CALEDONIA/JARVIS—Two local programs are celebrating fresh support from the Optimist Club of Haldimand, with $3,500 each to grow youth-focused projects.
Jarvis Light Up and RuberuTutor were named the 2025 recipients of the “Redi for Optimism in Our Communities” (ROOC) grants.
Optimist Club President Paul Gross said the program was designed to back projects centred on children and youth that do not rely on government funding.
“This affords opportunities for youth they would not otherwise have,” he explained.
Applications are accepted online each summer and judged on how directly and how quickly young people benefit.
Funding comes through corporate support, such as Stubbe’s Redi-Mix of Ohsweken, and through the club’s annual philanthropy budget.
For Jarvis Light Up, the grant will help run a new literacy-themed scavenger hunt at the Jarvis Public Library from late November to December 13, 2025, when the group holds its fireworks finale.
Co-coordinator Lisa Nigh said the activity builds on the event’s goal of providing free holiday fun.
“Jarvis Light Up started off as a hope in a dismal time during 2020,” said Nigh. “We’ve always maintained that we were going to be a light in so many ways and hope to people who maybe can’t afford the typical fair experience. Everything we do is free, and the Optimists have been part of making that possible.”
Nigh added that the scavenger hunt will encourage creativity and reading: “It’s going to be really promoting literacy, activity and creativity,” she said. “Kids who maybe wouldn’t go to the library or spend time on a craft are now able to do that because of the awareness and support the Optimists bring.”
The second grant will go to RuberuTutor, a family-run tutoring service in Caledonia started by Katie and Michael Ruberu. Both come from education backgrounds and saw a need for affordable tutoring when they moved to the community in 2018.
“Families where children really want to learn and bring their grades up sometimes just cannot afford it,” said Katie. “The grant is an incredible blessing because we’ll be able to give scholarships to children who really do need it.”
The Ruberus plan to use the award entirely for scholarships, with teachers helping to identify students most in need. Michael said, “Teachers will know which families and students need it most, and we want to give them the resources to succeed.”
They hope to eventually expand the scholarship program to reach every grade level in local schools, but for now the ROOC grant gives them a chance to start small and show the impact such support can make. They also hope the visibility of the program will attract other community partners to help build momentum.
Ruberu encouraged teachers and principals to nominate students.
Gross said both projects reflect the Optimist mission.
“By awarding this year’s proposals, past proposals and scholarships over the years, we believe we are fulfilling our slogan, ‘Supporting Youth for a Brighter Tomorrow.’”
