Franklin County Optimists

05/22/2026

05/12/2026

Franklin Co. Optimist Club
Bill Smell Junior Golf Instruction

04/17/2026

Franklin County Optimist Unsung Heroes Night
Congratulations to all the winners

02/20/2026

Franklin County Optimist 2026 Essay Contest Winners
The 4 essay winners are
1st Place Far right: Kathy Gillett: Ottawa
2nd Place Far left: Glenna Mills: Ottawa
3rd Place 2nd from left: Phalen Hodges: Ottawa
4th Place 2nd from right: Timothy Carmack-Roberts: Central Heights
Congratulations to Kathy, Glenna, Phalen, and Timothy.
Kathy's essay will go to our state competition. Good Luck Kathy.

02/16/2026

Thanks go to Derek Chappell for being the host of our Valentine Trivia Contest along with our corporate sponsors, Brand 'n Iron, Smoked Creations, Prime Time Grille, Sutton's Jewelry and Turner Floral for the donations of gift cards and merchandise for the drawings. Also thank you to our members that brought items for the drawing.

02/06/2026

Ottawa Mayor Zach Clayton and Franklin County Commissioner Rod Harris attended the Franklin County Optimist meeting to recognize February 5 as National Optimist Day.

02/02/2026

January, the Franklin County Optimist Club recognized the fifteen Students of the Month for the first semester at Wellsville Middle School with a Pizza Party.

12/02/2025

THANK YOU TO BRUCE GRONINGER, PARKER OLMSTED, AND ROGER CARSON for their work Saturday evening
to run The Optimist Train at The Mayor's Christmas Tree lighting ceremony.

10/31/2025

SNAG Golf Instruction

SNAG (Starting New At Golf) golf instruction was provided for PE teachers from Ottawa elementary schools, Ottawa Middle School, Central Heights Elementary School, and Central Heights Middle School on Friday, October 31, 2025. The instruction was given by Jeff Burey, a licensed PGA professional. He was joined by Rob Mylnar (head golf pro at City of Ottawa Golf Course), Trey Bones (assistant pro at City of Ottawa Golf Course), and Kyle Dulle (assistant golf coach at Ottawa University and assistant golf pro). Jeff has been teaching SNAG for over 20 years. The program was developed by 2 golf pros to assist in teaching the basics of golf to children in elementary school and middle school. It is designed for teachers to teach the correct basic skills of golf in a fun and easy way. The 4 basic elements of the program are roll, pitch, chip, and launch. The instruction started with a powerpoint presentation given by Jeff Burey. The teachers were then divided into groups of 3 or 4 to practice using the fundamentals of the program. Pictures of the instruction can be seen with the accompanying pictures.
All of the SNAG equipment was purchased by Franklin County Optimist Club with the help of a junior golf grant from Kansas Golf Foundation. Franklin County Optimist Club is committed to junior golf programs. They have operated the Bill Smell Junior Golf Camp during the month of June for the past 15 years. This program provides basic golf instruction to children between the ages of 7 and 13. The purchase of this equipment to be used in our schools will generate additional interest in the game of golf for many years to come. Franklin County Optimists are happy to be able to provide this equipment for the schools in Ottawa. We hope to be able to provide additional equipment in the future for more schools in Franklin County. It is just another way we are “bringing out the best in kids in Franklin County”. Thanks to everyone who supports our programs.