Happy Easter from @Midfire and @Midoptimist

I doubt there is anything more fun than the 60 seconds following the horn that blows to start an Easter Egg Hunt. Whether you call them a scramble, dash, roll or hunt, Optimist Clubs around the US and Canada get in the action to bring family-friendly cheer to their communities. It's just one way that Optimist Club members say, "We care."

Shown here is Optimist Club member and Middleton Rural Fire District Community Relations Officer/Paramedic Victor Islas taking a selfie as he readies the crowd for the egg-off at Foote Park, Middleton, Idaho.

On behalf of Victor and the Middleton Rural Fire District, and especially the Middleton Area Optimist Club, it my honor to wish you a Happy Easter.

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. 

There was an optimistic shopping spree in Yuma

Optimist Clubs throughout North America have shopping trips on their lists of things-to-do before Christmas and many of them are taking children right along with them for the experience.

In Yuma, Arizona, Optimist Club members were up early on Saturday, December 7, for the annual holiday shopping spree. Children are take to the local J.C. Penney where they have $125 to spend on warm clothes for the season. They usually take about 30 kids each year, and this year, many individuals in the community donated $125 so that they could take one more.

Watch the video here.

Optimists, cops and kids

Here is a great picture from the Fort Smallwood Optimist Club in Pasadena, Maryland. The club held its annual Shop with a Cop program today and the officers and their shopping-buddies are about to enjoy lunch at the Outback Steakhouse.

The FortSmallwood Optimist Club teams up with the Cherry Hill Optimist Club and Annapolis Optimist Club for this activity. By including the police officers, the children are able to meet law enforcement officials at a non-threatening activity and it helps them build relationships and trust for instances when they might connect in the future. 

According to a club member, it's a good feeling to see the smiles and excitement on these less fortunate children!

And it's wonderful to see Optimist Clubs making a difference, one project at a time. 

Thanks to the Fort Smallwood Optimist Club for the picture.

Dictionaries will never go out of style

Does anyone really use a printed and bound dictionary anymore? I hear that asked whenever a dictionary donation program is mentioned and I always think, well, if they don't they should. There's something special about feeling the weight of a book in one's hand and actually flipping the pages to find what you are looking for presents a sense of accomplishment that one can't find or feel on Google.

I'm happy to report that the Stevens Point Noon and Plover Optimist Clubs in Wisconsin recently donated 600 Webster's Encyclopedic Dictionaries to the third grade classes in their school districts. It was the 10th year that they the clubs have sponsored this activity.

Shown here are some happy third graders from the St. Stephen Elementary School. Thanks to the Stephens Point Optimist Club for the picture.

Your Optimist Club brand is social

I was searching for a picture today and I stumbled up on this presentation. It was given by personal branding coach Christoph Trappe  to the Optimist Club in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I decided to share it here for three reasons.

First, it provides an example of how businesses can interact with your Optimist Club. By giving them fifteen or twenty minutes to share their expertise with your club members, business owners can raise awareness for the services that they provide.

Second, Mr. Trappe shared his experience of being at the Optimist Club on his community journalism blog: Christoph Trappe's Blog. That raises awareness for Optimist Clubs and provides authentic links to the organization's purpose.

Finally, the slides tell a good story about why it's important to share what you do as an Optimist Club and why you do it. I believe that we want to make the world a better place to live and raise our families. Social media provides a point of entry to share that purpose with a cross section of the public. It's a perfect platform to tell your stories and inspire others with your good deeds.

Okay, if you don't think that social media is a good thing for your Optimist Club at this point, perhaps you might want to try it out at work. Either way, you need to be online. The time frame is no longer when; it is now.

Social media branding 2013 from Christoph Trappe

How many days until Christmas?

Can you believe it? In only three weeks, Santa will start making visits to local malls and houses set up just for him to visit with the public. In Belleville, Illinois, the Optimist Club has refurbished his house and set the hours when he will be entertaining guests, taking pictures and finding out just who has been naughty or nice.

Other Optimist Clubs are planning other Santa events, like the Delphos Optimist Club in Ohio where community members are asked to help ensure that everyone has a gift by contributing to an angel tree. Set up as the Delphos Community Christmas Project, the angel tree has been part of the community for 37 years.

Optimist Clubs help their communities in other ways during the holiday season and beyond. For the next two months, we'll be looking at food drives, coat drives and many other traditional community service activities including breakfasts with Santa as the big day draws near.

Right now, we're asking for your help. Send us a story and a picture so we can highlight your holiday project as part of the good things that Optimist Clubs do to make their communities a better place to live. Please send to optimist [at] newoptimistclub [dot] com. Thank you.

It's another grand slam for Homer's Heroes

Homer's Heroes are some very special baseball players in Lincoln, Nebraska. Coordinated by the Lincoln Optimist Club, this program allows kids, ages 5-17, with special needs and varying disabilities to meet-up six times in the summer for their swing at America's favorite past-time.

According to Jeanne Cuda, Homer's Heroes Chairperson, the program has been around since 1992. It started with twenty participants and this year there were more than 100. She described what  a recent practice day was like by saying, "Often we'll have tears from the parents. They've been working so hard to teach their child how to throw a ball and it's a wonderful thing to see."

Watch this great video by Dave Polzin, reporter with Channel 10/11 - KOLN-TV and you'll see just how special this "League of Their Own" can be.

Hollywood Optimist Club presents the Junior Blind Olympics

George Ohan, president of the Optimist Club of Hollywood shares his video production skills with a video of the Junior Blind Olympics 2013. The Optimist Club supports the program through the Optimist Blind Youth Association.

Youth, ages 6-19 , are invited to participate in the annual event where they will gain confidence, friendship, and a true sense of accomplishment through competition. All events are adapted and coaches are on hand to instruct along the way. No experience is necessary for the athletes.

Oratorical contest gives hope for the future

The Optimist Club of Windsor, Colorado recently hosted its Annual Oratorical Contest. In promoting the contest, it focused on the activity being the oldest and most well-known program for Optimist International. This year's topic, "Why My Voice is Important," allows students to think, write, and share their ideas in a critical way.

I was touched by some of the remarks made by the judges after witnessing the Windsor Optimist Oratorical Contest and thought I would share them here: 

• “I am thankful for the Optimist Club investing in the young people in our community, we have some incredibly talented teenagers in Windsor.” — Reza Zadeh
• “I was very impressed to see so many kids who are obviously both gifted and highly motivated. It gives me hope for the future.” — Trish Rand
• “I was very impressed with the students and how they interpreted the meaning of ‘using their voice’ and how important it was to them.” — Susan Vanderen

These are common  impressions of our young participants after one witnesses an Optimist Oratorical Contest. Communication is so important and today, when so much communicating takes place online and in writing, it is important that the art of delivering a speech and connecting with people in a live forum does not disappear. As Optimist Club members, we must work to ensure that doesn't happen.

If your club does not host the Optimist International Oratorical Contest, it should. Read up now on how to do it and be sure that the students in your community have every opportunity to participate.

Photo courtesy of Sandi Squicquero and the Windsor Optimist Club. Twelve students participated in the club contest, seven girls and 5 boys. The photo shows the girls division.

Optimist Club of Monaco South, Denver, recognized for philanthropy

According to the website, National Philanthropy Day in Colorado is:

"...the special day set aside to recognize and pay tribute to the great contributions that philanthropy -- and those people active in the philanthropic community -- have made to our lives, our communities and our world. Celebrations are held annually in many states across the nation."

 On November 9, ten businesses, individuals and organizations were honored for their service to their communities. Among them were the Optimist Club of Monaco South in Denver Colorado. Randy Marcove, President, shared this video on YouTube. It describes what Optimist Clubs do to bring out the best in youth.

Congratulations to the Optimist Club of Monaco South on your recognition. Thank you for your service.

Santa says, "Join an Optimist Club"

Following breakfast, Santa
and Mrs. Claus prepare to meet
some Coquitlam children

The Optimist Club of Coquitlam, British Columbia has been assisting the Coast Sound Music Academy by selling Christmas Trees at IKEA. For only $20, customers can choose their tree, receive an additional $20 coupon for IKEA, and have the great spirit of Christmas provided by the Optimist Club. Their original $20 goes straight to the Academy's music program. What a deal!

In more holiday activities, the Coquitlam Optimist Club also collected nearly 600 pounds of food for the Share Food Bank during the Annual Breakfast with Santa program. 

According to club spokesperson Annette Smith, more than 300 Sparks, Brownies, Beavers and Cubs, plus their siblings, parents, and leaders helped with the donations and were rewarded with "full tummies, candy canes, balloon art, and a sense of helping the less fortunate." 

Yes, Christmas is for sharing, but did you know that you can join an Optimist Club and have that feeling all year-round? Santa says, "Find a club near you and join today." 

Five thousand eggs

Five thousand eggs. That's right - in Idaho, the Middleton Area Optimist Club is combining forces with the Middleton Gazette to host a community Easter Egg Hunt with 5,000 eggs for the participants to find.

Each egg has been filled with jelly beans or prize certificates and every child, ten and under, will leave the event with their fair share of eggs, candy and a prize.

Becky O'Meara, publisher of the Middleton Gazette has been hosting the Easter Egg Hunt for many years, but this year she is enjoying help from the recently formed Optimist Club in the community.  Members have been filling eggs and will be on hand to help set-up and carry out the event.

The club hopes to help more individuals with other projects in the community throughout the year.  "We're here to help, not take over," explains Patrick Halpin, President.

The Middleton Easter Egg Hunt will begin at10:00 a.m. sharp, Saturday, April 23, Foote Park, Middleton.




Photo courtesy of bctrissel.