A century of optimism
DOWNTOWN — Optimism is apparently waning in Santa Monica, or at least any organized form of it.
Since 1924, the Optimist Club of Santa Monica has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars through raffles, ballroom dances and silent auctions, all to help children in need create healthier lives for themselves. But the tables have turned somewhat recently as optimists, many since retired, have had to cut back the number of hours they volunteer and are now turning to the very youth they’ve helped for assistance.
The optimists are characteristically hopeful a younger generation will pick up the torch by joining the club and keeping the legacy of optimism alive for future generations.
“We are a small organization and as much as we do, it’s still not enough,” said Donna Lady, president of the local chapter, during an optimist lunch at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel in which roughly a dozen members celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Optimist Youth Home, a foster home for troubled kids in Highland Park. Members of the club presented a check for $2,000 to representatives from the group home, for a total pledge of $5,000.
“It feels as if we are dog-paddling as fast as we can,” Lady added. “We need to attract younger members, but that has been very hard to do, not just for us. Every organization is having trouble.”
On the international level, optimists are concerned about shrinking membership as their ranks grow older.
“It is a major concern and one we are actively working on,” said Krista Grueninger, communications manager for Optimists International, established in 1919 as the parent organization to optimists clubs in the U.S., Canada, France, the Caribbean and Asia. “We are trying to build clubs at the college level and at middle schools and high schools so that we attract adolescents early and keep them interested in the organization and the work we do.”
There are many reasons why the ranks of community service organizations are shrinking, optimists contend. Among them, companies rarely sponsor employees who join, something that was commonplace 20 years ago.
Also, those in their 20s and 30s may not be as financially settled or secure as in decades past, and therefore, cannot afford to join a service organization like the optimists.
“Many young people don’t live in the city and are in such a rush in the evenings to get back home that it’s hard for them to volunteer their time,” Lady said. “But it’s a great organization and one that is very rewarding when you see the faces of the kids you’ve helped.”
Santa Monica’s optimist club donates much of the money it raises to the Youth Home, the Boys and Girls Club and the Salvation Army.
Optimists clubs were created in the early 1900s to address societal ills that arose from industrialization and subsequent urbanization, taking their name to express a desire for a positive outlook.
According to the Optimist Creed, members are supposed to “be strong and let nothing disturb (their) peace of mind” and “forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future,” while always “looking at the sunny side of everything and make (their) optimism come true.”
Membership in the clubs dropped in the 1930s during the Great Depression, and peaked in the ’60s as clubs expanded their reach by sponsoring anti-pornography campaigns, drug and alcohol awareness, and sex education. The organization opened its arms to delinquent girls and boys, and clubs started popping up overseas with greater regularity.
The organization’s focus now is on expanding the network, while maintaining those clubs already in existence.
Santa Monica club member Gaby Schkud said it would be a shame for the local branch, which has about 25 members, to shrink to almost nothing.
“It has allowed me to make a difference not only in my community, but in the lives of so many young people,” she said.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 11, 2006. Read the original PDF.