A small but dedicated group of young Optimists from the Best End JOOI (Junior Optimist Octagon International) Club showed their commitment to Optimism and their neighbourhood by ending their school year with two acts of community service.
The Best End JOOI Club, based at the Morris Vanterpool Primary School in East End is a small but energetic group made up mainly of 5th graders. The youngsters agreed that after their end of year exams they would like to visit the residents at the Rosewood Centre and clean the beach at Sandy Hill.
True to their word, on Thursday 21 June, five members piled into the vehicle of JOOI Advisor Avon Carty and visited with the elders. They took gifts of fruits and sang, read bible verses and prayed with the residents. The children all agreed that it was a fulfilling and rewarding experience and have promised to visit again before the end of the calendar year.
The young Optimists then brought the curtain down on the term’s community service calendar by doing a comprehensive clean up of the Sandy Hill Bay on Saturday 20 June. They were extremely thrilled when they realized that their beach clean-up day was also Solid Waste Awareness Day. Though only three children showed up, six garbage bags were filled and the young Optimists left not only the beach but the access road and shoreline bushes pristine!
The Optimist Club of Anguilla, sponsor of the Best End JOOI Club, thanks President Roneasha Hodge and her board for their able leadership of the club this year. They also thank the parents and guardians of the young Optimists and the principal and staff at the Morris Vanterpool Primary Schoolfor their encouragement and support of the children’s membership in the club and community service in Anguilla.
– Press Release
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)
