Optimist Community Park in Janesville

More than $50,000 and 18,000 volunteer hours have gone into the development of the Optimist Community Park in Janesville, Wisconsin and more improvements are planned and currently in the works.  According to Optimist Club spokesman Al Draeger, electricity, a new shelter and a new pavilion are next on their to-do list.

The Optimist Community Park has been a project of the Tuesday Morning, Wednesday Morning and Thursday Noon Optimist Clubs in Janesville for 17 years. It is the location of the Annual Family Day Celebration organized by the clubs in early August, but most importantly, the park serves the community year round. Offering amenities like electricity and extra pavilions just add to everyone's positive experiences.

In addition to developing and maintaining the 37-acre city park, the Optimist Clubs built a concrete bridge over Spring Brook Creek, developed nature trails, and coordinate an annual park clean-up day for the community.

And to think, it all began with a candy bar sale.  Fifty cents of every dollar raised, or every candy bar sold, by the Optimist Clubs brought this park to life.