The Morehead Optimist Club has been supporting Rowan County’s youth for over 50 years. The program plans to spread it’s helping hand even further with a $10,000 donation to St. Claire HealthCare.
Officials said the money will go toward programs for this summer and fall. Initiatives include Camp Smile, a day camp that gives kids ages five to 17 a chance to do some activities and talk to bereavement counselors after experiencing a loss.
President of Morehead Optimist Club, Bill Redwine, said Camp Smile is a great program to show children it’s okay to feel sad about something.
“Every year, every day, children in our community and around the region, around the state, around the world deal with the loss of a loved one from terminal illness, from an accident, whatever the case maybe,” said Redwine. “Depending on the age, obviously for those kids, its really hard for the children to deal with the loss of a loved one. Why did it happen? How did it happen? Why me? All those kinds of things.”
Applications are required for a child to attend the camp, those can be found on the St. Claire HealthCare website. No date has been set for the camp, but Redwine said it will be sometime this fall.
Other projects the Optimist Club is partnering on include a program to provide teddy bears for kids in hospitals and a back to school extravaganza.
Redwine said in addition to the children’s programs, the club is launching a new group of Optimists this fall.
“This fall, we’ll be starting a new concept for our club with a Junior Optimist Club at Rowan County Senior High School,” Redwine said. “Those are popping up around the country and we have a group of students who were at the middle school that we helped sponsor a recycling program with and that are moving to the high school and they’re interested in helping organize a junior club for high school students.”
Programs and service projects that Optimist Club interacts with are oratorical contest, an essay contest, youth golf, project prom, and sponsorship of a host of other youth activities through charitable bingo.
More information about the Morehead Optimist Club can be found on their website.