The Optimist Club of Arvada celebrated their 40th birthday at the Indian Tree Club House. The club has served the Arvada community and youth since Nov 12, 1965. Jamie Johnson created a "Then and Now" book and gave to the members and past members that were present.

Carl Almquist, who is a charter member, told us about the early days of the club and the programs they pursued. At that time it was a men's organization and served the community and the boys of the community. In the 1990s women were invited to join the Optimist Club and they began to workwith the boys and girls of the community.

President Chuck Runge spoke to us about the beginning of our flagship program, "The Optimsit Club of Arvada Scholarship Endowment Fund". Recipients are primarily selected upon the community service they have performed. We have given 5 scholarships to Arvada youths over the past 5 years.

Bill Johnson brought us up to date about the programs we have added over the past 6 years. One of our newer programs is the "Read to Me" program that is in Foster, Russell, Lawrence, Fitzmorris, and Thomson Elementary Schools. This is a parent/child bonding program in which we provide different books every week for the children in grades K-2 to take home for the parents to read to them each night. Over the last 6 years since this program was started, the parents have read to their children over 100,000 hours. Some of the other programs are the Essay and Oratorical Contests, Youth Appreciation Breakfast, Jr. Optimist Club at Arvada Middle School, Brain Bowl, Teen Esteem, Foster Elementary Partnership, Christmas giving to families in need, providing school supplies to Arvada and North Arvada Middle Schools, and Arvada Pride Day. We help to support the Arvada Food Bank, Yellow Ribbon, Red Ribbon, After Prom Parties, PeachJam, and Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth.

The first President, Harry Parmenter, is quoted from the first newsletter, dated Nov. 1965. "We have the material here to forge one of the outstanding Optimist clubs in the nation.With hard work and co-operation, there is nothing that can't be accomplished, I am firmly convinced that the horizons of this group are virtually limitless. The energy shown by the "founding fathers" can carry this aggregation to truly dizzy pinnacles of community service."

The Optimist Club of Arvada has had 5 members become Arvada's Man of the Year. They are Harry Parmenter, Ed McCarthy, Manley Gray, Bill Johnson, and Carl Almquist.

The Optimist Club of Arvada is a fantastic club and if you would like to join us, we meet every Thursday morning for breakfast at the Indian Tree Club House, 7:00 - 8:00 a.m.