Optimist Club of Haldimand helps to bring out the best in youth

By Optimist Paul Gross

To The Haldimand Press

HALDIMAND—Once in a while a new club forms and people might wonder, “What are they all about? I have not heard of them before”. The Optimist Club of Haldimand is fairly new and our mission is very simple, “Bring out the best in every child/youth”, one child at a time, one endeavor at a time, and one opportunity at a time.

We foster our youth to be: responsible citizens; community service-minded; explorers of their talents and leadership potential; and respectful of self, others, and the law. In short, we support youth on their road to being good citizens with a sense of connectedness to their community by developing what they are interested in and watching it spill into the greater community.

Being a new group, we had the luxury of deciding, within the by-laws of Optimist International, things we need or do not need.

We recognized paying a mortgage, rent, hydro, gas, etc. were not needed to support our goals. To that end, we looked around the community for a business who could support our mission by providing a dependable, clean, meeting space. Cayuga Mutual Insurance, a true friend of Optimists, stepped up and are providing their excellent facility to us on an ongoing basis.