Junior Optimists Plan Busy Year

Farmington area Junior Optimists have a busy year ahead of them.

The student volunteers from eight Farmington area schools met Wednesday evening at to learn more about eight community groups and causes they'll support this year. The Junior Optimists work under the wing of the Farmington & Farmington Hills Optimist club, a civic organization.

Representatives from Neighborhood House, Project Fish, Youth and Family Services, Paws with a Cause and Relay for Life talked about their programs; students also learned about the Bountiful Backpack program, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Run for the Hills, which benefits Special Olympics.

Isabella Taylor, 10, and Elizabeth Pappas, 11, both Warner Upper Elementary students, said they enjoy being members of their school's Junior Optimist Club because they like helping others. Elizabeth is the club's president.

"It's good to know I'm making a difference," said Isabella, who supported the club's recent collection drive for Sweet Dreamzz by getting a box of toothpaste samples from her dentist. The nonprofit provides sleep kits to give kids what they need for a good night's sleep.

"I like doing service projects," Elizabeth said. She wanted to lead the group because "I thought I'd be good at getting people to do service projects and get them excited about it."

The girls' friend and schoolmate Gina Hess, 10, isn't a Junior Optimist Club member, but that might change after Wednesday's presentation.

"When I looked at everything, I'm thinking about joining," she said. "I'm thinking about doing the run with Isabella."

Eleven-year-old Shane Saxton and his friend Tommy Dye, both Power Upper Elementary students, described the program as "cool".

"I liked the Relay for Life and how you can decorate a bag for somebody you know who had cancer," Shane said.

Tommy said he liked hearing more about the Youth and Family Services After School program, which he attends. "I thought the whole meeting was really cool," he said.

Shane's mother, Michelle Saxton, of Farmington, said she hopes the Junior Optimist Club will get her son more interested in community activities.

"This has been perfect," she said. "Anything along this line is great to remind the kids to give back and think about what you can do for somebody else along the way. You just plant the seed."

Students from and Upper Elementary Schools, and Middle Schools, , , and Elementary Schools attended the event. For information about the Junior Optimists, visit f2hoptimists.org