Optimist Club celebrates 75 years of youth support in Paris

By Casandra Turnbull

This year the Optimist Club of Paris is celebrating 75 years of youth support and friendship in the community.

The major milestone coincides with the Optimist International’s 100th anniversary in 2024. An international convention is planned for June 22 to 26 in Niagara Falls to commemorate that achievement.

You can expect there will be some special activities locally to celebrate the diamond anniversary, say Paris Optimist volunteers Marilyn McCulloch and Grant Brooker.

If you get an opportunity to get out and celebrate the Optimist Club this year, be sure to thank a member as there’s a possibility that an Optimist has enriched your life Recognition and thanks go a long way, but more volunteers are priceless. There’s only way one a service club survives and it’s because of the volunteer members who are dedicated to enhancing lives.

If you’re not familiar with the Optimist Club, allow us to give a run down. Optimists provide hope and positive vision, bringing out the best in youth and the communities they serve. The worldwide organization strives to enrich the lives of children and develop to their full potential “We quite simply support the youth in Paris and the surrounding area,” said Brooker. “Optimist members are important to the community because we enthusiastically and optimistically support our youth. Youth is our future, and the Optimist Club tries to do just a little bit to help a population that sometimes does not receive the support they need,” he added.

The list of support they’ve lent youth in this community is by far too long to share in this Paris Independent edition. Continued page 12

The Optimist Club supports youth activities and initiatives. Sometimes it’s a one-off request from an individual like Disc Golf Phenomenon Brooklyn O’Krafka (above) looking for support for her national trips or below, support for the Paris High football team who needed new jerseys and helmets when the sport was reintroduced to Paris after a 50-year hiatus.

The Optimists are approached frequently to support events, activities, fundraisers, school activities, sports teams, and educational programs. With so many causes to support, the members must assess each application received to ensure it meets the mandate of the club.

“Some of our members will bring their favourite causes to us such as the Diabetes Society, 4-H Club, and Canadian Down Syndrome Society,” shared Brooker. Sometimes Optimists support young residents who need financial assistance to achieve their goals, like swimming across Lake Ontario, competing in international competitions or acquiring much needed medical equipment.

Also on the receiving end of Optimist support are projects that have had a lasting impact on recreation in Paris When the ice pad at the Syl Apps Arena (yes, the community centre was once an ice rink), the Paris Optimists stepped up to fundraise and get the pad replaced. When Paris Little League wanted lights installed at the baseball diamonds at Lion’s Park so youth could play into the evenings, the Optimist once again spearheaded fundraising to fulfill the request, recalls McCulloch.

When Paris High school students wanted to resurrect football for the first time in 50 years, Optimist members provided them with uniforms and helmets A few years later they helped the school install an electronic scoreboard. Every year they hand out awards and scholarships at PDHS, Tollgate Tech and St. John’s College, as well as the Spirit of Optimism Award at each of the five elementary schools in Paris. A more recent project was the construction of the Paris Skate Park beside the optimist building, located beside the Syl Apps Community Centre That major fundraising project was made possible in part to a Trillium Grant.

Continued on page 13

Do you recognize these folks? They are full of spirit and enthusiasm and love to be involved in youth-based community events. To the left Optimist Club longtime volunteer Marilyn McCulloch and Optim-elf Lesely and Senor Grant Brooker above. Marilyn & Grant shared some insight into why the club is fortunate enough to celebrate 75 years in Paris.

Optimist Club of Paris Photos

“The park is very well used by the youth who love to skateboard and ride scooters,” said McCulloch, which brings pride to volunteers who work hard to realize youth dreams

And who can forget about the Optimist Club’s contribution to Trillium Camp for kids sick with cancer Optimists have raised and donated over $40,000, primarily through its Loonie/Toonie drive at local grocery stores over the years. The minor hockey association and youth softball association are grateful for the sponsorship over the decades and the list could go on. That’s why active membership is vital to the success of this club since its inception, even if it’s not an easy task.

“Maintaining a robust and active membership is a persistent challenge,” said Brooker. “Although we have members who are working, many of our members are retirees because it is easier for retirees to get things done during the day and without the challenges of balancing work and family and volunteering ” That’s why volunteer memberships are starting to take a new shape. Some members cannot commit to fulltime membership, instead they help out any way they can, and the help is always appreciated. The more hands-ondeck, the better.

The Paris Optimist Club has 22 members and is growing. There’s an application process for members that include a police check due to the ongoing interaction with youth in the community.

There are some projects on the table for 2024, including the expansion of the skatepark on Elm St. The county is funding the project through the 2024 budget, but the Optimists have already saved up close to $10,000 through its bottle drive and they will donate that towards the next phase of that project

If you’d like to give the Optimist a hand this year and contribute to the enrichment of youth lives in this community, you can learn more online. They’re welcoming new ideas to help carry the club into the next 75 years!

Watch for a story in next week’s Paris Independent on the expansion of the Optimist Club Skatepark in Paris.