By Ferrell Miller, Club Secretary/Programs Chairperson
The JC Breakfast Optimist Club has partnered with St. Xavier’s Catholic Schools to form a Junior Optimist International (JOI) Club and is affiliated with Optimist International. There are more than 15,000 students in over 500 Clubs throughout the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean. The membership of local Junior Optimist Club consists of boys and/or girls who are in grades 6-12 at the school.
A meeting with Principal Sean Augustine was held with the JC Breakfast Optimist Club, who approved the proposal to start a JOI Club at St. Xavier’s Catholic Schools. A meeting was held with adult facilitators Amy Johnson and Ricardo Gutierrez from the JC Breakfast Optimist Club and students, who shared information about forming a club and seeking interest from students.
The first organizational meeting was held January 11, 2023, with students who wanted to pursue the club. The purpose of the Club would be to provide opportunities for members individually and collectively to participate in community service activities, develop leadership abilities and prepare for responsible roles in society. The philosophical foundation for the club and every Optimist Club is The Optimist Creed.
Optimist International requires no fewer than eight members to be considered for an official club, a set of bylaws and an application for charter, which must be submitted and approved by the St. Louis, Missouri headquarters.
The club has unofficially met once a month since January. One of the members made a motion to the youth group at the March meeting that club members meet twice a month to get more accomplished. This motion will be considered at the April meeting.
On March 14 Optimist International approved the charter for the St. Xavier’s Catholic Schools Junior Optimist International Club. There is only one other JOI Club in Kansas. That club is a JOI Golf Club in Ottawa, Kansas that meets as unit once a year.
JC Breakfast Optimist Club President, Nita Miller, stated that “our club believes in sharing the tenets of Optimist Creed with as many people as possible, but especially our youth. We are a Friend of Youth and support not only this newly formed JOI Club, but 17 youth organizations in Geary County. The St. Xavier’s Catholic Schools Junior Optimist Club is a way to get young people engaged in their community, develop their leadership, and prepare them to be