Platteville Optimist Club

Middle: "Doodlebot"; Far Right L-R: Optimist President Terri Ellis, Cathy Corbett, and Optimist Member Beth Frieders As a child, Cathy Corbett's dream job was to "do stuff, learn things, and never go to meetings." She thought she would like to be a veterinarian or work as a scientist at 3M. Today, Cathy is a Professor in the biology department at University of Wisconsin-Platteville. Outside of work, she and her husband, Chuck, work with the "Dairyland Diamonds" 4H group

Our first Joker Draw winner of 2026 is Wayne Wodarz! Wayne draw netted himself $285 just in time for Valentine's Day. Congratulations Wayne!

Wayne Wodarz, representing the Platteville Fireworks Committee, accepted a check for $1,000.00 from the Platteville Optimist Club for the 2026 fireworks show. Wayne stated that the fireworks show alone costs $12,000 - $14,000 and additional items like tents, music, sound equipment and inflatables for the kids are additional costs. Donations such as this are greatly appreciated.

L-R: Optimist President Terri Ellis and Sara Voigts, Platteville Food Pantry Representative Sara Voigts accepted a $350 check on behalf of the Platteville Food Pantry. The pantry holds two distributions each month. Sara shared that this donation will be used to purchase the ground beef needed for one month. They are averaging 53 households a month at the pantry, which includes 90 adults and 35 students. The Platteville Optimist Club is happy to support this need in our c