Another Pancake Jubilee is history

I've been watching the activities of the Optimist Club of Meridian, Mississippi for a few years now, ever since I set up an alert for the Optimist Club of Meridian, Idaho. Google doesn't seem to know the difference between the states and that's quite alright with me. The Mississippi club is doing vital work in its community.

One of my favorites is its annual Pancake Jubilee. I've written before here and here, among other entries, how pancakes can bring a community together. At breakfast, you see your neighbors, colleagues, friends and family and share stories. I believe it is much like how sitting around a campfire nurtured the cultures of our ancestors.

But I like one more thing especially well about this particular pancake breakfast. It's not just a breakfast; it's a jubilee! There is just something joyful about an event when it's given a festive, extraordinary name.

Please enjoy some scenes from the Meridian, Mississippi Optimist Club Pancake Jubilee courtesy of WTOK. 

Fundraising to scale

Due to culture, geography, needs and various other reasons, fundraising efforts vary by Optimist Clubs. Nothing can be more telling than the two different stories I heard today.

The first one came from Meridian, Mississippi and it warmed my heart. I learned that the Meridian Downtown Optimist Club had just completed their Annual Pancake Jubilee and after serving 2,700 happy patrons, they were $8,000 to the good. That money will be used for T-ball and other youth activities in their community.

Later in the day I learned about a major fundraiser conducted by the Ocean City/Berlin Optimist Club in Maryland that allowed the club to give away more than $100,000 in prize money. The event was the 28th Annual Boat Show. It is held in collaboration with the Ocean City/Berlin Optimist Youth Foundation, Inc.  and organized under the joint control of the Optimist Club and the Worcester County Board of Education. The State Lottery Board is also involved and tickets priced at $100 each were sold online through the Lottery. The money raised by this event will be used for scholarships. Over the past 22 years, $1,386, 000 has been given away to students in the school district.

The second event made me think wow, what a business.

Compare the two examples. Consider how much more there is to be done in between. Then imagine how you might do the impossible in your community with the help of an Optimist Club.

You can turn your entrepreneurial spirit into a new Optimist Club and meet so many needs, big and small, and release so much potential right at home. Contact me to get started today. 

Get involved with your local Optimist Club

The Optimist Club of Meridian, Mississippi has this on the home page of their blog:

Downtown Optimist Club members are active members of the local community and we are always on the look-out for new ways we can assist youth in whatever they are trying to achieve.

And that is what makes an Optimist Club different from other service clubs. Optimist Clubs look for local causes and they get involved. They donate money to local children and initiatives that impact their community with an emphasis on helping youth achieve more.

This is a fairly simple post this morning with straightforward message: now is the time to get involved with your local Optimist Club.  If there isn't an Optimist Club in your community, let us help you get one started. Your community needs you, your friends, relatives and neighbors to be engaged and committed to service in the belief that giving of yourself will enhance your local community, humankind and the world.

Find an Optimist Club today. 

Optimist Club throws a pizza party for students who do the right thing

The Optimist Club of Hernando, MS became the latest Optimist Club to join the "Do the Right Thing" movement.  They chose to recognize children in the Hernando Middle School for turning in their homework and never being sent to the principal's office. 

According to Optimist Club member Pam Black recognizing the Hernando Middle School students is part of the Optimist International Youth Appreciation Week, a project that the club does every year. This year is a little different she said, “Usually, everything is geared to grades. The kids who make straight As get goodies all the time. These kids don’t have any unexcused absences. They do the day-to-day things that most people take for granted.”

About 80 kids were treated to a pizza party for their efforts, but middle school teacher Jeannie Booher says that the acknowledgement will stay with the children a lot longer than that. “Sometimes these kids go home and nobody tells them what a good job they have done,” Booher said. “I’m tickled to death that the Optimist Club did this." 

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.