September 2021
Optimist International continues to expand around the globe.
Our expansion takes us to the Caribbean, Central America, and the Middle East during the month of August 2021.
The Optimist Club of Bull Bay in Jamaica kicked off the month, organizing with 17 members. Optimists in the Eastern Stars and the Kingston Harbour View Optimist Clubs are coming alongside the new Optimists as sponsors. It’s the sixth new Club in the Caribbean District this year and we are aware of a couple more in the works.
The Middle East continues to grow with new Optimists. 
The Optimist Club of Lebanon and the Tamarac Optimist Club of Colorado came together to sponsor the 18 members of the Hand in Hand Optimist Club in Amman, Jordan. This is the third Optimist Club organized in the Jordanian capital since the Optimist flag began flying over the country last fall. We’ve also added another Club in Lebanon, where our efforts in the Middle East began a year ago. The Optimist Club of Lebanon continues to be a driving force in the country, as it co-sponsored the Al Majd Optimist Club in the Bekaa Valley. The 15 members are also sponsored by the Valley Forge-King of Prussia Optimist Club of the Atlantic Central District.
Members in the Middle East and several locations of Africa kept busy in August with a variety of projects.
The KAMP Optimist Club of Uganda is getting involved in volleyball to promote physical fitness among its members and community.
There is the Mothers of Tomorrow Optimist Club in Jinja, Uganda, which provided food supplies for needy families.
The Optimist Club of Accra, Ghana has been working this year with the Klicks Africa Foundation.
The Klicks Foundation works to create awareness of autism and helps those affected by the mental disorder.
The Club also recently held an educational seminar at a local school to provide instruction about personal hygiene and wellness education. It was a very well-attended event.
One of Optimist International’s newer Clubs in Lebanon held its first project.
It was designed to provide greatly-needed medicines and other medical necessities to the area of the Rasm Al Hadeth Optimist Club of the Bekaa Valley.
Beirut, Lebanon is going to be the site of the first Optimist International conference in the Middle East. “This is a tremendous opportunity to meet many of our new Optimists in person,” said Director of Strategic Growth Jim Boyd. “This event September 17-18 will include several workshops, some fun, and crazy activities gives Members an opportunity to meet each other.” In addition to Lebanon, participants are expected from Jordan and Egypt, as well as prospective Optimists from Cyprus and Tunisia. 
There are also plans for Mr. Boyd to travel to Clubs in north Tripoli and to the Bekaa Valley during his visit to the country. From September 15-22, Jim will meet with members who could not travel to attend the conference. Optimist International’s social media platforms will have daily updates from the excursion and a wrap-up can be found in the October Global Spotlight.
Administrative Corner
The administrative corner this month is a brief one. The monthly webinar for our Optimists outside of North America is taking a break in September. The International Development Committee hopes to resume these sessions in early October 2021.