Colorado-Wyoming Optimist District
Aurora and Southeast Denver
(Zone 6 Clubs)
Linda Williams, Lt. Governor
lindaw8730@aol.com
Gateway Optimist Club is the Cool Club; small in numbers but a mighty army of light in this ever-darkening world. GOC gives people a sense of accomplishment with our efficient use of people’s time to do the most impactful projects. We work with all age groups and multiple organizations to fulfill the needs of local children and, at the same time, positively affecting those around them. Our members become family and we connect with each other by utilizing our strengths, skills, accomplishments, and social skills. Be a part of something meaningful. Join GOC. Gateway Optimists meet Wednesdays at 8AM at Village Inn Restaurant 15200 E. Illiff Ave. Aurora. For more information contact ljackministries@aol.com or bobkrech@aol.com.
The Heather Gardens Optimist Club was chartered in 1978. The club serves youth of Aurora through various volunteer and fund raising activities. We sponsor the Happy Campers JOI club at Del Mar Academy in the Aurora Public School District. Volunteer opportunities include a grandparents reading program at Del Mar Academy and monthly service projects at There With Care, a nonprofit serving families of critically ill children. Past and ongoing projects include making pillowcases for children at Colorado Children’s Hospital and blankets for Shimmering Wings, a nonprofit serving youth in need of grief counseling. Our club also supports OI Junior Golf through an annual root beer float fund raiser, provides grocery gift cards for local families during holiday times, holds an annual food drive, participates in the Optimist Oratorical program, works with the local Salvation Army on their annual Angel Tree Drive, and supports scholarships to camp for children with Type I Diabetes. We meet the first and third Thursdays of each at 9am in the Rendezvous Restaurant, 2888 S Heather Garden Way, Aurora. For more information please contact rschlageter2@comcast.net or dlpark5088@aol.com.
The Tamarac Optimist Club is a club of positive, caring women who are dedicated to a wide variety of children’s initiatives. Our main projects include Pen Pals at Samuels Elementary, Clothes to Kids, New-Borns in Need, Brent’s Place, and Colorado Feeding Kids. We are also heavily involved in the Colorado-Wyoming Optimist District contests such as Brain Bowl, Essay Contest and Oratorical Contest. Tamarac Optimist Club is a sponsor of the Hand-in-Hand Optimist Club in Amman, Jordan. Our projects are funded by member participation in Colorado Rockies game giveaways, annual peach sales, the MSOC Christmas Tree sales and grocery gift cards. Tamarac members take time to just have fun together with their annual club birthday party, Girls on the Go, Bunco and bridge groups and our annual holiday party. Tamarac Optimists meet weekly 8:30 AM at the Bethany Lutheran Church, 4500 E. Hampden Ave., Cherry Hills Village, CO 80113. For more information contact clairemerrill@gmail.com
From the time we were founded in 1968, The Optimist Club of Windsor Gardens has proudly served young people of all ages throughout the Denver area. We have awarded countless scholarships to high school students through our JROTC Oratorical Contest, while middle school students from Place Bridge Academy eagerly participate in our Junior Optimist Club! Kids from Place Bridge, Lowry Elementary and others have benefited from one-on-one reading and mentoring programs and awards for visual arts projects. Our ongoing Great Teddy Bear Giveaway project has collected and distributed hundreds of stuffed animals to homeless and abused children. With a vast array of projects to choose from, as well as fun and interesting meetings and fundraisers, it’s no surprise that we are currently the fastest growing club in the Colorado – Wyoming District! We meet at 11:00 AM on the second Wednesday of the month at Centerpoint in Windsor Gardens. For more information, contact blhamblin2@gmail.com. We look forward to seeing you!
