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Tuesday, June 2, 2020

Watch our garden grow

A few weeks back, while on my daily walk, I saw a sign on a church that read:

Want to see some good news? 
Watch our garden grow.

I chuckled to myself for their community garden was weeks away from showing much more than rich brown dirt. As I've passed more recently, there are green sprouts peeking above the ground and more often than not there are two, three, or four volunteers raking, pulling weeds, and happily chatting while still maintaining proper social distancing protocols. They are the embodiment of good news.

This story reminded me of our very own North Okanagan Optimist Club in Vernon, British Columbia.

In April, in the middle of the stay-at-home orders from the COVID-19 pandemic, the North Okanagan Optimist Club optimistically advertised its annual spring fundraiser on Facebook. The club posted: "Deadline is looming (April 19) for you to order your spring flower, herb, succulent or Zonal geranium basket to beautify your landscape while you #stayhome. We are partnering with Bloom Thyme Nursery to continue to 'bring out the best' in our youth and community with the proceeds from this fundraiser. Stay home, stay safe and stay optimistic with a beauty like this in your garden!"

pnw optimist clubs north okanaganAs is the experience for many of our clubs' Facebook pages, there weren't any comments or likes. There were two shares and as I also shared the fundraiser on the PNW Optimist Clubs' Facebook page, I wished them well.

Last week we saw an update from the North Okanagan Optimist Club. Their fundraiser was completed! In addition to saying thank you, they also said: "Stay tuned for our swag and poinsettia sale in December..... something to look forward to over the next few months of social distancing!"

Kudos to the North Okanagan Optimist Club for its perseverance. Most importantly, thank you for making your community brighter with such lovely flowers and succulents as well as with your hopeful spirit.

When we cultivate an optimistic spirit, we can truly watch our gardens grow. We can watch as our positive actions help our communities change for the better.

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