Optimist Club makes a difference in the Cayman Islands

Some Optimist Clubs perform huge projects in their communities and I promise I will eventually highlight some of them, but I have to tell you I like simple projects the best. A simple project allows the Optimist member to interact more closely with children and show them that we care about them. I found out about a true hands-on project being performed on Grand Cayman.

The headline that I found was "Optimist Club teaches life skills." I think you will agree that reading, writing and arithmetic are life skills. Click here to see how the members of this club are tutoring and mentoring children as part of their weekly meeting. They are also working with the schools to bring about the first Optimist Oratorical Contest.

The Optimist Club of Georgetown, Grand Cayman is a recent addition to the Optimist family with only six months of activities under their belt. What a great start to making a difference on their small island.

Optimist Clubs recognize children

One of the greatest gifts we can give our children is the gift of acknowledgement. We need to let them know that we appreciate them and the things that they do. Student athletes and scholars get a lot of praise. Kids who are disruptive or mischievious are called out for their behavior. But there are so many other students out there! Those that live their lives off the radar screen are just as important. They do some pretty remarkable things just because they are the right things to do.

Some Optimist Clubs have found a way to recognize those kids. In Jerome, Idaho they recognize kids for performing random acts of kindness. Click to read more.

In Bay City, Michigan, they recognize kids for being unsung heroes. Click here to read more.

Are there some kids in your community that deserve a shout out? Plan an event - it doesn't have to be elaborate, just meaningful. After you recognize the kids in your communty, please tell us about it here.

New direction for the Build an Optimist Club Today blog

This site was created to support new club building ideas and efforts. A great number of Optimist Club members believe, as do I, that new clubs are formed to perform community service and that local projects or causes drive the need for a new club.

In an effort to make more information available to all about great ideas, I'm going to begin highlighting some pretty fantastic club projects that I have heard about. Some of these projects will be unique to Optimist Clubs; some will be collaborative in nature; all will be inspirational. I hope that when you read them, you'll take just a few minutes to ask what else can I do to support my community? How can my Optimist Club help more children?

Check back occasionally to find out what is new!