Each year on the first or second Saturday in June, the Optimist Club of Calgary and the Dinner Optimist Club of Calgary host “Optimist Family Day in the Park” from 10 AM to 3 PM at Optimist Athletic Park in the southwest community of Glenbrook, just east of Sarcee Trail.
There is always plenty of food, including barbequed hamburgers and hotdogs, popcorn, candy floss, soft drinks, and water for attendees. Activities include bouncy castles, obstacle courses, miniature golf, curling, face painting, and bean toss. The Calgary Flames mascot “Harvey the Hound” regularly attends to engage with and entertain kids, and the Calgary Fire Department provides a fire truck with firefighters for attendees to learn about fire safety and take pictures with. During the event, the Stetson Showband and Calgary Roundup Band usually perform to the 400+ attendees in the field adjacent to Optimist Arena at the Park.
In 2021, the Optimist Club of Calgary, Dinner Optimist Club of Calgary, and Airdrie Optimist Club made major donations towards the cost of constructing a junior golf course at Collicutt Siding Golf Club near Crossfield for young players under the age of 14 to learn how to play the game.
The Optimist L’il Loop is a 3-par, 3-hole course which is separate from the 18-hole golf course at Collicutt Siding. Youngsters are able to learn to play on the course on a first-come-first-play basis for just a $5 per day. One day per week the course is reserved only for persons with special needs so they can have fun learning the game.
Each year during the summer, the Optimist Clubs in southern Alberta host the Alberta Optimist Pre-Qualifier Junior Golf 18 Hole Tournament and 9-hole Optimist Introduction to Golf event at Collicutt Siding. For more information, visit the Sports program area on our website.
In 2016, the Optimist Clubs in Calgary provided a significant donation for the construction of an Optimist Young Artist Lounge within the TransAlta Performing Arts Studio on the Calgary Stampede Grounds. The grand opening was March 31st, 2017. This 13,000 square foot facility is home to The Young Canadians School of the Performing Arts and the Calgary Stampede Showband. It is also used regularly by the Stetson Showband, Roundup Showband, and other performing arts groups and is available for booking by other community groups.
The Canadian Children’s Optimist Foundation (CCOF) is a Canadian charity that is recognized by the Canada Revenue Agency and serves the interests of Canadian Optimist members. The CCOF oversees monies and donations to ensure they remain in Canada for the purposes of funding various charitable activities and projects such as Optimist International (OI) Scholarships, Junior Optimist International (JOI) youth club, OI Programs and activities and the Optimist training offered to volunteers across Canada.
The Optimist Club of Calgary provides funding to CCOF each year to support the programs and projects they offer. In turn, we receive support for a variety of our club’s activities including the Essay and Oratorical Scholarship Contests.
For more information on CCOF check out their website.
Optimist International is recognized worldwide as the premier volunteer organization that values all youth and helps them develop to their full potential.