This week the Port Colborne Optimist club visited five local schools to make donations to their food programs, which aim to ensure children in need receive nourishing breakfasts. Donations were presented by club Treasurer and all round nice person Clarisse (Claire) Beauregard. Carl Green tagged along to take photographs.
From Clarisse: “The Port Colborne Optimist Club supports a Breakfast Club/Nourishment Program for local elementary schools to satisfy hungry tummies and promote good eating habits and a healthy lifestyle. We are pleased that we can partner with schools. Our mandate is to serve the youth of our community enabling them to grow and succeed into good citizens and members of society”.
The Optimist Club donates $500 to five schools, each year. Different schools are chosen each year with the aim of covering as much of the community as we can. The five schools selected this year are, in alphabetical order:
- Mckay – Principal T. Acaster
- Oakwood – Principal C. Fraipont
- St. Josephs – Principal R. Ayotte
- St. John Bosco – Principal R. Sandel
- St. Patricks – Principal M. Kalagian
We wish to thank the above for working with us to make these donations possible.
Fundraising
Funds for this and other programs are raised through community work and events. The Optimist Club is already plannning for the year ahead. The biggest event immediately on the horizon is the annual Kids Fishing Derby on Father’s Day. Any child of thirteen and under can have a fun day out by the water for free, with chances to win some excellent prizes courtesy of our many generous sponsors (thank you all) from the local business community. We make no money at this event, it’s all volunteer and sponsor driven. But we do use available funds for essentials like buckets and rods. And worms.
Canada Day is a big fundraising event for us. The Optimist Club organizes everything in the park including vendors and music and games and animal rides and bouncy castles and penny sales and sno-cone machines and… well. Everything. Except the cupcakes. And the cleanup. The City does those. Thank you, City!
Join In
The Optimist Club is always looking for volunteers and members. The more help we have the more we can achieve. The more money we raise, the more funds become available for programs like school breakfast clubs. There are other programs, other events. If you are the kind of person interested in becoming involved, we would love to hear from you.
The photos below show club Treasurer Clarisse Beauregard presenting donations to each of the five school principles and their colleagues, accompanied by some of the students involved in managing food program activities. It is worth saying that these students do not have to do that extra work. They choose to. That kind of community spirit and willingness to help is a wonderful thing to see in people so young. Gives us hope for the future. If that’s not too optimistic a thing to say. 🙂
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