New Members
Please welcome the following new members!
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Vera Heilman- retired District Magistrate for Jacobus, Loganville, Shrewsbury, New Freedom, Glen Rock, Railroad Borough and Springfield and Shrewsbury Townships. Vera then worked for the Central York School District until her second retirement.
Deb Myers- retired Director for Foster Grandparent program of York County.
Keith Sheffer- Director of Finance, Children’s Home of York
Katy Baldwin- Accounts Receivable Specialist for Pengate Handling Systems
Ricky Bawroski- Contractor for the Army and Marine Corps. for Aberdeen Proving Ground
Wendy Haray- Vice President of Marketing and Securities for White Rose Credit Union
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Keith
Katy and Ricky
Deb
Wendy
A look into what our club is doing...
Central York High School's JOI Chapter
They didn’t wait to be asked. They saw a need—and chose to act.
Central York High School students are turning empathy into action through student-driven service initiatives that are making a meaningful impact across their school and community. Inspired by an article in the Optimist International 2026 Winter magazine, students independently researched the Ronald McDonald House, identified its most pressing needs, and are developing a plan to sponsor a school-wide donation drive to support families facing medical crises.
Demonstrating compassion and creativity, students assembled birthday boxes and created tie-knot blankets for Fostering Hope, York Chapter, a volunteer-run organization serving the foster care community. Through this work, students helped empower youth in foster care, support families, and restore dignity by easing children’s transitions into care.
Students have also found meaningful ways to serve within their own school community by creating “Winter Wishes” to show appreciation for teachers and volunteering at athletic events to support student wrestlers and swimmers. A small group of Optimist Club students will also represent the youth club, adult club, and Youth Community Club at the Central York School District’s annual Diversity Celebration on February 11 from 6–8 p.m., where they will help participants create positivity clips, share optimistic stickers, and recruit new members across all three levels of the Optimist organization.
Looking ahead, students will serve as greeters and servers at the district’s Sweetheart Spaghetti Dinner and will volunteer at the annual fundraiser for Miss Bobbi’s Place, a Christ-centered, townhouse-style homeless shelter in York that keeps families together through temporary housing and supportive resources.
Through these experiences, students are not only serving others but also developing leadership, empathy, and a lifelong commitment to service.
In every act, they are proving that optimism is not just a belief—it’s a choice they live out every day.
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