Optimist International is an international

service club A service club or service organization is a Volunteering, voluntary nonprofit organization where members meet regularly to perform Charity (practice), charitable works either by direct hands-on efforts or by raising money for other organizations. ...

organization with almost 3,000 clubs and over 80,000 members in more than 20 countries. The international headquarters is located in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, United States. Optimist International is also the sponsor of Junior Optimist International, designed for elementary school through high school aged youth.

Organization

Optimist International is an organization comprising self-governing Optimist Clubs that engage in community service work. Every club raises its funds and independently selects service initiatives aimed at enhancing the well-being of children. Examples of typical projects include sponsoring youth athletic leagues, holding essay and oratorical contests for scholarships, and supporting local schools.

History

The international organization was founded at a convention in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

, in 1919. It united various local and regional clubs, the first of which had been founded in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

, in 1911. At the convention, the ''first official charter'' of the international organization was awarded to the club in Downtown

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

which had been founded in 1916. Several Optimist clubs participated in the June 1917 organization meeting of the

Lions Clubs International Lions Clubs International, is an international service organization, currently headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois. , it had over 46,000 local clubs and more than 1.4 million members (including the youth wing Leo) in more than 200 geographic ...

held in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. However, the delegates sent by the clubs opted not to join the new organization and withdrew from the meeting.

Organizational philosophy

Optimist International delineates its mission, vision, and purpose to encapsulate its objective of promoting and fostering the development of youth. These statements serve as a concise representation of the organization's goals. In 1922, the Optimist Creed was adopted as the official creed of the organization. The Optimist Creed was developed by

Christian D. Larson Christian Daa Larson (1874–1954) was an American New Thought leader and teacher, as well as a prolific author of metaphysical and New Thought books. He was credited by Horatio Dresser as being a founder in the New Thought movement. Many of Lars ...

.History of Optimist International
, accessed July 2010. It details a number of pledges to which members attempt to adhere.“The Optimist Creed”
Optimist International, Optimist.org ''(Retrieved 2020-11-08.)''

References

External links

* {{authority control Service organizations based in the United States Organizations based in St. Louis Organizations established in 1919 1919 establishments in Kentucky History of Louisville, Kentucky