An avenue of flags to unite the community

Bob Burkman, member, Optimist Club of Centerville, Ohio says that if there is one thing that can unite a community, it's the US flag. Doing what Optimist Clubs do best - bring people together in a sense of community, the Centerville Optimist Club placed 1,000 flags today making an Avenue of Flags for the 4th of July celebration. According to Fox News, more than 75,000 visitors will be drawn to Centerville today to celebrate the Americana Festival.

You'd better believe those flags will be front and center. Well done, Optimists! That's a great way to inspire patriotism in the community. Happy Independence Day to all!.

Optimism sparks courage in Ohio teen

Image credit: www.facebook.com/oreo

If you were on Twitter today, you may have seen that Oreos were trending. I clicked on a few links to discover that the #dailytwist was a rainbow filled Oreo in honor June 25 | Pride day.  ABC News went on to report that the cookie and its message first appeared on Facebook sparking an Oreo boycott. How sad that people can be so closed-minded, but they are.

I was surprised in the opposite direction yesterday when I stumbled upon a video posted by a brave young man from Ohio. He had recently won the Ohio District Optimist International Oratorical Contest and at the prompting of his English teacher he recorded his speech and posted it on YouTube.

I got emotional as I watched him because not only is his speech powerful and his delivery authentic, it is also the first openly gay message that I have heard advanced in the organization. I'm proud that the days of don't ask don't tell are coming to an end and I had planned to post the video here today well before I knew anything about the Oreo outrage. Now it is even more appropriate that I send this message to all. I am intolerant of intolerance. We must, as Optimist Club members, as human beings, accept that people are different and that our differences are better celebrated and not feared; accepted and not banned.

Please watch the Ohio finalist as he explains, "How My Optimism Helps Me Overcome Obstacles." 



I hope you find his message worth sharing too.

Service clubs honor students

Veterans were honored throughout the United States and Canada today and thanked for the service they gave our countries. However in a forward looking ceremony, service clubs in Kettering, Ohio came together to honor future leaders in the annual Optimist Youth Appreciation ceremony.

The Kettering Noon Optimist Club coordinates the activity and all service clubs are asked to seek nominations from their members through the schools where they provide services. Twenty-four students were recognized and one lucky student won a $1,000 prize.

Thanks to WDTNTV channel 2 for being a part of the ceremony and posting the video. Congratulations to the students who were honored and many thanks to the caring adults who made it happen.

Joining an Optimist Club should be good for your heart

We don't join an Optimist Club to make sales. We really don't.  However, if your business improves because you've associated with the most positive people in your community, then kudos to you.

While I think this post is a little blatant, I still congratulate Jacob Baldwin and Wes Wyatt for joining an Optimist Club and wish them luck in their business. I hope they discover, as most people do, that being a part of an Optimist Club is good for their heart.

Optimist Club members contribute to the community's success

About one year ago I promised myself that I would post something new every day to this blog about how Optimist Clubs make a difference around the world. I discovered that when you post as frequently as I do about the same subject, you find lot of similar activities being conducted by different Optimist Clubs, many at the same time. I get excited when see a project that I wrote about last year return again this year even stronger and better.

Two of those activities are community events that wouldn't happen without the efforts of Optimist Club members are taking place this month:

• The Lebanon Blues Festival, sponsored by the Optimist Club of Lebanon, Ohio - not only did they return, they added more bands, sponsors, a 5k, 15k and fun run, a car show, and a brand new website. Start making your plans for next year. If you are into blues, I think you should add this to your to-do list. 
• The Black Patch Festival, sponsored by the Optimist Club of Princeton, Kentucky - with a nod to other service organizations, they reached out to make sure all were included and that no projects usurped another so that everyone had an equal opportunity to be recognized, raise awareness and support.  

It's so important when you carry out activities year after year to include others in your planning and production cycle. New members are important to any Optimist Club, but even more vital when your whole community is truly depending on you to represent the community as a whole.

Major projects such as these will attract new members, new people who want to be involved. Your responsibility is to engage those new volunteers in meaningful, purposeful ways.  Help the new Optimist Club volunteer connect with others so that they feel a part of the team.

When you reach out to new volunteers, you build leaders for the future of your club and the continuity of your project. Make it possible and fun for everyone to be a part of the action.

An idea to recognize adult volunteers in your community

It's nice to recognize our outstanding volunteers.  Somehow, it is even nicer when others take notice of their outstanding efforts as well. In Centerville, Ohio, two Optimist Club members were honored by the Presidents Club of Dayton during the Outstanding Service Club/Community Members Breakfast.

Kelly Eggers and Bill Defries were chosen for the contributions to the club and community.  Kelly is involved in the Avenue of the Flags fundraising program and new club building.  She will be club president in 2011.  Bill was recognized because of the over-and-above support that he lends to the club and community that includes hosting events at his Beef O'Brady restaurants.

Does your community have an event where Optimist Club members can be recognized by others?  If so, be sure to be involved and if not, why not be the group that gets it started for others?  We share in the good work that our service clubs do.  Why not help with the celebration?

Contributed photo.  

Optimist Clubs are all about helping children reach their full potential

Steve Sinisgalli, President, Optimist Club of Strongsville, Ohio says it all in one line, “Our mission is about using a positive approach to create an optimistic future for our kids."

Yes, very simply, that is what being a part of an Optimist Club is all about. The Strongsville Optimist Club provides for their community in similar ways as most Optimist Clubs. They are hosting the Optimist Oratorical Contest this month for middle school students and every year they give away seven $1,250 scholarships to high school seniors. They contribute to a number of youth-serving causes in their community and host their own Respect for Law and Youth Appreciation activities and help send middle school civics students on a trip to Washington, D.C. This year, with the encouragement of President Steve's seventh grade son they are sponsoring a Junior Optimist Club.

But one project stood out to me as a little bit different from the others. One of their main causes is the Goals Program that serves children with disabilities in the local preschool building by providing developmentally appropriate curriculum for all children. Currently Optimist Club members are Reading Buddies and mentors, and they are in Phase 2 of their project which has them raising money to provide more services to the program.

The mission of the early learning program is “Ensuring All Children Reach Their Fullest Potential" .  I can't think of a better partner for an Optimist Club.

Efforts to support pediatric cancer research

Recently, the Sandusky County Board of Developmental Disabilities sponsored a Kick It for Children's Cancer Research kickball contest and the Optimist Club of the Fremont Area, Ohio was there to participate by sponsoring a kickball team.

According to Optimist Club team member Wynn Shell, participating was more than just fundraisng for him and several othe rmembers for they are cancer survivors.  Others have family members or friends who have suffered the challenges of cancer treatment.

Kick it for Children's Cancer is a national nonprofit organization that benefits pediatric cancer research.  Money raised through this program is donated to the Children's Tumor Foundation and CureSearch, to fund research at the Children's Oncology Group (COG) and to Flashes of Hope, a mission to provide free portraits to children with cancer.

Optimist International also funds pediatric cancer research through John Hopkins University with the Childhood Cancer Campaign. 

Optimist Club joins with Rotary for food drive

Another community; another day of caring organized again by the United Way.  This time the United Way challenged the Van Wert, Ohio communiity to collect 25,000 canned goods.  Thanks to the donations from the Van Wert Rotary and Optimist Clubs, they met their goal.  The service clubs contributed 12,278 non-perishable food items.  The balance came from the business community with the total reaching 25,807.

This is yet another example of how sharing service can be fun.  Get your community involved in a Day of Caring or maybe a Day of Optimism.  Call it what you want, just make sure everyone is invited to participate. 

Akron Optimist Club honors deputy

The Optimist Club of Akron, Ohio recently honored  Summit County sheriff's deputy Mark Carroll for his work in community policing.  Deputy Carroll has been with the force since 1991 and began community policing efforts in 2006. 

Among his achievements is the Senior Watch Program whereby deputies make regular contact with seniors who live alone to ensure their safety.  One hundred and twenty residents are part of the program. Kudos to Deputy Carroll for his dedication and congratulations for your award.

One of the purposes of Optimist International is to promote respect for law; another is to promote safety.  This is  program that does both.  I hope the Optimist Club gets involved with the good neighbor calls! 

Blues, Barbecue and Optimism

I could have chosen a picture of a musician or some fine looking barbecue, but I chose this picture to depict the Blues Festival organized by the Optimist Club in Lebanon, Ohio because it is what a festival is all about: community. Any time you can bring your community together to celebrate music, arts, or just living life to the fullest, it is a wonderful thing.

The Optimist Club of Lebanon is often asked, why host a blues festival? The organizers are quick to reply, "It brings so many aspects of Lebanon together. People who like barbecue and blues bring a great atmosphere.”

In addition to music and food, the event also offers a 5K Run, a Classic Car Show and evening events for children. But the centerpiece is the music and the good news is the music is free. It's no wonder they drew 15,000 attendees last year and are expecting at least that many again this year.

Don't miss it - August 1, 11 am to 11 pm, Broadway and Mulberry Streets, Lebanon, Ohio.

Check out the 2008 Photo Gallery from the Dayton Daily News.