Come to the Annual Free Skate

Children of all ages (and parents) are invited to the Coquitlam Optimist Club's annual Free Skate. The event runs from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM on Monday, November 11, at the Poirier Sports and Leisure Complex (633 Poirier Street, Coquitlam, BC).

Ice time and skate rentals are free courtesy of the Optimist Club.  Admission is by donation of a non-perishable food item for the Food Bank.  However, no one will be turned away.

This afternoon a family fun is one way that the Optimist Club shows appreciation for the positive contributions of young
people to our community.

Optimists Provide Opportunities for the 2013-2014 School Year

Are you planning your own or your children's activities for the 2013-2014 school year?  Consider taking advantage of the fund-raising or scholarship activities provided by the Coquitlam Optimist Club.

The Walk for Youth is easy fund-raiser for PAC committees, sports teams, school clubs and other youth activity groups.  This annual event will be held on November 11, 2013.  See our Walk for Youth page and promotional package for details.

Students, are you looking for scholarship opportunities?  By participating in the Optimist Essay or Oratorical Contest, you could earn a cash prize and perhaps advance to winning a $2500 scholarship.  If are graduating in 2014 and your strength is volunteering to help in the community, you may qualify for the Robert Simms Memorial Scholarship.  The Essay Contest is conducted in January, and the Oratorical Contest happens in April.  Applications for the Robert Simms Memorial Scholarship are due in May.  See our Scholarships page for details.

Optimist 5K Walk for Youth

Sports teams, PAC Committees, Youth Activity Groups:  Plan now to participate in the annual Optimist 5K Walk for Youth and raise funds for your group.  See our Walk for Youth page for details.  Call our hotline 604-465-0521 for information and/or a registration and pledge package.

Oratorical and Essay Contest Winners Announced

Stephanie Song, Sahil Chawla and Thais Audibert are the first, second and third place winners, respectively, of the Coquitlam Optimist Club's annual Oratorical Contest held on April 17.  Stephanie and Sahil will advance to the zone competition on April 27, where they will compete against the winners of Oratorical Contests held by other Optimist Clubs in the Fraser Valley.

At the Oratorical Contest meeting, Optimists also honored participants in our annual Essay Contest.  The Essay Contest winners were Olivia Bulka (first), Coral Zarrillo (second), and Gurkiran Kaur Mann (third).  Olivia's essay has been submitted to the Pacific Northwest District's competition.

Congratulations to all our Oratorical and Essay Contest participants!

Above:  Stephanie Song, Sahil Chawla, Thais Audibert
Below: Coral Zarrillo, Not Pictured: Olivia Bulka, Gurkiran Kaur Mann  

2013 Spring Dance and Silent Auction Results

The annual Spring Dance and Silent Auction, was held on April 6, 2013.  The event netted just over $2000 to support Optimist Club projects.

A big “Thank-you” to the donors of our auction items:

Helping Families in Need Society
Thrifty's - Austin Street
Coquitlam Grill
Steve Nash's Fitness World
Canada Safeway - Austin
Canada Safeway - Lougheed
General Paint
Fraser Downs Race Track
Fountain Tire
Coquitlam Chrysler
Gillnetter Pub
Mr. Pet's
Annemar Apparel
Glenda Standeven (author of Choosing to Smile)
Johb B Pub
The Flower Jeanie
Grapes 4U
Habkirk Rink (Optimist Junior Interclub Curling)
Kim & Tony Tamayose
Marion & Hal Griffin
Peter & Annette Smith
Audrey Dangerfield
Surrinder Singh
Kazuko Sato

Optimist-Curl BC Raffle Winners Announced

We are pleased to announce the winners of the Optimist-Curl BC Raffle in support of youth curling.  The winners are:

Grand Prize - $5000 plus $1000 to the curling club of the winner's choice: 

Richard Blore              Langley Curling Club      Ticket # 0056

 

Other Prizes - $500:

1.    Theresa Krause      Coquitlam                       Ticket #0047

2.    Ivy Bowdige  Kerry Park Curling Club (Mill Bay, BC)  Ticket #1127

3.    Deanna Tannas      Kelowna, BC                   Ticket #0463

4.    Bob Rathgeber       Elkford, BC                     Ticket #1077

5.    Dennis Hamilton     Nelson, BC                     Ticket #1101

6.    Kyle Liu                  Coquitlam, BC                Ticket #0254

7.    Dale Lott                 Gimli, MB                       Ticket #0946

8.    Andrea Neufeld       Riverside Estates, SK      Ticket #0132

A big "Thank you!" to everyone who supported the 2013 raffle.

Annual Oratorical Contest to be Held on April 17

The Coquitlam Optimist Club is offering $100, $50 and $25 cash prizes plus an opportunity to win a scholarship worth up to $2,500 in the annual Optimist International Oratorical Contest.

The Oratorical Contest is open to students under age 19 who have not graduated from secondary school. Contestants must give a 4-5 minute long speech on a pre-assigned topic. The 2013 topic is “Why My Voice is Important.”

The Coquitlam Optimist Club’s contest will be held on April 17, 2013, 7:00 PM in the Boardroom at Douglas College (1250 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam).  

First and second place winners of the club’s contest will advance to a zone and/or regional contest.  First and second place winners of the regional contest will compete in the Pacific Northwest District Contest, where $2500, $1500 and $1000 scholarships will be awarded to the first, second, and third place winners, respectively.  The Pacific Northwest District Oratorical Contest will take place on May 18, 2013 in Richland, Washington.

To participate in the Coquitlam Optimist Club’s contest, please fill out an application form and submit it to coquitlamoptimists@gmail.com by April 3, 2103.  Download the Optimist International Oratorical Contest application and rules here.  For questions or further information e-mail the Coquitlam Optimist Club at coquitlamoptimists@gmail.com.

2013 Optimist International Essay Contest

It's not too late to enter the Optimist International Essay Contest.  The Coquitlam Optimist Club will award $100, $50 and $25 cash prizes for the first, second and third place essays submitted to the club.  The first place winner will advance to the Pacific Northwest District contest with the opportunity to win the $2,500 college scholarship. The Pacific Northwest District includes Optimist Clubs in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska.

The Essay Contest is open to students under age 19 who have not graduated from secondary school.  Contestants must submit essays of 700-800 words in length on a pre-assigned topic.  The topic for 2012-2013 is “How Can I Help My Friends Realize Their Value?”

To enter, students must first fill out an application form.  The application form along with detailed contest rules is available for download here.  For information on how to submit essays, e-mail the Coquitlam Optimist Club at coquitlamoptimists@gmail.com.   The Coquitlam Optimist Club must receive completed essays by January 25, 2013.