The Berry/Kauffold Scholarship 2024
The Berry/Kauffold Scholarship is designed to help students further their music education. The purpose of our scholarship is to provide monetary incentives to musically talented high school students. The money can be used to purchase/lease new or upgraded instrument(s) or to offset expenses for band camp or for private instrumental instruction from a qualified teacher or program.
The award of scholarship support is based upon completion of the application and the recommendation forms and a two-to-five minute video/audio file.
Through this program, we will be awarding $2000 to deserving high school students in Michigan.
Our goal is to encourage long-term involvement in music performance and to make students aware of the opportunity to continue performance with a community music experience and to pursuing music education after high school.
In order to apply, Scholarship applicants must :
- Attend High School in the state of Michigan
or
be sponsored by a current Michigan District Optimist Club - Be in the ninth (9th) through eleventh (11th) grade
- Current members of their high school instrumental or orchestral music program.
Application and Reference Forms
are due by April 15, 2024
All applicants with complete applications will be on the status of his/her scholarship application process.
SCHOLARSHIP PRESENTATION OF AWARDS*
- Scholarships will be awarded during the Michigan District Optimists Third Quarter Conference in May.
Time and date TBD. - Should this award presentation be postponed or cancelled due to Covid 19, the award announcements will be made via USPS mail.
- Scholarship Awards will be made at the discretion of the Scholarship Committee and must be used by September 15, 2024. The decisions of the Scholarship Committee and Judges are final.
*If the Scholarship will be used for Private Lessons a Verification Log is required
The Private Lesson Verification Log is to be sent to the address listed below no later than October 1, 2024.
The award will be known to the recipient within thirty (30) days after the log has been received.
Payment will be made directly to the student thirty (30) days after the log has been received and verified .
Send Verification Log to:
Michelle Kauffold
8898 Longview Drive
Stanwood, MI 49346
If you have any questions, please contact the
Scholarship Committee Michigan District Optimist/Optimist International
Debra Berry
(ph)248/467-0592
(email) deb@debinparis.com
or
Michelle Kauffold
(ph) 313-510-6300
(email) newmichelle@att.net
The Governor’s 3 Under 3 – Farewell Address
Hello, my fellow Michigan Optimists,
Welcome to the final chapter of the Governor’s 3 Under 3 series, where throughout the year I’ve shared three key topics in under three minutes. Today, as I conclude this series and my term as Governor, I want to speak from the heart.
Gratitude and Service
First, thank you—for everything you do. Not just for your clubs, but for your communities, for our youth, and for the future we are building together.
It has been the honor of my life to serve as your Governor. This year has reminded me that leadership isn’t about age, titles, or tradition—it’s about service. And serving all of you—the most resilient, heart-forward people I’ve ever known—has been an extraordinary privilege.
As the youngest Governor in our district’s history, I don’t see that as a personal achievement, but as proof of what’s possible when we stop asking who used to lead, and start asking who should lead next. We honor the trailblazers of our past not by standing in their footsteps, but by building new roads with the same bold, optimistic spirit.
Facing Change with Optimism
We also must be honest: for over twenty years, we’ve talked about change, and yet our membership has continued to decline—not because we’ve failed, but because the world has changed and we haven’t changed fast enough with it.
This is not a moment for despair. This is a moment for decisive optimism.
We don’t have to follow the same meeting formats from 1982. We don’t need permission from the past. You—in your clubs, in your communities —can try something new.
- Hold a pizza night at the park.
- Let a local teen run your social media.
- Launch a club that does a service project every Saturday.
Let’s redefine what it means to be an Optimist in your corner of Michigan. Let’s not protect the structure at the cost of the mission. Let’s not be so loyal to what was that we lose sight of what could be.
A Call to Lead Boldly
So I challenge you:
Be fearless. Be open. Be disruptive.
Ask for new ideas. Invite someone who’s never stepped foot in an Optimist room before. Break the mold. Because if we want different results, we must take different actions—at every level, from our local clubs to the international stage.
And I believe we will.
I’ve already seen sparks of it. Some new things have worked. Some haven’t. But that’s how we learn. That’s how we grow. That’s how we build the future we keep saying we believe in.
To our past Governors—thank you for your wisdom.
To our next leaders—lead boldly.
And to every member in the Mighty Michigan District—thank you for your trust, your partnership, and your hope.
Though I may be handing over the gavel, I will always be part of this movement—because I believe in what we do, and even more, I believe in who we are becoming.
So, let’s press on—together—to greater achievements in the future.
And always remember: Together, we can bring out the best in our youth, our communities, and most importantly, ourselves.
Stay Optimistic,
Sean Mueller
2024-2025 Michigan District Governor
Michelle Kauffold
Scholarship Committee