January marks the beginning of a new year and a new start. Is it time for a change or to start something new? Whatever the case may be. The first of the year seems like a good time to begin. Forget the past and press on to the future.

For the Optimists, it’s time to begin thinking about the coming year. What can we do to raise awareness in our community? Or, how can we serve our youth and citizens better? During these winter months, we begin brainstorming on new fundraisers and new projects for 2026.  

For Christmas, the Optimists put out trees with paper ornaments on them at local businesses with children's names and ages on them. Then we collected all the toys brought in, sorted them by age, and gave them out the day of the food basket distribution at Three Sisters Park on December 20th.       

Our Christmas Bonanza, which is our biggest fundraiser, was a great success this year. The winners were drawn at the CNA food basket distribution. Winners: Amy Jones, Lisa Gillham, Darlene Groff, and Michele Klein. Congratulations to all the winners. They will each have $1,000 in gift cards to use at Chillicothe Businesses throughout the year.

Teacher's names that were drawn for December were: Kathy Feruson, South; Natalie Colgan, Mossville; and Jay Rudd, Mossville. The teachers will all receive a check for $50 to use in their classrooms.

If you would like more information on becoming an Optimist, come to one of our meetings. Meetings are held the first and third Saturdays of each month from 8am–9am at Grecian Gardens. We would love to have you join us for breakfast and tell you about our active club and how you can get involved. Or you can call our president, Jackie at: 309-397-1968.

As Always....Stay Optimistic. It's the only way to be!