Sponsored Programs & Groups

Childhood Cancer
Children in Kindergarten through 5th grades are award from several categories. Awards available in....
- Arts- An award for a child with exceptional imagination and skill in painting, drawing, music, dance, drama or writing.
- Science- An award for a child whose curiosity has led to outstanding achievement in the exploration and discovery of his/ her environment.
- Humanities- An award for a child with special appreciation of and sensitivity to other cultures, literature, history, or current events.
- Fellowship- An award for a child who inspires cooperation and group effort among his peers or people of other ages.
- Community Service- An award for a child who stands out in his willingness and ability to help others.
- Courage- An award for a child who has faced a great challenge with extraordinary bravery, endurance, and/ or effort.


Students can be nominated by an Optimist Club member, faculty member or by self-nomination.
As a winner of an Optimist Scholarship, the recipient must be willing to attend a Champaign-Urbana Optimist Club meeting as a guest speaker to tell how the scholarship will enhance his/her education. The recipient must relinquish the scholarship if he/she ends his/her education within the first year following the scholarship award.


No other junior golf tournament quite compares to that of the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships, which focuses on fair competition and cultural understanding among youth. This unique tournament offers as broad a field and expanded age groups as any other in its class.
Check our website regularly for details on our local qualifying event.

Respect for Law Awards Banquet:
Optimist Clubs participate in activities to inspire respect for law enforcement among young people and to educate them on the jobs these brave men and women perform.
Youth Appreciation:
Optimists recognize youth for a variety of reasons, including their achievements at school, dedication to community service, improvement in their grades and doing their best in sports or the arts. This activity allows Optimists to build the self-esteem of the youth in their community and show them that their efforts and hard work really do make a difference. Here are organizations and clubs that we support that focus on youth appreciation:


Free Fishing Derby (For children ages 6-12) held the first Saturday each June at Kaufmann Lake.




Student of the Month


helped through the following agencies:

