Elkhart Luncheon Optimist Club

08/06/2026

Thank you Jill Robison High Ability Teacher at Concord West Side Elementary School for sharing information regarding your students Weather Balloon Launch with our group.
It’s amazing to hear about the planning and ex*****on of this project by your 4th grade students!
A shout out to Lorraine for coming along and raising funds for Catsnip kitty rescue. She has such passion at 9 years old!

08/03/2026

Join us Thursday at Perkins Restaurant from noon until 1PM in their back room. Our speaker will be Jill Robison Concord West Side Elementary School’s High Ability teacher with updates on their weather balloon launch. It will be fun to hear about the data collected! Bring a friend with you!!!

07/30/2026

Happy International Day of Friendship from Optimist International! 💙💛
Friendship grows when people come together with a shared purpose. As an Optimist, you'll meet caring, positive people who are passionate about making a difference in the lives of children and strengthening their communities. The projects you work on may begin with volunteering, but they often lead to lifelong friendships.
Grow your circle while making a difference. Join Optimist International today by visiting optimist.organd discover the power of friendship through service.

07/20/2026

Interesting!

Did you know that 44 of Indiana's 92 counties are named after Revolutionary War figures? They are highlighted in blue on this map.

Beyond county names, there are also many Hoosier cities and towns named for people who played a role in the Revolutionary War.

Here is Indiana Historical Society's list of Hoosier counties named for Revolutionary figures:

▪ Bartholomew County named for Gen. Joseph Bartholomew
▪ Boone County named for Daniel Boone
▪ Carroll County named for Charles Carroll, last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence
▪ Clark County named for Gen. George Rogers Clark
▪ Crawford County named for Col. William Crawford
▪ Dearborn County named for Gen. Henry Dearborn
▪ DeKalb County named for Gen. Baron Johann de Kalb
▪ Dubois County named for Toussaint Dubois
▪ Fayette County named for the Marquis de Lafayette
▪ Fountain County named for named for a Maj. Fountain, of Kentucky
▪ Franklin County named for Benjamin Franklin
▪ Gibson County named for John Gibson, also Governor of Indiana Territory
▪ Greene County named for Gen. Nathanael Greene
▪ Hamilton County named for Alexander Hamilton
▪ Hancock County named for John Hancock
▪ Henry County named for Patrick Henry
▪ Huntington County named for Samuel Huntington
▪ Jackson County named for Andrew Jackson who served as a courier for the Continental Army at age 13
▪ Jasper County named for named for Sgt. William Jasper
▪ Jay County named for John Jay
▪ Jefferson County named for Thomas Jefferson
▪ Knox County named for Gen. Henry Knox
▪ Kosciusko County named for Tadeusz Kosciusko
▪ Madison County named for James Madison
▪ Marion County named for Gen. Francis Marion
▪ Marshall County named for Chief Justice John Marshall
▪ Monroe County named for James Monroe
▪ Montgomery County named for Gen. Richard Montgomery
▪ Newton County named for Sgt. John Newton
▪ Posey County named for Thomas Posey
▪ Pulaski County named for Gen. Count Casimir Pulaski
▪ Putnam County named for Gen. Israel Putnam
▪ Rush County named for Dr. Benjamin Rush
▪ Scott County named for Gen. Charles Scott
▪ Shelby County named for Isaac Shelby
▪ Starke County named for Gen. John Stark
▪ Steuben County named for Baron von Steuben
▪ Sullivan County named for Gen. Daniel Sullivan
▪ Vanderburgh County named for Henry Vanderburgh
▪ Vigo County named for Francis Vigo
▪ Warren County named for Dr. Joseph Warren
▪ Washington County named for George Washington
▪ Wayne County named for Gen. Anthony Wayne

Check out some other ways Indiana counties got their names ➡️

07/17/2026

Our featured speakers at the July 16th meeting included Abbey and Brent from the National New York Central Railroad Museum in Elkhart! What an interesting talk hearing about the only New York Central Railroad in the country!
Their next events include Walking Tours on July 18 & Aug 29th, Presentations on Aug 15 on Elkhart’s Rail Accidents & Sept 12 on Intercity Passenger Rail in the Postwar Era and their 175th Anniversary which is scheduled for Oct 3rd!

We were also joined by Chris Whitehead, Lt Governor of our Zone and guest Rob Manthey. Thank you for joining us!!!

Reach out to us, if you’d like information regarding the Elkhart Luncheon Optimist Club.

07/14/2026

Join us Thursday, July 16th to hear more about the Railroad Museum in Elkhart.
Meeting Time - Noon until 1PM
Location - Perkins Restaurant (back room).
Reservations- None required.
We hope you can join us on Thursday!

07/04/2026

07/02/2026

Let’s go ELOC peeps to the District Convention on Sept 11/12th at the Pokagon State Park. It’s only one hour from us! There’s lots to do at the park too!

06/29/2026

Clean out your cabinets as Joy Blooms needs your smaller unwanted size vases.