Optimists Club Calls It Quits

[Champ]

QUAKERTOWN, Pa. - It's a glum day for optimists. After 24 years of community service, the Quakertown Optimists Club is calling it quits. They're holding their last meeting on Thursday, citing declining interest.



"I feel sad," club president Bernard Kensky said.


Kensky said that fewer club members were taking part in sporting and scholastic activities for children, and fewer kids were getting involved in club events.


The group worked with schools to hold essay, spelling and public speaking contests for students, sponsored a youth bowling league and organized golf tournaments and football and basketball events.


A bicycle derby sponsored by the club and the Quakertown police department drew only 12 children last year, down from previous attendance of 50 to 70 children, Kensky said.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=816&ncid=816&e=1&u=/ap/20041129/ap_on_fe_st/sad_optimists

[CornField]

1. Yes, that's the state of things for most civic clubs

Our Kiwanis Club locally shut down because their membership was too elderly to continue and they could not intice younger members to join.

There is a great book about this change in American culture called "Bowling Alone" -- I think it's in paperback now.

[PCIntern]

2. The PRofessional Fraternities

are having the same problems...I was the International Officer for a tri-state chapter for years and couldn't get any help. It basically died when I finished 12 years of a 2 year term. Not a typo.

[BiggJawn]

3. Who traditionally joins these clubs?

Kiwanis, Jay-Cees, Toastmasters, all of them. What was the point to them all? Who joined them and why?

Why would I want to become a Kiwanis? or a Rotarian? My granpa was a Mason, but I felt no call to "Travel from West to East, seeking Knowledge"...What's the relevancy of them all?

Could it be that these clubs, like the Wednesday Afternoon Quilting Circle, have outlived their attraction?

BTW, the same thing that killed your Kiwanis chapter is killing our county Democratic Party....

[LiberalEsto]

4. Lack of free time

is what's killing many organizations and volunteer efforts.

There are several factors.

One is corporate pressure to "improve productivity" by forcing people, under threat of losing their jobs, to work increasing amounts of overtime. My husband, for example, rarely gets home by 7 p.m., and usually stays much later. He also needs to work many weekend days. Does he get paid extra? No, he's on salary. As an IT professional, he knows he's lucky even to have a job.


The pressure of the working environment has also changed so that people can no longer take an hour or more off for lunch. My husband never takes lunch or coffeebreaks. Back in the mid-70s, my editor took off an hour and a half at least once a month to attend Rotary club functions, or play a game of golf with the publisher and the sports editor. We'd all take an hour or so for lunch on Fridays, and on other days to interview people for articles. We weren't constantly tracked by pager and cellphone, but the paper got out on time and won awards every year.

People just don't have free time any more. A closely monitored half hour for lunch makes it impossible to go to the Post Office or run errands at that time, especially in an area where heavy traffic is the norm.

Ever since we women began to have to work full-time in order for our families to afford decent housing, the amount of free time for people has been declining. Housework, cooking, laundry and most importantly, child-rearing get done at night and on weekends. Same with home repairs. We no longer have time to run the Girl Scout cookie sales or volunteer to be troop leaders or drive our kids to swim practive after school. Or even to have coffee with a neighbor.

I perceive corporations to be destroyers of the fabric of our society.

[Champ]

5. You pretty much nailed it

[Not_Giving_Up]

6. I was cookie mom for my daughter's brownie troop last year

and I work full time. Was it a huge pain? You bet! People calling needing more cookies, me having to pick up more cookies (Oh, and the places you pick up the cookies from? Only one was open on weekends and in the evenings, and it was nowhere NEAR my house). We ran five sales outside of Wal-Mart and grocery stores, and yes, I was glad when it was over. Would I do it again? Probably, if they didn't have anyone else to do it. My daughter's not in scouts this year though...too much other stuff going on.

[amazona]

10. yes it's lack of free time

One middle-aged member of a local gem and mineral society complained that the average age of members was 106. I've known of several other clubs in the same situation. People don't have time to pursue their own hobbies, dreams, and interest, much less just "hang out" with a more general interest crowd like the Optimists or the Kiwanis.

[mac56]

8. The Junior League is hotter than ever down here in GA.

I get the impression it's that way all across the South.

I never even heard of it back when I lived in MN.

[CornField]

9. Each club has its own specific mission and goals

For instance, the Lions Club may do several events in their community, but they are most well known for their eyeglasses drives. Toastmasters is a group which strives to help membership with public speaking. Kiwanis does many service projects that benefit younger children. Jaycees is a Junior Chamber of Commerce and is in place to help the younger, but up-and-coming members of a community, better prepare for public service (like City Council, County Board, School Board and so-forth).

Civic and service clubs traditionally host community festivals, parades, spearhead fundraisers for a variety of issues (new elementary school libraries, community parks equipment, local softball/baseball teams, and more). Many times the clubs will partner with another non-profit to provide volunteers and/or extended fundraising opportunities. (For instance, our local Rotary clubs partner with the Boys and Girls Club.)

Traditionally, local businesses have assigned employees to the various clubs. For instance, each VP at the bank might choose to join a different civic club. Other members have included newspaper people (very coveted to have a reporter or editor as a part of your group -- for the free publicity); government administration; local business owners; clergy; community activists; etc.

The premise was simple: A large group of individuals can pool their talents to better benefit a community. While working for the good of the community, there are also opportunities for business networking.

The benefits to a community fortunate enough to have such a group are endless. For instance, if the local food pantry is running short and needs help, the administrator can contact a member of the local group and plan to come speak to the membership. Not only will the local club get involved, but the individual members are likely to take the information back to their place of business, their home, their church and make it much more of a community event.

[BiggJawn]

13. And now we're losing this.

And I see in this thread that "lack of time" is being blamed.

I would say that the corporate model refuses to acknowledge that we all have to "live here" when it puts such heavy demands on out lives.

And that explains to me why the membership is dieing off. Who but someone who was able to retire with enough money to not have to go to work at WalMart has the time for these clubs? Hmmmm.....

Next question in my mind is what, if anything, is taking up the slack left by the disappearence of these service clubs?

[SoCalDem]

7. Organized sports have sapped attendance for most civic club events

Every family out there thinks that they are housing and feeding the next Pele' or Kobe or whoever the athelete-of-the-month happens to be.

The days of kids playing sports for FUN are gone...

Children's activities are regimented now, and are more akin to a JOB, than a diversion.:(


Only one of ours was a sports-guy, but his choice was soccer, and by the time he was 9, he was "drafted" into a club soccer team (which he LOVED). Looking back, I wish he had never gone into that level of soccer. He was injured a lot of the time because of the level of play, and HIS aggressive play..(he would never back off)..

By the time he was in junior high, he played year round and travelled all over the state and even out of state for tourneys..

It cost us majorly..Just the annual fees were upwards of 2K, and of course he had to have several types of shoes (all over $100) and then there was the travel and hotels..

He really excelled and enjoyed it, but looking back.. I'm not so sure that staying with AYSO would have been a bad idea..

[Courtesy Flush]

11. I was asked to join once

I attended a recruitment dinner several years ago. I was getting a pitch from a local doctor. He asked what I did for a living, and when I answered, he told me that the Optimists traditionally was a group for professionals, but they're opening up to a broader segment of the population.

That's what he said. What I heard was "We'll let you in, because we're hard up for dues-paying members." I politely declined. I wouldn't want to be responsible for anyone's lowered standards. I had been invited by a woman I'd only met once. When I arrived, I heard a comment indicating she'd get some kind of bonus.

[skygazer]

12. Perhaps if they changed their charter

Became a Pessimists Club, for instance. They could sponsor arson contests and mugging tutorials. Give the kids scholarships to juvenile hall. They shouldn't give up like this! They're opitimists!

[Phentex]

14. you're exactly right! Perhaps if they just

*tried* to see the other side, there would be less of a divide between the optimists and the pessimists. Obviously, a majority of the people prefer to be pessimists. The others should move to Canada.