Grant Program
Our Spring 2025 Grant Program Application is now available. Click on the pdf document below to view or download the form. Instructions are included in the Application. Deadline for applications is March 21st, 2025.
Flags for Kids Program - 2025
Informational Flyer:
Subscription Form:
Essay Contest
Oratorical Contest
College Scholarships
Outstanding Student Citizen Program
2026 Optimist WinterFest
2026 date TBD: Depot Park skating rink, 12:00noon to 3:00pm. Skating, hot chocolate, DJ music, smores with campfire and kids games. All families are invited and it's FREE!
Here are pictures from our 2025 WinterFest Event:
Club President's Page
From our 2024-2025 Club President Rick Karlewski:
Thank you for visiting the Clarkston Area Optimists Club website! I encourage you to explore all of the pages here and learn about all of the activities we provide and support within the greater Clarkston area, then consider joining us. Having a positive, optimistic attitude has been shown to lead to a longer life as well as slow the aging process!
There are many reasons to become an Optimist and it begins with do you want to be a better person? Do you want to live in a better community and a better world? Optimism, and being an Optimist can lead to not only a better life for a prospective member, it can lead to a better life for multiple people. When we change the perspective of an adult or a child to optimism, they in turn can change their family. A family can then change a neighborhood. A neighborhood can change a community which can then change a city, a state, a nation and ultimately the world.
There is a branch of mathematics called chaos theory and within chaos theory there is a concept called the butterfly effect. This states that a butterfly on one side of the world can cause a tornado on the other side of the world due to the ripple effect of just flapping it wings. It explains how a small fluctuation in one part of system can generate a huge difference in the later outcomes. While not looking to cause a tornado, I would like to leave you with one thought:
Let us, as Optimists, be the butterfly that flaps its wings and ultimately changes the world for the better!