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. 

Every day is a great day when...

According to Facebook’s 2013 Q1 financial report, there are approximately 350 million photos uploaded to the site every day. More than 1.3 trillion likes have been recorded on photos, status updates and  pages since the site was first launched in 2006. That is a lot of sharing between people around the world and helps move Facebook ever forward in its mission to make the world more connected.

I manage the Facebook page for the PNW District – Optimist International. It’s a modest page with 226 likes where we try to post inspirational notes and sayings on a daily basis. Those notes are intermixed with links to stories on the PNW District blog about PNW Optimist Club projects, but it is the pictures that get the most attention and garner the most likes and shares. My view is that people, once they arrive to Facebook, don’t want to leave so those links directing them to other websites get fewer clicks.

Human beings are very visual. It is one of their strongest sensory perceptions. Social media sites like Facebook, among others, have made visual marketing a trend and brands have quickly adapted. Consider the tweet sent immediately by Oreo in response to the blackout at Super Bowl 2013. The brand’s quick wit and creativity was shared and shared again on social media sites.  Once content was king, but now we know that a picture does more than merely say 1,000 words. Pictures share emotions and they can be digested, no pun intended, and shared quickly.

In social media sharing is gold. My advice today: make your statement about your brand easy to share. Since my brand of choice for this blog is optimism and the experience of participating in an Optimist Club, I chose the accompanying visual. Tweet, share and pin away because the sentiment is true. I invite you to find out for yourself how great every day can be and you will when you join an OptimistClub near you today. 

I love pictures of Optimist International Oratorical Contests

Some Google alerts are better than others. I get a kick every time I open one with a link that takes me to the smiling faces of Optimist International Oratorical Contest participants. The students in this photo competed in the Breakfast Optimist Club of Spartanburg, South Carolina Oratorical Contest and earned medallions and cash prizes for their skills.

The winners shown here are: First place, Savannah Young of Boiling Springs High School (medallion and $100); second place, Drew Hendrix of Gable Middle School (medallion and $50); and third place, Terin Tyson of McCracken Middle School (medallion and $25).

As with every Optimist Club Oratorical Contest, winners advance to the next level of competition earning them the opportunity to compete for a $2,500 scholarship. Funded by the Optimist International Foundation, more than $150,000 is given away each year for students to use in their college education.

All students, regardless of location, compete by making a 5-minute speech on the same topic. This year, students are exploring, "Why My Voice is Important." The contests must begin at the club level. Competition will be completed in all areas by June 15, 2013.

Thanks to the Spartanburg Breakfast Optimist Club for the photo. 

See more Optimist International Scholarship contestants on Pinterest. 

Please contribute to the Optimist International Foundation during Idaho Gives

The PNW District - Optimist International is participating in Idaho Gives today, May 2, 2013. Idaho Gives is an online fundraising campaign and many nonprofit associations across Idaho are participating. They have posted their causes on the online tool Razoo and sent notices to supporters and others that they should contribute now...today...don't wait.

The Idaho NonProfit Center has also secured sponsors for this one-day event. In addition to receiving contributions for their missions, the registered nonprofits are also competing for prizes to be awarded to the nonprofits that raise the most money. At 9:00 a.m., sponsor St. Luke's said that more than $100,000 had already been raised. As of 10:30 a.m., the amount had risen to $174,000. That's pretty awesome.

Find out more and make a donation. The PNW District - Optimist International cause is the Communications Contest for Deaf and Hard of Hearing students. The district has a long-term goal of raising $10,000 to endow this scholarship for students with special needs.

Donate to CCDHH Optimist International Scholarship at Razoo

Proud to be an Optimist: the promotion continues

One of my favorite activities that I've seen an Optimist Club do this year just got better.

On March 27, 2013, the Caribbean District - Optimist International celebrated Proud to be an Optimist day. The Pacific Northwest District followed suit.

The key method of sharing information about Optimist pride was Facebook and Twitter where members proclaimed their association with their Optimist Club and explained why it was important.

Today I saw the poster created by the Sunset Optimist Club of Kingston for the event on Facebook and got all excited about the promotion once again.

It's so simple, even you can do it for your Optimist Club! Ask five or six members to share their pictures and their names to the cause and then create a poster of your own. Share the poster on Facebook, take out an advertisement in the local paper, and post it on bulletin boards about town. Don't forget to add your contact information - people will want to associate with your club!

I'm proud to be an Optimist. Are you?

The club model is not dead, but it does need some help

I've recently heard of an idea generated by the Optimist International Board of Directors that will create a
"member at large" category of membership. It has been suggested as an amendment to the organization's bylaws to be reviewed and voted on by members who attend the Optimist International Convention in July, 2013.

As written, the member at large option would allow an individual to bypass an Optimist Club and associate directly with Optimist International. It has been pointed out that this might violate its charter within the constraints of Missouri law, where the organization is officially incorporated and headquartered. Knowing that this option has been proposed and rejected before, I immediately assumed that this conflict with regulation has conceivably  been resolved. From my viewpoint, however, the legal process is not the issue.

The issue is that those in leadership positions would even consider abandoning the club model in order to focus on individual memberships. I've said it before and I will say it again, individuals belong to Optimist Clubs and Optimist Clubs belong to Optimist International.

The traditional service club model may seem old-fashioned to the millennial generation. It may even seem old-fashioned to baby boomers and those outside or in-between, but that does not mean that the club model is dead. It simply means that Optimist Clubs and our perception of Optimist Clubs needs to evolve. But in order to evolve, there must be a foundation that does not tilt with every passing wind. Optimist International must first and foremost establish its unique value proposition and that includes making the case to individuals of the importance of being involved with a local club. Optimist Clubs can then run with the theme to do remarkable things in their communities.

Over the past ten years or so, the organization has struggled to determine what it stands for. Some thought it might be the eradication of childhood cancers and the Cure Childhood Cancer Campaign was established. Some thought it might be Optimist Junior Golf Championships and the golf tournament broke away from the Junior World of Golf and grew in its own right. Still even others thought it was simply to bring out the best in kids and they began promoting a mission so broad that nothing differentiates it from other organizations, schools, groups, and countless others who work for children's causes.

I posit that Optimist International's UVP should instead be similar to the following statement:

"Using the philosophy of the Optimist Creed, Optimist Clubs make positive changes in their communities. Optimist International provides resources to help Optimist Clubs effectively manage their time and the impact of their community service projects." 

Optimist International needs to get out of the leadership business and make itself a resource to its clubs instead of individual people.

With more resources, like grant opportunities, event planning ideas and marketing and promotional tools, among others, clubs would have the opportunity to evolve in a meaningful way. As Optimist Clubs evolve, Optimist International will prosper, but it is incumbent upon the organization to lift its clubs up. It must ask its clubs what they need and then do their best to respond.

Most of all, I believe that Optimist International must stop trying to recruit members for themselves. I can't think of a bigger competitor for Optimist Clubs than the umbrella organization to which they all belong.

If you want me to participate, call me

Earlier this week I looked at attendance vs. membership issues in service clubs. One of the key points that stood out to me was that we, as service club leaders, have to be connected to our members. Whether we use email, text, Facebook or another social media tool, or that old fashioned medium known as the telephone, we have to communicate with them if we expect them to want to participate. How else will they know what is going on?

In honor of that significant point, I've chosen, "Call Me," by Blondie as the Music Sunday video at Experience Optimism. It's a pretty simple message. Now go do it with your Optimist Club members. Now.


 

Help when and where you can

"Don’t give up the opportunity to help five children because you think that you should be able to help twenty." - Nutilia Simon, Governor-elect, Caribbean District - Optimist International 

In a motivational note to the members of the Caribbean District, Governor-elect Simon shared that nugget of hope and wisdom. I've seen it happen; individuals and their respective Optimist Clubs get so caught up in the potential of their ideas that they spend most of their time planning and little of their time doing. They talk a good game, but fail to take action. 

The two main reasons that clubs give for lack of action are universal: 

1. We're underfunded.
2. We don't have enough members.

Both speak to the beauty of Governor-elect Simon's message. Help those you can, when you can and one day your club may have the capacity to do more. Your Optimist Club's good deeds will draw attention and others to the cause. And if it doesn't, you will still have made a difference because you gave of yourself in service. 

Photo courtesy of JOOI Barbados on Facebook. 

My #GivingTuesday post

Please join me in giving a hat tip today to the folks who are participating in #GivingTuesday. As an active Optimist Club member, I take the opportunity to give time and make donations to different causes every day. Making the time to write on this blog and the PNW District Optimist Clubs blog is one such commitment. I take neither lightly.

Other ways that I give are supporting the projects that Optimist Clubs choose to do. Sometimes that is with money, but most often it is merely with attendance. Being present means so much to children, parents, grandparents, spouses and friends. We become so busy with our lives, or our smartphone, we forget just being there really makes a difference.

As holiday consumerism takes its place in American culture with Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it is only fitting that we take time to show American philanthropy as well. Take some time today find a cause that truly speaks to you and make a donation and then go one step further and pledge some of your time in the very near future. You'll be rewarded with good feelings for doing so.

Find out about #GivingTuesday here.

Find out about Optimist Clubs here.

Experience the "Power of One"

Today is the last day of the 2011-2012 administrative year for Optimist International. Optimist Clubs across the globe are celebrating the successes of the year, welcoming new officers and planning for the next year of projects and accomplishments. The Optimist Club of Barbados-Bridgetown celebrated the day by releasing the following video montage as a remembrance and thank you to the participants. It is also a thank you to those who give Optimist Club members the opportunity to serve.

The theme for the Caribbean District throughout the year was "The Power of One." The video features "The Power of One" performed by Donna Summer and the "Power of One" by Bomshel. Such inspiration is perfect for Music Sunday at Experience Optimism.

The video displays proudly a sampling of what Optimist Clubs do. And they do it with love.

Optimists: tell your story online

With the proliferation of blogs, telling the Optimist Club story has never been easier. When individuals write first person narratives of their experience at events, programs and even meetings, their story becomes a testimonial for the service that Optimist Clubs provide in their communities.

I've been encouraging Optimist Clubs to start their own blogs for about five years. Slowly, ever so slowly, I'm starting to see the rewards of my ongoing message. Districts have adopted the platform as well as a number of clubs. Here is a list of just a few:

AMS & NW District
East Missouri District
Nebraska District
Oklahoma District
Pacific Northwest District 

Boise Noon Optimist Club
Coquitlam Optimist Club
Jerome Optimist Club
McCall Optimist Club
Middleton Area Optimist Club
Old River Optimist Club
Sunset Optimist Club of Kingston 

Some might ask what is the difference between a website and blog. It's simple. A traditional website is static; the information is basic and rarely changes. On the other hand, a blog is dynamic. It is a website that is constantly being updated.

Blogs can standalone, as these do; but a blog can also fit nicely as link from your Optimist Club's traditional website. The key is that someone - you - need to take charge of updating regularly. Tell stories. Share success. We all want to hear about what your Optimist Club has done and will do, especially those potential new members who want to know what might be expected of them before they commit to join.

Sign in with Blogger now and start telling your story online. As always, I offer my help with this link.

Pictures of optimism

Leah Gibson - Paso Robles Optimist Club

Around the world, Optimist Clubs are finishing up the Annual Optimist International Oratorical Contest. This year's topic is "How my optimism helps me overcome obstacles." Youths under 18-years of age prepare and deliver a speech 4 to 5 minutes in length.

Aubrey Deeble, Brendan Earle, Alexa Barnett
and Sam Exline - Eagle , Idaho Optimist Club

Every student must begin at the club level to participate. They progress through zone and regional competitions moving to the district level where the winners receive a scholarship of $2,500.

Students at the Optimist Club
of Anguilla

Students at St. John Antigua
Optimist Club 

The scholarships are funded through the Optimist International Foundation. Each year, the Foundation awards more than $150,000 in scholarships.

I enjoy receiving pictures of contestants and thought I'd share a few here today. Enjoy!

Students at the Optimist Club of Vancouver, Washington

Have a picture to share?  Please send it here.  Thank you. 

Photos courtesy of the Optimist Clubs.

Take a tour of the PNW District blog

One of the most ambitious website projects to be conducted by an Optimist District is going on in the Pacific Northwest. This district has created a dynamic blog platform that incorporates all 50 Optimist Clubs in the district.

The PNW District stretches from Idaho to Alaska and includes Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. The main blog site attempts to highlight stories from all around the district and bulletin editors and others are encouraged to contribute to their own blogs which also serve as an enhanced club directory.

Visitors can go on a quick tour by watching this video. Click here to visit the PNW District blog.



Do you belong to an Optimist Club in the PNW District? They are looking for authors, photographers and more. Contact the district at this link for an assignment.

Optimists at the fair

It is fair time in the Pacific Northwest and Optimist Clubs in Idaho, Oregon and Washington are working day and night at their biggest fundraisers.

In Caldwell, Idaho, the Optimist Club works the food booth at the Caldwell Night Rodeo. This week-long event is one of the top 20 professional rodeos in the United States. There are events for junior ropers and a rodeo queen competition with scholarships and also country music artists free with rodeo admission.  The 48-member club found a little (or a lot) of help from the Junior Optimist Club. 

In Oregon City, Oregon, the Oregon City Optimist Club works the Clackamas County Fair for an extended weekend, Wednesday through Sunday, making pronto pups. As the only pronto pup supplier at the fair, they work non-stop. In other words, don't believe the pictures that show them waiting for customers. 

The Tri-Cities Optimist Club in Richland, Washington also work a full week at the Benton County Fair. They have a large, permanent building where they cook and serve, and a nice covered picnic area for the patrons. And, oh, did I mention the mechanical bull? 

All of our fair fundraisers are well-supported by their respective communities. Fair-goers enjoy knowing their money stays right in the community to support projects that bring out the best in children. Please enjoy the slideshow from Optimists at the Fair. You'll see being an Optimist Club member is not all work; it's a lot of fun.

Photos provided by Lareena Roberson, Casey Crookham and the Oregon City Optimist Club. Thanks! 

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 JOOI of Reading

This month, Junior Optimist and Octagon Clubs (JOOI Clubs) have been celebrating the JOOI of reading.  Ideas are available online to help students plan events in their community.  As I was looking, I stumbled upon this idea called "Catch and Release." I imagine, like me, you thought of fishing; but what a great idea for sharing books: leave them around public places and encourage other students to pick them up, take them home and read them. 

I imagine that it would take a book drive to gather enough literature to spread around, a great number of signs, and perhaps even some students to demonstrate that it is a good thing to help yourself to some reading material. But don't wonder about what it takes to start the project; please find out online here: JOOI of Reading. 

This project is truly ageless. Adult Optimist Clubs can participate too. Choose a month, make a plan, and share the JOOI of Reading in your community. 

Frozen Goose Walk-Run leads the way

Hurry, hurry, hurry! There is still time to participate in the Frozen Goose Run in Rochester, Minnesota, but you have to act now because the race takes place tomorrow, Saturday, February 5, 2011. Your next opportunity to freeze your tail feathers will come in February 2012 when the Frozen Goose Run will celebrate its tenth consecutive year as part of the Rochester Winterfest.

The Rochester Winterfest is a community event organized by the City of Rochester to raise awareness for nonprofit organizations that serve the community. It is taking place February 3-13 in different indoor and outdoor venues throughout the city.

The Frozen Goose Run is a project of the Optimist Club of Rochester. Proceeds of the benefit will go to Mayo Clinic Childhood Cancer Research and Brighter Tomorrows.

The Optimist Club of Rochester is leading the way in cause related activities for Optimist International's Childhood Cancer Campaign.  For nine years, Optimist International has encouraged Optimist Clubs to donate to research to eradicate childhood cancers. Last year, the organization completed a pledge to John Hopkins Research University and stepped up their effort to encourage clubs to donate to local causes. In fact, this year, Optimist International is encouraging clubs to organize a walk to benefit the Optimist International Childhood Cancer Campaign as part of an organization-wide campaign.

No doubt the efforts of clubs like the the Optimist Club of Rochester have served as a inspiration to creating greater awareness for a cause that most Optimist Club members hold dear. Thank you for your leadership.

Don't be passionately unbalanced

Yes, the projects performed by Optimist Clubs around the world get me excited.  I passionately believe that when individuals come together to do good things in their community, they are really extending themselves to improve their own attitude and station in life as well as the quality of life for all.

I loosely say good things because the activities performed by an Optimist Club are varied, from two-person projects to programs that involve two thousand-persons and beyond. However, what is constant in all activities is passion, the willingness to make a difference and the desire to be involved.

I recently came across this video produced by Chow.com highlighting Galco's Soda Pop Stop and passionate store owner and beverage connoisseur John Ness. It's categorized as obsessive and I will issue a friendly warning: it's probably much more than you want to know about soda pop. In fact, you probably won't miss anything if you stop watching at about four minutes in.



I offer this clip as an example of how an idea can take over and direct our lives, but it can also serve as a reminder that it is within our power to choose not to duplicate the efforts of others. As Mr. Ness explains, we don't all have to sell Pepsi when a larger store already able to delivers it to consumers at the best price, or to reemphasize his lament, at a price that is lower than his cost. His passion led him to a niche market, but his business acumen is what allows him to succeed as he pursues his passion.

As Optimist Clubs, we often choose projects that are easy to duplicate and then we wonder why our club didn't get noticed or why our attendance or participation was low. Then we are disproportionately disappointed because we were so passionately engaged in our mission. Conversely, a club might start a program, implement it for years, and then abruptly hand it off to another group because the individual who was passionate about the project is ready to move on. And sadly, some clubs choose to carry on projects, like the Santa Pal Program in North Carolina that the Optimist Club is passionate about but may no longer be relevant or sustainable due to the economy or other factors.

What is the secret to longevity and success? 
Balance. Optimist Clubs, like business owners, must find ways to balance their activities that will allow them to be productive and grow.  I believe the easiest way to find balance is to never do anything alone. Entrepreneurs often believe they are the best person to lead their business. Likewise, passionate committee chairpersons often believe they are the only one that can successfully carry out their project.

Both are wrong. The most essential first step to achieving balance in your life is to engage others; engage others in your passion, project and purpose. Don't merely assign tasks and supervise their actions. Ask for collaboration and make decisions together. Balance your passion and you will achieve success.

Take our YouTube star Mr. Ness as an example. What is the likelihood that someone shares his passion for the different varieties of soda and has the skill to run a successful business? Slim, I would say, unless he is willing to engage them now, nurture their interest, and help them develop their skills.

If you follow my suggestion and engage early with others, you will be pleasantly surprised to learn they will celebrate with you today, help you revise your direction when needed, and carry on when you cannot be there.

Inspire, teach, reach and share

Inspiration comes from many sources. Some wake up to watch the sunrise while others cling to their pillow hoping to bring their nocturnal dreams to life. Some rise ready to sing life's praises, and others read the newspaper, watch the news stations, or log on to their computer to see what is worth their attention that day. We check into Facebook and update our friends on our activities and look to Twitter for a snapshot of the world.  As the day progresses, we write our own stories in our hearts and minds of the many ways we have made our life a little better and when we are very fortunate, how we helped others.

Words and deeds, thoughts and actions - all are important. All are inspirational. As an Optimist Club leader, I encourage my fellow service club members to share their stories of service with others, and I encourage every Optimist Club to start a blog so they can tell their stories in their own words and with their own passion. That  is what will bring the most attention to our mission of service and the 65,000 projects we perform every year. 

Gordon "Optimist Gord" Welling

Now an online friend has made the blogging experience even easier for those who were afraid to get started on their own. Meet Gordon Welling - or Optimist Gord as he refers to himself.

Optimist Gord is the Web Services Chair and online voice for the AMS&NW District 13 - Optimist International and the co-creator of the Edmonton Dinner Optimist Club website. He's taken my dream of every Optimist Club having their own blog and started making it a reality with a series of online tutorials at Put Your Club Online With Blogger.

The idea to create tutorials came to him as he was working on the Edmonton Dinner Optimist Club website. By his account, he has been working on the project for more than four months. There are currently four modules that take a novice blogger through the Getting Started stages to the Add your First Content. More modules are planned that will help the blogger create a website from their blog.

He has also created a useful list of free and easy-to-use resources and a privacy/terms of use policy that can be adapted to fit your website or blog.

With these step-by-step guidelines, Optimist Club members and others can share their stories with confidence, knowing help and encouragement is only a click away.

Quite an endeavor. And quite an inspiration. Thank you Optimist Gord for sharing your optimism by helping others share theirs.