(above) The Optimist Club of North Plainfield honored 16 student athletes from each sporting group in North Plainfield who demonstrated traits that align with the Optimist Creed.
Optimist Club of North Plainfield’s 2019 Wrap Up
The Optimist Club of North Plainfield finished up the school year by honoring our student athletes. A dinner was held for family and friends of 16 student athletes from each sporting group in North Plainfield. These students were specifically chosen by their coaches as team members that most exhibit the premises of the Optimist Creed. These personality traits are an asset to every team.
Guest speaker Robert Lake addressed the guests at the event, held at the International Club in North Plainfield. Mr. Lake is a product of the North Plainfield School system, from his preschool years to most recently serving as the Assistant Principal of North Plainfield Middle School, as well as coaching many years. He shares many of the same passions as these athletes and coaches. Mr. Lake offered a very motivating and uplifting speech to the dinner guests and award recipients.
The athlete dinner guests were also treated to a special appearance from Mr. Gene Riordan, who is the Governor of the Atlantic Central District of Optimist International and is a motivational speaker.
The North Plainfield Optimist Club holds many community events throughout the year, specifically focused on the youth of our community. In December, the Optimists host a Breakfast with Santa which is always a well attended event. There is also a Superhero Lunch for the Children. Guests come dressed as their favorite superhero and are joined by local police officers, EMTs and firemen. The ROTC from NPHS is always there to lend a hand.
For the older youth, The North Plainfield Optimist Club hosts a local Oratorical Contest. This contest is held with very specific guidelines and rules. There is the potential for students to win and move up to the next level, and, as they do so, continue to win scholarship money. The NPHS Language Arts staff work very closely with students to hone these skills. This year the topic for the speech was “Is There a Fine Line Between Optimism and Reality?” First Place Winner this year was Alejandro Ortiz. Second Place was taken by Cillaty Elias and Third by Jason Melendez. At the same time, the Optimists host an Essay contest. The subject this year was “When All the World’s Problems are Solved, is Optimism Still Necessary?” This years First Place winner was Alexandra Hernandez, Second was Amanda Gaetan and Third, Christina Aguilar.
The Optimist Club of North Plainfield is also known for their Annual Wine Tasting event. This is held at the Vermule Mansion in North Plainfield. We will see this coming up on the calendar in October this year.
If you would like to learn more about the Optimist Club of North Plainfield, please contact Sandi Helck at 908-361-2152. New members are always welcome.
Submitted by Susan Durick
