Contributed photo/Michigan District Optimist Club officers attended Shelby Optimist Club’s Sportsman’s Banquet at the Optimist Club building in Shelby Jan. 21. They presented members Tom Fox and Dale Burmeister (not pictured) with certificates for serving in Shelby Optimist Club for 50 years. Shelby Optimist Club members/officers and Michigan District Optimist Club officers pictured are: (center and back rows, left to right) President Deana Fox; Matt Williams; Eric Fox; Terry Leutzinger; Vice President Ross Field; Erin Stark; Treasurer Greg Seibert; (front row, left to right) Annie Hood-Simon; Optimist Zone 5 Lieutenant David Fries; Tom Fox (holding certificate); Michigan District Optimist Governor David Putt; Paul Inglis; Jack Cheever; and Todd Fox.
Tom Fox and Dale Burmeister honored for 50 years of service
SHELBY — Shelby Optimist Club members take a pledge to support youth activities and organizations throughout Oceana County. The Sportsman’s Banquet, the club’s major fundraiser that took place Jan. 21, not only helped to fulfill that pledge, but also showed the community’s eagerness to support the club’s worthy cause.
While many club members donated much time and effort in making this year’s banquet a success, the Oceana County community — individuals as well as businesses — were the ones who truly made the event a success. They generously donated thousands of dollars worth of raffle and game prizes geared toward outdoor sports enthusiasts and purchased tickets to the sold-out event.
This year, the club was honored to welcome to this long-time annual event officers from the Michigan District of Optimist International. They presented members Tom Fox and Dale Burmeister with certificates for serving in Shelby Optimist Club for 50 years. Burmeister’s grandsons accepted his certificate for him, since he was in Florida.
While at the event, the district officers remarked on the status of Shelby Optimist Club, commenting on its growth in the past several years — which they advised exceeded that of other clubs in the state. It was a pleasant surprise to hear that Shelby Optimist Club is regarded as one of the largest and most progressive clubs in Michigan. That is due to the club’s number of members as well as its successful fundraising efforts and the amount of contributions provided to youth organizations and causes in the county.
“Our club has existed for over 75 years and is one of the oldest clubs in Michigan,” said Shelby Optimist Club’s 2026 President Deana Fox. While the club began as a Shelby entity, our members are pleased and honored to have expanded our reach to serve the youth in all areas of Oceana County.”
Are you interested in becoming a member of an organization that strives to make a real difference in the lives of young people in Oceana County? Shelby Optimist Club welcomes new members. Talk to a club member or attend a meeting for more information. Meetings begin at 7 p.m. on alternating Wednesday evenings at Stony Lake Inn. The next meeting is Feb. 4.
Follow Shelby Optimist Club on Facebook or get membership information by visiting the website: https://www.shelbyoptimist.com/join/.
____________________
Please Support Local News and Sports coverage
Receive daily MCP and OCP news briefings along with email news alerts for $10 a month. Your contribution will help us to continue to provide you with free local news.
Payment can be made monthly via credit card, bank account, PayPal or Venmo through recurring email invoicing. These payments can be set up for autopay each month.
To sign up, email editor@mediagroup31.com. In the subject line write: Subscription. Please supply your name, email address, mailing address, and phone number (indicate cell phone). We will not share your information with any outside sources. For more than one email address in a household, the cost is $15 per month per email address.
Alternative methods:
- We can send you an invoice for a yearly payment of $120, which you can conveniently pay online or by check. If you are interested in this method, please email editor@mediagroup31.com and we can sign you up. You can also mail a yearly check for $120 to Media Group 31, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454 (please include your email address).
Payment must be made in advance prior to subscription activation.
We appreciate all our readers regardless of whether they choose to continue to access our service for free or with a monthly financial support.
_____
This story and original photography are copyrighted © 2026, all rights reserved by Media Group 31, LLC, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454. No portion of this story or images may be reproduced in any way, including print or broadcast, without expressed written consent.
As the services of Media Group 31, LLC are news services, the information posted within the sites are archivable for public record and historical posterity. For this reason it is the policy and practice of this company to not delete postings. It is the editor’s discretion to update or edit a story when/if new information becomes available. This may be done by editing the posted story or posting a new “follow-up” story. Media Group 31, LLC or any of its agents have the right to make any changes to this policy. Refer to Use Policy for more information.
.png)
