Mayoral proclamation deems Thursday as ‘Optimist Day’

Things are looking up, Brandon!

Tomorrow – Feb. 2 – has been deemed as Optimist Day across the nation, and right here in Brandon, too.

Last month, Mayor Harry Buck signed the proclamation to recognize Optimist Day in the city.

To go along with the proclamation, the BV Optimist Club is staging an event at 7 p.m. Thursday at The Upper Room in Brandon. The gathering is being organized to court prospective members or anyone who wants to learn more about the organization and how they can get involved. The casual evening will offer pizza and fellowship.

Longtime BV Optimist Jeremy Risty said the group will also stage another event later this year to benefit youth, which is the group’s main focus. Partnering with Sleep in Heavenly Peace, Optimists will build beds for underprivileged children who currently do not have a bed. The build date, Risty said, will be held in April.

According to nationaltoday.com, Optimist Day is celebrated on the first Thursday of February and takes place on Feb. 2 this year. The day focuses on building and sustaining a positive future.

Curious as to how this is possible?

Well, anything can be achieved as long as you stay focused and optimistic. In fact, an optimistic person is more likely to be happy and motivated. On this day, there are also Optimist organizations like the Brandon Valley Optimist Club that focus on spreading optimism by giving way to different programs that build leadership skills and creativity. Hence, the day celebrates not only optimism but also optimist clubs and members who have formed several communities to benefit the youth.

To learn more about the BV Optimist Club, visit their website, bvoptimists.org/, their Facebook page (Brandon Valley Optimist Club) or email bvoclub@gmail.com. The BV Optimist Club meets the first Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Brandon Pizza Ranch and welcome new members.

The history of

Optimist Day

Optimist organizations are essential to communities, as many people are unaware of the talent they possess. And there are also those who need optimist organizations because they don’t have the means to pursue their dreams. To promote leadership, talent, and prosperity, the idea of developing such organizations across the globe was formed. These clubs held programs and hosted events to promote leadership and talent. Among the ideas resulting from these events was an ‘optimist day.’ Formed in 1909 by the Optimist Club of America, the day was supposed to be initially observed on April 1. The motive was to encourage optimistic thinking among people of all ages, and to end the trend of April Fool’s Day. But April Fool’s Day remained, and Optimist Day began to be celebrated by clubs across the country on different dates.

In 2013, Sylvain Levesque proposed that Optimist Day be celebrated on a specific day. Levesque was a member of the National Assembly and was also a part of the Optimist Club of Loretteville. Luckily, his idea was accepted and a resolution was passed the same year at the Optimist International Convention to celebrate Optimist Day on the first Thursday of February. According to Levesque, the first Thursday was chosen because work starts at the National Assembly during the first week of February. From thereon, efforts to recognize the achievements of volunteers and youths in the community have been promoted and encouraged. Those with leadership potential were also given several opportunities to shine brightly and further make this world a better place.

There are 2,400 Optimist Clubs, with more than 70,000 members, in Optimist International and Optimist members throughout the world that carry out more than 6,500 service projects that serve six million young people per year.