Optimist Club of Raleigh

05/25/2026

On Memorial Day, we honor the heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation and our freedom. We will never forget them.

05/25/2026

Today, we pause to honor the brave men and women who gave their lives in service to our country. Their sacrifice reminds us that freedom is never free; it is built on courage, commitment, and selflessness.
As Optimists, we carry their legacy forward by serving others, strengthening our communities, and bringing out the best in those around us.
This Memorial Day, honor their sacrifice through action.
👉 Volunteer. Lift others. Be the reason hope continues.
Visit https://www.optimist.org/landingpage/ to find out more today! 🇺🇸 🇺🇸

Today, we pause to honor the brave men and women who gave their lives in service to our country. Their sacrifice reminds us that freedom is never free; it is built on courage, commitment, and selflessness.
As Optimists, we carry their legacy forward by serving others, strengthening our communities, and bringing out the best in those around us.
This Memorial Day, honor their sacrifice through action.
👉 Volunteer. Lift others. Be the reason hope continues.
Visit https://www.optimist.org/landingpage/ to find out more today! 🇺🇸

05/10/2026

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the moms out there! We acknowledge and appreciate all that you do! .

04/30/2026

On Saturday, April 25, 2026, the Raleigh Optimist Club hosted its annual Oratorical Contest at the Strong Center, in Fuquay Varina. Students from local high schools and home schooled students delivered powerful speeches on the topic:
“The Moment I Realized I Belonged - My Definition of Community.”

Congratulations to our winners:
1st Place: Avishai Deshpande
2nd Place: Morgan Armstrong
3rd Place: Emma Kate Gossett
4th Place: Makayla Macklin

The winners will advance to the District contest in Garner on May 2, 2026, where they will compete for a $2,500 scholarship.

The District’s winner will then advance to the Optimist International Regional/World Championships Contests held July 17-18, 2026 at Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri.

Club Vice President (and North Carolina East Optimist District Governor) Timothy Johnson served as the Master of Ceremony. Stacey Smith, Club Secretary, coordinated the venue and served as Timer. Jennifer Smith served as the Sergeant-at-Arms.
Our Distinguished Judges: Kris Bethea, Nicole Parvin, and Chris Wilson

This event continues to empower youth, build confidence, and develop tomorrow’s leaders through public speaking.

Congratulations to all! Well done!

03/21/2026

Local Optimist Club to Sponsor Oratorical Contest for Students
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - The Optimist Club of Raleigh is encouraging area students to speak their minds about the topic "THE MOMENT I REALIZED I BELONGED - MY DEFINITION OF COMMUNITY" as part of the Optimist International Oratorical Contest for the 2025-2026 year.
The Optimist Club will judge the local students' speeches based on content and presentation to determine the top winners. Winners will receive AWARDS and the winning speeches will be sent to the Zone level, and possibly the District level for the opportunity to win college scholarships. Winners of the District level will be eligible to compete in a regional competition in St. Louis, Missouri, at Saint Louis University. Winners of the regional contests will compete in the World Oratorical Championship, also held at Saint Louis University. Students could possibly win up to $22,500 in scholarships!
The contest is open to students under the age of 19, as of October 1, 2007. "As they prepare for their future, many of our local students need experience expressing their thoughts and opinions to an audience," Club Vice President Timothy Johnson, said. "The Oratorical Contest challenges them to do just that and also offers an opportunity for scholarships. In this way, our club hopes to bring out the best in each of them and help them achieve their goals for the future."
The deadline to turn in speeches is April 14, 2026. Contest will be held on April 25, 2026.
Location: The Optimist Farm; 2908 Optimist Farm Rd., Apex, NC 27539.
Time: 1:00 PM.
Students wishing to participate in the oratorical contest can find out more about the contest by contacting Timothy Johnson at 919-441-7995.
The Optimist Club of Raleigh has been participating in the Optimist Oratorical Contest for years and has been active in the community since 1982.
Optimist International is one of the world's largest service club organizations with over 80,000 adult and youth members in almost 3,000 clubs in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico and throughout the world. The Optimist Oratorical Contest
is one of the organization's most popular programs, with more than 2,000 clubs participating annually. Carrying the Mission Statement, "By providing hope and positive vision, Optimists bring out the best in youth, our communities, and ourselves. Optimists conduct positive service projects that reach more than six million young people each year. To learn more about Optimist International, please visit the organization's website at

Optimist International is a worldwide volunteer organization made up of more than 2,500 local Clubs whose Members work each day to make the future brighter by bringing out the best in children, in their communities, and in themselves.

03/14/2026

This morning we finished cleaning our adopted stretch of highway! 10 of us showed up and we collected 11 bags of trash plus 6 bags of recycling! http://ncdot.gov/programs/AAH/ via North Carolina Department of Transportation North Carolina East District, Optimist International Optimist International

02/05/2026

In honor of Optimist Day, the Optimist Club of Raleigh Vice President Timothy Johnson and Board member Bob Bittner joined with Zone 6 Lt. Governor Tony DeRico and Zone 4 Lt. Governor Robin Murtha to present a donation check to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Triangle in Chapel Hill.

02/04/2026

Optimist Day 2026 is upon us! Thursday, February 5, 2026, is Optimist Day!

Members of Optimist International will celebrate Optimist Day throughout the world the first Thursday of every February to promote our efforts in bringing out the best in youth, our communities and ourselves.

On Optimist Day, Optimists around the world are asked to wear Optimist attire - shirts, pins, hats, etc. Post your best Optimist attire on social media and tag Optimist International. Use the hashtag and/or .
Please watch this video from NC East Governor Timothy Johnson.

Coffee with Governor Timothy. Let's celebrate Optimist Day on 2/5/26!

01/26/2026

Due to the inclement weather and icy road conditions, Monday’s Optimist Club meeting is canceled.
We will resume our scheduled meetings on Feb. 9.

12/25/2025

Merry Christmas Optimists!
And thank you to all who support us and our cause.