What we do
Sponsoring | Fundraising | Scholarships
Optimists volunteer countless hours and contribute annually to the youth in local communities. Our Optimist Club and associated Foundation focus on sponsoring and coordinating a variety of youth programs that address the unique needs of today’s kids and teens.
The Flag Program
Since 1964, volunteers of the Point Loma Optimist Club have set out 168 American flags along a two-mile section of Rosecrans Street every Sunday and during Federal holidays. Two volunteer members of the Point Loma Optimist Club meet at the parking garage to pick up the club’s flag truck - a specially modified Ford cargo van. While one volunteer drives, the other unfurls and places our national ensigns into designated holes along Rosecrans.
The Flag program was presented to the Board of Directors in 1964 by Paul Markel and was approved by then-president Dick Perry. The program was inaugurated on the 4th of July, 1964, under the leadership of then President Bill Rippee.
Who we support
For the last five years, we have supported various organizations in the community including the YMCA Capital Campaign fund, the PL Baseball Boosters, Point Loma High School, Dewey Elementary, and Sacred Hearts Academy for classroom projectors. We are constantly looking for more ways to serve our community’s youth.
Community Involvement
Our club is just one of 3,800 Optimist Clubs throughout the US, Canada, Caribbean, and abroad. Optimist clubs commit to “Bringing Out the Best in Kids” in their specific communities.
In 1994, the members of the Point Loma Club incorporated a non-profit organization called the Optimist Club Foundation of Point Loma, a separate but affiliated entity of the Club. It was formed under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. All donations to the Foundation are tax-deductible.
Activities include weekly breakfast meetings, maintenance of the flag program on Rosecrans Avenue (Sundays and holidays), and an annual Children’s Christmas party. Members pay their annual dues and meal expenditures to this organization.
