WELCOME TO
The Optimist Club of St. Paul
Who are the St. Paul Optimists?
The St. Paul Optimists are men and women on a mission to bring out the best in our St. Paul youth, our community and ourselves. Formed in 1924, between two world wars, The Optimist Club of St. Paul has focused on ways to help youth succeed, including sponsoring essay and oral presentation contests, sponsoring youth in Optimist Junior Golf events, creating a Youth Appreciation Foundation and reviewing and awarding 15 scholarships annually for seniors who have overcome significant obstacles, supporting programs such as Face to Face with warm apparel and plenty of socks for teens at risk, cooking meals once a month for the families in the St. Paul Jeremiah Program, ringing bells for the Salvation Army during the holidays, walking in the Grand Old Days Parade and much more!
The club meets twice a month at Joseph’s Grill with speakers from a variety of nonprofit programs, government entities, the courts, the education sector and others who share the Club’s mission. It also hosts its annual Cadillac FUNdraiser in May and its annual Youth Appreciation Scholarship Dinner in November. Monthly meetings are both educational and inspirational and our monthly happy hours bring people together for fellowship and fun. A New Optimist Welcome (NOW) event in February showcases the Club’s meetings and events for those interested in learning more about just who the St. Paul Optimists are. For specific dates, click on the Events tab.
The St. Paul Club is part of Optimist International, the parent organization of a worldwide network of Optimist Clubs. But, since each Club is autonomous and run by members in their community, Optimists have the unique flexibility to serve the youth of their area in any way they see fit. For more information about Optimist International, visit https://www.optimist.org/
The Optimist Mission Statement is:
To develop optimism as a philosophy of life, utilizing the tenets of the Optimist Creed; To promote an active interest in good government and civic affairs; To inspire respect for the law; To promote patriotism and work for international accord and friendship among all people; To aid and encourage the development of youth, in the belief that the giving of one's self in service to others will advance the well-being of humankind, community life and the world.
We follow The Optimist Creed to the best of our abilities:
Promise Yourself
To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.
To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.
To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
The Optimists are actively making a difference in St. Paul. Join us and help pursue the mission of bringing out the best in our youth, our community and ourselves!
History of The Optimist Club of St. Paul
The Optimist Club of St. Paul was chartered in 1924. The Club promoted diversity by allowing no more than two members from any given profession. This guideline was in effect until the merger of our two clubs – the breakfast club and the noon club – in 1988. The Club had upwards of 110 members and was known as a leader in the Dakotas Manitoba Minnesota (DMM) District.
The Club met weekly for lunch at the St. Paul Athletic Club and had a great cross-section of businesses and professional people as members. The Club employed a secretary that tracked dues and printed a newsletter.
During the 50s, The Optimist Club of St. Paul was one of three or four clubs that purchased land in Anoka County and created the Minnesota Drag Strip. The purpose was to provide a safe and competitive environment for young people to race their cars. It was longer and wider than anyone had seen before and attracted drag racers from the entire Midwest. The land was later sold to a developer and the proceeds went back to the original Optimist Club sponsors.
The Noon Club had numerous fundraisers. They actively promoted Youth Appreciation Night. In those days it was common to have a program with a speaker and give out a couple scholarships to St. Paul High School Seniors. Harold Stassen spoke to the gathering one year.
The St. Paul Breakfast Optimist Club was chartered on January 25, 1973 with 36 members. Most of the members were in their 30s and they met every other Thursday for breakfast. Vic Reim, President of Commercial State Bank, was the DMM Governor when the Club was built. He promoted the new Club vigorously. A few years later, Tom Robeson, charter member of the Breakfast Club, led the effort to build a club in Northfield when he was the DMM Governor. That year we also set a record by adding 25 new members under our Distinguished President Rick Speckmann.
During those early years, the Breakfast Club had a Mentoring Program with New Connections. The kids in the program had been through chemical dependency treatment and needed some positive role models. Club members would go to the half way house and spend an evening with the kids every other month. They would play cards, games and have great conversations. The Optimist would bring food and beverages. We also had a few hayrides and cross country ski outings.
In the mid-80s, the Optimist International organization approved a resolution to open membership to women. This made our club stronger and more viable. We installed four women presidents in a row and have continued to elect women to lead our club with great success. The Club also started a Miss Minnesota Basketball Award that was eventually taken over by the Minnesota High School League.
In 1988, President David Eggenberger facilitated the merger of the Noon and Breakfast Clubs. Today we are The Optimist Club of St. Paul and we welcome new members from all walks of life. We meet at Joseph’s Grill on the first and third Thursday. See our calendar for meeting dates and times.