Optimist club president talks to group

Enosh Fee, president of the Downtown Optimist Club, was the featured speaker at the Eastside Business Association meeting Jan 19. Fee, a businessman, radio communicator and ordained minister, talked about the worldwide organization and the local Flint area chapters.

"We've been bringing out the best in kids since 1919," Fee said.

According to Fee the group began in 1919 when people tackled urbanization problems with positive outlooks.

Today there are 87,000 members in 2,900 autonomous clubs that conduct over 65,000 service projects and serve more than six million young people around the world.

There are seven clubs in the Flint area, all offshoots of the downtown club organized in 1934.

Fee was recently elected president of the downtown club that meets at noon every Tuesday at the Sarvis Center in the Cultural Center.

His goal — to recruit more volunteers for the Optimists.

What does it take to be an Optimist?

"An upbeat attitude," says Fee.

Optimist Club members help empower young people to be the best they can be. Each Optimist Club determines the needs of the young people in its community and conducts programs to meet those needs. In Flint Optimists work with kids at the Whaley Children's Center, battle childhood cancer through awareness programs and fund research. Optimists offer scholarships, hold classes on internet safety, sponsor a respect for law day and participate in youth safety programs.

Fee, raised by his grandmother, understands kids who have no mom or dad to teach them life lessons including civic responsibility. That's why he encourages others to join him in helping others.

"We're just a bunch of ordinary folks," Fee said. "We live in a cynical world. If we can help our young people develop optimism as a tenet of life, inspire respect of law and give ourselves for the well-being of others — we've done our job. We must not be too far removed from the hurting people in our community."

He is director of worship arts for living hope at the Bay Church in Chesterfield-New Baltimore, Mich.

Go to www.optimist.org, find the group on Facebook call (810) 624-6928 for information.

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