Yes, I am still here

Hello friends, 

It’s been far too long since my last check-in, and I wanted to take a moment to provide an update. I’m happy to share that my commitment to optimism remains as strong as ever. I continue to stay actively involved as a proud member of the Share-a-Smile Optimist Club, and I also help support the scholarship programs with the West Tacoma Optimist Club—efforts that bring real hope and opportunity to our community.

Most importantly, I continue to share daily messages of optimism on Facebook, as I’ve done for the past eighteen years. I actively manage five pages and one group, all dedicated to spreading positivity. I’d love for you to join me there so we can share the journey of optimism together. 

Just click the links below to like, follow, and stay connected. Thank you!

Join An Optimist Club - Inspiration from Linda Vaught Disney

West Coast Region - Optimist International

PNW Optimist Clubs

Share-a-Smile Optimist Club

Pacific Central District - Optimist International

Experience Optimism

Rally for optimism

Optimist Clubs ask you to rally to service and to rally to optimism. 

It's fairly simple to join an Optimist Club and do both. 

Share a positive attitude and give back to your community by clicking here to find an Optimist Club near you and join.

 

Who said there is no such thing as a free lunch?

Optimist Clubs encourage potential members to visit them and try them out. Most clubs that gather at mealtimes offer a complimentary meal to the guest.

This quick post is a membership recruitment and retention tip that we received from the Twin Falls Optimist Club.

In addition to offering a meal to the potential new member, the Twin Falls Optimist Club also gives a free meal to the sponsor of the new member when they join.

Now we know! Whoever said there was no such thing as a free lunch wasn't an Optimist. But you can be an Optimist by joining an Optimist Club today.

Find a club near you by clicking on this link.

If you need additional help or would like to start an Optimist Club in your community, please send an email to Linda Vaught.  We'd love to help you #BeAnOptimist.

Why should you be an Optimist Club member?

I've been watching a thread on Facebook that speaks to what Optimist Clubs do. A well-meaning district leader is creating memes - she calls them flyers - to answer the question "What is an Optimist" or "What does an Optimist do?" Within two hours of asking for help, this member had created and posted ten project examples with descriptions like this:

• "Optimists raise money to improve the lives of youth in the area. We enjoy doing fundraisers and donating proceeds to scholarships, athletics, band, clubs, and many other youth organizations."
• "Optimists teach bicycle safety, host bicycle rodeos, and even provide thousands of bicycles to kids each year."
• "Optimists provide support to children with cancer and other childhood health-related issues."
• "Optimists support Junior Optimist Clubs all over the world."

Another district leader chimed into the discussion to encourage the meme-creator to reconsider her approach and to instead focus on why Optimist Club members participate in the many projects she was highlighting. He said, "I've just seen membership sold both ways. And in my experience, the person that sold the WHY inspired me. The person who sold the what tired me." He provided the link to Simon Sinek's Ted Talk "Start with Why" for emphasis.

But it was our own PNW District leader and Past Optimist International President Ron Thompson that led me to comment on this discussion. Ron wrote, "I don’t see fellowship anywhere, and I believe our coming together with the purpose of developing optimism as a philosophy of life, enjoying each other and developing lasting friendships and reciting the Optimist Creed (with a banner displayed)."

Optimist Clubs host the Optimist International Oratorical and Essay Contests, and Junior Golf Championships. They support food banks, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, and Sea Scouts, teach children to read, honor children for citizenship, scholarship, and kindness, recognize first responders for their duty and sacrifice, among other things.

Optimist Club members share optimism and fellowship and create friendships that last a lifetime.






























I created this meme from a picture taken at the West Tacoma Optimist Club's 60th Anniversary party and shared it with the group. Not only do I think it addresses the feeling of belonging that Ron described, I think it makes a point that we are Optimist Club members. 

Our Optimist Clubs conduct many diverse projects that speak to local needs and international initiatives, and our members gain personal satisfaction from participating in those projects because along the way they also make friendships and share a philosophy of life that nurtures their soul.

Won't you be our friend? Find an Optimist Club at this link and get involved. #JoinAnOptimistClub today.

Own it!

On the second Saturday of every month, I share a membership tip on the PNW Optimist Club Facebook page. I don't always share it here, but this month is different. It strikes me as something we don't do often enough. Read on.

Membership retention and recruitment tip #70: Own it! 

We often say that we belong to a group like an Optimist Club or other service organization because it helps children, serves a population in need, or provides a community service like park clean-up or coordinating an activity.  

Let’s be honest. We do those things because it makes us feel good to be involved.  

Increase member retention by encouraging your friends to own their commitment. Be sure to thank them for their contributions, especially when they say, “I belong to an Optimist Club because it makes me feel good.” That’s the best contribution of all.

Merry Christmas

At Christmastime and throughout the year, we wish you peace and happiness.

We hope you find love and kindness and that you share optimism with all around you.

Most of all, we hope that you find joy and celebrate every small step you take as if it were a large victory for our lives are gifts of the heart that we have the good fortune to experience every day.

Optimist volunteers are Santa's helpers

Any time of year is a good time to join an Optimist Club, but the holiday season may be the most exciting. Most Optimist Clubs host a multitude of Santa-like activities, from breakfasts to food drives, parties, and more.

While your help is needed at this busy time of year, it is also needed throughout the year when clubs sponsor Scholarship Contests, recognize children at Youth Appreciation events, and encourage good sportsmanship with Optimist Junior Golf, football, soccer, or curling, among other things.

The projects are endless and with a few more helping hands, Optimist Clubs can provide more meaningful moments to bring out the best in youth and themselves.

Please click here to find an Optimist Club near you and #joinanOptimistClub today. Your future self will appreciate it!

Pin one on for new members

Immediate Past Governor Bruce Gilbertson visited the Lebanon Optimist Club today to recognize Michelle Steinhebel for sharing optimism with other members of her community. Michelle has recruited five new members who are now part of the Lebanon Optimist Club and the PNW District- Optimist International.

Recognizing Optimist Clubs and their members is one of the perks of being a district leader and you can tell from Bruce's smile that he is enjoying the moment.

Michelle is currently serving as Vice President of the Lebanon Optimist Club. Thanks, Michelle, for bringing others to our positive way of life.

The West Tacoma Optimist Club offers pancakes once every year

Pancake breakfasts continue to be a popular fundraising effort for service clubs around the world and that holds true in the Tacoma, Washington area. For over 25 years, the West Tacoma Optimist Club has offered up pancakes on the first Saturday in August as a way to raise support for its club, both in revenues and participation. The annual event includes a silent auction and book sale.

While attendance may not be the same as when started so many years ago, the enthusiasm is just as great and while the club members catch up with many loyal community member attendees, they also have fun, sharing stories with one another and hatching up new ideas for programs in the coming new year. This short video is just a sample of the fellowship that the West Tacoma Optimist Club members offer to those who might wish to join their ranks. If you are interested in being an Optimist volunteer in Tacoma or elsewhere, please find a club at this link, visit it, and join!

Road sign publicity that works

I was recently traveling in Mexico and I couldn't help but notice that Rotary International was on display.

Unlike the service clubs to which this website is devoted, the Rotary Clubs were proudly announcing their existence with the Rotary logo, location, and date and time of their meetings, in public parks with sculptures similar to the one shown on the right.

I wish that I had thought to snap some pictures earlier than the day I was leaving for some of the displays were quite ornate. All were artistic and contributed to the surroundings of the community all while serving the purpose of gaining publicity for the Rotary Club.


Over the weeks since I've returned, I've wondered why the typical road sign available for Optimist International doesn't have the necessary information to get someone to a meeting; i.e., where is the meeting held and what time does it happen? It seems that would be pretty easy to include. I've also wondered why it hasn't been better promoted. Over the past five years or so, the road sign has been offered as an incentive for adding new members and while that is not a bad idea, it does not proactively publicize Optimist International.

I was surprised to learn that in the early 1930s, Optimist Clubs were encouraged to cooperate in a publicity program by placing signs along roads that led to their cities. As is shown on the cover of The Optimist from October 1934, the familiar octagon welcomed visitors with a stop sign - the octagon - that advertised the location and time of its local Optimist Club meeting.

In this time of digital media, it is easy to forget that traditional modes of communication still work and what's more, they work well. Signs, printed materials, and word of mouth marketing are all tools that we must use in promoting our Optimist Clubs. Get the road sign - or better yet, earn the road sign - and then place it in a prominent place in your community. Be sure to add the location, date, and time of your meeting and invite people to join your Optimist Club.

Please #JoinAnOptimistClub today

Comparing the PNW District t-shot to previous years, it's easy to see that the retention level is good. Members are not leaving Optimist Clubs at an alarming rate.

However, it is also evident that new people are not rushing in to join an Optimist Club.

That is not an unusual situation. This may be a simple statement, but we fully believe that one of the reasons we don't have membership growth is that we just don't ask. We don't ask others to join our Optimist Club.

We could look at the many reasons behind this phenomenon, and perhaps we will in the near future, but for now, we want to remind you that the time is always right to ask someone to join an Optimist Club.

Doing good in your community and bringing out the best in youth and yourself is a timeless and priceless pursuit. Please #joinanOptimistClub today.

Click here to find an Optimist Club in your community. If there is not an Optimist Club near you, please send a message and we will help you get one started.

Have the luck o' the Irish every day

Once a year, all the world turns Irish. People look for four-leaf clovers and the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. They wear green clothes, eat green food, and speak with an Irish brogue even though they have never been to Ireland.

For one day, many people feel an affinity for a common theme, an idea that makes them happy.

That feeling is like being part of an Optimist Club. As an Optimist Club member, one has an affinity for positive thoughts and they seek to do good things, especially in their community. Optimist Club members work together to make the world a better place to live. They help children and adults alike in the pursuit of this mission: to bring out the best in youth, community, and ourselves.

Every day is a lucky day when you are a member of an Optimist Club. You can do it! Make your day lucky: #joinanOptimistClub.

Click here to find an Optimist Club near you.

If there is not an Optimist Club in your community, we would love to help you start one. Click here to start a new Optimist Club today. 

This Optimist Creed pop-up banner can be yours!

Who doesn't need a pop-up Optimist Creed banner?

Every Optimist Club needs at least one, and that is why Optimist International's second quarter membership incentive will provide one to you for recruiting seven new Members into any adult Optimist Club between now and March 30. 

Get busy and add three new members in January, three new members in February and three new members in March and your Optimist Club will score not only a new banner, it will also be well on its way to earning Honor Club recognition. 

Optimist Clubs may also receive a banner for chartering a new Junior Optimist Club in the same time frame. 

We say, why not do both? If your Optimist Club does not need an Optimist Creed banner, you may choose instead an Optimist International road sign or Optimist International Purposes banner. 

Happy recruiting!

Be good. Do good. See good.

What's the top resolution that an optimist should make as 2018, the new year, begins?

She or he should resolve to look for the good in everything. 

Who am I kidding? Everyone should make that resolution, and then we would all be optimists.

Every day we hear and see news reports of hardship, strife, violence, war, and terror. We hear of disrespect from and at the top levels of our governments. Flowing through our Facebook timeline, the websites we visit, and even on network television, we see stories that make us ask is this real or fake news?

It takes a good dose of skepticism to sort through the headlines that find their way into our view. It takes optimism to know the world is better than is being portrayed.

The world is full of good people, good projects, and good ideas that when brought to the forefront will make it a better place to live. As a member of an Optimist Club, I vow to do that every day. I promise to think only of the best, work only for the best, and expect only the best.

When we share optimism with others, we fill space with positive thoughts and help others see beauty in the world.  We block out the negativity. We proactively look for the good. 

I invite you to do that with me and hope that you will invite others to join you too. 

Be good. Do good. See good. Share optimism. Be an optimist.

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2018.

Are Optimist Club members enthusiastic?

Nick Prillaman, President, Optimist International has been sharing a video message once per week since October 1, 2017. He calls the series "Notes from Nick."

This week he talks about enthusiasm. "Enthusiasm is contagious," he says. "There is no greater predictor of success."




The holiday season is one of the times each year when we see enthusiasm from almost every Optimist Club member. At this time, members live the motto of the Optimist International organization - they are true Friends of Youth. President Nick calls it enthusiasm.

Others might call it passion.

Some might call it caring.

And still some others might call it service: service to youth, community and ourselves. We bring out the best when we give of ourselves in service through an Optimist Club.

We invite you to join an Optimist Club. Click to find a club near you and join today. If you can't find one near you, please send me a note and I will help you get one started in your community.

Click here to find an Optimist Club near you.

Click here if I might help you start a new Optimist Club in your community.

Click here to be a Friend of Optimists.

We would love to hear about your Optimist Club projects. Please click here to send us a story and picture. Thank you.

Join an Optimist Club. It may lead to a more prosperous life

Every Optimist Club has a favorite project and many of them claim that the days between
Thanksgiving and the New Year is their favorite time of the year. During the holidays, there are multiple ways that Optimist Club members connect with their target audience: children. From food drives, to parades, parties, and presents around the tree, Optimist Club members are willing to serve. The trouble is, there aren't enough Optimist Club members to do as much as we really want to do.

At the holiday season, when we come in contact with so many people, it is especially important to keep the open sign front and center so that potential new members know that they are welcome to join an Optimist Club.

It is also important to let them know, at this most commercial time of the year, that joining an Optimist Club is as good a business decision as it is a personal commitment. Optimist Clubs support relationships because when we gather together as club members to do good in our communities, we form friendships, and we develop mutual business interests and connections.

When I first joined an Optimist Club, the business relationship was a central point of interest for all of the members. Somewhere over the last twenty years, that has been forgotten, and sometimes even discouraged.

I'm here to tell you that when we accept that our  personal lives are intertwined with our careers and the service we offer to others, it will lead to more fulfilling, peaceful, and prosperous lives.

The takeaway from this post is proudly shared as Membership Retention and Recruitment Tip #52*:

Help members connect with one another. Since the beginning of time, individuals have come together in groups for safety, socialization, knowledge, and commerce. As they conversed with one another, perhaps around the campfire, they discovered those whose knowledge or skills they respected, those from whom they could learn, and those who needed their help. When we gather together in groups today, we have the opportunity to learn these same things, but we must direct the effort for connection. Encourage members to share information about their hobbies and careers in addition to sharing their commitment to their community and business relationships will arise and friendships will grow.

*Once a month, I share a membership retention and recruitment tip on the PNW Optimist Clubs page on Facebook. That's right, this makes the 52nd month in a row. Thanks for reading!

We would love to hear what your Optimist Club is doing this holiday season and throughout the year.  Please click here to send us photos and a story.

Don't be a turkey

While our Canadian friends celebrate another Thursday, in the US, we are stuffing ourselves with turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and more, in celebration of Thanksgiving Day.

If we recall our elementary school teaching,  we will remember the first celebration of the harvest at Plymouth Rock in 1621. It brought the Pilgrims and American Indians together in gratitude and peace as they shared traditional dishes and culture.

But Thanksgivings took place before that time and have continued in nations in North America and beyond. Read more here.

In today's culture, we celebrate with food, family and friends in preparation for the season of giving that culminates on December 25.

Optimist Clubs find this season to be one of their busiest. Christmas trees, Breakfasts with Santa, Christmas Parties, and food drives  are just some of the many projects that Optimist Clubs conduct throughout the season.

That's why today we are thankful for the opportunity to serve our communities.

Of course, we can always use more hands! We would love for you to join an Optimist Club near you.

Click here to find a club or send us a message and we'll help you get one started in your neighborhood.

You make a difference

We serve our communities as members of an Optimist Club without expecting to be thanked. It's always a pleasant surprise when a youngster looks up and says, "Thank you!"

That extra spark brightens the mood and the project of the day as it brings smiles to the faces of many.

It's extra proof that what we do makes a difference. To inspire gratitude as we share optimism is a gift. That's why you should join an Optimist Club today.

Click here to find the Optimist Club nearest to you.

If you don't see one, we'd love to help you get one started in your community. Just drop us a note at the link.

Teachers are encouraged to join an Optimist Club

Your children are ready to return to school (well, maybe not so much) and Optimist International is ready too. To help prepare the youth for a major in optimism, we encourage every Optimist Club to invite one teacher - or more - to join. 

From August 1 through September 30, 2017, teachers and all school personnel may join an Optimist Club for only $30. 

According to Optimist International, everyone wins when teachers become members of an Optimist Club because:

• A strong connection with local schools is extremely beneficial for your Optimist Club. More teachers on your roster strengthens this connection.
• They can open doors for attracting more students to our youth projects - including Oratorical, Essay, Sports and other programs.
• Teachers are able to provide first hand insight into the needs of the children of your community.
• Provides the foundation for new Junior Optimist Clubs.
• Your Optimist Club will serve more children!

Find out more at this link: https://goo.gl/4ErNRm. 

Free membership!

In about thirty days or so, high school graduation will take place around North America. Many Optimist Clubs will be involved with recognition assemblies and graduation parties, among other things. Something we hope they will also be involved with is new member recruitment.

Junior Optimist International (JOI) members will be graduating and heading to college or work after an earned summer respite. For the first time, Optimist International has made it easy for those new grads to transition into an adult Optimist Club.

For those who wish to join an Optimist Club upon high school graduation, there are no dues and no processing fees. That's right! That is free membership for a full calendar year for graduating senior JOI members.

How's that for a membership recruitment tool? <<AWESOME>> and <<EASY>> are just two words that come to mind!

If your Club has a graduating Junior Optimist senior who wishes to take advantage of this offer, contact membership@optimist.org or call 800-500-8130 ext. 226.