(KNSI) – St. Cloud Morning Optimist Club President Don Berger hit the jackpot in Reno, Nevada earlier this month, and it had nothing to do with a casino. The local chapter was named the Optimist International Club of the Year.
“There’s a little over 2,000 optimist clubs throughout the world. I was honored when we were called up on the stage [as a] finalist for the six optimist clubs of the year and I thought, “Wow, that’s an amazing accomplishment for us.” And then they announced that our club was the international winner, Berger says.
The recognition goes to the cumulative efforts of the group, which has been around since 1974. Perhaps it is fitting that the chapter has been spreading its own cheer recently by honoring local organizations. Berger explains.
“We just finished our Friend of Youth Award program, where we recognized adults and organizations and help out various community organizations like Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, YMCA, and other organizations. Next month we’ll do our Achievement In Education Award program in which we honor individuals, businesses, and organizations that help out our schools.”
One of the organizations that received a Friend of Youth Award was Leighton Broadcasting, specifically for its efforts to promote the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Minnesota.
The St. Cloud Morning Optimist Club meets Wednesday at 7:15 at the Boy Scout Office in Sartell. Berger says there is a second area chapter that gathers at noon. The two groups sometimes work together, recently teaming up for a visual arts program. The local chapter winner won an international award for that particular contest in 2021.
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