Four years ago the Riverside Optimist Club called and said that they wanted to be partners with Emerson. I told them that we had a Saturday garden work day to clear out the overgrown summer weeds. While that was a terrible strategy to attract school partners, the Optimist Club showed up in force on that hot Saturday and helped us haul off a dozen truckloads of weeds.
Since then the optimists have supported Emerson in many ways. They sponsor the tri-star basketball tournament. They bring a bicycle safety assembly to the school every year. They have supported numerous child safety efforts such as the Take 25 campaign that helps parents with strategies to keep their children safe.
I was inspired by the Optimist Creed, especially by the line they quoted, saying, "To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others."
The Optimist Club is promoting an "iKeepSafe" campaign for internet safety. They are actively teaching about the dangers that our children face with the expanded use of the internet. The parent resource center provides numerous easy strategies and tips that can help even non-tech-savvy parents to keep their kids safe.
I spoke at their meeting yesterday for the fourth year and was humbled by their concern for children, their service to others and by their generosity. They sent me back to school with a check that we will be able to use to support student-focused projects.
"Thank you!" to our school partners, my friends, at the Riverside Optimist Club.
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