Oregon City Optimists host hoops fun

Every year, the Optimist Club of Oregon City helps the kids in their community participate in their very own March Madness by hosting a little tournament called Tri-Star Basketball.

Tri-Star Basketball is open to participants of all ages and skill levels and while some of the kids have the opportunity to demonstrate their athletic ability, all of the children have a great time.

Cari Vandecoevering, of Oregon City, took her family to the event and then checked into the club's page on Facebook to say: 

"The Optimist basketball contest was a ton of fun and my kids loved it. Thanks for putting it on. You are all amazing!"

Members of the Oregon City Optimist Club led the participants in passing, dribbling and shooting skills contests. Judging was based on time and precision, but as Cari said above, smiles and laughter were the true measure of success.

See all the pictures from the Tri-Star Basketball Contest and more by liking the Oregon City Optimist Club page on Facebook.

Don't forget to like the PNW Optimist District page while you are there.

The secret to membership growth

Smiling for the camera are members of the West Tacoma Optimist Club.
Left to Right:  Sec/Treas John Hickman, Jerry Bergstrom, Lt. Gov. Pam Vandenberg,
David Moore, Pres. Dick Disney, Guest Roger Carl, Bob Speicher, Roger Davidson,
Vice-Pres. Devena Thomsen, Waldo Stone, Shirley Zurfluh  

Have you taken a picture of your Optimist Club members recently? It's a perfect addition for your scrapbook, a nice picture for your blog or website and a great photo for your timeline on Facebook. Most important, happy, smiling club members are an invitation to those who might want to join your group. 

We speak a lot about recruiting new Optimist Club members, but equally important is the ability to retain those that you already have. Some of the best ways to retain members are to make your fellow Optimist Club members feel like they are part of the group, miss them when they are away, and call to ask them when you'll see them again. When they are there, include them in the discussion and make certain that everyone has a reason to smile. 

Those little touches really do go a long way and when your members feel included, they will ask others to join, confident that their group will make others feel just as welcome as you have made them feel. 

So there you have it friends. The secret to membership growth is happy members, the more, the merrier. Put your smile on and share some Optimist fellowship today.

Photo by Tom Kryger

Salem Optimist Club recognizes students every month

In an effort to connect with students on a regular basis and to showcase some of their remarkable talents, the Optimist Club of Salem, Oregon has started a monthly recognition program. This month, Samantha Jackson, Alicia Zieg and Lorena Alvarez received awards. Lorena and Alicia received their awards for being most involved in community affairs and Samantha was the first time female award winner in vocation technology. Congratulations!

You can see the monthly choices by liking the Salem Optimist Club's page on Facebook.

Please send us links and pictures of how your Optimist Club recognizes students and youth in your community. And don't forget to like our PNW District page on Facebook too. Thanks!

Tri Cities Optimists: They're not bowling alone

Last weekend, Lareena Roberson, President, Tri Cities Optimist Club led the "I Love Lucy" team in the Celebrity Bowl for Junior Achievement.

In addition to making a generous $1,500 donation to the Junior Achievement program, some of the club members dressed up as celebrities to share the spirit of the event.

To the right, president Lareena demonstrated what Grammy-award winner singer Adele might look like if she took up bowling.

In true PNW District Optimist fashion, others simply dressed up for the occasion. It appears that all, crazy outfit or not, had a great time.

Team TCO, aka "I Love Lucy," pose for the camera