Island club to dissolve but hopes for future reorganization
The Sanibel Captiva Optimist Club regretfully announces its dissolution as of 2022.
Unfortunate pandemic circumstances of the past few years have made it impossible to raise funds necessary to maintain club operation. There are sufficient funds remaining to pay off any debts, especially those of the five remaining college scholarships awarded earlier.
It is hoped that the club may reorganize in the near future. Meanwhile, one of the early members, Randy Carson, has rescued the Fourth of July Sanibel Island Road Rally under different management and operated it successfully this year.
A huge thank you to all the members and officers of the club for years of effort, to our many supporters, and especially to the city of Sanibel that supported our charitable efforts.
The club was chartered on Sept. 30, 1997, with 37 members. The first president was Michelle Moran. Charter members included author and Realtor Charles Sobczak and eventual Sanibel Mayor Nola Theiss.
In July of 1998, the club took over the July Fourth road rally from the Sanibel & Captiva Islands Chamber of Commerce. The rally was in its 41st year in 2021 and is the longest continuing Fourth of July tradition on Sanibel.
In December of 1998, our Optimist Club Foundation was established as a non-profit organization with the state of Florida with a 501(3)(c) tax status.
During the 2000-01 year, we held our first unique fundraiser — the “Be a Cop at the 4-way Stop.” The Sanibel School Principal Barbara Von Harten directed traffic in a Dr. Seuss hat. We began our support of the Sanibel Recreation Center’s Summer Friday Lunch Program and issued our first two, four-year college scholarships.
In 2003, we joined with the city in sponsoring the City Golf Championship at the Beachview Country Club. We ran the tournament for the following two years.
On June 30, 2007, the club held its second unique-to-Sanibel fundraiser — a contest to be “the last person to raise the Sanibel Draw Bridge prior to opening the new fixed Causeway Bridge.”
On Dec. 13, 2008, our first Winter Wine Festival was held at The Dunes Golf and Tennis Club. Each following year it was at Lilly & Co.
In December of 2009, we held our first “Island Temptations Dine Around” raffle.
In addition to our various sponsored Community Housing and Resources’ activities in the past, our first “Back-to-School Backpack” program support was in August of 2010.
Beginning in 2010 we held the “Wave of Hope Walk” at the West Wind Inn in support of Kids Cancer Care. The following three years the successor program, “The Jingle Bell Walk,” was held at Bowman’s Beach with F.I.S.H. of Sanibel-Captiva being the recipient of our charity support for local youth. Santa Claus always showed up!
Subsequently at the recreation center, we started the Sanibel Captiva Optimist Club Youth Basketball program, a youth fishing program known as “Junior Anglers,” and youth archery programs.
In November of 2016, we instituted the first of three annual Sanibel Blues and Jazz Fests, supported by Bailey’s General Store, and benefitting CHR, the “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society-Friends of the Refuge, and the club’s other charitable funds.
For more information, contact outgoing Sanibel Captiva Optimist Club President Stan Howard at 239-472-0836.