About Us

The Middleton Optimists is a group of approximately 100 members who primarily live and/or work in the Middleton area. Our members are men and women of all ages with many different backgrounds. The group is unified by the goal of making Middleton a better place for the youth of this community. We do this through scholarship programs, our many youth events, and a grant program that supports specific efforts in advancing our goals.

Officers:
(the president’s role is a three-year cycle, with one year each as President-Elect, President and Past-President; other officers are elected or appointed annually for one year terms, according to the club bylaws)

President—Joe Boettinger
President-Elect—TBD
Past-President—Eric Baker
Secretary—Scott Petersburg
Treasurer—Carol Maki
Vice-President—Ed Solner

Directors
(the club is represented by six (6) directors who each serve two-year terms; half of the directors are elected each year)

Dick Blaschke--1st year
Tom Olson--1st year
Todd Wiegand--1st year
Julie Brunette --2nd year
Randy Schmidt--2nd year
Ed Solner--2nd year

What is an Optimist Club?
An Optimist Club is a voluntary organization of civic-minded men and women banded together for progressive thought and action in community service. Membership, which is by invitation only, is composed of citizens drawn from business, industry, agriculture, and the professions. members are motivated by the desire to contribute to the community from which they and their families draw daily benefits. There is no greater opportunity for participation in community affairs and service than in an Optimist Club.
Optimist International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. With over 4, 200 clubs and more than 150,000 members, Optimists raise $45,000,000 annually to spend on community projects that serve over five million youth in our communities. The SWIS district, with 2,400 members, serves 84,000 youths in southern Wisconsin.

What is our purpose?

• To develop Optimism as a philosophy of life
• To promote an active interest in good government and civic affairs
• To inspire respect for the law
• To promote patriotism and work for international accord and friendship among all people
• To aid and encourage the development of youth, in the belief that the giving of one's self in service to others will advance the well-being of man, his community and world.

What do we do?
Seeking to make a difference in the lives of youth, club members participate in a variety of activities throughout the year. Some of these include:

• Safety on Wheels Program
• Kids Fishing Day
• Scholarship Program
• Optimist Oratorical Contest
• Tri-Star Basketball Program
• Optimist Student-of-the-Month
• Turn-Around-Student-of-the-Month
• Good Neighbor Festival
• Lake View Park Adoption Program

How do we do it?
To support these initiatives, the Optimist Club organizes several fund raising events each year, such as the Chicken BBQ at the Middleton Good Neighbor Fest.   100% of the money earned through these efforts is returned to the community through our programs.

The Optimist creed is recited at the close of all of our breakfast meetings and reflects the spirit and outlook of the group.