Le Mars Optimist Club celebrates 25 years of service

Celebrating twenty-five years of service in a community is truly an honor.  The community of Le Mars, Iowa is helping the Optimist Club celebrate their 25th anniversary by recognizing 25 years of impacting children in a positive way.

Please take a look at this wonderful article in the Le Mars Daily Sentinel.  According to Jerry Haack, charter president of the club, it all started in 1985 with a bicycle safety day, Youth Appreciation Week, essay contests, Respect for Law Week and sports contests.  The club added the Just Say No program in 1987 and has continued drug abuse awareness every year since then.

Throughout the years the club has sponsored skating, bowling, and recreation nights at the YMCA.  The events are always free and years later participants remember how much fun they had with the Optimist Club.

The Le Mars Optimist Club has also helped fund large projects in the community like the swimming pool and little league sports complex, but the members always enjoy the projects that let them work directly with the children and make them smile.

When the club was started 25 years ago, there were other service clubs in town.  However, the 39 members wanted to do something special for children.  I think they have accomplished their mission.  Thank you to the Le Mars Optimist Club for your service and best wishes for 26 more years.

Download the article for the Le Mars Sentinel in PDF. 
Photo club members planning for the Just Say No program in 1987 courtesy of the Le Mars Optimist Club. 

Optimist Clubs make great mentors

Optimist Clubs are involved in keeping kids away from drugs.  Some sponsor drug awareness programs such as DARE and others have developed programs of their own.  I recently discovered that the Auburn Optimist Club in Auburn, Nebraska has a solid collaboration with the major drug resistance program in their community.

The project is the Nemaha Against Drug & Alcohol Abuse (NADAA) Coalition.  Several area groups collaborate to make this coalition work. The school district is the partner in education and youth leadership is given over to the students themselves with the Youth Against Drug and Alcohol (YADA) Task Force.  Service clubs and individual volunteers work with these groups to provide different aspects of the program including education, funding, hospitality and mentoring for projects.

The Auburn Optimist Club is a mentor for YADA.  They help put on dances and carry out the Red Ribbon Awareness program.  They also help with fundraising by offering the students the opportunity to work in the club's firework stand.  The mentoring projects allow the participants to learn valuable social and business skills that they also share with their peers.

The Auburn Optimist Club received a Meritorious Service Award from the City for their service, but I bet their true delight was in turn recognizing the students for their great work.  Congratulations to all!

Miss Oakland County visits an Optimist Club

Ever wonder about how an Optimist Club appears to an outsider?  How about a young woman who is representing youth and young adults as a spokesperson through the Miss America organization? 

Meet Angela Venditti.  She is serving as Miss Oakland County, Michigan for 2009-2010 and her personal message about empowering youth is an ideal complement to the mission of Optimist Clubs.  Miss Oakland County recently visited the Waterford Optimist Club and told them about an early drug prevention program aimed at students in kindergarten!

So what did she think of her visit to an Optimist Club?  She said, "In my two visits to Optimist Clubs in Oakland County I've noticed two consistencies: they meet bright and early (7:00 am) and are a lively group of people who are always upbeat and happy!" 

On behalf of my happy, early-rising Optimist friends, thank you Ms. Venditti for sharing your positive message. 

Meridian Optimists learn about Drug Court

Optimist Clubs do great things in their communities and one of the ways they learn about what to do is by inviting interesting speakers to make presentations at their weekly meetings.  Presentations allow our Optimist Clubs to stay involved and relevant.  Recently the Meridian, MS Optimist Club learned about Drug Court.  Take a look:


The Optimist Club of Meridian, Mississippi has developed a relationship with the local television station WTOK and together they help make Meridian a better place to live. 

No Poison program in Bixby, Oklahoma

The Optimist Club of Bixby, Oklahoma received a $500 grant from the Optimist International Foundation for a start-up program aimed at reducing drug and alcohol abuse and smoking in teens. 

On October 30, they will roll out the second phase of their "No Poison" awareness program during the Bixby High School football game.  Here's how it works:  every student who brings in a t-shirt or cap that advertises a nicotine or alcohol product will receive a new t-shirt or cap that says no to drugs, alcohol and tobacco.  The shirts and caps will be handed out as long as they last.

In the first phase of the program teens participated in a sticker party by placing stickers on cases of beer at a local market.  The sticker reminded the clerk and the consumer to check for identification and not to sell to minors.

What an interesting way to engage with the students.  Way to go Bixby Optimists.