If someone had asked me a year ago if I would ever join a service club, I probably would have laughed and said something like "Never! I don’t have time for that, and I’m not interested in clubs with secret handshakes!" So it was with some reluctance that I agreed to attend a special dinner last August after an invitation was received at my church (Verdun United Church), and passed on to me since I’m the Youth Leader there. My minister’s famous last words were: "It’s just a dinner!"

I went to see what this Optimist Club was all about and perhaps to find some support for what I felt was the lonely task of a youth leader.

What a surprise it was for me to walk into the restaurant and meet all of these smiling, friendly, enthusiastic people, all committed to young people. In other words, people just like me!

A few short months later I was inducted as a new member of the St. Lawrence Optimist Club, and I couldn’t be happier! This Optimism stuff is still new to me, but I think I’m quickly catching the Optimistic Fever and look forward to many years of that wonderful combination of fun and service with all the wonderful people who call themselves Optimists!

Join us for the St. Patrick’s Parade on March 15^th!

We have been invited to join the D.D.O. fire department and the Muscular Dystrophy Association in the parade to help pass out buttons.

Easter Egg Hunt!