Optimist Clubs take action every day

Last year, Optimist International encouraged its clubs to participate in Optimist in Action day. The idea was that an Optimist Club would perform a community service activity one day - any day - in May.

I thought that seemed a bit silly; after all, Optimist Clubs find action throughout the year in all the programs and services they perform.

Today I looked for the activity on the Optimist International website and I discovered that Optimist in Action day actually became a thing in 1992. According to the History of Optimist International, its purpose was to include others in an Optimist Club project at least once per year:

In 1992, a new and innovative program, titled Optimists in Action Day, was introduced as a pilot program to unite Optimists and other volunteers in the community in a single day of community or youth service.

If your Optimist Club is like mine, it probably includes Optimist Club members and community members in its projects most of the time. Instead of promoting our clubs on one day of the year, I suggest that we make our activities more visible every time we host an activity or event or volunteer in the community.

For example, Clyde Adams posted this sign on Facebook today. This weekend, the Four Towns Optimist Club will host an Easter Egg Hunt and this sign will be there letting the public know that the Optimist Club is in action.

Get one for your Optimist Club today!

One more reason to get your Optimist Club online

I'm starting to see a  new challenge for Optimist Clubs and their publicity efforts. Just when they began to get more mentions in their local newspapers, the newspapers have put up paywalls. That's right; now in many locations, in order to see the good deeds and great pictures of your local Optimist Club at work you must be a digital subscriber to the newspaper.

The best way to overcome this obstacle and to continue to get positive stories about your Optimist Club in the media is to write about your projects yourself.

Start a blog, and like the Experience Optimism and PNW District Optimist Clubs blogs, your content will be available at all times.

In addition to stories, you'll be able to promote events, publish contact information, spread inspiration, and share optimism with others.

To get started, visit Blogger or Wordpress.com and just follow through. It's pretty easy if you follow the instructions. However, we can also work together to get your Optimist Club online.

Would you like to work with me? Send a note now to Linda Vaught Jackson. I'd be honored to help your club create a public relations plan that helps it get noticed.

Be sexy, work hard, and you will create the world in which you want to live

Earlier this week, Ashton Kutcher was honored at the Teen Choice Awards 2013. His acceptance speech has gone viral as people, bloggers, reporters and others have added kudos and commentary to his words. Many say that politicians should be paying attention to his style and substance. Perhaps. But I am proud to say that Optimist Club members, and members of other service clubs already do this.

•  Optimist Club members build their lives to create the world in which they live. 
•  Optimist Club members don't shy away from work and because of that, the door to opportunity opens for them. 
•  Optimist Club members are sexy. Well, maybe not, but they are smart and according to Kutcher, it's the same thing. 

Watch Ashton Kutcher's speech now and tell me what you think. 

Why are you proud to be an Optimist?

"We share the same values" and "We create leaders" are just two reasons members cite for being proud to be an an Optimist. Please listen to Don Brose and Stéphanie Thériault in their own words. And then take a moment and then share your reason with us here. Why are you proud to be an Optimist?




  Video courtesy of Optimist International on YouTube.

Optimist Clubs...are my favorite things

My post today is pretty straightforward. It's to remind Optimist Club members to talk about their Optimist Clubs with enthusiasm.

The annual schedule for an Optimist Club is repetitive. The year begins in October. Most clubs will begin to promote the Optimist International Essay Contest, host Youth Appreciation Day in November and then turn their focus to local activities that support the holiday season. In January, clubs will begin to promote the Optimist International Oratorical Contest and Communications Contest for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. The following month they will begin to plan for Easter Egg Hunts, Bike Safety Fairs, and other programs that they want to hold for children before they go on their summer breaks.

There are also four district meetings and the international convention along with a variety of fundraising efforts  specific to each individual club that are included on that annual calender. Every year.  Year after year. It can seem a lot like a been there, done that proposition, unless...

Unless you approach each opportunity with enthusiasm. Make it your favorite thing. Speak about it with a smile on your face and ask others to do the same. When you are having fun, others will have fun and they will want to join the cause of bringing out the best in children while making our communities great places to live.

Maybe I've come up with a new slogan! What do you think? Optimist Clubs...are my favorite things.

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?

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.

Is it time for a change?

"The most effective way to manage change is to create it." - Peter Drucker 

It's that time of year when I reevaluate the direction of the Experience Optimism blog. I enjoy telling stories about Optimist Clubs; however, finding new stories to tell is sometimes a merciless task. Consider the week in December where we heard about Christmas tree lot after Christmas tree lot.

If I were to report about scholarship opportunities such as the oratorical and essay contests, the same would be true. We would see week after week of the same activity from thousands of Optimist Clubs.

Linda Jackson and the Optimist Creed

But the redundancy is also one of the great benefits of conducting international programs and belonging to a federation of Optimist Clubs: we have the ability for nearly 3,000 Optimist Clubs to perform projects at the same time and generate publicity and awareness for what we do to make a difference in our communities.

I can only ask, why does the international office not capitalize on such promotional opportunities? Why are they not coordinating our efforts? Where is the public relations campaign? Why are Optimist Clubs left to fend for themselves in a virtual communications abyss?

For my first task of the new year, I think I will look for those answers. Maybe I'll return to my usual format. Maybe I'll find something to write about that is more useful for all. Stay tuned. It will be worth your time. As always, thank you for reading and sharing your optimism with me and with others.

One of my favorite lines from the Optimist Creed: Promise yourself to wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.

Georgia Optimists launch awareness campaign

The Georgia District - Optimist International is nearing their 75th Anniversary and they are celebrating with pride - pride in their accomplishments and service; pride in their fellowship and friendships; but most all, pride in being a Georgia Optimist. They've created a video to share that special feeling with you.



As I've commented on this blog before, individuals belong to Optimist Clubs. Optimist Clubs belong to Optimist International. The district serves as an administrative arm to help Optimist International share information and leadership and help the organization grow. I'm always fascinated when individuals identify primarily with something other than an Optimist Club for the club level is where we make a difference.

The Georgia awareness campaign is focusing on individuals over clubs. Answering the question, "What's in it for me?" they highlight three individuals, among others, who say that being a Georgia Optimist gave them the opportunity to develop personal skills like public speaking, confidence and self esteem.

I give the Georgia Optimists high marks for their passion, fellowship and promotion and hope that in the future they remember their club-level roots, for without an Optimist Club, none of their achievements are possible.

How to find the right spokesperson

Optimist Clubs often wish they could find a spokesperson to champion their club to others. Well, the Optimist Club of Birmingham, Alabama has found a good one and a good cause to share: childhood literacy.

Together with Miss Trussville, Chandler Champion, the Birmingham Optimist Club is supporting Books-A-Million and asking others to give their support at a book fair. According to Miss Trussville, portions of the sale will go directly to the Optimist Club to help with all of the programs they perform to help others and empower youth.


What a great message. Thank you Chandler.

And what a great idea for your community service group. Partner up with the young ladies chosen to represent your community as Miss CIty or State. They will get invaluable exposure and practice, and your club will garner awareness in your community for supporting great causes and helping young people achieve their goals.

Fundraising gets dirty

Although I now live in Idaho, my original Optimist Club was the Optimist Club of Granite City, Illinois. I served in quite a few district roles in the Illinois District, including District Secretary/Treasurer in 1995-1996. Because of my history, I try to pay special attention to projects in Illinois. Sad to say, the southern part of the state does not get as much press as the northern part of the state. It might have something to do with The Patch, the local, online reporting network. Kudos to the writers and publishers of The Patch for publishing local stories of interest, especially those positive stories performed by service clubs.

Today, editor Steven Jack submitted this dirty, mud-filled video of an Oswego Optimist Club fundraiser. Find out more about the popular annual mud volleyball tournament and fundraiser here.

I support the (fill in the blank) Optimist Club

Our Optimist Clubs frequently say they need more promotion and wish for celebrity spokespersons. One of the challenges of a celebrity spokesperson would be finding the one person who speaks to all populations.

Earlier this year a new Optimist Club was built in the Little Haiti neighborhood of Miami, Florida. Named for its community, you might imagine that the members of the Little Haiti Optimist Club and the children that benefit from their service are a different demographic than an Optimist Club in Utah, Oregon, or Idaho. Not only do they live in a different part of the country, in differently styled or appointed neighborhoods, they are significantly younger than the average Optimist Club member. So knowing  who could speak to their community best, they created their own Celebrity Support video.

Please take a look at a Celebrity Support video for the Little Haiti Optimist Club.



Don't know the celebrities? That's okay, it wasn't meant for your community. But it is a great, easy idea that you can do for your Optimist Club.

Get out your Flip Video and at your next Chamber of Commerce meeting ask your local celebrities to support your Optimist Club. It's local, relevant to your demographic, plus it really is free and easy promotion. Please be sure to send me your link or your video once it is published. Let's show our support for our Local Optimist Club.