Lakeshore Optimist of Grosse Pointe looks to build on community impact
It began meeting at The War Memorial over 40 years ago.
In that time, Lakeshore Optimist of Grosse Pointe has served east side metro Detroit communities as part of Optimist International.
“Being at The War Memorial was an opportunity for us when we first got together,” Lakeshore Optimist of Grosse Pointe President Steve Licari said. “We meet twice a month, and it was central to the Grosse Pointe area, as we cover all five Grosse Pointes.”
Optimist International is a worldwide volunteer organization made up of more than 2,500 local Clubs whose members work to make the future brighter by bringing out the best in kids, in their communities, and in themselves.
Licari said that Lakeshore Optimist of Grosse Pointe, which has about 40 members, meets once a month at The War Memorial, on the second Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. Its next meeting here is Oct. 9. He added that the Club also meets at another location on the fourth Wednesday of the month.
“The War Memorial is an accommodating location and the people that we work with at The War Memorial are pretty accommodating in helping us with our events,” Licari said. “When The War Memorial and Optimist Club work together, it gets the message out that we are here to serve and help. When you can see that momentum build in the community, that’s where you feel good about what you are doing.”
Over the years, the Club has used The War Memorial for events like the high school oratorical competition, and Youth Appreciation Awards.
One upcoming event for the Club is the annual Youth Appreciation Awards at The War Memorial. The awards will be held on Nov. 14, beginning at 6 p.m.
“We contact Grosse Pointe Schools and they nominate students for these awards,” Licari, who has been part of the Club for one year, commented. “These awards are different from the oratorical competitions. Youth Appreciation Awards are for students who may do something special for the school, the community, or their classmates. We want to recognize them.”
He added that part of the Club’s mission is to promote and help youth organizations.
“It gives us an opportunity to reach out to students in the community who should be recognized for some of the things they do that are outside of the scholastic arena,” Licari said.
Speaking about its members, he said that it’s vital that Optimist Club members be friends of youth and of the community.
“They need to be available to help with youth opportunities that we can sponsor,” he said. “We do a lot of fundraisers to help youth organizations. There’s about a dozen organizations we give to on a traditional basis. It’s a good organization to help the community.”
To learn more about the Lakeshore Optimist of Grosse Pointe, visit here.