St. Paul optimist club celebrates 100 years

How does a 65-member community service club that was started between two World Wars reach the milestone of its 100th anniversary?
“From the beginning in 1924 to today, our members have never lost focus of the club’s mission to bring out the best in our St. Paul youth, our community and ourselves,” said Karl Olson, member of the Optimist Club of St. Paul since November 1976. “Every year, we find numerous ways to support the youth of our community and provide them with opportunities to advance.”
The club’s mission has been served in a wide variety of ways. Among a long list of programs, the St. Paul Optimist Club has:
• Provided over $650,000 in scholarships through its Friends of Youth Foundation. Scholarships are given to St. Paul high school seniors who have succeeded in overcoming significant obstacles in their young lives.
• Created the Ms. Minnesota Basketball recognition program in 1978 when the Minnesota sports associations only honored a Mr. Minnesota Basketball player. This recognition was created nine years before women were even allowed to join any Optimist Club.
• Served over a thousand meals to families at Jeremiah Program’s St. Paul campus and to young people at Safe Zone (and provided hundreds of socks and other essential items to at-risk youth).
• Rang the bell for the Salvation Army for a day each holiday season.
• Honored and rewarded dozens of students over the years in annual essay and oratory contests, as well as contests for the deaf and hard of hearing.
• Sponsored young athletes in golf tournaments.
• Helped an Afghan family acclimate to life in the Twin Cities after they were evacuated as part of the families where a member had worked for the U.S. government during its tenure in Afghanistan.
• Brought in speakers such as Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey, St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry, and Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson to speak at the club’s monthly meetings.
• Recently partnered with Neighborhood House to help raise funds for Neighborhood House at their Revel for a Cause Gala.
• Organized an ongoing drive to provide paper bags with handles, egg cartons, toilet paper, peanut butter and more for those in need at Keystone’s Food Shelf near the corner of Fairview and University.
On Dec. 5, the St. Paul Optimist Club celebrated its Centennial at a gala at the Town & Country Club. The featured speaker was Na Eng, one of the club’s early Youth Appreciation Scholarship recipients and now an award-winning journalist and humanitarian. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/naeng/, https://www.fulbrightprogram.org/na-eng/) Earlier this year, Eng, was inducted into the Johnson High School Hall of Fame. That ceremony marked a historic moment as Eng became the first Asian American inducted.
Ms. Minnesota Basketball 1980, Janet Karvonen Montgomery, gave a reflection at the gala. Karl Olson presented the history of the club.
Members of the Centennial Committee included Karl Olson (co-chair), John Kingrey (co-chair), Diane Koch, and Margie Bodas.
Anyone interested in donating to recognize the club’s 100 years of service can contact the club at optimist100th@gmail.com. Visit www.stpauloptimists.org and the St. Paul Optimist’s Facebook page.