October 2020

What a way to end the year!

During the Optimist year, the month of September is usually filled with a lot of activity as a plethora of new Club projects are finished. September of 2020 was no exception. Several new Clubs were organized in the Caribbean District including a new country for the District.  The Optimist Club of St Vincent was organized after a lengthy development process. There are dozens of new College Optimists on Barbados now that the Optimist Club of the University of the West Indies-Cave Hill (UWI) came into the Optimist family with 89 members. It is one of the organization’s newest virtual Clubs. As if one new college Club wasn’t enough, the BCC Optimist Club in Barbados also came into the family.

Activity picked up as well on Jamaica with the Eastern Stars Optimist Club of Kingston. The Optimists in Jamaica took also advantage of the membership promotion underway and created the First Responders of the Garden Parish Optimist Club. The promotion provides for reduced international dues during the first year of membership for first responders

New Club development wasn’t restricted to the Caribbean.

The Optimist presence in Ghana expanded with the organization of the Unity Optimist Club of Accra. This is the seventh Optimist club in the country and another new Club is expected to be organized in October. Our organization also now has a presence in central America. The Optimist Club of Belize came on board at the end of the month laying the foundation for future expansion of Optimist International in the region. Congratulations are in order to all who helped develop and organize these new Clubs across the globe.

The global pandemic appears to be no match for many of our Clubs in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Members of the Board of Directors for the Optimist Club of Lebanon came together for their first meeting. They not only are planning projects but developing plans for more Clubs in the country.  Our new Club in Lusaka, Zambia saw the pandemic as a means to reach out and help others.

The members wasted no time personalizing a face mask and gathering up supplies for others to stay safe during the pandemic.  The Optimist Club of Kisumu in Kenya also worked to help the less fortunate in their community.  Club members contributed and also sought donations from businesses so they could supply dozens upon dozens of food packages for those in need.

We also learned of a great project from our new Junior Optimist Club in Colombo Sri Lanka. The students conducted a supply drive for non-academic staff members and professional maids at their school, the Royal Institute. In addition to food supplies, the students created a video of appreciation for the staff and workers and held a ceremony at which the donations were distributed and words of appreciation were offered.

Administrative Corner October brings with it a great opportunity to plan for the coming Optimist year. Boards of Directors are encouraged to develop a schedule for projects that could be conducted, creating opportunities to develop partnerships with businesses and other non-government organizations and to take advantage of the educational opportunities for members through Optimist International.  These include use of the new Learning Management System, the Professional Development Program and the Personal Growth and Involvement program. Contact Optimist International or the Club that sponsors your Club for more information about these programs and how they can benefit members of your Club.