High Five to Optimist Club Volunteers

There is such a focus for our clubs to perform an extraordinary project that we forget that the time we spend volunteering makes just as great an impact.  The Pinal County Fair organizers gave the Sunrise Optimist Club of Casa Grande, Arizona a big shout out the Casa Grande Newspapers.

According to the article, the Sunrise Optimist Club has been manning the gates to the fair since 1977 giving more than three hundred volunteer hours each year. When a volunteer group donates their time they create a spirit of community, and in this case Optimism, from the beginning plus that frees up time and money that can be spent on making the community activity that much more special.

Let's give a big High Five to the Sunrise Optimist Club of Casa Grande.

Optimist Club recognizes that best and brightest means more than grades!

The Hattiesburg Optimist Club in Hattiesburg, MS takes time each year to recognize fifth graders for being exemplary students. However, that doesn't mean they have to athletes or straight A students. According to Optimist Club member and activity coordinator Barbara Stanford, the recognition is for "Those good students who represent their school well."

The kids were introduced by their teachers or parents and they received a medal from the Optimist Club signifying their honor. Jalah Singleton, who plans to hang her medal on the wall in her bedroom, said she enjoys representing her school. "It really makes me feel like I'm really a good student," she said. "I'm proud of myself."

Read about these great children in the Hattiesburg American.

Optimist Club helps students be the best they can be

The St. Andrews Optimist Club in South Carolina brings the business community together with Irmo High School students for the All You Can Be Awards Program. This year 77 students were recognized for classroom participation, adherence to school rules, improved grades and all-around leadership.

The St. Andrews Optimist Club receives nominations from teachers for their All You Can Be program. According to club president Ken Lowden, it's one of the finest examples he's seen of how Optimists bring out the best in kids.

Read all about the program in the Faces of Optimism Newsletter.

How one Optimist helps students express themselves

Here is a really hands-on activity for one dedicated Optimist in Mission, BC. Rhett Nicholson is the advisor to the JOOI Club sponsored by the Mission Optimist Club. Rhett and eleven JOOI Club members work together to write, design, and publish the OPTIMIX magazine.

The download is large - sorry about that - but with a little patience, you can see not only what is on the minds of teens and tweens today; but you can also see how they process the information through the graphic design and printwork that goes into just eight pages of the twenty-four page magazine. BTW, they also sell the advertising so they can afford to print and distribute the magazine at no charge.

Great job Rhett! Great job Mission! ^5 JOOI students!

Optimist Club meets to help others eat

Are your members tired of meeting? Would they rather be doing something instead of talking about it?

The Optimist Club of Issaquah, Washington decided to act on that all too common complaint. They decided to devote one meeting every month to the act of doing something for the community. Instead of sitting, eating and meeting at a local restaurant, they meet at a food kitchen and serve dinner to others. What a great way to:

Make a difference
Be active in the community
Share an optimistic way of life with others

Optimist Club makes a difference in the Cayman Islands

Some Optimist Clubs perform huge projects in their communities and I promise I will eventually highlight some of them, but I have to tell you I like simple projects the best. A simple project allows the Optimist member to interact more closely with children and show them that we care about them. I found out about a true hands-on project being performed on Grand Cayman.

The headline that I found was "Optimist Club teaches life skills." I think you will agree that reading, writing and arithmetic are life skills. Click here to see how the members of this club are tutoring and mentoring children as part of their weekly meeting. They are also working with the schools to bring about the first Optimist Oratorical Contest.

The Optimist Club of Georgetown, Grand Cayman is a recent addition to the Optimist family with only six months of activities under their belt. What a great start to making a difference on their small island.