Students earn points to buy gifts for others

It's Christmastime around the world and for Optimist Clubs that means Christmas Tree sales, Breakfast with Santa and Shop with a Cop activitities, among many more traditional and non-traditional projects to help bring joy to the lives of children. Well here's a project that teaches discipline while bringing meaning to the season.

On December 21, 2015 at Horace Mann Elementary School in Sioux City, South Dakota, the students went on a shopping spree for Christmas gifts. The twist? They purchased the gifts with points they had earned in class during the semester. According to teacher Jaci Mowinkel, the points are given for completing homework, following directions, replacing their books when finished and other tasks that are often hard especially for students with behavioral issues.

Now of course there is another twist to this Christmas story. Normally, the students earn points as an award for themselves, but this time, they used the points to procure Christmas presents for others. Now that's the meaning of the season.

The Optimist Club of Sioux City was there to help wrap the gifts. Members help purchase the merchandise carried in the store throughout the year.

Please click here to enjoy the video of the story at KDLT News Today. 

A woman to lead

I hope that I don't offend you with a general observation that I am going to make: service clubs are famous for promoting old men. Similar to when you look at corporate organizational structures, when you look at the boards of directors and officers at club and international levels, the men far outnumber the women.

Nonetheless, I am still surprised when I run across an Optimist Club that has just installed its first female president. Kudos this morning to the Morning Optimist Club of Yankton, South Dakota and president Lisa Berry.

Lisa is shown here making a donation to the Yankton Baseball Association. The club is an active supporter of youth sports and education in the community and in the past year has donated almost $25,000 to academic and athletic programs. It also contributes to leadership programs including Boy Scouts and the Boys & Girls Club, among others.

Working on leadership within its core has been on the club members' minds. According to member Jacob Hoffner, the club has been encouraging Lisa to take the reins for many years. Her accepting this new role has been accompanied by a younger set joining the Optimist Club. Boasting ten new members thus far, the Morning Optimist Club of Yankton now has 99 members.

Good luck in your growth, Optimists. Thank you for your service. And best wishes to Lisa and the many more women that will follow in her footsteps.

Photo credit: www.yankton.net

An Optimist Club member's work is never done

It's July 6. The 93rd Annual Optimist International Convention has come to a close. Optimist Club members came together to tweak policies, elect officers, learn about new opportunities to work with our communities and share our spirit of positivity.

It was a good weekend, and at home, our Optimist Clubs continued their fine work. For example, in Bixby Oklahoma, a new shoe drive began.  According to Dr. Tom Outhier, school begins on August 11 and shoes are needed, any size for school-aged children. The Optimist Club distributes the shoes before opening day through the Bixby Community Outreach Center.

In Middleton, Idaho, the Optimist Club set up a refreshment stand at the annual 4th of July parade in order to help raise funds for a new middle school tennis program with the potential players as the lead salespeople.

In Huntsville, Alabama, the new "Everybody Can Play Playground" opened with an 8-year child with Downs Syndrome as one of the first taker. The Kiwanis and Optimist Clubs raised $450,000 to construct the playground and plan on raising another $250,000 for a splash pad.

The Morning Optimist Club of Sioux Falls, South Dakota planned a carnival to raise money to send kids with cancer to camp Bring it On. The carnival will be held August 27.

In Canada and the Caribbean, throughout the United States and all countries with Optimist Clubs, great work continues with the spirit of optimism. Our cause, our mission is strong.

"This is what we as Optimists do"

“We support kids in the community, and this is one of the things that we as Optimists do,” said Todd Winkel, Member, Brandon Valley Optimist Club.

In this instance, the Optimist Club was donating $905 to help defray the costs of school lunches throughout the school district. It is done nearly anonymously as the school food services director watches for students whose school lunch funds are running low and then supplements their accounts to be sure those children do not go hungry.

The Brandon Valley Optimist Club raised the money through the Annual Wild Game Feed. The wild game was donated from hunters in the community and included pheasant, geese, duck, caribou, elk and venison. About 250 people attended the event.

Formed in 2008, the Brandon Valley Optimist Club is located in Brandon, SD. They are known in the community for hosting unusual fundraising events. One of the fun activities occurred soon after the club was organized: Plunger Bowl 2009. Take a look at the fun.

Plunger Bowl 2009 from BIG John Small on Vimeo.

Meet the Watertown Optimist Club

The Optimist Club of Watertown, South Dakota has started a blog. On the home page they have a picture of their members and they say, "Get to know us!"

So that's what I wanted to do today. Please allow me to introduce you to the great folks and Optimist Club members in Watertown.  Click here to visit their blog. 

Like our club yesterday, you can see that Optimist Club members are different ages, blending different personalities, project and styles.  I bet you can find a club to fit your style too.

Please click here to find an Optimist Club near you. 

How do you decorate your bike?

It was a great day to decorate a bicycle.  That's what Jade Jager and about 200 other children thought when they attended the Bicycle Rodeo on June 16 put on by the Optimist Club of Brookings, South Dakota and the Brooking Police Department. 

A bicycle track was set up near the Brookings Library and the children were provided safety tips, riding lessons and helmets.  They were able to watch a safety video and talk with the officers.  The VFW provided American flags which many students used for decorations on their bike.  

Photo credit: The Brookings Register

Optimist Club shares passion for skiing

Some parts of the country have been seeing so much snow this year that teaching kids to ski seems like it would be an especially good thing.  In Rapid City, South Dakota, the Optimist Club certainly thinks so. 

The Rapid City Optimist Club recently held the 7th Annual Learn to Ski Day at Terry Peak.  Twenty children from the Big Brothers/Big Sisters participate in the program.  According to Nate Larson, volunteer coordinator, most of these children have never skied before. 

The day begins when the kids are loaded onto the Optimist bus at 7:00 a.m. for the trip to Terry Peak.  They learn at ski school at 10:00 a.m. and then enjoy three hours of skiing with Optimist Club members serving as guides.  The kids are then treated to lunch before they have to load back on the bus for the trip home. 

The Terry Peak Ski Area discounts the skiing for the day and many sponsors help cover the cost of the event for the children.  Thanks to the Rapid City Optimist Club, Big Brothers/Big Sisters and Black Hills Ski Club for sharing their passion for the sport with others.

See an article from the Rapid City Journal here.

Optimist Club members are grantmakers in South Dakota

Coupons, free food and a chance to win prizes during the Super Bowl.  All of this can be yours when you purchase a Football Playoff Book from the Optimist Club of Spearfish, SD.  According to the sales pitch, the book will make a great gift or stocking stuffer, but the story behind the pitch is what the Optimist Club does every year for the community thanks to the generous purchases at this one time of year.

The Spearfish Optimist Club holds only two fundraisers each year, the Football Playoff Books and a Home Show.  They raise about $30,000 that is returned to the community in the form of youth programs, student of the month recognition and grants and scholarship awards.  Fifty-two organizations other than the Optimist Club are beneficiaries of this clubs fundraising efforts.  They also accept grant requests from individuals and clubs seeking to fulfill their needs.  You can find a grant request application here. 

Optimist Clubs fulfill needs in their local communities.  The Spearfish Optimist Club has found their niche in fundraising and grantmaking.  Thank you for serving your community.