Why do Optimist Volunteers matter?

It has been two months since my last post. That seems impossible to me, but the archives do not lie so as I set out this morning to catch up - so to speak - I was contemplating a very serious topic. I planned to explain that in a membership organization members are customers. Not only are they customers, many are fans; the people that will always buy what you are selling. I was then going to launch into a critique about the services that are missing from the district in which my Optimist Club belongs and caution that if members' needs are not met, like most customers, they will shop around and perhaps find their supplies somewhere else. If one is not cautious and strategic, a club will lose its fans.

Whew! That's a one paragraph recap to what was going to be a 300-word essay.

Here is what saved you from my pontifical  musing. I opened my email to find the latest club bulletin from the Optimist Club of Albuquerque. Editor Jim White puts a lot of information into the four-page publication every week and this week was no different. What caught my attention and made me smile was this picture.

The caption read: First Graders at Janet Kann Elementary with Optimist backpacks full of supplies.

As I looked at the picture, I thought, those backpacks could have been provided by anyone or any group, but they were not.  

They were provided by an Optimist Club. 

Like most Optimist Club members, I enjoy the social proof that answers the question, why are you an Optimist? This picture explains what we do (help children) and one can imagine how we do it (collecting and distributing school supplies) and why we do it (so that children can participate in school and get the education they need to live up to their full potential).

What it doesn't explain is how belonging to an Optimist Club makes the difference. Bringing caring adults together on a regular basis, Optimist Clubs discover local needs and develop plans to meet those needs. As an established organization, the Optimist Club offers a consistent point of contact; serves as a charitable fundraiser and funding source; and shares hope through positive words and deeds in the community.

Optimist Clubs are as relevant today as they were when they started in 1911. Yes, there is more competition from other organizations and corporations that provide social welfare and civic services, but only one provides the opportunity to serve as an Optimist Volunteer.  Optimist Clubs, the local chapters of Optimist International, are the positive face of community service in North America and around the world.

You are invited to be an Optimist Volunteer. Find a club near you and #JoinAnOptimistClub today.

Photo credit: Optimist Club of Albuquerque

Hope for the future

Optimist Clubs are made up of diverse people with different personalities, backgrounds and dreams. However they all share one trait. Can you guess what it is?

Hope.

Optimist Club members have hope for the future, for ourselves, and for others.

All Optimist Club members want to make our world a better place. With tens of thousands of people working toward the  mission,"Optimist Club members bring out the best in youth, community and ourselves," how could it be any other way?

By adding hope into our daily lives just as if it were a spiritual practice, Optimist Club members share a positive vision of where they are and where they want to be.

That shared vision of a positive world makes being an Optimist volunteer special. The good we do in our communities is balanced by the good we feel in ourselves when we accomplish a big or small task in service to others.

Won't you join us? 

You can add hope to your life: join an Optimist Club today. Find one near you at this list or send me a message and I'll help you start a new Optimist Club in your community.

Stop the busy-ness

Early in my membership, I learned that people are too busy to join an Optimist Club. At least that is what they say. Often they promise that when their schedule lightens up, they'll think about it, only to find that their schedule never lightens up at all.

So to overcome that excuse, a real optimist will typically say, "Busy members make the best members because they know how to prioritize their time."

That works. Sometimes.

But let's face it, busy people are not always the most productive because they often glorify their busy-ness. What do I mean?

In between work, chauffering children, eating dinner with the family, taking time for elderly parents, going to church, completing housework and yardwork, and a million and one other tasks that consume our days, we often find that we are focused on the action and not on the results. We have to go here, go there, do this, do that, and then start it all over again, day after day.

Caught up in all that busy-ness, multitasking becomes the norm and causes busy people to lose their focus. This message is meant to sound an alarm. Focus is good; it brings clarity before action and allows one to choose their next steps with a desired result in mind.  There is a saying that the proof is in the pudding. That means, results will do the talking; i.e., don't tell me what you are going to do. Show me.

My message today: STOP the busy-ness in your life.

Take time to make a difference in your life, your community and with youth by joining an Optimist Club.

Devoting one hour per week, or less, as an Optimist Volunteer will lead to positive thoughts and actions. And with clarity of focus, it will lead to a positive life.

Click to find an Optimist Club near you or send me a message and I will help you start one in your community.

Friends are the pot of gold you seek

Holidays, real and imagined, bring Optimist Club members out to party. Sometimes it's with children, like Christmas, and sometimes it's an adults-only activity, like St. Patrick's Day.

In Idaho, two Optimist Clubs are fundraising on this day of wearing o'the green. In McCall, Idaho, there will be a bingo game with cash prizes. "Do you feel lucky?" the Optimist Club asks. Dress up in green and lucky players might win a special prize in addition to their potential bingo winnings!

In Meridian, Idaho, the Optimist Club will host its Luck o'the Irish Casino Night. No cash prizes are available at this one, but there is plenty of fun in the casino-style game night, plus door prizes and raffle items to boot.  The Meridian Fire District Drum and Bugle Pipes and Drum Corps are partners in this 9th annual event.

These events have more in common than their green themes. Both are good examples of how the Optimist Club raises money and sparks fellowship at the same time. Optimist Club members will tell you that putting on a program or carrying out a project builds a team spirit and helps our members get to know one another better. Club membership - fellowship - leads not only to good deeds for the community; it leads to friendship for all.

Join an Optimist Club and you'll find that pot of gold known as friendship.

Click here to find an Optimist Club near you.

If you would like to start a new Optimist Club, click here and I'll lend you a hand.

Or, click here to be a Friend of Optimists.

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2017

What's the best resolution you can make for the new year?

You guessed it:
Resolve to join an Optimist Club.

When you join an Optimist Club, you come together with like-minded people to make a difference in the lives of others. Most important, you will make a difference in your life.

It's true; Optimist Clubs bring out the best in youth, community and ourselves. We see challenges and work to make them better. We see progress and celebrate success. We provide hope.

Optimist is in our name for a reason. This is your invitation to be an Optimist Club member and bring optimism into your life for good.

Click here to find an Optimist Club near you.

Click here if I might help you start a new Optimist Club in your community.

Click here to be a Friend of Optimists.

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2017.

Adventure begins in an Optimist Club

I love to travel. I have recently returned from a month-long vacation to Spain and Italy and it was amazing. Visiting sites, like the Montserrat Monestary and the Leaning Tower of Pisa, that were built in 985 and 1065 respectively, is awe-inspiring. Perhaps even more amazing are the many tours to the museums where one can see the magnificent works of great artists and sculptors like Michelango and Donatello, among others. I can't begin to express the beauty of the churches where looking at the floor is as wondrous as looking at the alter and ceiling. An adventure awaits at every turn.

At home in the USA, we have beauty and wonder, too; but our history is just not as old. We make up for it in experiences that we share every day.

For me, some of the greatest experiences have been had by sharing optimism with others in the pursuit of bringing out the best in youth, community and ourselves as members of an Optimist Club.

What we do today as Optimist Club members helps preserve our legacy so perhaps in hundreds of years visitors my find our communities as inspiring as we find Europe today.

Won't you help us preserve our culture? Join an Optimist Club and get involved by finding an Optimist Club at the following links.

Click here to find an Optimist Club near you.
Click here if I might help you start a new Optimist Club in your community.
Click here to be a Friend of Optimists.

Trick or Treat

October brings changing colors, cooler weather and Halloween with all the ghouls, goblins, witches and pumpkins that one can imagine.

It's that last one that brings out the Optimist Club members today. In Windsor, Ontario, the Riverside Optimist Club is hosting a free pumpkin decorating contest for the kiddos. Now that's a Halloween treat for sure.

Optimist Clubs can be found in most cities, helping to bring out the best in youth, community and you. If you want to be a part of the BEST movement, find an Optimist Club near you and join today. If you can't find a club, please let me know and I'll help you start one in your community.

Here are some of our kids creations so far! 🎃🎃🎨 pic.twitter.com/hmCyN1Otw0

— Riverside Optimists (@RiversideOC) October 29, 2016

You can be anything - be an optimist

The new school season is upon us and as our young learners head back to the classroom, so do their teachers and mentors and encouragers of all ages. Over the next nine months, a great amount of time will be spent in reading, writing and arithmetic; and for some, sports will absorb many remaining hours.

Of course, all will become better versed in digital media because technology is the way of the future, but who will help shape our students' attitudes and behaviors?

Teachers, coaches, friends and parents help shape the worldview of the youngsters within their reach. Isn't it best to share a positive outlook?

Hope defines the American way of life and that hope should begin at an early age. One might imagine how difficult it is to teach hope given how the nightly news spreads its tales of trouble and woe. Imagine being a child during the 2016 election season. What does that teach her or him about becoming an adult?

We must teach kindness, respect and optimism to our little ones so that they may grow up to be open-minded, tolerant, forgiving and positive. In a land where we can grow up to be anything, we must be an Optimist, first and foremost. It is the only way to share hope.

Do you want to be part of the Optimist movement? I hope so! Ask me how you can join today.

Like a bundle of wood, we're stronger together

For two years, Optimist International has offered a great deal for individuals who want to become
Friends of Optimist. For only $300, an Optimist Club can purchase a Community Impact Bundle and activate 6 members with it. That's only $50 per membership for someone to learn about an Optimist Club and its projects and Optimist International and its purposes.

As I was thinking about the word bundle today, a story I heard of a father and his three sons came to my mind. In the story, the father was concerned because the brothers were always fighting, disagreeing and putting their own needs first. So he brought them three pieces of wood and asked them to break the sticks in half. The strong young men did so quite easily. He then produced a bundle of sticks and asked each boy to break it. They couldn't. When banded together, the bundle of sticks was strong. It held firm. And so would the brothers and the family.

Optimist Clubs are like families. We join together under the Optimist International umbrella and we serve many communities around the world, but we never do this alone. We do it with other Optimist Volunteers and community members that want their communities to be the best they can be. In that way, each Optimist Club is like the bundle of sticks. Together we achieve more.

That's why it is so important that we add new members to our Optimist Clubs. Don't be shy - use the Community Impact Bundle and save money for the great projects that your Optimist Club will do this year and next; but hurry! The Community Impact Bundle will end on September 30, 2016.

Here are the details:

1. For bundles purchased during the 2014-15 Optimist year, each Friend must be activated by December 31, 2015. Clubs will not be refunded or credited for any Friends that are not activated by 12/31/15.
2. For bundles purchased during the 2015-16 Optimist year, each Friend must be activated by September 30, 2016. Clubs will not be refunded or credited for any Friends that are not activated by 9/30/16.
3. Friends count toward membership in the Optimist year in which they are activated.
4. Clubs will not receive any reimbursement for Friends in the Community Impact Bundle.
5. Once activated, the Friend Membership is valid for one calendar year from the date it was activated.
6. If a Friend decides to renew after one year, it will cost the regular $100, and the Club will receive $40.

Purchase a Community Impact Bundle with the form at this link.

Activate new members with the form at this link.

Be a positive influence

There is no doubt that I like the way the Optimist International mission statement has been revised.

Old: With hope and positive vision, Optimist Clubs bring out the best in children.

New: With hope and positive vision, Optimist Clubs bring out the best in youth, our community and ourselves.

I take a few liberties when I write the phrase. For instance, it should actually read "Optimists" instead of "Optimist Clubs." In the old phrasing, it read "kids" instead of "children."

For me, the positive difference is felt in our communities and if I could rewrite it again, I would simply say Optimist Clubs bring out the best in your community and you.

That way, the ubiquitous you refers to everyone, children and adults alike, and the shorter phrase keeps it snappy. Besides, optimist may be in our name, but not every club promotes hope. Hope and positive vision may be byproducts, but many clubs promote sports or other projects first rather than psychology or optimistic behavior.

As much as we are the same, every Optimist Club is different. We adopt the culture of our community and its members. We are uniquely local, meeting needs of those nearest to us.

We are positive influencers of good deeds. We are Optimists. And we are needed. Won't you share optimism with your community? Join an Optimist Club today.

Click here to find an Optimist Club near you.
Click here if I might help you start a new Optimist Club in your community.
Click here to be a Friend of Optimists.

Back to School Special

Optimist International has introduced a new membership incentive just in time for the new school
year.

Between now and September 30, 2016, teachers may join an Optimist Club for only $30 due to Optimist International. Clubs must also pay the $15 processing fee and any dues to districts that are required.

The incentive is timely and a wonderful way to introduce educators to an Optimist Club. Building relationships with teachers leads to more opportunities for service. Adding teachers in your club:

• Strengthens our connection with local schools
• Opens doors for attracting more students to our youth projects—including Oratorical, Essay, Sports, Health, Safety and other programs
• Attracts and builds strong allies from the field of Education
• Provides the foundation for new Junior Optimist Clubs
• Allows us to serve more children

Clubs should contact Optimist International Membership Director Danny Schuette to enroll new teacher members under this plan.

Optimist Honor Clubs are the best

It's no secret that I believe the best way to a healthy Optimist Club is to earn the Honor Club recognition. I write about it regularly on the Experience Optimism blog and even more so at the PNW District Optimist Clubs page.

Yesterday, I wrote to all of the members who belong to Optimist Clubs in the West Coast Region, Optimist International to encourage them to help their leaders attain the Honor Club goal.

I believe that every member, not just the club officers, should be involved in helping their club be the best it can be. By consistently earning the Honor Club recognition, an Optimist Club demonstrates its commitment to its community and its members by providing relevant programs, honoring citizens for their optimistic behaviors, and attending to administrative and financial obligations in a timely manner. Most of all, an Optimist Honor Club replenishes itself by welcoming new members.

If service clubs are to continue to thrive, all of these steps must be followed and it all begins with the invitation: Do you want to join my Optimist Club? I hope so. When we share optimism, we make a difference in our communities and ourselves.

Click here to find an Optimist Club near you.
Click here if I might help you start a new Optimist Club in your community.
Click here to be a Friend of Optimists. 

Like Michelle Obama, Optimist Clubs must be role models

First Lady Michelle Obama spoke to the Democratic National Convention and among other things she said:

"And make no mistake about it, this November, when we go to the polls, that is what we're deciding — not Democrat or Republican, not left or right. No, this election, and every election, is about who will have the power to shape our children for the next four or eight years of their lives."

Like our government leaders, teachers, parents and other role models, Optimist Clubs share the responsibility of helping children reach their full potential. Our motto is Friend of Youth because we take that responsibility with fervor and pride. Our projects are designed to bring out the best in youth, community and ourselves for a reason. We want our world to be the best it can be today and far into the future.

Please volunteer to make the Optimist difference by joining an Optimist Club today.

Click here to find an Optimist Club near you.
Click here if I might help you start a new Optimist Club in your community.
Click here to be a Friend of Optimists. 

It will help you feel happy

Shhh! I'm going to share a secret with you, but don't tell anyone. It's my birthday!

That's right, on this day, many years ago, a pink bundle of joy landed in Granite City, Illinois to two of the finest parents ever. Over the next 38 years, they taught me so many lessons about caring, giving and achieving, among others. And before they left me, much too soon, they also taught me to be happy.

One might wonder, can you teach someone to be happy? I say yes, you can. The world is a tough place with many corners that may lead one down the wrong path. As one struggles to find their way, they risk desperation, frustration, and a number of setbacks that might cause pain and generate a negative outlook on life.

Faith allows us to overcome those obstacles; but not everyone has the gift of a supportive family. That is one reason that I heartily endorse the support of an Optimist Club.When one joins an Optimist Club, they find people who help them be their best. As we give ourselves in service to our communities, our best rises to the top. We share smiles. We share happiness. We share optimism.

I hope you make today and every day a good day. Feel happy, join an Optimist Club.

Click here to find an Optimist Club near you.
Click here if I might help you start a new Optimist Club in your community.

May the 4th be with you

Spring into action

April 1, 2016 - Some say that today is April Fool's Day.

I prefer to believe that today is a call to action. Today is the day that we come out of our winter hibernation and spring into life.

We make plans for the days ahead knowing that the sun will shine more often than not. We know that the green grass and budding flowers will continue to paint our landscape with a kaleidescope of color.

We can't help but be happy at this time of year. Do you know what else will make you happy?

You will be happy when you join an Optimist Club. 

Joining an Optimist Club serves as an extra reminder that one should think and share positive thoughts with those around them. It is not only a reminder, but a extra push, that one should work with others to offer community service in order to make their community great again. It is also a wonderful way to find friendship and fellowship with people who want to celebrate what is right with the world.

Please let this post be your reminder to Spring into Life: Join an Optimist Club today.

Find an Optimist Club here.

Send me, Linda Vaught, an email and I'll help you start an Optimist Club in your community.

I dare you to be an optimist

One only has to turn on the television or radio in the United States today to hear pessimism surrounding the presidential electoral process. It can set a fairly poor tone for the day.

I believe that we are better than that. Eight years ago, I believed in Barack Obama's message of hope and today, I still believe it is possible to strengthen our communities. I have hope for the future because I belong to an Optimist Club.

An Optimist Club helps bring out the potential in ourselves so that we may help others bring out their potential too.

I took the dare many years ago to be an optimist. I've wavered; I've had trying times, but I can always turn to the Optimist Creed and my faith is restored.

I invite you to take the pledge today. I dare you to be an optimist.

Click on the link to find an Optimist Club near you and join: Find an Optimist Club.

Click on the following link if I may be of help for you to start a new Optimist Club in your community: Contact Linda Vaught.

Feels like home to me

I have written here before how my first Optimist Club made me feel welcome.

I have also written about how I took a break from active service and the Optimist Club welcomed me when I was ready to return.

However, I do not believe that I've talked about how visiting a district meeting can have the same feeling.

The past two weekends have found me in California, visiting the Pacific Southwest and Pacific Central Districts - Optimist International. This coming weekend, I head to Reno for the Regional Optimism Summit and then on to Idaho for a Pacific Northwest Super Zone meeting.

All that travel can make one tired; however, when one travels for optimism, one is recharged and reenergized over and over again. Sharing positive thoughts and discussing the projects that bring out the best in children sparks a sense of satisfaction. It's important to do good and to give back.

At times like this, one phenomenon stands out above all others: the feeling of family. No matter where I have traveled, Optimist Clubs feel like home to me. There is comfort in sharing values and dreams. There is comfort in meeting the extended family through district gatherings and there is comfort in opening doors, minds and hearts with our shared purposes and the overwhelming goodness of the Optimist Creed.

I invite you to join the family. Join an Optimist Club today.

Find an Optimist Club near you.
Send me a message and I will help you start a new Optimist Club in your community.

Love is in the air

When you join an Optimist Club, you experience love every day. Love comes from a sense of belonging and when you share experiences, both the good and the challenging, the bond grows stronger.

One might think that these types of experiences are  reserved for individuals - people - to share with one another. They are not usually ascribed to a person and a group or a person and an organization. However, when you think about it, it is perfectly natural to have overwhelming love for your family.

For many, an Optimist Club is like a family. Through our mutual caring for our community, we respect, care, and yes, love one another.

If you are looking for love, look no further than your local Optimist Club. Find your nearest Optimist Club here or send me a message and I'll help you start a new Optimist Club in your community.

I hope you feel hope and love today and that you #shareoptimism every day. Happy Valentine's Day.

Your call to action

There's a famous quote attributed to Lily Tomlin that reads, "I said 'Sombody should do something about that.' Then I realized I am somebody."

That's what happens in your community when people come together as an Optimist Club.

• They see needs and work together to find solutions. 
• They see achievements and work together to provide recognition. 
• They see hope and work together to celebrate its promise. 

An Optimist Club, just as its name implies, offers a positive way of thinking so that all may sieze the promise of their potential. Coming together with others to #shareoptimism provides a cheering section for you as an individual and for others in the community. One of the lines of the Optimist Creed says that we should be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as we are about our own. When you join an Optimist Club, you work with others to make that tenet, and nine others, come true.

This is your call to action. Do more than read about problems in the paper. Get up and help! Join an Optimist Club and #shareoptimism with the world.

Click here to find an Optimist Club near you or email me and I'll help you start a new Optimist Club in your community. Thank you.