D1-greensheet For February21

PROMISE YOURSELF Optimist Club of Coronado Post Office Box 180251 Coronado, CA 92178-0251 February 21, 2008 Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard. H. L. Mencken Meetings at 7AM on Thurs at Coronado Yacht Club Sometimes this newsletter is easy to write. The Optimists are smiling. The food is—well, let’s leave that aside. The Dingmaster is short, clever, and makes a bunch of money for the Youth Fund. And the program is special. This morning was one of those mornings. Everyone seemed happy save John McKechnie who couldn’t find his table. Steve Slack and Art Jones gathered in the tariffs. The President came to guide the meeting although he said that he would rather be fishing. Jim told us that even as we gathered giant sea bass were jumping into the boats off Point Loma. What sacrifices people make to serve! Joe Petrucci had a prayer thanking the Lord for the many blessings that we sometimes take for granted. And then somebody led the pledge. We had a letter from Australia with Jack Larison and others nominating a ‘roo for president. The Boys’ Lacrosse team sent a letter of thanks for a gift from the club. Irish Flynn passed out freebies that Linda Rahn had sent after her talk about the Community Center programs last week. A free day of exercise for the whole family. I took two. Joe Petrucci played “The Sidewalks of New York”, “Give My Regards to Broadway”, and Frankie Sinatra’s “New York, New York!!”, and he never sounded better. But Joe’s gang of singers sounded particularly poor as they yelled HBTY to Don Crawford and Jim Rodgers. Gooch gave away thirty one bucks to Dick Madouse just before Lee Cargill took center stage to fine Wayne Crawford for golf, Joe Petrucci for being a Friend of the Library, Paul Speer for being known by the Chamber of Commerce, Paul Dudley for “unrelenting help”, and Jim Cartwright, Jim Rodgers, and Bob Harshberger for some mention or other in a penal colony alumni newsletter. Leslie Crawford struck back for those fined by letting Lee know that he had given up reading the legal notices in the Eagle Journal too soon. Lee must have used all his lunch money by the time he sat back down. Jack Couture announced the birth of a grandson John Patrick Bingham who weighed in at 9 pounds 10 ounces, two amazing goals by granddaughter Kaitlan, and that grandson Kiel will be a starting pitcher for the game next week between USC and San Diego State. Jack wants a rooting section for the game. Our friend Larry Resek passed away last Friday. He was one of those Flying Midshipmen as well as a club member for about thirty years. On March 25, at 11AM there will be a memorial service on USS MIDWAY, and all Larry’s friends are invited. Jim Zoll is an Optimist who is a ghost to many newer members. Jim has paid his dues for twenty-some years, but since he is the principal of a high school in St. Helena, Jim doesn’t show up for many meetings. Jim sent his wife Sally to represent him this morning. Kirk Henry introduced Sally to tell us all about a fabulous program known as United Through Reading. Sally has a distinguished career in education starting back at Purdue where she studied special education. While teaching she completed a Ph.D. at the University of San Diego. Sally worked in educational software for Jostens and helped found another educational software enterprise. A year ago Sally became the CEO of United Through Reading which fosters reading to children by parents whose military duties cause separation. She had personal experience with this when her son left for Iraq on very short notice. The last hours were spent by dad reading books into a camcorder for his son to listen to during the year dad was gone. Sally told us that the recordings were a powerful means of keeping the family united. She told us of a young wife of a marine in Iraq whose daughter tries to sit in daddy’s lap (on the tv set) while the image of him reading to her plays. Such visual tools are a new way for children to keep the love of dad or mom in their hearts during deployment. The absent members also are thrilled by the feedback that they get from the family at home. The Navy provides facilities at homeports and through collateral duty officers aboard ships. The USMC expanded participation 110% in the second half of 2007. The Army is aboard.

Recently the effort has been expanded to include children of parents who are incarcerated. The challenges here are different, but the needs are even more dramatic. One and a half millions children under 18 have parents in prison, and these children are two times more likely to be incarcerated themselves in their lives. The parents often cannot read themselves, and are very uncomfortable with the tasks necessary to bring reading skills to their children. But United Through Reading is breaking down the formidable barriers. Check out the website: www.unitedthroughreading.org. And look out for the program for grandparents who are distant from their grandchildren. There is a way for you to read to your grandchildren through the organization. Next week our own Christian Esquevin will tell us all about our wonderful Library one year later.