Let your passions drive you

We often ask the media to attend our Optimist Club Oratorical Contest, among other events, but rarely do they come. Not so for the Mount Clemens Optimist Club, Michigan. The Bath City Beat came and reporter Hannah Smith gave a great review of the activity.

Optimist Club president Jerry Kuhl described the path that contestants take to reach the $2,500 scholarship that can be earned at the district level and contestants explained how their passions led them to complete their speech and compete in the contest.

The topic changes annually and this year it is "How my passions impact the world." Mount Clemens contest winner Austin Rieck reflecting after his victory said, "Let your passions drive you. Always be happy about life."

Great advice, Austin. Thanks for sharing your experience with us. 

Click here for the video on YouTube courtesy of the Bath City Beat.

I'm "Happy" for the Detroit Academy of Arts & Sciences

Encouraging children comes in all forms. There is the daily work that teachers do with their students every day and the small gestures that Optimist Clubs perform to honor and engage with them throughout the year. And then there are those who can go a step beyond and provide not only encouragement, but true delight.

That's exactly what Ellen DeGeneres and Pharrell Williams did for the Detroit Academy of Arts & Sciences. And being Ellen, she had a camera crew there to record it so she could share her experience with the world.

Please watch, clap and be happy. Moments like these are what it's like to experience optimism.

Post by The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

All ages compete in the Optimist International Oratorical Contest

One of the greatest things about the Optimist International Oratorical Contest is that it is open to all students 19 years of age and under. It's not unusual to find a 12- year old competing against a 16-year old and I've even seen contestants - good ones - as young as 7 or 8.

Some don't like the vast age range because they don't think it's fair for the younger students to compete against the older, more mature orators. But for me, I think that when the younger students get the opportunity to watch the older ones, they become motivated to do better the next year. That drive helps them get better, do better, and work for the best.

An example of younger and older students competing against each other and the younger student being victorious appeared in the Alpena News today from the Optimist Club of Alpena, MI. 17-year old Caitlyn Borke was the first place winner, followed by 13-year old Madelyn Boyd and 12-year old Taylor Ayotte.

Also shown in the picture is 13-year old Patrick Martin. He was the only boy to compete this year. I hope he enjoyed the experience and returns next year!

See more pictures of Optimist International scholarship program contestants here. 

Photo courtesy of the Alpena Optimist Club. 

Are they intrepid or optimistic?

One of my Optimist Club alerts returned the following news to me today, "Optimist Club donations 'zoom' to local charities: A couple of inches of new snow didn't stop 14 intrepid Optimists from showing up for breakfast and an informal meeting..."

Appearing in the Oakland Press, those two lines held plenty of hook for me to bite on as a follower of all things optimistic, but what really grabbed my attention was the word intrepid. Optimist is frequently accompanied by a plethora of modifiers, from average to zealous and all letters in between; however, intrepid is not a common one.

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, the definition of intrepid is: characterized by resolute fearlessness, fortitude, and endurance.

From that definition, it strikes me that perhaps the reason that they are rarely used together is that intrepid and optimist are rather like synonyms. Those who go forward relentlessly hoping only for the best on their journey.

For the intrepid optimists in my story, they certainly plowed through a snowy Michigan morning to gather as the Royal Oak Optimist Club and as they do at every meeting, they passed around the Zoom-Zoom Car. The Zoom-Zoom Car collects change year-round for the community's Give-A-Christmas Year Around Fund. The Optimist Club is generally a top giver to this fund that serves different community youth groups including Common Ground, CARE House of Oakland County, Boys & Girls Club of Oakland and Macome and the Welcome Inn day warming center for the homeless.

The Zoom-Zoom Car has a history of its own; it was started by member Randy Booden, owner of a collision repair company in 1992. With his business, he had a reputation for fundraising in the community with remote control race cars and a classic car show. When he joined the Optimist Club, he brought his enthusiasm for the sport with him and the tradition stuck. That means for more than 20 years, the Zoom-Zoom Car has been helping the Royal Oak Optimist Club help its community.

Traditions are important for Optimist Clubs for they provide a story along with the legacy that your club leaves for its community. Do you have a tradition in your club? Please, tell us about it in the comments.

Royal Oak Optimist Club earns Community Spirit Award

It's no secret that optimists have great attitudes so it should come as no surprise that an Optimist Club, full of positive upbeat people, should win a spirit award for sharing their optimism with others. However, I'm not all that aware of many of those kinds of awards being given out so I was especially excited to hear that the Royal Oak Optimist Club was honored last evening, October 22, 2013,  at the 66th annual Royal Oak Community Awards Dinner.

Their award: The Community Spirit Award.

According to members, its fun to be a part of the activities that the club coordinates. In fact, it is so much fun, members bring their spouses and soon their spouses are members too. Member John Wagster explained, "It's very satisfying and fulfilling, getting to contribute and help the community. It's just a very positive experience for me."

And I would say it's a very positive experience for the community too, to have a group of caring adults who enjoy one another and work together to make things happen. Congratulations to the Royal Oak Optimist Club on your community spirit!

Photo contributed by the Royal Oak Optimist Club.

The Optimist Ice Arena

The Optimist Club of Jackson, Michigan takes their hockey seriously and that's why they created the Optimist Ice Arena.

The Optimist Ice Arena is home to numerous hockey teams, but it's also open to the public with public skates scheduled throughout the week and on the weekend as permitting. It also hosts special events like Go Karts on ice and rentals for private parties.

But what I like most is the opportunity for mentoring and inter-generational activities between coaches, players, parents and Optimist Club members because that's what being an Optimist Club member is really all about.

Post by Optimist Ice Arena.

Bike safety from the Optimist Club

What does a bike safety day look like? That's a question that I've been asked more than once and I'm almost embarrassed to describe the minimal amount of work that can go into making one a success. Find some volunteers, set up some safety cones, add in kids on bikes, and teach them how to be safe when they are riding, especially in traffic. Of course wearing a helmet is de rigueur, so check to be sure the helmets of your participants fit properly.

The good news is that police departments and fire departments love this type of activity and with proper notice most will get involved with your Optimist Club to provide this service to the community. Involving others is then up to your imagination! What would make the day fun for all?

The Huron Valley Optimist Club and the Friends of White Lake Library recently combined their vision and imagination to host a Bike Fest and Safety Day. Watch the 2-minute video and see what they brought to life for their community and then go ahead, give it a try in yours.


Huron Valley Optimists and Friends of White Lake Library - BikeFest and Family Safety Day 2013 from Huron Valley Schools on Vimeo.

When good people get together

Optimist International is preparing for its 95th Annual International Convention. Optimist Clubs from around the world will converge on Cincinnati, Ohio's Duke Energy Convention Center on July 4-6, 2013 marking the second time that Cincinnati has hosted the group.

Optimist International shared this picture (right) on its Facebook page today, noting that the first time the organization gathered in Cincinnati was in 1937. I looked at the picture and almost typed out a snarky remark about the tagline, "When Good Fellows Get Together." But my optimism saved me and I continued to read down the page and discovered a more heartwarming picture from the Optimist Club of Gratiot County, Michigan. 

Their local newspaper shared a photo of 4 ladies that had just joined their club. What a difference 76 years makes!

Whew! What a difference a positive attitude makes as well. I've decided to rephrase that tagline to "When good people get together."  Hope you like it.

New members in the Gratiot County Optimist Club

Fit in with the Optimist Club

The Lake Orion Optimist Club is made up of "motivated people who want to make a difference in the lives of children in their community" and they went on-air and YouTube with Ontario Neighborhood Television to tell their story.

Chris Barnett and Katherine Baumann explained to Orion Outreach that they have added to their mission this year in an effort to reach out in service to everyone in the community. Nonprofits are encouraged to partner with the Optimist Club for both fundraising and volunteer service.




The video explains some of the programs of the Lake Orion Optimist Club and it's easy to understand how Optimist Clubs are encouraged to be autonomous and to do the projects that are most needed in their communities. According to Barnett, the Optimist Club is a great place to find yourself. If you think you want to volunteer, but not sure where to start, the Optimist Club has projects that will inspire community service and foster friendships.

Do you have a project that needs helping hands? Connect with the Optimist Club in your community or work together with your friends to start a new Optimist Club. You'll enjoy the fellowship in service. I promise.

The Lake Orion Optimist Club can be found in Lake Orion, MI. 

Royal Oak Optimist Club celebrates Youth Appreciation Awards

The Optimist Club of Royal Oak, Michigan celebrated twelve outstanding students at their annual Youth Appreciation Awards Breakfast. Chosen from Royal Oak High School, Berkley High School and Shrine Catholic High School, the students spoke of their goals and ambitions as they conversed with Optimist Club members.

The students received praise from the Optimist Club, certificates of achievement and gift cards to Barnes & Noble.

  The Youth Appreciation program is conducted by Optimist Clubs around the world as a way to recognize students for a variety of reasons including scholarship, citizenship, courtesy, and athletics. The main purpose is to say thanks for being a good kid.

Thanks Royal Oak Optimist Club for sharing your picture with us.

Camp Optimist in Grand Rapids hopes for the winning entry

Erhardt Construction, in Grand Rapids Ada, Michigan, is celebrating its 50th anniversary with the "Building Our Community Contest." Collaborating with a group of building partners, the companies are giving away a construction project and prizes totaling $50,000 to area nonprofit organizations.

What a great idea! Helping those who do community service by providing a community service. The deadline to enter was Monday, June 11, 2012. According to the company's Twitter feed, applications "poured in as the deadline grew near."

And that is where I found the following entry from the Optimist Club of Grand Rapids. The Club's project is to refurbish Camp Optimist, "a 120-acre woodland, full service day camp that was purchased by the club in 1956. Since 2005, the club has been working to refurbish it for the various community organizations that use the camp including the EcoBus Program, Girls Scouts, Boy Scouts and Camp Fire kids, among others.

 The Optimist Club video features Camp Fire Kids USA enjoying the camp's rustic amenities.

Winners will be decided by voting beginning June 18. Good luck to the Optimist Club of Grand Rapids on your entry.

It's all in how you say it

In a feature known as "Good Morning Hartland" in the Hartland Patch, ladies from the Optimist Club of Hartland, MI sent a message to their community to encourage them to help with the holiday gift giving program by adopting a family this Christmas.

Of course we know that please and thank you go a long way in showing respect. In another part of the country, the Optimist Club of Perdido Bay, Alabama came together with members of their community to say thank you for being "Friends of Kids" and to award them with donations to help carry out their projects in the coming months. Approximately $7,000 was given to local organizations including the Lillian-Perdido Bay Library, Baldwin County Special Olympics, Alabama Sheriff's Ranch, Baldwin Tech Center and more. Read all about it in the BaldwinCountynow.com

Be the first to know

Brooks L. Patterson is the County Executive in Huron County, Michigan. He recently visited the Huron Valley Optimist Club to give a state of the county update. His presentation gives me the opportunity to remind our readers and clubs how important it is to have guest speakers. Speakers allow your members to be on the cutting edge and among the first to know of things happening in your community. It's easy to see this speaker was very well received.

Brooks Patterson speaks to the Huron Valley Optimist Club.

Mr. Patterson spoke of many positive activities for kids in Huron Valley including a walking program in grade schools. Now in its 11th year, 28,000 third and fourth-graders have walked on their recess to help fight childhood obesity.  There is also an annual half-marathon for kids and families.

Mandarin Chinese is being taught in the schools and there is a great turnout of kids in a competitive robotics program.

Optimist Clubs and their members work to bring out the best in children and so does the community of Huron Valley, Michigan. What a great opportunity for collaboration!

Thanks to the White Lake Patch for the story idea. 

The Grand Rapids Experience

In January, Newsweek proclaimed that Grand Rapids, Michigan was a dying city. The city responded by making this awesome video, a record-setting lip sync project of  American Pie. I can't imagine a better post for Music Sunday.

It's full of memories - perfect for a holiday weekend when we gather with friends and families and share stories, old and new.

It's full of pride - perfect for patriotism and commitment to our local communities that are demonstrated by Optimist Clubs every day.

It's full of hope - hope is optimism in action.

And my favorite - The working title is "The Grand Rapids LipDub," but its message is "Experience Grand Rapids."  I think you'll Experience Optimism too.  Enjoy.



Shout out to The Friday Awesome on The Maddow Blog for leading me to this YouTube video.

Paper, not plastic

Recently in Farmington Hills, Michigan, the East Middle School Jr. Optimist Club conducted a community service project for the Salvation Army.  Their goal was to go on a shopping expedition to help stock the shelves for people with needs. As you can see by the picture, paper products were the product of choice.

Any grocery shopper can tell you how quickly toilet paper and paper towels can eat up a tight budget. In another example of how a simple project can make a difference, this thoughtful gift from the students will be well received.

Photo credit: Farmington Hills Optimist Club website. Click here to find out more about JOOI Club projects and the Farmington Hills Optimist Club. 

Optimists promote bicycle safety

With the school year drawing to a close and the days getting longer, it's time for children to take to the streets on two wheels. Bicycle wheels, that is.

That is why bicycle rodeos are very popular with Optimist Clubs. Some call the program Safety on Wheels, while others add in activities like personal safety, internet safety and child identification to make it a full day of safety activities.

Like the sign in the picture, the idea behind safety programs is for Optimist Clubs to help "Bring out the Best in Kids."

Add in "With hope and positive vision, Optimist Club members bring out the best in children" and you've got the Optimist International mission statement in one sentence. Don't you want to get involved in such an active pursuit? Click here to find an Optimist Club near you.

Photo credit: Chris Wall  Please click to see more pictures and read about the Huron Valley Optimist Club Safety Day in the White Lake Patch. 

Optimist Club honors students with an Angel Award

One hundred and thirty students were recognized by the Optimist Club of Hartland, Michigan during their recent Youth Appreciation Week.  At least once a year, most Optimist Clubs will take time out of their schedule to honor special children for many different things, but most of all for being good role models and acting with kindness.

This group was given the Angel Award. The Angel Award is given to students who demonstrate care and respect for others.

Students ranged from kindergarten through high school. The program included the presentations to the students and a keynote address by Gabrielle Ford that encouraged the students and all in attendance to see the good in everyone and be the best you can be.

Optimist Clubs are unique in their mission to bring out the best in others. Events like Youth Appreciation Week do just that. Congratulations to all, students, parents, teachers and Optimist Club members in Hartland, MI. Please click here to see more photos from the evening.

Photo credit: Sherri Yezbick-Taylor with the Hartland Patch. 

"That's a keeper!"

The Optimist Club of Brighton, Michigan will host the 25th Annual Fishing Derby on June 11. It will be held, as usual, at the well-loved and fondly remembered Mill Pond, the site of all previous fishing derbies and where many people in the community first learned to fish.

To commemorate this special anniversary, the Optimist Club has commissioned a sculpture from nationally-known artist and Brighton artist  Mike Monroe.

The sculpture, design shown here, is being created with children in mind. They will be able to touch it, crawl on it, and learn from it. The design process included kids who reviewed a selection of concepts and ultimately chose the one that would be created. In fact, kids even helped name it when one young man exclaimed, "That's a keeper!" 

The sculpture will be placed at the Imagination Station at Mill Pond and dedicated on June 11, 7:30 a.m., immediately before the fishing derby takes off.

Photo courtesy of the Brighton Optimist Club. 

Good people are often "unsung heroes"

Something that Optimist Clubs do exceedingly well is recognize children and young adults for being good people. Please notice I did not say good students or athletes - I said good people. The Noon Optimist Club of Bay City, Michigan calls their young honorees "Unsung Heroes" and this year they are recognizing eighteen of those good people from eighteen different nominating organizations.

Please click here to see a list of the Bay City Optimist Club's Unsung Heroes for 2011.

What does one have to do to be nominated? According to club president Jo Ellen Strieter it's pretty simple: the student must make a positive impact in their own way.

Making a positive impact is the goal of every Optimist Club.

The beauty of Optimist International is that every  club is autonomous. That means the group can do what is needed in their own community and still receive the recognition and backing of the umbrella organization for liability insurance, program support and leadership development. There is also a self-funded Foundation that helps Optimists help kids.

There has never been a more flexible international organization for making a difference on a local level. That is why I encourage everyone to consider joining the Optimist Club in their own community. If you don't have one, let me know. I would love to help you start a new Optimist Club so you can share your positive thoughts and actions with others. Please contact me today.

Lessons of Optimism and Faith from the Super Bowl

Yesterday was Super Bowl Day, the day that everyone loves football if only for the friendships, food and the free look at American capitalism as projected by the much aggrandized Super Bowl ads. Don't worry, if you missed the ads, you can take a look here on Hulu.com or YouTube and see voting tabulations from various social media sites at Brand Bowl 2011 sponsored by boston.com.

For me, I am happy that the  Green Bay Packers emerged victorious for the great sense of pride it gave to the small town of Glenns Ferry, Idaho where fullback Korey Hall hails from and for the optimism that gives every young athlete.

Optimism and opportunity is what America is all about; followed closely by  pride and patriotism. That is why I believe that the Brand Bowl 2011 was won by Chrysler Corporation with Eminem, "Imported from Detroit."



Some will argue with me that it was not the most popular advertisement; and I admit, Volkswagen came on strong early with a heart-tugging young Darth Vader trying ever so mightily to use The Force and then again late with a fast-racing Black Beetle teamed up with  the wildly appropriate song "Black Betty."

I was a little surprised to watch the Twitter stream in support of the irreverent Dr. House commercial, but I admit, I smiled at it too for we have to love someone so cocksure and so right. Don't we?

And I was somewhat disappointed in my Twitter stream for unapologetically bashing the halftime entertainment from the Black Eyed Peas. I thought they accomplished what they were supposed to do: pump up the people in the stands. After all, those at home were talking, eating and playing Wii.

I don't watch Glee, and I didn't watch Glee after the game, but I understand those who did thought it was the perfect ending to an evening of entertainment.

Which brings me back to the purpose of my post. Super Bowl is a day of entertainment. It is a day to feel good about the opportunities we have as Americans to play sports, enjoy friends and overindulge, and to find good  jobs that give us the ability to purchase things and be consumers.

But after the friends go home and our diets return to normal, what are we going to remember from Super Bowl?

I hope that we remember it is the cities like Detroit and its people who make America proud and optimistic. I hope that we celebrate such people who innovate, overcome and evolve, for those are the people who give us faith in ourselves.

Most of all, I hope that we respect the past as we move forward. Our greatest strength lies in the faith those from the past have for our future. Please don't ever discount their trust that we will achieve and exceed their greatest, wildest and most promising dreams.