Motorcycle rally benefits Optimist Club

This is the thirteenth year for the annual Hill Country Motorcycle Run in Luckenbach, Texas. Scheduled for this weekend, May 1-3, 2009, the promoters say this event is "More than just a plain old motorcycle rally." It features food, entertainment, friends, both new and old, and lots of riding through miles and miles of the friendly towns and beautiful vistas in Texas.

The Hill Country Run is a volunteer effort coordinated by the Optimist Club of Fredericksburg, Texas and all proceeds benefit Optimist Club projects including the T-Ball Program, Scholarship Program, Pioneer Memorial Library Reading Hour Program, Tri-Star Sports contests, Oratorical Contest, and Essay Contest. Visit www.hillcountryrun.com to find out more.

What a great project! It brings the community together, increases tourism and lets others contribute to the great activities sponsored by the local Optimist Club. Cheers!

Optimist Club forms food pantry

The official home page for the burough of California, Pennsylvania proudly displays the Optimist International logo. That's because the community is the beneficiary of a very active Optimist Club. Their latest activity was the creation of the community's only food pantry. According to founding Optimist Club member and former California mayor Gerald Gardner, they created the food pantry with help from the Washington County Food Bank after visiting the neighboring Ellsworth Food Pantry to learn the ropes.

The food pantry will officially be open for service on May 13. Other projects of the Optimist Club of California include care packages to troops in Iraq, a fire relief program, and the city's annual art and music festival, California Gold Rush Days. Not bad for a community of 6,000 people. Way to go Optimists!

Optimist Clubs award scholarships for essay writing

One of the greatest things adults can do is listen to children and through the Optimist Essay Contest, Optimists do just that. Optimist Clubs around the world hold essay contests and invite children through 18 years of age to participate for scholarships. The club winner is forwarded to the District where it is again judged and the winning essays move to the national competition where the top finalist receives a $6,500 scholarship. That's a pretty nice prize for 500 words or less.

This year the topic was "The Power of Youth." Take a look at some of the club entries here:

Optimist Club of Salem, Oregon
Optimist Club of Albany, Oregon