Super Kids are the focus of the Breakfast Optimist Club

In Quincy, Illinois, the Breakfast Optimist Club sponsors a Soap Box Derby.

Over the past three years, it has grown from 65 to 122 participants and enlarged from a 1-day event to 2-days.

The competition takes place at the 18th Street Hill near Bob Mays Park, and that is a perfect location to generate some speed and excitement for the Super Kids Soap Box Derby Competition.

Who are the Super Kids who take part?
Special needs children from local organizations.

According to race director Ray Wilson, Quincy, Illinois will soon be known as the epicenter for the Super Kids Soap Box Derby. Although the Derby is a fundraiser for the Breakfast Optimist Club's cancer fund, the Super Kids are not charged an entry fee. Local sponsors like Hy-Vee and Home Depot, among others, make it possible to treat the children to a great event and support another great cause. "This whole project sounds enormous to many," said Wilson, "but it is not difficult when people's hearts are in the right place."

Wilson went on to explain that many of these parents have difficulty involving their sons and daughters in sporting events. The Super Kids races are very positive event for them, the children and the community.

That's what being an Optimist Club member is all about: Bringing out the best in youth, our community and ourselves.

Photo: Michael Kipley

Bowling for a break

At Thanksgiving, we showed you Bowling for Turkeys.

For Christmas, we bring you bowling for a break. This glimpse into a little project by the Mendota Optimist Club is an example of how Optimist Clubs step up to engage children at times when they are looking for something to do, like Christmas break.

The Christmas holiday can be kind of long, or short, depending on your perspective. Keeping it full of fun activities heightens enjoyment.

This bowling and pizza party took place on December 30, 2015 and drew 134 children, 6-16 years of age. Buy pizza and offer free bowling; yes, it's just that easy to make a difference in your community when you belong to an Optimist Club.

Join an Optimist Club today. 

Photo: Jennifer Sommer, the Mendota Reporter

Snowing on Santa's House

It's snowing on Santa's House in Belleville, Illinois. According to the children and the Optimist Club, it's a beautiful sight. I agree.

Post by Santa's House.

Eerie or cute, it's Halloween

It's Halloween time, with ghouls, goblins and zombies appearing all about town and many are with an Optimist Club. I've seen parties, trunk or treat, and many more activities that are worthy of mention like the absolutely adorable pumpkin races that are taking place in Princeton, Illinois.

News and Weather For The Quad Cities -

However, I've only seen one activity where the name truly fits: Eerie Erie. Yes, that's right, the Optimist Club of Erie, Colorado encourages the community to come out in costume for a 5k or 10k Goblin run or walk about town. They make the town eerie, if only for a few hours, just in time for Halloween. Some photos of the event, courtesy of the Erie Optimist Club are shown here. To learn more, please visit the Erie Optimist Club website. 

Optimist Oratorical Contest season in full swing

It's that time of year that every Optimist Club looks forward to: Optimist Oratorical Contest season. For the next few months, clubs will work with and hear from students on the topic, "Why My Voice is Important."

All contests start at the club level. Every Optimist Club determines what the club level prize will be for their contestants. Some opt for medallions or trophies while others provide scholarships of varying amounts. However, all students are competing for a district scholarship award of $2,500. 

Districts also have the opportunity to determine how prizes are awarded. Some have boy and girl categories where the first place boy speaker and girl speaker each receive $2,500. Other districts combine the genders and award three prizes of $2,500, $1,500 and $1,000.

One thing is universal. The talent of the students and their courage for participating is inspirational. I look forward to it every year. 

The Optimist Club of Belleville, Illinois held its club level contest on February 12, 2013. Shown here are Armoni Perryman, Nycholas Cole, Damon Sanders, Katie Cottle, and Mahlik Good. Damon and Katie finished in first place and earned a $100 cash prize. They will advance to the Illinois District regional contest in Springfield, Illinois on March 23. 

If you or someone you know would like to participate in the Optimist International Oratorical Contest, please download the application here and then locate an Optimist Club near you to get involved. 

A reflection on belonging

I chose to join an Optimist Club because in my hometown the Optimist Club represented influence and affluence. To belong to this group meant something more than joining a service club; it was an opportunity to be mentored by some of the most successful business people in the community and to occasionally rub elbows with them in social settings. It was prestigious.

Funny, as a teenager, one never wants to be associated with the group tagged as social climbers, yet then and now, we all seek that prestige of belonging when we buy expensive accessories like handbags or tennis shoes that align us with certain groups.  We even carry around a Starbucks coffee cup like a badge of achievement sending the messages, "I can afford it," and "I'm worth it," among others. Prestige may be a subconscious trigger, but compelling nonetheless.

Yesterday, I attended a regional gathering of Optimist Clubs in Twin Falls, Idaho. This club is fast approaching the 150-member mark. An active and vital service organization, they have that prestige trigger working for them. The prestige of belonging to the Twin Falls Optimist Club is that you get to associate with fun people who are actively involved in positive change the community. Isn't that motivation enough? Perhaps, but even more encouraging is to learn that all of those many people really care about their community and what's more, they care about you. 

On my way home from the meeting, I heard the sad news that vocalist Whitney Houston had died. Sparked by the feeling of belonging to an Optimist Club, I thought how sad this remarkable artist was not able to find such comfort in her life. Despite her success, she seemed to live on the fringe.

In tribute to Whitney Houston and others who grapple with their own dependencies including issues of self esteem and others, I offer this powerful song, "Someone Like You," by Adele for Music Sunday at Experience Optimism.

"I wish nothing but the best for you," sings Adele. That single line reminds me of the feeling I get from the Twin Falls Optimist Club members. Concern, combined with a sense of belonging can be a powerful force for good.

50 years of Christmas tree sales for the Deerfield Optimists

Click for more pictures.

Another day brings us to another Optimist Club charitaable Christmas Tree lot.

This time we visit the Optimist Club of Deerfield, Illinois where they have been using the proceeds from tree sales to offset expenses for projects in their community for 50 years.

In fact, the Deerfield Optimists make it a point to reach out to the community with a project at least once per month with projects like Mudfest, the Halloween Hoopla and Optimist International Oratorical and Essay Contests and the Illinois District Just Say No to Drugs Poster Contest.

Please help them make even more happen in the community in 2012 by buying your tree at the Deerfield Optimist charitable Christmas Tree Sale at 836 Jewett Park Drive or get even more involved by joining them. Contact President Mary Lou Heinrichs today.

Happy Holidays start with a parade

Belleville Optimist Club
Santa House (1963)

It was a pretty day in Belleville, Illinois as the Optimist Club held their annual Santa Parade and welcomed Santa Claus to his home away from home that he uses when he visits with children in the area.

Santa has been staying at the Belleville Optimist Club Santa House for almost 50 years. Lee Rhodes shared this picture of the house being placed in 1963. According to Charles Mayhew, the house was built that year by the Chamber of Commerce for $2,500.

Click here to see the Belleville Optimist Club Santa House today.

The Optimist Club took over the operation of the house in 1994 along with the coordination of the parade. Some of the special guests this year, along with the jolly old elf himself, were these adorable marching snowmen (ahem) ladies.

Marching "Frosty the Snowman" in the
Belleville Optimist Club Santa Parade

I think you'll agree, there's nothing like a parade to get you in the spirit of the season. Happy Holidays are here.

Can the Optimist come out to play?

Q: Is it the children or the adults that make an Optimist Club special?

A: Both!

As you can see in this video from the Optimist Club of Waterloo, Illinois, an Optimist Club is about sharing positive activities with each other. Sometimes it is all about the kids. Other times it is about the adults. But the best times and truest smiles come when they are together, doing projects, learning skills, and playing.

Yes, playing.



Let the big kid in you out once in awhile. Find an Optimist Club and join today.

Free, free, free GOLF!

Thumbs up for junior golf!

You may have heard that there is no such thing as a free lunch, but I know that many Optimist Clubs are experts in providing free lunches for children who need them.  In fact, the Chilliwack Optimist Club has been doing so for six years.

We've also read about free swimming days, free fishing opportunities, free movies, free skating and bowling and more right here on this blog.

Yes, Optimist Club provide a number of opportunities for children to play and participate in community events and attractions at low and no cost for families; but this is one of the few times that I have seen this offer: Free GOLF. 

Hurry! If you want to take part in this unusually generous free event, and you live in Des Plaines, Illinois, you need to learn more by visiting the Des Plaines Park District right now because the Annual Free Optimist Club Youth Golf Outing takes place tomorrow, Wednesday, August 10.

According to Brian Panek with the Park District, everyone is a winner with the Des Plaines Optimist Club Golf Tournament. All junior golfers, ages 9-16, will receive a complimentary round of golf, lunch and prizes.

The outing will take place at the Lake Park Golf Course with a 10:00 a.m. shotgun start. The course and club ask that golfers have some course play experience. For more information, please call 847.803.4653.

Photo credit: PNW District - Optimist International Junior Golf Tournament CA. 

Fundraising gets dirty

Although I now live in Idaho, my original Optimist Club was the Optimist Club of Granite City, Illinois. I served in quite a few district roles in the Illinois District, including District Secretary/Treasurer in 1995-1996. Because of my history, I try to pay special attention to projects in Illinois. Sad to say, the southern part of the state does not get as much press as the northern part of the state. It might have something to do with The Patch, the local, online reporting network. Kudos to the writers and publishers of The Patch for publishing local stories of interest, especially those positive stories performed by service clubs.

Today, editor Steven Jack submitted this dirty, mud-filled video of an Oswego Optimist Club fundraiser. Find out more about the popular annual mud volleyball tournament and fundraiser here.

Make it easy to join

The Optimist Club of Waterloo, Illinois has a new website. It was built with a WordPress theme by a professional web designer and allows visitors to not only see what activities the club engages in, but also to register online and buy tickets for the large events. It is organized in a way that gives you every opportunity to be a participant in the activities offered by the Optimist Club.

Take a look at the Activities page as an example. There is something for participants to do every month of the year.

Next, head over to the Scholarship page and you are able to download an application for you or your child to complete.

Scroll down on any page and you'll even see a widget asking you for a donation to the Waterloo Skate Park and a thank you for JV's Bar and Grill for years of great food and service. There are also widgets displaying videos from Optimist International and optimistic quotes and thoughts of the day.

However, with all of these wonderful calls to action, they have perhaps missed some of the most basic elements of engagement:

• When does the club meet?
• Is there a cost? 
• How do  I join? 

To be fair, there is a contact page where one might ask such questions, but it is an impersonal form with a pesky captcha phrase needed in order to complete. It seems a shame to have created such an informative website and yet still be unapproachable.

Monday morning tip: Please take a look at your website today and make certain that your club is as welcoming to new member volunteers as you are to participants in your activities. Make it easy to visit and join your Optimist Club.

Your fellow members will thank you for the help and future generations will thank you for the legacy of service. 

If you would like to visit the Waterloo Optimist Club, they meet on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays, 6:30 p.m., JV's Downtown Bar and Grill, 117 N. Main Street. 

Encore! The Town Theater keeps on giving

One of my favorite Optimist Club stories of 2010 has returned to the news this week. In 2009, the Optimist Club of Chillicothe, Illinois purchased and restored The Town movie theater in downtown Chillicothe.  I believe this is a great display of how an Optimist Club can serve economic development goals.

In 2010, the club went on to have fundraising drives and a grand red carpet event for the opening. The entire community was involved.

Now in 2011, they are recognizing more than individuals for their participation in the cause and they are doing so with cash. Donations of cash  that is. Seventeen youth groups were on hand last weekend to share in the $10,000 profits that the theater earned its first year in business.

According to the Optimist Club treasurer Irv Latta, roughly each ticket purchased allows the Optimist Club to donate $2.79 to children's groups, clubs and projects. The message, everyone should see more movies!

Congratulations again to the Chillicothe Optimist Club on the success of this project and thank you for bringing value to your community.

Photo provided by the Chillicothe Optimist Club. Please read more from the Chillicothe Times Bulletin here.

Optimist of the Year raises $50,000

One of my favorite Optimist Club projects from last year actually began in October 2009 when the Optimist Club of Chillicothe, Illinois decided to reinvest in their community by purchasing and renovating the movie theater in their downtown core.

In May 2010, the community celebrated the grand reopening the Town Theater with a red carpet gala.

A little over a year after deciding on this revitalization project, the Chillicothe Optimist Club recognized one of their own for her great dedication to the project. J.B. Culbertson was named Optimist of the Year and recognized at the club's annual dinner by immediate past president Mike Mahoney.  According to Mahoney, Culbertson was enthusiastic about the project from its inception and almost single-handedly raised $50,000 towards the mortgage.

Congratulations to Ms. Culbertson, the Optimist Club and the community.

Thanks to the Optimist Club of Chillicothe for the story and picture.

Holiday memories are created throughout the year

Granite City Steel, Granite City, IL

I am originally from the Midwest - Granite City, Illinois to be exact. Granite City was once an industrial town with steel mills that bolstered the standard of living. Today it is in transition and sadly, it has been in this transition for nearly twenty years.

Nonetheless, Granite City is where I grew up, started my first business, and first joined an Optimist Club. It holds childhood memories, coming of age exploits, failures and successes, and the expectation that it is right to give back to our communities.

When I left Granite City twelve years ago, I was in search of a new career, new adventures and a new me. I didn't look back. However, my experiences with Optimist Clubs continue to remind me of the way things were and especially during the holiday season, those memories can be both happy and sad. That's the beauty and drawback of nostalgia.

Santa's House, Belleville, IL

What got me started on this line of thinking today was a Google alert from the Downtown Belleville Optimist Club. As I scanned this list of activities in the Belleville community looking for the Optimist Club entry, I recognized so many more places and references. I know just what the Highland Fish Fry looks like, and I've been to many benefit dinners like the one that tops the list for worker laid-off from work. I've visited the festivals, seen most of the town squares, and of course, participated in the Belleville Noon Optimist Club Christmas events.

It is frightening, yet comforting, to wrap so many experiences into a small, random list. But missing from this list are the family and friends that come together on any given day to make our lives complete.

Christmas and holiday memories are important. Take time to make them with your children and loved ones so they may look back on them with fondness.  That is what makes a family.

Take time throughout the year to offer your service to others. Volunteer, participate and be involved. That is what makes a community.

And don't forget to live every day to the fullest, with gratitude, respect and love for all. That is what makes a life.

Photo credits: www.builtstlouis.net; www.bellevillesantahouse.com

It's okay to promote your business through an Optimist Club

It's not very pretty, but it is effective. That's right, I'm reviewing another Optimist Club website today. I came across this one from an alert about sponsorships. According to the alert, the Optimist Club of Glenview, Illinois was offering sponsor links from their website for a mere $25 annual donation. Seems like a good deal to me. I clicked over to find that was an offer for members only, and still a good deal.

In addition to making a little money from this endeavor, it allows the Optimist Club to promote local businesses and increase networking activities. We join Optimist Clubs to serve our communities, but networking and increased business opportunities are a positive way to reward our dedicated members. Don't be afraid or too shy to promote your connections to your community on your Optimist Club website or blog.

Optimist Clubs are about people and projects

The Optimist Club of Deerfield, Illinois performs so many activities in their community. They are the go-to-people for other organizations when they need a helping hand with a project or to fulfill a quick need that arises for a child or group of children, but they never stop doing what they do as annual activities to benefit the youth in their community.  Here is a video they produced of their major fundraiser - Christmas tree sales - and some of their favorite projects and people. Enjoy.

Helping children return to school

The Optimist Club of Des Plaines, Illinois adopted the Plainfield Elementary School for their first-ever school supply drive. And what a supply drive it was!

The Optimist Club reached out to members and were rewarded with an SUV-load of crayons, paper, pencils, binders and more supplies than were expected. It took a flat-bed dolly to move the supplies inside and once inside the kiddos were there to help sort, stack and distribute the supplies to others.

As we know, the economic situation has made it especially tough for families to send their children back to school.  School supply drives are becoming much more common amongst Optimist Clubs.

Thanks to the Des Plaines Optimist Club for the pictures, the story and especially for serving your community.

Optimist Club history in a slideshow

The Optimist Club of Centralia, Illinois is working on a new website.

They have decided on a WordPress theme and are working out the kinks.  One of the fun additions to their site is a neat slideshow that shows some of the history of the club with both newspaper articles and pictures.  You can enjoy their story here.

Chillicothe Optimist Club to host Red Carpet Event

The Town Theater in Chillicothe, Illinois will open tonight with a red carpet event.  According to the article in the Peoria Journal Star:

Plans Saturday night include the arrival, starting at 6 p.m., of dignitaries - a list that includes Chillicothe Mayor Troy Childers and the mayors of Lacon and Henry - who will be let out of shiny new cars at the curb and onto a red carpet. Paparazzi will be snapping their photos and microphones of interviewers will be thrust in their faces.

Restored and now operated by the Chillicothe Optimist Club, they will use the profits to fund youth programs in the community.

The opening night movies are "Ironman 2" with Robert Downey Jr. and "The Back-up Plan" with Jennifer Lopez.   The movies will begin at 7 p.m.


For more information on this project, please read:Experience Optimism: Optimist Club reinvests in their community first published October 25, 2009.