Members of the Academy Optimist Club in Colorado Springs hope to start an Optimist Club in Falcon this year.”We got the idea of starting a club in Falcon when our club held an essay contest and a student from Falcon High School, Zach Welch, won third place,” said member Joe Priester. “The topic was ‘I want to make a difference because …’ and there were over 100 entries.”Priester said they are looking for a core group of six to 10 men and women to start the Falcon club.The Academy Optimist Club would sponsor and mentor the start-up club.Priester said Optimist International is a federation of clubs that allows each club to develop projects to meet the needs of its individual community. “There are over 3,400 clubs in 25 countries with a total membership over 115,000,” Priester said.”Optimist Clubs conduct a wide range of positive service projects reaching more than 6 million young people each year,” Priester said. “Our slogan is ‘bringing out the best in kids.'”Each year, the Academy Optimist Club sponsors an oratorical contest for students up to 16 years old. The top-three male and top-three female contestants receive a savings bond. A yearly essay contest takes place as well. The top three winners of the essay contest also receive a savings bond, and their essays are forwarded to district and national competitions. Scholarships are awarded for the winning essays.The Academy Optimist Club also sponsors fire and safety on wheels programs, as well as Liberty Day, where fifth graders learn about the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. A future Falcon Optimist Club might participate in the “Brain Bowl,” a contest similar to the College Bowl Quiz show for middle-school students from Boulder, Denver, Colorado Springs and Pueblo.”We are a successful service club because 95 percent of our projects involve the children of their community directly, because all of the money raised by our clubs stays in the community and because we believe in optimism as a philosophy of life,” Priester said.For information about starting an Optimist Club in Falcon, contact Joe Priester at 719-590-1217 or David Bogosian at 719-265-9110.
