Kids say the darndest things

Kids say the darndest things. Or maybe they say the most brilliant statements that can be made. I found this post on the Optimist Club of Greater Vienna's Facebook page today and just had to share. According to the post, a contestant in the Communications Contest for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (CCDHH) said, "Confidence with optimism is better than just confidence."

It's rather difficult to argue with that kind of logic!

If you would like to experience optimism through the eyes of children and young adults, I invite you to join an Optimist Club. Each year, Optimist Clubs host Essay, Oratorical and CCDHH contests for students to compete and earn scholarship money. It's a bonus for members to hear their voices, ideas and dreams.

At the club level, winning amounts are determined by the individual club. From each club, a contestant moves forward to zone and district competition. At that level, each first place winner earns a $2,500 scholarship.

Coming in 2016, Optimist International has partnered with St. Louis University to host an expanded Optimist International Oratorical Contest. Each first place district winner will move forward to a regional competition where they may win $10,000. The first place winners of the eight regions will then move forward to compete for an additional $15,000.

Details of the new competition levels are still being completed and we are excited for the expansion; however, every level of competition in an Optimist International scholarship contest gives the participant poise, confidence and hope. We encourage every teacher to involve their classes in this opportunity, but students, don't wait. You can enter with or without formal classroom involvement. Find out more about the Optimist International Scholarship Contests.  New topics for the coming school year are generally announced in late July.

Another in the irregular series, "What Do Optimists Do?" Optimists give kids a voice--and it is worth listening to! At...
Posted by Optimist Club of Greater Vienna on Wednesday, June 17, 2015

If you would like to experience optimism through the eyes of children and young adults, I invite you to join an Optimist Club. Each year, Optimist Clubs host Essay, Oratorical and CCDHH contests for students to compete and earn scholarship money.

At the club level, winning amounts are determined by the individual club. From each club, a contestant moves forward to zone and district competition. At that level, each first place winner earns a $2,500 scholarship.

Coming in 2016, Optimist International has partnered with St. Louis University to host an expanded Optimist International Oratorical Contest. Each first place district winner will move forward to a regional competition where they may win $10,000. The first place winners of the eight regions will then move forward to compete for an additional $15,000.

Details of the new competition levels are still being completed and we are excited for the expansion; however, every level of competition in an Optimist International scholarship contest gives the participant poise, confidence and hope. We encourage every teacher to involve their classes in this opportunity, but students, don't wait. You can enter with or without formal classroom involvement. Find out more about the Optimist International Scholarship Contests.  New topics for the coming school year are generally announced in late July.

Students on stage for Optimist International Scholarship Contests

It is scholarship season for Optimist Clubs. The Optimist International Essay Contest has just ended and now the focus turns to public speaking as students are asked to complete a five-minute speech on "How my passions impact the world" for the Optimist International Oratorical Contest and Communications Contest for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (CCDHH).

In Danville, Virginia, Optimist Club president Ken Boyer went to the local paper promote the club level contest. He said, “As they prepare for their future, many of our local students need experience expressing their thoughts and opinions to an audience. The oratorical contest challenges them to do just that and also offers an opportunity for scholarships. In this way, our club hopes to bring out the best in each of them and help them achieve their goals for the future."

Indeed, communication has never before had center stage as it does today. With social media, we put our thoughts out for others to see daily via blogs and microblogs like Facebook, Twitter, and others. It is critical that our young people learn and practice formal research, writing and speech to complement their informal prowess.

All Optimist International scholarship contests begin at the club level. Winners advance from the club to zone, regional and district finals where they are ultimately awarded a $2,500 scholarship. One of the most exciting things about the program is there is no minimum age. Students can start competing as early as they want up until 19 years. Over the years, past participants have said that the process of preparing and presenting at each level and meeting new friends and audiences was as much fun as winning. Of course all could use an extra $2,500 for college, but it's rewarding to know that the experience is valuable.

Click to find out more about the Optimist International scholarship programs.

Click to find an Optimist Club near you.

Click to see photos of Optimist Club scholarship winners and program participants.

Photo credit: Prior Lake Optimist Club

Christmas Tree lots wrap up for the season

As Christmas Day approaches, nothing feels better to an Optimist Club member working at a fundraising tree lot than this post from the Optimist Club of Greater Vienna.

Christmas trees are often the biggest fundraiser that an Optimist Club pursues and the opportunity to have the week off before Christmas due to fast and swift sales is a blessing for the club and its families.

But it also signifies something else; the economy is getting better. With more money circulating, families can invest in small pleasures and give back to the community at the same time. Buying a Christmas tree from a fundraising tree lot serves that purpose. Congratulations to all!

Post by Optimist Club of Greater Vienna.

Virginia Beach Optimists take students to the legislature

Through its purposes, Optimist International encourages an interest in good government and civic affairs and inspires respect for the law.

Many Optimist Clubs host Respect for Law activities by honoring first responders. However, a few show their work with children through the Respect for Law program. The Optimist Club of Virginia Beach is one of the latter.

On February 14, 2013, the Virginia Beach Optimist Club took students from 11 schools to the Capitol for a General Assembly visit. Legislators, beware! Our students aren't afraid to demonstrate their positive attitudes with ideas that will make our world a better place to live.

Junior Citizens recognized for the good things they do

With the help of the Boys and Girls Club, the Jamestown Optimist Club presented the 63rd Annual Junior Citizen Award to students from 28 schools in Chautauqua County. The students were nominated by teachers, mentors, other service organizations and their peers for their outstanding efforts in academics and community involvement. Just another example of students being honored for being good citizens. Nicely done; kudos to all.

Opti-Mrs. look forward to serving you

This story is a throwback to the 1960s and 1970s, when ladies didn't join mens clubs and that was okay. Instead, the ladies would form their own group, a shadow group if you will, that would meet to socialize and support the generous work their spouses were doing in the community. In Optimist Clubs, we called these wonderful ladies an Opti-Mrs. Club.

Imagine my surprise when I heard from the Opti-Mrs Club of Hopewell, Virginia that they were busy this week getting ready for a big fundraiser. On Saturday, January 22, they will serve up a big spaghetti dinner at the Hopewell Optimist Club, 1310 Lynchburg Street, Hopewell. For only $8 per person, participants can enjoy an Italian extravaganza with atmosphere, spaghetti, salad, bread, beverages and a very popular dessert bar.

The ladies share their special recipes and have a great deal of fun planning and putting on the event. The money they raise supports such things as the Massey Cancer Center, Red Cross, Special Olympics, the local hospital and nursing homes and other community outreach centers. They also sponsor two scholarships for graduating seniors each year.

Three of the original members still participate in the Hopewell Opti-Mrs. Club.  Charter member Connie Bartlett explained what the group was all about. She said, "The Hopewell Opti-Mrs. are dedicated ladies who help support the community through their fundraisers, work well together and support each other as best friends."

I don't know about you, but I find that statement priceless! Thank you ladies for what you do in your community.

If you live in the Hopewell, Virginia area, please support their fundraiser. Call 804.458.6948, 804.458.1868, or 804.458.8745 for more information.

Optimist Club helps to save the Arlington Planetarium

The Planetarium in Arlington, Virginia was scheduled to be closed. It had a momentary reprieve when the School District took over funding the operational costs, but that was short-lived as it fell victim to the budget ax, losing more than 60% of the needed funding. Enter the Optimist Club.

When the Arlington Optimist Club's president-elect heard about the plight, he and his fellow members became champions of the cause. According to Brig Pari, they need to raise $402,000 by June 2011. There is no assurance of their success, raising money is always a challenge, but the good news is they have already raised $130,000.

The money will be used for more than operational costs. It will help the planetarium install new equipment to enhance the entertainment and educational value. To read more about the project and the Arlington Planetarium, please visit the website at http://saveplanetarium.org/.

Please consider making a donation while you are there. The Optimist Club thanks you; and so do the children in Arlington, VA.

Hopecam puts homebound children in school

The Great Falls Optimist Club of Great Falls, Virginia found a new way to help homebound children experience life. The project is called Hopecam.  Hopecam provides the equipment, technology and training to connect homebound children with their friends, teachers and classrooms at no cost to the child's family or school. 

According to Hopecam.com, "after medical treatment, social interaction is the best medicine a homebound child battling long-term illness can receive." 

The Great Falls Optimist Club donated $10,000 to the cause.  Ten students will benefit from their generosity.  I'm hoping even more will benefit from other Optimist Clubs learning about this great cause. 

Optimist Club of Caroline County, VA to fulfill a holiday wish

The Optimist Club of Caroline County, Virginia will fulfill a Christmas wish for a lucky individual or family for the second year in a row with the program they call “Making Christmas Wishes Come True.” According to Portsia Smith, a blogger for http://www.fredericksburg.com/ the program works like this:

"The Optimist Club will accept nominations from individuals who identify and explain how they would spend $1,000 to help a Caroline individual or family this Christmas. The nomination would go into detail as to how the money would be spent and how receiving the gift the individual or family would enjoy a special Christmas.

The Optimist Club will select the best project and then meet with the person submitting the nomination to make the “wish come true” for the individual or family mentioned in the nomination. Only Caroline County residents can receive the gift, but nominations can be received from anyone.

Nominations should be made to assist an individual or family with special circumstances that $1,000 would make a difference in their holiday season. The funds will be spent fulfilling that “Christmas wish” that under ordinary circumstances the individual or family would not obtain it.
Deadline for nominations is Monday, November 23 and the winning nomination will be notified on Wednesday, December 9. Nominations must be submitted in writing and the proposed recipient clearly identified.

Please submit nominations with name, address, phone number and/or e-mail address to: Optimist Club of Caroline County, % President Cindy Ashcraft, 17173 Camellia Drive, Ruther Glen, VA 22546."

It may only be October, but it sounds like it is time to start making plans for your Optimist Club holiday activities.