The Downtowners Optimist Club of Regina was chartered on February 23, 1965 with 38 members and at that time was one of only five Optimist Clubs in the Province of Saskatchewan. The Club is part of the Alberta, Montana, Saskatchewan and Northern Wyoming District of Optimist International and the District currently has fifty six clubs with a membership of 1450. Optimist International, as a whole, ha
s 2600 clubs having a total membership of over 75,000 men and women. Over the years the Club has supported far too many different youth activities to completely list here. We continue to support Youth Appreciation Week, Oratorical Contest, Essay Contest, Respect for Law, and our annual Band Festival. As our club has evolved, we have organized, sponsored and provided countless hours of manpower to various activities and groups such as the Regina Optimist Dolphins Swim Club, Regina Police Junior Band, many hockey and baseball teams, the Childhood Cancer Campaign, The Optimist Gymnastics Association of Regina and the Annual Band Festival. Some of the Club’s more major financial contributions have included substantial contributions to other Societies and Associations such as the purchase of Wilson House for the Ranch Ehrlo Society, the purchase of a car and controls for the training of handicapped drivers, financial assistance for the Cheshire Home Residence for Disabled Adults, the Autism Resource Centre and the Sports Venture Library and Dress a Champion programs of Ehrlo Community Services. The Club has provided man power for the door-to-door canvasses of the Canadian Cancer Society, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Big Sisters, Big Brothers, the Regina United Way, the Kidney Foundation and the MS Society. Of special note is the construction and landscaping of the Fred Walton Memorial Park at the Salvation Army’s William Booth Special Care Home and our partnership in the recent Gocki Park project. The Club is particularly proud of its sponsorship of the annual Band Festival which has celebrated over 30 years of service to the music community. To raise funds for its many sponsorships, the Club has, as its major fundraising activities, an annual Wild Game Dinner, and refreshment sales at Saskatchewan Roughrider games.
