1990 Brian McDonough 1990 - 1991 James McElwain 1991 - 1992 Wayne Grace 1992 - 1993 Henry Frecon 1993 – 1994 James Petrowicz 1994 - 1995 Steven Mason, IV 1995 - 1996 Michael Royce 1996 - 1997 Richard Arnsberger 1997 - 1998 Walter Pickell 1998 - 1999 Joseph Asterino 1999 - 2000 Philip Haddad 2000 - 2001 Hudson Green 2001 - 2002 Ronald Peterson 2002 - 2003 Todd Slonaker 2003 – 2004 Richard Grant Philip Haddad 2004 – 2005 Kevin Dunn 2005 – 2006 Richard Krupp This information was compiled to the best of our knowledge. We apologize for any omissions and or inaccuracies. Please forward any comments, suggestions, and/or ideas to John Breidenbach or Chrissy Schaeffer. We hope to continue researching our club’s history. Any input you have would be greatly appreciated. We are also collecting memorabilia. Please contact us with any information/items you may have. John can be reached by email at Johnbreid@aol.com. Chrissy can be reached by email at chrissy.schaeffer@gmail.com. .