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Optimist International
Oratorical Contest |
Topic: Varies from year to year Who: Students under the age of 16
years as of December 31 of the 2007-2008 school year and who are educated in the United States, Canada or the Caribbean.
How To Enter: Interested
students submit a speech on the pre-assigned topic to their local Optimist Club. When: The deadline to enter
is determined by the sponsoring Optimist Club.
For an application with contest rules,contact us through our contact
page. The Optimist Oratorical Contest gives youngsters the chance to speak to the world. More than
$150,000 in college scholarships are awarded annually from this program.

Clubs focus on three skills competitions in each of the following sports: basketball, baseball, soccer, football,
in-line hockey or ice hockey. These contests are the perfect opportunity for children to have fun while testing their skills
in three areas of the sport of your choice. Each skill offers exciting opportunities to promote self-confidence and physical
fitness, even if you have limited resources. Over 1,000 clubs currently participate in sports programs. |
Boardman Optimist Bike Tike "Little Susie
Safety"
All Summer. June July and August it's our ... "Bicycle Safety Summer". Any youngster wearing a "Safety Helmet" while riding their bike in Boardman could
receive a "Sweet Citation" from a
Boardman Police Officer. The Citation is good for a FREE SMALL DQ
from the Boardman Dairy Queen on Market Street. Sponsored by The Boardman Optimist, Boardman Police Department and DQ.
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EXCEL
A program started in Boardman Middle Schools for Career Mentoring
8th Grade students in the school district.
Between 70 and 80 students select three careers of interest and a Mentor
is sought to guide each youngster by e-mail for a six week period with one day of job shadowing.
The program begins
with a Late January breakfast to introduce students and mentors. The wrap-up comes in early May at a Recognition Reception
attended by the Students, Parents, Mentors, Faculty and Boardman Optimist.
EXCEL is sponsored through the Boardman
Optimist by J.J. Cafaro and KeyBank.

Childhood Cancer Campaign "Providing the Care...Finding the Cure"
Did
you know that each year more than 12,000 children and teenagers will be diagnosed with cancer? Did you also know that one
in every 330 Americans develops cancer before the age of 20? Because of statistics such as these, many Optimist Clubs participate
in this program by building awareness of the disease, providing assistance for children and their families, and supporting
research to find a cure. In December 2001, the Optimist
International Board of Directors established the CCC as the organization's primary focus program for the next five years.
The CCC program model is built to accentuate four areas of service on which members can focus: | - Support to children diagnosed and receiving treatment for cancer
- Support to families and care partners of
children with cancer
- Support to healthcare and service providers
- Support for cancer research
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Optimist International Essay Contest |
Topic: “Today’s
Choices Shape My Future” Who: Youth under the age of 19 as of December 31 of the current school year (December
31, 2007)
How To Enter: Interested students must contact their local Optimist Club. They need to submit an essay on the pre-assigned
topic.
When: Students The deadline for students to submit essays is determined by the sponsoring Club. All Club-level contests
are held by early February.
For an application
with contest rules, click here. The application must be submitted to the sponsoring Optimist Club.
The Essay contest is sponsored by Optimist International to give young people the opportunity to write about
their own opinions regarding the world in which they live. The approach can encompass a young person’s personal
experience, the experience of their country or a more historical perspective. In additional to developing skills for written expression, participants also have the opportunity win a college scholarship of up to $6,000!
The
guidelines require that contestants be under age 19 as of December 31 of the 2007-2008 school year. Club winners advance
to the District contest to compete for a $650 college scholarship. Each District winner is automatically entered into the International Essay contest where a panel of judges select the top three essays. Scholarships are awarded as follows:
first place - $6,000; second place - $3,750; and third place - $2,250.

Respect For Law Promotion
of Non-Violence
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Inspire respect for the law among your local young people! In
July 1965, a discussion between Past Optimist International President Carl Bowen and former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover
resulted in the birth of the Respect for Law program. This is the fourth most popular program with more than 1,500
clubs participating last year.
Challenger Softball
We sponsor a team of Challenger
Softball every summer at the field of dreams. We also attend some games and at the end of the season play an Exhibition
game with the kids followed by a summer picnic.
This is one of our most Satisfying Projects.
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