Platteville Optimist Club

L-R: Hayley Hamilton, Asma Sahak, and Optimist Alaina Reeves Platteville High School's annual Scholarship Awards Night for the Class of 2026 took place on May 11, 2026, where the community gathered to celebrate seniors and award localized scholarships. Alaina Reeves presented the scholarships on behalf of the Platteville Optimist Club. Hayley Hamilton, who will attend Southwest Tech's medical assistant program, received a $1,000 scholarship. Asma Sahak, who will attend Edg

Wayne Wodarz President Terri Ellis, Wayne Wodarz, and Carley Borcherding Optimist Carley Borcherding invited fellow Optimist Wayne Wodarz, Executive Director of the Platteville Area Chamber of Commerce to speak to our Club. Wayne highlighted three different areas of interest; 2025 State Tourism, Travel and Tourism Week, and Day Trips in our area. The latest tourism results showed that room tax revenue in Platteville hit a new record in 2025. It rose a whopping 17%,

Karin Peacock Wendy Johnson Kathy Kubitz L-R: President Terri Ellis and Master Gardeners Wendy Johnson, Kathy Kubitz, Karin Peacock, and Carley Borcherding Three Master Gardeners, Karin Peacock, Wendy Johnson, and Kathy Kubitz spoke to our Club on Friday, May 8, 2026. A Master Gardener is a volunteer who has become certified by the Master Gardener program. They explained that they may not have all the answers but they know where to look or who to ask. They present o

The district Tri-Star basketball competition was held on Saturday at Prairie View Elementary in Sun Prairie. Platteville was well-represented, especially with winners: Harbor Studnicka – 2nd place, 6 year old girls Grant Cullen – 1st place, 6 year old boys Zeke Kellogg – 1st place, 7 year old boys Finley Richard – 1st place, 8 year old girls Brynnlee Spurley – 3rd place, 10 year old girls Carter Smith – 1st place, 10 year old boys Kaylin Spurley – 2nd place, 11 year old gir

Kimberly Jacobson, Program Director at Family Promise of Grant County, accepts a $1,000 check from Platteville Optimist Club President, Terri Ellis. Family Promise's mission is to help homeless and low-income families achieve sustainable independence through a community based response. Their vision is a community in which every family has a home, a livelihood, and the chance to build a better future. They provide shelter, meals, and support services to homeless families i

L-R: Lisa Sanger, Grant County Social Services, Services Support Specialist andTerri Ellis, Optimist Club President Lisa Sanger from the Grant County Social Services accepted a $500 check from the Platteville Optimist Club for the Grant County Volunteer Mentor Program. Grant County Social Services and the Volunteer Mentor Program stive to recruit volunteers to mentor, teach, and support the youth of Grant County. This organization was formerly known as the Big Buddy Progra

L-R: Optimist Members Scott Onson and Amy Coffey, Darin Shireman from Wayfarer Coffee, Optimist Club President Terri Ellis Darin Shireman is the former owner of Badger Bros Coffee and current owner of Wayfarer Coffee. Wayfarer Coffee is a coffee roaster and shop in Dubuque known for ethically sourced, small-batch roasted beans, and a mission to promote community connection. They also supply their roasted beans to other local businesses. Darin admits that after many years in

The topic for our 2026 Essay Contest was How My Acts of Service Help Me Understand What My Community Means to Me. The winners this year won not only the Essay Contest but also the Oratorical Contest. Nuzaira Rabbini, daughter of Farzana Marni and Mohammad Rabbini of Platteville placed first in the competition. She will receive $150 from the Platteville Optimist Club. As first place winner, Nuzaira will advance to the District Level, where the winner will receive a plaque and

L-R: Optimist Club President Terri Ellis presents a check to Kira Reyna from Family Advocates Kira Reyna accepted a $1,000 check on behalf of Family Advocates. Kira expressed their sincere appreciation for the funds which will be used for summer camps and special experiences for the children Family Advocates' serves. In past years, these experiences have included trips to a waterpark, zoo, escape rooms, jump parks and cookouts at a park. They're excited to continue offeri

Mattie Schutte Mattie Schutte left her home in Berlin, Germany to spend the school year as a foreign exchange student at the Platteville High School. She and last week's speaker, Nadia de las Rivas are both staying with Optimist Amber Monroe. Mattie has had to adjust from living in a large metropolitan area to the much slower pace of our small city. She shared pictures of festivals in Germany, which almost always include German beer. Both large and small Christmas markets a

Left and center: Nadia de las Rivas, PHS foreign exchange student. Right: Nadia and Optimist Victoria Hundhausen share a few words in Spanish. Nadia de las Rivas, a foreign exchange student at Platteville High School, is spending the school year with Optimist Club member Amber Monroe. Nadia is from Spain but more specifically from Palma the capital city of the island of Mallorca. Located in the Mediterranean Sea, Mallorca is the largest of the five islands comprising the Bal

L-R: Paul Budden, Platteville Fire Department with Optimist Club President Terri Ellis On behalf of the Platteville Fire Department and the New Fire Facility Fundraising Committee, Paul Budden accepted a $3,000 check from the Platteville Optimist Club. The Optimist Club committed to a $5,000 pledge for the new fire station in 2024 and they have now fulfilled their pledge. Paul reported on the progress being made with the new station. Those that drive by the new facility c

L-R: Platteville Music Boosters Officers Jana Haight, Annie Cox, Joanna Richter, and Platteville Optimist Club President Terri Ellis Platteville Music Boosters officers accepted a $500 grant from the Platteville Optimists. The music boosters recently completed a major fundraising effort to install a new sound system in the Platteville High School Auditorium. The school district covered 50% of the cost. The boosters were awarded grants from the Platteville Optimist Club an

On March 27, 2026, several Platteville Optimist Club members and friends attended a social outing together at the Heritage Center on the University of Dubuque campus. The attendees enjoyed seeing John Michael Coppola headline The Four C's , a premier Franki Valli & the Four Seasons tribute group. Coppola played Franki Valli in the Chicago and Las Vegas traveling troupes for Jersey Boys. Everyone enjoyed the show and the company!

The Platteville Optimist Club welcomed children ages 6-13 to the annual Tri-Star Basketball Skills Contest at the Platteville High School on Saturday, March 28, 2026. Participants were scored on their dribbling, passing and shooting skills. Top finishers in each age and gender group have the opportunity to participate in the Southern Wisconsin (SWIS) District Contest on Saturday, April 25th in Sun Prairie. Congratulations to all of the participants and thank you to the Optimi

Robin Fuller Pastor Lex Liberatore Today's speakers were Pastor Lex Liberatore & Robin Fuller from First Congregational Church. They spoke primarily about what they are trying to do to combat loneliness and depression through some of their secular outreach programs. Contrary to what many believe, loneliness and depression is more prevalent among teens and young adults than in senior citizens. Part of this is due to the excessive screen time in the younger generation

Center: Victoria Hundhausen shows her "Alien" green card. Far Right: Victoria Hundhausen with Optimist President Terri Ellis Optimist member, Victoria Hundhausen, is a native of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city in Argentina with a population of 17 million people. Victoria grew up in the city, where approximately 3 million reside, being a resident for 30 years. She shared her personal immigration story, prefacing it by saying she is n

The Optimist Club's 2026 Oratorical Contest was held at the Platteville High School on Monday, March 16th. "The Moment I Realized I Belonged - My Definition of Community" was the topic for this year's contest. Contestants placing first and second will move on to the SWIS District Zone 5 competition, with an opportunity to advance to District. At District Level, they are elgible to win scholarships in the amount of $2,500, $1,500 or $1,000. The contestants are pictured below

Speaker Michael Bottrell Michael Bottrell, a retired dentist, maintains a Master Personal Trainer certification. Throughout the years, he has had on going knife, handgun and jiu-jitsu training. He has earned a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). Michael spoke to the Optimist Club about the world of violence, specifically about sexual assaults. One in four women report that they have experienced sexual violence. Most cases go unreported. While we like to think that these

L-R: Optimist President Terri Ellis with First Grade Teachers Michelle Sasse, Christian Guida, Kura O'Driscoll, Kortnie Christen, Lauren Ganzer, and Sassy's Vacation Author Sue Kies First Grade Teachers from Westview Elementary accepted a $600 donation from the Platteville Optimists. The donation will be used to purchase Sassy's Vacation books for the first graders at Westview Elementary. The author of Sassy's Vacation is Sue Kies, who was also present at the check presenta