Fellow Caribbean Optimist,
Welcome
to the new Optimist year!
It is indeed a new time with new opportunities for
Optimists to bring out the best; to make a positive difference, to make
Optimism a way of life.
This Optimist year 2015-2016 will be an awesome one because
you and I and all members of this great Caribbean District will make it so.
Each morning when we wake up we will say the Optimist creed and promise ourselves…to be the best at what we do.
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| DST Al Johnson |
This year the abundant rewards of awesomeness awaits us in
the hug of a child whose path you would have made brighter; in the smile of a
mother who found hope in your tender care; in the triumph of a community to
which you would have brought hope and inspiration; and in the reassurance of a
fellow Junior Optimist with whom you mentored and guided other young people to
achieving their goals.
This year is the year when your name, my name, our club’s
name, the name of our zone and the name of our great Optimist International
Caribbean District will make it to the Hall
of Fame!
We are 35 years strong in this great Caribbean district and
we have to celebrate and give thanks for the many milestones we have achieved.
Celebrate the vision of our pioneers, the tenacity of our builders of
excellence, and the resilience of our leaders and members who always go that
extra mile to keep us great.
 |
| Step by Step Governor Barbara Arrindell |
At this juncture, let us take time out to thank Governor
Barbara Arrindell and her Step by Step
team led by DST Jason Gillead for the purposeful, enthusiastic and imaginative
ways in which they led this great Caribbean movement over the 2014-2015
Optimist year. The Optimist road can be rocky, the hills seem impossible to
overcome at times; but Governor Barbara showed us what it is to be an Optimist
– always prodding on in hope and positive thinking, confident of the light at
the end of the tunnel. We cannot give up now in our faithfulness at tending the
garden of Caribbean Optimists.
And so, even as we show gratitude and celebrate, we must also
keep finding new and exciting projects and activities to make Optimism novel
again. We must renew our commitment to building and growing in unity and love.
Let us reignite the progressive flames of hope and unleash the spirit of
Optimism across the Caribbean. From St John’s to Bridgetown, from Castries to
Kingston, from Nassau to Willemstad, be bold in showing the world what it
really means to be Caribbean!
That autistic boy in Trench Town, whose awesomely
distinguished and special gifts will change our world, awaits your support. That
young girl living with cancer in The Valley, whose love and compassion fills
the heart of so many other children around her with hope and motivation, awaits
your care. That teenager in George Town, who is hearing impaired but whose
talents in science and math and creative expression will blaze new pathways of
overcoming, awaits your guidance. That A+ student in Morant Bay, who goes to
school hungry but always with a smile, confident of doing well, awaits your assistance.
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| DST Jason with LtGs Pat and Margaret |
Caribbean Optimists, we are the change we want to see. There
is pride in our resilience, our passion for service is unmatchable, and we are
united in our endeavors, and committed to our mission to make optimism a way of
life. Right here right now, every day is
another opportunity to bring out the best in our youth, communities and
ourselves… Plus One!
Welcome to another awesome year of Optimism.
Patrick Prendergast
Governor
(2015-2016)
Optimist
International Caribbean District
District
#78
Bringing out the Best... Plus One!
