[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17673]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING THE BIRMINGHAM OPTIMIST CLUB ON THE OCCASION ON ITS 50TH 
                ANNIVERSARY OF SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. GARY C. PETERS

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 16, 2010

  Mr. PETERS. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the Birmingham 
Optimist Club on the occasion of its 50th Anniversary of service to the 
community. As a Member of Congress, it is both my honor and privilege 
to recognize this outstanding community organization on achieving this 
most impressive milestone.
  Since its inception in 1960, the Birmingham Optimist Club has 
operated with the mission of ``Bringing Out the Best in Kids.'' To this 
end, the Club has focused on sponsoring activities which promote a 
philosophy of optimism in one's daily life, encourage the development 
of youth, highlight the importance of service to others as a key 
component of one's own well-being and promote the development of 
friendship through social and business networking. In keeping with 
these principles, the Club offers a strong array of multi-faceted 
programs which offer our youth the keys to developing the skills, 
passion and community-minded focus necessary to become our next 
generation of leaders.
  Throughout the years, the Birmingham Optimist Club has sponsored a 
number of activities, programs, and events centered on promoting the 
future of our youth. For over 35 years, the Club has offered an annual 
oratorical contest, which prepares high school students for the 
professional world by providing them the opportunity to hone their 
public-speaking skills. Since 1998 the Club has sponsored its annual 
Imagineers contest, which encourages area fifth graders to use 
creativity and critical thinking to design solutions to current 
problems using everyday materials. Furthermore, the Club promotes the 
need for youth to develop a well-balanced set of skills by sponsoring 
athletic competitions for area youth in addition to its countless 
academic and scholarly programs.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me to celebrate the 50th 
Anniversary of the Birmingham Optimist Club. The Club has provided a 
great service and continues to profoundly impact the community by 
working with our youth to develop and shape the leaders of tomorrow. I 
wish the Club many more years of continued success as it enriches our 
communities and helps today's youth develop into tomorrow's leaders.

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