Platteville Optimist Club

L-R: Dr. Daniel Rowland, UW-P Music Department and Optimist President Terri Ellis Dr. Daniel Rowland from the UW-Platteville Music Department describes himself as "just a tuba guy that loves to travel." He shared his experiences on how he uses travel points and travel miles to allow him to travel at a minimal expense. Danny got hooked on collecting travel points and travel miles after reading "The Points Guy Book" and "10x Travel." The goal is to strategically earn and red

Left: Lindsay Hollingsworth, Professor of Education and UWP Associate Director of the School of Education Center: Les Hollingsworth, Professor of Marketing and Director of UWP School of Business Right: Les and Lindsay Hollingsworth with Optimist President Terri Ellis Dynamic husband and wife duo, Lindsay and Les Hollingsworth, spoke to the Platteville Optimist Club on January 16th, 2026, about their roles in two of UWP's pre-professional schools at the University of Wiscon

Platteville Optimist President Terri Ellis, front row far right, and Charlie Clark, back row far right, present Matt Heer, back row second from right, Platteville High School HUNCH Advisor, a $200 check. HUNCH stands for H igh School U nited with N ASA to C reate H ardware and is a nationally recognized workforce development program with a 23-year legacy of preparing the next generation of innovators and leaders.

Platteville Optimist Club President Terri Ellis, front row left, and Optimist Member Charlie Clark, front row right, presented a $100 check to members of the Platteville High School Educators Rising Chapter and Brad Brogley, far right, Advisor of the Chapter and fellow Optimist Member Educators Rising strives to inspire young people to pursue a career in teaching.

L-R: Meghan Skemp, Platteville School District, and Optimist President Terri Ellis Meghan Skemp, Platteville School District Social Worker / Homeless Liasion, accepts a check from the Platteville Optimist Club to purchase supplies to insert in food packs for students with food insecurities. The district provided over 4000 packs (bags) during the 2024-25 school year. Each pack includes two non-perishable, kid friendly, meals. Tuna, chicken, mac & cheese, beef sticks, banan

L-R: Terry and Patti Cullen, BENS Hope, accept a $400 donation from Optimist President Terri Ellis. BENS Hope is a non-profit organization that honors lives lost to suicide by raising awareness, breaking stigmas, and supporting those in need. They rely on donations to share their story so they can help others. Their work saves lives through impactful presentations in schools, showcasing support services, organizing support groups and events, and hosting retreats to a

Thank you to Country Kitchen and staff who graciously serve us breakfast each Friday morning. We appreciate your friendly smiles and all that you do. Pictured on the left, Vice President Barb Stockhausen presents our server, Taylor with a Christmas card from our Club members. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Amy Coffey and Barb Stockhausen Fellow Optimist Barb Stockhausen talked about the tax ramifications of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” that was passed by Congress on July 3.  The bill includes some challenging changes and will require more thinking and work by the tax filer.   Whereas lots of the income data was included on the W-2, there is an expectation that the taxpayer will be more responsible for maintaining records to receive many of the credits.  The entire bill relies o

L-R: Optimist Member Bob Hundhausen, Ironman Competitor Mandi Jacquinot, Optimist President Terri Ellis Our speaker on December 12, 2025 was Mandi Jacquinot who spoke about her love for running and competing in marathons and Ironman competitions. Originally from Decorah, IA, Mandi played volleyball and softball in High School but never considered herself an "athlete". She started running during her college years at Loras College in Dubuque, IA. After she graduated, she si

Pictured above L-R: Platteville Community Arboretum President Joe Jacquinot and Platteville Optimist Club President Terri Ellis Platteville Community Arboretum (PCA) President, Joe Jacquinot accepted a $500 check from the Optimist Club in support of the "Valley-to-Eastside Expansion Project". PCA is working with five landowners to acquire ~15 acres of land for the City of Platteville to expand the trails in Platteville. PCA and the City were awarded a 50/50 grant from the

Pictured above L-R: Optimist President Terri Ellis and Herb Cody representing Wisconsin Badger Camp The Optimist Club was excited to present Wisconsin Badger Camp with a $1,000 check on the eve of their 11th Annual Badger Camp 1966 Event. This years event on December 13th will kickoff the camps 60th Anniversary. All proceeds from the event benefit Wisconsin Badger Camp. Wisconsin Badger Camp's goal is to provide a positive natural environment where individuals with develo

Sheila Ruchti was inducted as a new member of the Platteville Optimist Club on December 5, 2025. Pictured above Optimist President Terri Ellis conducts the induction ceremony and welcomes Sheila to our Club as Sheila's sponsor Bob Hundhausen looks on. Sheila has already experienced working a cheese curd shift at the invitation of current members. Welcome Sheila!

Pictured above L-R: Terry Woolf, Dee Woolf and Optimist President Terri Ellis. Terry and Dee Woolf have been involved with scouting programs in Platteville for many years. Platteville is part of the Pioneer District of the Blackhawk Area Council which provides programming for several counties in southwestern Wisconsin and northwestern Illinois. Platteville has active Scout programs, including Troop 82 based at Platteville United Methodist Church and Troop 84 and Pack 89 (Cub

American Legion Auxiliary Member Dee Woolf accepts a $500 check from Optimist President Terri Ellis in support of the Badger State Girls program. Badger Girls State (ALABGS) 2026 will be held June 21-26, 2026, at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Between 500-600 girls from all over the state of Wisconsin participate. It is a government and leadership conference for high school junior girls, focusing on citizenship, running mock governments, and learning about American dem

Optimist President Terri Ellis presents a $500 check to American Legion Member Terry Woolf to support the Badger Boys State program. About 900 students attend the program which is held at UW-Eau Claire each June. During the program, high school students learn how our government system works by creating their own city, county, and state level governments. Participants leave feeling inspired to become active members of their local communities. Many develop lifelong friendships

Christmas for Kids-Southwest Wisconsin is bringing joy to children this holiday season. As  Jaqueline Varholik explained to our Optimist Club when she spoke to us in July, they believe every child deserves Christmas. They are working hard to help struggling families make that happen. Shown above, Optimist members, Mark Essex and his wife Karen and Kim Woodworth and his wife Barb volunteered at a recent Wrap Party. Another Wrap Party will be held at Peace Lutheran Church on S

Platteville Optimist Club President Terri Ellis, left, presents a check to Danielle Lynch, representing the Platteville Holiday Project. The organization assists families in our community who are in need of assistance during the holiday season. They organize the annual "Coats For Kids" drive and distribution where they collected 184 coats this year and distributed them to 58 families. They also manage the "Adopt-a-Family Program" where individuals and businesses can help i

Royal Palmer Doreen Hlavaty, Royal, President Terri Ellis Royal Palmer Royal Palmer, co-owner of the Driftless Market & Deli spoke to us about the challenges of being a small business owner in rural Wisconsin.  In late 2019, Royal left his job with Target Corporation in Minneapolis and moved to Platteville with his husband Tony.  Together with Royal’s sister Robin and her husband they purchased the Driftless Market in February of 2020. The timing of the purchase could no

L-R: Optimist Member Doreen Hlavaty; Monica Mueller, FASD Community Resident; Epiphany Garner, CNA; Angie Coffman, FASD Community Resident Epiphany Garner, CNA, spoke to our club about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), which are lifelong physical, developmental, behavioral and intellectual disabilities caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol and drugs. It can impact as many as 1 in 20 children in the U.S., more than twice the rate of autism, according to the CDC. The