Great Falls Optimist Club

Activities and Accomplishments

This list highlights some of our significant and recent accomplishments. Our activities focus on aiding and encouraging the development of local youth, and enhancing the sense of community in Great Falls. We:

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- conducted International Optimists Oratorical Contests for students up to age 15, with winners at the District level receiving scholarships for college from the International Optimists;

- launched a successful fundraising effort for Nick Cafferky, a local high school senior paralyzed in a swimming accident; total raised by the Optimist Club barn dance and numerous local events and individuals: $105,000.  

-  organize and staff the Great Falls Spring Festival. With the help of dozens of volunteers, we hold a treasure hunt with 8,000 eggs filled with candy and gems; provide carnival rides and games, and more;

- funded a summer Kung Fu program for children living in a Fairfax County homeless shelter;

- donated $10,000 in Spring Festival proceeds to Hopecam, a local nonprofit dedicated to connecting homebound children with cancer to their friends and family via web cams and the internet;

-   supported Reach for College, an organization that provides structured curricular materials and books that walk under-privileged students through understanding the benefits of higher education, college selection and application;

- supported Kids Clubhouse is a nonprofit organization in Great Falls that serves the needs of children and adults with disabilities, their families and caregivers. The organization provides evening and weekend respite care, camps during school breaks and support groups for parents.  Resources available for families include a referral network to specialists, free tickets to area events, counseling, in-home care and fun family events. (www.kidzclubhouse.org )

-  established a Junior Optimist International Club at Langley High School;

- supported Great Falls Little League through a fundraising softball game between Little League coaches and the championship travel softball team, The Virginia Cavaliers, who play in a 70-year old ASA division;

- supported the Fairfax County Women's Shelter with a donation of much-needed furniture and televisions;

-  launched a Great Falls Teen Center in conjunction with the Junior Optimist International Club at Langley High School;

-  began offering an annual child identification program in cooperation with the Fairfax County Police

-  help staff the Fall Festival for children, which is organized and sponsored by the Great Falls Friends. Hill Signature Portraits is on hand each year to take photographs, and donates all profits to the Great Falls Optimist Club;

-  provide Thanksgiving dinners to families in the community;

-  provide holiday meals and gifts to families living in the community;

- held three successful barn dance fundraisers: the first to celebrate the club’s 25^th Anniversary, the second to raise funds for the Nick Cafferky Medical Fund, the third to support the Club's Youth Fund.

-  participated in the first Operation Popsicle Toes to provide winter shoes to 200 local children;

- has raised money for a national Childhood Cancer Campaign organized by Optimist International that is providing support to children with cancer, to cancer patients’ families and care partners, and helping to fund childhood cancer research

-  supported two Fairfax County schools serving children with emotional disabilities; Armstrong Center and Herndon Center. We donated two LCD projectors, eight bookcases and twelve portable instructional keyboards for use in the classrooms.

- contributed donations to Operation Smile, a floating dental charity that performs plastic surgery for children with oral deformities living in third world countries. One of our founding members, Dr. Michael McCombs, also participates directly, by providing orthodontic services through this program;

- orchestrated the funding and construction of the Great Falls Playground which is located between the library and grange;

- Optimists help sell Christmas Trees at Krops Crops each year, and the farm then makes a significant annual contribution to the club;

- donated over 500 books to the Fairfax County Detention Center and the Veterans Administration Hospital in Washington, D.C.

- support Special Olympics and participated in coaching the Special Olympics Softball Team;

- support local Scout troops as well as Little League Teams;

- contributed to the Analemma Society in support of their work to develop an astronomy education center and year-round activities for our community;

- contributed to the funding of Leo Santabello Park, which is located next to the library;

- contribute to the International Optimists “Pave the Way” Foundation, which provides ongoing scholarships for higher education;

- contribute to and participate in Habitat for Humanity, Save the Farm and Turner Farm Park, Brogue Charities, the Fourth of July Celebration and Great Falls Friends, all of which undertake activities to benefit local youth;

- honored local police and emergency personnel for their many contributions to the community;

- donated to Children’s Hospital 8,000 eggs stuffed with candy at Easter;

The activities and contributions of the Great Falls Optimist Club are funded by contributions as well as fundraising activities, which include the sale of photographs by Hill Portrait Studios at the Fall Festival; ticket sales at the Spring Festival; in addition to contributions from individuals, business and professional organizations.