Welcome to the Breakfast Optimist Club of Kalamazoo – BOCK

Optimist Mission:

By providing hope and a positive vision, Optimists bring out the best in our youth, our communities, and ourselves.

Optimist International President:

For the 2024 – 2025 Optimist Year (October – September) the Optimist International President is Janet Oord Graves.

Janet started as an Optimist when she joined BOCK on October 14, 1997.

She was the BOCK club president in 2001 – 2002.

She was the Governor of the Michigan District of Optimists International in 2010 – 2011.

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Oratorical2024March
BowlForKidsSakeBBBSFeb2024
PowerUpFeb2024
JOIDecember2023
ChristmasGifts2023
Uganda2024March
Blankets_Bronson_Nov2022
Blankets_Bronson_Nov2022
BackToSchoolAugust2022
RespectLaw2022B
If_interested_Jan2023

Gatherings:

Club Gatherings are on most Thursday mornings from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time, at Mark’s Diner (https://www.marksdinerportage.com), at 677 Romence Road, Portage, MI 49024 (see map below). No morning gathering on Thursday, April 3, 2025.

There is no gathering when Kalamazoo or Portage Public Schools are delayed or closed due to weather.

On the fourth Thursday of each month, the gathering starts at 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time and is at Old Burdick’s Bar and Grill Wings West, https://www.oldburdicks.com/location/wings-west/, 5076 Sports Dr, Kalamazoo, MI 49009 (see map below). There is no morning gathering on the fourth Thursday of the month. The next Thursday evening gathering is on March 27, 2025.

If a Thursday night gathering is cancelled due to weather, the Club President and/or other Board Members will notify BOCK members.

Be a first-time visitor. The club pays for your meal.

BOCK partners with Schuring Greenhouse to offer $10 and $20 swipe cards. These swipe cards or Daisy Dollars can be used to purchase annuals, herbs, vegetables, flowering hanging bags, hanging baskets, as well as hardy perennials, vegetative annuals such as Proven Winners, and much, much more!

BOCK receives 25 percent of the Daisy Dollars we sell.

Schuring Greenhouse is located at 610 Schuring Rd., Portage, MI 49024.

Link to Schuring Greenhouse website, https://www.schuringgreenhouse.com.

Schuring Greenhouse is open from Monday, April 21, 2025 through Saturday, June 14, 2025.

The greenhouse hours are: Monday thru Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; Sunday, closed.

BOCK will be selling Daisy Dollars until Tuesday, April 15, 2025.

The Daisy Dollars, swipe cards, BOCK sells are valid only for 2025.

If you want to purchase Daisy Dollars from BOCK use the Contact link in the webpage header.

O.W.L.S. = Optimists Working for Learning Success.

Optimist clubs partner with local schools or classrooms to provide nutrition, clothing, school supplies, hygiene products, tutoring and mentoring to help students survive.

In the Spring of 2024 BOCK started a partnership with Beth Heimann’s 2nd-grade class at Comstock Elementary School. This partnership continues during the 2024 – 2025 Optimist year.

Link to May 2, 2024, Thank You letter from Dr. Jeffrey J. Thoenes, Superintendent of Comstock Public Schools, thoenes.pdf.

March 2025: Prepare for BOCK oratorical contest on Tuesday, March 25, 2025.

Tuesday, March 4, 2025: Book Club, The Measure by Nikki Erlick.

Tuesday, March 4, 2025: BOCK members tutor second grade students at Comstock Elementary School.

Tuesday, March 11, 2025: BOCK members tutor second grade students at Comstock Elementary School.

Tuesday, March 11, 2025: Four BOCK members assist at the Book Fair at Comstock Elementary School.

Thursday, March 13, 2025: Essay contest winners read their essays at the BOCK morning gathering.

Thursday, March 13, 2025: Four BOCK members assist at the Book Fair at Comstock Elementary School.

Tuesday, March 18, 2025: Bock members tutor second grade students at Comstock Elementary School.

Tuesday, March 25, 2025: Bock members tutor second grade students at Comstock Elementary School.

Tuesday, March 25, 2025: Oratorical Contest, at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time, in the 2nd floor conference room at the Portage Public Safety building, 7810 Shaver Road, Portage, MI 49002.

Tuesday, April 1, 2025: Bock members tutor second grade students at Comstock Elementary School.

Tuesday, April 1, 2025: Book Club, The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni.

Tuesday, April 8, 2025: Bock members tutor second-grade students at Comstock Elementary School.

Tuesday, April 8, 2025: via Zoom, BOCK Board Meeting, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, April 10, 2025: Oratorical Contest winners give presentations at BOCK morning gathering.

Tuesday, April 15, 2025: Bock members tutor second-grade students at Comstock Elementary School.

Tuesday, April 22, 2025: Bock members tutor second-grade students at Comstock Elementary School.

Tuesday, April 29, 2025: Bock members tutor second-grade students at Comstock Elementary School.

 

The Smile Always Uganda Foundation Optimist Club, assists 2023.
The Rise Optimist Club, Kalamazoo, founded 2022.
Movers and Shakers Optimist Club of Greater Grand Rapids, founded 2020.
Portage Central High School Rise & Shine Optimist Club, founded 2019.

Promise yourself:

To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.

To talk health happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet.

To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.

To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.

To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best.

To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.

To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.

To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.

To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

 

“Optimism is a strategy for making a better future. Because unless you believe that the future can be better, you are unlikely to step up and take responsibility for making it so.”―Noam Chomsky

Google Maps, Thursday Gatherings:

Thursday Mornings: Mark’s Diner, 677 Romence Road, Portage, MI 49024

Thursday Evenings: Old Burdick’s Bar and Grill Wings West, 5076 Sports Dr, Kalamazoo, MI 49009.